Christmas Eve!

We spent a wonderful Christmas Eve among some great friends. The kids made cookies for Santa and played with their friends while the adults chatted, ate good food, and played games. It was perfect! We came home and read the Christmas story from the Bible as a family and each opened one present. The boys all got new jammies of course! :) From our clan to yours... enjoy your Christmas Eve and have a safe and merry Christmas!

Happiness

I awoke to this scene at 7am this morning. It is quick, quiet moments like this where I find true joy through my children. Happiness for me is to see Eli and Dallin squished together in that little car! :) They fight 90% of the time, but when they do play together... it is so heart warming. I hope these two will be good buddies as time goes on.

Quit looking at the nasty hand prints on my walls... and look at how cute my boys are! ;)

Connor saw me taking pictures and wanted to be in one. Notice how he is covering his undies for the picture... so thoughtful of him! :)

Christmas Love

E-Diddy

While driving in the car with his Dad, Eli recently heard the song "We Will Rock You". Queen has their version... and Eli has his. Ever since that car ride he has been running around the house chanting, "We will, we will, ROCKET SHIP!" It makes me chuckle every time I hear him. But mostly... I just wanted an excuse to post the song on my blog... I fully blame my dad and brothers for that! :)

Dear Santa,

Today for FHE Connor taught the lesson (the nativity) and then we wrote letters to Santa followed by a scripture, prayer and treat.

Connor's letter read:

Dear Santa,
Can I go in your workshop? What do elves look like?

I want:
1. a 4 wheeler (GOOD LUCK ON THAT ONE!)
2. Sorry Sliders (We already have 'Sorry'... do we really need two different versions of the same game?)
3. a Wii (Nope. Pretty sure Santa is not bringing you that either)
4. a soccer goal
5. Video games (Probably, but they are going to be video games for your "old" consoles. IE: Play Station 3 and Nintendo DS)
6. a Science Experiment (Do we really need a second mad scientist in this family? ;)

Why didn't the elf cross the road?
Because he didn't have the reindeer. (This is a joke he made up just for Santa)

Love, Connor

Eli's letter (with Seth's help) read:

Dear Santa,
Eli has been a good boy, for the most part. Anyway, we love him and think he should get presents in spite of everything.

This is what he wants:
1. a water gun
2. water to go in the water gun. (Is this really the brother of the kid who just asked for a 4 wheeler?)
3. fruit snacks (preferably Princess ones) (Don't ask!)
4. a DS. (You do a fine job of breaking your older brother's... I don't think we need to buy a second one for you to reek havoc on.)
5. A 'Yo Gabba Gabba' Game (No idea what he is talking about... he doesn't even like the show 'Yo Gabba Gabba'. I personally just think he likes to say the words, Yo Gabba Gabba! :)
6. Presents (why can't they just all ask for this?)

Love, Eli

Afterwards Connor kept saying, "Do you think Santa will really give me a 4 wheeler AND a Wii?"
To which I respond, "No."
And then he says very excitedly, "I don't either, but I hope he does!"

I hope come Christmas morning we don't have tears and a broken heart. :(

Photo Shoot

Thanks to our amazing and talented friend Jim Boud... we finally have some real family photos! If anyone wants contact info for him... let me know! :)

My Gramps

This morning my Grandpa Maine passed away in his sleep. This was not too unexpected as we found out at the beginning of the week that he had a severe stroke for which he was hospitalized. He was expected to pass within the next couple of weeks, but this was sooner than I had anticipated.

At 92 years of age... I would say that my Grandfather has lived a long life, a full life. I hope he is happy. I like to think that when he crossed over he was met by his father that died when he was a very small child. My Grandfather had a hard life and as a result made some poor choices. Many judge him based on these things.

All I know is the man who I called "the bad Grandpa" (as the nickname was given by himself). But the irony was that he was a good Grandpa. A really good grandpa. I am not calling him a perfect man, as I know that he was capable of causing pain... as we all are. But I do believe he tried to right the wrongs he had made in his life. And if i have to vouch for the goodness in this man's heart at the gates of Heaven (or hell) I will!!

