Thankful Thursday

1. Creative Playtime.  Look what Tyler and Katie came up with this morning.  They used their imaginations and stayed away from the TV.

2.  Perfect Weather to feed the ducks.  After dropping Tyler off at school today, we went to the park fed the ducks, and played.  Following that, we stopped by Wenduy's for a Frosty and a hamburger.

3.  Pretty Sunset from my window.  I always love it when I can catch a glimpse of the sunset.  It's always interesting to me to see the variety of sunsets around here.

Thankful Thursday

 1.  Hair with attitude.  Spiky hair totally suits Tyler's personality.

 2.  Big Brothers who like to take care of the baby.  I really appreciate their help with the baby so that I can get a few things done around the house.

3.  My girl who is obsessed with temples and getting baptized.  She makes me feel like I'm doing something right.  Katie wanted to go inside of the temple so badly on this particular day.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Potty Training Week.  This has been a long time coming, but I figured that this would be the best week to finally get my almost 4 year old, Katie potty trained.  The original plan was to have her potty trained by the time Julia was born, but it just didn't happen.  Katie has had so many changes in the last few months… new baby sister, starting preschool, breaking her leg, etc.  Anyway, so the boys have been helping Katie get all excited to use the potty.  We have been hard core potty training since Sunday and so far, she's been doing amazingly well.  I think a combination of treating Katie more like a big girl and our fun dollar store prizes are doing the trick.  HALLELUJAH!!!

2.  Hulk Hand Tyler.  This boy enjoys thinking of new ways to play with toys.  This is his play-doh creation, he calls, his Hulk Hand.  Hulk is tough.

3.  Hard Working Brian.  Brian is so busy these days doing his best at chores around the house.  He makes sure that he always tries his best so that he can earn his stickers for the day.  I admire his enthusiasm for working towards his goals.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Spring is here!  Winters here are long and dreary.  I look forward to spring every year.  We've already had a few days of summerish weather.  Hooray!

2.  Julia's Smiles!  It doesn't take much to make this girl smile.  She really likes it when I'm tucking her in to her crib and I play peek-a-boo with the blankets.  She smiles and laughs pretty good.  Her siblings can all get her to smile too.    

3.  The kids will remember that their Dad played with them.  My kids just love it when their Dad plays with them.  The boys love going on bike rides with their Dad on the "special trail" and then down to their school.  They like to take a backpack with a basketball or a remote control truck to play with in the big parking lots.  Katie loves it when her Dad jumps on the trampoline with her, pushes her in the swing, or color with her.  Julia likes to hang out with her Dad and watch a little TV after all the other kids are in bed.  Memories.  Good memories.

Sam and the big kids skipping stones  in the Logan River - Fall 2013

Thankful Thursday

1.  Katie's love of quality time.  My big girl shares my love language.  She prefers her days spent at home with her mommy just hanging out together.  Katie doesn't really care what we are doing as long as the two of us are together.  I think her favorite things to do with me are shopping for clothes, playing her Minnie Mouse Memory Game, and snuggling before bedtime watching a little TV.

2.  Tyler's Endless Energy.  Tyler has SO much energy.  He just loves to have fun.  Tyler is one of those kids who catches on to things quickly and is highly motivated to just get things, like chores and homework, done so he can go play with his friends.  Beyblades are his current favorite toy.  He is very animated when he talks.

 Each of my kids have attributes that I want to emulate.  Sometimes, I wish I were a kid again.  But gosh, it sure is fun watching these kids grow up and learn.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Grace.  I have been too harsh on myself lately.  Things shifted for me when I made the decision to focus my attention on my family rather than on myself.  I believe in grace.

2.  Peace.  I have felt more at peace.  I feel as though a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  I know where my focus is suppose to be in this stage in my life.  I am trying my best to improve each day.  I am enjoying myself more.

3.  Forgiveness.  Forgiving others has never been hard for me.  Forgiving myself is hard.  I know that it is important to be kind to ourselves and take good care of ourselves.  When I keep looking forward and don't dwell on the past, I know that I will be blessed.  "Let your faith be bigger than your fear."

Thankful Thursday Is Back!

It's been at least a couple of years since I've written any Thankful Thursday posts.  I think it was a good thing and I am going to start it up again on this blog.

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  My Wonderful Husband.  Sam is one of the most patient people that I know.  It has been a hard adjustment for me becoming a family of six.  I have felt completely overwhelmed in most aspects of my life.  I guess you could say that families can go through some growing pains.  Sam has taken over more duties than usual to give me a break and I am so blessed to have such a strong and understanding man on my side.  He just wants what is best for me and wants me to be happy and live a fulfilling life.  I have started to see myself slowly make adjustments to improve my state of mind.


