Old Clothes

Today I cleaned out my closet and I discovered that I fit into most of my clothes again!! This is very exciting for me since some of these clothes were getting too tight before I got married and almost all of them were out of the question while I was pregnant and some time afterward. I'm really grateful that pregnancy and nursing actually helped me lose weight and that I'm keeping it off so far.

Sleep and snow

I'm grateful that the girls finally slept well and slept in, allowing me to sleep better and sleep in. We've all had colds and haven't been sleeping well. Today I actually feel rested and they have been acting like they feel better, too.

I'm grateful the weather was nice enough to take the girls out to play in the snow for a little while this afternoon. They do love to be outside, but they're not sure what to think of snow yet.

I'm grateful for the fact that this week has been quite relaxed. Ray hasn't had any big projects to worry about and he's been around a little more than usual in the evenings. It's been really nice.

The Gospel

I am so thankful for the gospel and all that it teaches. Death is such a sad thing, but it is good to know that we will be together again. When it is your time to go, it is not quite as sad as when someone makes it there time, but either way it is sad for those of us who are left. I am just so glad to know that things will work out on the other side. I would go into this more, but that is not the point of this blog, I am just happy to have the gospel in my life and that it helps put things in perspective when death is involved.

Ray

I forgot to mention yesterday how nice it was to go to church at the same time as Ray. He has had early meetings for the entire life of the girls. So the few occasions when we go to church at the same time I really appreciate his help with the girls. It is easier to get them ready. It is easier to get them into and out of the car. Everything is just much nicer and I always appreciate his help.

Now for today, I am grateful for girls that will entertain themselves well enough that I can get a few extra minutes of sleep.

I'm very grateful that I don't have animals in my house and that my husband agrees with me that we never should. This evening we stopped by to see some friends and they have cats. It reminded me how glad I am that Ray doesn't like indoor animals any more than I do.

Our Branch

Today the weather was beautiful (it almost made it up to 50) and the roads were clear which was wonderful since we had a little extra driving to do.

Today was the last week for us to be in the college branch, since the girls are almost old enough for nursery. We're leaving with mixed feelings. It is good to move on and have new experiences. But I'm going to miss the good friends I've made in the branch. This branch has been wonderful for us. Ray was baptized into the branch. We met in the branch. We've had so many good friends and great experiences while here in this branch. I'm very grateful to the wonderful leaders, and for all our friends. I'm also glad to move into a ward where our little girls won't be the only kids making noise. :-)

Warmth

I am grateful that it is warming up a little bit. I love snow, but I don't like the sub-zero temperatures we've been having.

I'm grateful that my girls seem to be getting over their colds. It's always hard to have sick babies and so nice when they are feeling well again.

Learning

I love watching my children figure things out. They try so hard and are so proud of themselves when they get something. It's amazing to watch. It's also interesting to think about all the things we all had to learn once that we completely take for granted now. Sometimes we forget there are new things out there for us to explore, we lose the child-like curiosity and get comfortable in our little tiny world. I'm grateful that my children are teaching me how many interesting things are out there and that everything has potential for fun. I'm also grateful for the reminder that I still have things to learn if I will only look for it.

Merry Christmas

This has been a beautiful holiday for us. I hope it was for all of you, too. I'm so grateful for the birth, life, atonement, death, and resurrection of our Savior. I'm very grateful to have a day to celebrate Him.

Random things

I'm grateful my girls let me sleep in a little this morning. I'm very grateful I was able to get so much done today. I didn't think I'd get to most of my list, but I think I got it all done. (If not, I guess it wasn't that important because I forgot about it.)

I'm grateful that the weather has warmed up ever so slightly.

My girls

I'm very grateful my girls took a nap this afternoon. I'm also grateful that they played quietly enough that I was able to lay down for a little while.

I am grateful that Ruby is a good eater and will eat almost anything I put in front of her.

I'm grateful that the neighbor boy shoveled my sidewalk so I didn't have to.

