Gratitude Day #20

Today I'm grateful that when we are in a certain calling, the Lord blesses us to love those we serve in a very specific way. I don't doubt that I would love these little children in our ward anyway, but being in the presidency is different. I know that when I was set apart I received very specific gifts to love these children. And I can feel it each week as I get to know these little personalities. I love these children. I love them and want to protect them and want them to feel Heavenly Father's love for them. They are strong little spirits. They know what is right and they want to do what is right. I probably don't show my love for them as well as I should and I know I get impatient with them sometimes, but these kids are so great.

So, for all of you parents in our ward, you are doing a great job at home. They come to primary and they know all the answers. They are eager to share their thoughts and testimonies! And they want to learn! Thanks for letting us teach them and spend time with them, and also learn from them!

Gratitude Days #18 & 19

This counts as two days. I'm grateful for the temple. We left yesterday around noon, got to the hotel, had some dinner, then I went to a session while Dave put the girls to bed. Then this morning he went to a session while the girls and I hung out at the hotel.

It's been waaaaay too long and I just love the peacefulness of the temple. I love being able to think and reflect and renew myself. I love the motivating feelings I get to do better and try harder. And I love the reassurance that, even though I make mistakes, I am still loved. I love that I can tell Emma I'm going to the temple and she realizes that it's SO important to go that we would drive such a long ways (she reminded us of the length of the trip quite frequently!) and stay in a hotel. Oh, and the QUIET! I forgot that a place could be so STILL. I love it. And we'll be making a better effort to go more before we move, so anyone that's up for a trip let me know!

p.s. I'm also thankful for 65 degree weather today. seriously people. awesome.

Gratitude Day #17

I'm grateful for the "magic" of Christmas that gets better with each passing year. Let me demonstrate:

Last year:

This year:



Setting cookies out for Santa:

Opening presents:

This is the doll that I was SOOOOO excited to find for Bree. She's been giving it tender loves all morning!

We love lots of little pet shop pieces!!

And the cameras are a HUGE hit-these girls have been fighting over Dave's old 35mm camera for a looooooong time. And whenever we bring our cameras out they want to play with them. So we figured it's time they got one of their own.

And now I'll leave you to go listen to the fighting over toys that began after the wrapping paper came off. Oh, the magic :)

Gratitude Day #16

Okay, yesterday I was grateful for our "family" away from family. We celebrated Christmas Eve with our friends here, and I know we all needed to feel something while we were away from family, and I hope they got what they needed! I know I did! Good food, good laughs, funny kids, Christmas carols, the story from the Bible, and Once "Upon" a Snowman (at Bailey's request), with everyone's participation. What more could we ask for?

Thank you to our "family" here. We couldn't make this journey through dental school without your friendship, support, and great times! For those of you away from us, we miss you!


And those are Bree's red jello hands at the bottom of the picture. The girl had SIX servings of potatoes and kept sneaking back to the table to snake the big jello spoon out of the dish and lick it...after she ate all of Cole's jello and a bowl of her own. After everyone left I spent a significant amount of time with Resolve carpet cleaner and a rag!

Gratitude Day #15

I'm grateful for my siblings...ALL of them (in-laws included). I've been soooo fortunate to have brothers and sisters that complete my life. I learned lessons when I was younger and I continue to learn lessons from each of them. And through marriages (on both sides) new people have come into my life that are unique and have a perspective that I've never encountered before, and I learn even more from them. I love talking to each of them-the conversations are different depending on who I'm talking to. No matter who it is, though, I know I can trust them to love me despite my weaknesses. I feel "safe" with all of them. I know I can go to them with questions or needing comfort or to share my happiness and excitement, and they will listen with sympathy or share my joy. I love the acceptance and support and encouragement. I love the advice and comfort. I love laughing with them and creating memories with them. I love their kids! I know that these people have been put into my life for me to learn from them. I hope they all know how much I love them and appreciate their influence in my life.

(hey lathams-we need to get a family picture sometime-I have NOTHING!)

Gratitude Day #14

This will be short. Today I'm thankful for heat-in my house and in my car :) I was especially grateful for it when my car was registering the outside temperature at 9 degrees...and that's BEFORE windchill!

Happy Snowfall to EVERYONE! Seems like most of the country is getting blasted with it right now. Hope you were able to get on a new flight Von!

Birthday Celebration

We finally celebrated Bree's birthday last night. My friend Lauren had this awesome idea for a birthday sign, so I made one too-I LOVE how it turned out, and it's one we can use over and over!


I made some pink "cuppalakes" (Bree's pronunciation)

and she got a couple presents! Allan & Kris-the money you sent went towards the book thing-she loves it! (They both actually love it-can you say "contention"?) And she got a little bubble maker, which they also love!


The book thing we got plays a song (which you'll hear) and we were cracking up at Bree's version of dancing. Here's the clip-sorry-it starts out turned to the side before Dave figured out that you can't film that way on the small camera :)

If...

If we were to send out Christmas cards this year, this might be the picture you would have seen on it.


And I probably would have "cutesied" it up with my crazy digiscrapping skills :)

And we would probably tell you that it's been a really fun year with lots of visitors and fun trips and great times spent together.

But printing and postage just wasn't in the budget this year...especially after the grinch who didn't leave a note (see posting here).