He never showed me anything but love. In the summer time I would have sleepovers at his house, he would take me to the park, to the local fair, swimming, take me camping, on long walks, and to get ice cream cones. We both loved to play with his dog. He would wrestle with me, spend hours teaching me card tricks, and always showered me in wet slobbery kisses. We spent holidays together. My Grandpa wrote many letters to me throughout college and my married life. He wrote my kids letters. He sent birthday cards, and emails, and called often. He served his country faithfully as he loved it dearly. I love my Grandpa. I will miss him very much. I already do. Love you with all my heart, Gramps. Always know that!

Gramps and me... 1981. (age 2)

Grandpa always had such a special place in his heart for Connor. I am not sure why, but somehow Connor stole his heart long ago. He loved to talk to Connor on the phone... and Connor loved talking to him too! Here is a pic of my Grandpa with Connor at age 2. (2004)

It Snowed!

Our second year here in Houston... and it snowed for the second year in a row! So fun and unexpected... and even more fun because it melts before the day is over! :) (That is my kind of snow. I like if for one day and then I am DONE!)

And before you all try to call CPS on me... I DID get my child properly dressed so he could go play in the snow! I even dug in the closets/attic to look for a pair of old ski bibs and winter coat that would fit Eli! The snow was very pretty. Exxon let Seth out of work at 10:30am that day and Connor got out from school an hour early that day (2:20pm) in anticipation of ALL the snow were were supposed to get. The so called 4-5 inches in one day was no where to be seen by my eyes. Maybe .45 inches? :) But that is fine by me... I loved having the family all home for the day!

Eli had a blast playing in the snow. He kept saying it was Christmas! :) When his clothes got too wet for his liking, he came in only to switch them out for dry ones to go back out in.

My cute little man!

Dallin didn't seem to care for the snow. He is a lot like a dog, I think. He was going nuts inside the house as he watched it fall down on the ground all day. Especially once Eli was out back and playing in it. But then once I actually bundled him up and took him out to play in it... he just wanted me to hold him. :)

Unfortunately I have no pics of Connor. Connor immediately got off the bus and started having a snowball fight with the neighborhood kids. They played out there for a good couple hours until their mitten-less hands were frozen solid. To which we invited Connor's pal, Rylan, over to spend the night, drink hot chocolate, order pizza, and watch a movie. My kind of day! :)

** Let It Snow! **

(you're going to want to click on this photo to see it big... you can't help but smile!)

It is snowing here in Houston!! Let it snow, let it snow!

Naughty or Nice?

Eli loves to go into the bathroom and play! He stops up the sink and fills it with water; all the while letting it splash and overflow onto the bathroom floor. Not to mention he manages to soak all this clothing from head to toe while reeking all sorts of havoc and trouble in there. And he can do this all in a matter of a couple of minutes! In our down stairs bathroom I set out a little Santa candle in there as decoration. I caught Eli playing in the sink again this morning... and I cleverly pointed to the candle and said, "See Santa, Eli? He is watching you. He knows if you are being naughty in here."

He whined and fussed a bit about the fact that he did not want Santa to watch him. (As he always does when I tell him this.) Clearly only the thought process of a NAUGHTY little boy. Most kids seem to like the idea that Santa will bring them presents if they are good. :)

A few hours later I went to use that same bathroom. This is what I found:

I guess Eli solved his own problem... because Santa certainly can't watch him now! ;)

30 Days of Thanks Completed!!

The beautiful tree that Connor picked out!

While Seth put up lights... Eli and Dallin fought non stop over who got to stand at the top of this step stool. Dallin only fell off once...

When I finally made these two rotate turns to stand on it, Eli shoved Cheetos in his mouth to keep himself satisfied. (Thus the orange face and hands.) He is showing you the letters we worked on today. :)

The stockings all got hung.

And the Nativity was arranged.

