Friday, November 26:Pie. We had pie for breakfast. We had pie for lunch. I know that sounds terrible, but it was awesome! It symbolizes the nature of our day, care free. I love that feeling. We did get a couple good deals out shopping (I went at 4:30 am since I was up already... my first time!) and that was a blessing of the day that I'm thankful for too.
Saturday, November 27:The Gospel. I was blessed to attend the baptism of the husband of my dear friend Mallory today. Levi was sick, so Ethan stayed home with him and the rest of the kids. It gave me a nice chance to reflect on my feelings about the Gospel. I feel so blessed to know my Savior and Father in Heaven love me. I feel so thankful to be a part of Their magnificent church on the Earth. It fills me with great joy knowing that I can be with my family forever because we've been sealed in God's Holy Temple. I'm thankful that I was able to witness the first step in Paul's new life today.
Sunday, November 28:My parents. Boy did I luck out. I have such loving and supportive parents. I am so thankful for everything they've taught me through the years and continue to teach me daily. I'm thankful that they love my husband so much and adore my children. They are a blessing to my life every day.
Ethan's parents are also quite spectacular. I have been blessed to have such a good relationship with my in-laws. I'm thankful they have been so supportive of our adventures. I'm thankful that they've forgiven my shortcomings. I'm especially thankful they taught their son to be such a great man.
Monday, November 29:Levi, Eliza, Bolton. Since I haven't had a chance to single them out. They get to share today. I'm so thankful for Levi. He is such a sweet little boy. He has so much passion for life. I'm so thankful for the progress he's been making in speech therapy. I'm also so grateful that he still loves to snuggle with his mom. Its the best.
I'm very thankful for Eliza. She is such a fun girl. I'm thankful for her sweet personality. I love spending my days with her at my heels. I am thankful for her voice and her ability to stand up to her brothers. She holds her own and makes us all laugh.
And Bolton. How thankful I am this perfect little man came to our family this year. He is a joy, a delight, my sunshine. I'm thankful for his contentedness. Even when he's not feeling well, he is still so easy to take care of. I'm so thankful for his sweet smile and giggle. Makes me happy!
Tuesday, November 30:The scriptures. Ethan and I have been getting up early to read The New Testament each morning. I am so thankful for the spirit its brought into our home, our marriage, our life. I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and that His teachings are so readily available to me. I'm thankful for His perfect example and his perfect atonement. Without Him, all the other things for which I'm thankful would be meaningless.
Thursday, November 25:Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful for Thanksgiving! Its been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. I just love the feeling in my home when everyone gathers round the table and sits and talks for hours with no where to go and no reason to rush off. Even though we haven't been with family for a few years (longer since we've been with the BIG family in UT) I still feel so much love during this holiday. I also really enjoy preparing all the food (could do without having to clean my house...) and, of course, eating it! Its just the perfect holiday.
Friday, November 19:Nap time. What would I do without you sweet, blissful 2 hours of my day? I've never been the best housekeeper, but our house would be a complete disaster if I didn't have naptime.
Saturday, November 20: Date night. Boy, its been awhile. We've been planning on this big and expensive date for a while now, so we've had to save up our date money. Oh man, it was nice to get out! We went to dinner with friends and then to see Brian Reagan. Laughter really is great therapy! The icing on the cake of our date night, though, our babysitters were a young couple in our ward. I wanted to leave Bolton while we went to the show, so we asked them to sit for us. It was really fun to be out just the two of us! And the amazing couple that they are, they wouldn't let us pay them! I felt awkward but am so thankful for their generosity! Date night was perfect!
Sunday, November 21: Jonas. This kid is so darn lovable. I've been able to spend a lot more time with him this week because he's been sick. Really sick. On Wednesday he had a fever at school of 103 and it stayed that high for 6 days! Tonight he woke up with a massive nose bleed and kind of freaked me out since I've been so worried about him. Its amazing how you learn to appreciate health when its lost. He's been such a sweet little patient though. I'm so thankful for my Jonas. Just fyi~ I took him to the doctor Monday, November 22 and she was worried it might be Kawasaki Disease. So we went to the hospital to get bloodwork done. It came back looking pretty good. So we're just keeping an eye on him for now for other symptoms. His fever broke Monday afternoon and he's been fever free since. Must have been a lousy virus.
