Family

As I sit here- full up to my ears with turkey, ham, stuffing, and giblet gravy- I find myself only able to sit and think (mainly because I don't have the strength to move this body I've stuffed for 2 straight days off the couch). My thoughts have ranged from all sorts of topics like 1. Who came up with the Lego idea and how? 2. Why does the sound of rain dripping off the house always remind me of my Nannie's house? 3. How many possible excuses can Chloe come up with for getting out of bed yet again (so far we're at 4 for the evening)? 4. Who was the first guy to ever use the "comb over" and who was the mean woman who told him it looked good and nobody would ever notice? 5. I think my tree needs a few more ornaments at the top. 6. I love hearing the sounds Emma makes on the monitor while she's sleeping (she's a soft moaner--like my brother Scott). 7. I sure wish Starbucks delivered--I'd love a White Chocolate Mocha with 2 pumps of vanilla right now. I'm pretty sure there's just enough room in the belly for a tall one of those! 8. I've got the most awesome family possible and it's weighing heavy on my heart that I may have hurt one of their feelings recently (completely unintentionally but if it hurt them it doesn't really matter how it happened I just want to erase it from their memory).--so that thought has led me to try to come up with some type of machine that can eliminate painful thoughts (something other than drugs or alcohol!). So far I got nothing. The best I've come up with so far is words. Plain, simple, words. The same thing that can cause the pain can some times be the same thing that can take it away. (Don't worry this person and I have already settled this and all is right in our worlds, but just knowing that the power you have with just a few simple words to hurt someone causes me to be a little awe struck)
This has really just turned into a big ramble now, but again, I'm too full to even close the computer so I'm going to type a little bit more. My family means everything to me-- and when I say family I'm not just talking about people who share the same blood or last name. I'm talking about people who I think of when I think back on some of the most important events of my life. People I've wanted to share great moments with-- like the births of my children and their baptisms, their birthday parties, silly 80 parties, and some of the best times just sitting around the table at mom's telling crazy stories and picking on each other and laughing so hard that you cry. People that get me-- and all the crazy that comes with getting me (laughing at my not so funny jokes, getting my references to "Dumb & Dumber", "Christmas Vacation", and "The Office"). These are the people I love. And I want and need to tell them that more.
So, for all you saps out there who are in my "family" and didn't even know it: I LOVE YOU!!!
Happy Thanksgiving and please don't laugh too hard as you picture me rolling off the couch to get one more piece of coconut cake!
(oh, and the Chloe count is up to 6 now-- with the latest being that Ariella Beariella (her bedtime bear) needs some more honey-- I had a hard time arguing with that one so I'm pretty sure she's in the playroom looking for honey! What can I say, the kids gonna have to teach me all about fractions next year. Do you really think I remember all that elementary school stuff? I can barely write a coherent grocery list these days :-) !!!!!