2.  My Children.  I was 21 and Sam was almost 23 when we got married.  Almost 2 years after our big day, we welcomed our first child, a son, Brian, into our family.  I was so excited to be a mother.  This whole motherhood thing was much more difficult than I thought it would be.  It is very rewarding to be a stay at home mom, but this job comes with it's own set of challenges.  I have learned to be thankful for the children that I have been given.  Each child has their own personality and their own mission in life.  It is up to my husband and I to bring out the best qualities in each other and our children so that they will have the strength and confidence to share our best selves to the world.

3.  Beauty right outside my front door.  So grateful that I know how to use my camera to capture beauty right outside my front door.  I consider photography a great blessing in my life.  When I pick up my camera, my creative juices start flowing.  I see things in a completely different way when I am behind the lens.  I just love it!

Thankful Thursday

1. Clapping and Waving.  Those are two of Katie's newest skills.  And I'm proud to say that I taught her.  It's so adorable to watch her get so excited!  It's kind of funny though, if Katie wants more food, she waves her left hand furiously up and down. 

2.  A Fun Toy Room.  The toy room in our house looks SO much better since we put up the bookshelf and took out alot of toys.  We'll be rotating the toys every so often so the kids don't get bored with what they have.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Snack Time.  Growing up, I vividly remember hopping of the bus with my brothers and sisters, running down the long driveway, dropping off our backpacks and shoes, washing up, and sitting down at the table.  It was one of the best times of the day... SNACK TIME!  Mom would serve us a snack and we'd sit around the table munching away.  We would take turns telling Mom all about our day at school.  This was a great tradition and I started doing the same thing with my kids last year.  I'm so glad that my mom was a stay at home mom and taught me the importance of after school snacks and conversation.  Thanks, Mom!

2.  Gorgeous.  This morning, Tyler helped me pick out a shirt to wear.  I don't have a fancy wardrobe.  Tyler kept choosing shirts saying, "How 'bout this one?  It's gorgeous!"  It was very cute the way he described my old hand me down, stretched out, shirts.  Oh and in case you were wondering, I ended up choosing the "gorgeous" purple shirt to wear.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Our Double Stroller.  If I didn't have a double stroller, Tyler would run away every chance he could get.  Even though Tyler can unbuckle his seat belt quite fast, the stroller slows him down a bit.

2.  The phone.  I'm glad I have a phone to talk to my family and friends who live far away. 

Thankful Thursday

1.  A surprise from Sam.  Last weekend marked 9 years since my first date with Sam.  He came home from running errands with a surprise for me... a iPod stereo!  I love it and have it in my kitchen.  Doing housework is more fun with music (although I have to load some more peppy music onto the iPod.)  Thanks, Sam!

2.  Early morning at the park.  After dropping Brian off at school, I took Tyler and Katie to the park.  We fed ducks and played.  We were the only people at the park.  We had a fun time.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Photography Class.  I'm learning so much in my Lifestyle: Telling the Story photography class.  Brooke Snow is a fabulous teacher.  Check out my photography blog to see what images I've captured in my homework assignments. 

2.  Books.  I love to learn.  I love that Brian is learning to read.  He gets a proud look on his face as he reads to us.  It's cute.  I feel like making a blanket fort with the kids, grabbing a bunch of books, and having Brian read to all of us.

Thankful Thursday

 

1.  Brian Gets Out the Front Door.  On school mornings, Brian is on the school bus by 6:50am. Brian's wake up time for school has been 6:30am, which only gives him about 20 minutes to get ready for school.  Where am I at that time?  Well, I'm laying in my bed.  I am turned on my left side (to avoid the glare from the TV) and all snuggled up in my blankets.  Why is the TV on if I want to "sleep in?"  Tyler is beside me watching is morning cartoons in the dark.  He requests a drink and some pretzels.  And who can say NO to the cutest 3 year old voice who accompanies his request with a "PLEASE" and a soft gentle hug and kiss on my cheek?  So, I comply.  Today is Brian's last day of Kindergarten.  This will be the last special early morning time we'll have.  I'm soaking it all in.  I will miss it.  Next year, Brian will go to a different school.  There will be no school bus.  I will not be able to sleep in.  I am not looking forward to becoming a morning person.  Thank you, Sam for always getting Brian up and ready for school each morning.  You have truly spoiled me.  Just think, in a few months, you'll have to train your spoiled wife to get herself and all the kids up, dressed, fed, loaded into the mini van, and get Brian to school on time.  But Sam, I know you well enough that you'll totally help me.  You have to be at work by 8am, but I bet we'll have time to have family breakfasts.  Good, I guess I do have something to look forward to.