Monday, November 22:The phone. I need to talk to people. I need to feel connected, loved, needed. I don't know how I would have survived in the world 50 years ago. I talk to my mom and dad all the time. I talk to my sisters in law, my mother in law, my friends (you know, I've called you). The phone is my lifeline to sanity. Today it was especially helpful as I was stressed waiting and waiting to hear from the doctor about Jonas...
Tuesday, November 23:Brandi. Brandi is my best friend in Texas. I love her so much. She helps me through a lot. She teaches me a lot. She is such a fabulous example of how I want to be, as a mom, a wife, a home maker, daughter, friend, everything. She is amazing and I'm thankful that she's my friend. There really isn't anyone else here that I feel like I can call just to chat. She is the one reason I could handle living here for another year. She also is so great to help me whenever I have a need, like when I had to Jo to the hospital Monday she took Eliza and Bolton to spare me the nightmare that would follow if they'd been with me. I'll miss having her family with us for Thanksgiving this year.
Wednesday, November 24: "I am a Child of God." Feeling much stress today, getting ready for the festivities tomorrow. It doesn't help that Bolton is sick with a cold and wants to be held if he's awake. He has never, never been fussy like this. I feel so bad for him. But on the other hand I'm trying to get so much ready for tomorrow I feel like I can't get anything done! I tried to lay him down for a nap and he screamed, I tried to feed him and he screamed, so I sat to rock him and sang "I am a Child of God" and he finally calmed down. He fell asleep! When I laid him, he woke up and screamed again, so we did it again and it didn't just calm him down... it calmed me down too! I'm so thankful for this sweet song and the spirit it brings.
Friday, November 12:Adoption. I heard from a friend today who has been blessed through the amazing gift of adoption. She actually has 5 kids, we seem to always have babies around the same time, so when she found out I was pregnant with Bolton, she was excited she could plan that their baby was coming soon. She (the baby) came last month and I couldn't be happier for her! I'm so thankful that adoption is a viable option for so many people who are such wonderful parents!
Saturday, November 13: Lazy mornings. I really appreciate weekends. I love sleeping in, even if it is only until 7:30. I love snuggling in our warm bed. I even love having all the kids come in and hang out with us while we have a lazy morning. We talk about our week, we talk about our future, we laugh, we dream, its my favorite.
Sunday, November 14:The opportunity to teach. I love teaching. I'm thankful for my calling as a teacher.
Monday, November 15:Arick. Arick is my friend. She is one of those really great people who is always really helpful. She brought me soup today just to say thanks for the times that I've babysat her kids that she "hasn't been able to reciprocate." She's also the friend who a while back I talked about watched my kids and did my dishes. She is very thoughtful, very kind, very generous. Such a great example.
Tuesday, November 16:My sweet, supportive husband. I really could do a whole month of why I'm thankful for this wonderful man, but I'll spare you. Today I'm extremely thankful for his support. He is willing to take care of the kids so I can get out (got to go to book club tonight and it was such a great night out with friends~I even got to leave the baby!), he does the dinner dishes most nights so I can sleep, the list could go on... he always greets me with a kiss and a smile. I know he truly wants me to be happy and is willing to help me to stay that way. I'm so blessed to have him.
Wednesday, November 17:Sisters. Yep. I know I wasn't blessed with any sisters of my own growing up, but I have the very best sisters in the whole world! Some of my very best friends. Even if we are sisters only by "law" I feel like we are actually sisters by love (yes, you'll see that term in my comments from some of them "sister-in-love", "mother-in-love"). I had a good talk with one of them today that made me extremely grateful for these relationships. I could give countless examples of all the good they do, but most of you know at least some of them and you know how lucky I am... Love you gals!
Thursday, November 18:Sore muscles. After taking a month off, there is something especially sweet about having sore muscles from being able to exercise again!
Do you ever get a cleaning tip that is just too good not to share with everyone you know? I'd love to hear all about it... in the meantime, I wanted to share a secret with you. Maybe you already know about it, but in case not, here you go...
Floor cleaning (as in mopping) solution is made to get your floor clean, BUT it is made to leave a slight film behind that will attract dirt. This makes your clean floor look dirty faster, so you mop more often and use more solution. Smart plan (for them), right?
Try mopping with a water/vinegar mixture. It cleans just as well, but doesn't leave anything behind so you have to mop less often! Who doesn't want that?
Also, if you have horrible light colored grout in your tile... straight vinegar and elbow grease gets it just about as good as new! I'm so happy our floor cleaning professional friend told us about this and saved us $350!!!
