Count your many blessings #7

The simple words of a primary song take me to my gratitude post for the day. "I have a family here on earth. They are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity." As this week of Thanksgiving comes to an end and we head back into our daily routines, I want to reflect on the week. The kids were out of school all week and Chris has been off work for most of the week as well. We've played games, eaten yummy food, shopped a little, but the one thing that I've loved the most about this week is that we have been together.

So, today I am thankful for Temples and the knowledge that we will continue to be together, FOREVER! I have truly been blessed with a wonderful life and I'm happy I took this week to reflect and share just a few of the things I am thankful for. The list can go on and on. Some of the things are silly, some are serious and I don't even think I could begin to "name them one by one" There are far too many things I've been blessed with.

Count your many blessings #6

This afternoon as we sat down for lunch we found, as we often do living in a house with 6 kids, some unwanted writing on the walls. Okay so it wasn't on the wall, but on one of the cupboards. Of course, none of the kids would admit to the 'wall art' but I'm pretty sure I can rule out Lindsay, Makenna and Emily. This new found 'wall art' brings me to today's gratitude post.


Today, I am thankful for~ These lovely products can remove just about anything, like this drawing on the wall!!

I am grateful that my kids enjoy drawing, coloring and doodling, I just wish they would do it on paper only!

Count your many blessings #5

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am watching my family play board games in the living room as we wait for the turkey to be done, and I have to say I am over whelmed with the love that I feel for each one of them. Each of them bring something special and unique to our family and for that I am truly thankful.
Today, I am thankful for my FAMILY

I am grateful to have such an amazing man in my life. One who works hard, one that is such a fantastic dad, one who respects and supports me, who is my best friend, and one who loves and serves his Heavenly Father.

Each of the kids are special and unique in their own ways. They each work hard in school, work hard to develop their talents and they each can make me laugh like nothing else. It always makes me happy when other people tell me what good kids I have.

I am thankful that my family are my best friends. As we sit together this Thanksgiving to eat and enjoy each others company, I know that I have been extremely blessed. There is nowhere I would rather be than here with each of them. Happy Thanksgiving.

Count your many blessings #4

"The weather outside is frightful...." so today,

I am thankful for a warm house

This is a picture taken yesterday of my back porch. I could barely open the sliding glass door before snow started falling into the house. (that's Bella's little face looking out and the dark object above the snow drift is our BBQ grill)

Everyone who knows me, knows that I hate the snow. I am definitely not ready for the cold winter ahead. Today we've seen a high of 8 degrees, I am so thankful to have a warm home to hide away from the frigid weather outside.

Count your many blessings #3

"And I've often wondered, how did it all start? Who found out that nothing can capture a heart like a melody can? Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan.... So I say, thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing. Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what would life be without a song?..........." (ABBA)
This song sums up my feelings on today's post of thanks.

Today, I am SO THANKFUL for MUSIC! I have loved music for as long as I can remember. I used to spend hours as a teenager listening to music and I haven't out grown that. It's on in my home, it's on in my car and it's the first thing I hear every morning as my alarm goes off in the morning to the radio. It really doesn't matter the type, I love all music (okay not the trashy heavy metal stuff). Music has the ability to change my mood from sad to happy, from drab to excited, and music also helps me to feel the spirit through hymns.

I have to admit I'm feeling pretty giddy just making this post. I'm grateful that my girls are learning to play the piano, I love hearing them play and I'm glad that they have almost the same amount of love for music as I do.
Again, I say "thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing. Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what would life be without a song?"

Count your many blessings #2

Knowing that today is a BIG laundry day in my home, I am grateful that I live in a day of modern technology.

Today, I am thankful for my washer and dryer. By the end of this day, I will have washed and dried 5 different loads of laundry. I can't imagine having to scrub each individual piece of clothing on a wash board as they did in the olden days. Yes, today I'm definitely thankful for this wonderful invention!

Count your many blessings #1

'Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.' Before this month of Thanksgiving slips past me and I am rushed into the excitement of Christmas, I need to focus on showing more gratitude. For this week of Thanksgiving, I will post each day, something I am grateful for in my life, blog style.
Since today is Sunday, I wanted to start with my gratitude for the gospel. I am so lucky to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the truth that I am a daughter of God, the He knows and loves me, that families are forever and I'm so grateful for the Savior's sacrifice for me. I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know these things, they've just always been truth for me. I didn't have a big "moment" that "hit" me and told me that they were true as some do. Yep, I'm one lucky girl!
I love that we as a family have been getting up each morning before the sun and have the opportunity to read together from the scriptures to help us strengthen our testimonies of the gospel. I am grateful for the Savior and His atoning sacrifice for me, which makes it possible for me to be able to repent and be forgiven that one day I will be able to live in His presence with my family, FOREVER! I am grateful to be able to serve Him in my ward as a primary chorister, humanitarian specialist and as a visiting teacher. I have come to love being able to share the gospel to the children in primary through music, helping serve those in the community where I find a need and I have come to love the sisters that welcome me into their homes each month and am happy that I can call them friends.
There is so much that being grateful for the gospel encompasses and these things are but a few, but I am truly thankful to 'Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.'

Sadie Hawkins

This past Saturday evening was the girls choice, Sadie Hawkins, dance. Lindsay asked one of her great friends Colter Lowry. The theme for the dance was "Mario Party." She was in a group with 5 other couples and all of the shirts they had made were the same except each couple had a different color. The shirts have a picture of "birdo"(girls) or "yoshi"(boys) with the words, "partying with....." and then their dates name on the back. They went to eat dinner at one of the girls homes, went to a concert and then to the dance. After the dance they went back to another of the girls' homes for ice cream sundaes. Here is the only picture I have of Lindsay and Colter, thanks to Colter's mom. They had a great time, the only thing I regret is not getting any pictures. Since it was girls choice, Lindsay had to pick Colter up. I offered to go to the house where they were having dinner to get a few of the group but Lindsay said, "no thanks!" Now, there are no pictures because none of the kids took any. One day she will feel bad about not letting me come take any. (A mom can dream, right?)

Emily's 'new' eyes

Back in September, I took Emily to see Dr. Kohler (one of the doctors I work for) and he informed me that she did indeed need vision correction. We left the office with contacts and I taught her how to put them and take them out at home. She did great!! A couple of weeks later, I had Chris bring her into the office so we could pick out a pair of glasses to use as a back-up for the contacts.
Here she is in her new glasses......... so cute! She wears the contacts during the day but does put her glasses on at night when she takes the contacts out and in the morning first thing for scripture reading. She was excited to get a pair especially since she had known with the contacts what it was like to see clearly. It had been bugging her to see things fuzzy again when the contacts were out.

Trick or Treat

I am a little late is posting my Halloween pictures and there aren't very many. We had to get the kids dressed up 3 times this year. Our ward had a 'trunk or treat' the Tuesday before, the school 'spooktacular' was on Thursday and then trick or treating on Saturday. I forgot my camera at the first two events. My friend Brook managed to see two of my girls at the school and snapped this picture for me.
Emily was 'Dorothy' and Baylie was 'Jessie' On Saturday Emily had made plans to go with friends and left before I got to take any pictures of the four of them together. Here is Jace as 'woody', Baylie and 'Jessie' and Ali is a butterfly.

and again on the porch with the jack-o-lanterns

Emily and Toto (okay it's just Bella) when she returned home.

Lindsay worked and Kenna stayed home and handed out our candy to the neighborhood kids, I wish I would have taken a picture of her answering the door! We did have a fun Halloween and hope you all did too!