Friday:
I'm thankful for:
*Visiting Teaching -- I have a wonderful companion and am really blessed by the sisters I visit. I appreciate them so much -- and the opportunity to know them through visiting teaching. And I am so thankful for the lessons that are shared, as well. Heather, my companion, shared thoughts from President Uchtdorf's talk, "You Matter to Him." It was so inspiring.
*The ability to read. I love to read my own books and I love to read to my children. I'm thankful for that ability.
*Safe travels through Sardine Canyon during a big snowstorm. We headed down to Brigham City to have Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma Rose's care center. There were many cars and semis off the road on our way there (and it took about 3x longer than usual), but we made it and were never in fear for our safety. I'm thankful for the good tires and reliable vehicle that got us there.
*Time spent with family. My cousins are like distant siblings to me - I love them so much. And my aunts and uncles....and oh, dear Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma is doing SOOOO well. I was astounded at how much better she has been doing since her stay at the geriatric psych care unit. They helped her get off some of the meds that were causing her panic and psychosis and she was a new person when I saw her last night. She still has the dementia, but she isn't mumbling or paranoid and she is just herself again (her dementia self, but the pleasant, sweet Grandma with dementia). It is a huge relief.
*My morals. Stanton's morals. The morals of those around us. I'm thankful for our strong marriage, our devotion to one another, our abhorrence at the thought of infidelity, etc. There are moments in life where you just see Satan for who he really is and see what a hold he has on this world -- it causes me to have so much gratitude for the anchor that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful to have married a man who feels the same.
19 November 2011
17 November 2011
Thankful For....
Today I'm thankful for:
*Yoga. I am falling in love with it -- but the Jillian Michaels version of it, which is, I'm sure, not "real" yoga. But I love it. It makes me feel alive (I know that sounds really snooty or weird or whatever, but it's true). I love watching my dog stretch and realize that, hey!, I'm doing those exact moves and guess what they're called? Up dog and down dog! Watching him helps me do them more correctly, too. Anyway, I am loving waking up to yoga lately.
*Patience. I don't have enough of it. In fact, I have very little of it, but I'm grateful for the amount I do have.
*My body. The older I get, the more I realize how important this body of mine is. It was one of God's most important purposes for sending me to earth. It will be with me for eternity. I love it and want to care for it as much as any important gift I've ever been given. I am so thankful for good health - I can walk, I can run, I can eat, I can sing, I can move without restraint, I can do the things I need to do every single day. My body makes me free and I am so thankful for it.
*Scriptures. I find that often I only get one or two verses in before I'm thinking about something in my life and how it can improve. The scriptures open the windows of heaven for me -- it isn't always what I'm reading but that I'm reading that prepares me for the spirit.
*My morning smoothie. I know I've waxed on about this previously, but seriously, it starts my day off so well.
*Sunshine. We are getting less of it right now, which always makes me more aware of my gratitude for it. I appreciate that it still spends some time beaming through my windows daily.
*Facebook. I know it has its vices, but it is such a great means of communication. I've gotten to know people in my neighborhood who I otherwise wouldn't have connected with, it's better than Google for advice, and I appreciate being able to check in on old friends that enrich my life now even more than they did when we knew each other "way back when."
*My grandparents. They've been such a huge part of my life and continue to be. They've been examples of who and what I want to be. They've loved me, inspired me, made me laugh, loved me. I'm very aware that it is unusual to have so many grandparents still alive and involved in my life. I'm aware of how remarkable it was that they were all alive and worthy and able to be at the temple when Stanton and I were sealed. I'm aware of what a blessing they are and I'm so thankful for them.
*Smiles and hugs. What would life be without them?
*A clean home. I no longer have a housekeeper coming to clean (I miss you, Heather!) and so the task falls to me. I don't do it often enough. I am not even close to the home keeper my mother was as we were growing up. She kept a beautiful home. I was most certainly the thorn in her side during those years. I left a trail of "Julie" wherever I went. I have improved so much in my home keeping skills since living on my own and being married with children. I am, like I mentioned, though, NOTHING to my mother on this front. I am thankful, though, for home I do keep. I'm thankful that I'm mostly tidy and that when I do get in and clean the bathrooms, floors, etc. that I know how to do a good job. Again, thank you, Mom, for patiently teaching me.
I love the smell of a clean home. I decided to make some cleaners this week. I was inspired by three parties: my father-in-law, who has been making Consumer Reports' window cleaning solution for a while now, my friend Amanda, who has been making her own laundry soap for some time, and, of course, Pinterest. Well, I made window cleaner, laundry soap, and all purpose cleaner yesterday. I used them today and my house is clean and smells beautiful! I never thought I'd stop using 409 or Tide. I may still go back and forth between them as convenience dictates, but I really like these home made products!
Anyway, I love a well vacuumed floor, a clean kitchen, and sparkling bathrooms. I'm thankful I know how to make them so and I'm also (strangely) thankful that I'm not stressed if it doesn't get done every week.
*My wonderful home. When we moved here 6 years ago, we definitely planned on this being a temporary situation. We planned to build within 6 or 7 years of moving in and on building our "dream home" at that. Within a year of being here, we knew we were going to have a hard time leaving. And now, nearly 6 years later, I can't imagine being anywhere else. This home is not everything I ever thought I wanted, but it is absolutely everything I have ever wanted. It is the perfect size -- big enough for our family and big enough to have guests if needed. It's big enough for get-togethers. Yes, they're cozy, but they're possible. It's also small enough to be cleaned quickly. I only have to replug the vacuum once while vacuuming the upstairs. And aren't those vacuum lines that last about 3.5 seconds glorious?! The bathrooms are easy to clean. It's simply and beautifully (to my taste, at least) decorated. It's just a wonderful, perfect home. I am so thankful for it.
*I'm thankful for the phase of life we are in right now. Tending little Drake (Lindsay & Rob's little man) caused me to reflect on where we were in life when we moved here. Chloe was 2 1/2 years old, Lily was 15 months old, and I was 8 months pregnant with Brigham. Life was, to say the least, demanding. I was frazzled, tired, out of shape, emotional, etc. The children were all so small...all still in diapers....all still babies, to be honest. Not long after, we had dear Cannon. At that point, Chloe was 4, Lily was 3, and Brigham was 2. We had a full year before Chloe started Kindergarten. It was rough. It was full of joyous moments, worry over Brigham's health, stress over new business and home projects, and exhaustion.
Here we are a short 3 years later - no more diapers. Everyone can dress themselves. 3 readers. 3 in elementary school. 1 in preschool. Everyone can feed themselves. No more diaper bags, strollers are extremely optional, everyone but Cannon can buckle themselves in the car. I have 2 hours a day, 4 days a week with no children in the home.
Gone are the days of staying home from family functions because someone is sick again. We are sick so much less often now that everyone is older. Bedtimes are still important, but flexible. Naps are unnecessary. We are tied to the home for different reasons (school schedules, piano lessons, etc.), but are more free in many and happier ways.
Yes, we may have flown into a new phase of life more quickly than most - that may happen when there is but a 4 year gap from oldest to youngest - but we are here in that new phase and I am so thankful for it. I am not nostalgic for those "simpler times." They weren't simpler. Not at all. These are the simple days. Everyone still loves being home. We are unfettered by extracurricular activities. We still go to bed early. Everyone is up and bright eyed early in the morning, not needing to leave for school before 8:45. Life is calm, peaceful, and so happy. Admittedly, it isn't calm and peaceful every second. I yell often, Chloe dilly dallies daily, Lily is a bit of a know-it-all and throws fits more than she should, Brigham and Cannon think (although they are learning that this is NOT acceptable) they can come and go from the house as they please - without telling me first. There is a fair share of unrest here, for certain, but I'll take this kind of unrest over the baby days any day, and time. These are the days I will look back on with fondness and longing, I'm sure. Yes, thankful is just the word to describe my feelings for this moment in my life.
*I'm thankful for the ability to cook delicious, healthful food for my family. Granted, tonight's dinner of pizza wasn't the highest on my "healthful" list, but the crust was mostly whole wheat, the pepperoni was of the turkey variety, and there was spinach present. I am thankful for the ability to look at a recipe and know what changes I can make for it to better suit our family's dynamic. I'm thankful that Stanton works at a job he loves to provide the money for that food. I'm thankful for children who eat what they're given with relative cooperativeness. Not always, but they do eat what's given to them and they don't expect me to make something different for them. I'm thankful for that.
*I'm thankful for forgiveness. I have been the recipient of so much forgiveness from my Father in Heaven. He has seen me through some really rebellious stages in my young adult life and welcomed me back into His arms with amazing grace. I'm so thankful to Him for knowing my heart and loving me through every challenge. I'm thankful that He continues to forgive me for my unkindness to His children...the ones we share. I am daily repenting for my actions and begging His forgiveness. I see His hand helping me be better - gently nudging and encouraging me to breathe, to react with kindness or not react at all. I frequently rebel against His help. He continues to forgive as I ask and help as I try to be better. I want to learn that same sort of forgiveness. I want my children to know they will always be forgiven when they are sorry. I want to show that as much as I say it. I know that is the best way to show my gratitude -- to extend that forgiveness to my children. I need to live my gratitude for this blessing more consistently.
*Finally, I'm thankful for bed time. I love these little people so much. I enjoy having them around me - laughing, bickering, vying for my attention. I love them. And I love when they're all asleep and the house is calm and quiet. That isn't happening very successfully tonight. I've got two very tired and emotional girls on my hands who are fighting it with every ounce of energy they have left. That patience thing is wearing thin. I forsee a need for repentance on my part. Yes, I'm thankful for bedtime.
*Yoga. I am falling in love with it -- but the Jillian Michaels version of it, which is, I'm sure, not "real" yoga. But I love it. It makes me feel alive (I know that sounds really snooty or weird or whatever, but it's true). I love watching my dog stretch and realize that, hey!, I'm doing those exact moves and guess what they're called? Up dog and down dog! Watching him helps me do them more correctly, too. Anyway, I am loving waking up to yoga lately.
