Catching up

I've been away for almost a month, so its time to catch everyone up on what's been going on with us.

We'll start with the littlest Cranwell (not for long!): C is crawling!! Yes, she is mobile and moving. She actually tried to chase the cat a few nights ago. A is so proud of her that, whenever he sees her crawl and then sit up, he yells for me to come see. He's been doing that for days, now.

A has been working very hard at keeping his bed dry at night. We are now at three nights in a row and counting. He's growing bigger every day. He'll start swim lessons in a couple of weeks, even though he says, "I already know how to swim. You saw me in the bathtub last night."

My parents are celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary today. Happy Anniversary! They were married in 1964 at the tender ages of 19 and 21. So, for those of you with a calculator and a rudimentary math background, you can now find out how old my parents are. Mom won't be happy with me about this one!

I had a very interesting thing happen last week: I listen to KBCO radio and I submitted a Select-a-Set (3 songs that may or may not have a theme). They choose select-a-sets and play them over the lunch hour. Mine was chosen to be played! I won tickets to a Goo Goo Dolls concert and a gift card to Panera Bread. I've been so excited about it! The songs I selected were: If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies; Ripple by the Grateful Dead; These Two Hands by Ben Harper. They are all songs that have meant something to B and I over the past 10 years and during our chiropractic journey.

Another ho-hum day in paradise...

Hi Everyone - I'm back. I was just hanging out with the kids today, getting some "stuff" done and thought about that bumper sticker I saw several weeks ago - "Just another ho-hum day in paradise". Well, that thought came and went pretty quickly, as most thoughts do when the 9-month-old wants my attention.

Later, while doing some other "stuff", I remembered the bumper sticker. I realized that I was complaining quietly to myself that I had so much "stuff" to do, that I was never going to get it all done. Here is my new realization about how terrible my life is because of how much "stuff" I have to do:

1. I had to finish laundry this morning (read: I have clothing; my family has clothing; we have enough clothing that we are all wearing something different while our other clothing is in the wash; we have a washer and dryer in our home; we have clean running hot and cold water to the appliances; we have detergent to clean the clothing.)

2. I had to go grocery shopping and then put it all away when we got home (read: we have a car; we have money to put gasoline in the car to make it run; I have time to go to the grocery store; I have money to buy all the food we want and need; I have a home with enough clean space to put away all the food I just bought; I have a refrigerator and freezer to keep the food fresh).

3. I had to clean out the dishwasher and wash the other dishes (read: I have a dishwasher in my kitchen; I have clean hot and cold running water to the dishwasher; I have enough dishes to fill up the dishwasher and still have some in my cupboard; I have detergent to clean the dishes).

Thanks be to the Great Abundance for all the gifts in my life. I will now return to my ho-hum day in paradise.

Paradise

Paradise is:

Both kids taking much-needed naps AT THE SAME TIME!

Dinner ready to go in the oven and the dishes already washed!

Laundry humming in the machines and the finished laundry already put away.

Those few seconds I actually stood in the middle of my living room wondering what I was going to do with the next 10 minutes or so...

Aaahhh, free time!

We had a terrific few days last weekend. On Saturday, we attended the local BBQ Day festival in Johnstown. Connected Chiropractic entered a duck in the Lyons Club Duck Race and WON! The winnings will go to charity, but our speed demon duck named Flash (Ack Flash) out floated all 50 (or so) other competitors to take the checkered flag! A is here holding the winning duck.

Our office assistant K got married later Saturday afternoon and we were honored to attend the wedding and reception. She is currently basking on a beach somewhere on Maui and leaving tons of work for me.

On Sunday, we celebrated the birthday of our twin niece and nephew, A & G. They will turn 10 years old tomorrow. That means that B and I have been married for 10 years, too. While you're in the middle of it, time seems to crawl, but looking back on things, time zips by. I remember vividly the day I held A & G for the first time and all the feelings that went along with becoming an aunt for the first time. Happy Birthday, kiddos!

I get to the end of the day and want to post a blog, but can never remember what I wanted to write about during the day. I really do get good ideas during the day, but I think Corinne sucks them all out of me by the time bedtime rolls around.

Some fun things have happened in the past few days:

*A few days ago, we found out that J and K will become parents in January.

*J.V. is going to have a boy and a girl!

*Last night, I got Corinne laughing harder than I've ever heard her laugh before.

*Tonight, while driving to the office, I took some pictures of the beautiful sunset (imagine - actually having the camera when the sunset is spectacular...) Enjoy the breathing space!

I just invited several of my friends and family to view this blog. I'll be honest - this scares me quite a bit because the people I love the most will be looking at everything I write and will be reading my thoughts. However, if no one reads this blog, why am I writing it?

So to all my invitees - enjoy reading, leave comments and e-mail me about what you read. Hopefully, you'll learn a little about me that you didn't know and I'll find a creative outlet for my thoughts. Thanks for visiting!

Love ya!
Tracy :)

Its only 7:40 a.m. and I've already learned that even scary actions can be a bit fun!

The only constant in family life is change. Change can be brought on by circumstance or by conscious effort. Babies get new teeth (C got her first one yesterday!), and preschoolers do, indeed, take naps. Moms change their ways, too, when confounded by methods that just don't work anymore. We'll see how long this lasts!

What I learned today: Everyone loves a "chunky" baby! And she won't be immobile for long...

I saw my new mantra today on a Toyota Highlander (my new desired car). It was a bumper sticker that read "Another ho-hum day in paradise." How true is that?

Today, I learned that paradise is wherever you are.

Who knew that a three-year-old could come up with so many ways to try to get out of taking a nap? And, how can they be infuriating, heart-breaking and funny, all at the same time?

Today, I learned that a three-year-old can't recognize when he is exhausted.

Who knew that a three-year-old could come up with so many ways to try to get out of taking a nap? And, how can they be infuriating, heart-breaking and funny, all at the same time?

My first attempt at a blog. Never thought I'd want to do this, but I was inspired by my sister-in-law and her creativity on her blog. I hope the people who visit this site learn a little about me, my family, my thoughts and opinions and what I find important.

Here's a little about me: I am a wife, a mother of two kids and two fur-children, a home maker and a marketing manager for our chiropractic practice. I am passionate about books and reading, liberal viewpoints, natural health care and chiropractic. I think I learn something new and make new discoveries everyday.

What I learned today: I can't make it through the day without getting something on my shirt. Today, it was catsup.