But we do love you all and wish you a VERY MERRY Christmas. We're so blessed to have so many friends and family who bring us so much happiness. And we're grateful for the opportunity we have to reflect on the birth of our Savior, who gave us the greatest gift of all. I hope that, even through the struggles many of us are facing right now, we are all able to feel the love of our Savior and extend that love to those around us.

Gratitude Day #13

I'm grateful for my in-laws. I've heard some pretty bad stories out there, but I cannot relate to ANY of them. Not only do I love them, but my entire family (seriously-Grandma and Grandpa too) loves them too. The second I met them I fell in love with them. You know the movie While You Were Sleeping? Well, Dave wasn't sleeping, but I still fell in love with them and knew I wanted to be a part of that family. When I met them I just knew that they would take me as I am. And that's how they are with everyone. They will welcome you with open arms. What's theirs is yours. They are so generous, so kind, so welcoming, so forgiving, so funny, so non-judgemental. I love that whenever I'm with them we can talk about anything! They are people I trust with my deepest fears and feelings and they are people I go to for advice.

I admire the lives they have led. They aren't "in your face" members of the church-they are quiet stalwarts who are examples of the Savior to everyone they meet. I love how they treat me and make me feel about myself. They are always telling me how grateful they are that I married Dave and what a good mommy I am. I love the example they were and still are to Dave-he is who he is because of their example. And he treats me so well because he has learned from them. And they are sooooo loving to our little girls. Allan has the best time ever with all his grandkids! He is so silly with them. Emma calls him Grandpa tickle button. And the kids love to snuggle with Grandma Kris. They make such an effort to be a part of our lives even though we're so far away. We appreciated so much when they came to visit in May. We spent a lot of our time talking and watching the girls entertain us and make us laugh!

I love them so much and I am SO SO grateful that they are a part of my life for forever!

Gratitude Day #12

I'm grateful for my parents. I have a lot more appreciation for them now that I'm a parent. I think that's the way God planned it :) I think I went through all the normal stages when it comes to my parents-wanting all their attention, becoming more independent, thinking they didn't know anything (teen years!), then relying on them more, etc. I like the stage we're in right now. They are still my parents, but we're a better team now.

I'm grateful that they are both strong in the gospel. I think my gift of never wavering came from them. They taught me all the gospel principles, and those principles and values make me who I am. I am who I am because of those principles, not only because I'm a member of the church. I think people misconstrue that sometimes. They think we are defined by our membership in the church instead of being defined by WHO we are and the way we live our life. Not all members of the church live good lives, and not everyone who lives a good life is a member of the church. I'm grateful that the church guides us to hold these principles close and dear to our hearts, and I'm grateful that my parents taught me those principles and taught me the importance of keeping those principles. It's not always easy-it's downright hard sometimes! It's easy to lose hope. But I have watched my parents endure some pretty crazy things and they have kept true to those values throughout. The best lesson I've learned in this regard is that ultimately, Heavenly Father is in charge, so I can talk about something and think about something till my eyes pop out of my head, but it won't matter until I go to Him in prayer. And He will always answer those prayers-not always in the way I think or want, but I will receive an answer!

They have a genuine love for and interest in other people. It's not hard for them to make friends and have a good time! But once you come into their lives, they will be concerned for your well-being and want you to be happy. They are loyal friends. That's such a good quality.

I'm grateful for the lessons they taught me about working hard. And I don't mean work like a "job" type work. I mean putting forth the best effort in EVERYTHING you do. You will never see either of them doing a half-baked job (unless it's Mom's 20th paper due that week-haha! welcome back to school Mom!). It's a little bit of a catch-22 because I find myself going over the top on things that aren't necessary, but at the same time, I like how I feel when I've gone over the top sometimes :) And some things need someone to go over the top on them! hee.

I could go on and on about them, but I'll just mention a trait I've gotten from each of them that I'm thankful for. I got my dad's "passion" for things. You can always tell when he's excited about something because he gets really passionate about it and likes to talk to you about it, and I'm JUST like that. And I LOVE how I feel when I'm passionate about something! It's a great feeling! I feel hopeful, confident, excited, smart. Sometimes I get a little overbearing when I am passionate about something, but if what I am passionate about helps someone in any way, then I'm okay with people thinking I'm overbearing. But Dad is the same way-and the things that he knows are always helpful to others. I love knowing that what I'm feeling when I'm passionate about topics is probably the same way Dad feels, and that makes me feel a little more "bonded" with him :)

And from my mom I got my ability to create and my drive to make the things around me look beautiful. I went through a little spurt where I was concerned that my desire to make things around me look good was superficial and shallow and materialistic. But I got over that real fast :) My mom can make ANYTHING look good! She is sooooo talented with creating-fabrics, pictures, food, furniture, stories, memories, am I missing anything here? Out of all the siblings I think I'm the one most like my mom-the one thing that puts me over the top is the sewing-nobody else does it! But Mom and I have sewn things together that will NEVER go into the donation pile or trash-doesn't matter if I'm not using them anymore! That time together means too much to me. And Mom always made the things in our home beautiful-I don't mean that she spent all the money in the world. I mean that she has an eye for things that pull a room together so you feel like you're "home." Ann-Marie totally has that gift too. I'm not saying I'm good at it, but I LOVE to think of things to do that will brighten and liven up a room or the space around me (the bulletin boards in Primary are getting a facelift!).

