30 Days of Thanks #30

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

I do it every year.
It seems I think I am a super girl of some sort and plan on doing so much stuff in preparation for Christmas.
So much.
And every year I think, "Gosh, self, next year let's just take it easy and not do so much yeah?"
And then I answer, "Yeah, sounds like a plan! This year was crazy!"
And then I decided that maybe talking to yourself is a little weird and I should stop doing it...or just stop telling people about it.

ANYWAY
I have a CRAPLOAD of stuff to do. And my time has been divided by two since April, which is discouraging sometimes.
Do you remember that old TV show, what was it, Out Of This World or something? Where the girl's Dad lived on another planet and his voice came out of a diamond box thing and she could put her two fingers together and stop time and everyone around her, but she could move around and go about her business? Do you know how BAD I want that power?!
REAL bad.
Alas, I live here in the real world and not on tv. So I have to find a good way to manage my time. Or learn how to say no.
Either way, I gotta get my rear in gear or time is going to fly by.

But I am so grateful for the reason I feel the need to be so busy.
I love Christmas and the holidays surrounding.
I love spending time with family and catching up and reminiscing about all the good times.
I am thankful for the reason we have Christmas and how magical the season is.
It's gonna be awesome. I can't wait.



Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go sew something.

30 Days of Thanks #29

I AM THANKFUL FOR FAITH.

It's true. I believe. I believe in a lot of things. Far, far too much to get started here. I just want to say how grateful I am for my faith and religion. And all the things not related to my religion that I believe. I am grateful for all the aspects of my life that make me who I am. I am grateful for the things in my future I need to believe in. I am grateful for the person I will become and have faith in the things that will shape me. I know who I am, I know who I want to be and I basically know how to get there. But there is that little portion of unknown that I am so grateful for. I'm glad I don't know everything. I'm glad I get to believe in something. I'm glad it's a walk of faith everyday. I'm thankful for the things I look forward to happening. I have faith that I will be the person I want to be. I'm grateful for a husband who constantly makes me think and not get complacent in my ways. I'm grateful I'm not perfect, and I'm so so grateful for this life full of unknowns. Faith is a funny little thing that can make or break you. I'm thankful for the privilege to choose whether to take it or leave it.

And I'm grateful for Tylenol because I have a headache.

I have faith it will work...

30 Days of Thanks #28

I AM THANKFUL FOR ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES.

Man. How easy is it to pull that bad boy out of the basement and put it up?

No needles, no hiking straight up the snowy mountain and getting soaked.

No hauling saw and risking major owies.

No vacuuming up the needles.

No sticky sap leaking on the carpet.

No watering the tree.

All good.

I mean, I do admit it was fun to get together as a family and do all this stuff.

But we can still sip cocoa and snack while we put it together.

And I do miss the pine smell.

But I can just go buy a scented candle.

Hooray for plastic trees!

30 Days of Thanks #27

I AM THANKFUL FOR BABIES!

Ian went the WHOLE day without spitting up.

The whole day.

Let's have a party!

It's kind of a big deal.

Also Christine and Mike got to take Kaeleigh home today.

I'm really starting to think a party is in order because THAT is a pretty HUGE deal.

And my cousin, Jeni, is having a baby in July!

I'm pretty stoked about that one.

What a good day for babies!

I m so happy.

Really, let us party.

In the words of Barney from How I Met Your Mother, "Suit up!"

30 Days of Thanks #26

I AM THANKFUL FOR FOOD.

Holy CRAP am I thankful for food.

Especially today.

I mean, I am so very grateful for the reason we have Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims and our religious freedom. Yes oh yes, it is all very important.

But I love Thanksgiving food.

Thom makes a mean turkey.

I wish I had a picture to show you all the amazing food we enjoyed today.
We stayed home, alone. No parents, no brothers or sisters-in-law. No grandparents.

Just Mommy, Daddy, Izacc and Ian.

It was kind of fun. A lot of work, but nice.
Don't get me wrong, I missed our families today, that is true.

But we had a good time nonetheless.

We'd been waiting all day to eat, so when it was done, boy were we excited!