*Patience. I don't have enough of it. In fact, I have very little of it, but I'm grateful for the amount I do have.
*My body. The older I get, the more I realize how important this body of mine is. It was one of God's most important purposes for sending me to earth. It will be with me for eternity. I love it and want to care for it as much as any important gift I've ever been given. I am so thankful for good health - I can walk, I can run, I can eat, I can sing, I can move without restraint, I can do the things I need to do every single day. My body makes me free and I am so thankful for it.
*Scriptures. I find that often I only get one or two verses in before I'm thinking about something in my life and how it can improve. The scriptures open the windows of heaven for me -- it isn't always what I'm reading but that I'm reading that prepares me for the spirit.
*My morning smoothie. I know I've waxed on about this previously, but seriously, it starts my day off so well.
*Sunshine. We are getting less of it right now, which always makes me more aware of my gratitude for it. I appreciate that it still spends some time beaming through my windows daily.
*Facebook. I know it has its vices, but it is such a great means of communication. I've gotten to know people in my neighborhood who I otherwise wouldn't have connected with, it's better than Google for advice, and I appreciate being able to check in on old friends that enrich my life now even more than they did when we knew each other "way back when."
*My grandparents. They've been such a huge part of my life and continue to be. They've been examples of who and what I want to be. They've loved me, inspired me, made me laugh, loved me. I'm very aware that it is unusual to have so many grandparents still alive and involved in my life. I'm aware of how remarkable it was that they were all alive and worthy and able to be at the temple when Stanton and I were sealed. I'm aware of what a blessing they are and I'm so thankful for them.
*Smiles and hugs. What would life be without them?
*A clean home. I no longer have a housekeeper coming to clean (I miss you, Heather!) and so the task falls to me. I don't do it often enough. I am not even close to the home keeper my mother was as we were growing up. She kept a beautiful home. I was most certainly the thorn in her side during those years. I left a trail of "Julie" wherever I went. I have improved so much in my home keeping skills since living on my own and being married with children. I am, like I mentioned, though, NOTHING to my mother on this front. I am thankful, though, for home I do keep. I'm thankful that I'm mostly tidy and that when I do get in and clean the bathrooms, floors, etc. that I know how to do a good job. Again, thank you, Mom, for patiently teaching me.
I love the smell of a clean home. I decided to make some cleaners this week. I was inspired by three parties: my father-in-law, who has been making Consumer Reports' window cleaning solution for a while now, my friend Amanda, who has been making her own laundry soap for some time, and, of course, Pinterest. Well, I made window cleaner, laundry soap, and all purpose cleaner yesterday. I used them today and my house is clean and smells beautiful! I never thought I'd stop using 409 or Tide. I may still go back and forth between them as convenience dictates, but I really like these home made products!
Anyway, I love a well vacuumed floor, a clean kitchen, and sparkling bathrooms. I'm thankful I know how to make them so and I'm also (strangely) thankful that I'm not stressed if it doesn't get done every week.
*My wonderful home. When we moved here 6 years ago, we definitely planned on this being a temporary situation. We planned to build within 6 or 7 years of moving in and on building our "dream home" at that. Within a year of being here, we knew we were going to have a hard time leaving. And now, nearly 6 years later, I can't imagine being anywhere else. This home is not everything I ever thought I wanted, but it is absolutely everything I have ever wanted. It is the perfect size -- big enough for our family and big enough to have guests if needed. It's big enough for get-togethers. Yes, they're cozy, but they're possible. It's also small enough to be cleaned quickly. I only have to replug the vacuum once while vacuuming the upstairs. And aren't those vacuum lines that last about 3.5 seconds glorious?! The bathrooms are easy to clean. It's simply and beautifully (to my taste, at least) decorated. It's just a wonderful, perfect home. I am so thankful for it.
*I'm thankful for the phase of life we are in right now. Tending little Drake (Lindsay & Rob's little man) caused me to reflect on where we were in life when we moved here. Chloe was 2 1/2 years old, Lily was 15 months old, and I was 8 months pregnant with Brigham. Life was, to say the least, demanding. I was frazzled, tired, out of shape, emotional, etc. The children were all so small...all still in diapers....all still babies, to be honest. Not long after, we had dear Cannon. At that point, Chloe was 4, Lily was 3, and Brigham was 2. We had a full year before Chloe started Kindergarten. It was rough. It was full of joyous moments, worry over Brigham's health, stress over new business and home projects, and exhaustion.
Here we are a short 3 years later - no more diapers. Everyone can dress themselves. 3 readers. 3 in elementary school. 1 in preschool. Everyone can feed themselves. No more diaper bags, strollers are extremely optional, everyone but Cannon can buckle themselves in the car. I have 2 hours a day, 4 days a week with no children in the home.
Gone are the days of staying home from family functions because someone is sick again. We are sick so much less often now that everyone is older. Bedtimes are still important, but flexible. Naps are unnecessary. We are tied to the home for different reasons (school schedules, piano lessons, etc.), but are more free in many and happier ways.
Yes, we may have flown into a new phase of life more quickly than most - that may happen when there is but a 4 year gap from oldest to youngest - but we are here in that new phase and I am so thankful for it. I am not nostalgic for those "simpler times." They weren't simpler. Not at all. These are the simple days. Everyone still loves being home. We are unfettered by extracurricular activities. We still go to bed early. Everyone is up and bright eyed early in the morning, not needing to leave for school before 8:45. Life is calm, peaceful, and so happy. Admittedly, it isn't calm and peaceful every second. I yell often, Chloe dilly dallies daily, Lily is a bit of a know-it-all and throws fits more than she should, Brigham and Cannon think (although they are learning that this is NOT acceptable) they can come and go from the house as they please - without telling me first. There is a fair share of unrest here, for certain, but I'll take this kind of unrest over the baby days any day, and time. These are the days I will look back on with fondness and longing, I'm sure. Yes, thankful is just the word to describe my feelings for this moment in my life.
*I'm thankful for the ability to cook delicious, healthful food for my family. Granted, tonight's dinner of pizza wasn't the highest on my "healthful" list, but the crust was mostly whole wheat, the pepperoni was of the turkey variety, and there was spinach present. I am thankful for the ability to look at a recipe and know what changes I can make for it to better suit our family's dynamic. I'm thankful that Stanton works at a job he loves to provide the money for that food. I'm thankful for children who eat what they're given with relative cooperativeness. Not always, but they do eat what's given to them and they don't expect me to make something different for them. I'm thankful for that.
*I'm thankful for forgiveness. I have been the recipient of so much forgiveness from my Father in Heaven. He has seen me through some really rebellious stages in my young adult life and welcomed me back into His arms with amazing grace. I'm so thankful to Him for knowing my heart and loving me through every challenge. I'm thankful that He continues to forgive me for my unkindness to His children...the ones we share. I am daily repenting for my actions and begging His forgiveness. I see His hand helping me be better - gently nudging and encouraging me to breathe, to react with kindness or not react at all. I frequently rebel against His help. He continues to forgive as I ask and help as I try to be better. I want to learn that same sort of forgiveness. I want my children to know they will always be forgiven when they are sorry. I want to show that as much as I say it. I know that is the best way to show my gratitude -- to extend that forgiveness to my children. I need to live my gratitude for this blessing more consistently.
*Finally, I'm thankful for bed time. I love these little people so much. I enjoy having them around me - laughing, bickering, vying for my attention. I love them. And I love when they're all asleep and the house is calm and quiet. That isn't happening very successfully tonight. I've got two very tired and emotional girls on my hands who are fighting it with every ounce of energy they have left. That patience thing is wearing thin. I forsee a need for repentance on my part. Yes, I'm thankful for bedtime.
16 November 2011
Thankful for...
Today I'm thankful for:
*hot chocolate. I just adore it. Almost as much as cold chocolate in the form of ice cream.
Maybe as much, even.
*my darling, adorable, sweetheart sons. How I love then.
*books - I adore them. We went to "The Book Lady's" house today for the annual book sale (actually thrice annual, but who's counting). It warns me through and through to be surrounded by so many wonderful words.
*this season of the year. I love the scarves, the boots, the jeans, the sweaters, the eyeshadow, the hot chocolate, the soups, the yummy smells, all of it.
*birthday parties and good friends for my children
*getting to do an activity that both Chloe and I enjoyed. We did some word games in a holiday word game digest and it was a blast. I didn't want to stop for bedtime!
*a warm home and the many conveniences within it
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*hot chocolate. I just adore it. Almost as much as cold chocolate in the form of ice cream.
Maybe as much, even.
*my darling, adorable, sweetheart sons. How I love then.
*books - I adore them. We went to "The Book Lady's" house today for the annual book sale (actually thrice annual, but who's counting). It warns me through and through to be surrounded by so many wonderful words.
*this season of the year. I love the scarves, the boots, the jeans, the sweaters, the eyeshadow, the hot chocolate, the soups, the yummy smells, all of it.
*birthday parties and good friends for my children
*getting to do an activity that both Chloe and I enjoyed. We did some word games in a holiday word game digest and it was a blast. I didn't want to stop for bedtime!
*a warm home and the many conveniences within it
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15 November 2011
Thankful For...
Today I'm thankful for:
*clean sheets
*a washer and dryer that makes cleaning those sheets so simple
*how much my children love me
*my red jeans
*warm blankets
*abundance
*truth--- and a testimony of it.
*cell phones
*internet shopping
*my sense of humor (I try not to laugh at my own jokes, but we all know I'm hilarious-thank you, Pinterest!) - honesty, though, it helped me keep cool when Lily was literally spitting at me, growling at me, screaming at me, and telling me she hated me....because her friend London had to leave for gymnastics class. I probably shouldn't have laughed right in the moment, but I couldn't help it. It was hysterical. She finally went downstairs to her room for a time out and came back upstairs in her jammies ready to apologize. I'm grateful I didn't scream at her.
*Chloe's continued enjoyment of the scriptures - and the way it's helping her change for the better.
*Charlie. He drives me nuts during the day sometimes, but oh, how I adore him in the evenings when he is a tired pile of fluffiness laying at the end of my bed. He is a fantastic dog.
