From the light of the holiday tree

I am sitting here in the light of my holiday tree (xmas tree). Dave and Nate are playing Halo in his room and Gracyn is sleeping in her newly toddlerized crib. Maryann holds watch in front of the front door, while Miles lies worthlessly under the tree. It is silent in my house for the first time all day.

I was reading some of the blogs that I follow and they got me thinking about some things. The first thing is that I have a great kid. Not in the since that I am biased or anything like that, but that she is genuinely a neat ass kid. Watching her do things, especially things that require her to problem solve using her left hand, fascinates me. Her little gibberish that she says that only she understands does too. Today, we got her saying the word "gross", and let me tell you it is hilarious to hear her say it. She is so willful and determined. I am grateful for that. I wouldn't want her to be timid and shy along with her disability. I am so glad that she is boisterous, forthright, and spunky. That makes me worry less about someone being mean to her and her not defending herself.

In addition to thinking about Gracyn, I also thought about how much I really love my life. Not in the trite, post-Thanksgiving way either. I mean it year round. I have a husband who works hard, is a fantastic father, and who loves me despite my obvious flaws. He trusts me, looks out for me, and convinces me to buy two purses while on sale. Now that is love! But, on a serious note, he is a good man and I am lucky to have him. I also need to pay homage to my career. I love those damn kids like they were my own. I get all excited when they do well and hurt when they don't. I cry when they cry and I laugh at their stupid jokes. I am a cheerleader for the poverty, circumstance stricken and, although it is a hard job, I love it. I miss my Canal kids, but I am the happiest I have ever been at a job and that is important. Lastly, I need to mention that I have a great family. My parents have been amazing grandparents to Gracyn and without them I don't know what I would do. And, as a piggy back to that note, I am so glad that she gets to spend time with my grandfather. Not only for her sake, but also for his. She lifts his spirits up and makes his day in ways that I cannot even imagine. Whodathunk that a 16 month old eating chicken nuggets would make an old man so happy, but she does and, for that, she is a blessing to him.

I digress. I never want to be that person that always post sappy, melancholy, reflectionary b.s. to her blog, so I leave you with this: You might be a red neck if your sno-globe inflatable is larger than your house :)