So, there are just a few tidbits about my parents. I love them, respect them, honor them, and wish I was closer to them! A huge shout out to them-Mom started back at BYU this last semester and Dad will be joining her this upcoming semester. They are doing things to better their lives, even though that's a scary step!

I LOVE YOU MOM & DAD!

Gratitude Day #11

Whoops-forgot yesterday. But I knew what I was thankful for! It's actually been on my mind for a little while, and I had another experience yesterday that reminded me. I'm thankful for the awesome preschool teachers at Emma's preschool-and I don't mean just her teachers. I carpool with our friends, so I pick up their son from his class. Emma's preschool incorporates special needs kids into all their classrooms, and some classes have more kids than others. Emma's has a few, but none that I can see with physical disabilities. Sam's class has more with physical disabilities. And it has been an awesome experience to watch all these teachers with those kids. Not only are they wonderful towards kids without disabilities, but they are sooooo great with the others.

Before I had my own kids there was a special place in my heart for those with special needs. We had 3 in our ward growing up that we loved with all our hearts! I learned great lessons from them. But it wasn't until I had kids of my own that my heart REALLY felt a pull towards children with disabilities. I can't imagine the stress and strain parents must feel as they learn to take care of children who are handicapped, but I also don't get the chance to feel the joy they must feel as those children teach them life's lessons. Those are definitely special parents and special children.

And so, as I pick up the kids from school, I LOVE to watch the teachers and caregivers with these children, and some of those kids are SO FUNNY! And yesterday I watched a dad push his daughter in her wheelchair to their car, with a little 2 yr old in tow. And I loved the tenderness that could see that he felt towards those 2 kids. There's nothing more likely to put me to tears than SEEING and WATCHING the love that parents and teachers feel towards children. It really makes me have more faith in humanity when I see others showing such love!

Gratitude Day #10

Today I'm SO SO SO grateful for my little baby Bree! Today she's TWO! This little girl drives me absolutely bonkers sometimes, but it just makes me love her even more. She's the funniest little thing EVER. Whenever I'm away from her and I think about her I just laugh. She is SO opinionated and stubborn. Being the control freak that I am, you can understand the frustration I've had with her! But I noticed that as I started being okay with HER decisions I've realized that her decisions aren't so bad-just not what I want. And that's OKAY! It's kind of funny-when I think about her I think "spazzy, outgoing, chatty, stubborn, curious, active, smart, observant, leader." All those things make me think she'll be the more "sporty" one, the one less likely to be "girly." But NOPE! She's been wanting in on the dress-up thing going on at our house on a daily basis. And I've never seen a little girl more gentle and tender with dolls. I'm so excited for her Christmas present-I found the PERFECT doll for her!

At the ski resort we were talking to the kids ski instructor about how the little kids do in the classes. If you've ever rented skis before you know that you have to classify yourself as a Type I, II, or III skiier so they know how tight to do your bindings. Type I is someone who is more cautious (boy, that would be Emma!), II is someone a little more advanced, but careful still. And III is someone who takes risks and likes to try new things. The ski instructor talked about how you type yourself based on your personality, not your skill level, and all I could think was Bree is Type III all the way! She has no problems trying new things or being adventurous-she's a lot like her daddy in that way. While Emma didn't want to learn to ski yet, I know that the second Bree has the chance, she'll take it!

She is so ready to be a big girl. We made the crib into a toddler bed and she loves it. I actually think she's ready to be in the twin bed already! And she talks to you like she's having a real conversation. The best is watching her talk on the phone-I hand it over to her and she's off! She'll start walking around while talking, laugh at appropriate times, answer questions, then jabber away! Anyone who has talked to her knows that you'll get an ear piercing scream when I try to get the phone back! Or you'll hear her say "No No! No touchy!"

I love hearing her talk-she has the cutest little voice and lisp. I love it when she accidentally does things and under her breath she'll say, "oh, sorry" but with her lisp it's more like "thorry." It melts my heart! She can say a lot of things and I love that she's starting to make sentences. One of my favorites is "where you going?" She asks it in such an "intelligent" way :) And whenever she wants food she'll say "want some nummy?"-insert lisp :) I think she took it upon herself to differentiate between "nummy" (meals) and "nnnnnnack" (snacks-and yes, she says the n for a while).

Bree LOVES her daddy. She wants him to comfort her, put her to bed, change her diaper-whatever she can get from him while he's around! She will change from raging monster to the happiest kid on the block when he walks in the door. She jumps up and down yelling "daddy daddy daddy" and I love watching that. She loves to jump. On everything, off everything, you name it. She hates being held or being put in a shopping cart or stroller-she wants to be off and exploring! That was quite difficult when we were in NYC. And I never go to the grocery store with her anymore either :) Family pictures were quite the ordeal. She loves to touch everything and find out what it does (most of the time by putting it in her mouth-nice).

I just love this little girl to PIECES. I can't imagine our family without her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BREE!!

Gratitude Day #9

Although this day wasn't as awesome as the day before, I am grateful for people who make a bad experience better, even when they can't do anything about it.