*Stanton. I'm grateful he's home safe after another night away.
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*clean sheets
*a washer and dryer that makes cleaning those sheets so simple
*how much my children love me
*my red jeans
*warm blankets
*abundance
*truth--- and a testimony of it.
*cell phones
*internet shopping
*my sense of humor (I try not to laugh at my own jokes, but we all know I'm hilarious-thank you, Pinterest!) - honesty, though, it helped me keep cool when Lily was literally spitting at me, growling at me, screaming at me, and telling me she hated me....because her friend London had to leave for gymnastics class. I probably shouldn't have laughed right in the moment, but I couldn't help it. It was hysterical. She finally went downstairs to her room for a time out and came back upstairs in her jammies ready to apologize. I'm grateful I didn't scream at her.
*Chloe's continued enjoyment of the scriptures - and the way it's helping her change for the better.
*Charlie. He drives me nuts during the day sometimes, but oh, how I adore him in the evenings when he is a tired pile of fluffiness laying at the end of my bed. He is a fantastic dog.
*Stanton. I'm grateful he's home safe after another night away.
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14 November 2011
Thankful For...
On this lovely Monday, I'm thankful for:
*family close by
*the talents of others
*great friends I can rely on in times of need
*opportunities to visit my children's school classes
*sweet little Drakey. We got to tend my dear cousin Lindsay's boy Drake and it was so fun. It got us out of the house on a walk in the crisp fall air and gave my kids a chance to think of someone else. It was a treat!! And having Rob for dinner was awesome, too, especially because Stanton was out of town tonight. Thanks for staying for dinner, Robby!!
*family scripture study - LOVE IT
*Chloe's budding love for the scriptures. She's been reading them every night in bed and is gaining a love for them- she is understanding the stories she's reading and is loving them. She said tonight, "it's so cool when it becomes like a real book - not a scripture book." I couldn't agree more! It's thrilling to see her (completely on her own which is why it is successful) gaining a love for the Book of Mormon.
*classic books - I can't read Pride and Prejudice often enough. I love visiting my old friends and falling in love with them all over again. Thank you, Noelle, for introducing me!!
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*family close by
*the talents of others
*great friends I can rely on in times of need
*opportunities to visit my children's school classes
*sweet little Drakey. We got to tend my dear cousin Lindsay's boy Drake and it was so fun. It got us out of the house on a walk in the crisp fall air and gave my kids a chance to think of someone else. It was a treat!! And having Rob for dinner was awesome, too, especially because Stanton was out of town tonight. Thanks for staying for dinner, Robby!!
*family scripture study - LOVE IT
*Chloe's budding love for the scriptures. She's been reading them every night in bed and is gaining a love for them- she is understanding the stories she's reading and is loving them. She said tonight, "it's so cool when it becomes like a real book - not a scripture book." I couldn't agree more! It's thrilling to see her (completely on her own which is why it is successful) gaining a love for the Book of Mormon.
*classic books - I can't read Pride and Prejudice often enough. I love visiting my old friends and falling in love with them all over again. Thank you, Noelle, for introducing me!!
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13 November 2011
Thankful For....
On this Sunday, I'm thankful for:
*Warm showers
*Razors
*Makeup
*Curling Irons
*Clean attractive clothing for each member of my family
*Nutritious food
*Our choir members (especially Stanton, Chloe, and Lily)
*Returning missionaries
*Beautiful music - the Spirit can touch hearts in a special way with hymns arranged beautifully.
*Absolutely divine primary and nursery teachers and leaders. They are learning about fasting in their classes right now. Brigham's teachers shared a special experience with fasting - they told Brigham about the fast our ward held for him when he was in Boston having his double-switch operation. I can't believe we never shared that with him! I'm SO thankful to them for teaching him about the importance and power of fasting with such a personal experience - he was really moved by it.
Another example of the importance of wonderful teachers - my little Cannon is a real momma's boy. He rarely wants to sit by Stanton, he only wants me to tuck him in, he doesn't even really go to his grandmas when I'm around. BUT, when it comes to nursery, he is thrilled every Sunday to go see Anna and Sister Whi-ley and Brudder Whi-ley. They love him and he feels it deeply.
*I had the opportunity to sing at the sacrament meeting for the Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation Center branch. The branch presidency has every stake (and ward) in the valley take a turn blessing and passing the sacrament and putting together the program for Sacrament meeting. It was our ward's turn this week and had the privilege of doing the musical number. I sang "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" and my dear friend Danene accompanied me. She is my neighbor and visiting teacher and such a great person. It was neat to work with her. The song is such a beautiful one -- I love the arrangement. It was so great to have a reason to find a solo, learn it, and sing it. I love those opportunities.
*I'm thankful for Kiki - she tends for us every Sunday (as a service) so we can have choir practice sans children.
*We had a fantastic choir practice. We started working on Christmas music this week. We're singing a piece from Handel's Messiah (And the Glory of the Lord), a medley of Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard on High. Our third song is In the Bleak Midwinter. There is just something about Christmas music. There is the familiarity that makes it so enjoyable. It also carries such a special spirit due to its subject. I especially love the Messiah. Oh how it fills my soul. It is amazing to be able to sing such "real" music. It is absolutely full to the brim with beauty and spirit. Choir practice was so wonderful today.
*I'm thankful for my crock pot. I have been using it so much lately and I'm so thankful to have it in my kitchen. 1:00 pm church combined with choir practice right after makes it very difficult to get dinner ready on Sundays. It's so amazing to be able to grab some meat, mixed vegetables, and tomatoes from the freezer, throw them in the crock pot with some spices, dry onion, and broth, turn it on, and know dinner will be ready at 5:30 when we finally get home from church. It's sometimes shocking to me how convenient my life really is. I'm so thankful for it.
*I'm thankful for food storage. I honestly couldn't survive without our food storage - frozen and in the storage room. I am thankful for church leaders and parents who have set the best example in living this principle.
*Finally, I'm thankful for the illustrated scriptures. I read them to the kids tonight instead of the regular Book of Mormon and it was so fun to see sweet Brigham get really excited about the Stripling Warriors. Sometimes those pictures really help little boys "get" how much they can relate or look up to the people in the scriptures.
Okay, I've rambled like crazy tonight! I'm just very thankful for a wonderful life.
*Warm showers
*Razors
*Makeup
*Curling Irons
*Clean attractive clothing for each member of my family
*Nutritious food
*Our choir members (especially Stanton, Chloe, and Lily)
*Returning missionaries
*Beautiful music - the Spirit can touch hearts in a special way with hymns arranged beautifully.
*Absolutely divine primary and nursery teachers and leaders. They are learning about fasting in their classes right now. Brigham's teachers shared a special experience with fasting - they told Brigham about the fast our ward held for him when he was in Boston having his double-switch operation. I can't believe we never shared that with him! I'm SO thankful to them for teaching him about the importance and power of fasting with such a personal experience - he was really moved by it.
Another example of the importance of wonderful teachers - my little Cannon is a real momma's boy. He rarely wants to sit by Stanton, he only wants me to tuck him in, he doesn't even really go to his grandmas when I'm around. BUT, when it comes to nursery, he is thrilled every Sunday to go see Anna and Sister Whi-ley and Brudder Whi-ley. They love him and he feels it deeply.
*I had the opportunity to sing at the sacrament meeting for the Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation Center branch. The branch presidency has every stake (and ward) in the valley take a turn blessing and passing the sacrament and putting together the program for Sacrament meeting. It was our ward's turn this week and had the privilege of doing the musical number. I sang "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" and my dear friend Danene accompanied me. She is my neighbor and visiting teacher and such a great person. It was neat to work with her. The song is such a beautiful one -- I love the arrangement. It was so great to have a reason to find a solo, learn it, and sing it. I love those opportunities.
*I'm thankful for Kiki - she tends for us every Sunday (as a service) so we can have choir practice sans children.
*We had a fantastic choir practice. We started working on Christmas music this week. We're singing a piece from Handel's Messiah (And the Glory of the Lord), a medley of Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard on High. Our third song is In the Bleak Midwinter. There is just something about Christmas music. There is the familiarity that makes it so enjoyable. It also carries such a special spirit due to its subject. I especially love the Messiah. Oh how it fills my soul. It is amazing to be able to sing such "real" music. It is absolutely full to the brim with beauty and spirit. Choir practice was so wonderful today.
*I'm thankful for my crock pot. I have been using it so much lately and I'm so thankful to have it in my kitchen. 1:00 pm church combined with choir practice right after makes it very difficult to get dinner ready on Sundays. It's so amazing to be able to grab some meat, mixed vegetables, and tomatoes from the freezer, throw them in the crock pot with some spices, dry onion, and broth, turn it on, and know dinner will be ready at 5:30 when we finally get home from church. It's sometimes shocking to me how convenient my life really is. I'm so thankful for it.
*I'm thankful for food storage. I honestly couldn't survive without our food storage - frozen and in the storage room. I am thankful for church leaders and parents who have set the best example in living this principle.
*Finally, I'm thankful for the illustrated scriptures. I read them to the kids tonight instead of the regular Book of Mormon and it was so fun to see sweet Brigham get really excited about the Stripling Warriors. Sometimes those pictures really help little boys "get" how much they can relate or look up to the people in the scriptures.
Okay, I've rambled like crazy tonight! I'm just very thankful for a wonderful life.
Whew - Now THAT Was a Busy Saturday....
Shall I tell you about our Saturday? I'm guessing it's pretty typical for many of you, but for us, it was out of the ordinary, crazy insane busy, and a reminder of why our children are not involved in Saturday sports activities -- it is SO not our thing! It was a fun day, though, I have to admit. Just one I don't want to repeat weekly.
Here's how it went down:
7:00 - make a quick smoothie for everyone.
7:30 - realize how many things we need to get done; have a quick pow wow
7:30-8:30 - Get ourselves and everyone else ready.
8:00 - Cannon starts complaining that his ear hurts.
