30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 14

Day 14: I can't be thankful for my siblings if I'm not thankful for my parents as well! I have paid homage to both of them individually before, but they do make a great pair together. After 30+years of marriage, they are like scientific proof that opposites attract.

Dad is the ying to Mom's yang...

Mom is the life of the party while Dad is the strong presence in the corner...

Dad is generally a man of few words...but he doesn't need to say much- Mom doesn't know a stranger and talks enough for both of them. :)

Mom is creative and spontaneous and always ready for a new challenge (hello, bakery!!) and Dad is almost always willing to go along for the ride.

Mom and Dad make a most excellent Gramma and Papa- Ella, Liam, and Abby can attest to that.

So, cheers to my parents and their ever-present importance in my life. They are my value instillers, booboo fixers, lunchbox makers, driving lesson teachers, adventure seekers, patient listeners, guilt layers, and advice givers that I sometime do and don't want to hear. But more than anything, they are always there for me and my siblings, and I am extremely thankful for that.

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 13

Day 13- I am thankful for my brothers, Andy and Shaughn. They are good stuff, my brothers.

Andy is the oldest child, and it is painfully apparent. He is the most responsible, the smartest (you don't even have to believe me- he lets us know all the time), and the most successful of all the siblings. I have enjoyed watching Andy navigate the parenthood path the past few months. It's funny watching a person evolve- a few years ago, I would never dream of seeing Andy go gaga over a baby, much less letting her vomit in his hair, drool on his expensive electronics, and patiently bounce her as she cried. But here he is, playing the part of Daddy, and doing it quite well. I'm so happy to see him in this new role. We share and bond over our mutual love of travel- he makes a great travel companion and is always game for an adventure. Andy can be somewhat loud and...ahem...opinionated about things, but when it comes down to it, you can always count on him to be there for you. There are countless occasions when he has gone above and beyond the normal call of brotherly duty to help out all 3 of his younger siblings. He will be there for you at the drop of a hat when you need him. I'm lucky to have him as my big brudder

There are times that I still feel a bit surprised when I see Shaughn- when did he grow up? I realize he's 25 now, but I still think of him as my baby brother. I suppose the fact that I was away at college while he was hitting puberty doesn't help matters. When I left home he was less than 5 feet tall and had a squeaky voice; now he towers over me. I also tend to feel a bit protective of Shaughn- partly because he is still the baby of the family, but mostly because I can't help but think back to his car accident and remember how close we came to losing him. I am thankful every single day that he survived that accident, and I am so happy to see him making the most of his life by going back to school. He is my computer guru- Shaughn is so smart when it comes to technology so he is the first person I call when I am having a computer crisis. When it comes to music, Shaughn and I are kindred spirits- we love all the same stuff. As a matter of fact, one of my fondest memories from college is when I drove up to Decatur to pick him up, drove straight back down St. Louis, and took him to see Weezer with me that night. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and family and I appreciate that. My little brother is pretty top-notch.

Yup, good stuff my brothers.

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 12

Day 12- I am very thankful that 2 of my siblings have procreated and given my 2 little nieces and a nephew. I love Ella, Liam and Abby to bits.

Abby has so much expression in her sweet little face. At just over 4 months, she already has a ton of personality! She definitely knows who her mama is, and is most happy when Sandy is holding her. She has comedic timing down pat at a young age- this morning Andy was holding her on his shoulders and she took advantage of the situation by spitting up in his hair. Well played, my little Southern belle, well played.

Liam is almost 6 months old now, and is just starting to eat solids (see early video for hilarious evidence). He is a very laid back baby boy, who is pretty content as long as someone is holding him. Some of his other tricks: sucking his thumb, chewing on cold items (he really loved gumming on my beer can), napping in any environment, and drooling. He is a great drooler. He also has a new nickname- Carlos (and can anyone guess why?)

Ella just turned 5 and steals the show with her hilarious commentary. A couple of her gems from the weekend:

(As she was snuggling under my St. Louis Cardinals blanket): "C-U-B-S spells Cardinals!"

(As she was showing me around the rental house, she pointed to a denim couch): "See, Aunt Meagy- this is the couch that is wearing jeans!"
(As she and I were walking through Savannah, and I let her know she is my favorite oldest niece): "I know I am. And I'm the favorite 5 year old niece. And everyone thinks I'm so cute. And I am never gonna quit on you. You're never gonna give up on me, right Aunt Meagy?"

I can't wait for my siblings to give me some more fantastic kiddos to love, but the 3 I have right now are all pretty darn great.

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 11

Day 11- I am thankful for my sister, Molly. She has been through a lot the past couple years, but is still smiling, which is very admirable. My sister has great genes and is the maker of 2 adorable little kids. To boot, she is such a wonderful mom to Ella and Liam. It is a handful having a very energetic and rambunctious 5 year old as well as a tiny 6 month old. Both require lots of attention and Molly does a great job of handling both her children's needs with ease. We have definitely grown closer as we've grown older, which I love. It's nice to have a sister- you don't have to be anyone but yourself around them and they accept you as you are.

Molly is my go-to lady for all things fashion, make-up, and hair. Anytime I am around her I hand over my hair and face to her. She has a knack for always looking just a bit more put together than me...which is sometimes annoying seeing as I don't have 2 children to dote on and I definitely get more sleep than she does. :) I know it was probably difficult for her to be in Savannah today, and it would have been easy for her to cancel the whole trip, but she put her best foot forward and is making the best of the situation. I'm proud of her for that.

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 10

Day 10- I am so thankful to have all my family together today in Georgia. We have all decided to make lemonade out of lemons and make the best of our extended weekend together on Tybee Island. Since we can't all be home for Thanksgiving this year, we are celebrating together tonight with a feast of Honeybaked ham and turkey, mashed pototatos, noodles, bourbon sweet potatoes, reen bean casserole, a couple pies, and lots and lots of wine. Happy early Thanksgiving!

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 9

Day 9- I'm thankful for music, particularly the good variety... ie, everything I listen to. Music makes everything more enjoyable. I love the challenge of creating the perfect places for whatever the occasion may be. I have playlists for cleaning the house, for when I'm alone in the car and can sing as loud as I want, for late night driving to help keep us awake, for cooking in the kitchen on a lazy Sunday afternoon, for when I feel like reminiscing about high school or my days in Chicago, for when we're talking about the universe, for when we're excited about a trip, for when we're decorating the Christmas tree, for when I miss working at the Fox and want to sing Broadway tunes... it only takes a song to instantly transport myself to a fun time. Music in particular helped make a long, late-evening car ride from Nashville to Tybee Island, GA much more enjoyable.

30 Days of Thankfulness- Day 8

Day 8: I am thankful for my iPad. That sounds very ridiculous, but I just love it. I use it every single day, and it's almost always with me. I actually dropped it when we were in Switzerland- the top corner where the power button is bent in and I thought it was a goner. I was so genuinely upset at myself for letting it fall of my lap. Technically, that iPad was a goner. The day after we got home from our trip, I took it to the Apple Store to see about getting it repaired. Instead, the fine folks at Apple gave me a refurbished pad that I was able to take home that evening. Thank goodness for great customer service!