Grateful

This month is all about being grateful for the positive things, even if they are seemingly obvious. I sometimes find myself focusing on the difficult moments of life with two young kids, and it's easy to fall into a spiral of negativity, which isn't good for anyone! Recently, I was inspired to transform the door in our kitchen into a chalkboard using a few coats of chalkboard paint, and have started an "I am grateful for..." area at the top, as a reminder to focus on the good. Here is where some of my thoughts have been lately.

 (Maryanne is our babysitter :-)

I am also grateful that we got a chance to see family during a recent trip to the east coast (Leo's first cross-country flight!) Unfortunately, the trip itself was not the easiest. Liana got a double dose of the sickies, so she was definitely out of sorts, but we still managed to spend some nice time with everyone. Leo got to meet his great-grandmother Jaroslawa (Babalu) and celebrate her 90th birthday! She is an amazing woman, who still gardens, bakes and gets out and about every day. Leo is her 14th great-grandchild - wow. Photos from the trip are posted here.

Liana and all her cousins had a fun night of piling into my mom's bed and watching movies.

And also got out lots of energy at cousin Andy's Olympics-themed 4th birthday party.

We have also been enjoying our summer back in Portland - outdoor concerts, farmer's market, hikes, and just soaking up the warm, sunny days. I'm looking forward to some weekend trips up to the mountains, coast, and just being in nature. Good thing Leo likes the baby Bjorn. :-)

Yup, definitely grateful for my two little Munchkin-kenas kiddos.