8:30 - Call the doctor - appointment at 9:00
8:30 - Call neighbor to ask if she can take the girls to cheer camp since I will be at the doctor with Cannon
8:45 - Drop girls off at the neighbor's and head to the doctor
8:45 - Stanton heads to Providence in the motor home to tow the Jeep home (thanks, Jimmy!)
9:15 - Cannon definitely has an ear infection, get antibiotic from the pharmacy and run home to pick up Stanton
9:50 - Pick up Stanton and head to Jamison's baptism (Jamison is our awesome neighbor, Kiki's younger brother, our dear friend Janet's son - love him! Love all of them!)
11:00 - Run to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, the auto parts store for a battery charger and new wiper blades (the weather has switched from rain to sleet to snow in the few hours we've been out)
12:30 - Come home to try to jump the Jeep again. 200 amp battery (apparently that's pretty darn powerful) turns on every light in the Jeep, but won't make it start. Something else is wrong.
Also quickly sweep the floor, clean off the countertops, and take an Ibuprofen to try to lessen the crazy horrible sinus headache I've had for 4 days.
1:00 - pick up Chloe from cheer camp and leave Stanton to watch Lily perform.
1:00- Take Chloe to a birthday party at a dance studio downtown.
1:30 - Back to the high school to pick up Stanton and Lily from cheer camp.
1:45- Go home, switch everyone from the van to the motor home to tow the Jeep to the dealership so they can look at it on Monday.
2:15 - Run back to the house to pick up Charlie (he'd been in his kennel all day and we felt sorry for him!) and switch back to the van to pick up Chloe from the birthday party.
2:30 - Pick up Chloe and head to Sportsman to rent skis for ski season. (YAY! Ibuprofen kicking in!)
3:30 - Take kids to the Sweet Shop for a treat for the kids (the boys have pretty much been in the car the entire day, with the exception of the baptism).
4:00 - Clean the church. Thank goodness Jimmy came and helped. We were the only ones there and it was so nice to have his help with the endless vacuuming. I have to put in a little aside here -- I honestly feel like I proved my devotion to the Savior and His Gospel on a whole new level. Why? No, not because we went and cleaned as a family without others helping...no, because I plunged week old poop in the men's room toilet...that's why. Yes, Celestial Kingdom here I come. But seriously, it was gross and I did it and I didn't complain. So there.
5:30 - Make grilled cheese for the kids.
6:30 - Shower children and get them ready for bed.
7:15 - Read scriptures together. Have family prayer.
7:20 - Tuck everyone in to bed.
7:30 - Clean up kitchen together.
7:45 - Go next door and practice solo for Sunday with Danene.
9:00 - Come home and run to Carl's Jr. (yeah, I know) for dinner for Stanton and I (chicken strips - yum and no fries. Not the best dinner, but not the worst).
9:45 - Fall asleep without even realizing it.
It was a good parent day - we did a lot for our kiddos. And we did some for others, as well. I'm thankful for that part of the day. But honestly, how do you busy folks do it?! I felt like we were way over booked for a Saturday! It was a lot of fun for one day, though.
Oh, and I did grab two pictures. :)
Cannon with his sucker from the Sweet Shoppe. Chloe, Brigham, and Cannon each chose suckers (different varieties, though) and Lily chose a large jaw breaker.
I think Charlie was exhausted, too. After the kids went to bed, he went to his toy box, grabbed all of these, dragged them to the door, and laid down for a rest. He's such a baby sometimes, but I've really learned to love him with all my heart.
Here's how it went down:
7:00 - make a quick smoothie for everyone.
7:30 - realize how many things we need to get done; have a quick pow wow
7:30-8:30 - Get ourselves and everyone else ready.
8:00 - Cannon starts complaining that his ear hurts.
8:30 - Call the doctor - appointment at 9:00
8:30 - Call neighbor to ask if she can take the girls to cheer camp since I will be at the doctor with Cannon
8:45 - Drop girls off at the neighbor's and head to the doctor
8:45 - Stanton heads to Providence in the motor home to tow the Jeep home (thanks, Jimmy!)
9:15 - Cannon definitely has an ear infection, get antibiotic from the pharmacy and run home to pick up Stanton
9:50 - Pick up Stanton and head to Jamison's baptism (Jamison is our awesome neighbor, Kiki's younger brother, our dear friend Janet's son - love him! Love all of them!)
11:00 - Run to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, the auto parts store for a battery charger and new wiper blades (the weather has switched from rain to sleet to snow in the few hours we've been out)
12:30 - Come home to try to jump the Jeep again. 200 amp battery (apparently that's pretty darn powerful) turns on every light in the Jeep, but won't make it start. Something else is wrong.
Also quickly sweep the floor, clean off the countertops, and take an Ibuprofen to try to lessen the crazy horrible sinus headache I've had for 4 days.
1:00 - pick up Chloe from cheer camp and leave Stanton to watch Lily perform.
1:00- Take Chloe to a birthday party at a dance studio downtown.
1:30 - Back to the high school to pick up Stanton and Lily from cheer camp.
1:45- Go home, switch everyone from the van to the motor home to tow the Jeep to the dealership so they can look at it on Monday.
2:15 - Run back to the house to pick up Charlie (he'd been in his kennel all day and we felt sorry for him!) and switch back to the van to pick up Chloe from the birthday party.
2:30 - Pick up Chloe and head to Sportsman to rent skis for ski season. (YAY! Ibuprofen kicking in!)
3:30 - Take kids to the Sweet Shop for a treat for the kids (the boys have pretty much been in the car the entire day, with the exception of the baptism).
4:00 - Clean the church. Thank goodness Jimmy came and helped. We were the only ones there and it was so nice to have his help with the endless vacuuming. I have to put in a little aside here -- I honestly feel like I proved my devotion to the Savior and His Gospel on a whole new level. Why? No, not because we went and cleaned as a family without others helping...no, because I plunged week old poop in the men's room toilet...that's why. Yes, Celestial Kingdom here I come. But seriously, it was gross and I did it and I didn't complain. So there.
5:30 - Make grilled cheese for the kids.
6:30 - Shower children and get them ready for bed.
7:15 - Read scriptures together. Have family prayer.
7:20 - Tuck everyone in to bed.
7:30 - Clean up kitchen together.
7:45 - Go next door and practice solo for Sunday with Danene.
9:00 - Come home and run to Carl's Jr. (yeah, I know) for dinner for Stanton and I (chicken strips - yum and no fries. Not the best dinner, but not the worst).
9:45 - Fall asleep without even realizing it.
It was a good parent day - we did a lot for our kiddos. And we did some for others, as well. I'm thankful for that part of the day. But honestly, how do you busy folks do it?! I felt like we were way over booked for a Saturday! It was a lot of fun for one day, though.
Oh, and I did grab two pictures. :)
Friday Thankful For....
Again, I'm behind. This Friday, however, was Veterans Day and I am THANKFUL for that.
We spent a wonderful morning at the elementary school for their Veterans Day program. Lily invited Grandpa David to be a part of the program and it was SO neat to be there and honor him.
There were about 15-20 vets who were honored. The program started with the 5th graders presenting the flag in full color guard fashion (awesome and totally emotional!). A group of 5th grade girls then sang the Star Spangled Banner followed by another group of 5th graders explaining why we celebrate Veterans Day. It was fantastic.
Following the 5th graders' presentations, each of the veterans stood and introduced themselves -- they shared their name, who invited them, and what they did in the military. Dave was an officer in the Army during Vietnam - he was a courier delivering top secret documents and spent several months on Okinawa. He tells some cool stories and thankfully didn't experience a lot of combat.
Lily and Chloe LOVED that he came to their school assembly -- all their friends were tapping them and high fiveing them while Dave spoke. So cute!
There were vets from World War II up to the Iraq War at the assembly. I can't express how emotional it was to see and honor those great men and women.
After the vets had all introduced themselves, all the students in the school sang the US Armed Forces Songs while the vets stood for their branch (cue me crying!). They finished by singing God Bless the USA (I get sick of that song pretty quickly, but when a couple hundred children are singing it -- it's pretty great) and a huge standing ovation for the vets -- I'm crying while I type this!
After the assembly was over, the vets lined the hallway and the kids gave them high fives and thanked them for their service. It was honestly one of the neatest programs I've ever attended. It wasn't fancy or over-produced - just sincere and sweet and absolutely wonderful for the children involved. And it made it even more special because dear Dave was able to be a part of it. We are so blessed to live in the United States of America - to have freedom of religion, speech, thought, and opportunity. There are a lot of places in the world that have those same freedoms, I know, and I'm just so thankful that this beautiful country is my home.
Stanton had a lunch meeting with his accountants and when he got home, we worked together on the underground fence for Charlie boy. Stanton actually worked all morning in the cold and got the backyard done while I was at the assembly with the kids. We worked all afternoon together on the front yard. We have a fence, but we wanted to keep him out of the planting beds so his paws would stay cleaner in the backyard. In the front, we just wanted to keep him from being hit by a car. He knows his boundaries now - the fence and flags have really helped him. I'm so glad. We would be one devastated family if we lost Charlie!
We went to dinner and a movie with Brian and Linda that evening - it had been quite a while since our schedules had meshed. It was SO nice to go to Elements with them - familiar food, familiar friends, awesome conversation. Oh, how I love date night with the Westfalls!
We went to the movies afterward (In Time -- sort of cool) and when we got out to the Jeep, the battery was dead! Well, two big trucks with jumper cables later and it still wasn't starting. We ended up calling Dave and Judy who came clear from the north end of the valley to Providence to pick us up. It was really nice of them to do it.
I'm so thankful for wonderful friends, delicious food, for fabulous in-laws, for a warm movie theater to wait inside, for usually reliable vehicles, and for my best friend and husband.
We spent a wonderful morning at the elementary school for their Veterans Day program. Lily invited Grandpa David to be a part of the program and it was SO neat to be there and honor him.
There were about 15-20 vets who were honored. The program started with the 5th graders presenting the flag in full color guard fashion (awesome and totally emotional!). A group of 5th grade girls then sang the Star Spangled Banner followed by another group of 5th graders explaining why we celebrate Veterans Day. It was fantastic.
