I love the holidays! I have been struggling this year, because I am very tired of being pregnant, so I'm enjoying less than I should. I am grateful, though, for all that this time of year reminds me of. I'm so grateful for my Savior. I'm grateful for the beautiful children I've been blessed with. I'm grateful for my husband and that we're together for this season. I'm grateful for my family and friends. I'm grateful for occasional warmer days that help me survive the winter. I'm grateful for decorations and music that make me happy. I'm grateful that I won't be pregnant a month from now:) I'm grateful for the little one growing inside me. I'm grateful for the primary children I get to work with. I have been greatly blessed. (And I'm grateful that my friends and family are still speaking to me, despite my lousy attitude over the last few months:))

My Children

Tonight I had an experience that put a few things back into perspective for me. We were having a rough evening. The girls were wanting to help me get dinner ready but they're not really big enough to be helpful so they were just in the way. I was getting angry. Things just kept going downhill. Then I lost something. It was small, insignificant, we could easily live without it. But R realized it mattered to me and she searched the house over trying to find it. She couldn't and she went to bed still concerned about it. It made me realize just how much my girls really are trying to help. They really want to do things right and they want everyone to be happy. I am so grateful for them and their innocence.

Garage Sales

I'm grateful Ray goes to garage sales with me. I'm grateful for the good deals I can get on kids' clothes. I'm grateful Lil watches the girls so they don't have to go, too.

I'm grateful Ray enjoys the same kinds of things I do. I'm grateful he helps with the girls when we're out, so I don't have to do it all.

I'm trying to get into the grateful habit again

A lot of things have happened lately that have really affected the way I look at life. Especially the way I look at my relationship with my husband. It's been a rough month for some of my very close family and friends. It makes me wonder if something could happen in my family. It's made me decide to do everything I can to make sure nothing tears my family apart, and if something happens beyond my control, to try to make each day I have with my family the best it can be. That means I need to be happier, to focus less on everything that's going wrong and more on everything that is right. I need to be grateful for what I have. I need to express that gratitude every way I can.

My goal is to start blogging here every day, again. I need to focus on the positive. A major part of this for me is to focus on the positive things I'm grateful for about my husband and in our relationship. To begin, I want to state what I hope is obvious: that I am grateful for my husband. He means so much to me and I know that too often I take it for granted that he is here. I know he does a lot for me and I know I don't always show him how grateful I am. I am also grateful for my children. I'm so grateful I get to spend my time with them and watch them grow. My family really is everything to me.

I need to be more grateful

The reason I started this blog is pushing me to come back to it. Adversity makes you stronger -- right? It tends to make me a much stronger complainer...

Heavenly Father has blessed me so much. Looking back over my life, I can see no period where His hand was not lifting, guiding or gently correcting me. I need to see those blessings at the time, so I'm going to try to return to this blog regularly.

Today, I am so very, very, very grateful that Heavenly Father put me amongst people who would become wonderful friends almost immediately. He knew how much I needed that and He took care of me. He also blessed me with wonderful friends for my children. I never thought I would be lucky enough to find another place where I felt as supported and loved as I did in Oklahoma, yet, here I am, blessed again in like manner. I am so grateful.

I'm Grateful, even if no one reads this anymore

Today I am so grateful I was able to make a trip to the Temple. It has been way, way too long. I'm even more grateful that I didn't get in an accident on the way there. I came very close -- sliding in snow straight towards a van, but somehow I didn't hit it. I really think it was a miracle. I really think there is no way I should have not hit them, but I didn't. I am more grateful than I can put into words that there was no accident.