As you can see.
I am so hungry I am apparently eating my own lip.
Here is our wonderful spread.
"Put the camera down, Dad. I'm STARVING!!"
We had a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, rolls, corn, sweet potatoes, jello, some cranberry sauce and we even had some sparkling cranberry juice. It was divine.
Izacc was unsure about eating everything. In fact, he only had mashed potatoes and a roll. Little did he know there was ground up turkey in his potatoes...
BWA HA HA HA!
Hey, don't judge me! That kid eats nothing! I gotta get it in where I can!
This one, one the other hand, had a little bit o' everything. And he lurved it...
After dinner was all cleaned up, Izacc and I got our cookie on and made some pretty sahweet turkeys.
Izacc really got into it...
I mean REALLY.
And lest we forget the pies. Oh, the pies...
And even after ALL that, we're still sitting here doing a little of this...
And yes, that is my foot by the food. Appetizing, no?
Mmmm, carrots and video games. Does it get any better than that?
Yes, it does get better than that if you add a cookie.
Izacc has had about 4.

I am thankful for all the food. Food, food, food. Yummy yummy food.

Our Thanksgiving was fabulous.

How was yours?

30 Days of Thanks #25

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY BODY.

My self. Me. I am so grateful to have a working and functional body. It comes in very handy when I need to do, well, you know, things. I don't treat it as well as I should. I should eat better, get more sleep and exercise. It hurts sometimes. I think I'm getting old. But it has been good to me so far. It is awesome. Hot it ain't, but as far as functionality goes, it is the best! What more can I say? I would be basically nothin' without it! I loves my body!

30 Days of Thanks #24

I AM THANKFUL FOR HOME.

I love traveling.

I love seeing my family.

I love spending time with my friends.

I love shopping.

I love staying in hotels and in guest bedrooms.

But as much as I love all of those things...

...THERE IS NOTHING LIKE SLEEPING IN YOUR OWN BED.

Nothing.

It's the best.

I'm off to cuddle in.

Good day.

The end.




I said good day!!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

30 Days of Thanks #23

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS.

So...

I was in the mother's lounge nursing Ian on Sunday at church. Izacc had decided he needed to come with me. So off we went.

There were two rocking chairs in the room as well as an old school pew from an older church. It had a bouncy cushion across the whole seat, to which Izacc immediately converted into his personal trampoline.

I finished my business, Izacc bounced.
I told him we needed to go.
He told me he needed 5 more minutes.
I picked up my stuff and finished adjusting my clothes.
I told Izacc it was time to go again.
Izacc bounced away from me.
I hear a thunk from the corner of the room.
Izacc cries.
I rush to his aid to find his eyebrow gushing blood.
I begin to escort him to the adjoining bathroom.

All of a sudden, the other mommy in the room (did I forget to mention her? There was another mommy nursing in the room too) told me to give Ian to her.
I hesitated for a second and then plopped my babe into her already full arms.

I wash Izacc's hands.
I wash Izacc's face.
I wash Izacc's shoes.
I wash my own hands.
I wash Izacc's face again.
I wash the floor.
I wash the doorknob.
I'm pretty sure it looks like a crime scene.

He looked quite a sight. He had blood all over his beautiful new vest and shirt, which just so happened to be white and tan.

He split his eyebrow wide open.
No stitches.
A lot of tears.
And band-aids.
And q-tips.
And strawberry milk.

To the mommy who saved my bacon on Sunday, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have no idea what the crap I would have done without your help. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!

30 Days of Thanks #22

I AM THANKFUL FOR NAPS.

Oh.My.Gosh.

I LOVE naps.

I LOVE the days when I get the chance to partake in a siesta.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

Awesome.

30 Days of Thanks #21

I AM THANKFUL FOR MARRIAGE.

I love weddings. I love the thought of marriage and all it brings.

I went to a bridal shower and a wedding today.

One was for my cousin.

One was for my bestest friend from High school.

I love new love and watching two people start their lives together. It's so exciting to see how excited they are and how in love with each other.

It's awesome and beautiful and so much fun.

Aww, love sweet love.

