i'm thankful for ...

my family, my friends, my health and my running shoes.

Sure, there are more things that I am thankful for, but I was granted with reasons to be grateful for each of those things today (and most days, if we're being honest here). And here they are ...

1. My Family: I was told twice this week (by people who know me quite well), that if they were asked to guess 10 years ago what I would be like now, their answer would have been 100 percent wrong. They both thought I would have had some high paying career and children would not even be in the picture. But somehow, I've never had a high paying career or even a mid-range paying career and in less than 9 weeks, baby number three is due to make her appearance. And honestly, I could not be happier or more thankful for this.

Although, they were completely right (I would have answered the same way 10 years ago), I can no longer imagine being happy with that life. Sitting around the table, eating Thanksgiving dinner with my loving husband and my two adorable daughters was one of the most perfect moments I have had this year (even if we had the worst server ever!!) And I am entirely grateful for them. And knowing that we are so close to adding to our family makes me ecstatic and entirely optimistic for the future.

2. My Friends: Whether near or far, my friends kick a**. I know that regardless of what happens, they always have my back (even if having my back means telling me I'm completely nuts and need to snap back to reality). I've known some of these women over 20 years and others less than two, but I love them all and appreciate them more than I let them know. They are like my second family and I look forward to growing old with all of them.

3. My Health and My Running Shoes: OK, so these two probably need to be grouped together because without my running shoes, my health (both physical and mental) wouldn't be as good as it is. Today (with the help of several of my friends), I was able to realize that my body is an amazing machine. At 30 weeks pregnant (and 25 lbs heavier than my racing weight), I ran a very hilly 10K. And even though all of my friends finished before me, they helped me understand (finally) how impressive just finishing was. Seriously, it's not everyday that you meet someone who runs a 10K on Thanksgiving (or any day for that matter). Then, try finding someone who runs it while growing another person. It won't be easy. But I was able to thanks to all the things I'm thankful for. (The support of) my family and friends, my health and my running shoes ...

So what are you thankful for?

oh how I love BOB ...

Strollers, that is.

Can we just talk about how incredible BOB's customer service is? In the past, I have called them for this and that. Nothing major, a missing screw, a lost bolt. And they have always sent replacement pieces, no questions asked.

Well, for the last six months or so, I have had a tear in the seat of my Revolution Duallie, figuring that the warranty on the stroller would be expired, I didn't even bother trying to get them to replace it. I was fully prepared to either live with the hole or to pay to have the seat replaced. So, when A told me the other day that she just had her seat replaced by BOB for the same reason, I figured, "What the heck? It's worth a shot."

So, I called this morning and the customer rep that answered simply asked what was wrong, took my name and address, and sent me a replacement seat. How freakin' awesome is that? Oh, and they are shipping it today to make sure that it's arrival isn't delayed by the holiday.

Yet again, another thing to be thankful for ...

Thanksgiving cuteness ...

Earlier today, Dizzle's preschool held their Thanksgiving Feast, with an abundance of food provided potluck-style by the families of the co-op. I got my fill of turkey and cranberry sandwiches and two slices of pumpkin pie (one was for J, but I "forgot" he doesn't eat it). It was fantastic, and after eating it, I lost all guilt about having our non-traditional Thanksgiving at Maggiano's.

But the best moment of the celebration came when Dizzle and her classmates marched into the room and performed two Thanksgiving songs. It was beyond cute. And the second they opened their little mouths, I started tearing up. How is it that my little baby is old enough to sing her heart out on stage?

Seriously, I always used to think my mom was crazy for getting all choked up when we did what to us seemed ordinary. But, now I realize that once you're a mom, you can't fight it. It's the overwhelming sense of pride in your child that kicks your tear ducts into overdrive. It's pointless to fight it. And for that I'm thankful ...

you know you're obsessed when ...

the prospect of having a third child in less than 10 weeks is not totally freaking you out, but rather the thought of taking a break from running is keeping you up at night.

Am I completely sick in the head?

OK, don't answer that? I know I am.

You see, I've done the whole kid thing before. I know what's coming. Sure, the adjustment will be rough, but at least I'm fully aware of what to expect. But I've never (in the whole year and a half I've been running) taken more than six days off. And that was immediately after the marathon. In fact, since the marathon, there has only been one week where I didn't run at least four days..

I'm addicted, and I'm pretty sure that taking time off is going to put me into withdrawal.

