Ten Things That Make You Happy {thursday thoughts}

We've all made lists like these before and often put things down like music, movies, family, friends... and we're absolutely right to do so but it can get a little vague. So this time, I'll try to be as specific as possible with this list of happy things.

10. Walking hand-in-hand with my husband. It's one of the very simple joys I take for granted so often, or rather, don't take advantage of enough. (Though, to be fair, we're usually holding little hands - or little bodies - instead these days.)

09. Loading/unloading the dishwasher. Which seems like an odd thing to put here but man, it feels good to have a clean and empty sink. It also feels great not having to hand wash all our dishes. It feels super duper great to have a beautiful dishwasher.

08. The HILARIOUS things that come out of my children's mouthes. We went to a local firework show a few nights ago and Presley (my four-year-old) tells me, "Wow! Looks like it's raining corn!" Same child, different day: We have been practicing with her to wipe by herself when using the restroom in preparation for pre-k this Fall.  I told Presley she could wipe by herself and she told me, "I want you to wipe my booty because you're smart and cute." Hilarious!
And today Molly was climbing something she shouldn't be which prompted this conversation:

Me: Molly. Don't climb that.
Molly: Why?
Me: .... (gathering my thoughts/patience on exactly why she shouldn't...)
Molly *under her breath*: Because! I-said-so!


07. Pulling out the box of old notes, cards, and letters from Tony over the last 15+ years. I don't do it very often but whenever I do, it seems like I happen to read something that feels as if it was just recently written... or I read something that affirmed me in just the way I might've needed and not even realized. It makes me so happy to have this kind of history with my husband.

06. Picture frames. Man oh man, I definitely have somewhat of an obsession. I love buying funky, beautiful, different frames and especially love filling them with the perfect photo.

05. Driving our minivan! What in the world did we do without it?! There is SO MUCH extra room and it feels like such a family mobile... like our little home away from home! The kids love it in there and we've already started making great family memories in there. I kinda wish we had gotten a van a while back but everything fell into place when it did and I'm so thankful for the vehicle we have now!

04. When my husband has a day off and I get to sleep in... or rather, I get to lay in bed and NOT have to wake up with the kiddos. I know... I really should be diligent and get up BEFORE my kids do so that I have the much coveted alone time. There are two main reasons I don't do this currently: 1. I love sleep and 2. I'm a little on the superstitious side - I feel like if I get up early then somehow they'll instinctively know and they'll get up early, too! Anyways. I love the day(s) where I don't have to be the one to get the girls up and going in the morning.

03. Watching the various ways my kids love one another. The most recent example happened today at Molly's TWO YEAR (post coming about her being such a big girl ASAP) after she got her vaccination. To say she was upset would be putting it mildly. I held her for a moment and then she asked if Presley would hold her (to make her feel better). Presley didn't think twice and held her so lovingly.

02. Walt Disney World. That place IS my happy place. Whether it's walking down Main Street, the smell on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, eating inside Cinderella's Castle, waking up in the resort knowing you're going to spend the entire day at the happiest place on Earth, watching the Main Street Electrical Street Parade at night, Cast Members making EVERYTHING special, or one of the MILLION other reasons to smile while you're there - being there makes me feel so much joy. And when we're not there we keep that joy alive by visiting the Disney Store as much as possible, watching Disney movies, playing with the girls' Disney buddies, and from time to time we watch the Disney Vacation Planning DVD. I love talking to friends about their upcoming Disney trips and being just as excited for them as I would be for my own trip! Not everybody is going to get the Disney obsession, but let me tell you, it is so much fun when you meet people with whom you can share the joys of this particular addiction! (And I'm SO GRATEFUL to share this with my husband!!!! Reason #13 I love that man.)


01. Cooking. I love it. Mostly. I enjoy the anticipation leading up to taking the first bite. I love the house smelling delicious. I appreciate the concentration it takes in addition to just following specific steps. There isn't a whole heck of a lot of thought that needs to go into it when you're following directions and there is something I specifically enjoy about that. I love making my family food! I recently made cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time and it was challenging and so fun. I'm still not the best cook/baker but I'm always learning and willing to try and for the most part I get it right. (Definitely not always and I am no gourmet chef!)



And that's it! There is my list of some of the things that make me happy. Like I said a few weeks ago, I miss writing prompts! I haven't taken part in anything like that in a while so I just decided to create a few of my own. So I'll write every Thursday for the next ten weeks on these upcoming topics and I am pretty excited! If you'd like to partake I'd love to read some of your thoughts and will hopefully come up with a link up when/if others are involved.

Baby 3.0: 23 Weeks + MINIVAN!

If Crosby shows up on the same timetable as his sisters, then we have about sixteen weeks to go in this pregnancy! That is a long... long... long time to go.

