Attitude of Gratitude: Prayer

Today's lesson in Relief Society was on Prayer and I just couldn't NOT put it up as my thankful post for today. I really am so so so grateful for the power of prayer and the knowledge that I have that I can speak with my father in Heaven when I need him.

I have always had a strong testimony of prayer. So much so that I think I almost take it for granted... if that makes any sense at all. I just always think, "oh I'll just pray about it" without really thinking about how very amazing that is. Whether it's a deep need for comfort during a hard time, or requesting guidance on making a decision, I always know I can turn to my Heavenly Father. I'm never alone, even if all I need is a little reassurance that I'm on the right track. The last few nights have been pretty tough as we are trying to teach Kyle some better sleep habits. I was pretty exhausted last night and as I prepared to transition him into his bed at 3 a.m. I was fully expecting him to wake back up and stay awake for at least two hours. That's what he did the last few nights anyway! But before I made the move I said a quick prayer asking for sleep, knowing we would need to wake up early for church and worrying that Kyle would wake up Jason as well. He slept! Some might say that it was a coincidence or that the sleep training of the previous few nights was working. I say, prayer works. Sometimes not the way you expect or want, but it works.

Now, since that was a little on the serious side, here's a little comic relief.

Kyle as Hanna Montana! (the little green toy is actually supposed to be a microphone if you couldn't tell)

Blonds do have more fun after all.

Attitude of Gratitude: Friends from the Past

This picture is a bit of a blast from the past (the warmer days of October long past) but I don't think I posted it and I really do like this picture.
On finding out we were moving to Springfield we also found out that we were not alone in this new adventure. We were going to be joined by some friends from waaaaaay back in Rexburg. We actually hadn't really talked to them since we moved away to Milwaukee for school. Not only that but the Moss family even had a little boy that was only a month older than Zach. Perfect!

Jason has been good friends with Jake since high school. I get along great with Mandi, a fellow crafter/party-er/reader/twilight fan, and now our boys have begun to strike up a great friendship. They have their rocky moments, as do most any nearly-three year olds with interests in the same toys. (We're still working on sharing) But once and a while we catch little moments like this one. Zach asks to play with Kempton daily and though our schedule won't quite allow for daily play-dates, we really do have a lot of fun together.

Jake, Mandi, and Kempton: We're sure glad you came to Springfield and we're even more glad that you're our friends!

Attitude of Gratitude: Activities

Since today is Friday we got to attend our bi-monthly music class at the church. It brought to mind for me how grateful I am that we have so many fun activities here to participate in.

This particular activity is run by one of the moms in a different Ward than mine (she's in green in the center of the picture) but she was kind enough to invite the moms in our ward to join their's. We were pretty late this week but Zach still enjoyed it. He is SUCH a singer! Once he feels comfortable with a song (and sometimes, when he doesn't have a clue how it goes) he will sing it out at the top of his lungs. We have fun pictures and rhythm sticks and all kinds of little things to make the whole experience so much fun for the kids. Even Kyle seems to enjoy watching the older kids making music.

This isn't the only activity that we participate in either. We also love to play with the other kids in our neighborhood, (I blogged about them before) and we have joined a MOMS group as well a They have such a full calendar that we actually have to pick and choose what we want to attend. As hard as it is to pass up something that looks like fun, it's pretty great to be in an area where we know there will always be some other new and exciting activity coming up just around the corner.

I took this picture holding the camera over my head, so it's not that great... but I LOVE the little girl in the bottom right corner. SO cute!

First Hair Cut!

This is a little late in being posted but I was still trying to get used to it myself and wasn't quite ready to celebrate. Kyle finally had his first haircut. Jason has been begging me for a long time but I've just not wanted to. I always feel like once they have their first haircut they are no longer a baby and they start becoming more of a kid, a big boy! So, Monday Jason finally put his foot down and cut the poor boy's hair. I still don't think it was THAT long. There was only one section that had started to be more Donald Trump- ish but I was willing to over look that. ; )

Here's before...

