thirty

I'm just relaxing here on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, and I thought I'd make a little list of thirty things that make me happy right now. I might even add some pictures, if I don't get too lazy! *Update - almost too lazy, but you're in luck!

1. Snickerdoodle, Fleep, and I survived five weeks on our own (and Dad survived five weeks all by his lonesome, working and coming home to a hotel room somewhere, poor guy!).

2. He's back! And he surprised me by getting home two days earlier than I expected. I thought he was flying in on Thursday, but on Tuesday, after a sharp knock on the door, I found chocolates and a card that had been ding dong ditched (one of our favorite family pastimes - wait, you don't teach your three-year-old to ding dong ditch? ;) When I saw my husband's handwriting, I couldn't believe it. At first, I thought he'd sent it to a friend, and had the friend drop it off for him. He had done a great job, getting me to believe that Thursday was the day. It was pretty awesome to go outside and find him waiting for us! I asked if he'd arranged for an earlier flight or if he'd just told me the wrong date all along, and he said it was the second one. Sneaky, sneaky!

3. Have I mentioned how awesome it is to have my husband around? He keeps me company, complements me on the food I make - but also knows when to suggest dinner out, plays fireman/ambulance driver with Snick, listens to my gripes - and he's always on my side, lifts 40 lb. Snick into the shopping cart, carries the groceries, etc., etc., etc. I don't think I'll ever consent to another long business trip again! :)

4. Baby wiggles. Snick is LOVING baby wiggles right now too, and that just makes it even better. He loves to feel to see if the baby is kicking (which he always "is" - even if I can't feel it), and his eyes light up and he gets a huge smile on his face whenever he feels something, or even better, when he occasionally sees the wiggles!

5. I have this (Chocolate Ice Cream) chilling in the fridge right now, waiting to be churned up tomorrow. And I really can't wait. Of course, I swapped out the refined sugar, used whole milk instead of half-and-half (because sometimes homemade ice cream can feel a little like frozen homemade butter), and added a little salt and ground red pepper, a la Alton Brown's hot chocolate recipe, and WOW. I really really hope it has a great texture, because the flavor is amazing. I kind of want to go drink it right now.

ok... I might have to be a little more concise on the remaining 25 things...

6. Gorgeous weather.
7. Family (both mine and husband's) who live nearby

...and a Grandma who plays the Wii...

8. Young Women feels much less crazy than it used to!
9. A cleaning routine that is working (for now!)
10. Sewing up little things for the baby - right now it's a cut chenille blanket like this one, from Aesthetic Nest. I CANNOT WAIT to get it done and washed and dried and fluffed up! I made one for my new niece last fall, and the one I'm currently working on is in shades of orange, turquoise, and yellow. Just need to get the binding on, and then I'll be done (and on to the next thing...)
11. The Book of Mormon - I challenged myself to read the whole thing while Matt was away, and I almost made it! It's been so good to immerse myself more fully in the word of God.
12. Netflix. Can I just say how necessary Netflix is when one is the sole-caregiver of a very energetic three-year-old for five weeks? Sometimes, Mama just needs to get something done - or do nothing - and in either case, Netflix saves the day!
13. An unexpected *handmade* birthday card from a new friend.
14. My gallery wall.
15. The fact that my Easter decorations are still up - it helps that they're bright and colorful, and not too Easter-y.
16. Taking Snick to his first carnival.

17. Awesome friends - I had SO MANY PEOPLE offer keep Snick for me while I was on my own, and I took them up on it when I went to appointments, Young Women stuff, and even out to the mall just for some me-time. I have the very best friends.
18. Seeing my baby sister graduate from high school - very surreal, but she did an awesome job on her valedictorian speech, and we're all so proud of her!

my family is awesome

19. Spending time with this little chunky monkey. Love her!

I think her daddy should use this as his facebook profile picture!

20. A basil plant that is actually growing - I kill most green things.

21. Snick loves The Piano Guys on Youtube. He could watch them all day. And I love it. This one is his favorite. He giggles and giggles.

22. Taco Salad. Perfect food.
23. Green, everywhere I look - I used to think my mom was weird for marveling at how green everything is here in the summer, but now I do the same thing. It's like a jungle! I love it!
24. The beach. Growing up in a family where we only went to the beach once (when I was 7, and some of my siblings weren't even born yet), somehow we all ended up loving the beach - correct me if I'm wrong guys. I think we all love it. We had a fun Memorial Day trip to a beach where there were fossilized shark teeth! There was also this silt-y sand that Snick loved rubbing all over his body, and then splashing off. So gross, but so fun.

25.  Baby body parts poking out. Fleep has been consistently head down since I started feeling distinct kicks. Little flutters down low (hands), and big kicks up high (feet). Lately he's started pushing his bottom out on one side or the other. The other day, I felt that familiar bulge, but I was shocked and amazed that I could also feel the zigzag of a thigh, calf, and foot! It's a real baby in there! :)
26. Being in a groove. I feel like I've finally worked out a lot of things, and come to a comfortable place where everything's going smoothly. Cue new baby in about 11 weeks to throw that all off!
27. The pool is open. Need I say more? That's where we're spending our summer.
28. Preschool in a box. We are using Mother Goose Time, and it has been sooo great to have some fun activities that Mom doesn't have to think a whole lot about!
29. Having a "backyard" - the condo we're renting is on the ground floor and the patio opens to a grassy area. We're the only ones who pretend it's our backyard, so it must be ours, right? We play baseball, golf, frisbee, and when the weather gets a little warmer again, we're going to break out the baby pool!
30. 30 years of a beautiful, blessed life, full of amazing family and friends - and many more years ahead!