The Big One

Yay for Thanksgiving! Yay for everything we have to be grateful for!

So I started this post on Wednesday, and I've been so busy enjoying my blessings that I never finished it. So I will skip the long, long list, and just mention briefly my biggest blessing so that I can promptly get back to being with them.

Adam. I'm grateful he's sitting up now. He hated lying down! My arms & back are appreciating the break. I'm grateful we're one tooth down (two now! See what happens in two days?)--cutting teeth stinks. What a sweet little boy. He loves being a part of everything, and always wants to be in on the action. I love his little froggy voice. I love the way he watches his brother. I love his ear-to-ear grin.

Isaac. Hooray for potty training! I so dreaded it, but the Bug is a champ! I am super impressed with him, and I'm glad we waited awhile to start. Isaac is my little energizer bunny. He's always causing mischief, but not because he's naughty; he's just curious. He says the funniest things, and he's always making me laugh. He asks me 'how was your run?' And tells me to 'be careful' when I "jump" in the shower. He says "Cute, Mom!" When I get ready for church. He has an incredible memory.

Ed. What a blessing in my life to be married to such a rock. He is the perfect antithesis to all of my weaknesses. He is so willing to help me and support me and love me. He doesn't roll his eyes when I say I want to work on a certain aspect of our marriage; he is on board. He wants our relationship to be strong, and he is willing to work for it. He is my better three-quarters. I hope that I can progress to the point someday that I can be the strength to him that he is to me.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for God and His plan for all of us. All of my blessings descend from this one. When I really open my eyes and realize how much aid I receive from heaven on a daily basis, it is difficult to comprehend. I will never be grateful enough.

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

SBB

Gobble Gobble

Today I'm grateful for:

Good friends. Taking the Bug to play at someone else's house for a morning is like eating a Fenton's black & tan sundae. No, wait, it's better.

Batman (This would be Adam--don't ask me where I got that nickname) taking a two-hour nap because big brother wasn't home to cut it short.

A happy, smiley baby who just woke up from a two-hour nap.

Craft time with the Bug. I'm not the cool, fun, involved mom I envisioned myself to be at 16. I'm working on it, though. Who knows--maybe if I dabble in 'cool mom-ness' enough, I'll earn the title one day.

The temple.

Free Agency.

The Mr. And the dishes he washed last night.

Okay, now it's your turn!

What are you thankful for?


I want your thankfuls on my tree.


SBB

Moments

Today I am grateful for

A Moment


(August 2011)

A moment when I chose to slow down and forget the to-do list

A moment of sitting on the floor with my boy and really seeing him.

It is so easy for me to forget what a special boy I have. Nothing is more important--there is no task to accomplish that could overshadow the value of a drop of time and attention in the bucket that becomes him.

This is my boy. And for all the little things that put me at my wit's end, there is love and laughter and sweetness ten times more if I will just see it.


SBB

I am thankful for



My Thankful Tree

I have decided to go back through the year and put all of my 'Thankful Thursday' blessings on this year's tree. It has been a great opportunity to look back and remember all that I have been grateful for. It seems like so much has happened this year. It has gone so quickly and yet, when I look back on my blog posts from last fall, it seems like so long ago. Life was different with only one child. It is so much fuller and richer now. I have felt grateful all over again as I realize my many, many blessings.


I noticed that certain 'blessings' repeated themselves often. Good thing you can be grateful for things more than once :)

Here are some that showed up quite a bit:

This one

and this one

I'm also grateful for fall and all of the holidays and activities that come with it, The Mr's job (a year this week--I can't believe it!), and a great week full of good days

SBB

P.S. Are you getting your water down? If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my Monday post. I'm doing a health challenge and I want YOU to do it with me.

Tell me how you're suppose to discipline with a straight face when your kid turns around and he's got a mustache drawn on his face.

The funny thing is, this was all done under "adult supervision". I'll give you two guesses as to which adult was supervising.
And a clue: it wasn't me.

