Taking it down a notch!

Happy Birthday, Sam! Have the best 13th year ever.

I'm not going to number the gratitude posts anymore because I can't ever remember which number it should be and I have to go back and check and also because it feels like more of a chore. I'd rather this be something I don't HAVE to do.

Christmas was a fun day and having Eric home for the two week break is wonderful. That's the best part of his job! The kids have been really good. We haven't done much, but we have seen quite a few videos.

I'm grateful for family, home, precipitation, and warm socks!

Gratitude Thought 38

Ethan and Ryan are such nice boys. I really love them.

#38: Today I am thankful that we found Connor's glasses. I went to work and while I was gone, Eric took the kids a bunch of places. When they got home, Eric realized that Connor's glasses were gone. They searched the van and found nothing. Eric pulled out the seats and found nothing. He had the boys look downstairs, in our room, Connor's room, and the kitchen. They searched under his high chair. They looked on the driveway and in the snow around the yard. I got home and did the same thing. Eric and I had given up hope, put the seats back in the van, and pulled the cars into the garage. I looked around the driveway one more time and guess what I found? Yes, Connor's glasses! I must have driven over them because they were a bit bent, but he can still wear them. Thank heavens we found them!





Ethan wants to say, "dgfvtnhgdfdghdsf"

Gratitude Thoughts 35, 36, 37

This is a picture of Sam and Eric up in the canyon one year while we were looking at the fall leaves.

#35: Hot water is one of the best modern conveniences there is. I cannot start the day without having a hot shower. It's ingrained in me. Doing dishes without hot water pouring from an indoor faucet would be an even bigger pain than it already is.

#36: Basement family rooms are a good thing. If you have a nintendo like we do, it would be awful to have that upstairs where you really would know how much they play it.

#37: Family friends. We have one particular family friend who is the best example of selfless service I have ever seen. That person is always doing something for someone else. I honestly don't think this person sits down without doing something edifying. Thanks for all you do for our family.

Gratitude Thoughts #33, 34

I think this picture is so funny. I'm opening my mouth much wider than Connor is. It was his first birthday cake. I remember that he really liked it.

#33: I am so thankful for people who drive carefully in snow conditions. I had to do a lot of driving around town today and saw some idiots and some geniuses. If you're in a hurry and the road conditions are bad, too bad. Thank heavens most people are careful.

#34: Nice neighbors are always a good thing. I got home from picking up Connor from preschool and my neighbor to the south was almost finished shoveling my driveway. He did the whole thing! It was a very nice thing for him to do. Thanks Jon!

Gratitude Thoughts #31, 32

This is Ryan and his friend Zach after making a huge tunnel in a huge snowball. They were pretty proud of themselves.

Wow, I have now made it past the one month mark! I have to admit it's getting harder to come up with stuff that makes sense.

#31: I am thankful for snowplows. It snowed today and the roads were terrible, but then I watched a snowplow drive by and wanted to cheer because it made the road much better.

#32: New tires are also great. We got new tires on the van before we went to St. George last month and I only slid once today. That is really good for me since I am a lousy snow driver!

Gratitude Thought #30

Today I'm grateful for my king sized bed. Eric and I do not like to touch or share blankets at night so we totally need a big bed. I've been tired all day long so it will feel so good to get in under all my cozy blankets and fall asleep watching the news. Thank goodness for my bed!!!

Ryan is the smartest, most handsome 11 year old boy in the world!

Gratitude Thoughts #28, 29

Ethan told the story of The Little Match Girl in his class the other day. He is so expressive. He did a great job!

#28: I was just complaining to myself how cold I am. It is blowing snow, but not the nice kind of snow. Just a little bit of snow with a lot of wind behind it. Then I thought how cold it would be without walls and a furnace. So today I am thankful for my home.

#29: Today I took Ryan and Ethan to the choir practice for our ward's Christmas program. The kids in the senior primary will be singing a song during the program. The practice was scheduled to be short so I just sat and waited for the boys in the chapel. I love Christmas music. I'm not sure why it touches me so much, but the Christmas sacrament meeting program is my very favorite of the year.

Gratitude Thought #27

A lot of Connor's toys are stored under his crib. He got underneath and played for a long time the other day!

#27: We just got home from Sam's band concert. Her band did really well, but I marvel at the patience of her band teacher. He is a great guy and he gets mad at the kids sometimes, but he keeps coming back. Band teachers are people to be thankful for.

Gratitude Thoughts 22-26

Doesn't Angel look cute? I captured this moment while she was investigating the Christmas decorations.

These will be quick!

#22: Food. This time of year the quality of food goes up and I love it!

#23: Ribbon. I have discovered that I actually adore ribbon. Not the big kind, but the little kind. Roberts has lots and I'm having fun finding use for little ribbon.

#24: New couches. Love them!!!

#25: TV's that live downstairs. We moved our family room tv downstairs to make room for the new couches. It has been much quieter and the kids are actually finding other things to do. Although the first morning was rough when Connor could not figure out why he wasn't watching Sid the Science Kid while he ate breakfast. He kept saying, "Show? Show? Show?"

#26: Relief Society women. I took cookies to the church today for the luncheon after the funeral of a lady that used to live in our ward. It was awesome to see all these women taking care of food for total strangers to eat after the funeral of a total stranger. That is a great example of kindness.

Gratitude Thoughts #20, 21

Connor and Eric got a chance to "stop and smell the roses" at the St. George temple during Thanksgiving vacation.

#20: Today I got back some pictures of the kids that we had taken for Christmas. The photographer did a great job. I thought there was no way any of them would turn out, but we had several to choose from. So today I am thankful for Cheri Rodas and her awesome skills! Thank you!

#21: I'm thankful that every once in a while I get a creative urge to try and make something. I made a wreath to go on the front door for Christmas. It is definitely not the "normal" kind and I got the idea from Better Homes and Gardens, but at least I got a chance to be a little right brained.

Gratitude Thought #19

Today's gratitude thought is truck videos. My 2 year old is crazy about trucks. (Sometimes I think he is just crazy) When I really need some peace or I need some extra time to get something done, I pop one of those videos in and Connor is mesmerized for 30 minutes. I try not to abuse this, but let me tell you- those 30 minutes are precious!

My grandparents from Georgia visited last night. We only get to see each other about once a year. They are wonderful people. Love you.

Gratitude Thoughts #16, 17, 18

Connor was very tired!


Wow, I am having a hard time keeping up. Who knew gratitude would be so easy to forget?


#16: My new couches are coming next week. It makes me feel materialistic, but I am grateful that we can afford to buy something nice for our home. It really isn't intrinsically important, but sometimes it can show people that making company comfortable is important to us.





#17: Ethan came up to me last night and said that if Santa could bring everyone food that needed it, he (Ethan) didn't need anything for Christmas. He was very serious with tears in his eyes. Sometimes I forget that my kids know what is going on in the world. I told him we would for sure be helping others this Christmas and that we would let Santa know about Ethan's wish. He was very excited to go food shopping for the food bank this weekend. I'm grateful for Ethan's sweet and giving nature.





#18: I'm also grateful for school teachers. I get to volunteer in two of my kids' classes during the week and it always amazes me to watch these teachers. They have total control of their classes and they are nurturing up to 30 kids at a time. Thanks Miss Udy and Miss Knowles! You are awesome.