Explanation:

We took the girls to the daycare again, then went out to breakfast. Then we just lounged around again and went to the hot tub. From there, the plan was to wait for Bree to fall asleep at the daycare, then get Emma and take her swimming (Bree would be MAD if Emma left and she didn't, and since Bree was having some pretty "bad" diapers, it wasn't smart for her to be in a pool). And while Dave and Emma were swimming, I would pack up the car and get ready to go. On my first trip to load luggage I saw it:

I saw it from a distance and was just PRAYING it was just the way the sun was reflecting on the car, then thought-wait, what sun? So, first reaction was punch to the gut. Second reaction was to look on the windshield for a note. NONE. I unlocked the car to open the door and see if there was a note under the snow. Oh wait, the DOOR WON'T OPEN! That's how bad it was smashed. It also cracked and bent the mudflap type area (whatever it's called) so when the wheels turn they rub against it. And this wasn't a small car either-it had to be a huge truck with how high up the damage went. Luggage went into the back and I was on my way to the front desk.

The manager and security guard came and took a report, then called the Sheriff's department to come so I could have a report for insurance. This all took place over a few hours of time, but during it all, I couldn't have asked for friendlier, more sympathetic people. The guard and manager drove around the entire resort to look for cars with a high back end, red paint on their bumper, etc. Not a thing. And they brought out their mechanic to see if he could pop anything out in order to make the door open, but it couldn't be done without causing more damage. So, while I lost some respect for humanity (RUDE not to leave a note-RUDE), I appreciated being treated the way I was by those who were helping me. Customer service is SOOOO different outside of Cleveland!

Good thing I didn't raise my deductible a couple weeks ago!

Gratitude Day #8

We were out of town, but now we're back! We decided that we wanted to start a tradition of doing something fun together as a family for our Christmas present instead of doing a ton of gifts. We'll still have a few things for the girls to open, but this is where our Christmas budget went to. We planned a little ski trip to this ski resort called Peek 'n' Peak. Since it's considered "early" season, we got all these deals. We booked a room and got our lifts tickets for free. And the room was CHEAP (cheaper than the price of 2 lift tickets)...and it had separate sleeping areas for the girls and us. It gets better. They have an indoor pool, indoor kiddie pool, indoor/outdoor hot tub, sauna, fitness room, and a HUGE play space for kids with 3 huge jungle gym/swingsets, pool table, ping pong table, and arcade games. AND they had a spa (like a massage/facial type of place). AND...they had daycare. So, on Tuesday we were SOOOOOOOO grateful for BABY-SITTING!!

Dave and I took the girls to the daycare center, and to be honest-I had a few reservations about taking them. I was worried about the quality of it, etc. We walked in and loved it right away. The girls took off and started playing with the toys, no problem. Dave and I were trying to figure out who would leave skiing to come pick up the girls, get them lunch and take Bree back to the room for a nap. Then we had to discuss whether or not it woould be worth it to get back onto the lifts if Bree didn't wake up until late, blah blah blah. Then the lady pipes in "we have cribs and a quiet room for naps." WHA????? HALLELUAH!!!! (or however you spell that) AND they feed them lunch. WAHOO!!!! They seriously had an awesome set-up in there. So we left them (no crying!) and looked at ourselves like a couple of kids in a candy store. What should we do with a whole day without kids????

Off we went to ski! It took a while for me to get the hang of it again-it's been at LEAST 6 years since I've gone. My knees were starting to hurt pretty bad (story for another day), so I decided to be done after a little while. Dave went off on his own and I went...to the spa for my very first massage EVER! Oh man, that was AWESOME. It was so nice to feel like I was asleep but not really asleep. I don't think I drooled :) It was a really nice spa and I totally felt pampered and relaxed!

After I was done there Dave met me back at the room-he had done all the runs a few times already! Let's just say, it's no Utah :) But they do a good job with what they have to work with. So we relaxed, watched tv, read. Then we picked up the girls around 3-ish. And this is where it rocks even more. Every Tuesday is Ladies Day, and you get FREE baby-sitting!!!! We were expecting to shell out money for this and it was FREE! You usually have to book it as a Ladies Day thing, but when I went to make the reservation the lady told me it didn't start until January. I was a little bummed, but we got all the other deals so it was okay. Then the lady at the baby-sitting said that it was going on now and she arranged it so we got it for free! Everyone that worked there was so awesome. They sent the girls home with all their art projects, and Emma was sad to leave. But then we took them to the indoor pool and they were in heaven again. Emma kept telling us she wanted to live there. After the pool we went to dinner, then came back to play in the big playzone. The girls slept well that night!

So if anything, the baby-sitting alone made that place worth every penny! We're going to try to go back again during Spring Break if they're running those same deals :)

Ahhhh...that was awesome.

Gratitude Day #7

Today I'm grateful for Emma. She's such a good little girl, and sometimes I'm not so patient with her, which gives me a huge guilty complex. I'm working on it! I got off the phone a little bit ago with her teacher-we weren't in town for parent/teacher conferences, so we just did it over the phone. She began by saying that this wouldn't take long because they don't have any problems with her! She quickly went through her list of all the assessments they do and she excels in all of them. And while I'm glad that she knows her letters and shapes and math, I'm mostly glad that her teacher told me that she does such a great job socially-she is polite, she accepts discipline (though they have rarely had to use it), she solves problems with her classmates, and her classmates all love her. She communicates well with everyone and just is a pleasure to have in their class!