Giving a 'thumbs up'. You'll notice those aren't his thumbs.

Cleanup

It's been an interesting week. I'm starting to think that the baby blues are a little more than the baby blues. I have found several ways to fight it, or at least get a little reprieve, and those are the things I am grateful for:

Music. Oldies especially, or anything clean and upbeat. Uplifting works to.

A project. I started on a crochet project that has kept me busy off and on. At least it keeps me from pulling my hair while I am sitting. I like to crochet and listen to conference talks.


Listening to conference talks.

Forgetting about the housework I don't feel like doing, and just being with the boys.

Getting outside/the sun.

Getting exercise.

Being around other people.

NOT going to Walmart :)

I'm also grateful that it comes and goes. I woke up from a nap this afternoon with a burst of energy, and was finally able to create some semblance of order out of my wreck-of-a-house.

This is how most of my house has looked for most of t he last two weeks. Let's be honest; this is a cleaner portion of the house. Much cleaner. Thank you, Isaac, for documenting. Thank you, also, for the 79 pictures you took with your fingers in front of the camera lens.

No worries, though. It could be a lot worse, there are still good days, and I can still count my blessings. I'm grateful for a supportive husband who works hard to help out. We're just keepin' it real. Next week I'll show you my Thankful Tree. It's coming along!

SBB

A Week's Worth

Today I am grateful for an awesome long weekend.

I've been fighting off some baby/cold weather/daily grind blues lately, and it was just what I needed.

Saturday morning the boys and I got to watch Ed do a triathlon. He did great! Second place in his age group, fourth place for the men, and fifth place overall. We were so proud! His brother raced, too, and did awesome! Later that day we went to a family birthday party, and topped the night off with a BYU win. It was a good day at the P. household.


I'm thankful for an ambitious and fit husband and for family.
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Church was particularly uplifting on Sunday, there was a great turnout for choir, and we had delicious stew with our upstairs neighbor-friends.

I'm thankful for the Gospel, people who sustain me in my calling, good food that I don't have to prepare, and friends.
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Monday the Mr. took a day off work and we all played. It was wonderful. He let me sleep in, and we had omelets for breakfast. We took the Bug to a little kid center called Jungle Jim's with a playground and a bunch of rides. It was great because 1. He could ride the rides as often as he wanted. 2. Parents were free, and they let us ride all the rides with him. 3. The employees were super nice and accommodating. 4. It was fun to let him dictate his own activities for once. I feel like I'm always telling him what not to do, and cutting off his play time. There weren't even any screaming fits when we had to leave.

"Momma, you ride Maximus"

"I gonna get you"

It was nice to fall in love with my kid again. Does that sound weird? Some days I forget to slow down and enjoy him, and he is such a fun, sweet, amazing little person.





I'm grateful for rest and relaxation, a happy Bug, cheap, family-friendly entertainment, and especially for a husband who is considerate and mindful of my needs.

Happy living!

SBB

Fall is in the air! I celebrated today by wearing a scarf and long sleeves, putting the Bug in a sweater, and making soup.

I love this picture.

This week I am thankful for:

Adam's happy screeches.

The Bug. That kid is killing me. He's got more personality than any one person should be allowed. It seems like he has grown up a ton just in the last week.


Repentance.

Cooler days that are still warm and sunny.

General Conference. It didn't disappoint--now I have to go back and re-read all the talks fifteen times.

Fall. I think I love Fall. I'm just always so preoccupied with winter's looming imminence that I forget to enjoy it. Seriously, how is it October? Didn't Christmas just happen?

