happy thanksgiving.

it all started at 6 am. i pulled myself out of bed, bundled up for the cold and then drove to venetian village to run in my first race/run since high school. yeah, i used to run. i used to be pretty good and most of all i loved it...i loved the wind in my face, the confidence that came with each mile run or hurdle jumped, the feeling of leaving a competitor behind, the school spirit...

that was then.

today it felt a bit different...

mandy, jenn, and i pose with the turkey pre-run!

it felt BETTER!

i watched a pregnant lady pushing a set of twins, a lady at least 40 years older than me, a toddler (about 3 I'd say) on a scooter, and about 20 kids pass me on gulfshore drive. they were either running or walking, but passing me just the same. it was kind of funny and humbling and inspirational. i won't tell a lie, this was harder than i remember it being in the past and the miles seemed to crawl by. each time someone passed me that i thought shouldn't have, it made me push harder, walk faster, run more. it was GREAT! 4 miles felt like 20 to me, didn't think i'd make it, but i did and what better way to start the day off (okay, a fireplace, hot cocoa, and a thick quilt lounging on the couch sounds kinda nice too). we live in such a pretty place with such nice people that do such nice things.

i heard HAPPY THANKSGIVING from random strangers no less than 20 times.

i am so thankful to be living where we do!

and thankful to be reminded that i need to step it up for next year...!!!

later that night,

we were so happy to be with family and dear friends for a thanksgiving celebration. it was beautiful, inspiring, warm, loving,...perfect!

they say love is in the details and there was lots of love at matt & jenn's house. no detail was left out making it not only a time to feel thankful, grateful...but a true experience. one for the books. one of my greatest joys in life is to watch our children interact with their cousins. i can't grow tired of it. it is heartwarming and fills me up for days.

beckham and griffin are getting older and definitely want to play with the 'big kids' this year!

'i am thankful for' tree. spencer wrote 'life' on his. sweet boy. smart boy.

homemade goodies.

jenn's sisters and bro-in-laws making us all laugh.

matt was the chef and he made an exquisite feast!

what is so interesting? a small green frog caught the attention of all the kids.

let me in. i'm a big kid now! becks and griff were so sweet trying to 'hang' with the big kids!

sydney, maddy, riley, peyton, sophie, griff, spence, and becks.

loving this family and feeling so thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives because we have so many. we have so much.

matt and jenn, thank you for such a lovely evening. jenn, your creativity and attention to detail is amazing to me. you inspire me. we love you guys. xoxox

MOMMY! it's snowing!!!!!!!!!

6:30pm, laying on the couch in my pj's consuming an Us Weekly with joy. kids are playing together and jeff is putting the finishing touches on a house project, when i get a text...

"3rd street, tree lighting, everyone is down here...!" (thnx kell)

30 seconds later...

"everyone, let's go, we are missing the snow downtown!!!! hurry, find your shoes, jackets!!!!"

we are in chaos...we HAVE to make it downtown to at least see the snow. i can't believe i forgot about this. i know the kids will love it...how did i forget?! (kicking myself so hard for forgetting, that i bruised my bum)

45 minutes later...

WE MADE IT!!!!! 40 minutes of snow, lights, music, holiday energy, kids, babies, happy parents, $3 hot dogs (um, no), and cotton candy!!!!

we missed some stuff, no biggie, we saw it snowing in naples...

10 minutes after this shot was taken...two screaming kids, high on sugar, exhausted, and both wanting mommy!

well worth it for some holiday fun in florida.

under the weather

comfy sick bed in my bed....from stale Vernor's to extra fluffy pillows

(and a little brother who wants to be next to his ailing sister-well, on the floor).

homemade chicken noodle soup for days.

motrin. vick's vabor rub. cool air humidifier.

lots of kleenex soft tissue, because it's just better than tp.

midnight 'rocks' in the blue chair.

tons and tons of extra cuddles, lovies, and head rubs.

more stories and books in one day than in a whole week.

i hate seeing the 'sick eyes' in my babies.

not being able to make the hurt go away just plain SUCKS.

when they melt into your arms and breathe into your neck so close- you never

want them to move.

hate that i can't take the pain away for them,

but love that they want and need me, mommy, to make them feel just a little bit better.

loving these little people

who are feeling much better now!!!!

what i see behind me...

i do this once in a while and then i compare the differences.


first time beckham put the headphones on by himself...my big little guy!

sometimes i look in my rear view mirror and wonder if i will ever forget what i see today. i get sad knowing that what i see is fleeting. therefore i try to 'burn' the images into my brain...i really do do this.

