1. Fat baby bellies.
2. Empty streets, and a quiet car during night-time drives.
3. Sleeping in.
4. First tooths.
5. Sun-warmed tomatoes in the backyard.
6. A son who insists to his daddy that we need new flowers.
7. Peanut butter sandwiches and great big glasses of milk.
8. Indian summers.
9. Newly mopped kitchen floors.
10. Good night kisses.
11. Farm-fresh apples, newly polished and sitting in a bowl.
12. The first turning leaves.
13. A husband covered in grime and saying "insulation's done"
14. Warm homemade applesauce.
15. The three words, "I love you" catching me unawares.
16. Safety on the highway.
17. Family, and all those people that might as well be.
18. Curly hair.
19. Church potlucks.
20. The poppiest of pop songs when dusk is hitting and there are still 3 hours left till you get home.
21. Home.
22. Lone, hot, showers.
23. My own bed.
24. An old friend, who love me in all my ways.
25. A new friend, who wants to love me in all my ways.
26. Cambell's Cream of Mushroom soup, a staple in many of my quickest dinners.
27. The first night it's cool enough for flannel sheets.
28. Two freshly bathed and pajama'd boys.
29. Wind chimes calling out my kitchen window.
30. A cat under the covers when I'm cold.
31. An invite to come over and play right when the blood pressure is rising.
32. Great big piles of leaves.
33. Radiation therapy.
34. Josh calling in sick to work to help.
35. Playdates you know you neednt bother to clean for (or brush your hair).
36. Friends willing to tell me, "You do NOT want a dog."
37. Persevering despite rain.
38. Hot apple cider.
39. Favorite movies watched under warm blankets.
40. Family traditions.
41. Mood candles.
42. Eating out.
43. Vintage dress patterns and big dreams.
44. Friends that only live 2 blocks away.
45. Google chats ability to turn people-I-havent-seen-in-years into people-I-talk-to-daily.
46. Remembering to begin Advent preparations in late October.
47. A toddlers pure joy in watching a garbage truck.
48. The sun peeking out after a long string of rainy days.
49. Steamy bathrooms.
50. A peaceful baby after hours of restless cold symptoms.
51. Surprises.
52. Offers to take a bath while Josh watches the kids.
53. Finding, and ordering, the perfect book for advent reading.
54. Creative outlets of all kinds.
55. Calender shopping and all the promise of those empty squares.
56. Knowing God will provide, even though we arent sure how.
57. Babies first spaghetti dinner.
58. Having God provide, oh so perfectly.
59. The way lemonade gives way to applecider, which gives way to egg nog- counting the seasons in my mug.
60. Cinnamon, and two children who appreciate it as much as I do.
61. Knitting group.
62. The way Zeke prefaces every sentence with "Sometimes..."
63. Turkey thawing in the fridge, even though its over a week to Thanksgiving.
64. Honest conversations with other moms about those moments when you have plain reached the end of your rope.
65. Eating dinner by candle light, because it makes the kids stop yelling.
66. A reminder of the source of all strength, when mine has reached its lowest.
67. The 25th Sunday after Pentecost- a promise of holidays to come.
68. Zeke playing quietly by himself on a morning when I really really needed that extra hour of sleep.
69. Long, long, dinosaur trains.
70. A library, and all the wonders it contains, just a mile away.
71. New haircuts.
72. New hats, and the idle hours that make them possible.
73. A surplus of overripe bananas, a "problem" easily solved by warm banana bread.
74. Books I've read 1,000 times, yet still cant put down.
75. The husband that lets me sit on a Sunday afternoon, hour after hour, not putting that book down.
76. Hand print turkeys.
77. That first person getting crossed off the Christmas shopping list.
78. Brothers holding hands in the car.
79. The normal, "do nothing", nights that I know we will all forget.
80. Those first few snowflakes falling, and the yearly debate of whether it will melt off or we will never see the ground again until April.
81. A working furnace on cold nights.
82. Waking up to a winter wonderland.
82 "I'm thankful for myself." I know my sister said it in jest at the Thanksgiving table but it still stuck with me all day. I'm very thankful for the opportunity, the freedom and ability, to become my unique self.
83 The kid's table.
84 Leftovers, particularly when eaten before the day is even thru.
85 The magical being that is "uncle" to Zeke and all the years he has to enjoy it.
86 Online weather reports.
87 Neighbors who offer their car out for loan, because they know mine cant get anywhere.
88 Pediatricians who come to my door.
89 New puppies.
90 People willing to give you that push you need, whether its a literal push on your car or something more more abstract.
