5 thanks- July

'Ole Neg' (that's Mr. Negativity for you newbies out there)

 has been practically beating down my door this month.

I blame it on a combination of summer heat,

a lack of vacation funds,

and not enough coffee.

And it could possibly have something to do with the

'I'm five and know all there is to know about life' blues as well...

and perhaps a little to do with the non-sleeping, albeit super cute baby, who lives in my house.

Either way, it's been a rough one.

There has been many a day lately where I've wanted to pick up and run for the hills.

However, I know I'd want to come back as soon as I was out of kissing distance.

And I'm not much of a runner.

Plus, you can't run in flip flops,

and these babies aren't leaving my feet until it's so cold that

I'll be both physically and socially uncomfortable sporting them in public.

That being said, it's time to focus on the good stuff

and be thankful for all the things that are oh-so-very-wonderful about my little life right now:

1. The anniversary date

I've mentioned my wonderful mom a time or two, but did I ever mention that she's a babysitter extraordinaire? She gave us THE MOST PERFECT GIFT for our anniversary: a baby-free day. I am firm believer in the notion that every once in a while, every mom needs a break-- a break from the responsibilities and the diapers, the bibs and the apple juice pouring, a break from the one billion questions and the peanut butter and jellies.

So, the question of the hour is how did we spend our baby-free day? Simple. We did as little as possible.

We got out of town (our town is so small that unless we want to drive around all day or go to Wal-Mart, this really is non-optional) and headed for the nearest bookstore. As nerdy as it may seem, bookstores are kind of our thing. We go in in the morning and come out in the afternoon. We love the quiet and the coffee smells. We enter holding hands and then part ways- perhaps casually passing one another as we each search for something fascinating, or at least eye-catching, to fall into for a few hours.
It was magical and exactly what we needed.
Time with this one does my soul some good....even if it's spent doing a whole lot of nothing.

2. The Kara visit

Speaking of good for my soul- oh mylanta, you just don't know. She speaks my language. She gets my jokes. She eases my worries and makes me laugh so hard I almost wet my britches. We had the best of best visits, stayed up way too late giggling, and begged for more time to be together. I love my best friend. If you don't have a Kara, stop reading and run right out and getcha one. But be warned-- one this good will be tough to find.

By the way, in the spirit of 'we do everything alike because we're all but one person', Kara is expecting her very own baby number two. Little Boy is about the same size as this here bowling ball, and I already LOVE him.

Love- you know- like the way Kara's little one and my little one feel about each other.

3. Mercy Watson

In case I haven't mentioned it lately, the Libster is QUITE the little reader. And we have both fallen madly in love with this new book series by Kate DiCamillo. If her name doesn't ring a bell, she wrote Because of Winn-Dixie, which I happen to adore.

She also wrote these:

They're Libby's first chapter books. It may not sound like a big deal, but when your baby progresses from early readers to great big chapter books, it's big stuff, at least it is at our house.
These books are so stinkin' cute and completely age-appropriate. And not only are the illustrations a work of art, but they're laugh-out-loud funny. If you've got a little one in your life, I highly recommend them.

4. My new bling

Ok, so it may not look like much, especially considering I should be shot for posting a picture with such terrible quality, but this is my newest prize. I had some grown-up stuff to take care of tonight, and when I got home to the 'daddy daycare', Libby had this waiting for me. She made it ALL BY HERSELF....she told me she even used red beads because she knows red is one of my favs, and the M is for both Mommy AND McCall. Bless her little bones. Not only is it hott stuff, but you gotta love the kid for thinking my neck is small enough to fit into this. Oh, I heart that little girl.

5. My hair

Alright- you caught me.

I'm not actually thankful for my hair.

 In fact, it continues to be my big, frizzy nemesis.

However, I AM thankful that it doesn't look like this:

Obviously, things could definitely be worse, and for that, I am nothing but overwhelmingly thankful.