Oh 0630, how I hate and love you.

Red's alarm goes off.  It is 0625.  He hits snooze.  Not five minutes later, a familiar sound fills the room.  I've heard this before.  This is important.  I have to get up now.  I look up at the monitor, all of the little dots are up in red, that means it is definitely time to get up.  Why you ask?  The darling child is awake.  In hopes of a few more minutes, I snuggle up with her while Red goes to get ready.  She sits up, looks towards the door, climbs off of the bed by herself and picks up her monkey and stands at the bathroom door.  " Dada? Dada. Dadadadada." I pick her up and bring her back to bed with me, she puts her hand in my mouth, waits for my eyes to open, and smiles.  Goodness it is wonderful to wake up to that!  ( The smiles, not a small hand digging in my mouth.)  She gets off the bed by herself again and heads back towards the bathroom door.  By this point, I know it's all over.  She is awake and it is 0630 in the morning.  This means, for me to achieve my goal of waking up before her to have a little bit of time to wake up and get ready for the day I would have to wake up around Six A.M.  That is way too close to five for me.  

However, I do enjoy the benefits that being awake before 7 am brings.  Like, by the time we have finished diaper change, breakfast, play time, snack and get dressed for the day I am not embarrassed that I haven't made it into clothes and make up.  Until about 1 p.m., you can actually feel awake and accomplished for the day.  But by about 2, I needed a nap.  


Guess this is going to take some getting used to!






We all went to the commissary when Red got off of work tonight.  We nearly shut it down, but we made it out with all of our Thanksgiving ingredients!  I am trying really, really hard to make this one less of an "event" this year.  Just relax, I mean we just moved across the world and we're tired.  But, all of my life, Thanksgiving has been our family reunion ( literally).  So, there would be tons of people who brought tons of food.  Lots of different dishes to fall in love with and attach to Thanksgiving.  My list?


Cornbread Stuffing
Sweet potato Casserole
Kringle
Spinach and Strawberry salad ( yum, yum, yum!)
Mashed Potatoes
Peach Cobbler Rolls
Deviled eggs
Texas Brownies

Etc, Etc..  While this makes no sense to feed a small group with this many items, I am totally doing it anyway.  It's tradition.  I'm at least cutting the list down by half right?  It surely won't be the same as having all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents and second cousins ( and Mom and Daddy!  Taylor, you too.)  We won't go to the church the night before, spend the night and wake up early to start cooking.  My Aunt B won't call me "sweet thang" and the Thanksgiving place-mat with my name and birth year won't be here.  And no, we probably won't play "brown Turkey" or have a talent show.  But one thing is for sure.  I am thankful that I have my family.  I am thankful I have a husband that loves me and a daughter that is so full of life.  I am thankful to have food to prepare and mouths to eat it.  I am thankful that we are happy, safe and warm.  Every year things change.  Some small, some big.  The love that holds the traditions together, will not change.