It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Thanksgiving

This evening after school, we loaded into the car and headed to Home Depot to get our Christmas tree. We decided to get two trees this year. One for the living room and a smaller one for the den. We came home and ate leftover chili (better-the-second-day chili) and then we worked on getting the trees inside. Benjamin played with Elzie while Tim and I manuevered the furniture a bit. I could hear the sounds of the kids playing - mixed with Christmas music - as we worked out how to fit the tree into the corner. Elzie took a few steps much to Benjamin's delight. Later Benjamin set up our Christmas village and some of his old trains and tracks under the big tree while I put lights on the small tree in the den. Elzie was pleased with the results. Tim worked on our little outside tree. Afterwards, Benjamin insisted on the hot chocolate he'd been promised and Tim gave Elzie a bath. Today has been a good day - a nice way to end November, the month of Thanksgiving. I am feeling so grateful for the many blessings of a normal day.

Thanksgiving Family Photo

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Seven

Today we celebrated seven years of Benjamin Felix.
It was an excellent day.
What a blessing it is to be his mom. He continues to keep Tim and me amazed just by being himself - a smart, silly, sweet kid. I hope I always remember these precious days of being a mom to a little boy. Benjamin loves to tell us stories and keep us posted on the information he finds most interesting and important. He still thinks we're funny and he loves snuggling with us. He's totally cool with just hanging out with Mom, Dad, and Elzie.
But I know that our little boy days are numbered. I see Benjamin striking out on his own more and more. He's so kind-hearted that he tries to help me along. (I'm thinking of when he decided he'd rather go to the gym with his friends than to the library with me in the mornings before school. He let me down gently because I momentarily forgot to be the parent. I actually said, "You're hurting my feelings.") I keep wondering how much longer he'll hold my hand when we walk together in public. Maybe it's best not to think too much about that because I just know there are really great things around the corner. For Benjamin and for our family. We will learn and grow together.
He'll zip through these phases of childhood. We'll follow right behind him - sometimes smiling, sometimes gritting our teeth, sometimes crying - but always better for having taken this journey together.
Happy birthday, Banjo boy. And thank you for being you. We sure do love you.

That Time Again

Today, May 10, 2015, is Mother's Day. It's also been 7 months since Elzie June Pattillo joined our family. I started this blog on Mother's Day 2009 - my first Mother's Day as a mom. Since then, I've done fairly well at updating it every month or so. That is until Elzie was born! How is it that seven months have passed since her birth? I guess we have been busy being a family of four. Things have been great and exhausting and miraculous and difficult and wonderful. One thing is certain - we original three Pattillos are absolutely wild about our newest family member. As promised, she has shaken things up in all the best ways.

Today is a great day to remember just how lucky we are to be a family and just how blessed I am to be a mother to these two children. Being a mom is perfectly natural and a bit unreal all at the same time. If I had read the job description, I'm not certain I would have applied - not because I didn't want the job, but because the description would be so intimidating. Luckily, that's not how motherhood works. Like most things in life, I just take one step at a time. And now, I'm the lucky person who gets to help raise two beautiful little people.

Benjamin Felix and Elzie June are two of my greatest blessings. And I am so grateful.

 

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