Our finished product!

On the thirtieth of November I found myself grateful for the Christmas season. I am grateful we were able to go out together as a family and pick out a Christmas tree. I am grateful for the fun traditions that come with Christmas time... as it unites our family closer to one another as we draw nearer to our Savior. I am humbled by the beauty of all of it.

I truly have become much more aware of the multiple blessings that are all around me through doing these simple posts.

But, that being said... I am also happy to start complaining again about all the things that bug me! ;)

29 Days of Thanks

Sunday I was thankful for the opportunity to get "back on track". As of late we have not been doing the best with the family prayer and scripture study--with some here and some there... but not being as consistent as we know we should be. We have discussed it and made it a top priority and have reworked it into the boys schedule. So far we are 100% with 1 for 1. Go us! ;)

28th Day of Gratitude

Note: this is the first day with the lights up... one window is not lit up as the lights already fell down. Since then... both have fallen down and the other cords have come looser in other places. Sadly, this pic was clearly taken at our house lights "peak performance". :)

Saturday I was grateful for lights! Growing up my parents never put lights up on the outside of the house. Inside the house was decorated more than any other house I know... from top to bottom, but for whatever reason my parents never did outside lights. I always felt like we were the ONLY house in the universe that did not have lights. As a result I have always told Seth that I want to have lights on our house. But every year we have not done it. Finally this year I convinced him to try it. We went out there together with our ladder and climbing on the roof. We were both pretty chicken and had no clue what we were doing which did not make for the best light-putting-up team. :) But eventually we got them up in a makeshift way. I even decorated the kids club house out back with lights... they love it! I have to admit that in comparison to our all our neighbors... our lights are humbling and a bit embarrassing. But I am trying not to let it bother me because the kids love them and we worked so hard on them. We already have to figure out something new as they have started falling down around our windows... but I am grateful that we at least attempted! :)

27th Day of Thanks

Today I was thankful to be married to a GOOD man. (Yes, this one is about Seth again.) But he really does so much for me, how could I not be grateful? I was fully planning on going Black Friday shopping this morning. I had all my stores and items mapped out. The alarm was set for 1 am and I anticipated and even looked forward to the adrenaline rush of getting good deals on the Christmas presents. However, I woke up to feeling sicker than a dog. I was positive I was going to throw up and had to stand by the toilet for a awhile. Surprisingly to me, I did not throw up, but I still felt horrible. I ran a bath to try and soothe my upset stomach and then ended up getting back into bed awful. Seth kindly (with out me even asking him) set his alarm for 4am... took my lists... and hit a couple of the stores himself. Unfortunately he missed out on most of the big ticketed items, but he still got some of the littler things. And how sweet of him it was to get up and go on his own and try. I love him so much and am truly grateful for this gesture.

26th day of Thanks

So although I am a totally bad Aunt and did not call my niece on her birthday... today, I am thankful for Ashley! I think she is turning 13 (which I can not believe!!) But I hold such a special place in my heart for little Ash. (okay maybe she is not so little anymore.) She was born at a time when I had no children of my own and I lived and breathed for my Ashley time as she was the first niece/nephew out of them all. I was able to live close to her parents the first 4 years of her life and as a result I was able to spend a lot of time with her. I have so many fond memories. I remember taking her on walks, going trick or treating with her, playing dress up, playing princess, taking her to the park, visiting the horses, babysitting her many times, her tattling that I let her watch Sesame Street one day (when she wasn't supposed to), dancing with her to music, holding her on my chest and sleeping with her through the night when she was only a few months old as her parents were gone over night on a get-away, and many more. I hate that I live so far away now... and that she has gotten so big with out me. But I love the beautiful young woman she is turning out to be. She has a very contagious smile that I love very much. Ashley... tell your mom and dad that you want to come and visit your Aunt Tissy (she is even the one who coined the name 'Tissy' that all my nieces and nephews call me now) for a week.. or a month... ! :) I love you sweet Ash, always know that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A couple of turkeys!