30 Days of Thanks #20

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY GRAMMA.

Oh how I love her. My gramma Crapo is the bestest gramma there ever was.

No kidding.

She is AMAZING and I could go on and on about her fabulous-ness.

She sews, she knits and crochets, she plays the piano and organ, she keeps her garden and yard looking marvelous, she does home decor and home improvements herself, she makes the yummiest food and the best brownies, she has 9 kids and 48 grand kids and 8 soon to be 9 great grand kids.

She has been without my grampa for 17 years.

SHE IS MY HERO OF ALL HEROES, and I love her.

30 Days of Thanks #19

I AM THANKFUL FOR LAUGHTER.


More specifically, being able to laugh. You've gotta be able to laugh. At yourself, at life, at the crap that happens to you on a regular basis.

But don't laugh at others. It's not nice.

Although funny as it may be sometimes.

At least not where they can hear you.

Oh I'm kidding!

I can remember in 3rd grade there was a kid in my class who would read those Garfield comic books and he would laugh out loud. I'm talking laugh and laugh and laugh. I can remember my friend and I thought he was so weird and we even would laugh at him behind his back.

I look back now and realize what an awesome thing it was that he could laugh out loud at such a young age. And that he wasn't afraid to do it in front of anyone. And that I was kind of a judgmental jerk.

Do you laugh out loud? Or do you keep it inside?

I don't exactly remember when I decided it was okay to let it out, but I know that when I did it felt great. I LOVE laughing. I have, on more than one occasion, been the only one laughing in a movie theatre. The only one. Did I feel stupid? Well, maybe a little. But it didn't stop me. I kept guffawing it up.

Laughing is such an amazing gift. I would die if I couldn't laugh.

Well, maybe not die, but it wouldn't feel very good.

So to those of you who keep it inside or let out a mere polite chuckle I say this:
LET IT OUT! Laugh. Laugh out loud. Open your mouth, throw your head back and show the world that you know how to laugh.

When the going gets tough, you gotta laugh. It has kept me sane (or as sane as I can be. I mean c'mon, look at what we're working with here!) through life's rough patches. I am thankful that I can often smile my way through difficulties and find the bright side.

Hope you can too.

30 Days of Thanks #18

I AM THANKFUL FOR EXPLANATIONS.


Have you ever had something happen to you or seen something and it FREAKS you out? And you keep thinking, "There HAS to be a logical explanation to this! Because if not I'm gonna hide under my covers and I'm not coming out EVER because I am freaking out!"

I am very very thankful for logical explanations.

So last night, just after midnight, I was sitting in my parent's guest bedroom, nursing the baby and I just so happened to look out the window. As I did I saw a light. Let me clarify. It was not like lightning, it was not like headlights. It was as if the sun came out for 2 or 3 seconds and then went back down. It was so bright and lasted for longer than just a flash.

So I ran out to my mom in the kitchen to see if she had heard anything. She said she had seen a flash outside too. We opened the door so see if there was anything, you know, unusual going on outside. No clouds, no power poles on fire, all the lights in the neighborhood were on.

Crap. So that rules out a freak lightning storm, a blown transformer and a vehicle that had spontaneously combusted.

All that leaves is ALIENS or some crap like that. I really expected to see a smoking crashed spaceship or ET running about.

We were freaking out. We didn't dare go outside to investigate any further. We locked the doors and turned off the lights. Mom even saw a flashing light coming in through the window and shining onto her cabinet...which turned out to be the computer in hibernation mode.

Nonetheless

I crawled into my bed and prayed that whatever it was would stay far away from my babies. I avoided looking out the window for fear of seeing something I don't wanna see. I was not in the mood for a Men In Black/Independence Day reenactment.

This morning, I told cute hubby about it. He laughed and called me irrational.

He then told me that there was a meteor shower last night, but he was watching it and saw nothing.

Whatever, he'll be sorry when I find the charred remains of an alien spaceship.

Well, imagine my relief when I saw this.

I read through this and kept saying, "Yeah! That's just like what I saw! Yeah! I'm not crazy! And there were no aliens! YAY!!"