Pictures

Today I was looking through a lot of pictures, trying to put some together for a project, and I realized how grateful I am for my digital camera. It's much easier to organize, store, and look through digital pictures. Also, my camera is a good one, so it takes good pictures. Along the same lines, when I couldn't find everything I was looking for I started looking at my siblings' blogs. I'm grateful for the blogs to keep in touch and to pass along information and pictures. It's really nice to be able to have pictures of my nieces and nephews. Since we don't see each other very often and kids change so much it's a good way to keep up on what they look like. I hope it will also help my kids know who their aunts, uncles, and cousins are.

Good Behavior

First I'm grateful my talk is over. It went fairly well, so that I am grateful for, too. But, even more, I am extremely grateful for the relatively good behavior of my children while the whole family was on the stand. Yes, one of them got stuck under the organ bench. And I must note that one of them fell down the steps off the stand. (No injuries.) But they did it all quietly, which is what I cared about the most.

I am also grateful that someone else showed up a few minutes late for church and was willing to help me get the girls inside. (We have Relief Society first, so I wasn't late for my talk.)

Today

I am grateful that this day is over and it is time to go to bed.

I am grateful that my children were mostly cooperative while I was trying to write a talk. I can't guarantee that it is good, but at least it is written. I am glad to be done writing it.

Snow

I'm grateful for snow. I've always really liked snow and I put up with the cold so I can have snow. It's snowed a bit today. Hopefully that means we'll have a white Christmas.

I'm so excited that we've been receiving Christmas cards. I love to hear what is going on in everyone's lives. It's nice to be caught up. That's what I love about blogs, too.

Vacation

We are on vacation! Two whole weeks of no schedule (except church)! I love school breaks.

It was up around 60 degrees today. That was a beautiful change. I'm trying to enjoy the moment, since I know it won't last.

Reminders

I've been looking through my journal from the last year (trying to remember what happened to write a Christmas letter) and I realized that I am very grateful the girls are getting bigger. In so many ways it is so much easier now than it was a year ago. Since I see them every day I don't really register the changes. But as I read over how things were at the beginning of the year when they couldn't do anything for themselves it brought back a lot of memories and helped me realize how much easier things are now that the girls can do things.

I'm also very grateful for the gospel. This evening we attended a new member discussion for my friend that just recently was baptized. Sometimes it's good to go over the basic principles and be reminded how true they are.

Today's list

I'm very grateful that my girls play well together. This evening they were chasing each other around and laughing so hard. At one point they both fell down, Cora on top of Ruby, and were laughing so hard they couldn't get back up.

I'm grateful I was able to talk to several of my family members today. It always makes my day better to talk to family.

Kids

I'm not sure if I'm really grateful for this or not, but it is positive in that it makes me laugh. Tonight we were at the church for tithing settlement and one of the wards was having a Christmas party. Their bishop was wandering around handing out those plastic candy canes full of M&Ms. He gave one to each of the girls. Over the next few minutes or so Cora managed to chew through the plastic and get to the candy. That's the second time she's chewed through a candy wrapper to get to the candy.

I am grateful that my children make me laugh. I'm also grateful that my children seem to love the nativity already. I haven't put up a lot of Christmas decorations, but of the few that I have, the girls' favorite is my little nativity. They love it. They especially love to pet the sheep. Ruby always tries to get close enough to grab the baby out of the nativity. Don't worry, I have it set out of their reach and she just tries to grab it when I'm holding her.

I'll also add, since I forgot to the other night, that I'm grateful Ray didn't get a ticket when he got pulled over for speeding on the way home from his Christmas party.

Christmas Music

I haven't been able to blog much, thanks to a retarded computer, but I just wanted to say how grateful I am to have Christmas music playing in my home. It just helps to get in the mood and spirit of Christmas. Music has always been a blessing in my life, in more ways than one, actually. I was asked to sing with Katrina for the Dillards VIP night and we each got to pick out $50 worth of things from the store, something that was completely unexpected when we accepted.
I also love that my children have an appreciation for music and I can already tell that they want the Christmas stuff too. Forrest will say to me, "Mom! It's the Polar Express song!" or "Hey Mom, is this the song from Elf? Oh, I just love this song." And Nadia wants me to sing her Silent Night or Away in the Manger at night before bed and she does her best to sing along. I just love it.
There are so many out there that stir the soul and remind us of our Savior and the ultimate sacrifice He made for each of us. How grateful I am to be able to sing and listen to songs praising our beloved Redeemer. I just love this time of year.