The rest of the gang on Thanksgiving day. (Please don't hate because I have 5 chins and you don't!)

We spent Thanksgiving Day with two wonderful families from the ward. We spent it eating good food (way too much in my case), chatting, playing games, and watching the kids run wild and carefree. One of the best things about it all was that it was not at our house-- so we cooked significantly less than usual (and had much less mess to clean up)! :) Seth brought his delicious cheese ball and crackers... and I made a cream cheese pie, pumpkin cookies, and corn bread to share. And I have to say to Brenda that I think that was the best turkey I have EVER tasted! We had a great time... so much so... that we hardly even missed our families! HA! Just kiddin' Moms and Dads! ;)

Convo with Eli

This morning as I was feeding Dallin breakfast I was talking to Eli who was standing next to me. I asked him, "Eli what would you like Santa Claus to bring you this year for Christmas?"

He thought for a moment and said, "Mmmm, a water gun." (Can you tell it is warm here all year round since my three year old is asking for a water gun in December?)

Then I said, "What else would you like him to bring you?"

He thinks a little more and says, "A water gun AND a Barbie house!"

Hahahaha. Seth didn't think this was very funny. :)

25 days

Today I was thankful for the movies. For technology since we were able to see Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' in 3-D at the IMAX theater. For money to pay for the movies. For little boys and a husband to go with me to the movies. For a friend who watched Dallin for me so we could actually WATCH the movie. For a sweet lil' monkey who was so excited to see me when I picked him up after the movies. For Diet Barq's root beer. And for a husband who had dinner cooked and ready when I came home after several hours of fighting the crowds for Thanksgiving groceries. Life is good!

24th Day of Thanks

After the race. I had to leave this one in color because I love that you can see Connor's splotchy, red face... this kid ran his guts out!

Before the race... pumped up and read to go!

Today I am thankful for my body. I was able to go to Connor's school and participate in the school's Turkey Trot. It was so much fun. Connor and I had a great time competing with each other. We ended up running three miles each. I was thankful that my body was able to do that because a few month back it most certainly would not. Connor got the most laps in his class and was so proud of himself. (I was too!) Never underestimate the power of competitiveness. He is not a very fast kid. He isn't slow, but I have seen him be beat many times. But he and I had a little bet going about who would beat whom today... and he was NOT about to lose to his mom! He ran ahead of my by about 25 feet the entire time... just taunting me! If i started to sprint to try and catch him... he would sprint. If I slowed down to catch my breath... he slowed down. Then when the whistle blew and you had to finish your last lap... I yelled to him that this is when I kick it in high gear... and I started sprinting. He had nothing left. I caught him quick and with the last 25 feet or so to go, I pulled ahead. He started crying; mostly because I think he was exhausted (I did not know Connor could run a mile straight let alone three!) but also because he did NOT want me to beat him after he had been beating me the WHOLE 35 minutes. I didn't have it in my heart to steal his glory... so I slowed down and grabbed his hand and we crossed together. Then, in true Pat McKeehan style... we celebrated our victory with Big Gulps! It was perfect!

23rd Day of Thanks... SLEEP!

On Monday I was thankful to be able to get a good nights rest. I woke up after a full 9 hours of sleep and I felt awesome ALL day! I had more energy and was happier. There really is something to be be said for going to bed early and getting at least a full 8 hours of sleep. Too bad I just can't get myself to do it but maybe once a year.