And I watched the video and it was exactly what I saw.

Ahhh, sweet sweet relief. All due to the logical explanation.


Whew. Good thing for those aliens, I didn't want to have to get all Will Smith on their butts!

30 Days of Thanks #17

I AM THANKFUL FOR BROWNIES.

Or any baked good really. Cookies, cakes, breads, bars, cupcakes.

Mmmmm.

Love them all, yum yum.

But my all time favorite is the brownie. Classic.

And there are so many different types and tastes of brownies. Fudgy, cakey, super dooper chocolaty, blonde, butterscotch, frosted, chewy, hot out of the oven, cooled, topped with marshmallows and then frosted. My goodness. Lets have a big ol party where all we eat are brownies!

And vanilla ice cream.

And a little hot fudge on top.

Oh my, when we lived in Utah, we would frequent a little place called Leatherby's. I think they are traditionally known for their ice cream, but they have AMAZING hot fudge.

I am a little picky when it comes to my hot fudge. I don't like the Hershey's syrup kind, where it's thin and not very tasty. I don't like it when it's semi-sweet and yucky! I like it to be thick and kind of grainy and sweet, not like chocolaty fudge, but, oh. There is a taste I can't really describe.

So one year my hubby bought a jar of their Hot Fudge for me for my birthday. We had the most delicious brownie sundaes instead of birthday cake. And I ate the rest of the jar practically by myself over the next few weeks.

I gained some weight, but it was oh so worth it.

It's a good thing we moved...

I didn't even know you could buy it by the jar at Leatherby's.

Ahh, death by brownie...

AWESOME!

30 Days of Thanks #16

I AM THANKFUL FOR HOT SHOWERS.

Oh my gosh how I love me a hot shower. Feels so good after a cold day or first thing in the morning or when you're sick or basically wHeNeVeR.

Do I really need to explain myself on this one?

Can I get an amen?

30 Days of Thanks #15

I AM THANKFUL FOR FACEBOOK.

I know, I know. Facebook? Really? But honestly, it has been awesome to find some friends from way back. I really never thought this would be on any list of things to be thankful for, but I truly am glad I joined. I've reconnected with old friends--some of whom are better friends now than ever before.

I am glad that we have the opportunity to grow and become the people we are and kind of forget those old grudges and "clicks"

I like the person I've become and the people I've known and now know.

Is this making any sense at all?

It's good to find old friends in a safe and not shady environment.



PLUS Mafia Wars is pretty dang fun.

30 Days of Thanks #14

I AM THANKFUL THAT I'M A MOMMY.


I am a mother of two boys.

I have been peed on so many times I don't even notice anymore.
I have had to say things like "Get your face out of there!" and "Don't make your brother eat your foot!" and "No, sweetie, we don't put our {insert body part} into {insert said item}!"
I know nothing about Bratz, Barbie, or Littlest Pet Shop.
I can quote any line from Cars, Incredibles, Toy Story, or Johnny Test...and not by choice.
I am a mommy-robot, mommy-dinosaur, and a mommy-super hero on any given day.
My pink things stand out in a sea of navy, brown, and camouflage.


I am a mom.

A Boy Mom.

And I love it more than words could ever express.

30 Days of Thanks #13

I AM THANKFUL FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE MEDICAL WORLD.

It is amazing the things they can do now.

It saved two lives who are pretty important to me very recently.

It continues to amaze me.

I am very thankful.

30 Days of Thanks #12

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY GPS.

How in God's green earth did I ever EVER survive without my GPS?!

No for real.

It's insane how amazing this little device is.

I can remember the good old days when you would drive to an unknown city with just a map and a prayer in hopes of finding your destination. And then, after many MANY failed attempts at finding said destination, stopping and (gasp) asking for directions.

Better yet, I can remember the days of Yahoo maps and their step-by-step, turn-by-turn directions. And I can remember finding that the roads on the directions do not exist. Or did exist at one time, but not anymore. Or have not been built yet. Or telling you to bear right on a road where there is no bear...or bearing to be done.