91 Phone calls in sympathy...right when the tears start.
92 Plowed roads.
93 Someone to shovel with, side by side.
94 Hugs. In particular I will say Nathan's hug, I loved his "Oh Courtney, I was watching on Facebook and was going to leave a comment but I'd just rather say it tonight, I'm soo sorry" or something like that.
95 The cat coming back.
96 You get to start over new every morning.
98. The fact that every time Zeke breaks out in song (which is often), Malachi stops whatever he is doing to dance.
99. My husbands mad cookie decorating skills. He wont admit it, but he's way better then me.
100. New recipes for veggies that are starting to feel very old.
101. Piles and piles of cookies on the counter.
102. 45 degrees and snowy.
103. Cowboy boots.
104. The silence of naptime.
105. That we have the wealth to pick out gifts for the needy.
106. Dripping icicles.
107. The smell of Christmas trees.
108. Piles of presents under the tree.
109. The last person crossed off my list.
110. A whole morning of nothing but fudge.
111. The last cookie.
112. Making another batch.
113. Real mistletoe and the bestest man to kiss.
114. Can I say fudge again?
115. Zeke's constant chattering of what everyone should get for Christmas- if he were in charge there would be a lot of trains passed out.
116. Taking a long hard look at my to-do list and playing the Wii instead.
117. Twinkling lights.
118. Finally getting the boys to smile- at the same time- in the same direction- with snot free noses.
119. Sweater vests.
200. A night out with friends. Or rather my husbands friends? Or the fact that really, they are all the same.
201. 48 hours (and counting) with no puppy accidents, that's thru 2 nights people!
202. Zeke's version of "Frosty the Snowman"
203. Malachi's "momma momma momma momma!"
204. A re-commitment to lookign nice from time to time.
205. Re-bleaching my hair, twice because its so overdue that my peroxide actually expired.
206. Leftover birthday cake.
207 A little boy passing scraps to the puppy underneath the table.
208 Clean, fresh water.
209 A mess of wrapping paper.
210 My sisters fiance reading Zeek a new dinosaur book. A family growing.
211 God come down into the body of a helpless babe.
212 A whole tub of train tracks- hours of time to myself.
213 Sneaking in one last Christmas carol, days after the holiday has ended.
214 Trees heavy with snow.
215 Finding I actually do enjoy wine- if its the right wine.
216 Knee socks.
217 Truffles.
218 The way Mal grabs my whole head with both arms and squeezes. The sweetest of hugs.
219 A puppy bounding across snow taller than her.
220 A 3 day weekend, 2 days after a 5 day weekend.
221- Our very own "frosty"
222- Staying up late with the sewing machine and a big cup (or three) of tea.
223- My first sewing project to not produce a half hour or so of swearing.