See, it may be pretty long but it was still NOTHING compared to Zach's hair when we cut it and he was only 5 months old at the time.
He does look so grown up now though.
Zach, of course, had to jump in the pictures too. This is pretty typical... Zach torturing Kyle and Kyle giggling away like it's the best game ever.

As a side note:

I missed posting my gratefulness yesterday. I actually had one, and I posted it on facebook but just never got to the computer to post it here.

Yesterday I was thankful for After-Holiday sales.

I know, it's a little 'material' but I was pretty excited. We needed an ingredient for my dinner plans yesterday so we headed out early in the morning to pick it up at Target before the day got underway. I was kinda hoping to catch some decent post-Halloween deals but I hadn't expected to catch them at such a perfect time. They had just barely marked down all of the Halloween stuff so it was really low prices but still a good selection. I decided I'd pick out a couple costumes and decorations for next year. As I was hunting I ran into a friend of mine who had her cart packed FULL of costumes. She explained that she was going to put together a costume box for her boys as a Christmas. I decided that was genius so I followed her lead. I ended up finding Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, the Hulk, and a police man, a fireman, a cowboy and a ninja for around $3 each. What a great, low cost, HIGH fun Christmas present!

Attitude of Grattitude: Our Home

I kept putting this post off because I kept wanting everything to look just right. But I have a feeling that isn't going to be for a long time and so, on popular request, I decided to finally do a tour of our home. Especially since our new door has been completed and so I'm feeling especially thankful about it today.

This is the first time in our marriage that I have felt like we live in a "real grown up house". Not an apartment, or a "town-home with it's own walls" as we called our last 850 sq foot house. Here, I feel like we have plenty of room to grow and create a real home for ourselves.

Without further adieu I present... Our Home!

Yes, the grass is quite dead under the tree. Anyone have any idea how to get grass to grow under a large tree? It's been dead since we bought the place, no matter what we do.
The new front door has been an exciting and frustrating process. When we bought the house it actually had what looked like a double entry door but when you walked inside you realized that what had been the second door had been sealed up to create a closet in the entryway. While I was glad for the closet, it created a problem with the front door itself. The previous owners had chosen to just put up a thin, uninsulated wall where the old door was and then install a thin, uninsulated interior door instead of a nice sturdy, SECURE, insulated EXTERIOR door. Basically, it would have been pretty easy for someone to just kick in our front door and rob us blind. So we decided to remedy that issue by taking out the false double storm door and put in one real entry door. The problem was in filling the extra space. I can't tell you how much it bugs me that my door isn't centered!!!! But it's the best we could come up with. SO.... if anyone out there has any decor ideas to make this look a little more welcoming... PLEASE SHARE! (I'm also open to suggestions on paint color as I'm not completely sold on the brown and I need to decide on a color for the shutters that we plan on installing down the road)

Moving on.... Here's our living room.
I LOVE the window! So does Kyle. (you probably know that already from previous posts) The wood we aren't sure about. I'm married to a carpet guy and he really wants to carpet over it but I'm hoping to convince him to just refinish it. It's in pretty rough shape but I still think it's nice to have. I still have a lot of decorating that I need to do, as you'll see in the rest of the house. But, it's not really my strong suit so again, if anyone has any ideas for me... Please Share!

Here's our basement.
The previous owners were Kansas City Chiefs fans- we do plan on painting and re carpeting. In the mean time we love having a space where I can craft (there's even a small craft room off to the side- WAY too messy to show though) and Zach can enjoy spreading his trains out without any lack of space. We recently picked up the train table from a family in our church and Zach has been loving it.

My favorite area of the house has to be the Kitchen!
It's obviously under construction but I think it has a lot of potential. The far wall was pretty beat up and we decided it wasn't salvageable so Jason just tore it down and started fresh. Now we're patching all the rough spots where the drywall wasn't taped very well before and soon we'll be painting. We're also hoping to put in new laminate after our light fiasco left this stuff pretty gouged and scratched over by the sink. I love how open it is. Lots of counter space! Since our last house didn't have enough combined counter space for a microwave, this is exactly what I had hoped for.

