Happy Thanksgiving!

Ok, so thanksgiving is tomorrow, but I don't know if I will get a chance to blog tomorrow or not.  Skye is sleeping next to me, Eric and Brie are at work, and the rest of the kids are still sleeping. It is a totally gross and disgusting day outside: cold, heavy rain, cold temps (just above freezing), windy; and a perfect day to be inside. For the moment I have the tv on, and am enjoying watching some of the pre-holiday talk shows for ideas for decorating, gifts, and meals. Realistically I probably will never use any of them, but it's still fun to dream.

I am still fussing with my cold. It's a cough that won't go away at this point, and I am so very tired of it. I feel better otherwise though. Just don't make me laugh or talk too much! I am also back to trying to figure out how to juggle chores and babies.  Skye has decided she wants to be sitting up "like people" (to quote Rei) rather than being laid in a reclining manner, and she is very impatient with lying down. When awake, she wants to be stimulated, interacted with, and participating with what ever is going on. She has little patience for being put down so grandma has two hands to do things with. When she naps, I try to rush through the things I need to do, so when she is awake I am free to play a bit. Skye seems to grow and change every day. She loves to coo and babble, she is starting to laugh spontaneously at things, and she is such a happy baby as a rule.  She has, however, developed this terrible high pitched squeal that she uses to indicate her displeasure, and she has a way of letting you know when she is unhappy about things. She has her cries that indicate things like being wet, scared, hurt, or sad; but she also is starting to let you know when she is angry, frustrated, or just plain annoyed.  It's fun to see how she is starting to experience things and share them vocally as well as with facial and body language.

Aurora has to go to her mom's today for the holiday. She will be home Friday night. She then has a high school bowling tournament on Saturday morning that she has to be home for. Brie is working much of the holiday, and Eric has to work on Thursday too. I think we will probably either do our dinner on Saturday or Sunday, so I don't know what exactly I will make for tomorrow. Patrick, for whatever reason, is off all this week, and he is dividing time between home and friends. He went out yesterday and got in around 5 am, just before Eric left for work.

I'm not planning to do any black friday shopping this year, although I have enjoyed it in years past with my sister and family. I don't have any specific things we need so I will just get things as they come along over the coming weeks. I am not feeling too terribly psyched one way or the other for Thanksgiving this year. Mostly I am just looking forward to being with the family I have here, and talking to the family across the country as we are able to. The Heikkila clan is gathering at my brother's house for the meal tomorrow, and I miss some of those days. Mostly I just want things to be cozy down here, and I want to have time to enjoy it.

I am thankful for all that I have, and for the changes we have had that have brought us to this point. I am content with life as it is unfolding, and while I miss the past, I am also looking forward to what is to come. It's important to me to live in the moment and leave the regrets behind me, so that is where my focus is for now. I am grateful for my family and friends, for my health, my talents, and my faith, and I am thankful for those I have in my life to share things with.  Even though the weather stinks outside, I am warm, happy, and loved.