One for the Books

This has been an absolutely crazy, mind-boggling, frustrating day. I don't think I've had a day quite like this before, so I had to get it recorded. It is definitely one for the books!

• To start, Caleb kept me up most of the night fussing - stuffy nose and teething. We had a LONG night on the couch together.
• One child, who shall remain nameless, drove me to the brink of insanity because she takes forever to do what should take 10 minutes tops (I'm sure my sleep deprivation played into all this - I know I'm not completely blameless). I hate having to constantly nag about getting things done!
• While I took 5 minutes to brush my teeth, put some make-up on, and throw my hair in a pony-tail, Rachel got into Josh's lunch sack and helped herself to his sandwich! So, as I screamed out orders (and slammed a few doors), I cleaned up that mess, pulled the gob of sandwich out of Caleb's mouth before he choked, quickly made another sandwich, got Caleb dressed, and rushed everyone into the van to go to school.
• As we attempted to leave for school, the van decided not to start. I tried over and over. The radio worked, the lights worked, but it wouldn't turn on. So I asked Emily to say a prayer, which she happily (thankfully) agreed to, tried again, and no luck. I asked Josh to say a prayer, tried again, and still no luck. So I said a prayer, tried again, and IT STARTED!!! Hallelujah! I'm so thankful prayers are answered! Amazingly I got the kids to school in time.
• I still needed to run to Wal-Mart, but was worried about turning the van off. So I called Jared to be on rescue stand-by. While we were in Wal-Mart, Rachel kept taking shoes and socks off and throwing them out of the cart (not unusual for her). Caleb started to get cranky, so it was time to go. We purchased our items, left the store, and...wait a minute...Rachel was missing a shoe! I buckled the kids in, locked the doors, and ran back in to find her shoe sitting in the line we checked out in. I swear I'm going to glue them to her feet!
• It was finally time to head home, but wait...the van wouldn't start - AGAIN! I was ready to sit and bang my head into the steering wheel by this point. I know that's futile, but that's where I was at! I remembered the little miracle we had earlier, so I tried the prayer again, and IT STARTED!! Whoever doesn't believe in miracles obviously hasn't lived my life!

It's 1:00 p.m. - I'm exhausted, both kids are sleeping, and I am ready for a nap myself. I hope this day ends better than it started!

Thanksgiving

Today I thought I'd post some of the things I'm thankful for. When you take a step back to look at your blessings, you realize how very abundant they are. So, without further ado...

I am thankful for:

Jared - truly the world's best husband. I don't think there are many men out there who would be willing to go to work all day, then come home and cook, take care of kids, take care of a pregnant wife on bedrest, keep the house clean, and still be happy. And he did this for two pregnancies in a row! Jared is truly an example to me. He is so thoughtful and caring. He has so much faith and is so strong. He treats me like a queen. I appreciate his ability to make us all smile and keep a happy and light atmosphere in our home. Hopefully someday I can be a little more like him.

Emily - she taught me how to be a mom. She has a very special place in my heart because she introduced me to the wonderful world of motherhood. I am amazed that she is so full of life and vigor. She is creative and adventurous. She is a great example of strength and persistence. She is soooo helpful, sometimes at the expense of her own enjoyment. She knows how to just enjoy life.

Josh - he keeps me laughing. You never know what he may say or do to make us burst into laughter. He is a sweet and tender person, and he reminds me frequently how important hugs are. He is so kind and loving to everyone. He is very good at doing what I ask the first time I ask. He is a real man in the making.

Rachel - she truly is the sweetest and most easy-going person I know. She is a daily reminder of God's hand in our lives. I will always look at her know that my happiness and well-being are important to Heavenly Father.

Caleb -just a bundle of sweetness! I have to admit - the dimples get me every time! He is a sweet reminder of faith and trust in God's plan, not mine. I can't imagine life without him!

Parents - I am lucky enough to have been taught and raised well. Even though my dad has passed on, I feel and see his goodness. And I am lucky enough to have my mom close enough to continue to experience her goodness. I'm also lucky to have a wonderful set of in-law parents who are great examples.

Health - even though I struggle in this area, I look at others and realize that my situation isn't so bad. It helps me get through those days when I feel just lousy. And I'm so thankful for every day that one of our kids isn't sick!

Not being pregnant this year!!! Don't get me wrong -I love each of my children dearly. But I'm so glad I can actually ENJOY the Thanksgiving meal this year!

Our home - we are so blessed to have such abundant space, and now we have the basement finished too! I wonder how people managed to live in such small homes and not kill each other?!?

Jared has a great job

We have 2 vehicles to get us where we need to go

The gospel - the older I get, the more I treasure my membership in the church and the blessings that come with it. I don't know how people make it through this life and all of its difficulties without the perspective and peace of the gospel. How blessed I am to know of my Savior and to have the gift of His atonement.

Spring - I love this season because it reminds me that there's always something good and beautiful just around the corner. You can't beat the beauty and freshness of newly blooming tulips, greening grass, and sunshine.

I could keep going, but at the risk of completely boring anyone reading this, I'll stop. I am truly blessed! I'm so thankful to know that I am a child of God and that He loves and cares enough about me to give me all these wonderful things that I truly don't deserve.

Happy 8th Birthday Emily!

Today is Emily's 8th birthday! So this post is dedicated to her.

Emily was born on a cold Friday afternoon. She was a big baby - 9 pounds! She was so cute and chubby, with beautiful red hair and a very healthy set of lungs. She was, and continues to be, perfect in every way!

Some things you may not know about Emily:

Her favorite color is green.

Her favorite dinner is cheese enchiladas.

Her favorite breakfast is 9 grain cracked cereal.

She is one of the most thoughtful people I know.

She skipped kindergarten because she is so smart.

She loves to read, and she could spend hours doing just that.

She is very persistent.

She pays attention to detail.

She loves animals.

She is a very responsible helper.

She had pneumonia when she was 5 and stayed in the hospital for 3 days.

She wants to be friends with everyone, and tries to make everyone happy.

We love you very much, Emily, and hope you have had a wonderful 8th birthday. You really light up our lives and you are such a blessing to our family!

The Little Things

I recently spent three days in the hospital with Emily while she recovered from a very severe case of pneumonia. She had been sick for 10 days before we finally figured out what was going on. I know we have all gained an extra measure of grattitude for the things in life that seem so little but are really huge when it comes down to it. Little things like:

• Tylenol and Ibuprofen to help a raging fever
• a doctor who really knows what she's doing
• the ability to breathe without difficulty
• the ability to move around on your own
• the comfort of the Holy Ghost
• the power of a priesthood blessing to soothe and comfort a restless child
• all of the modern medical conveniences and knowledge that can allow a child to recover from something that, 100 years ago, probably would have taken her life
• PORTABLE OXYGEN!!!
• antibiotics
• x-rays
• FAMILY!!!

I could probably make a list a mile long, but don't have the time or space. I am always awed at the love and concern shown to us by family, friends, doctors, and most especially Heavenly Father. I know we wouldn't have made it through any of this without each one of them. A gigantic THANK YOU and WE LOVE YOU to each of you!