Here's Zach's kitchen, garage sale $5. Now I just need to start collecting play food to go with it.
Last but not least, the master bedroom.
Most places we looked at (in our price range anyway) were going to be a tight fit for our king sized bed but this one even had room for a sitting area for when I'm breastfeeding. Yes, my bed is missing a bed skirt. Try to ignore it, it tore and I haven' gotten around to making a new one. My favorite part of this room has to be this funky light/table thing I found at a garage sale a while back. I needed a light and I needed a table... tada! Perfect! I haven't decided if I want to paint it but I definitely want to spruce up the shade a bit. Any ideas??
So that's our home... well most of it anyway. We have two other bedrooms, not much to see though. I would have taken a picture of the boy's room but they were sleeping. Get this... it's Lavender! HA! Yep, it needs some paint too. There's also two bathrooms, one with a blue bathtub and both with a strange I design in the tile.

Yes there's plenty of future projects to do but all in all I love this house!

It just feels like home.

Attitude of Grattitude: Health

Today I've been thinking about how lucky we are to be healthy. Sure, we pick up a bug here and there. But for the most part, we have been really lucky to have missed the bulk of the yuckies that seem to go around periodically.

The other morning Zach woke up at about 3 a.m. crying much more than he usually does. I went to check on him and he started to complain that his neck hurt. I had him show me where and then asked him to look side to side, he did that fine. Then I asked him to look up and down and when he tried he ended up yelping in pain and breaking out into sobs again. My mind immediately went to meningitis and I hurried to get Jason. Jason's thoughts were the same but we were comforted to notice that he didn't have a fever. I still would have run him into the ER with my paranoia but Jason ran a few more tests (he's pretty handy to have around) and cleared him saying that he must have just slept funny. I still took him in to the doctor later that morning just to ease the paranoia that still had me but all I was told was to keep him home for the day, give him Motrin and let them know if he did get a fever. No fever ever came and the next morning he was feeling much better, though he did keep his head slightly cocked to the side for another day or two.

The whole thing just really made me think about how awful it would have been if he HAD been sick and how glad I am that we've been able to avoid those sorts of traumatic experiences. I don't deal too very well when my kids seem to be in pain. I've often been known to shed more tears than they do! So I am SO SO SO very thankful that they are both healthy and strong.

On the subject of health. The mystery of Kyle's sleepless nights has been solved, though it really shouldn't have been too very hard to figure out. Over a period of maybe 3 or 4 days Kyle managed to sprout not one but THREE teeth. He is growing up so fast, I really wish I could pause time a bit once and a while. Here's Kyle sporting a grin with his new pearly whites.
P.S. Kyle also had his first haircut yesterday but I haven't had a chance to take any pictures of him yet. He looks to different! I'm really going to have a hard time getting used to it. Just another bit of evidence that my baby is growing up.

Gratitude: Eternal Families

Today was an easy one to come up with something I'm thankful for. I'm so thankful for the knowledge that families can be forever, that my family has been sealed for time and all eternity and that even though Karlee had to go(seven years ago today) we will see her again someday.

It is such a comfort to know that she is not gone, that she was needed elsewhere, maybe to prepare the way for others. But most of all, that I will get to see her again and spend time with her. I miss her so much, especially as I look at my boys and I see little bits of her in them.
I can't imagine living without this knowledge of eternity. I am so thankful for the peace and hope that it brings me, along with the knowledge that I am also sealed to my wonderful husband and children. Really, I can't express the depth of my gratitude for this!

Attitude of Gratitude: Fall

There's just something about the changing seasons that get's me so excited. Everything seems to be shifting and changing into some new version of itself. Leaves, weather, even my boys seem to be changing and growing up more and more every day.

We took a rare moment with Jason this week to go and pick our own pumpkins. We found a pumpkin patch where we were able to go out and pick our own pumpkins right off the vine.

Zach had to show me how strong he was as he tried to pick up this gigantic pumpkin. He finally gave in saying, "Too heavy mom!"