Initiative

DJ has pretty much potty trained himself. It has been nearly painless. I love that child! And, since it has gone this way, I am also glad that I didn't put much effort into it at an earlier date. So, how do you accomplish this with your children??? You put off potty training as long as possible, then, accidentally run out of diapers. At that point you realize (with great relief) that you have 2 packages of pull-ups that you'd forgotten about. You tell the child, with excitement, that he is big enough for underwear. You then explain that Lightning McQueen doesn't like to be wet. Then you praise him when he tells you that he has peed and pooped in the toilet (very genuinely, since you are so happy that he went, as you had completely forgotten that he was in underwear). Perhaps I should mourn the motherhood awards I'm not going to win, but instead, I think I'll just be grateful for my big boy's initiative.

My Journal

I'm grateful that I had no reason to leave the house today. The temperatures are still below zero so it's very nice to be inside where it's warm. It's also good to be able to keep the girls in, although they would rather go outside.

I'm grateful for my journal. I've kept a regular journal for over ten years now. It works as my memory since I forget a lot of things anymore. When I'm not sure about something I can look back in my journal and usually find what I'm looking for.

The Christmas Spirit

This evening we had a beautiful musical Christmas program at the church. The choir was made up of people from all three wards and the branch. It was a wonderful, spiritual program. I was so happy to be there. The girls seemed to enjoy it, too. Ruby even sang along part of the time.

I'm also grateful that the girls did so well at church today. It was a good day.

My house

About noon today the temperature started to drop, approximately a degree every ten minutes or so for a couple of hours. Not long after it got dark we hit zero. Last I checked it was negative. Right now I am very grateful that I have a warm house and a good furnace.

The Word of Wisdom

This evening was the Christmas party for Ray's company. It was a very nice dinner and I enjoyed visiting with Ray's coworkers. But, as Ray's work parties usually do, it made me think how grateful I am that I can have an enjoyable evening without getting drunk. Of the 70+ people there, I only know of three, besides Ray and myself, that weren't drinking (two were pregnant), although there may have been a few more. I really don't understand why people feel that alcohol is so necessary to have a good time. Over the past few years I have gotten to know a few of Ray's coworkers quite well, but the rest I only see at parties and they are usually drunk. It makes me wonder what these people are like without alcohol. I don't know their real selves. I am very grateful this isn't an issue for me and never has been. I watch what drinking does to people and I've never even been interested in trying it. I'm very grateful that I was raised by parents who stay sober and taught that it is right to stay sober.

I am also very, very, very grateful that my children didn't scream at the babysitter all night. She said they were mostly happy and Ruby didn't cry at all, which absolutely amazed me. I was very concerned that the babysitter would have a miserable evening with two ornery babies, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I was entirely wrong.

Sleeping in

I'm grateful that my children slept in this morning so I was able to sleep in this morning. I always appreciate a little extra sleep.

Also, today I took the girls to City Hall, where I used to work. It was so much fun to see everyone there and visit with them.

I'm grateful for family time. Especially time to talk with my husband without either of us being in a hurry to go somewhere or get something done.

Laughter

I'm so very grateful that my children are finally acting like themselves again. Today they played and laughed so much. And they didn't want to sit on my lap.

I'm also grateful it was a very nice day and I was able to take a walk and run errands. The girls love to be outside. If they see a jacket they will grab it and bring it to me or try to put it on themselves.

I'm glad I found Ray a Christmas gift. I finally came up with something. Now I just hope he likes it. :-)

The holiday season

The Jingle Bell Store (our school's version of a Secret Santa Shop) was really successful. We had so many kids come through and sold almost everything we had purchased, which is a relief. None of our parent volunteers came down with the nasty stomach virus that's been going around (though a couple of us may not be able to say that by the end of the week). Thank goodness! With my kids getting it one by one, then Derek, I was sure I'd have it. But my prayers were answered and I survived.

I love IHOP. They make very delicious breakfast foods and they also do the dishes. I know it's not the healthiest alternative for dinner, but it is nice every once in a while to not have the stress of dinner at our house.

