The Gillies Family: November 2016

We decided to join the craziness and go black friday shopping in Billings today. And oh boy we were in a mix of crazy people seeking crazy deals and it was CRAZY! We managed to get nearly all of our Christmas shopping done which felt awesome! Easton stayed with Charlene to play with Chloe all day and we took the babes along with us. He was a trooper today! He took a few short cat naps and was good to go all day... and that is how we do black friday- ALL DAY! Its a shop till you drop kind of thing! CRAZY

So much so that Jake and Bethany felt the need to get a little wild in Costco! We did have a lot of fun today!

All Tuckered out and then the Sees Candy lady gave him his vey own sucker and with close supervision he ate the whole thing! And loved every minute with brown sticky sugar ear to ear! This baby has the biggest sweet tooth!

More Black Friday fun! He loved driving this Jeep in Scheels, he thought he was so big!

Charlene sent this picture to me while we were "enjoying" our shopping experience. Two peas in a pod on a pad all day! Glad my sister takes such good care of our Eastman while we are away, he loves to play with his cousins!

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a list of 10 things moms can be grateful for. It may not be your regular "grateful" list but it really makes you feel thankful for every little thing. I kind of adopted this list and made it my own to look back on when I am having one of those bad mom days. I wanted to share it today ... on Thanksgiving... a day when I especially count my blessings for all the most wonderful things in my life! I'm Grateful For... Early wake-ups because this means I have two very handsome children to love. A House to clean... Cleaning the house is a dauntless chore... it's never ending (because I am constantly picking up after our boys) thats for sure! But it means that I have a safe and warm place to live. Laundry.. another one of those never ending chores and I hate to think this as only a family of four because I know I want more children in the future... If i feel this way now, how will I feel with three or four kids? I am grateful I have children and a husband to wash clothes for, to dry clothes for, to sort clothes for – plus friends who pass on hand-me-downs and money to buy more pieces with. Dirty Dishes.. and thank goodness we have a dishwasher... it is not installed in our home- it is a full size portable we packed with us when we moved from Laramie but I am so glad that we did! Dirty dishes mean that we have food to eat and I am so grateful we are in a position to afford food for our plates because I am certain there is someone going hungry tonight. Crumbs under the table. With two boys rest assured there are many many many crumbs, chunks of un eaten food (found four days later), and little treasures under our table! But these crumbs mean family meals- I am so blessed to be able to sit down to dinner with my children and my husband each night for dinner. To talk about our day and share what good things happened in our lives. It is truly something I am grateful for. Shopping lists. Trips to the store with two boys are really hectic! Not only do both of them not fit in the cart along with all of our findings- even though this has gotten better when we stopped hauling the baby carseat around but its still a tight fit and by the end of the trip Easton is walking beside the cart haha. But this mean we have money to use... I remember being in school and being on welfare programs that help families buy their food- although I am so grateful for this and sometimes miss being allotted money each month because we didn't have to worry about that budget, I am grateful Mark has a wonderful job where we make enough money that we have some to spare for things like food and maybe even something fun every once in a while. Toilets to clean... I loath cleaning the bathroom.. I love when its clean, but it is my least favorite room in the whole house to clean. Maybe scrubbing the toilets brings back awful morning sickness memories from being pregnant with my two loves haha. Regardless those toilets mean we have indoor plumbing and lets be honest I am a farm gal and a country child but I am so happy to have running water... Me and Laura Ingles are not two peas in a pod haha. Lots of noise... the very definition of boys is noisy! Whether it's screaming, yelling, race car sounds, animal sounds, singing, or laughter there is rarely any cease to the noise in our house.... even when they are sleeping one of them is snoring haha. But that noise is a blessing. Every time I hear my boys making some kind of noise (sometimes it's those disgusting bodily functions they tend to laugh at) but it reminds me that I have two handsome little loves and they are having fun! Endless questions. Easton has hit the stage of endless what's? why's? etc. etc. He even likes to play a game called "I'll ask you questions" anything from your favorite animal to ride on to your favorite food to eat for lunch. He is a curious little one and even amidst my going crazy over the endless questions I am reminded that he is learning and I love that! Getting into bed at the end of the day sore and tired. I am still alive... I had a crazy day full of chasing toddlers to wipe their boogers, making meals, cleaning up, working out (me time!), and I survived! I am grateful for the challenges that make life interesting and exciting – and the chance to be exhausted doing a job I love and cherish (and one in which I do not get penalized for struggling with – because I am my own boss). I am grateful to lay down each night with my kids, safe and sound, knowing that when they (inevitably) wake up at night at least they are alive and that I can offer them loving arms when they need them. I am grateful for one more day to wake up and try again – to try once again to live, laugh, and love the best I can. Mothering two children under four is not just what you see on Facebook. It is not only the smiles, the hugs, the proud parental moments, the family dinners, and the outings to fun (and seemingly tantrum-free) locations. It is also all the work and sweat behind the scenes – the times that no one ever takes photos. The tears, the exhaustion, the frustration, the rising feeling that you are losing your sanity, the sweet release of stress after a 8pm bedtime, and of course the moments of humor and thankfulness woven in between. It’s like the crazy is the norm. Soon though, these years will all be gone and I know I will miss the moments when my boys run up with arms outstretched and huge smiles because they are just so happy to see me. The days they fight for who gets to sit on my lap. The times when Easton says, “I love your outfit mommy” (when it’s an oversized grey t-shirt and leggings) and laugh endlessly at funny faces over pancakes that are a little on the crunchy side. They will be older – they will need my time a little less and need their own independence a little more. It will not be better or worse, but it will be different. And I am sure I will miss this period in time that they, in all ways imaginable, look up to me. Each day is a reminder to myself of these fleeting feelings and opportunities to be happy in the moment. I am grateful for two children who have the strength and creativity to build and play games each day with whatever they can find around them, who are satisfied by only having my love and undivided attention, and who amaze me with their zest for learning and doing new things. Once again... I am grateful for all the appliances that help me do my household jobs – a dishwasher, a laundry machine, a microwave… oh and running water and electricity for them all to work. Even though I complain and struggle at times – deep down I am very, very grateful for the incredible gifts I have been given in my life. I am sure my circumstances will change in the years ahead, we can never know what is in store for us, but I am grateful knowing that I can strive and grow from every difficulty in my life. I have so much to be grateful for if I only take the time to notice.