I think I'm hard on her because she has always talked so well that I assume she's older than she is. It's hard to remember that she's only 4! Sometimes she seems like such an old soul in that little body. But when I expect too much from her is when we both get frustrated. So we're both working on that, and I think it's going well! I'm learning that I need to give her more clear, specific instructions on things, and she's learning that whining isn't okay :)

She loves to be a helper, which is hard for me since I'm such a control freak. But I've learned that she actually does a good job when she helps and I'm learning to let go of some things. She definitely "mothers" most things around her-Bree, her dolls and stuffed animals, other kids, her food (when she plays with it). I can tell how I've been disciplining by listening to her. She has used the phrases, "Mom, look at my eyes" or "Are you listening to my words?" when she's trying to get my attention. That makes me laugh.

One of my most favorite times of the day is when Dave is home, Bree is in bed, Emma is in her jammies, and she's hanging out with me and Dave on our bed. All Dave has to do is ask one innocent question about some silly thing and we get a great story or explanation from her about it. From there she just talks and talks and talks. Even though she appears more reserved and quiet, she's actually pretty chatty...I don't know where she gets that from :) And I love how Dave likes to explain "life" things to Emma. She has been very interested in Elizabeth's recently missing tooth. Last night Dave told her that when she was a baby and she was sleeping, the Tooth Fairy came to her and planted little tooth seeds in her mouth. Then her teeth grew in. And when they get too old they will fall out and Emma will put the tooth under her pillow, the Tooth Fairy will come and take the tooth, leave some money, and plant a new tooth seed in it's place so she can have big Mommy and Daddy teeth. From her expression I think she was a little concerned at the thought of someone crawling in her mouth and putting something in there. But she accepted it! Dave has all sorts of explanations for "life" things. She thinks there are bunnies in her tummy, mice in her toes, and frogs in her throat. The best is when she gives Dave's explanations to someone else. She's also really into fairies and princesses. Quite a few times I've caught her moping and asked what's wrong, only to hear a cry of "I'm not a fairy princess yet! Look, there aren't ANY sparklies on my arms!" And the other day she put her wings on, then proceeded to flap her arms up and down, then fall to the ground in dramatic despair because "I can't fly! It just WON'T WORK!"

I love this sweet little girl and I know there are wonderful things in store for her. She's a quietly stubborn little thing, but I know it's because Heavenly Father needs His children to be strong and have conviction. I'm so grateful to be her mommy!

this is Dave being artistic :)

Gratitude Day #6

This should also have been one of the first ones, but I'm grateful for Dave. I know I've written ALL about why I love him so much, so I won't bore you with all that again. But TODAY I'm grateful that he got to go to church. I know that sounds lame, but between his weekends away for the implants course, travel, stake and general conference, and kids being sick, it's been hit or miss getting to church for him. And because of my calling, if the girls are sick I usually have to go b/c I'm in charge of sharing time or something else, so he misses out. Add that to the fact that it wasn't until recently that Bree would finally go to nursery, so he spent most of church walking the halls with her. So, the fact that he got to go today was awesome. And today I'm grateful for all the help he gives me with the girls. He's a hands-on dad. He put Bree and Emma to bed tonight. AND he made dinner. See what I mean? He rocks. I was talking to my sister about how we rely on our husbands, and how our weekends away from them have been hard (her husband has been doing an ortho course), and how they've been hard not just because we rely on their help with the kids, but mostly because we rely on their physical presence to keep us solid. The kids can be driving me crazy during the day or be just fine-either way, I still feel this rush of peace and calm when Dave walks through the door. And I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful that we're a team. And I love him TONS!!!!

Gratitude Day #5

I went to the mall today, and let's just say that I'm SO THANKFUL that as a young couple with a small child we did NOT decide that it would be a FABULOUS idea to make a tradition of taking our children, all dressed up, to see Santa and get a picture with him (and pay an exorbitant amount for said picture). That will SO not be happening at our house...EVER.

Those poor poor kids in that long long long long line. If we ever did that, the picture would end up looking like this. Why would anyone in their right mind make that a tradition!!??

Gratitude Day #4

Midnight on the dot!! k-this will be quick :)

I'm grateful to continue a long lost family tradition of homemade suckers for Christmas. The first batch didn't take the raspberry flavor too well. I added the same amount of cinnamon flavor to the next batch and HOLY COW!! Has anyone ever stood over smoking cinnamon flavoring? I thought my head was going to burn off of my body! The flavor took on that batch :) And the house and my hands and hair still smell like cinnamon.

I'll try some other flavors over the next few weeks, so if you want some suckers, give me a call!

...and a tag

De tagged me with the 4th picture in the 4th folder thing, so here you have it! This would be almost a year ago, Emma having a tantrum because Bree was pulling her hair. A common occurrence at our house.

Gratitude Day #3

I know this should have been my day #1, but I'm thankful for a Heavenly Father who watches over us ALWAYS. Even when I'm not doing everything I can to always keep the Spirit with me (I yell at my kids sometimes...), I never have any doubt that He loves me. I guess that's another thing I'm thankful for-a testimony of Him that has never shaken, no matter my circumstances. I know that keeping your testimony of Him can be a struggle for some, so I appreciate that I've been given a gift to always be firm in my testimony.

And I know that He's always watching over us because I've learned how to talk with Him. That's another gift I appreciate. I truly understand the way He communicates with ME. It's different for everyone-for some He communicates in dreams, some through a quiet voice, some get big signs! So when I say my prayers and I really take the time to listen at the end, I always recognize His voice.

I know He loves us all. Through all our different struggles He takes the time to show us love in a way that we will understand, and I hope that you are able to know how He shows His love towards you. And I hope that we all take the time, especially during this special season, to share His love with those around you!