Following the 5th graders' presentations, each of the veterans stood and introduced themselves -- they shared their name, who invited them, and what they did in the military. Dave was an officer in the Army during Vietnam - he was a courier delivering top secret documents and spent several months on Okinawa. He tells some cool stories and thankfully didn't experience a lot of combat.
Lily and Chloe LOVED that he came to their school assembly -- all their friends were tapping them and high fiveing them while Dave spoke. So cute!
There were vets from World War II up to the Iraq War at the assembly. I can't express how emotional it was to see and honor those great men and women.
After the vets had all introduced themselves, all the students in the school sang the US Armed Forces Songs while the vets stood for their branch (cue me crying!). They finished by singing God Bless the USA (I get sick of that song pretty quickly, but when a couple hundred children are singing it -- it's pretty great) and a huge standing ovation for the vets -- I'm crying while I type this!
After the assembly was over, the vets lined the hallway and the kids gave them high fives and thanked them for their service. It was honestly one of the neatest programs I've ever attended. It wasn't fancy or over-produced - just sincere and sweet and absolutely wonderful for the children involved. And it made it even more special because dear Dave was able to be a part of it. We are so blessed to live in the United States of America - to have freedom of religion, speech, thought, and opportunity. There are a lot of places in the world that have those same freedoms, I know, and I'm just so thankful that this beautiful country is my home.
Stanton had a lunch meeting with his accountants and when he got home, we worked together on the underground fence for Charlie boy. Stanton actually worked all morning in the cold and got the backyard done while I was at the assembly with the kids. We worked all afternoon together on the front yard. We have a fence, but we wanted to keep him out of the planting beds so his paws would stay cleaner in the backyard. In the front, we just wanted to keep him from being hit by a car. He knows his boundaries now - the fence and flags have really helped him. I'm so glad. We would be one devastated family if we lost Charlie!
We went to dinner and a movie with Brian and Linda that evening - it had been quite a while since our schedules had meshed. It was SO nice to go to Elements with them - familiar food, familiar friends, awesome conversation. Oh, how I love date night with the Westfalls!
We went to the movies afterward (In Time -- sort of cool) and when we got out to the Jeep, the battery was dead! Well, two big trucks with jumper cables later and it still wasn't starting. We ended up calling Dave and Judy who came clear from the north end of the valley to Providence to pick us up. It was really nice of them to do it.
I'm so thankful for wonderful friends, delicious food, for fabulous in-laws, for a warm movie theater to wait inside, for usually reliable vehicles, and for my best friend and husband.
Our Smoothies
A couple of friends asked for the recipe for our green smoothies in the morning -- I've hesitated sharing not because I'm possessive of it, but because I really don't follow a recipe or do the exact same thing every morning.
On this particular morning, though, I took a couple of pictures to show a general idea of what our morning smoothies consist of. I hope they're helpful. I will say that when I started hearing about these concoctions, I looked for recipes, too, but mostly found just blogs that promoted a certain lifestyle without sharing any real recipes (unless you bought the book). I didn't really want to get into the bee pollen, agave, etc, etc stuff, so I just decided to wing it. I really just use fruits, vegetables, and water -- nothing else. And we like it.
So, here are a few pictures to give you a start.
Ingredients for this particular smoothie:
Lettuce, bananas, blueberries, grape tomatoes, celery, cranberries, cucumber, baby carrots, and mixed fruit.
I put everything but the frozen fruit in the blender (a good, strong blender REALLY helps with these puppies) and hit the smoothie button. They blend down to about half the pitcher-full.
This is after the fresh stuff was all blended together. I threw in a few handfuls of frozen fruit till it was back to the top again. Blend away again and add some more -- I just add fruit and blend until the blender is full to the top with blended smoothie -- that way I have enough for everyone. It ends up being about half frozen fruit, which I'm sure to some might be too much, but it helps my kids love it and I'm so not against fruit for a sweetener! Oh, and the "frozen" component of the fruit is super important because who wants a room temperature smoothie?! I've done it a few times when I've been out of frozen fruit and I will tell you that it is really not appetizing. So go to Sam's or Costco and grab that big bag of Dole Wildly Nutritious Blend from the freezer section.
Fruits and veggies -- skin, fiber, all the nutrients, and no added sweeteners. We love our smoothies!
Oh, and a few have asked for my grandma's french bread recipe, as well as some quick pantry dinners I use regularly. I have a little blog where I corral recipes that I love (it's not a "cooking blog" with original recipes and witty commentary - just a place for me to keep recipes I have made and love). I posted those recipes over there. I'd definitely recommend the Italian Bean Soup and the Good For You Creamy Tomato Soup -- both of them are big hits around these parts. HERE is the link. I hope that's helpful!
On this particular morning, though, I took a couple of pictures to show a general idea of what our morning smoothies consist of. I hope they're helpful. I will say that when I started hearing about these concoctions, I looked for recipes, too, but mostly found just blogs that promoted a certain lifestyle without sharing any real recipes (unless you bought the book). I didn't really want to get into the bee pollen, agave, etc, etc stuff, so I just decided to wing it. I really just use fruits, vegetables, and water -- nothing else. And we like it.
So, here are a few pictures to give you a start.
Ingredients for this particular smoothie:
Oh, and a few have asked for my grandma's french bread recipe, as well as some quick pantry dinners I use regularly. I have a little blog where I corral recipes that I love (it's not a "cooking blog" with original recipes and witty commentary - just a place for me to keep recipes I have made and love). I posted those recipes over there. I'd definitely recommend the Italian Bean Soup and the Good For You Creamy Tomato Soup -- both of them are big hits around these parts. HERE is the link. I hope that's helpful!
Reflections Contest and Thankful For....
November 11:
I'm so behind on my thankful posts! It's hard to look back and remember specific things I was thankful for that particular day, so I don't think I'll try that. I will note, though, that on this day (Thursday), we went to the Reflections gallery at the school -- both Lily and Chloe made entries for the contest (the theme was "Diversity Means....."
Lily did a wonderful picture about how boys and girls are diverse and that makes sense:
I'm so behind on my thankful posts! It's hard to look back and remember specific things I was thankful for that particular day, so I don't think I'll try that. I will note, though, that on this day (Thursday), we went to the Reflections gallery at the school -- both Lily and Chloe made entries for the contest (the theme was "Diversity Means....."
Lily did a wonderful picture about how boys and girls are diverse and that makes sense:
She's right, isn't she?!
She received a medal for her artwork and was so pleased. We were, too!
Chloe chose to write (and illustrate) a story for her entry:
Pretty great story, right?! Fun characters, good dialogue, a tidy conclusion....we were pretty impressed with her work. It seems the judges were, too. Chloe received a medal and her story will be moving to the next stage of the Reflections contest.
It was SO fun to see the girls work on the Reflections contest -- it was so fun to do as a kid. I was really proud of their entries and the thought they put into them. Way to go, girls!
After we went to the art gallery, Chloe and her primary class visited a sister in our ward. That was a lot of fun for sweet Chloe and a great opportunity to serve others.
It was a nice little day. And I'm thankful for it. :)
09 November 2011
Thankful For....
The day was a good one.
I am thankful for:
*Clean, dry, folded, put away laundry
*Good friends for my children
*Some of whom are their own siblings
*Crock pots and yummy dinners they provide
*Naps - I took one today and it was heaven sent
*Getting things done. Funny how the nap actually helped with that one.
*A warm and cozy home that I love living in
*My dear and wonderful family
*Stanton's care for his patients. He spent 2 hours after regular office hours to help a child in pain.
*My wonderful life. "The secret to having it all is believing you already do." I believe it and I live it.
I am thankful for:
*Clean, dry, folded, put away laundry
*Good friends for my children
*Some of whom are their own siblings
*Crock pots and yummy dinners they provide
*Naps - I took one today and it was heaven sent
*Getting things done. Funny how the nap actually helped with that one.
*A warm and cozy home that I love living in
*My dear and wonderful family
*Stanton's care for his patients. He spent 2 hours after regular office hours to help a child in pain.
*My wonderful life. "The secret to having it all is believing you already do." I believe it and I live it.
Already Thankful....
I know it's only 6:38 in the morning, but my heart is already full.
Last night I ate really good chocolate and really cheap licorice together. It made me sick. It was a turning point for me. I haven't been exercising at all lately -- like for the last couple of months. I thought I could just sort of watch what I ate and be okay and fit exercise in again at some point. I always missed it, but just couldn't find a place for it. Well, not exercising (for me) becomes like the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" books. One thing leads to another and pretty soon you've eaten an entire large bar of dark chocolate, 10 pieces of licorice, and way too many cookies throughout the day.
I went to bed last night and prayed for help to wake up with a desire to exercise -- I was certainly going to bed with one. I've got to get back on track.
The boys bounced into the room at 5:30 this morning (a regular occurrence since Daylight Savings ended) and I knew it was "the" morning. I got up, got in my workout clothes, and put on Yoga Meltdown -- an awesome workout for easing back into things -- it's still very challenging, but it's Yoga, so it feels easier. I did it and afterward I felt SO good.
I walked to the kitchen and made our smoothie for the morning and realized how blessed we are to have such a beautiful, warm home with conveniences like a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a blender big and strong enough to give my entire family their fruits and vegetables for the day in one jar. And I realized how grateful I am that my children understand why we drink them and do it without much complaint....in fact, they usually ask for them.
I thought about the shower I was looking forward to - and how thankful I am for access to clean, warm water.
And then Chloe came upstairs. Dressed. With her bed made. And her pajamas put away. And a smile of satisfaction on her face.
I am thankful.
Last night I ate really good chocolate and really cheap licorice together. It made me sick. It was a turning point for me. I haven't been exercising at all lately -- like for the last couple of months. I thought I could just sort of watch what I ate and be okay and fit exercise in again at some point. I always missed it, but just couldn't find a place for it. Well, not exercising (for me) becomes like the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" books. One thing leads to another and pretty soon you've eaten an entire large bar of dark chocolate, 10 pieces of licorice, and way too many cookies throughout the day.