DJ gives great hugs. He's all the way recovered from the virus and he is better rested than he's been in a while. He's been so cute. Several times today he just ran up to me and gave me a squeeze. At one point Derek asked Michael for a hug. When Michael denied him, DJ went to him, squeezed him as hard as he could and said, "I love hugs like this!" Sweet moments like that make my day!

Music

I'm grateful for music. Especially Christmas music. I love to listen to it, play it, and sing it. I'm so glad I have a piano so I can play it. I'm also glad that my children are developing a love for music. I love it when they sing, dance and play the piano. It's even better when they try to do all three at once. I hope they grow up loving good music and wanting to have music in their lives.

Today

I'm grateful I was able to talk to Lil this evening. It is always fun to talk to family.

I'm really grateful that my children are doing well at climbing stairs. We have a lot of stairs in our house so this is a very good skill to have.

Church

I'm very grateful I was able to go to church today. Last week we missed because we were all sick and the week before that we went, but in a different ward. It was so nice to be back in our branch, to see our friends again and feel the wonderful spirit they carry.

I'm grateful for the Christmas devotional. It is one of my favorite firesides every year. I'm glad I was able to watch it with friends.

I'm grateful for quiet evenings at home with my family.

A much better day

I'm very grateful that today was much better than yesterday. The girls were happier and things went much better.

I'm grateful that this afternoon was nice enough for a walk. The girls were antsy to get outside so it was good for all of us.

I'm very grateful that I was able to attend my good friend's baptism this evening. It was so nice.

I am grateful that my husband planned a "date night" for us. He got a movie to watch after the babies are in bed.

A terrible day turned good

Early this evening I was thinking of this blog and thinking of my day and I could not come up with one positive thing to write about. It seemed as if everything had gone wrong and I was having a pretty good pity party about it all. I was sitting at home by myself with a sick baby instead of being at the branch Christmas party that I'd been looking forward to all week. Right in the middle of my thoughts, the phone rang. It was one of my good friends, calling to see why I wasn't at the Christmas party. We talked for a couple of minutes. It meant so much to me that somebody had missed me and cared enough to call.

Anyway, the evening went on much the same, but my attitude was a little better. Then there was a knock at the door. This same friend and her husband had brought leftovers from the party. We visited for an hour or more. By the time they left my day had completely turned around. I felt so much better I could hardly remember all the things that went wrong. I'm so grateful for good friends who thought of me, noticed I was missing, and cared enough to call and come by. It really made my terrible day turn into a good one.

It's been a long time...

So, I was thinking I ought to think of something to be grateful for since I haven't posted for a long time.

First, I am so grateful for my family and being able to spend time with them over Thanksgiving.

Second, I am grateful that this semester is almost over. (I'll be even more grateful next week when finals are done.)

Third, I am grateful for beautiful sunrises. I don't generally see the sunrise cause I really don't get up that early, but the other day I had to meet with my partner on a group project and we chose to meet at 7:30 a.m. (call me crazy). As I was walking up to the library the sunrise was just beautiful!

Things to be grateful for:

1. The Sharks are having a fabulous season! They are number one in the league right now.

2. My baby sleeps through most nights and I didn't even do anything special -- in fact, I really did most of the things all of the books say not to do. She's something of an angel.

3. I got to hang out with grown up girls tonight. It was a nice change in this very busy season.

4. The child who threw up twice in the middle of Wal-Mart was the baby, so we could pass it off as bad spit up and move on. (She seems to be doing okay now, though I do worry about little people and vomiting.)

5. The Jingle Bell Store has run very smoothly thus far and we've had lots of help! We've also had lots of fun and gotten to know some new parents, who are awesome.

Doctors

I am very grateful for the girls' pediatrician. I've known some doctors that make you feel stupid if you ever ask a question. This doctor is not like that at all. She is always willing to answer questions and calm concerns.

I am grateful for my nice, warm house with a working furnace and that I don't have to go anywhere most of the time.

I am grateful for my George Foreman Grill. I use this thing all the time. It is easily the most used appliance in the kitchen. I'm not a steak-cooker, but I married a steak-lover, so the grill has been wonderful.

Haircuts

I am very grateful to Beth for cutting my hair. I love that my new style is so easy to take care of.

I am thankful that I don't have to go grocery shopping by myself most of the time. It's so much easier when Ray goes with me.

