The Christmas Season is Here!

Last year I read some very funny, cheeky blog articles bashing Elf on the Shelf mommies for over-achieving. I laughed and admitted the absurdity of it all. I wouldn't be caught dead making flour footprints all over the floor or drawing mustaches on family photos and blaming it on our elf (Sugar). I did create a lot of work for myself with a 12 days to Christmas Countdown (examples here), but I tried to tell myself that was different...

Fast-forward to Sugar's arrival this year. She made her grand appearance on Thanksgiving day when she turned up in our car while we were having dinner with my family. The next morning she was slyly observing us from the wreath hanging on our coat closet...

November 29th - Hiding in the wreath

I was looking for something fun to do with the girls when I picked them up from daycare/K-prep on Friday and remembered that last year I never took the extra step to buy our girl elf one of the sweet little skirts they sell for them. I suggested going to look for one when my extremely bright little bug suggested that we could MAKE her a skirt instead. We headed off to Hobby Lobby and purchased a piece of felt that I quickly and easily turned into an Elf skirt. The bug was so excited last night to leave the skirt out with a note she dictated to me and then signed. 

This morning Sugar was proudly wearing her new skirt and the bug was thrilled. I'm hoping I can stick to simply moving her around for a few weeks without any major hi-jinx or projects to undertake...

November 30th - Hanging out in her new skirt on top of the light in the dining room

Giving Thanks...

No long dramatic explanations of my absence - I've been busy, that's it. Plain and simple. What matters is that I'm baaaaack. I figured I would kick off my return with a list of things I'm thankful for. I wanted to participate in the "one a day" on Facebook, but with throwing baby bear's 1st birthday party (pictures to come) and a 10 day vacation in Disney (so many tips, reviews, and recommendations to be shared), I never got started. Better late than never, right? So here are 28 things - some are sillier than others - I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. Healthy kids. OK, so my oldest has strep right now, but in the grand scheme my kids are super, duper healthy and I am so thankful.
2. A great career. I love going to work. I love helping kids and families. I am always learning new things. It's amazing.
3. My husband. We have been together forever and are still so perfectly on the same page. We compliment each other in all the right ways.
4. JK Rowling. I don't care if this is ridiculous to some. Harry Potter makes me feel like magic and love and goodness are alive and real. I will continue to read these books over and over and I will love every second of it. 
5. My older daughter. This little girl amazes me every single day. She is smart, insightful, compassionate, beautiful and a bit insane. She makes me laugh and she turns my hair gray.
6. My baby. She is so full of energy and curiosity. Her smile and snuggles melt my heart.
7. My parents. I had my complaints about my parents growing up (who didn't??). Especially Dad; he had no clue how to relate to a teenage girl. As an adult I can really appreciate the struggles they went through raising two kids on a really tight budget and am so thankful to have had them. Even more, I am thankful to still have them here to love and support me, my husband, and my girls.
8. My cats. Having a pet is such a great way to enrich your life and I am thankful to have such mild mannered and lovable cats.
9. My in-laws. First, I am thankful to them for raising my husband and setting such a good example of a successful marriage and supportive parenting. Second, I am thankful for how they have accepted me as part of their family and are always there for all of us.
10. My sister. She drives me CRAZY often, but I love her so much. My life wouldn't be the same without her.
11. My patients. I am so thankful to have families in my practice that trust my judgement. They inspire me to keep learning and to be a better doctor every day.
12. High school friends. Some have gracefully exited my everyday life, but I would happily welcome them back at any time. Some have become even closer friends since graduation day as our lives have taken on more parallel paths in adulthood. Some I am glad to have in my past (and would like for them to stay there). All of them played a role in creating the person I became and I am therefore grateful to them regardless of which category they fit into.
13. My co-workers. As much as I love what I do, "work" wouldn't be nearly as fun without the fabulous nurses, staff, and other providers I get to spend my days with. They make me laugh and help me provide the best care possible for my patients - a winning combo!
14. My education. I worked super hard to get into the schools that I went to (Boston College and Albany Medical College), but I am still grateful to all of the great professors and doctors that helped me become who I am today. A good higher education isn't a right, it's a privilege. 
15. Libraries. I love the smell of libraries and the feeling of being surrounded by books. I wish I had more time to read my way through the library.
16. My best friend. She knows who she is. I want to talk to her about good things, bad things, funny things, crazy oh-my-god-can-you-believe-it things, and totally mundane everyday things. I am so grateful for her.
17. My Cricut machine. I can make SO MANY awesome party decorations with this thing. 
18. Coffee. Coffee has been there with me through overnight calls, to reconnect with old friends, to get me through a rough day of motherhood, and to share with my husband in the morning as we get ready for another crazy day.
19. My cousins (including my husband's cousins). Some of them played a huge role in my childhood and some have become more prominent players in recent years, but I am thankful to all of them for love, laughs, support, and fun.
20. Grandparents. All of my grandparents have passed away and only my husband's paternal grandmother is still alive and well. Sometimes I feel it's important to remember how important they all have been in creating the family and traditions that are easily taken for granted.
21. Pediatric Oncologists. The small amount of time I spent caring for pediatric cancer patients during my residency was heart-breaking and life changing for me. I would not have the strength to do what these oncologists do for patients and families day after day and am so thankful for the men and women who can.
22. Local businesses. From small shop owners to farmers I am grateful to these men and women who are trying to offer higher-quality. locally sourced goods that are good for the community and good for my family.
23. To live where I live. I am not often overly "patriotic", but I am thankful to live in a place where we have many liberties and are safe on a daily basis. More specifically, I am thankful to live in the Northeast where we have 4 distinct seasons and easy access to mountain escapes and sandy beaches.
24. Home. This has special meaning for me this year as we just sold our house and are in a very small apartment. Home isn't the place, it's the love and the people in it. I am so thankful that although I don't have a house this year, I certainly have a home.
25. Disney World. I don't care that it's commercial and overpriced. It's also magical and I can't wait to go back.
26. Aunts and Uncles. Just like cousins some of them were more prominent players when I was younger and helped shape who I am, and some are bigger influences now in my adult world.
27. Good food. I love to cook and love, even more, to eat. I am thankful to live in a place with access to so many wonderful, delicious, and healthful things to eat.
28. Healthy family. Working in medicine I am constantly confronted with the ways our health can be threatened - infection, trauma, mutation, and dysfunction. Although many people in the family have (or have had) different conditions that affect their lives, everyone is well enough to get around and do the things they want to do. This is the biggest blessing and the thing I am most grateful for each and every day.