what i see today are two babies (please note: i will 'milk the term babies referring to my kiddies as long as i can get away with it), young, innocent, beautiful, perfect, inquisitive, full of wonder. they constantly ask me questions about what they see. well, beckham just kind of points things out to me and repeats them over and over and over again until i repeat what he has just discovered out the window. usually it comes down to all the words he knows and then adds 'mama' at the end. such as; birdie mama, tay ya ya (airplane) mama, flowies mama!!!(most always said with excitement), (new word) sky mama, baba nilk (not milk), apple juice, french fries (blushing-yes, i feed my kids french fries...LOTS and LOTS of french fries).

mostly though, it is not what beckham says that i find incredibly cute and heart warming...it is what he does. WHENEVER i look back at him, he smiles. EVERY TIME! a-light-up-your-world-i-love-my-mommy-the-most kinda smile. surprised i haven't swerved off the road looking at his little mouth . I will then say, "I love you so much beckham!" bc i can't stop saying that to my kids and he will undoubtedly say, "Thank you, mama!" Sweet, cute, and very well-mannered.

peyton is just as sweet, but more in her own little, I'm-a-big-girl-now kinda world. Yes, it has started...a bit to early for me. she will laugh, start dancing in her seat where beckham will follow what she is doing with remarkable exactness (is that a word?). anyway, she is so funny. she tells us jokes, makes up words, has musical preferences...yes, I NOW have to share my ipod with her. we all take turns listening to songs that we like. Peyton is into Barbie Girl by aqua...although i don't LOVE the words. becks likes songs by the Black Eyed Peas. and if something strikes her fancy, she will exclaim at the top of her lungs..."OH MY RUCKS!" it is like, oh my goodness, but not. not sure where she gets this stuff from, but i love to hear her made up peyton terminology.

yes, I LOVE WHAT I SEE IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR THESE DAYS!!!!

WE'RE SO LUCKY!

it made us so happy, we couldn't stop...

decorating for Christmas!!!!

one night last week i wanted to do something that would make me feel really good, take my mind off things, relax. so i made a quick trip to Michael's, bought a few things, rushed home, wrapped garland and strung lights on our banister. music playing, thinking about the upcoming holidays, feeling thankful for so many things, and wondering what peyton and beckham's reaction would be when they saw the lights!!! it turned out to be a really good night.

peyton and beckham's excitement over the wreath alone (not hung and lit up, but laying on the floor after just being rediscovered after a year of living in an unmarked box) was SO heartwarming and exciting! they couldn't stop dancing, talking about Santa, asking for candy canes (how do they remember those candy canes?) their happiness and excitement only fueled my desire to add more lights, more glitter, more snow on the windows,...

before i even realized it, i emptied the last box!

this time of year is so magical and so full of fun things to do and look forward to. thanksgiving will be spent with loved ones where we will have an amazing day filled with fun family and feeling so thankful, much laughter, great food, memory making events,

kids, kids, and more kids!

until then, we will bask in the magic of Christmas. making new traditions, making plans, reading new Christmas books, making cookies, taking pictures, making mailers, selecting new outfits, talking endlessly about Santa with peyton, unwrapping glittered and glued ornaments from their crumpled tissue paper with the kids, dancing in front of the beautifully lit tree, and truly appreciating the wonder and magic of Christmas time through my babies!

in this economy christmas will more than ever be a time to simply give thanks, help others, and appreciate time spent with with good friends and family!

it all started with this runner i bought last year at an after Christmas sale. i waited, i called, i annoyed people, but i finally bought this at 75% off!!!been anxiously waiting to dress my table using this grosgrain ribbon runner and it was like a gift i hadn't opened yet waiting for me inside the big Rubbermaid bin it was stored in!

peyton got creative with glittered ornaments by hanging them on our chandelier...

she inspires me!

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next came the tree that jeff so patiently put up this morning and according to the kids in this house...candy canes are the only decorations needed to make the tree look festive. no other ornament needed.

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they sat and stared at the tree together! with wonder and innocence they stared at the unfinished tree. with promises to complete it tomorrow (we lost our hooks) first thing, they put pumpkins under the tree. since we are still in November, i thought that was pretty cute.

even though it is against my tree decorating beliefs, jeff topped the unfinished tree with the star. WT? i wasn't even the room! he explained that peyton begged for it and she was sooooo happy when he let her put it on the tree. it's okay, we can do it again tomorrow.

and the number one reason we are so content to have our tree and decs up...

i truly believe that all things christmas are magical and happy and good. making us want to live better. help more. give more. be more.

peyton is a twirler...she twirls...i love it! we could watch her for hours while she makes up new dance moves, changes in and out of her tap and ballet shoes, and even beckham likes to bust a move every once in a while! i think the tree makes her happier. just sayin'

i hope to never forget the memories made tonight. i wish i could see my babies run with excitement at the sight of Santa or at the mention of a candy cane treat after dinner...forever. we won't. i am constantly aware of that. so making these holidays as special as we can is so very important to us.

right now I especially thankful for this blog and for all of the memories it keeps safe for

peyton and beckham.

more to come.