I went to bed last night and prayed for help to wake up with a desire to exercise -- I was certainly going to bed with one. I've got to get back on track.
The boys bounced into the room at 5:30 this morning (a regular occurrence since Daylight Savings ended) and I knew it was "the" morning. I got up, got in my workout clothes, and put on Yoga Meltdown -- an awesome workout for easing back into things -- it's still very challenging, but it's Yoga, so it feels easier. I did it and afterward I felt SO good.
I walked to the kitchen and made our smoothie for the morning and realized how blessed we are to have such a beautiful, warm home with conveniences like a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a blender big and strong enough to give my entire family their fruits and vegetables for the day in one jar. And I realized how grateful I am that my children understand why we drink them and do it without much complaint....in fact, they usually ask for them.
I thought about the shower I was looking forward to - and how thankful I am for access to clean, warm water.
And then Chloe came upstairs. Dressed. With her bed made. And her pajamas put away. And a smile of satisfaction on her face.
I am thankful.
08 November 2011
Thankful For....
Today I'm thankful for:
*Pinterest. Seriously.
*The ability to NOT yell at Chloe today.
*Brigham learning a lesson.
*Stanton's awesome dentistry.
*Really good chocolate.
*My scripture journal. It's a place where the Spirit speaks to me. I learned something of the condescension of God today - it was profound for me.
*Quick dinners I keep up my sleeve. Especially ones that can be built from the pantry and are still healthful.
*Good books.
*Bing Crosby.
*A warm home, clean clothes, coats, all the little things that make winter wonderful.
*A comfy chair.
*Beautiful, sweet, strong-willed, lesson-teaching children.
*Jesus Christ - God the Son, the Creator, the Father of my salvation, the Author and the Finisher of my faith.
*Cannon, my little buddy and total mama's boy. He makes my heart sing.
*Pinterest. Seriously.
*The ability to NOT yell at Chloe today.
*Brigham learning a lesson.
*Stanton's awesome dentistry.
*Really good chocolate.
*My scripture journal. It's a place where the Spirit speaks to me. I learned something of the condescension of God today - it was profound for me.
*Quick dinners I keep up my sleeve. Especially ones that can be built from the pantry and are still healthful.
*Good books.
*Bing Crosby.
*A warm home, clean clothes, coats, all the little things that make winter wonderful.
*A comfy chair.
*Beautiful, sweet, strong-willed, lesson-teaching children.
*Jesus Christ - God the Son, the Creator, the Father of my salvation, the Author and the Finisher of my faith.
*Cannon, my little buddy and total mama's boy. He makes my heart sing.
07 November 2011
Thankful For....
Today I am thankful for:
*Curling Irons
*Charlie boy
*Delicious recipes and the internet where I can find them
*My talents
*Our wonderful piano teacher, Shirlene. She is so fantastic.
*Christmas music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
*Scarfs
*Sunshine
*Reliable transportation
*A warm home
*Vegetables
*Curling Irons
*Charlie boy
*Delicious recipes and the internet where I can find them
*My talents
*Our wonderful piano teacher, Shirlene. She is so fantastic.
*Christmas music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
*Scarfs
*Sunshine
*Reliable transportation
*A warm home
*Vegetables
06 November 2011
Thankful For....
On this Sabbath Day I'm thankful for:
*My Grandma Rose's french bread recipe. It never fails and is so delicious.
*Church
*Daylight Savings (that extra hour this morning was heavenly!)
*Beautiful Christmas music. The Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concerts are so amazing. I listened to Sissel's and Brian Stokes Mitchell's this morning and my spirit was nourished. Beautiful.
*Choir. We made SO much progress on our song for next week. It was wonderful today.
*Our good bishop and other church leaders.
*The Book of Mormon. I'm learning so much from it right now- I'm so thankful Heavenly Father has given this book in this day and time to His children.
*And that I finally remembered to draw a winner for the Favorite Things giveaway...it only took me a month!
I plugged the numbers into Random.org and it gave me the number 4 -- that means the winner is:
SEWSARA!!!! Aw, fun Sara, my great friend from High School! Love you, Sar! Look for a package in the mail one of these weeks. :)
And just for fun, I'm going to draw two more:
#3 - JILL!!
and
#16 - COURTNEY!!!
How fun is that?! All three winners are great old high school buddies. Awesome.
Jill and Sar, I know I have your addresses, but Courtney, I'm not sure if I have yours. Will you send it to me? Love you!
*My Grandma Rose's french bread recipe. It never fails and is so delicious.
*Church
*Daylight Savings (that extra hour this morning was heavenly!)
*Beautiful Christmas music. The Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concerts are so amazing. I listened to Sissel's and Brian Stokes Mitchell's this morning and my spirit was nourished. Beautiful.
*Choir. We made SO much progress on our song for next week. It was wonderful today.
*Our good bishop and other church leaders.
*The Book of Mormon. I'm learning so much from it right now- I'm so thankful Heavenly Father has given this book in this day and time to His children.
*And that I finally remembered to draw a winner for the Favorite Things giveaway...it only took me a month!
I plugged the numbers into Random.org and it gave me the number 4 -- that means the winner is:
SEWSARA!!!! Aw, fun Sara, my great friend from High School! Love you, Sar! Look for a package in the mail one of these weeks. :)
And just for fun, I'm going to draw two more:
#3 - JILL!!
and
#16 - COURTNEY!!!
How fun is that?! All three winners are great old high school buddies. Awesome.
Jill and Sar, I know I have your addresses, but Courtney, I'm not sure if I have yours. Will you send it to me? Love you!
Perfect Saturday? I Say - Almost!
Let's start with what made it not quite perfect, okay? Stanton was gone. We miss him when he's gone! It was for a good cause -- he went to SLC with his parents and brother to help his cousin do some remodeling work on the home she purchased for her mother (Stanton's aunt). I was so glad he was able to go, but we missed him! And to top it off, they were in a car accident on the way down. There was black ice on a bridge and the Suburban Stanton's dad was driving just lost control. Thank goodness they were all wearing seatbelts and the airbags didn't deploy. They hit the concrete barrier (that kept them from falling off the 40 ft. bridge) going nearly 25 miles per hour, so it was a real blessing that none of them were injured.
Stanton's dad turned around and headed home to call his insurance agent (har har -- he's his insurance agent) and Stanton, James, and Judy all hitched a ride with DA (Judy's brother, S&J's uncle) to help with the work. I'm so grateful he's okay!!
They were able to get a ton of work done at the house -- a huge help to his cousin and aunt.
He's okay, I promise -- and so is everyone else -- so let's move on to the perfect part of the day, shall we?
We woke up to that most glorious of November sights: SNOW!!!! I am in love with the first snow of the season...and what a treat that it didn't come till November -- we could not have asked for a more lovely summer and fall. I'm not even remotely sad to see some winter days come our way.
Of course the children were thrilled to see the snow and just had to get out and play in it! I fished out the winter clothes box from the storage room and we rifled through to see what fit from last year. Everyone had snow pants -- just not necessarily the color they were hoping for....
Brigham was a great sport about those pink snow pants. He was appeased by the reappearance of his Spiderman snow hat and the discovery of new superhero snowboots I purchased on clearance last year. The girls had most everything they needed, although we're going to have to purchase new coats for them. Cannon didn't have boots that fit, but he was happy in his hefty Lightning McQueen sneakers -- we'll have to buy boots sooner or later, though.
I told them they all had to play outside for a LONG time. I got in the shower and got cleaned up and ready for the day (and no, they didn't just gleefully play outside for hours on end....they came knocking at the door a LOT).
The girls got busy building a snowman, which wasn't entirely successful considering the small amount of snow that actually fell.
Charlie boy, well, he was a BALL to watch in the snow! He'd never seen it before - never in his life! He was a little nervous when he first went out to the bathroom in the morning, but once he got his first taste of the fun, he was ringing his bell to go outside all day long. He was jumping around like the puppy he is, burying his face in the snow, loving every single second.
Our afternoon was spent at a cafe called our kitchen where I served as waitress to a couple of 50s Girls, a Clone Trooper, and Iron Man.
They were a raucous bunch, but some delicious chicken noodle soup (thank goodness for leftovers in the freezer!), rolls, and hot chocolate seemed to settle them.
Throughout the day, I kept thinking how this day was so reminiscent of the old days where all four kids were home all day. They stayed in dress ups all day, we didn't have anywhere to go. It was wonderful....but this is much more wonderful because they can entertain themselves, get themselves dressed, and help one another. Oh how I love this phase of life we're in --- it is nothing short of magical.
They stayed in the dress ups from the moment they got in from playing to the moment they went to bed -- I think they were in heaven.
Courtney H., one of the kids' favorite babysitters came over to tend for the 45 minutes between my leaving and Stanton's arrival home. Stanton gave them some love and got them to bed while I went to dinner and the USU women's volleyball game with some girlfriends. They all hit the 9:40 showing of The Help, too, but I wanted to get home to see Stanton (and 9:40 is a SUPER late movie for this old girl). It was nice to spend some time with friends.
Shaynna, Emily, Cami, Chalisa, Abbey, & Kari at the USU game.
Going out with the girls was fun, but let me tell you, it was NO comparison to the day with my kiddos. I just adore these 4.
Stanton's dad turned around and headed home to call his insurance agent (har har -- he's his insurance agent) and Stanton, James, and Judy all hitched a ride with DA (Judy's brother, S&J's uncle) to help with the work. I'm so grateful he's okay!!
They were able to get a ton of work done at the house -- a huge help to his cousin and aunt.
He's okay, I promise -- and so is everyone else -- so let's move on to the perfect part of the day, shall we?
We woke up to that most glorious of November sights: SNOW!!!! I am in love with the first snow of the season...and what a treat that it didn't come till November -- we could not have asked for a more lovely summer and fall. I'm not even remotely sad to see some winter days come our way.
Of course the children were thrilled to see the snow and just had to get out and play in it! I fished out the winter clothes box from the storage room and we rifled through to see what fit from last year. Everyone had snow pants -- just not necessarily the color they were hoping for....
