Snow days

 Normally I'm not a big fan of the snow.  It's pretty and all, but it's so cold, it takes longer to get ready, clean the car, driving gets scary, and people get sick when it's cold.
Today I am grateful for the snow.  Everything is better with kids. It's magic.  My boys have been looking forward to the snow as much as I have been dreading it.  The first snow storm I stayed inside warm and cozy, but there was no way I was missing this one.  It was perfect.  Perfect sledding, skiing, snow man building, fort making, snow ball throwing perfect.  Se we bundled up...except me who can't fit in anything any more (I got cold and wimped out way before they did)  Anyway, I bundled them up so we could play out there for a while.  We ended up spending the next hour having snow ball fights, making snow angels, and eating snow.  Then Josh, Glen's best friend,  had the idea to us the hill on the side of the house as a sledding hill.  Most of the hour was spent sledding.  It was perfect because it didn't take forever to get to the top, but it was still long enough to enjoy.

So today I am grateful for the snow, warm clothes so we could play so long, perfect packing snow, fun neighbor kids to share in the fun and come up with good ideas, and hot cocoa to warm us up after all that cold fun.  Oh yeah, and lets not forget the kids. I am grateful for my boys today, without them I would not have gone out in the snow, I would have stayed inside warm and cozy with a book.  I am grateful that they remind me how much fun life can be.  They force me out of my bubble and into a fun filled, magical place called childhood. 

Cakes

 Today I am grateful for all of the gifts that help me to decorate cakes.  I'm not a professional, but I am getting much better, and I have taught myself just about everything.  The first cake I decorated, a set of legos, had me in tears and vowing never to touch cake or frosting again.  I didn't give up though.  Through determination, trial and error, a bit of stubbornness  and a lot of prayer I have kept at it for years.
Originally I started because I wanted to have the ability to make cool cakes for my kids so they would want mine over store bought cakes.  It evolved into a bigger thing though.  Today I made these two for the Deaf school to auction off at a fundraiser. I love the Deaf community so much and I am very grateful today for the skill to decorate cakes people will pay for.  It's a fundraiser, people would pay anyway, but maybe these two will bring in a little extra to help the school.

Sleep

Today I am grateful for sleep.  And I'm not just saying that because I am tired...well, maybe just a little.  I am grateful for sleep because it helps to heal my body, keeps my kids cheerful, gives me a break at night, and it gives me a chance to start over the next day.  THere is something to be said for pretending to sleep to start the day over, but nothing beats actually starting the day over for real.  And naps, oh I love naps.  I love it when kids nap, they are so cute.  I can be thinking one minute what monsters my kids can be sometimes, but without fail they always turn back into angels when they sleep.  And the best?  The best is when a newborn baby falls asleep in your arms or on your chest.  I would do anything to avoid moving when that happened. I didn't want to spoil the moment.  There is nothing better then cuddling a little piece of heaven in your arms, watching that sweet angel sleep.
Oh sleep, my slightly elusive friend, I still love you.

Moroni's mother

After seeing the election results I just have to post again.  I have to admit that it's more then a dislike or disagreement with the current president.  I fear, really truly fear, for my country and for my family under his leadership.  I can see through his lies, and I see where he is leading us.  I believe he is leading us to destruction.  As I look around me and see a world that is becoming increasingly evil, I am grateful for the peace of the gospel, the guidance of living prophets, and the truth in the Book of Mormon.  Lately I have been thinking a lot about Moroni's mother.  Moroni lived in a time when the world around him was full of wickedness.  He and his family were some of the last righteous Nephites before they were all destroyed by the Lamanites.  When I think of Moroni, I think of his mother.  She is never once mentioned in the Book of Mormon as far as I know, but I know she must have been valiant and righteous. I'm sure that it was her influence and her teachings that prepared her son.  I bet his father, Mormon, was off fighting in battles a lot, leaving mom to do most of the teaching.  Her influence must have been great.
We do not yet live in a time as sinful and wicked and Moroni, I doubt I will ever have to witness the destruction of all that I love.  I have more to work with here, I have a ward family, a neighborhood full or people who hold my same values, friends, family, a strong church to turn to. Yes I am afraid, who wouldn't be afraid at the though of her children suffering under the wickedness of others?  But I know that if Moroni's mother could raise such a righteous son in a time of so much wickedness, then I can protect my children and bring up on the path of the Lord in this time.

Right to vote

Today I am grateful for the right to vote.  I hate politics like you would not believe, well, maybe you would, I'm sure I'm not alone in this.  I try to stay updated and informed, but I hate every minute of it.  I don't like the adds, or debates, or well, any of it really.  But despite my huge dislike of all this political, I am very grateful for the ability to vote.  I worry about my country.  I worry about how the economy is, the laws that are made, the freedoms that I see disappearing, and the lack of patriotism.  I am grateful that I have a voice to express my worry, an opportunity to change it.  Sitting around complaining won't make the changes happen that I want to see, but voting will, being involved will.  I will not stand idly by and watch the sate of my country deteriorate, I will use my voice.

