happy thoughts

I am just thinking today about how grateful I am for so many things that make my life wonderful and happy.
My girls are both at such sweet ages. I love how Attalie is such a good leader to Eva and is mostly sweet and kind and patient with her much younger sister. Eva is at the age where she says so many funny things and has that super-cute squeaky voice. The other day as I hugged her tight she said, "Mom! You're gonna squeeze all my juice out!" I have to record that she used to say "smawich" instead of "sandwich" because Attalie recently taught her the right way to say it. This morning I was relieved that she still hasn't learned how to say "breakfast." She realized she was saying it wrong, but she couldn't get it to come out as anything other than "brestess." Attalie is very obedient when I ask her to do chores and she is excelling in school this year even though the work load has increased a ton. She is always teaching Eva things and showing her things, which makes my job easier. They both are enthralled in the magic of Christmas and I am trying to savor the moments.
The other night we all decorated the Christmas tree and I wish I could have frozen time. Greg turned on our Christmas music and we all reminisced as we pulled ornaments out and hung them on the tree. The girls found a big jingle bell on a rope that fit perfectly around Jade's neck, so we had a jingle dog wandering in and out of our Christmas decorations. It was a perfect evening.
Greg has been busier than ever with work. The last two weeks he has worked all day and again at night after the kids are in bed and on Saturdays. But, he takes time every evening to be with the girls and with me even though I know he is under a lot of stress and has work bogging-down his mind. This is the first time in the last 5 1/2 years at his firm that things have been this insane for him, so I am very grateful that he is usually so much more flexible and available. I love that he takes his job seriously and he is so good at it.
I have been feeling good for about three weeks now. I kept feeling better and better and finally I'm feeling like my old self again. I can actually commit to doing things and even do multiple things in one day. It feels like ages since I've been productive, so I am very happy to be capable again.
I get to feel our little guy squirming around in my belly all the time. He is a busy little body, but it brings me comfort to feel him move and push and kick. I am so grateful to have another little person coming to our family.
We definitely have our share of craziness, chaos and contention in our house. Yesterday I found out what to do to get permanent marker off my kitchen table after Eva got carried away with the wrong writing utensil. My girls argue about dumb things and Jade often stinks (thank goodness for doggy febreeze). But mostly things are happy and good and I'm grateful.