Our umbrella stroller. So, crazy story: two weeks ago I accidentally left a stroller outside a friend's apartment a few blocks away. I didn't even remember until a few days later. I called my friend, but she hadn't seen it. I walked the grounds of the apartment complex and it was gone. I was disappointed, but it's just a stroller--there are worse things to lose. Today I was walking home from another friend's house, and saw a stroller that looked an awful lot like the one I had lost. The owners of the house were outside, and I asked them about it. They didn't speak english, but their son interpreted (I don't know how to say stroller in spanish), and one of the ladies walked over, picked up the stroller, and handed it to me. I could not believe we had found it, especially nowhere near where it had been lost! So I'm really not so grateful for my stroller as I am for answers to prayer. I feel like I list that one a lot, but I am. In the scheme of things it wasn't a big deal--we had the money to replace it, and it wasn't very expensive to begin with. We had other strollers we could use. That's what is so cool to me. It may sound silly, but I know that I was led to find the stroller; it wasn't just dumb luck. It's a testimony to me that God cares about us--big things and little, too.

So we're coming up on Thanksgiving, which usually means I bring out the old Thankful Tree. I'm not exactly feeling the urge to drive down to Payson, pull it out of storage, smash it into my car, and find a place for it here. But believe me, we WILL have a thankful tree. So start feeling grateful. Any comments left about what you're thankful for will go on the tree and I'll send you a dollar for your contribution.

Okay, that last part isn't true. Come on, people! It's a thankful tree, not a money tree! Isn't being grateful enough?

SBB

Grateful to be

Another year older















Growing up, my friend's mom would never own up to her age. She just kept turning 18 every year. I asked her once what was so shameful about getting old, and she told me that we live in a society that values youth and beauty. It's sad that she's right, especially since most of us spend so little of our lives in both categories simultaneously. At least according the the world's standards. The Mr. tells me that I just keep getting prettier and prettier. You know what the funny thing is? I think he actually believes it.

When people talk about being in the 'prime of your life', they generally refer to somewhere between the late teens and early thirties. I say it would be a pretty sad thing if that were true! Physically? Maybe. Mentally? Probably. But where it really counts? Not even close, I sure hope. In my little world, life just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Life is harder now than it use to be, it's true. I have more responsibility, less time, and I feel like I can never get ahead in some regards. But I am happier than ever, at a deeper level than I use to be.

The more I come to truly know myself, the more I come to know others and feel real love for them, the more alive I feel. The longer I live, the more I learn; the more bonds I create with others. If a husband and two children bring me this much joy, how much happier will I be when I have four children? Six? Fourteen?...Okay, I'm kidding about that last one. The day that I become a grandma, I expect to feel like the luckiest person in the world.

The rest of my life is filled with opportunities to love. I hope that when I am 80 I can say that I am in the prime of my life. Until I'm 81, at least, and I realize what I've been missing.

Today I am 28, and I choose to wear it like a badge of honor. Until I can trade it in for an upgrade next year.


28 Reasons I'm grateful to be Alive

1. Isaac. What would my life be like without that little rascal? Calmer, that is for sure; cleaner, I think. Less stressful, maybe. A lot more boring for sure. A lot less fun and full of joy and laughter. Man I love that kid.

2. Adam. We are sure thrilled that he's a part of our family. What a sweet little boy!

3. Edward. I couldn't ask for a better husband. Really.

4. Family. It has been really fun to be so close to so many family members.

5. Financial Security. I think I will always be stressed out about money--even when we're billionaires. But in all reality we have been immensely blessed to have all of our needs met.

6. Friends. We are loving our new neighborhood and ward. So many people have reached out to us, and I'm actually having fun here.

7. As of the 14th, I have accomplished my 6 months without chocolate goal. Go me, I say. Thank you Ed, I say. It is a giant of a man indeed who will commit to such madness for the love of his wife.

8. Exercise. So much cheaper than anti-depressants. So much more enjoyable than dieting.

9. The most AMAZING news that my dear old friend Delbert has decided to come back to church after probably 50 years away.

10. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

11. Horseback riding.

12. Volleyball.

13. General Conference is coming up again.

14. Hand-me-downs.

15. My Mom. I'm not kidding--if you want to paint a bright spot on your soul, go spend some time with her. I've never met someone so selfless and caring. And it's okay--you can call her Mom, too. You wouldn't be the first.

