More Thanks

Since I was away for the weekend, I have not posted things I am thankful for the past couple of days so today will be a mega post of sorts!

1. I am thankful for my freezer meal group! We each make one recipe and freeze enough meals to distribute them to each member of our group. We meet once a month and switch! I can't tell you how much stress this relieves on busy days. I just chose something the night before (if I remember) and put it in the fridge. Then bake it for dinner. If I forget, I just double the cook time. Between this and my crockpot, my life is SO much simplier! It's also fun to try other people's recipes!

2. I am thankful for quick get-aways. We were able to go to Bear Lake this weekend and it reminded me of how important it is to just check out and recharge. Even a quick overnight trip 2 hours away can feel like a vacation!

3. I am thankful for my church calling! (I wasn't when I got it!) It has helping me to grow and have a greater capacity to love. I have also learned to delegate better. (This has NEVER been my strong point!) I LOVE the women I serve with and ALL the children we serve.

4. I am thankful for books. I love to read. I love the face that I can learn about cool new things or escape into the lives of others with a book! My ability to read these great books is a gift I am very thankful for.

5. I am thankful for my new van. Winning this van has been a blessing beyond measure! I am having SO much fun with it. It is great to be able to feel safe driving a few hours away, and knowing I can afford to pay for the gas!

6. I am thankful for naps. Mainly for the twins, but for me too! They are few and far between, making a nap a sacred thing!

7. I am thankful for modern plumbing. Firstly because I am lazy and don't like being cold! The very thought of running outside in the cold to use an outhouse makes me quiver! Secondly, because Jon is a plumber and this modern blessing creates more work for him. This blessing allows me to be at home with our children!

8. I am thankful for music. From church hymns that invite the spirit to some good solid rock, there's nothing like music to change the tone of what you are doing! Housework gets done so much faster when I'm rocking out, and it seems a lot more fun too! If it's a Sunday morning and the kids are fighting, I pop in a primary CD, and presto, no more fighting! Music...it's a good thing!

9. I am thankful for my computer! This modern machine has made life SO easy! I can look up anything from a recipe to pictures of my friends in seconds! I LOVE IT!

The spirit of Thanksgiving

I received inspiration from a great source (Shanna (sp?) the CEO of tater--tots) to post 3 things for which I am Thankful each day between now and Thanksgiving day. So here it goes....

1- I am SO Thankful to have an amazing husband and 7 healthy children. I know, it's so cliche' but seriously, I know some who have never found that one special person to share their life with, and others struggling to have children they want so badly. Both of these blessings have come to me almost effortlessly. For this I am eternally thankful!

2- I am Thankful to have always known that I am loved. I over heard a woman talking to her friend in line at the grocery store awhile back. She was saying that she wasn't sure if she had ever really been loved by anyone. Her parents had abused her, foster care families, and so on and so on. It really made me think. There has never been a time in my life that I didn't know for certain that I was/am loved. I grew up surrounded by a doting family, a mother who made me the center of her universe, and friends everywhere. I married my very best friend who is constantly reminding me of his love and devotion. I also have the unconditional love (at times lol) of my children. I have been blessed with great friends and so on and so on. Most importantly, I know that my Heavenly Father loves me.

3- I am Thankful for the gift of friendship. I have been blessed with amazing and wonderful friends who have changed my life for the better. From the tried and true forever since forever like Toni and Lauren, to newer friends who have each already left an imprint on my heart. (Gail, Janae, Janet, Deborah, Julie, and oh so many more!) For calling my mom and mother in law friends, as well as my daughters. What a gift!

NOW IT"S YOUR TURN! WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Twilight

I was fortunate to have seen Twilight at 12:05AM with a group of incredibly fun women. Lisa Meadors you rock! Thanks for including me! Although no movie is ever as good as the book, I really enjoyed this movie and was surprised at how quickly it seemed to have ended. It felt like 15 minutes rather than the better part of 2 hours! At the conclusion, we all agreed that all four books could have been made into one really long film, and we would have stayed for it all! If you are a fan of the Twilight series head to a theater near you to catch a good show. If you havn't read the books yet I think you still should! Off to bed now (It's 3:07AM) to dream about my Edward! (Thankfully I'm married to him!)

Happy Anniversary

Today is our wedding anniversary. Having been together for more than half of our lives, it is hard to imagine a time when we have not been together. Most people told us that high school sweethearts never make it, and yet, here we are still going strong. What a gift to find joy in the journey walking beside your very best friend. I feel the need to express my gratitude to Jon for putting up with me for all these years. He still makes me swoon. I have decided that the love and support of your spouse is a special gift to never be taken for granted and always fostered. Here's to even more dates and anniversaries to celebrate!

The Children's Museum

We went to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum in downtown Salt Lake yesterday. It was really fun to explore everything with our friends Paisley, Reagan, and River.
(And their mom's too!)

Kloe exploring the real helicopter!

Jacob checked out the helicopter from a distance. (It made loud noises!)

Jacob liked driving!

There is a construction area with kid-sized cranes! (Jacob wanted to stay here!)

Kloe and Paisley like the horse!

Jacob and River liked this car. It even had a real gas pump next to it!

This was Jacob's favorite! He even kept his foot in it while he played with other things so no other kid could take it! It was funny seeing him drive in the "grocery store" in a police car, and wearing a fire helmet!

Both the twins LOVED building things upstairs in the design center!

Hello SNOW!!!!

Today we woke up to SNOW!
The view from out front door across the street!

The street in front of our house!
Yesterday this was a blooming rose bush in our front yard! Today, it's a snow shrub!

Happy Halloween

Today was a FULL day! Jonah and Kayleigh had costume parades and class parties at school and came home to our own Halloween party. We had several friends over and played a variety of games. Bobbing for apples was a new concept for several of the kids. I had to demonstrate! We ran relay races, wrapped each other up like a mummies, and even ate doughnuts from a string. It was great. After we sent everyone home, we had a quick dinner and headed out for some sweet loot! Jacob LOVED trick-or-treating more than anyone! Kloe had fun, but she got tired. Our costume parade this year was as follows: Kloe- bunny, Jacob- tiger, Kayleigh- witch, Jonah- Jedi, Kaitlin- flower child, Jared- black ninja, dad- soccer player, and mom- gypsy.

Kaitlin as a flower child!

Kloe and our friend Cecilia
Peace man!
Jonah as a Star Wars Jedi
Kayleigh, the good witch!
Yes, she knows she's cute!
Little bunny Kloe
Jacob the tiger
Our front door this year!
Zack and Caleb Chorn looked great!
Racing to be the first one done without it dropping is harder than you think!
Not a very lady-like way to eat!
Sister Cooper is good at this game!
This was the kids favorite game!
Eating a doughnut without dropping it is hard!
Doughnuts on a string were fun to eat!
The mummy game was a big hit! Travis and Mason did great!
I can bob for apples too!
Our happy guests
River going for an apple