Gratitude Day #2

It's kind of hard trying to pinpoint one thing to express gratitude for. I could say a lot of different things, but then I feel like I have to explain them all. But maybe I don't have to.

So, in chronological order of my day:

I'm thankful that Dave's done with finals and boards-AND HE PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS BY THE WAY!!!!! He ROCKS!
I'm thankful for the baby-sitting at the gym
I'm thankful for the shopping carts that hold TWO children...and straps to keep them from running amok at the store
I'm thankful for the church music in my car that keeps the kids calm (or it might be the DVD player in the car-either way, it's quiet!)
I'm thankful that my garage isn't too packed with junk so my car will fit in it
I'm thankful for lights in my ceiling on these dark cloudy days (if you're scratching your head about that, here's an explanation: the OLD homes here aren't usually wired for lighting, so most of our friends only have lamps in the corners of the rooms, which don't add very much light. but our house has LIGHT-boy does it make a difference for me!)
I'm thankful for strawberry bagels that kept the girls from whining during the whole grocery trip
I'm thankful for fuelperks (but even without them it only cost me $28 to fill up yesterday-and that's in a VAN!!)
I'm thankful for sippy cups
I'm thankful for white noise machines
I'm thankful for preschool carpool
I'm thankful for chocolate chip cookies, a killer recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and a killer mixer to make those chocolate chip cookies in, and a silpat that makes those chocolate chip cookies look PERFECT
I'm thankful that chocolate chip cookies make kids happy when they get home from school
I'm thankful that two little girl bums can fit on one piano bench
I'm thankful for volume control on the piano (can someone invent volume control on a child??)
I'm thankful for a child that will sit still and build a tower with blocks
I'm thankful for a child that won't sit still and build a tower with blocks
I'm thankful for two children who are NOTHING alike
I'm thankful that those two children make me laugh (sometimes not until I'm thinking about them AFTER they're in bed, but still...)
I'm thankful for my bunko sisters-they give me a lot to laugh about
I'm thankful for a husband who empties the dishwasher and then loads the dishes that are in the sink!
I'm thankful for a chance to sit down and think about everything that made me happy today

Hope your day was full of awesome things too!!

Gratitude Day #1

I've seen a lot of people doing the gratitude thing every day for a month, and I think it was centered around Thanksgiving. But I thought it was a good opportunity for me to look beyond the dismal gray cloud cover that has now surrounded our lovely city (ha) and find things to be happy and grateful for each day.

Today is a superficial one. I'm grateful for Southwest Airlines :) First off, GREAT ticket prices, 2 pieces of free luggage, free curbside check-in, and first come, first served seating (or, if you're not fast enough...family boarding). AND you can check carseats for FREE! We have 2 carseat travel bags, and we've figured out a nice trick. The bags are enormous and have room in them even after the carseats are in them. So in order to lighten the load in the rest of our luggage, we throw in snow coats, boots, blankets, hats, gloves, stuffed animals, you name it (and it can't be destroyed if thrown around) and it goes in there!

So my friend Shannon leaves tomorrow for Utah and she's flying on Delta. They've just changed their luggage policy to the 1st bag is $15, the 2nd bag is $35, and carseats aren't free!! And you have to pay EACH WAY!! I had previously told her about our little trick that we do and she came by to pick up a carseat bag to borrow, and that's when she told me about their policy. EVERY OTHER AIRLINE RIPS YOU OFF!! I was angry for her.

So I'm grateful that Southwest made our recent trip to Utah pleasant, cheap, and stress free. From now on, I will only fly on Southwest. ding.

Project Night tomorrow

It's at my house-make a comment to let me know if you're coming.

who will be our friends???

So, who's sticking around for the Christmas break? I just want to know who we can play with, trade kids with, enjoy Christmas stuff with, etc...

and we're HOME!

All in all, a pretty awesome Thanksgiving week. A few minor things-Bree fell off a stool and her two bottom teeth went through the skin underneath her lip. That meant a trip to the emergency room, where we surprisingly saw Juston-an old friend from when we lived there! Then the next day, during her "independent" ride on the scooter, she fell and scraped her forehead on some rocks, which leaves a more "dug in" looking scab than just scraping it on the ground. And Emma got some stomach bug the day before we left, which meant some MAJOR prayers that her bug would be gone before a plane trip and that Bree and I wouldn't get it. And then there were family pictures where, once again, OUR child was the uncooperative one. WHAT'S WITH THAT??? But all the cousins might recall the HUGE blown up family picture Grandma and Grandpa had on their wall where I'm about 3-ish and screaming and pulling my hair-right in the FRONT. So maybe this is my comeuppance (however you spell that). The last time we were all together for a family picture Emma was the one causing all the trouble. I might have to find pictures of the 2 experiences and post that.

We did all sorts of things-Kangaroo Zoo (a big room of blow up jumpoline things), BYU bowling, visiting friends, playing with cousins, caramel apple dipping, TWO Thanksgiving meals, lights on Temple Square, walks up in the canyon, and enjoying the AWESOME weather Utah dealt us while we were there-seriously, it got up to almost 70 a couple days.

We had a TON of fun with everyone-a HUGE thanks to all for making the time and effort to see us while we were there. And a HUMONGOUS thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us crazy kids stay at their house. And a VERY grateful heart that Kris is doing so well after her heart surgery. Emma and Bree absolutely love both their Grandmas and Grandpas and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's always so hard to watch Emma cry when we leave them or they leave us. But we'll see you all again SOON!!! (we hope...)


yes, Bree is missing from this picture...