The smell of vinegar isn't anyone's favorite, but it leaves quickly. So give it a try!
Levi convinced Eliza to go to the "lake" with him. The had loads of fun on their "motor boats."
I hope you can see Eliza's choice of foot wear. A friend from church just handed those down to us and Eliza loves them. It really brings a big smile to my face every time I see her in them, but especially with a life jacket and motor boat. Funny faces... this girl really loves to mimic her older brothers!
Then Jonas got in on the fun, maybe he was water skiing? Then he decided he wanted more of a workout, so he took up rowing. Row, row, row your boat... Levi found his favorite hat (I can't resist photographing him in it, it just makes me giggle). Once I started taking pictures (and video) Eliza stopped playing so she could stand next to me and say, "I want to see it, Mom-meee." She wanted me to take a picture of her but she was SO close, I told her to back up a little bit, but she did one better and placed her stool down so she could get right on top of it for her close up. Funny girl. I'm going to work on getting a video up, but figured I'd post pictures first. I'll be updating this post as soon as the video loads.
Sunday, November 7:Relief Society. Today Relief Society was so sweet. It made very happy to be a part of such a wonderful group of women, in my area and worldwide. Our lesson was from President Monson's talk at the General Relief Society meeting, titled Charity Never Faileth. We talked about our circle of sisterhood and how we can be more charitable to one another. I love this message from Pres. Monson's talk
I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others.
We actually sat in a circle and during the lesson we each thought of one other sister in the room and one thing that we admire about that person. Then we went around the circle and without saying who we were talking about, said what we admired. There was such a special spirit of love and friendship in the room. We talked about ways we can build our friendships. I mentioned service to one another. Ethan taught me the week of my surgery that we shouldn't ever turn someone down when they offer to serve us, because that is how friendships are built. I love Relief Society, the opportunity is provides for me to serve, and that it makes me want to be a better person.
Monday, November 8:Good books. My mom says that I've always liked to read... I remember my childhood a bit differently. I did read the Babysitter's Club books, but nothing else! It wasn't until we lived in Oregon that I really developed a love of reading, and I mean a love of reading! Books are just great. I've learned from them, I've escaped the insanity of my life through them, I've driven cross country reading them, I've bonded with friends over them.
Now I get to bond with my kids as I read good books to them! We started reading big, fun books to Bryant in Kindergarten. Then about a year later we started reading to the older boys at bed time too. I love the time I get to spend with my kids as we read and discuss. It gives them such an opportunity to learn comprehension and memory skills since it takes us several weeks to complete a full book.
Not only that, but Bryant has developed such a love of reading that I started a book club for him and his friends. Today was our first meeting and it was fabulous! Go to my book-nook to see the details of our fun! I'm so grateful we get to have this time together!
Tuesday, November 9: Good friends. Oh, this could be a blog post of its own, but I'll try not to gush too much. I have made some wonderful friends through the years. I know I am so blessed that I'm still friends with many of these fabulous people.
High school friends, thanks for being such great examples to me. Thanks for wanting to keep in touch with me still. Thanks for all the silly laughter (and squeaks). Thanks for helping me not feel insecure during a time when most people do. Thanks for putting up with my teenage girl self and all that came with it. I'm so blessed to have you in my life!
Oregon friends, thanks for making my first experience living away from family feel so much like home! I learned so much from all of you! What an educated, creative, loving bunch you are. I'm so thankful for our time together because I am better for it. Thanks for watching my kids, thanks for understanding my failures, thanks for all your kind and encouraging words. Love you guys!
Texas and blogging friends, thank you for helping me through probably the hardest time of my life. I've struggled with babies and other health issues, depression and insecurities, and hardest of all being so darn far away from my dear family. And for the most part I've been able to keep a smile on my face because of you!
I'm thankful for friends who hear me say "we shouldn't turn down offers of service" and hold me to it. A wonderful example and friend called to ask what she could do that would be most helpful to me, she offered several things and one of them was grocery shopping. I had been struggling all day with trying to figure out how I was possibly going to take Bolton with me to the grocery store (or out of the house at all) since I'm not supposed to carry anything more than 10 pounds (ha!). It was humbling, but I took her up on her offer and feel so blessed to have a friend who follows the spirit like I know she did today.
