Blessed

I am so extremely grateful for Matt's job. No one is recession proof, and I am grateful that Matt has been able to stay employed. As I was pulling out of Walmart this morning there was a panhandler in the typical spot (the spot that has been nearly perpetually occupied for the last several months now). I rarely have cash, so I usually just fiddle with my radio, or check my mirrors, or talk to the kids, all the while feeling horribly uncomfortable and just a bit guilty. Today, I had cash. I pulled out a dollar bill - not much, but as much as I could give right then - and stuck it out the window for him to grab. On his sign he said that his wife just had a baby and he lost his job. I don't know if he is being honest, but every time I have thoughts like that the scripture in Jacob runs through my mind "And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

"Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

"But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God."

After the man walked away, E asked what he was looking for and where he lived. I explained that he didn't have a job and since Daddy has a job and we have food and a warm place to live that we need to help him so that he can buy food for his children. As I explained, a rush of gratitude nearly overwhelmed me. I felt truly, truly grateful. It was such a sweet teachable moment for me to remember how amazingly blessed I am.

Hero Lessons

The other morning, J was ready really early, so he had time to play. I heard him in the hall giving E instructions on "runs and flies". He was teaching her how to be a super hero. They practiced running and flying and when it was time for him to go, he gave her a few last minute tips. I am thankful for a son that is such a great big brother and one who plays with his sisters so well.

Congratulations!

Today I'm thankful for a new nephew! John and Jen had their fourth child yesterday and he looks so perfect! I can't wait to see him in person! Welcome to the family Jordan Richard!!

Raspberries!

Today I am grateful for raspberries - and not the kind you eat.

Our day started quite early - with waking Will up at 2:30 a.m. to feed him. At 6:30 we were out of the house to drop the girls off with a friend. I am so grateful for the two friends that helped us today! One watched the girls, the other came to our house ridiculously early to help J get to school. At 7:30 we were at Brenners Children's Hospital. W had a minor birth defect. We have known about the surgery since he was born, but they had to wait so that he was old enough to handle the anesthesia. It is such a blessing that he is such a big boy! I can't help but think it made a difference with his surgery.

Can I just say how much I love Brenners? I don't know if any of you have been there, but we absolutely loved our time there! Everyone was so kind and wanted to make sure that we didn't just understand, but felt comfortable with everything. They were also so considerate of our sweet baby. They didn't just stick him in the crib and wheel him back, the doctor held him and the anesthesiologist took the crib so that it wasn't quite so scary for W. Half way through the procedure, one of the nurses called out to the waiting room and let us know that everything was going well. It was really a great experience, all things considered.

While Matt and I were waiting, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. We have four children, and not one has ever been hospitalized. I am so thankful for the health that my children have enjoyed. We have had seven years of blessings. I am also grateful for capable doctors and the amazing innovations of medicine that make things possible to make our lives easier.

W handled the anesthesia alright, but has been a little sad and groggy. When he was awake, for the most part he was fussy - understandably!!

Just after scriptures, W started laughing. Then he started doing his most favorite thing in the whole world...blowing raspberries. So, today, I'm grateful for raspberries and for the return of my happy baby boy!

Catching Our Shadows

I am grateful for talents and that J is starting to learn to play the piano. This summer, I tried to start teaching him, but it didn't go well, and I told him that if he really wanted to learn to play the piano that he had to want to do it - I couldn't make him do it. So I told him to tell me when he wanted to start learning again. Well, last week he did. (I'm so glad that actually worked - knock on wood!). Today, after working on piano, he said that we still need to catch our shadows. I asked what he meant by that, and he said that I had said that we need to catch up to where we were when we quit (I made him start all over because he had pretty much forgotten everything). He then said that we were so far behind ourselves that we need to "catch our shadows". I thought that was such an interest phrase. I love it.