23 weeks along in my third pregnancy

It's really not sinking in that this is more than likely my LAST pregnancy. Yes... I probably sound like I'm stuck on repeat since I said this with Molly, but now it's even more likely that this will be it. (And if you ask Tony then he say we are "99.9%" done having kids after this!) I think it will probably be a little bit more sad and will sink in a little more once Cros is here... it's easier for me to miss little babies than it is to miss pregnancy. Pregnancy isn't so glamorous! It's totally not bad, either, but it's definitely not the most comfortable I've ever been... that's for sure. But lets be real... it's such a relief when you're out of the sleepless newborn stage, too. The passage of time is so bittersweet!

Hitting the 23 week mark in all three pregnancies - first with Presley, second with Molly, third with Crosby

It's a little bit insane that I was getting ready to celebrate my 24th birthday in the first picture there, especially as I sit here writing this as 28 year old me. I don't have any insight to share in this regard, only that parenting has taught me a great deal in that amount of time. There was no amount of preparation that could have gotten me ready to become a mom the first time around. I'm so incredibly thankful we all made it through those early days and through the darkness that was postpartum depression. I can only hope and pray that the transition from 2 to 3 will be as seamless as going from 1 to 2 was for us. I think the hopelessness I felt so deeply when Presley was a newborn had a lot to do with not being able to see that it really WAS going to get better and now I have these beautiful, intelligent, wonderful girls with whom I get to spend my days. Still, PPD is something I am still so incredibly aware of and I can only hope and pray that I'll be able to ask for the medical help I need if I'm faced with it this time around. Mental health is so intimidating to face when it's in jeopardy and I have so much respect and admiration for those who advocate for awareness as well as those who face anxiety and depression.

So, back to the here and now. Crosby's been kicking up a storm lately and we're starting to see his kicks on the outside which was kinda surprising to us both! I don't remember it being this soon in my other pregnancies so it makes me wonder if we've got a little baby hulk on our hands. He's also starting to kick more and more - especially in the early morning hours when I seem to turn over and lay on my right side.

A super exciting thing around here this week was joining the minivan club!

A new-to-us 2005 Honda Odyssey

Yes, I absolutely love it. Equally as important - the kids are so obsessed with it. Presley asked me this morning if we could just go for a ride in it because she just loves being in there! My favorite thing about it is all the extra breathing room in there. I have absolutely nothing against my Fit... I really, really love that car... but we were outgrowing it. If you ask the girls what their favorite thing is it would most certainly be the DVD player! Now all I want to do is plan a road trip to really test this baby out. (Totally craving Imo's Pizza so I think a trip to St. Louis sounds wonderful!) This vehicle will be well loved and adored here with us.

This time is definitely celebration season in the Duggan family. We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, Sean turned 26, Selena turned 52, Tony turned 31 yesterday, and today is Selena & Mike's 30th anniversary!!! Next up is Father's Day and then Molly's birthday. It's definitely a fun, busy month and a half.

Also, I've got to announce the winner of the Me Before You prize pack!

Yay, Caroline! I'm glad it's ending up with someone who loves to read!! I'll mail it out to you in the next few days. And thank you to everyone who entered - you all deserve prizes. :)

And lastly, my blog posts have been a bit stagnant for some time now so I'm going to shake things up around here next week! I'll be writing with a purpose every Thursday over the course of ten weeks on ten unique topics. And I'd love for my fellow bloggers to take part if they'd like to, so stay tuned or contact me if it sounds like something you'd like to take part in!

Spare Thoughts.

It's insane the amount of scrutiny out there regarding the child that fell into the primate exhibit. I've read where people said the mother sounds way too calm. But can you imagine what they'd say if she sounded hysterical? "Well geez, that mom really should have kept it together - what a wreck! She should have put her child first and kept her emotions in check so as not to upset her 4-year-old or the gorilla." And of course people are quick to throw in their judgment on how she could ever allow her child to get in there in the first place. "What kind of mom would allow this to happen?" But unless you've constantly got your kids in a carrier, stroller, leash, or restraint of some kind, aren't you expecting a little bit too much of the mother and especially of the preschool aged child? Kids learn (at that age especially) through exploring their surroundings. And we all know accidents just happen... usually quicker than we have time to control. Oh, and can you imagine the comments this mother would have faced had she had her child on a leash? "How tacky and awful to put your human child in a restraint like that!" Parents are condemned for being too laid back and they're condemned for being too uptight. We label each other which alienates us further from others.

After encountering such harsh reactions to this situation has caused me to take a step back and wonder why we're all the way we are... WHY are we so quick to judge each other? And why are we so cutting with our words? Why can't we find ways to start a conversation with others without gossiping, judging, and vitriolic comments?

It's just hard spending time around negativity. It's draining. It doesn't propel things forward. It's not constructive. We're not perfect people but we've got to grow and try our best to encourage each other. Are we going to like and agree with everyone? Absolutely not. Are we all meant to be friends? Nope. But doesn't it feel so much better to lead with respect, compassion, and understanding in order to learn where people are coming from? The good stuff runs a whole lot deeper than all the junk, anyways.