We should all be this happy 
A feeling of contentedness has come over me. I am feeling so thankful. I seem to be neither a fair-weather writer nor a stormy-weather writer, but a middle-of-the-road-things-aren't-up-or-down writer. For awhile, things were so bad that I didn't blog for lack of emotional energy. Now things feel so good that I have been spending time just basking in the glow of happiness. But then the complaints roll in about my absence, so I come back to writing, as I should have long ago. Here is a list of things that I am so incredibly thankful for:
Grampy Doug hanging the kids up during his visit 
1. My family
I love that their bond is already so strong. She laughs at him and he just.can't.get.close.enough.hug.squeeze.poke, so we have to pull him back by six inches every 10 seconds. :)
2. Our health (including Mas' restored health that has brought back the wonderful 2-year-old that we always knew he was)
3. Superdad's promotion
4. Our dining room table (that lets us seat many friends around it for a meal)
5. Our MINIVAN
6. Our friends who sold us our minivan at a way-too-reasonable price
7. All of our friends
Mas with his beloved Amber--quality time reading books before bed, after dinner at the farmers' market and a bath.
8. Mas' consistent (if not quite perfect yet) toileting behavior.
I'm not going to lie: it may be the minivan that has made me feel so dang happy. And the toileting. I will never again take for granted the way of the toilet and all of those in my life who use it successfully. Never ever. I promise. Now let me tell you why the minivan brings ridiculous amounts of joy into my life. (This seems to be the post of lists. Isn't parenting about making lists? Does that make this relevant?)
1. The Mo (dog) can ride comfortably in the car instead of being squished between two carseats.
Momo returns from her Spa Vacation on Monday. She is even tanner than this now.
2. Another person (besides this family of four) can ride comfortably instead of being squished between two carseats.
3. When two different parts of my lovely family come to visit in August (first bro- and sis-in-law followed by two cousins, an aunt, an uncle, and my cousin's 2-year-old daughter), we will be able to drive around in one car instead of two, thereby saving the earth with a minivan. I know the math seems fuzzy for that last set, but my parents will have custody of my aunt and uncle.
4. It's always been my dream to live in the suburbs and drive a minivan. That's a lie . . . and I said I wouldn't lie to you. But the deeper into family life we dive, the more all of those things make sense, and our family is experiencing a lot of happiness and stability because of them. So :P to the naysayers. For the record, people either laugh lovingly at me when I tell them I have the best news or they fly into a jealous rage. Y'all know who you are. Uh-huh, I'm looking at you.
Oh to have it all--to be able to live a life with the wonders, attractions, walkability, and diversity of the city and the calm connectedness of a small town; to be wading through piles of money without the arrogance and sense of entitlement that often brings; to spend time with and appreciate your kids while taking healthy amounts of "me" time; to have a meaningful and rewarding career while spending all the time you can with your family and friends; to be healthy and fit and be able to eat all the soft cheeses you want.
I don't have it all, and I never will, but I am damn happy with and proud of what I do have. Here's to all of you . . . and me too!
[Note: I don't have everything in that paragraph! I wish I did, but I don't. I was just saying that it would be nice to have it all, but that I am grateful for what I do have. And if someone can show me how to eat all the soft cheeses I want and still be healthy and fit, that would be awesome. Thank you.]
Grampy Doug hanging the kids up during his visit 
