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!

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!

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!

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."

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