Wednesday, November 10:Stories. I'm learning to look at life as a series of stories. When I'm facing a challenge if I can step back and think of it as a story I'll tell my grandchildren, its so much better. Not only does it help me to see humor in things otherwise troubling, it helps me handle myself better. No one is going to want to hear stories about my yelling head off all the time. :)
Thursday, November 11:My country and those who have served and continue to serve her. What a blessing it is to live in this great nation. I think I've taken it for granted a lot of my life. Having this time in the Air Force has certainly been eye opening. It takes a lot for us to keep our freedoms, a lot of people, a lot of time, a lot of energy and work. I'm so thankful for the example Ethan had from his grandpas in serving this blessed country. I'm thankful for the example that Ethan is setting for our children.
I'm thankful for all the people who are sacrificing so much to ensure that our nation stays great and to help other nations become strong. Take the time to stop and think today about what exactly people are actually sacrificing. They are sacrificing time from their families, they are sacrificing money (because let's face it, working for the government has its advantages but the pay isn't generally one of them), they are sacrificing their safety, their peace of mind and all because of a love of their, and our, great country.
Ethan's sister shared this on facebook and it brought tears to Ethan and my eyes. Ethan's grandpa is in the video showing his medal received in WWII, ""The Distinguished Flying Cross." He received this honor as a flight engineer when he kept his B24 airborne after it had been hit 265 times on one of their missions.
"Gratitude is a sign of maturity. It is an indication of sincere humility. It is a hallmark of civility. Most of all, it is a divine principle... Where there is appreciation, there is also courtesy and concern for the rights and property of others. Without these, there is arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility instead of pride, generosity rather than selfishness." - Gordon B. Hinckley
For the month of November I will be doing the 30 Days of Gratitude. Taking the time to find things to appreciate and be thankful for each day is part of my self-prescribed therapy, a new way of life that is sure to bring more happiness to me and my family. When I was at Time Out For Women last month one of the speakers talked about some habits of happiness and one of them was to think of good things that happen each day and why those things happened.
So, I've been working on my list. Some things are grand, others are less so but each thing on my list this month will certainly be a blessing for which I'm grateful.
To start out, our Family Home Evening was spent talking about why we celebrate Thanksgiving and why we should be thankful everyday, not just that one day of the year. We played a guessing game of different things we could be thankful for, like grass, water, home, clothes, etc. Then everyone was able to tell me how many pieces of candy they wanted, candy was given out one piece per person at a time and they had to say one thing they were thankful for to get their candy. When I'm more mobile I'll look for the list and update this post... eta here's our list:
Eliza (5): Dora, Daddy, Grandma, Ice, Blankie
Levi (5): Diego, Grass, Milk Duds, Nuts, Bones
Jonas (11): Grass, Little Brother, Numa Numa, Candy, Family, Bryant, Levi, Eliza, Dad, Mom, Bolton
It was a fun activity and it made the kids think of things they appreciated. And got my gratitude juices flowing as well, so here is my official list for the first 6 of my 30 Days:
Monday, November 1: I'm thankful for Family Home Evening. I love the time we have set aside each week to teach our children gospel principles and have fun together. I love that its something they look forward to each week and fight over who gets to be in charge of what. I love giving them to opportunity to teach me and they do it so well. I love the spirit it brings to our home and the friendships it builds within our family. How thankful I am for living and loving prophets who have counseled us to do have this special time together each week.
Tuesday, November 2: I'm thankful for fasting. My parents informed me they would be fasting for me today. I can't think of a time that I've been the subject of a fast and it made me feel so loved. My testimony of fasting has certainly been strengthened in the past few months. A few family members have had some serious and scary health problems to face and I've been able to join with my family in fasting for them and felt my love and my faith increase through the process. I'm also thankful for the priesthood and that my husband is able to give me blessings from God in my times of need.
Wednesday, November 3: I'm thankful for my nurse anesthetist, Dave. Being at the hospital by myself for surgery was awful, but adding the stress I was feeling about not being to care for Bolton had me in tears. Dave told me I would be able to nurse Bolton later today! Just as soon as I wasn't feeling the effects of the anesthesia in my system.
I'm thankful that Bolton took a bottle without a problem and didn't spend any time screaming today. I'm also so thankful that I was able to nurse him by 6:00 pm.
I'm thankful for modern medicine that can take care of health problems and that everything went well during my surgery.
Thursday, November 4: I'm thankful for my husband. He was able to take a few days off to take care of me and I don't know what I would do without him! So many reasons I'm thankful for him, but today I'm thankful for his kindness and patience. With me and the kids.
I'm also thankful for my long toes so I can pick stuff up without having to bend over.