And the days of two young girls trying desperately to get themselves to a concert at Mile High Stadium by randomly picking an exit and hoping for the best.

(Speaking of remembering, remember Mile High Stadium?)

Or two young girls trying to find their way from the airport to a bridal shop and screaming as they try to make it across 5 lanes of traffic to get to their exit...

Or ending up in towns that should be much further south...

Or on roads that don't appear to exist anywhere on the map...

Denver will never be the same now that I have a GPS.

It has taken all the adventure and near death experiences out of driving through that city...

AND I AM SO THANKFUL!

30 Days of Thanks #11

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY COUNTRY.

It's true. I am proud to be an American. I am not saying it's a perfect place, I don't really know of a place that is. But I love it nonetheless.

I am thankful for my grandfathers and forefathers who fought to protect our rights and our freedoms.

I am so glad to be able to worship the way I want to, to speak freely and have all the liberties I enjoy.

I am thankful for our leaders and government. I would NOT want any of their jobs.

I am thankful for those who continue to fight to protect our home.

I love my country and and so very thankful for it. The good and the bad, I'll take it all.

30 Days of Thanks #10

I AM THANKFUL FOR COOKING AND RECIPES.

I love food. Most food. I have an ongoing love affair with food, more of a love/hate relationship, really. I am an all-star dieter. I feel as though I've been on a diet since I was 16. It's kind of sad because it's mostly true in one form or another. Lose weight, maintain, gain. It's a vicious cycle. Throw in a pregnancy or two and that's just asking for trouble!

So it goes without saying that my food repertoire has been quite, um, limited. Between my personal tastes and "good" foods and "bad" foods, well, let's just say I was not using my full food potential.

I've been broadening my horizons. I've been making new foods for dinners for the past few weeks. I've never felt more, um, grown up? I don't know, it's hard to explain. I feel like I'm finally becoming the mommy/wife I've always wanted to be. I'm learning so much about cooking and tastes and food combinations and it's so FUN! It's like what the heck have I been doing for the past 10 years because this is AWESOME!! I am so thankful for food! AND I can't wait for THANKSGIVING so I can try out a bunch of exciting new recipes!



On a side note, I recently just learned the correct way to spell recipe. Honestly, ALWAYS spelled it wrong.

30 Days of Thanks #9

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY SEWING MACHINE.

Better yet, I am thankful that I know how to use said sewing machine.
I am thankful for my mother for teaching me how to use a sewing machine.
I am thankful for Denise for furthering my knowledge of sewing machines.
I am thankful for my husband for forcing me to buy said sewing machine.
I am thankful for being able to sew and make fun things with my sewing machine.

(pictures of what exactly I've been up to will follow...)

30 Days of Thanks #8

I AM THANKFUL FOR OUR WATER.

I am talking about our hot water.
I like to call it devil water.
And it can come out and burn you at times. Devil water can be mean.
I mean, it even goes hot before it goes cold.
It's mad crazy!
However, I am so thankful that it is so near the boiling point that it only takes a few minutes to get it piping hot for boiling eggs or noodles and for making nice warm drinks to soothe a sore throat.
Ahhh.
Also, it's nice for taking hot baths. It's like my own private hot tub.

Alls I need are some jets.
(insert crude fart joke here)

30 Days of Thanks #7

I AM THANKFUL FOR TIME.

I am so very grateful for Thom's jobs. Yup, that's right. If you didn't already know, my Thommy is working two jobs. Which is totally sucks as far as I'm concerned, but at the same time, it's good. Especially at a time when the economy sucks so bad and lots and lots of people are having a hard time even finding one job, so I'm very grateful for the income which allows me to be a stay at home mommy.

BUT it's hard being a "single mom". I know I really don't have any idea what it must be like to be a REAL single mommy. That's a whole different ballgame! I just feel alone at this. We see Thom at noon for an hour when he comes home for lunch and at 5 for an hour before he goes to the other job. He gets home around 11 and sleeps. So there's no time to even sit down and chat. I feel really bad for him. He works really hard to keep us afloat.

That being said, I am grateful for days like today. He didn't have to work at either job. We stayed in bed, bummed around, went shopping, ate dinner, watched a movie, he even got to give Izacc a bath.

