family

when i woke up this morning, i was laying on my side and carrie's blonde baby head was ever so gently nestled...between my breasts. her feet were lounging on my husband's...esophagus. she was completely perpendicular to both of us, and seemed very comfortable. (i was not comfortable.) alas, yet another wake up call from her at 4am led her to our bed. it's always a rare treat when that happens because suddenly you are laying with a 25 pounder that has no regard for other people's body parts. (balls and breasts are never safe.) i have no idea how people "co-sleep" with their kids. i know a few families that do this nightly and i can't wrap my head around it. i'm guessing that it gets easier...but in my house when it happens, it is far from easy. (it's absurd.) anyway, i woke up around 6am, but didn't want to wake her so i laid there and stared at the ceiling until she started moving around 8am. now, truth be told, if she was in her own crib for the night...she would've been up at the ass crack of dawn squawking at us from across the hall. i guess the warmth of my breasts and the lower body elevation from butch's esophagus lead her to a longer slumber. (joy.) my head was a little fuzzy when i "woke up" (using that loosely) and she just sat up, smiled, and acted like we have been sleeping like that for her whole life. (like it was the best thing ever.) newsflash sister...you are back in your own bed tonight.

our house has been quite full the past week. my husband's parents flew in from out of state and my parents and brothers arrived last night. although i despise traveling on thanksgiving, it's still a little crazy hosting everyone at our house. our home is a zoo most days of the week, but add a few extra family members into the mix and it's a full blown circus. strangely, this visit has been quite calm though. last year i was postpartum and dealing with the sleepless nights of a newborn, my mother was menopausal. turns out this is a lethal combination. at one point i snapped at her laying the sarcasm on quite thick and shortly after she disappeared. after about 15 minutes i said, "where's mom?" to my brother. he said, "she's upstairs crying in a room because you snapped at her." (oh my god.) so you see, lethal. a few days prior to this, my inlaws were watching my girls and my mother in law accidentally put boilo in ella's sippy cup. i got home from work and she said, "ella wouldn't really drink anything all day?!" i realized what happened and after knowing she didn't have alcohol poisoning, we all had a laugh. this is what the holidays are all about though, right? your family making you nuts? mine do a bang up job of this on a daily basis, so it's just an added bonus on the holidays. again, this year has been quiet, so i'm kinda wondering if it's just the calm before the storm. however, we have had a broken wine glass and my brother and husband are currently starting a fire (with gasoline) in the backyard...but these are just minor details.

this week, i asked my kids at school to tell me something that they were thankful for. i explained that when you are "thankful" for something you are really glad that you have it in your life. surprisingly, i expected them each to mention a toy or video game or something like that. they didn't. here is their list:

my favorite was mushrooms. (yes!) the little boy who shared this one said it with a dead straight face. i asked him why he was thankful for mushrooms and he said, "because they are just so good." (ok then.) i think we, as adults, can learn a lot from this list. when the first child said, "family." there was nothing but nods in agreeance and conversation about why they were all so thankful for their families. it actually turned into a full blown discussion. it was refreshing to hear. what it boils down to is this...parenthood isn't pretty, as this morning's wake up displayed. also, families are all different and made up of cast many different crazy characters. but through it all, your kids appreciate you. they appreciate you when they use your breasts as a pillow and they appreciate you when you accidentally put boilo in their sippy cup. they really just appreciate your presence. so today and everyday, i'm thankful for my family, for my kids, and also for simple things like mushrooms. (because they are just so good.) after three days of cooking, 43 pounds of butter, and countless bloody mary's...my house will soon resemble a morgue. (not much movement.) my work here is done. moreover, my heart and recycle bin are full...so i know it's definitely been a good week.