Project Night Reminder

Just a reminder that for the next 3 Mondays project night will be at Alison's house!

blog header?

can anyone see our blog header? It hasn't come up for a few days and blogger won't let me change it-it freezes up. So I'm just wondering if I'm the only one.

she does it again

Emma's on a roll. While I was on the computer she was playing with the alphabet magnets. I noticed that she put them on the stool. A couple hours later I asked her to put them back on the fridge and she exclaimed that they weren't finished. "They aren't finished doing what?" I ask.

"Dancing."

Project Night schedule

Tonight it's at my house, like normal!

For the next 3 weeks after (November 17th, 24th, Dec. 1st) it will be at Alison Hatch's house. Let me know if you need her address.

Hope to see you tonight!

"Mom, I drawed Dad"

"and this is his buddy. but not anymore. he got mad and punched-ed daddy and made him died." That's what she said folks! And while I was scanning it she drew another picture with 2 smiling guys and said, "he's all better now. the buddy's mommy came and got him and he will never come over to play again!"

By the way, I don't know what hair and pants action "dad" has going on there. Maybe it's because she recognizes that he needs a haircut and that he's always in scrubs? Who knows?

an Emma funny

Today we were at the mall and we sat in a food court to eat lunch. Emma has proclaimed for a little while that she does NOT like green apples. Well, we had a fruit cup and in it were some green apples. She asked, are those green apples? and I told her yes. She said, I don't like those. I told her she had to try them b/c she needed some yummy healthy food. She gave in and ate a piece and exclaimed that she LIKES green apples! Then I received this explanation:

"Last night (which, to her, is anytime previous to the current moment) when I was 4 (she's still 4) and I WAS BEING SNEAKY, I took some green apple off of the counter and ate it and it was yucky. But now I like green apples!"

I think she's referring to the time that I cut one up and didn't get around to throwing the rest away for a couple days (don't ask) and she asked if she could have some and I told her no because I knew it was gross and needed to be thrown away. But it looks like she got some anyway! Shame on her for being "sneaky". She's actually pretty sneaky quite frequently. It seems like these girls are ALWAYS WANTING FOOD, so a lot of times I tell them no when they ask, then I find Emma sneaking in the kitchen and getting food. I thought I was the only parent with this problem, but I overheard a dad with his kids at the mall asking them why they wanted to eat ALL THE TIME. I chuckled to myself and felt better about life.

thanks to dad

We like to think we're giving our kids a good education at home. See what Dave taught Bree. And that's a mini loaf of banana bread that she's eating. Whatever makes her happy.

Church Responds to Same-Sex Marriage Votes

This article of the Church's response to the outcome of Prop 8 is remarkable! I like to keep "in touch" with Utah, so I occasionally read the Deseret News online or things from LDS Living online. Every time the church makes a statement I am amazed at the way they are able to express themselves in a kind, respectful, loving manner while being straightforward and honest. I know that those responsible for creating the public statements are led by God. I feel the Spirit-I feel peace and calm-when I read those statements.

Concerning this particular response, the Church addresses the fact that some members of the church opposed Prop 8 and encourages everyone to be kind and respectful of those with opposing views. There has been a lot of "talk" about Steve Young and how his wife was opposed to it, and many members have been angry and have kind of bashed her a bit because of it. But once again, we've been humbled by our leaders and taught that regardless of personal circumstances, we should always show love and respect towards each other. I LOVE how our prophets and leaders are always able to express what we believe in a clear and perfect way! The article addressed all the "issues" people had with Prop 8 in such a way that I feel like I can explain it to someone else, whereas before I had a hard time trying to describe WHY Prop 8 was so important.

So, a happy day in California. I know the fight isn't over, but I'm grateful for the members of the church and others out there who endured a lot of persecution for standing up for what is right!

FREE Jessica Sprague class!

Hey people! Jessica Sprague is offering a FREE class called Stories in Hand. It's about pulling together memories and stories we have. Here's the link about the reason she decided to create this class and here's the link to register.

I'm registered and ready to go-hopefully you can join too! And if you're not familiar with Jessica Sprague's classes, they are tutorials that you watch on your computer ON YOUR OWN TIME! :) And there are message boards so you can chat with others who are taking the class or ask questions, etc.

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

I just got back from voting and Dave's there now. It's pretty cool to be in a battleground state and have my vote really mean something. I appreciated voting in Utah, but I just knew how it was going to end, so there wasn't much of a pressure to vote there. But here? WOW! I'll admit, SNL has been hilarious to watch these last few weeks.

My thoughts and prayers are with those of you in California voting on Prop 8. After talking to my sister and emailing my friend I've learned that there have been some really BAD situations b/c of the hatefulness of some of those against Prop 8. My sister reminded me of how hard Satan is working on us. If you're voting no on prop 8 you can just close your browser now b/c this is something I'm passionate about. My sis made a great point about this issue and hopefully she doesn't mind if I share it. She talked about how there is a group that includes gays, lesbians, transsexuals, bisexuals, and those "questioning". They are supporting the idea that kids (and everyone else) should be questioning their sexuality and their gender. She pointed out that Satan is working hard to make us become an almost ASEXUAL people, b/c if that's how we are, we can't live eternally with God. Is that so true or what?? If homosexualism, or even asexualism, becomes the norm, then the Plan of Happiness is somewhat thwarted. You can't have eternal families if there aren't eternal marriages between man and woman. And procreation is one gift that Satan doesn't have, so why not attack the very relationship that CAN procreate? Misery loves company, right?