2.  Neighborhood Boys.  My boys are getting to the age when they want to play with their friends.  Luckily, we live in a neighborhood filled with boys around the age of our boys.  And usually, the boys all play well together.  Sure they may leave the front and back door open as they race around, but they enjoy hanging out, playing Donkey Kong, jumping on the trampoline, and eating Otter Pops.  As a mom, it's fun to see my boys learning how to build friendships.

Thankful Thursday

1.  Strawberries... they're pretty cheap in the grocery store now.  I love strawberries.

2.  Sunshine.  Next week it'll be May!  I better not see another snowflake for several months.  I suppose I'll have to accept the fact that I'll see cloudy skies and rain occassionally, but I guess it's okay since it's not snow and with sunshine, I may get to see some sweet rainbows!

Thankful Thursday

1.  Coupons.  I've been having fun decorating my house.  The coupons that I got from Sugar n' Spice sure helped me justify spending money on decorations.  

2.  Joy School.  I've enjoyed teaching school to Tyler and his little friends this year.  It's so fun to create lessons and see the kids' eyes light up when they learn something new.

Thankful Thursday

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1.  Potty Training.  I started potty training Tyler this week.  It's been a long week, but he's starting to get it.  Gotta keep it up.  Just having one child in diapers will be great.

2.  Brian Loves School.  I'm so glad that Brian loves school.  He's always very excited to get up, dressed, eat a quick breakfast, and hop on the bus.  When he gets home, Brian has his snack and then it's straight to the table downstairs to complete his homework.  Brian is a very conscientious student.  I'm so proud of him. 

3.  Katie Can Feed Herself.  Katie can finally pick up small Cheerios and other food and put it into her mouth!  It took her awhile because others were always feeding her.  

Thankful Thursday

1.  Spontaneous Trip to Las Vegas.  Once I found out that I'd been invited to a very special event in Las Vegas, I just knew that I had to make the trip happen.  I'm so glad that the very special event happened to be right after President's Day weekend and that Sam could take 2 days off of work.  Brian even skipped out on two days of school.  This was our family's first ever spontaneous road trip, planned out just 4 days before leaving.  It worked out nicely that my sister Jenny's family lives in Las Vegas and that we could stay at their super nice townhouse.  I will post about the very special event soon! 
2.  Tax Return.  We just got a N.I.C.E. tax return.  Sam and I are having fun deciding on what to spend it on.  Of course a good amount of the money will go into savings.  We just ordered a B.I.G. surprise for the kids, I ordered myself a couple of things online, and Sam ordered himself a few things too.

Thankful Thursday

 

1.  Brian Can READ!  I think it's so neat that my boy is reading.  He has learned so much in Kindergarten.  My boy works really hard and is doing great in school.  I love to listen to him read and see the smile on his face when he succeeds in school.

2.  Crafts.  Crafts make me happy.  They keep my creativity alive and my hands busy.  It's fun for me to look up different crafts, buy the supplies, and create.  I have some fun Valentine's Day decorations up at my house.  Brian and Tyler helped me make one of them.

Thankful Thursday

 

1.  Crayons.  Lately, around 2pm, Tyler and I have been sitting at the table in the toy/craft room.  We've whipped out the box of Crayola BIG crayons.  We choose a page or two from the dinosaur coloring book and we color.  I'm failing at my attempts in teaching Tyler to color nicely in the lines.  I'm trying to teach through my example of neat coloring.  But Tyler has his own way of coloring.  It's called big scribbles with the orange crayon.

2.  Free Online Classes.  I'm loving "The Joy of Love" class I'm taking.  I'll post pictures I took for class soon. 

Thankful Thursday

 

1.  A creative mind.  I love being creative.  Whether it's preparing a fun after school snack for my boys, making a craft, or planning a bedroom makeover, I just love the creative process.  My mind gets flooded with creative ideas sometimes and I must stop and empty my brain by jotting down my ideas in a notebook.  

 2.  My sweet three year old, Tyler.  That's right, Tyler has been so sweet this week.  I've given him alot more attention that usual and it sure is paying off.  I love hanging out with my boy.  We've done puzzles, shot some hoops, and took Katie with us to eat lunch with Sam at work.