Friday, November 5: I'm thankful for our home. We're starting a few projects in preparation for putting it up on the market and I'm thankful that we've had such a nice place to live for the past 2 1/2 years. I'm thankful for the things we've learned as first time home owners. I'm thankful for the knowledge that the next place we live will be home, too, because we'll be together. And for faith that it will be where the Lord needs/wants us.
Saturday, November 6: Today I'm thankful for Bryant. He has been such a big helper to me. He has picked up Bolton and handed him to me. He has entertained the younger kids. He put Eliza down for a nap this afternoon. And tonight he made us French Toast for dinner! My pain has been a lot worse than I expected and its been a tough day. When I sat down to dinner tonight, I grimaced a little as I tried to get comfortable. He gently wrapped his arms around me to give me a hug. He is such a sweet heart and I'm so thankful that he's mine!
I sat down to do a Halloween post like everyone else in the world and realized I hadn't posted ANYTHING from October! Not one thing! So, here is a whirlwind tour of our October... lots and lots of photos... hopefully not lots and lots of commentary from me.
I guess the month started out pretty exhausting. Poor tired Bolton, just couldn't keep his eyes open or his head up in his bumbo.
And just look at that squished baby face... Oh, we woke up and have been nothing but giggles and grins... We went to the zoo and unlike what you might expect, we DID feed the bears. Not only that, but mom set a really bad example and stuck her arm in the fence to grab more food to feed them. Happy bears. We went to the pumpkin patch for Family Home Evening and took lots of pictures. I think we started the night out saying if they could carry it, they could buy it... ... we quickly realized that our kids are growing up and there was no way we could afford all they could carry! I totally love this photo! Its so what our life is like... I don't think we could have captured it more perfectly. My favorite boys. Yummy... What could be more fun than playing on a tractor? Then we got sick... Levi started it, I got it and so did Bryant. We're lucky it only hit 3 of us. There was enough puke and poop for all 7 of us though, trust me. The next week for FHE, we carved our pumpkins. The big boys got to do lots of it by themselves this year. Levi and I worked together. Jonas has his eye on you... Then we got a package in the mail from Grandma and had an impromptu photo shoot with this adorable baby. He really is the most pleasant and happy baby we've had!! Oh how we love him. Ethan said last night, "He's even happy when he's fussy!" Try to figure that one out. What a sweetheart! Eliza, Bolton and I have lots of time for cuddles and snuggles. It doesn't get much better. Bolton got too chubby for his bumbo. Poor little guy can't fit his legs in it. I mean, I've always had to pry him out of it, but he cries when I try to push his little legs down into it. Eliza, Bolton and I headed to the pumpkin patch again for playgroup. We had story time with a big pumpkin, a hayride and more pictures in the pumpkins. Eliza's face and hair were better for pictures, but after sitting in this pumpkin... ... I'm not so sure this was a good idea... ... her bottom was pretty soggy! Ewww, rotten pumpkin isn't our favorite. Good thing she still looks so cute! We even got to hang out with a best friends a little this month! And then, of course, there was a little something called Halloween. I feel like this was my life for the past 2 weeks. Sewing, sewing, sewing..... And of course, the day of the trunk or treat at church Levi says he wants to be the monkey he's been twice before. Mean mom that I am, I said, "OK, but you'll have to stay here. I'm not taking you trick or treating unless you wear the costume you wanted me to make."
We got to go to Ethan's work to trick or treat on Friday and then had a trunk or treat Saturday. We were going to go on a drive on Sunday, but ended up turning out all the lights and watching a movie upstairs while eating candy. It was a fun Halloween. Maybe the best yet!
Now what you want to see, the costumes!
Luke Skywalker on Tatooine (hence the gun and no light saber).
A young Obi Wan Kenobi. A pirate, me hearties! (I did make a pirate shirt for him, he wore it to play in one day and we couldn't find it the next. Rather than freak out and tear the house apart, we made due with a church shirt.) And Minnie Mouse. When I was asking the kids for their FINAL choice of costumes early in the month, I thought it would be fun to ask Eliza what she wanted to be. Of course, she has no idea what that means, but she didn't stop a beat and said, "Mickey Mouse" we compromised with Minnie. :) I think she is super cute! Bolton didn't get a costume, but he did get to play pass with Dad for the first time late Halloween night. And he really liked it. Made his daddy proud. And THAT was our October in a nutshell. Hope yours was fabulous!