Yummo

Today I'm thankful for the smell of $0.60/lb turkey roasting in the oven. Yes. I'm cooking turkey a week and a half before Thanksgiving. We're going to a friends' for Thanksgiving and having ham. I just couldn't pass up the sale. They did have $0.40/lb turkeys, but they were sold out when I got there. Oh well. I'm still stoked. Is there anything cozier than the smell of turkey roasting? It's probably a conditioned response. So, I will be sitting in my house with my eyes closed, blocking out the sunny 70 degree weather, pretending that I'm stuck in the blizzard that is hitting Utah and surrounded by the comfort of the holidays.

Say What?

Here are some of my favorite misnomers from my children.

"tomato" = tornado

"bless you" = a sneeze

"smoshmallow" = marshmallow

"maggers" = grandma

What are some of your kids' words for things?

Smoshmallows

So, I'm going to taking a cheap shot, and say that I'm thankful for my kids today. Endless entertainment and joy. They all call marshmallows "smoshmallows".

Goin' Courtin'

Today I'm thankful for dates! Tonight, Matt and I are teaching the "Marriage for Mormons" monthly meeting our ward is doing, so, we got a sitter, and in T-5 minutes and counting we will be off. I'm so excited! (about the date part not the teaching part)

Rain, Rain is falling down

I love rain! Even though it's been raining for days straight, even though it's flooding, I still love it. I just can't get enough of the gentle drumming on the roof and cozy, gray-cotton covered sky. Call me crazy, but I am thankful today for rainy days.

Snap Shots

Today I'm thankful for funny stories that make me feel normal. I love seeing the frustrations of motherhood from someone else's perspective. It helps me to find the humor and the beauty and the joy in all those things that sometimes just plain drive me crazy. I appreciate those things because they help me to take a step back and really see my children as the beautiful and imaginative people they are. Tonight when I was reading the girls a bedtime story, E fell asleep. I looked down at her sleeping and saw this wonderful little person that is usually moving so quickly that I can hardly keep up. I loved being able to sit there for just a moment (M was eager to get things going so a moment was all I had) and forget the power struggles we have been going through and just capture one little snap shot in the middle of the hurricane that is life.

Saweet!!

Today I'm thankful for Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter. For $3.95, I got well balanced lunch and dinner for everyone, and our family home evening treat - and a couple other miscellaneous items. Yay!

Awww.

Today I'm thankful for sweet kids. In J's Thursday packet (where they send home the things they have been doing, announcements, etc) I saw one of Joe's assignments. It had four sections that were supposed to be filled in. One was titled "What makes me happy?" He had drawn a boy and a girl. I asked him to explain it to me, and he said that he was the boy, and M was the girl. He said that M makes him happy. Things that a parent loves to hear.

Make 'Em Laugh

Today I'm thankful for contagious laughter.

Mmmmm

Today I'm thankful for homemade cinnamon raisin bread. This afternoon I'm trying it with freshly ground wheat and oat flours. We'll see how it goes.

Too Many To Narrow It Down

Today I'm thankful for quite a few things. Here are just a few.

Kissably chubby cheeks and thunder thighs

Gum getting stuck three inches from the tip of E's hair rather than by her scalp. Here's her shortened do (Hooray for Halloween)

Free Admission day at the Science Center

This is a picture of the girls running from the life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex that roars when you walk by.

VOTE

Today I'm thankful for the right to vote. I haven't paid much attention in the past to the "little" elections aka the nonpresidential ones, but I am making amends. Even if you haven't informed yourself enough yet, we live in the age of the internet. You can get years of archived news articles etc in one sitting. Be informed. Go vote!!

Thanks, Honey!

Today I'm thankful for a wonderful, supportive husband who is willing to drop everything when I need him. I'm thankful to be married to someone who doesn't make me feel stupid or silly even when I'm doing something that may well be stupid and silly. This may sound cryptic, but well, what can I say. Thank you, Matt.

November

Today, I am thankful for electricity and clean clothing. When we got home from church, the power was off. We looked in the cupboard and fridge and realized the only thing we had on hand that didn't require electricity was peanut butter sandwiches. Luckily the power came back on about an hour after we got home. I'm also grateful for clean clothes. Our washing machine broke, and we had so much laundry that there was no possible way we could wait for the repairman, so off we went to the laundromat. That was quite the adventure. But, now we have clean clothes!!