Sunday, November 29, 2009

my cup runneth over...

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend full of company and fun! I love this holiday for many reasons but the most important being that it makes me ponder on all of the wonderful blessings that life has blessed me with! I think this past week I have even been thankful for the things that aren't so predictable.
I am thankful for homework because it means that my child is getting a good education. I am thankful for dishes because it means we were able to eat a meal as a family. I am thankful for laundry because it means that we have an abundance of clothes to keep us warm. I am thankful for water spots in the shower because it means we have clean, warm, running water. I am thankful for the burnt out lightbulb in our chandelier because I don't know how we'd survive without electricity. I am thankful for a crowded refrigerator and pantry because it means we wont go hungry. I am thankful for toys all over the floor because it means my kids had a fun day of playing together. I am thankful that my car needs gas because it means that we have reliable transportation to get us where we need to go.
But most of all I am thankful for my beautiful family and the tight bond that we have. I am thankful that we are healthy. I am thankful for my husband's job and that he is such a hard worker. I am thankful for my extended family that lives all over the world from California, to Japan, to Illinois, to Australia and spotted all the way in between. I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I get to teach the primary children music every week. I am thankful for their innocence and purity. I am definitely thankful for my own kids and for the fact that they alone have taught me more about love and life than I would have ever learned in any classroom at any school. I am thankful that I get to be their mom. I love the LOVE that we share as a family.
I hope we can continue the gratitude we feel this time of year throughout the upcoming year! Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you all!
Posted by Picasa
We spent the day at my Nana's house and we had family in town from Utah and Coeurd'Alene. It was great to spend the day together; cooking, laughing, chatting, and plotting our Black Friday shopping plans!


Posted by Picasa
The next night we had a super slumber party for all the 6 and 7 year old cousins! My cousin Steven turns 6 on Wednesday but his mom is going in for another round of Chemotherapy, so we decided it was a perfect time to get the cousins together for an impromptu party! We played lots of fun games, watched some movies and it turned out to be a late night and an early morning. I'm still trying to recover from my lack of sleep from the weekend, 8 kids hyped up on sugar....I should have known better! Happy Birthday cute Steven! We love you!


Posted by Picasa
My Great-Grandma (who passed away this year) has a huge butte right in her back yard and it has been something we have hiked up since I was little. A tradition of sorts! We all trekked up the butte to work off a few of those T-Day calories! The best part about this hike is that on the other side of the butte there is a thing called 'Devil's slide' which is a steep gravel slide that you slide down! I love spending time in the beautiful outdoors! We were telling KJ that this was Pops' backyard as a kid and he looked at me and said, "ugh....that's no fair."

(click on any collage to view larger)

Monday, November 23, 2009

I love him....



A BIG Happy Birthday to the 'man' of the house! We had a great weekend even though my weekend birthday plans for him had to be changed at the last minute. We were originally supposed to be going to Salt Lake for a concert, but it was rescheduled until February....so, we just 'winged it' but still had a full and busy weekend.
Brief summary: 'Blind Side' movie, foot rubs, dinner, Duck game (exciting win!), dessert, bacon and oatmeal, PF Changs lunch, Christmas shopping, candles, presents and lots of 'Dan and I' time, thanks to my sister and my parents for all their BBSitting!
We just want Dan to know how much we truly appreciate him and all the things he continually does for our family to make sure we are taken care of, happy, and loved! He's an amazing husband and father and we are grateful that he is ours forever! We just love him more and more everyday! Happy Birthday Dan!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Saturdays...

Last night when I was putting Keaton to bed he said,
"Saturday is my favorite day of the week."
After I asked him why he said,
"Because on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I have to get up so early and on Saturday I get to sleep in and finish my dreams!"
So, this morning I asked him if he got to finish his dream and he had a big grin and said, "YES!"

How cute is he?!
Sweet Dreams!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, I just thought I'd write a few things that I'm thankful for this week! Nothing huge or monumental, but it's the little things in life that I tend to take for granted.

*Today I worked in Keaton's classroom and his class says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE! I know this sounds crazy, but last year his class didn't say the pledge :( It was great to see all 20 kids stand up, put their hands over their hearts, say the pledge with vigor and show pride for our great country! It was a great way for me to start the week!*

*I have a girl....and she loves Ballet!*
Posted by Picasa

*That our family loves to play together (and that it's still warm enough to play tennis in November)!*
*That my kids can stay entertained for hours throwing rocks in the water*
Posted by Picasa

*That my kids still love getting kissed by mom. It'll be a sad day when they no longer want kisses.*

*That our family Christmas pictures are done. I dread them every year. I can't wait to see how they turned out....stay tuned!*

* That we are blessed to have such an amazing Grandma! Happy Birthday Grandma Howard!! We love you!*

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

What'll they think of next?

Does this bring back memories of when you were a kid? Who didn't like to slide down the stairs!?!



Posted by Picasa
And yes, I had to try it for myself too!! It was fun!


Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween....

Our Lil' Superheroes!

We had a fabulous Halloween!! We were all healthy and happy with tummy's full of mini candy bars!
On Friday night we went to a friends' house for a Spooky Halloween party and had a great time meeting some new families since we are still kind of the 'new' family in the area.
Posted by Picasa

Then on Halloween morning KJ and Dan both participated in the Great Pumpkin Race, a 5k race. KJ hasn't ever run that far, but he did AWESOME!! They crossed the finish line together after 30 minutes and 19 seconds! Pretty good for his first round! We were all so proud of him!
Posted by Picasa

And then the real fun began, we put on costumes and headed over to my parents' neighborhood for some chili, cider and to do some trick-or-treating! I loved watching my lil' Superheroes run door to door with so much excitement on their faces! Last night made up for all those missed desserts over the past few months! Why is it so hard to say no to a mini candy-bar??
Hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween as well!

Posted by Picasa