I told them they all had to play outside for a LONG time. I got in the shower and got cleaned up and ready for the day (and no, they didn't just gleefully play outside for hours on end....they came knocking at the door a LOT).
The girls got busy building a snowman, which wasn't entirely successful considering the small amount of snow that actually fell.
Charlie boy, well, he was a BALL to watch in the snow! He'd never seen it before - never in his life! He was a little nervous when he first went out to the bathroom in the morning, but once he got his first taste of the fun, he was ringing his bell to go outside all day long. He was jumping around like the puppy he is, burying his face in the snow, loving every single second.
Our afternoon was spent at a cafe called our kitchen where I served as waitress to a couple of 50s Girls, a Clone Trooper, and Iron Man.
They were a raucous bunch, but some delicious chicken noodle soup (thank goodness for leftovers in the freezer!), rolls, and hot chocolate seemed to settle them.
Throughout the day, I kept thinking how this day was so reminiscent of the old days where all four kids were home all day. They stayed in dress ups all day, we didn't have anywhere to go. It was wonderful....but this is much more wonderful because they can entertain themselves, get themselves dressed, and help one another. Oh how I love this phase of life we're in --- it is nothing short of magical.
They stayed in the dress ups from the moment they got in from playing to the moment they went to bed -- I think they were in heaven.
Courtney H., one of the kids' favorite babysitters came over to tend for the 45 minutes between my leaving and Stanton's arrival home. Stanton gave them some love and got them to bed while I went to dinner and the USU women's volleyball game with some girlfriends. They all hit the 9:40 showing of The Help, too, but I wanted to get home to see Stanton (and 9:40 is a SUPER late movie for this old girl). It was nice to spend some time with friends.
Going out with the girls was fun, but let me tell you, it was NO comparison to the day with my kiddos. I just adore these 4.
Thankful For...
November 5th
Today I'm thankful for:
•Snow
•Children who will wear whatever is in the winter box just for the chance to play in the first snow of the season.
•Hot chocolate
•Leftovers
•A good husband who is willing to help and serve when needed
•Good friends
•That each member of our family is safe
•That my Grandma Rose is doing so much better and receiving exactly the care she needs right now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Today I'm thankful for:
•Snow
•Children who will wear whatever is in the winter box just for the chance to play in the first snow of the season.
•Hot chocolate
•Leftovers
•A good husband who is willing to help and serve when needed
•Good friends
•That each member of our family is safe
•That my Grandma Rose is doing so much better and receiving exactly the care she needs right now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
05 November 2011
Thankful For...
November 4:
•my wonderful sisters and fantastic phone conversations with them. They keep me sane sometimes and I'm pretty sure I do the same for them. How lucky to have sisters and how lucky to honestly, truly, NEVER fight with them.
•field trips for my children
•my children's good friends
•date night with my sweetheart
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
•my wonderful sisters and fantastic phone conversations with them. They keep me sane sometimes and I'm pretty sure I do the same for them. How lucky to have sisters and how lucky to honestly, truly, NEVER fight with them.
•field trips for my children
•my children's good friends
•date night with my sweetheart
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
03 November 2011
Thankful For....
Today is November 3rd. I'm thankful for so many things.
I'm thankful for the scriptures.
I'm thankful for hot chocolate out of my grandmother's mugs.
I'm thankful for happy children.
I'm thankful for my sister, Cindy. It's her birthday today. She is someone I admire so much. I love her and am really, truly grateful for her. Happy Birthday, Cinny Cinny Bum Bum!
I'm thankful for healthy foods and opportunities to teach my children about them.
I'm thankful for my blog and the record I'm able to keep because of it.
I'm thankful for the scriptures.
I'm thankful for hot chocolate out of my grandmother's mugs.
I'm thankful for happy children.
I'm thankful for my sister, Cindy. It's her birthday today. She is someone I admire so much. I love her and am really, truly grateful for her. Happy Birthday, Cinny Cinny Bum Bum!
I'm thankful for healthy foods and opportunities to teach my children about them.
I'm thankful for my blog and the record I'm able to keep because of it.
02 November 2011
Halloween!!!!
Yeah! I get to blog about Halloween -- one of my favorite holidays of the year.
The kids were all so different this year and that made it a lot of fun.
Annakin Skywalker, a Wizard Kid (NOT a Harry Potter wizard kid, she'll have you know), a 50s girl, and Spiderman.
There is seriously not one thing cuter than children dressed up for Halloween. Not one thing. I love it. And in addition to that one decent picture, here are the outtakes --
Camera out of focus....uncooperative kids....etc. etc. etc....
Oh my heck, those kids are so cute I want to die. I love them to the very depth of my soul.
Cannon was slinging some serious webs.
Brigham was Annakin as a Padowan -- before he turned to the dark side. I think his hair and braid turned out so cool!
Lily was so excited to get to wear makeup to school. And I love her decade-identifying hands there.
Awesome Chloe whose genuine smiles light up a room. Love those bright eyes and dimples.
Stanton and I won't ever be left out of the fun! Stanton took a second to pose with the kids in his awesome chicken suit before leaving for work. And I, like, totally got this radical picture with my bodacious boys before we took Brigham to the doctor and found out he had a totally bummer double ear infection. It was, like, totally sad, but he's on an antibiotic now and feels like he can hear again. And he totally didn't let it stop him from having a wicked awesome Halloween. Thatta boy, Brig!
I'm pretty sure I say this every Halloween, but Stanton has the best. job. ever. I mean, who else gets to dress like a chicken and see cute little princesses like this one for their JOB?! He loves it.
The kids were greeted after school with a snack of witch's fingers, apple jaws, black cats, and ghost milk.
After snack and some down time, we headed over to the care center to visit the grandmas. It was fun to brighten their day and the days of the other residents. The kids sure do a lot of good there.
After visiting the grandmas, we came home and had a Halloween dinner. Dave & Judy and Jimmy, Rachel, Shelby, & Mary joined us for a feast of mummy dogs, salty bones, skeleton veggies, ghostly pizza, and jackentines. Rachel brought a delicious rice, chicken, & green bean soup and we had Frankenjuice with Oreos. It was a really fun dinner, inspired by Pinterest & Family Fun Magazine. This is the first time I've ever done anything "festive" with food for Halloween. I have to say, it was worth the work. It was so fun to have all the different foods out and enjoy the party together.
After dinner, we headed out trick-or-treating. The boys ended fairly early and the girls were done by 7:45. Not a bad night out! The kids quickly sorted through their candy, picked their five favorites, and happily handed the rest over to me (safely stored away for gingerbread houses at Christmas-time, thank you sister Cindy!) in exchange for a watch (for Chloe & Lily) and a headlamp (Brigham & Cannon). I haven't heard a word of complaint since. They all got their jammies on and went straight to bed. Oh, and they totally went to school dirty the next day -- no showers after all that. What kind of a mother am I???!!! Please don't answer that.
What a great Halloween!!! And now, on to the wonderful Holiday season!!
Not before one last treat, though:
Or was that a TRICK???
Happy Halloween from our family to yours!
The kids were all so different this year and that made it a lot of fun.
There is seriously not one thing cuter than children dressed up for Halloween. Not one thing. I love it. And in addition to that one decent picture, here are the outtakes --
After snack and some down time, we headed over to the care center to visit the grandmas. It was fun to brighten their day and the days of the other residents. The kids sure do a lot of good there.
After dinner, we headed out trick-or-treating. The boys ended fairly early and the girls were done by 7:45. Not a bad night out! The kids quickly sorted through their candy, picked their five favorites, and happily handed the rest over to me (safely stored away for gingerbread houses at Christmas-time, thank you sister Cindy!) in exchange for a watch (for Chloe & Lily) and a headlamp (Brigham & Cannon). I haven't heard a word of complaint since. They all got their jammies on and went straight to bed. Oh, and they totally went to school dirty the next day -- no showers after all that. What kind of a mother am I???!!! Please don't answer that.
What a great Halloween!!! And now, on to the wonderful Holiday season!!
Not before one last treat, though:
Happy Halloween from our family to yours!
Park City Getaway - this time with Stanton (and our best buddies!)
Yes, this is Park City weekend number 3 if you're keeping track. It's a hard life, I tell ya. :)
Awesome Stephanie from Stanton's office came over on Thursday afternoon to tend the kiddos for us. We headed down to Salt Lake to grab Stanton's costume for Halloween. Can I just tell you how horrible the Spirit Halloween store was? HORRIBLE. I hated it. I get really preachy and angry with adults who ruin Halloween by spreading guts and gore and evil all over the place and wearing the sluttiest costumes known to man. Grrrrr....
As you might guess, we left that store and headed over to Halloween City, which was a much nicer environment. Still too many "hooker" nurse, police officer, board game character, Disney princess costumes, but a HUGE improvement. I got back into the Halloween spirit after that excursion, thank goodness.
Annnnnyyyyyway, we got Stanton's costume and then headed off to Park City with a brief stop at Farr's Fresh Ice Cream for a Dole Whip. I have to take them whenever I can get them!
We arrived in Park City at about 9:30 or so and watched Cowboys and Aliens in our room. Cool show. Predictable and silly, but cool.
The next morning we got a bagel and the stinking hottest hot chocolate of my life before meeting Kyle & Angie for a day at the outlets. It took Stanton a while to get in the shopping groove, but once I got him trying things on, he was a good sport and found some good new clothes that fit his newly skinny self.
After shopping we went to El Chubasco (that's definitely a restaurant we'll be frequenting on Park City trips from here on out) for dinner.
Here are Angie's totally flattering pictures of Stanton and I --
You can tell we are enjoying that food so much it HURTS. I'm totally laughing out loud whilst looking at these pictures. Honestly, what a couple of doofusses (or is that doofi?)!
Here's a nicer picture of Ang and I outside the restaurant -
After dinner (did I mention the 2 1/2 baskets of chips and salsa I devoured along with my two fish tacos plus rice and beans? I didn't, oh, nevermind....), we walked around some shops (found a cute toy shop with some fun art things for the kids), got some Coldstone ice cream (yeah, that happened), and then went to Moneyball at the theatre. What a FANTASTIC show. So stinking good. Loved it. Oh, and Angie shared her popcorn with me. As you might guess, I was feeling uber sick by the time the movie was over. This stomach can't handle that kind of consumption anymore! But oh, it was good while it lasted!
