Today has been a rough day for me. Woke up with a headache and as the day progressed it didn't get any better...feeling bloated...did I mention I had a headache. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving (what used to be my FAVORITE holiday when I lived in the USA) and JJ is out of town (for the second year in a row).
But then as the day progressed I went to pick up Sammy and that smile when I pick him up everyday from pre-school is one of my favorite 15 seconds of every day. Really, when I see him running towards me from the playground when I arrive and that cuddle all the way to the car is simply delicious. We got home and Sam went straight to his nap (another thing to be super thankful for...that my 2.5 year old loves his naps). So I was able to lay in bed and nurse my major headache a little more.
At around 2:45 pm I heard Luka arrive home from school on the bus and he was bursting with pride...he had lost his second tooth at school. He showed me where the teacher had taped it to his agenda. Luka told me how important it was for the tooth not to get lost so he could get...as he put it "get more money." That made me laugh. Here is the note he wrote today...all on his own. If you sound it out phonetically you can see what he is trying to write:
I asked him why he wrote this. He said, "I don't want her to get lost. She might not remember how to get here. And this way she knows where I go to school." Isn't he the best?
Let's see what happens when Luka wakes up to see that the tooth fairy left him a book...am I a bad mother? I just think he was getting a little too greedy with the money thing and the book is about a little girl that loses her tooth in Mali (Africa) and the traditions there when it comes to the Tooth Fairy. We will see what he says....
Okay, back to my bad day...so at this point I was feeling a little better and Luka really made me laugh. But I still had my headache and I had to take the kids to the dentist. Really? Did I have to go. I just felt like laying in bed...but a Mom's gotta to what a mom's gotta do.
So off with the boys I went and they both got a clean bill of health for their teeth. I was kind of worried for Sam due to the large amounts of Halloween candy he consumed a couple of weeks ago..but we were good. Since it was all good news and there happened to be a Johnny Rockets in the strip mall it was mandatory we make a shake stop. We ordered one chocolate shake and the three of us shared. My boys LOVE a good milk shake. Sammy really didn't want to share his half with me, but Luka as always, was willing to go halfzies with Mommy. Sam, we need to work on that.
We got home and I was still feeling a little homesick, a little lonely and sad that I haven't been able to really talk to JJ (big time difference). But then I got to thinking, "Really Melissa...what is wrong with you? You are so lucky!"
After dinner and bath time the boys and I sat down in bed and talked about what Thanksgiving was all about and what we were thankful for. Luka said, "I am thankful for mommy, daddy and my brother Sam...and my friends at school." I realized that I have so much to be thankful for and I had to snap out of it and really enjoy this holiday with my boys and my wonderful friends that invited me over tomorrow.
Sam, well I think he was thankful that this little exchange didn't last more than 5 minutes and we were able to watch our nightly Netflix before bed (usually 30 minutes of some Disney show). When I asked him again to see what he was thankful for he said, "Jessie." Hello, that is the name of the show we were watching. We will try again next year.
So by "bedtime" I was feeling much better...headache was almost gone...I realized that I have tons to be thankful for ...I have the best husband and two boys one could ask for...and although I am not close to my family this Thanksgiving in about one month I will be visiting for 1.5 months...life must be pretty good to be able to travel for that long....and let's not forget that I am super thankful to have a real American Thanksgiving to go to tomorrow with our new "family" in Santiago.
Just to get me in the mood for the holiday tomorrow, before my bedtime today (since I was feeling like I was back in the land of the living) I cooked up a big batch of my traditional cranberry sauce (Thanks Crystal for the canned cranberries...we don't have real cranberries in Santiago, but this is good enough). I have been making that sauce for about 12 years now and it always reminds me of my family's Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I will make pumpkin cheesecake and a sweet potato casserole. Thanksgiving HERE WE COME! Hopefully I will have photos to post.
Started off a crappy day, but as I sit here typing this message I am thankful it turned out to be a great day full of moments that reminded me of what truly is important in life.