Izacc especially loves time with Daddy. Daddy reads his stories WAY better than Mommy ever could!

Ahh, now we are just chillin watching some tv.

It's been a great day.

I LOVE days like this when all we've got is time!

30 Days of Thanks #6

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY CHRISTINE.

My dear sweet Christine. My amazing friend of ten years now? Sheesh. This girl is amazing. Do you know her? Well you should.

Good grief! Look how young!

We've been the best of friends since college. What a time that was! She invited me to live with her our second year and I said yes, even though I didn't know her that well. There was a big mix up involving my then roommate and, well, that's another story altogether and it didn't end well. Anyway, we got to know each other, perhaps two weeks before school started. She came to stay with me in my apartment off campus. Again, another long story is involved. Don't worry. You shall all know the details when my book comes out.



ANYWAY, have you ever had a friend that you felt like you knew before? I mean, we'd met a long time before, but hadn't really gotten to know one another. So we start talking and we were very similar and had a lot in common and laughed and giggled and I am positive I knew this girl in heaven.



We had an amazing year and it's hard to believe that we only lived together for 9 months. For real! All, well, most of our crazy memories are from one school year. That's all it took, really. We had so so so much fun. And we had bad times and hard times and sad times and downright weird times.


We hosted a Thanksgiving for all our friends and somehow managed to squeeze like 20 people into our tiny living room. We went on insane road trips and met some out of this world people. We dressed up and had girls nights. We sat around and did nothing. We made fun of people and had our inside jokes. We annoyed each other, I'm sure. But not enough to remember. We talked about boys and cried about boys and laughed about boys and gave each other pep talks about boys. We were girly and hormonal and crazy and it was one of the best times of my life.



Poor girl put up with a lot living with me. Once we were getting ready to go to a dance and I got out of the shower and got dressed and out of pure hormonal rage declared that we were NOT going because I was too fat. (we ended up going) She had to put up with Thom and my lovey-dovey making out and hugging and blah blah. (we lived four hours apart and he came to see me every two weeks er so. what do you expect?) She lived with my grumpy PMS-y sad self. And I'm pretty sure I can embarrass her like no one can. She makes me happy.

Me, Christine, and Stephanie, who is a pretty amazing girl herself!

We've basically grown up together. Not through the necessarily awkward stages, thank goodness, but through all the good stuff, you know? College, weddings, baby showers, moving, deaths, missionaries, haircuts, gay ex-boyfriends. You name it, we've been through it together.

There's that cute Stephanie again!

So in my life I have had a lot of friends. Good friends, you know? But I move or they and we grow apart and we still know each other, but don't keep in touch very well. Such is not the case with my dear Bikini. (my little pet name for her. You know she loves it!) She is my sister I never had. She is my bestest friend in the whole entire world. She knows me better than almost anyone. She is awesome.

She is currently in Denver. She had her baby, Kaeleigh, 7 weeks early. Kaeleigh is in the NICU and Christine and her wonderful, phenomenal hubby Mike, are living temporarily nearby. She is going through SO much and I want to help her with all my heart. I will be traveling to see her soon...as soon as the plague leaves my home. (no not H1N1, just crappy nasty boogies and coughs)

She puts up with my boy too!

She has been there for me so many times and I am just so grateful for her. She is fabulous and smart and funny and beautiful and has been my dearest friend when I needed one. I don't know what I would have done with out her all these years. I hope she knows how much I loves her. Because it's lots. And lots.

You see! I told you she was beautiful!

PS Her hubby is also one of my good friends and I am SO glad they are together. He takes such good care of her and they make each other so happy. And he is awesome. I love them both. I am thankful for them.

Mike and Izacc. They both had plaid shirts on. There is a pretty funny story that goes along with this picture. It involes Izacc tipping over and Mike not exactly knowing how to handle the situation. Let's just say it was priceless.

30 Days of Thanks #5

I AM THANKFUL FOR SLEEP.