Okay, so after the movie, we had a great night's sleep and got ready for some sight seeing in the morning. Sweet Angie has been having some major stomach troubles and was really sick on Saturday morning. We had to say our goodbyes early so she could go home and get feeling better for a family baptism that evening.
You might guess that Stanton and I went sight seeing on our own, but you might guess incorrectly. No, we hit the outlets again. Stanton was in the mood for some shopping and we really found some great things for his closet. Okay, mine too. So, that was fun to spend time shopping together.
After we finished up at the outlets, we grabbed a sandwich at Great Harvest and then headed to Salt Lake to the motorhome store to pick up some parts we ordered a few months ago. We went to the Apple store on a whim after that to see what they could do for my phone. I dropped it without a case on several weeks ago and since then the volume control has been out of commission. Basically the phone is on silent all the time, although the speakers still work fine. Anyway, we took it in and what a miracle! I had 6 days left on my warranty and they replaced the phone! Brand spanking new iPhone. I was really impressed. The downside, of course, was that I lost the voice recordings and a couple of really adorable pictures that Stephanie texted me while we were gone. They were of the kids at the corn maze -- riding ponies! Ugh. Well, they were very cute and I'm bummed they're gone, but that's life, folks! You win a few, you lose a few. And I won a new phone after being an irresponsible clutz with my old one, so I am not going to complain for another second.
We headed home after the Apple store and got to see 4 very darling and excited children plus one very tidy house. Steph was awesome!
We spent a couple of hours with the kids, followed by Kiki coming over to tend again while we went to the adult session of Stake Conference and dinner afterward. It was probably the best adult session we've been to (which is saying something -- they're always wonderful). The music was so well planned and beautiful. The speakers were full of the spirit. It was a great night. The next day was just as awesome. We had a region-wide broadcast where Elder Neil L. Anderson and President Thomas S. Monson both spoke...along with Marlin K. Jensen and the Primary General President. The talks were fabulous and our kids were, too! YEAH! We're clearing another small hurdle in young parenthood --- the dreaded Stake Conference hurdle. Thank the heavens above.
Yeah, this was a great weekend. One for the books.
Awesome Stephanie from Stanton's office came over on Thursday afternoon to tend the kiddos for us. We headed down to Salt Lake to grab Stanton's costume for Halloween. Can I just tell you how horrible the Spirit Halloween store was? HORRIBLE. I hated it. I get really preachy and angry with adults who ruin Halloween by spreading guts and gore and evil all over the place and wearing the sluttiest costumes known to man. Grrrrr....
As you might guess, we left that store and headed over to Halloween City, which was a much nicer environment. Still too many "hooker" nurse, police officer, board game character, Disney princess costumes, but a HUGE improvement. I got back into the Halloween spirit after that excursion, thank goodness.
Annnnnyyyyyway, we got Stanton's costume and then headed off to Park City with a brief stop at Farr's Fresh Ice Cream for a Dole Whip. I have to take them whenever I can get them!
We arrived in Park City at about 9:30 or so and watched Cowboys and Aliens in our room. Cool show. Predictable and silly, but cool.
The next morning we got a bagel and the stinking hottest hot chocolate of my life before meeting Kyle & Angie for a day at the outlets. It took Stanton a while to get in the shopping groove, but once I got him trying things on, he was a good sport and found some good new clothes that fit his newly skinny self.
After shopping we went to El Chubasco (that's definitely a restaurant we'll be frequenting on Park City trips from here on out) for dinner.
Here are Angie's totally flattering pictures of Stanton and I --
You can tell we are enjoying that food so much it HURTS. I'm totally laughing out loud whilst looking at these pictures. Honestly, what a couple of doofusses (or is that doofi?)!
Here's a nicer picture of Ang and I outside the restaurant -
After dinner (did I mention the 2 1/2 baskets of chips and salsa I devoured along with my two fish tacos plus rice and beans? I didn't, oh, nevermind....), we walked around some shops (found a cute toy shop with some fun art things for the kids), got some Coldstone ice cream (yeah, that happened), and then went to Moneyball at the theatre. What a FANTASTIC show. So stinking good. Loved it. Oh, and Angie shared her popcorn with me. As you might guess, I was feeling uber sick by the time the movie was over. This stomach can't handle that kind of consumption anymore! But oh, it was good while it lasted!
Okay, so after the movie, we had a great night's sleep and got ready for some sight seeing in the morning. Sweet Angie has been having some major stomach troubles and was really sick on Saturday morning. We had to say our goodbyes early so she could go home and get feeling better for a family baptism that evening.
You might guess that Stanton and I went sight seeing on our own, but you might guess incorrectly. No, we hit the outlets again. Stanton was in the mood for some shopping and we really found some great things for his closet. Okay, mine too. So, that was fun to spend time shopping together.
After we finished up at the outlets, we grabbed a sandwich at Great Harvest and then headed to Salt Lake to the motorhome store to pick up some parts we ordered a few months ago. We went to the Apple store on a whim after that to see what they could do for my phone. I dropped it without a case on several weeks ago and since then the volume control has been out of commission. Basically the phone is on silent all the time, although the speakers still work fine. Anyway, we took it in and what a miracle! I had 6 days left on my warranty and they replaced the phone! Brand spanking new iPhone. I was really impressed. The downside, of course, was that I lost the voice recordings and a couple of really adorable pictures that Stephanie texted me while we were gone. They were of the kids at the corn maze -- riding ponies! Ugh. Well, they were very cute and I'm bummed they're gone, but that's life, folks! You win a few, you lose a few. And I won a new phone after being an irresponsible clutz with my old one, so I am not going to complain for another second.
We headed home after the Apple store and got to see 4 very darling and excited children plus one very tidy house. Steph was awesome!
We spent a couple of hours with the kids, followed by Kiki coming over to tend again while we went to the adult session of Stake Conference and dinner afterward. It was probably the best adult session we've been to (which is saying something -- they're always wonderful). The music was so well planned and beautiful. The speakers were full of the spirit. It was a great night. The next day was just as awesome. We had a region-wide broadcast where Elder Neil L. Anderson and President Thomas S. Monson both spoke...along with Marlin K. Jensen and the Primary General President. The talks were fabulous and our kids were, too! YEAH! We're clearing another small hurdle in young parenthood --- the dreaded Stake Conference hurdle. Thank the heavens above.
Yeah, this was a great weekend. One for the books.
Grandma Allen's 95th Birthday Party
We got together at the care center to celebrate Grandma Allen's 95th birthday. She is such a sweetheart.
I absolutely LOVE the way Grandma is looking at Emily in that top right picture. That little spirit is still aglow in there somewhere.
The care center provided a really nice lunch for all of us. Stanton was at work and all four of our kids were in school at the time, so I felt pretty darn lonely without at least one or two of my crew along! It did make it so that I could enjoy everyone else's children more, though. There are some real cuties in this family, I tell ya! Sure love them!
Wonderful David & Judy whose mission has been the care of these two sweet grandmas. They've sacrificed so much for them and are such wonderful examples of love and charity. Both sets of parents are. I have really been in awe of what my parents and Stanton's parents both have done for their parents in recent years. It's very inspiring.
These are Grandma's two children, Dave on the left and his older sister Sharron on the right. She couldn't ask for two better children. They both have so much love for her.
It was a lovely day spent celebrating the life of a very neat woman. Love you, Grandma!
It was a lovely day spent celebrating the life of a very neat woman. Love you, Grandma!
Various Items
The fancy pants camera's battery was dead for the Red Ribbon Run, so we used the point and shoot. It was left out, which meant a smorgasbord of random kid-taken photos when I uploaded to the computer. I deleted a ton of them, but here are a few keepers (no, I don't think I'll regret deleting that picture of the rug 20 years down the road...).
I've bragged about our amazing babysitters on here before. This is one of our very favorites -- Miss Madie. She is about as sweet as they come. The kids all love her.
Who ever decided it would be a good idea to put Angry Birds on the computer??? It is dang fun to see them all enjoy it together, though.
Here's a capture of each of the six of us on a typical school morning.
Stanton just texted me this picture. This is me after spending an entire day at the elementary school helping with vision screenings + volunteering in Brigham's classroom followed by the after school chaos followed by dinner and a blowout fight with Chloe followed by tears and apologies and making up and scripture study and prayer followed by getting the kids to bed by myself (Stanton has had meetings with the other docs he's buying land with for a new building - he wasn't there for the fight, either, thank goodness -- it was a very ugly parenting moment, one that I'm still regretting) followed by a blogging binge. I think you can see it in the lines on my face and bags under my eyes and mondo zit on my forehead (and the two on my neck you can't see....). It was an exhausting day. But it's done now (almost officially -- it's 11:30!). Off to bed so tomorrow can be better.
Red Ribbon 5K
Back in early October the girls accomplished a HARD THING. I am so proud of them.
We signed up for the Bear River Health Department's Red Ribbon 5K and WE DID IT... 7 year old Chloe and 6 year old Lily both ran a 5K!!
It was long, it was tiring, it was a challenge, they whined, it was HARD...but they learned that
I couldn't be more pleased with the job they did.
This was right before we headed over for the run -- Chloe has her green smoothie in hand (so does Cannon) to give her that extra boost of energy for the long run ahead.
Stanton and the boys met us at different points along the way, which gave the girls the boost they needed to keep going. They were so proud of themselves at the end, especially when they realized that most of their friends had done the 1 mile walk -- they were pretty amazed that they had done 3.2 miles (running and plenty of walking). Our time was about 45 minutes, which was pretty awesome, I thought. What a cool day.
We signed up for the Bear River Health Department's Red Ribbon 5K and WE DID IT... 7 year old Chloe and 6 year old Lily both ran a 5K!!
It was long, it was tiring, it was a challenge, they whined, it was HARD...but they learned that
WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.
I couldn't be more pleased with the job they did.
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