And I'm not even sure which part is scarier for me. The whole taking time off and having to slowly come back or the "running itch" I'm bound to develop, which will probably lead to a too early return. I don't really like either scenario. Seriously, sometimes I just wish I was lazy. Then I wouldn't have these problems ...

what I learned by having no voice ...

and I'm not talking in the "I'm not empowered, so I have no voice" kind of way. I literally mean I HAVE NO VOICE. I can only talk in whispers and it's really more effective to just write down what I want to say. Annoying? Yes. But at least it's taught me a lesson or two ...

1. Having no voice, yet attempting to talk (even if it only comes out as a whisper) takes as much energy as yelling.

This is so true. In fact, on several occasions, I have gotten lightheaded if I tried to carry on a conversation. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant or maybe it's just that when I do try to talk, I feel like I'm getting a serious abdominal workout and screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm not quite sure, but either way it's not a lot of fun.

2. You can tell a three-year old anything and they will believe it.

I told Dizzle that I had lost my voice, so she asked where it went. "On vacation" was my immediate response and ever since then she has been asking me "When is your voice going to get back from vacation?" and "Why did it go on vacation without you?"

3. I yell (I mean raise my voice) at my children far more often that I had realized.

Sometimes it's to get their attention. Sometimes it's because I'm in the other room. Sometimes to save them from injury. Sometimes it's because they are acting like lunatics and it needs to stop immediately. But whatever the reason, I do it a lot. And it's very frustrating not to be able to do it.

4. But most importantly, I now realize that I don't need to yell at my children to discipline them.

Amazing, right? But in the last three days, I have not been able to yell once and yet, they have listened to me completely. Perhaps, because I am whispering they have to listen better. Or maybe they don't feel like I'm trying to control them. But whatever the reason, it is now my personal goal to keep the yelling to a minimum. And maybe, just maybe I will have two very cooperative children ...

4.97 miles ...

So, J and I ran in the NTelos 8K this morning. We had planned to run together, but that didn't so much happen.

This is how it really went down.

a crappy job ...

Upon returning from school today, Dizzle was in a foul mood. She cried over everything. She threw tantrum after tantrum. And just when I was about to hit my breaking point (rushing out the door to Stroller Strides), she said the funniest thing.

Dizzle had been whining and complaining about something that I asked her to do. She told me, "I'm trying to ..." and I snapped back, "Well, it's pretty crappy." To which she yelled back, "I don't do crappy jobs!!"

And I burst into laughter. Sure, the statement itself wasn't anything remarkable, but the combination of her face and a three-year old using the word "crappy" was enough to make me forget why I was so worked up in the first place.

more cheese, please ...

Today at school Dizzle got a time-out. Did she fail to listen? Did she hit someone? Did she have a total meltdown and go ape on her classmates? No. No. And no. So, what did she do? She ate too much cheese.

Yes, that's right. She ate too much cheese.

You see, apparently each child in her class was allotted one cheese stick and three carrot sticks. Dizzle, however, chose to disregard the limit (and her teacher's wishes that she not eat another cheese stick) and somehow devoured three cheese sticks in a matter of minutes.

And since I was the parent in the classroom today, I was made aware of the situation immediately. Dizzle's teacher came up to me and said, "Your girl has to go to time-out. She ate three cheese sticks. Then when I asked her why she ate them she said, "Because I'm a pig."

And I started laughing. Mostly due to the absurdity of the charge, but a little bit because Dizzle admitted to being a pig. Hey, if nothing else, at least she's honest.

a quiet week ...

It's been a quiet week around the house. No major catastrophes. No hyped-up drama. Not even a funny comment or two. But quiet doesn't necessarily mean uneventful. In fact, the past few days have been quite interesting around here.

Oh, where to start? After I recovered from my "bad mommy" moment, I decided to let the stress go out the window. Really, I had no reason to be so worked up and after a few venting sessions with my sisters and friends, I had my equilibrium back. Which has made everyone is our home much happier.

On Thursday, J and I pretty much decided that Virginia is the place we want to be (at least for the next few years). And although we never intended to be here more than a year or two, we've grown comfortable. We have a place here and honestly, the prospect of leaving (at least for me) is a lot scarier than it's ever been before. I don't want to uproot our family. It's like they say, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it."

But staying here (in Virginia) and staying here (in this house), aren't the same thing. We don't want to do the latter. So, if everything goes as planned, our house will be on the market by the end of the week. Know anyone who wants a great starter home?