I've also been really bothered by the ignorance and misinformation of the voters of this issue. Some people believe that this issue makes civil rights unavailable to homosexual couples. THAT'S NOT THE TRUTH. Those rights are already available and this proposition will not take those rights away. This is a proposition to define marriage as a union between MAN AND WOMAN.

I have a lot of thoughts on this, but it's hard to put them into words. So, for those of you in California, we're thinking of you and praying that Proposition 8 PASSES. I know that the Lord is in charge and I know he's mindful of us. And because of that knowledge, I'm hopeful that even if things turn WAY south in this election, He'll be watching over us. He always is!

project night

It will be at Bridi's again tomorrow night. Hope to see you there!

One Happy Mamma=One Happy Halloween!

SHE WORE THE HAT!!!! I should've known that if I just left it to Dave it would get done. She fights ME on everything, but "Da-yay" (that's how she says Daddy) is the clear favorite. Sure enough, he wore it and let her play with it, and before we knew it, it was a fixture on her head for the night. No wig, but I'll take what I can get! And seeing how cute she was in that hat made ALL the sewing time worth it, 100 percent!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the night, then a slideshow of all the rest!

Emma and Elizabeth just love each other to pieces!


Checking out the loot

Two little buddies smooching!! HEHEHE! We sat Drew and Bree next to each other for some pictures (they're just a few weeks apart in age) and we just asked them to give each other a kiss. Boy, did they pull that one off!! This is probably my favorite picture of all!


Bree LOVES dogs, so every house that had one got an extra little conversation from Bree-a little high-pitched "hi doggie" and a cute little "teenk u" (thank you) and an exuberant wave good-bye. I just love the look of pure delight she had whenever she saw one.

This look is a little fanatical, if I say so myself. But Emma was so excited about trick-or-treating. It was all she could talk about all day. So this picture just sums up how she felt about it!


Here's the little Strawberry Shortcake crew-Lemon Meringue, Strawberry Shortcake, and Blueberry Muffin. We got a lot of comments from the people in front of their houses about how they were their favorite characters in the 80's! They looked so cute!

tagged

Aunt Marlys tagged me. She said that we have to use images from google to answer the tags. I'm not quite sure how to make this work right, but I'll try!

My age: 28Cool places I've been: Orlando, Jackson Hole, Zions National Park, Goblin Valley, Bryce Canyon, Moab, Grand Canyon, New York City, Hawaii (Oahu and Maui), North Carolina, Nauvoo, Palmyra, Niagara FallsWhere I would like to go: anywhere warm and beautiful with no loud noises where I can RELAX. And I'd like to tour English and Scottish castles. And go to France, Italy, and Spain. And do a Mediterranean cruise. I'd like to go to a lot of places :)

My hobbies: music, scrapbooking, sewing, cooking, blogging, hanging out with friends, eating :)

My favorite place: "HOME"-and that is any place where I feel safe and happy. It's ALWAYS where my family is, but it's also where my best friends are or sometimes it's a beautiful quiet park out in the country, or it's around a campfire while talking. It's lots of places.Weaknesses: Oh, I've got LOTS of those! Food, for the most part. Junk food. Anything that makes me want to eat more than I should. Brushing off my children when they're needing something, being too critical, thinking I'm always right, being too judgmental, procrastinating. All things that I'm trying to work on. And I have lots more, but let's not focus on those!Bad habits: It seems to me like a habit is something you consistently do, and I'm not sure there's something that I ALWAYS do wrong. There are MANY things I do wrong, but I'm not sure there's a specific thing that's wrong all the time. Oh wait, yes there is. I let my girls watch a LOT of tv. Kind of. We don't have TV service, so it's PBS. It's gotten better since I've started going to the gym every day. Then it's only a movie after school while I'm getting dinner ready. But if I don't make it to the gym, the TV goes on at 9am and sometimes doesn't go off until 11:30am. I know. BAD MOM. But I'm okay with it-I've made my peace. Other bad habits...If I don't eat breakfast then I don't brush my teeth in the morning-I just stick in a piece of gum and get out the door. Gross, I know. I only wash my hair every 3 days-BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH THICK HAIR YOU UNDERSTAND! It takes me a good hour to blow dry and flat iron. I'm NOT doing that every day! It's gotten to the point now, though, where my hair has balanced itself out. It doesn't get oily or greasy. I'm sure my family could point out my other bad habits.Fun memories: Sliding down the stairs in slippery sleeping bags or blankets, teen cousins night and Hide and Go Seek in the dark at Grandma and Grandpa's house, cousin slumber parties on the trampoline, MANY moments with my roomies at BYU (too many to list!), trips to the lake with my family growing up, ward campout at Cherry Creek in utah-you ward members know who you are!!!, remodeling Mom & Dad's kitchen while they were gone-boy were we crazy, ANY time with my awesome hubby and sweet girls, staying at the huge house in Jackson, riding the Dragster at Cedar Point with Dave while the camera was rolling, making skydancers fly into the ceiling fans. I'll stop now.
And now I tag Kyla, Asialene, and Lindsey!