16. Women.

17. Priesthood blessings.

18. The fact that kids take naps.

19. Cilantro

20. The beauty of nature. Seriously, think about it. Why did God put flowers on the earth? Do they serve any purpose besides just being lovely and lifting the spirits? That was awfully nice of Him to do.

21. Cool bed sheets.

22. The written word.

23. Good days when I can stay happy even if things go wrong.

24. Music. Ah, music is a wonderful thing.

25. Melted cheese. Oh, yeah.

26. Thunder storms.

27. Animals.

28. Eternal life.

Some things I am looking forward to accomplishing this year:

Go on a cruise

Can peaches, pears, and applesauce

Run a half marathon

Do a triathlon

Potty train the Bug (yikes!)

Sing in church

Sew a cute dress

Do 8 pull-ups in a row

Horseback ride

Meet our goals for paying down our mortgage

It's a secret...

Grow my hair out (pretty sure I'm always doing this one)

Love your life!

SBB

This Morning

Today I am grateful for healthy, happy, rested kids
(As opposed to the sick, grumpy, sleep-deprived ones I had a few days ago)
I'm so glad they're back!

And...

A two-year-old nudey-pot running around the house kicking a bouncy ball and yelling:

OoooH!

Holy Moly!

Holy Mackerel!

Oh, yes!

...He even threw in an 'I'm on fire!'

I didn't even realize he knew half of these phrases. It made for a happy start to the morning, even though he had just wizzed on the carpet.


SBB

Still Thankful

Poor little guy. I'd be traumatized too, if I saw something like that.

I am sitting in the dark while the Bug watches the Aristocats for the second time today. But don't worry, I'm a good mother. We took a break and watched Toy Story in between.

He's got some funky virus that started with a rash on his feet and crawled up his body. We visited the Instacare and then, per instructions, he and the Mr. took a trip to Primary Children's at about 3:30 last night when his fever spiked. Never fear, nothing that a little couch time won't fix.

So I'm thankful that he's okay and it's nothing serious. We were worried he had been bitten by a tick on our campout last weekend.

Which leads me to the next think I'm grateful for: time away. We had a fabulous two days camping up AF Canyon. We got a good long hike in (I'm not sure the Mr.'s shoulders have recovered yet from hauling the Bug up 7 miles of mountain), and even convinced some family to come visit one evening. It was nice to be away from everyday life for a minute.



I'm thankful for having running water and a kitchen sink. Ours is clogged at the moment, and after attempting to can peaches and make dinner with six inches of someone else's chicken soup in my sink, I have gained a new appreciation for pioneer women who had to go 'fetch' their water. Holy cow--dishes would be such a chore! Especially in the winter.

I'm grateful for the Bug in general. He has taken to photography lately. We think he's got a real talent for it.

Higher

Higher

Still a little higher, Buddy

There we go! If the camera won't come to you, come to the camera

Hope you're enjoying the tail end of summer!

SBB

Good Stuff

Thankful for:

Good friends and blessings from Heaven (in other words, a $50 blessing outfit that I'm borrowing instead of having to buy).

Good days and answers to prayer (a feeling that I can actually handle life. Friends who invite the Bug over for a morning. A day without raising my voice or getting frustrated).

Improvement and progression (I'm getting faster again. Running, that is--I'm afraid that mentally there is no hope).

Good times and the ability to adapt (ie., a grown man, a toddler, and a baby taking a "bath" at the bottom of a not-at-all-spacious shower. Sorry, no pictures for this one).

A sweet big brother who takes care of his 'yiddo brudder Amum'.

I couldn't find the Bug anywhere yesterday. I should have known where to look first. "A heppin' Amum, Mom!" He had lost his pacifier.


"Amum need a drink"


"Here, Amum. Pyay dis"

This face.

SBB