Man oh man am I thankful for sleep. How could you not love some good zzzzzz's, huh? Sleep is one thing I feel that I take for granted all the time! The older I get, the more I realize when I have not gotten enough.

When I was in college I pulled all-nighters ALL.THE.TIME. Not kidding. There was a reason our a capella group was called 3 am at the Dounut Shop. For real, we were there at least once a week at that time. I can remember sleeping for, perhaps, maybe 2 hrs a night and being fine. FINE.

Fast forward 10 years and I could literally sleep all day. No really. I feel tired ALL.THE.TIME. Let's blame the kids because honestly, they are the number one and number three reasons I don't get enough sleep. (number two, of course, would be the freekin Internet)

However, when I do get a good solid dose of the good stuff, man oh man. Heaven on a pillow. Ian slept through the night for the first time in months last night...and I am thankful. He's asleep now. Good night.

30 Days of Thanks #4

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY IZACC.


Oh my sweet baby Izacc. How I am so grateful to have him in my life. He is so amazing. Honestly one of the smartest kids I've ever met. Too smart for his own good, actually. He is my little Mcgyver, always figuring out ways to get things done for himself. He's started to pour his own drinks and he can get into the fridge and cupboards, much to my disdain.

He's an unbelievable brother to Ian. He is always first on the scene to make Ian happy when he's crying. He is very helpful and almost always shares his toys. (I mean c'mon! I can't even share ALL the time!)

His vocabulary is astounding and he speaks very, very well. I think he watches too much TV, that's to say DVDs on the TV because we don't really get any channels. He can quote movies or shows that he's only seen once. It's pretty comical when he pulls one out at the appropriate time...or inappropriate time as the case may be.

He loves his Daddy. He loves his "Dama and Papa" He loves his aunts and uncles "Pee and Nee", "Brot and Rena", and or course, "Ben". He once told me that he was friends with everyone and that means he is nice to them and they are nice to him. I hope he always has that beautiful viewpoint.

He is so sweet and sensitive, especially to me and my feelings. If I am sad or upset, he comes to me with a hug and kiss and tells me not to be upset, it will be ok. He is considerate and so full of love and innocents. He is such a blessing to me and I am so grateful to have this sweet spirit in our home. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him.

Love you Boy! (Even if you NEVER look at the camera anymore!)

30 Days of Thanks #3

I AM THANKFUL FOR BABY IAN.

Ian Reed came into the world 6 months ago. He was so sweet from day one. He's so mellow and easy going. He is my little angel baby and we are so lucky to have him. He makes my heart melt
I mean how could it not? I fear for my life as he gets older because I'm afraid I will not be able to say no to that sweet, sweet face. He's so yummy!

He sits, he drools, he's got 2 teeth coming in, he's making the most adorable sounds now. He sings and he LOVES his brother. I mean love. No one can make him smile like Izacc can. And he's huge. I'm talking large and in charge. He's wearing 12 month clothes and size 4 shoes. His head size is LITERALLY off the chart. Sometimes I feel like I've been ripped off because he was only small for a month or so. It's like he skipped right past the newborn phase and right into toddlerhood. Oh well, he sure is a cute toddler/babyman.
I am thankful for this baby. He is ours on behalf of much prayer and wishing and hoping and it took awhile to get him here, but he is so worth the wait.

Is there a more adorable baby in all the land? I kinda think not!

30 Days of Thanks #2

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY HUSBAND.

I could go on and on and on about how much I love my hubby. He's wonderful, he's fun, he's very, very handsome, he's a good provider, he's a fabulous Daddy. Literally, I could go on and on. But today, I am more thankful for him than I have ever been.

So I have a neato new camera. It's really expensive. It's a lot cooler than I am. I don't even know how to use it correctly yet. It's nice. So I have been using it for a few months now and love how cute my kiddos look through the lens. I've been snapping away. Thom's birthday, our family photos, Christine's baby shower, my adorable boys, my birthday, you name it. Loves me some pictures.

I was at my mom's house last week and decided to put some of the pictures on her computer. So I plug 'er in and uh, nothing. No wait, not nothing. It was a folder with what I can only assume was a rare combination of alien and Chinese. It was not pretty and I had myself a minor heart attack right there. My other memory card seemed to work just fine, you know, the one without anything on it.