I am also extremely grateful that today marks the end of the avalanche of politics we have seen over the last 6+ months.  I have become thoroughly sick of politics by now and I am so glad it's going to be over soon.  This seems like a lot of complaining for a gratitude post, but I just voted, that means I get to complain, right?  :)

Cute

Today I am grateful for cute things.  Yesterday I was so grumpy and so tired.  I was in a REALLY bad mood.  But then I saw this cute little baby alpaca and it all changed.  I squeaked and squealed  until my husband thought something might be wrong.  :)  Then I was reading and it's from a page called "My voice changes when I see cute"  and I laughed so hard because my voiced basically left what humans can hear and all the dogs went crazy.

Then today I was feeling really tired and not grumpy exactly, but not happy.  I sorted through some little girl clothes and they were so cute!  It totally cheered me up.  What is it about cute animals and little girl clothes that makes me cheerful and gives me a boost of energy?  Can I harness this somehow?

Help

Today I am thankful for help.  Benjamin was up for 2 hours playing, then it took me 45 minutes to get him back to sleep once I figured it out, I also had to get up to help Glen after he had a nightmare. Add that to getting up 5 times to use the bathroom and not sleeping well since I'm as big as a whale and let's just say I am one seriously tired mamma.  Tired to the point of tears.  Tired past my ability to function well.  Too tired to read...well, maybe not  that tired.
So my ever helpful neighbors offered to feed my kids dinner, I may be too tired to eat, then asked my babysit their son while they went to the temple.  Their son is 10, and my kids hero worship him.  Babysitting him really translates into be there if there is an emergency and he will baby sit your kids while you rest.  Would I do it?  YES!!!
This kid is so good with my children, he is always willing to help, always willing to baby sit so I can shower, take a nap, take a break, clean, whatever I need he is there to help.  I'm on the verge of hero worship myself.
So today, and forever I will be grateful for the hero who always help me, entertains my kids, gives me hugs, and is one of the sweetest people to have ever walked the Earth. Yep, pretty darn close to hero worship here.  :)

Date Night

Today I am very grateful for date night.  With John going to school full time and working I don't get to see very much of him.  He leaves before I wake up 3 or mare days a weeks, and about 5 days a week he doesn't come back until I am sleeping.  It's been tough, especially with this pregnancy being so difficult for me, but he does what needs to be done.  He works hard for us.  Still, I don't get to see him very much and when I do, sometimes he is doing homework so we don't interact much.  That is why I am so grateful for regular date nights.  I have been blessed with a visit teaching companion who will baby sit every week, so every week I get a couple hours just the two of us.  A few hours to talk, bond, hug, and spend time together with no other distractions. I feel like on date night I don't have to worry about anything else.  We don't talk about a dirty house, or kids, or work.  Just our day, maybe a little venting of frustrations  cute things that happened, only stuff we want.  It fells like I am in my own little world with him.
And to tell you the truth, I really need those few hours every week.  I kinda start going stir crazy without them.  Tonight I was so exhausted physically and mentally that I could hardly talk to John at all.  So he started telling me about his day and before long I was more animated, I joined in, and we were having fun.  That's how it happens every week.  One of us is really tired, or grumpy, or distracted, but before long we are laughing and talking together.
Yes, I am definitely very grateful for date night.

X-Rays

I thought I would do the same thing this month that I did last month and blog every day about something I am grateful for.  It will give me a good perspective.  Oddly enough I find it hard to find something to blog about.  It's not that I do not have a lot to be grateful for, I feel so blessed, it's just that there is SO MUCH to be grateful for I have a hard time choosing.
Today I chose X-Rays.  11 Days ago Benjamin got hurt jumping on the trampoline.  He was up and moving pretty soon afterwards, only favoring his leg a little, so I didn't think too much about it.  But yesterday I noticed he was running a little funny and when we went out rick or treating he wouldn't run at all and he didn't want to walk.  He kept telling me his knew hurt.  I couldn't remember how long it had been since he got hurt, but I knew it was long enough that it shouldn't hurt still.  Then I remembered the day and it was 10 days ago! (yesterday)  So I took him in to the Dr. and she was worried he may have done something to the bone and ordered an X-ray.  The X-ray confirmed that he had not damaged the bones, which is a relief  and so he must have sprained it or something and that is why it's taken so long healing.  I wasn't super worried, because he was still running and playing, but I was a little worried that it still hurt him after so long.  I am grateful that technology like X-rays is available to me.  I am grateful to have proof that he is ok and hasn't done any permanent damage.  And I am grateful for a cute little picture of his bones that set my mind at ease.