Grateful

I've said it before, but starting Not to Brag . . . was a great decision, ntb. I delight in sharing glimpses of the personalities and happenings in my little corner of the world. Blogging truly has changed the way I view the joys and frustrations of daily life. Now that my dissertation is finished (except for the busywork of formatting), my Little Bit is going to bed before 7:00 p.m., and the holidays are winding down, I am excited to post more regularly.

Thanks to all loyal readers and sometime visitors of NTB. I think I would keep writing and posting even if there were no readers, but the fact that there are some means so much to me. I treasure comments left on the site or shared with me in person. My husband thinks I am an internet addict (quite an accusation from a man who rarely goes 30 minutes without checking his Blackberry) and I admit to spending my fair share of free time on the computer, but I think that both blogging and facebooking strengthen my ties to friends old and new . . . time well spent, in my opinion.

With welcoming our Little Bit and finishing my dissertation, 2008 has been a banner and busy year. I'm surprised to realize, at its end, that here at Casa MEP we not only survived, but thrived, ntb.

It's the last morning of 2008. I had a Lean Cuisine pizza for breakfast (on sale now 4/$9--yippee!). The hubby just voluntarily took Bubby to work with him and my Little Bit is upstairs napping in his crib (knock on wood, but it seems he is finally starting to settle in to a regular morning nap routine, NTB!!!!!!!!). There is laundry to be folded, holiday thank you notes to write, and the same toys I put away last night freshly-strewn all over the floor. I still have closets to un-clutter, a tree to take down, and bills to get online and pay. But right this moment, I feel really, really grateful for my life, exactly as it is. I don't know how long this morning's sense of peace and satisfaction will last, but I think this year has taught me that I cannot wait until all of my ducks are in a row to feel happy. Just try to live and appreciate the moments as they come. Savor the really good ones and during the tough, frustrating, and annoying ones, tell yourself that nothing lasts forever.

Thanks for continuing to allow me to share the little moments of my life with you. Here are a couple of moments from this holiday season . . .


The Bub with mommy and daddy after his holiday concert at school. If only I had filmed his performance of "Jingle Bells" and "The Chubby Little Snowman" . . . I thought I had, but apparently I do not know how to take video on my digital camera.


Little Bit happily wore his holiday hat, an item Bub (at LB's age) would have ripped off within seconds.


One of the many "failed" attempts to stage a matching holiday pajama photo. One little elf was already in bed and the others were a bit too wired to cooperate.


Three days after Christmas, LAP and company welcomed their third beautiful little girl. Here is a photo of proud big sister Fancy and the new arrival.

See you all next year! Thanks for reading.