A big reason for our impeding move is the addition of baby number three, who thanks to a 3D ultrasound on Saturday has fully declared herself as our third girl (Natalie Marcelle, in case you were wondering). A scary, scary prospect for the future. Poor J is really going to have to prepare himself for what's in store.

Speaking of the ultrasound, not only did it solidly confirm our third XX baby, it also provided the cutest moment of our week. During our session, Doodle sat glued to the screen and with finger pointing, she repeatedly yelled out, "Baby, baby!" It was rather heartwarming. Plus, apparently, she gets it. Maybe not the whole "a new baby is coming to live with us FOREVER" thing, but at least the whole "Mommy has a baby in her belly" thing. I see it as progress. And it probably explains the extra-clinginess she has been displaying ever since.

Anyway, not much else to report. Like I said, it's been a quiet week ...

a complement. almost.

Completely unaffected by my verbal bashing yesterday, Dizzle presented me with the sweetest complement this evening. While taking a bath, she told her father ...

"And Mommy made one (a friendship bracelet) for me. She's so wonderful."

Aw, how nice. I obviously have taught her well. Or so I thought, because she followed it up with this zinger.

(Turning to me) "But you poop a lot."

Really? Do I Dizzle? Thank you for tracking my digestive system for me.

a bad mom moment ...

Ever have one of those days where stress gets the best of you? No? Then you're either extremely lucky or completely lying (my guess is the lying). I am having that day right now (and for the past week if we are going to be honest here). But I didn't realize how stressed I really am until about a hour ago. When I totally freaked out on Dizzle. FOR. NO. APPARENT. REASON.

Seriously, it was bad. Not only did I feel horrible (as I was doing it - apparently not bad enough to stop though), there were witnesses. Witnesses who I will have to face again. Probably tomorrow.

Anyway, after lunch this afternoon, the girls and I were making our way to the car when Dizzle let go of my hand in the parking lot and started walking backwards into the travel lane. And although there wasn't a car nearby I totally acted like she was centimeters away from being crushed. I grabbed her arm, dragged her and proceeded to yell nonsense at her. It was so bad. I hated it in the moment and I hate it even more now. I feel like such a bad mom. I can't believe I'm taking out my stress on my babies. AHHHHH ........

this bag is too heavy ...

So, yesterday was Halloween. And I should have taken the easy route and posted some super cute pictures of the girls in their costumes and been done with it. But then the mommy guilt set in and I realized that one day when the girls are grown and they ask about the Halloweens of their childhood at least I would have this post to look back on. So, this is our Halloween recap.

Halloween, much like every holiday in our house, was not a one day event. Dizzle and Doodle wore their costumes for three consecutive days and need to be bribed to get out of them. Add that to the incessant asking of, "Can we go trick-or-treating yet?" and I was pretty much done with Halloween on Wednesday.

But alas, we made it through and the girls had a blast. We started of our morning at gymnastics, where they both preferred to run around a hot gym in costumes that covered every inch of skin rather than their bathing suit like leotards. The result: two extremely sweaty and dehydrated children.

So, it was off to lunch. Pizza. Yum. And then home for naps and four hours of asking if we could leave for C's house yet. This is when the earplugs came in handy. At 4:45, we finally left to trick-or-treat. After dinner with some Stroller Strides friends, our gang of 20 plus people took over the streets of Cedar Lea. Dizzle ran around like crazy, always asking, "Where's the next house?" and Doodle was constantly reaching into the candy bowls and saying, "More?" as she exited with a handful of chocolate. After an hour and a half of walking and Dizzle stating that, "This bag is too heavy," we took it as a sign to leave.

Once we made it home, the girls surrendered their candy and headed to bed. Then J and I waited for our onslaught of candy-hungry children. But it never came. At all. Not a single person. So now we have all of the candy we bought and all of the stuff the girls brought home. FANTASTIC ...

I'm pretty sure that whole "gain one pound per week of your pregnancy" thing is out the window ...

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Just a side note: J and I woke up this morning to run a 5K. I, of course, pushed the stroller and finished in 29:35. Basically, I'm psyched. It was hilly and I didn't walk, even with 100 plus pounds fighting me with every step. J crossed the finish line in 30:45. He wanted to break 30 minutes, so he was a little disappointed, but really, I think he was just mad that I beat him. Maybe next time ...