224. New, earlier bed times.
225. Zeke's first book to "read" to me. He's memorized Dr. Seuss' B Book.
226. The way Mal grabs my whole head and squeezes. The best. hugs. ever.
227. Blanket forts filled with pillows, stuffed animals, and books.
228. That after two days of throwing up, I get to put salt on anything I want to guilt free.
229. Brightly colored balloons.
230. A cat that jumps out of the bathroom drawer.
231. Guests bearing gifts.
232. Date night.
233. Bagged salad for 59cents. Next to mixed shredded cheese, its my favorite convenience food.
234. The billowing warmth of steam rising from the stove.
235. Homemade sushi and flowering tea.
236. Pajama day.
237. Breakfast cookies.
238. Fingerprints on the walls.
239 Bright blue January skies.
240 Sun salutations.
241 Husband-editors.
242 Little boys goading eachother to greater and greater silliness across the dinner table.
243 Really big plans, and the graphs to represent them.
244 Playing outside again- almost every day.
245 The book of common prayer.
246 New baby cows.
247 The freshest possible milk.
248 The sound of scales dutifully practiced coming up the stairs in the morning.
249 Phone calls, just to talk.
250 Coffee.
251 The first growth of the year.
252 Spring Discoveries.
253. Reservation confirmations.
254. A friend to save the tree frogs with- particularly if they are well-versed in the dangers of the Bo-bo brothers.
255. Chick flicks, and the chicks to watch them with.
256. The picture-perfect comedy of a line of muddy pawprints, right past the drying mop.
257. Warm nan.
258. Rousing choruses of "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee".
259. Feb 15th chocolate sales.
260. Someone to laugh with every night about the days misadventures.
261. Books on CD.
262. The UPS truck stopping right in front of my door.
263. Malachi cheering Zeke wildly as he goes to the potty. May they always be each other's number 1 supporter.
264. New felt slippers- warmth for these last cold weeks.
265. Tango dancing in the livingroom while fat snowflakes fall outside.
266. Sticker books.
267. Breathing in.
268. Rushing thru the pages of a book only to put it down at the end and wish you had savored it a bit more.
269. That moment a friend becomes family.
270. The quiet of Lent- just enough darkness to see the stars.
271. Gypsy cold care tea.
272. Honey.
273. The way Malachi roars while holding a giraffe in my face.
274. Google images.
275. All the phrases Zeke picks up from Winnie the Poo on CD.
276. Soft baby skin.
277. The weight of a head on your shoulder.
278. Getting out all the ingredients for a salad, considering, and then making nachos instead.
279. Nacho cheese sauce.
280. Our annual Lowe's date night.
281. Fancy chandeliers.
282. Romantic reminiscing.
283. Atonement.
284. Arnica.
285. Finally reaching pre-baby weight. Even if it did take over a year.
286. Birthday parties.
287. Silly play sunglasses.
288. Watching the thanks of my friends built up on Facebook. A revolution of joy.
289. New Board Games.
290. Dancing to ABBA with my boys.
291. That our 4 newly planted raspberry "sticks" can remind Josh of his grandmother's raspberry patch as a child.
292. Buying life jackets in March in the hope of June fun.
293. The list of items a 2 year old thinks are necessary for a 5 day trip.
294. The list of items left off that list.
295. Making goals...and reaching them.
296. Learning a new art form.
297. Groceries in the back seat- even if its just for a day while the carseats wash
298. Sun, hail, sun, rain, wind, sun. All in one hour.
299. Big overwhelming yarn stores.
300. Daffodils.
301. Malachi blowing on my every pretend bite before serving it.
302. First seeds into the ground.
303. Four-legged running partners.
304. Thirty days...and many more to come.
305. The way Josh and I always think of the same joke.
306. Exciting Easter plans.
306. Exciting Easter plans.
307. Giving ourselves permission for a much-needed potty training break.
308. The ability to start over with grace- a lesson I've struggled to learn.
309. Rootbeer Floats.
310. Weaning going much easier then expected.
311. A house filled with laughter.
312. A husband willing to play with me at Mobius.
312. A husband willing to play with me at Mobius.
313. Dandelion tea, and two faithful dandelion collectors to make every cup possible.
314. Koolaid dyed yarn.
315. Milkshakes.
316. Lilacs budding.
317. My peas didnt freeze!
318. That none of us get what we deserve.
319. My first sunburn down.
320. Zeke's imagination.
321. Calls on the way home, asking if there is anything I need at the store.
322. A cross all decorated with butterflies.
323. Warm meals.
324. Weather reports.
325. A chance to own my experience, to heal, to share.
326. Zoo's
327. A child's wonder in the simplest things.
328. Baths.
329. Icecream.
330. Weather finally catching up to the season.
331. A baby's newfound appetite for books.
332. Iced tea.
333. Newly mown grass.
334. Sunlight on golden curls.
335. Milestones conquered.
336. My every-other-yearly night out clubbing. To remind me that I dont actually enjoy clubbing.
337. Kind strangers.
338. This guys smile.
339. Phone calls.
340. The delicate beauty of a sea shell.
341. Strawberries flowering. Each white blossom a promise of something delicious to come.
342. A fist harvest- fresh chives for my eggs.
343. Zeke singing the "thomas" theme song as he pulls a train along the floor.
344. Reunions.
345. That Zeke still remembers bathing Malachi in the tub that first week he was born, and requests to do it again.
346. Good advice.
347. Blue raspberry otter pops.
348. Dancing in the car, and lookin like a fool.
349. Slowly, slowly, paying off debts.
350. Homemade donuts.
351. Sudden rainshowers.
352. Babies hands folded in prayer.
353. Picnics.
354. Sitting in the sun.
355. Inside jokes among brothers.
356. Kiddy pools.
357. Dreams.
358. Dirt and a few construction cars.
359. Splash pads.
