Giving thanks

I am thankful for all the "normal" things this Thanksgiving: family, enough food to eat, a roof over my head, my (and Tim's) job, etc.

I am thankful that the GF diet continues to help our entire family and that following it has become second nature.

I am thankful that WG qualified for at-risk preschool because it has made a tremendous difference. I am confident that she will do well in Kindergarten next year.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who somehow has the skills to completely remodel our kitchen, plumbing, electric and all.

I am thankful for good friends who I can talk to about anything. When I was teaching in DeKalb, two of "my" moms were so close they were like sisters. I had always hoped for a friendship like that and it's nice to have one.

I am thankful for WG. My friend who is the mother of two preemies summed it up, she said she was thankful for her children and could never take them for granted because with the tiniest tip of the scale they might not have been here at all.

I am thankful for the things that make me laugh so hard it feels like I've done an hour's worth of sit ups.

I am thankful that my grandmother had such a nice ending to her life. That doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean.

I am thankful for caffiene. And the occasional glass of wine.

Drama Queen

It was time for bed. The stories were read, teeth brushed, medicine taken. Cue the stalling.... WG: "But, Mom, I will miss you!"
Me: "I'm not working tonight, WG, I will just be in the living room."
WG: "But, you are going to leave me in the prison that is my room!"
Me: completely speechless.

Last week her violin teacher gave her a belated birthday present of a flipflop keychain with the words "Drama Queen" written on it. Boy does she have WG pegged!

WG's first violin recital

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Originally uploaded by kgawne78

WG had her first violin recital Thursday. Considering the many many factors that could have proven disastrous it went pretty well. It was at 6:30 which is not a good time for WG. She was not hungry enough to eat a good dinner before we left the house even though I *knew* there was no way her little tummy would last the recital. She also fell asleep in the car on the way over. This is bad news because when WG is tired enough to fall asleep in the car she is incredibly cranky and uncooperative when she is woken. When I saw that she had conked out I almost turned the car around and headed home. But she did well despite the hurdles. She played the first part of Twinkle (so, "twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are"). She got very upset because a little boy who went before her played the same thing that she was going to play. She told me that she wasn't going to play Twinkle, she was going to play the "boat song." (Which wound up sounding remarkably like the first part of Twinkle....) When she walked onto the stage and turned to see the people in the audience she laid down face down on the floor and covered her head. Miss Maryanne convinced her to play and once she was on her feet she did a great job.

Her heart still beats strong for the tuba, though. Before the recital someone asked her what she was going to play (meaning what piece) and Alice said, "I'm going to play the tuba!"