But this one was much more lift-able.
Yet another giant pumpkin had him perplexed.
Till he realized it made a decent bench to "take a break" as he says.
I loved that he was actually able to see where pumpkins come from, especially since it was with his dad.
Kyle was all smiles the whole time. All I had to do was look at him and he would grin at me with a sparkle in his eyes. He just loves to be outside! Anytime, anywhere.
Finally the boys found their perfect pumpkin. Warts and all!
And my sweet boys even humored me with a photo op. Though I'm not so sure Kyle is very impressed.
This was my favorite picture of the day. They get along so great and you can really see how much they love each other.
"OK mom, enough with the pictures"

I really do think this is my favorite time of year. I love the colors! I love the food! I love the sense of holidays quickly approaching and I'm so excited to share them with my two sweet boys and fantastic hubby. I know Thanksgiving isn't until November but I just really feel like this whole season is a time for thanks and I just don't think I can express how thankful I truly am for all that we have right now.

Attitude of Gratitude: Brotherly Love

Today I'm thankful for my boys and the love that they have for each other. It's funny that even as young as they are, I can already see the special bond that they have. They play so well! Zach is always gentle and cautious with Kyle while Kyle will brighten up instantly when he spots Zach walking into the room.

Today I put them in the bath together and I loved watching them interact with each other. There were plenty of giggles shared between the two of them.

Zach would splash softly or pour water from a cup over Kyle's hands, earning more giggles from his little brother.
Kyle would basically try to stuff anything and everything he could get his hands on into his mouth. Is it just me or does this kid have an abnormally large mouth? This is a foam circle he kept in his mouth like this for some time. He's also been known to fit his entire binky into his mouth, handle and all. Goofy kid!


"Ky-Ole! What is yous eatin'?"
Zach even managed to balance a "hat" on Kyle's head.
They really are becoming close friends. The other night Kyle woke up just as we were putting Zach to bed but Jason and I left him in his crib and snuck out of the room to see what would happen. Just a few moments later we heard some giggles coming from the baby monitor. As we listened we could tell that both boys were just giggling away. Not a word was spoken but somehow they had communicated something pretty silly. Eventually, they both went quiet as each slipped off to sleep. It may not have seemed like much but for me, it was a precious moment to have witnessed. (Especially since it involved them going peacefully to sleep!)

I look forward to watching them grow up together and I hope that they continue to grow closer because the love between siblings really is something special.

Attitude of Gratitude: New Neighbor-Friends

So, I have a friend who is doing 40 days of gratitude on her blog. She challenged her readers to do something along those same lines and I thought it would be a great thing to join in. Now, I'm not so fantastic at updating very often so I don't know that I'll make the 40 days in a row goal but I'm definitely going to try to make it a habit- at least when the boys go to bed early enough.

Today I'm grateful for new neighbor-friends!

Whenever you move somewhere new there is always that apprehension of meeting new people. As we prepared to move here I pictured myself snowed in with my two boys at home while Jason worked 26 hours a day. The boys would be watching hours of TV while I gained 30 pounds eating bon bons out of depression and loneliness.

Happily, I don't see that happening any time soon. We have been SO lucky I can't even express. Not only is there a really awesome group of gals in my ward but I've even been able to become friends with a few of my neighbors. To make things even better, there's plenty of kids around that are just Zach's age. They all get along so well and I can tell that Zach is just having the time of his life. We have a little girl who lives right behind us so all we have to do is open the gate and it's play time! There's also a little boy next door and a few down the street as well.

This is a picture of Zach with the brother and sister who live just down the street. We went to the zoo a little while back and they had a blast running... just running! from place to place.

The other night we had them over for dinner (their dad was out of town and Jason was working). It was going to be just us, 2 moms and 4 kids. 2 on 2... that's an alright number. THEN the neighbor behind me called needing a quick babysitter so she sent her daughter over as well, that put us at five. That's right FIVE kids, 2 adults, 1 house. It was madness, but in a good way. The kids basically just ran around the island in my kitchen and down the hall and back about thirty times until they were ready to pass out. They were giggling and squealing the whole way while Kyle hopped excitedly in his bouncer. He couldn't get enough of all the action.

Yes, my house was a mad house but the kids were having so much fun I would do it again in an instant. And ya know, considering how close everybody is, it really could happen again any time. That's the best part!