My Gratitude List 2009

1. A warm shower - I would struggle so much in those countries where there is no hot water. I do not like cold water at all.
2. Our new dog - We have had so much fun with him, with a few moments of craziness. He graduated from Puppy school yesterday. Now I just need to apply everthing we learned. It is amazing how attached you get to the little guys even when you try not to.
3. Good Food - Don't you just get so excited thinking about all the good food we get to eat this week? I love all of it from the meat to the salads to dessert!
4. Wonderful Presidency - I'm just sitting here with my normal after-church headache and thinking how lucky I am to work with the ladies I do. They make it all so much easier. It would be a migrane if it wasn't for them.
5. Extended family - I love having a lot of our family close. It is nice to have their support and friendship.
6. Technology - Doesn't it make our life easier. I love being able to make a phone call, get info from the internet, or have a machine wash my laundry. I really don't think I would have survived 100 years ago.
7. Christmas - We started a little bit of shopping yesterday and I love this holiday. I love the anticipation of it, the feeling of it, watching the kids excitement, and of course what we are celebrating. The only downfall is trying to figure out those few gifts that are the hard ones to think of.
8. Being a member of the church. When I think about how much my life is geared around the church, I think I would be so lost without it. It gives me answers to my every question and comfort in all my trials. Having a testimony truly is a blessing.
9. Having no schedule this week. Don't you just love those weeks when you can stop from all the things you usually have to be to in your normal routine and get to do what you want. I am looking forward to this week.
10. My warm home, especially on a cold day. I love being home. I love those days when I don't have to go anywhere and I just get to spend the whole day in my home. We are so blessed to have such nice homes.
11. Last but most important - My husband and Kids. I love how comfortable we are with one another. They are the people I love to be with each day. Each day is a new adventure and I'm glad to be sharing life with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Will they recognize me?

Hannah has been wanting her hair cut for a couple of months now. I finally decided it would be a good time to do it. Heath and I were a little attached to her long beautiful hair so it was hard to let it go. Aunt Jen graciously gave Hannah a haircut this weekend. It was a big moment but it turned out so cute. We love it on her. Hannah is now worried that where ever she goes people will not recognize her. She has been very nervous about the whole situation. It has been fun to watch her receive lots of attention.

Another great quote from Hayden - Ms. Joy called from pre-school the other day laughing. Hayden had very seriously told the boy next to him, "Hey that scribbling will not get you to college". Oh my know it all son, if he looked down at his own paper he was probably scribbling himself.

October

Hannah the Kitty and Hayden as Batman

This week went by with lots of Halloween fun. It isn't my favorite holiday but the kids get really excited about everything so it draws you in a little. I do love seeing the kids dressed up. They are so cute in their costumes and it is fun to spend extra time with family.

Between school parties, carving pumpkins at Grandma's, church party, decorating cookies at the Beck's, cousin party, visiting Grandma and Grandpa's and trick or treating I think we celebrated it plenty. Now we can look forward to our favorite holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Are we adjusting to the dog? I have to admit we have had days when I have thought What have we done! For the most part, it has been fun. We are getting him so he is mostly trained, but he is still a puppy who is excited a lot. The kids are having a great time with him though. Thank goodness for puppy school to help us know how to deal with everything.

A New face at our house

Meet Harley, the newest member at our house. Cody decided it would be better if we took the dog to live here permanently. We had fallen in love with him so we thought it would be a good time to take the plunge into pet ownership. We are now the owners of a Shih Tzu/poodle mix named Harley. He really is a cute little thing and has been fun to have around. The kids are having a great time playing and snuggling with him. I do understand now what people say about how much time they take to train. We are making it through the training process and overall it has been really fun. All you dog owners, any tips of things I should do right from the start?

Oh, Boy!

So I walked in from outside to find the brownies I made for a party tonight had been nicely decorated by my children with kabobs. Do you love their artwork? The way the day is going I am to tired to even get upset about it. I guess the chocolate sauce I am going to put on it will just seep into all those holes. Oh, you got to love your children.