Hiiiiii Yaaaaa!

Michael and I got home this evening and were in the kitchen together while I poured him a drink...
Unexpectedly, he reached his arms out and hugged me around my hips.

"Mom, I want to be just like you... All soft and cuddly."
"Soft and cuddly, huh Michael. What's that mean?" I asked.
"You know! Like Kung Fu Panda!"
"Oh. Wow. Thanks Michael."
"Anytime Mom. Anytime."



This diet can not start soon enough.

Thankful.

I don't know why but it seems that lately all I see, hear, read about is tragedy. Children taken from their parents too soon. Illness. Kidnappings. Complete a*%holes who drive after drinking and murder innocent children crossing the street. It's sickening.
I always feel like I'm really over protective with Michael. I can't even count the number of daycare/nursery school facilities I took him out of as a toddler because they weren't good enough or did something that I felt was unsafe.
I do my fair share of complaining talking about how much work it is to raise Michael. And watching the news recently has made one thing abundantly clear for me. I'm not over protective. I am cautious. And I am grateful (actually it's so much more than grateful) that I get to kiss him every morning and kiss him every night. Because so many parents have had that ripped away from them lately. And it's wrong and awful and heartbreakingly sad.
So I find myself just staring at him some days. Filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and love and gratefulness. Life is good. And I'm making sure to cherish every moment of it.