So I call Thom and tell him what's going on. He seemed kinda nonchalant about it, so my worries were cast aside...that is until I got home and he seemed a lot more upset about it. Come to find out, something very very bad went down with the stupid memory card and it got all sorts of scrambled and discombobulated. Needless to say, bye bye all my pictures. And the sadness ensued.

I cried a little and prayed a lot. And tried and tried to pretend I was in IT and knew what I was doing. I prayed some more and cried a little more. I was a sad girl.

So my hubby takes said card to work and takes it to his engineer friend. And I prayed. And he came home with a memory card restored to all it's glory. In fact, he had resurrected all the pictures that had ever been on the card! HAPPY DAY!

So I am thankful for my wonderful husband. And for miracles. And for technology...ever seen Napoleon Dynamite? "I love technology but not as much as you you see..."

Ha ha.

30 Days of Thanks #1

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY.

My parents are amazing people. They have been married for 31 years and live to tell the tale! They raised 4 kids and have taught us many, many life lessons. We may not always see eye to eye, but that's what makes life interesting. How boring would it be if we were all the same?!

Dad- You are strong and smart and have an amazing sense of humor. You have always been the selfless example of how to be generous and kind, no matter the cost. You would give you the shirt off your back and not think twice about it. And you are the best Papa in the entire world! Believe me, I've asked around! Thank you for all you've done for us and continue to do for us. We love you!

Mom- You are a shining example of love and kindness. You are always so sweet and thoughtful. You've taught me so many important values and skills important to being a wife and mother. You are my best friend and I am so glad that I always have you to cry on your shoulder, laugh with and just be there. You've given me so many good traits and I love you more than anything!

Thompson- I don't even know where to begin. You are the love of my life. You support our family so selflessly and work so so hard. You are funny and so smart. You've meshed so well with my parents and siblings and you are a supa-doopa daddy. Izacc and Ian love you so much and love it when you are around. You know how to make us all smile and you've been so patient with me these last six months. You're the best!

Brock- You have always been my friend, my brother, my buddy. We used to play the greatest games together. We grew up together and I couldn't have asked for a better playmate. You've started an amazing family and I am so proud of the man you've become. You are so funny and hardworking. You really work so hard and I worry that you never have fun. Remember that you still need time to play!!

Sevena- Brock really found his soulmate in you. You two couldn't be more perfect for each other. Not to be cheesy, but you complete one another. You've added so much to our family. You're very talented. You can paint and draw and play piano and sing and you make a mean birthday cake! You're very sweet and intellegent. I love your babies! Thank you for being you!

Spencer- You and I have always been very similar. We laugh at the same jokes, we like the same movies, we have the same taste in food. We've always gotten along the best and also had the greatest of fights. Being similar means the same things set us off, right? No matter how much fighting and yelling and throwing (remember those days?) occurs, we always have the unique ability to forgive and forget. Thank you for that. We used to stay up all hours of the night and play Playstation and roadtrips with you were the best. You are such a great uncle. You're funny and kind and have so much to give. Please remember how much you have to offer and never sell yourself short. Ha ha, short? You? Ha ha. I love you.

Nicole- You bring a lot to our family and we're glad there's you. You make Spencer so happy and you've become quite the wife. You are always willing to help anybody, which is a huge asset to everyone you're around. You are a fun aunt and my kids love you. It's good to know that you will always be there. For all the times you've watched my kids and helped me out in any way, I thank you.

Ben- Aw little Ben. You are such a great example. You are so cool. It's true. Nothing seems to get to you and you always have a level head about you, unless someone insults UW that is. All joking aside, you are so trustworthy and kind and honest, perhaps too honest. You are the greatest missionary in the whole state of Mississippi and surrounding areas. You're a fun uncle and brother. We love you so much and can't wait to see you in 8 months!!!

I also have wonderful in-laws who are so giving and kind and it's just so great to be surrounded with the family I have. My support system is fabulous and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for everyone in my sweet, sweet family.