I'm grateful for my dishwasher. It does make dishes so much easier.

Two in one day

I wasn't going to post again, but I have to add how grateful I am for Ray. This evening was a little rough, the girls have been extremely demanding today. Ray noticed that I was having a hard time so he told me to go somewhere and do something else while he watched the girls and made dinner. It was exactly what I needed. I'm so grateful that he noticed and is willing to help.

Thanksgiving

This may be longer than my usual posts, but I have ten days worth of thanks to catch up on. :-)

First, I am extremely grateful for fast internet connections. After spending ten days with my internet access limited to dial-up connections, not being able to frequently check e-mail and blogs, I am so glad to have my fast internet back.

I am grateful we have a holiday to celebrate gratitude. Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. We should be looking for things to be grateful for every day, but I love that there is one day where thanks is the focus. This is one of the holidays that really seems to bring out the best in people.

I am so grateful for family. My family is so important to me. I'm so glad I was able to spend some time with my parents and most of my siblings. I am grateful that Lil was willing to make an extra trip just to see us. I am grateful for my mom and the things she does for me, she made a quiet book for my girls, even though it took up most of her time while we were there. I can't really express how grateful I am for my dad and everything he does.

I am also grateful for Ray's family. I appreciate so much how they have accepted me into their family. They are wonderful. I am especially thankful for my mother-in-law who spent three days taking care of the girls, Ray, and me when we came down with the flu while at her house. I don't know how we would have managed without her.

I'm very grateful for Ray and how helpful he was when the girls and I were all throwing up. (He got sick the day after we did.)

I am grateful our travels were safe. I'm grateful the car worked perfectly and the roads were dry. The weather was wonderful for most of the trip. I'm not sure I can go so far as to say I'm grateful for the flu, but it did keep us from coming home one day longer than planned which had us traveling on a beautiful day instead of a nasty one.

I am very, very grateful that my children travel so well. Ten hours in a car is too long for me, so I don't expect them to enjoy it. But they do so well. Even when they get tired of it they still don't complain too much.

I am grateful to be home and to be feeling better. I'm very grateful the rest of my family is feeling better, too.

I'm grateful for snow. Now that our traveling is over I'm ready for snow to come. I'm awfully glad it waited until we were back home, but I'm enjoying watching the world turn white as I write. I do love winter and snow.

And right now I am really grateful for disposable diapers.

Medicine

I am really thankful for medicine. I have been sick lately and I went to the Dr. and he gave me stuff to get better, hopefully. I don't like the way they gave me the meds. but I feel better now then I did earlier today. After I left the doctors office I came home and fell asleep and now that I am awake I feel better. I am not better yet, but I hope that I get feeling better soon. I am really glad that people are willing to go through that much school to make me feel better when I need it, even if it costs me a lot, because I wouldn't make it through that many years of school.

So much for catching up

You see, when Meg and I started this blog, we kind of challenged ourselves to write everyday. (There was no such expectation of anyone else who chose to join our endeavor.) As you can see, if you check the labels, Meg has done a much better job of that than I. I was planning to take advantage of her technologically challenging week and catch up, but I got too busy enjoying myself. Oops...

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent the holiday in Houston. Except for the crazy freeway system, which baffled us much of the time, and some bad traffic in a couple of spots, it was a really fun vacation! We have great families. I am so glad that I can enjoy time with my family and Derek's family. I love seeing my children's relationships with their grandparents, aunts and uncles develop. It was sweet to see Nina spend time with Kendra, who she did not want to leave (that was a bit sad, since she cried). It was great to hear Jon explain that he loved Houston, because he had access to a swimming pool. I'll post in greater detail on my other blog, but all in all, it was a great experience.

I'm thrilled that the Christmas season is in full swing! I love this time of year! I love the lights, decorations, music, gift-giving, etc. But most of all, I love being reminded of Christ. I love how much more thoughtful most people are of others. I love seeing the acts of charity quietly being carried out all around me. I love the angel trees, toys for tots, Relief Society projects, food drives, etc. I love being able to get my kids involved in some of those causes. I wish we could carry that part of Christmas into all parts of the year. (Okay, I'd probably take the rest of the holiday year-round, too. I really love Christmas!)