22 Days of Thanks

Today I was thankful for a husband who helped me clean up that messy house (from the previous day) and helped me cook a yummy dinner (ok he did most of it... I only made the rolls and potatoes) so we could invite some friends over to get to know them better. It was great! Again... world's greatest husband... lives at my house! :)

21 days of Thanks

Saturday I was very grateful for FRIENDS! I had a fun girls day. In the morning I met up with a group of gals to go see New Moon and then hit Papasitos for lunch. Decent flick, better food, great company! Then from there I left to go meet up with another girlfriend to go do some outlet Christmas shopping. (Since neither of our husbands were keen to the idea). I came home about 8pm... after leaving at 9am... to a tired husband, a pizza box left out from dinner, and a disaster of a house. Seth had a long day battling the kids and I think he was a bit more grateful than usual for me when I returned home. I always appreciate that. :)

Thanks #20

Well, I don't have any pics to post with this... and I might not have pics for awhile because I think our desk top is fried. :( So I will continue to use Seth's trusty laptop for entries... but I am not sure how long it will be until I have access to post pictures again. Booooo!

Today I am thankful for being able to take the boys (Eli and Dallin) with me to Connor's school for lunch. I decided to surprise Connor. He was thrilled! I loved seeing him run up to me with a huge smile on his face while waving his arms and throwing a big hug around my neck. It was one of those times when it feels SO awesome to be a mom! :) Dallin made a huge mess for someone to clean up and kept dropping food and insisted on eating it off the ground. Eli was just happy to be at "school" sitting there and observing all the "big" kids in their natural habitat... and Connor enjoyed eating all of his hot lunch and then most of his other two brothers packed lunches. Life is good!

Thanks #19

Today I had a play-date planned with a friend. My friend had to cancel because one of her kids is throwing up. Although I am bummed that we will not be getting together, I AM thankful that my kids are NOT home sick and puking. (Knock on wood!)

Feel better soon Victor!

18th day of Thanks

Today is the first day in several months that Dallin did not scream and cry when I dropped him off at the gym daycare! He certainly was happy to see me again when I showed up to pick him up... but they said he was pleasant and played happily the whole time! No tears whatsoever. AWESOME! I am thankful for this and look forward to having guiltless workouts again! :)

Thanks #853

... or at least that is what it feels like! ;) I am getting tired of blogging about the things I am thankful for... so I am sure everyone else is tired of reading them! :) I do feel more filled with gratitude since I started this though.... and I am amazed at how relatively easy it has been to find something to be thankful for (usually multiple things) each and every day. I thought it would be harder than this.

Monday the 16th:

I was thankful that even though I was not feeling well and ended up taking a hot bath and laying down... I had a husband who went ahead and carried out Family Home Evening and with out being asked. He just did some simple games of sardines (a family favorite) in the pitch dark and the boys loved it! After that they ate Halloween candy for the treat. Simple, easy, and fun! I feel like most of these posts are about my wonderful husband. Is everyone jealous yet? Because you should be! :)

Tuesday the 17th:

I am thankful my husband told me how beautiful he thinks I am.

Kids... You Gotta Love 'em?

Okay... so for those of you who do not know... I have been dieting for the last three months... and have been doing pretty well. I have lost 30 pounds. (As embarrassing as that is to admit... I still have about 20lbs more that I want to go!) So now with that background let me tell you the following story:

Seth and the kids were feasting on their healthy dinner of french toast, bacon and hot chocolate. It was very painful for me to watch as Seth makes the BEST french toast! (Second only to a place in Portland where they took actual gooey cinnamon rolls and sliced them up, dipped them in batter, and then fried them into perfection. :) I, on the other hand, am sitting there and eating my chicken breast, celery and onion mixture on a low-carb, whole wheat wrap. (Doesn't sound very good after theirs does it?)

Connor (who is well aware of my dieting) turns to me and says, "Why are you dieting anyway, Mom? You look exactly the same. You aren't losing any weight."

WOW! Thanks for noticing Connor!

Talk about making me feel like crap in a matter of seconds! I look at Seth and he can see me on the verge of tears.

Seth quickly chimes in to try and make me feel better, "Mom has lost a lot of weight and she looks great!"

Thanks Sweetie... but the damage was done!

Apparently Connor did not get it all off his chest because he feels the need to add... "You should try to look like Jacob's mom. She is REALLY skinny AND tall!"

He is referring to his Aunt Heidi. For any of you who do not know my sister in law; she has birthed 4 children, is maybe 110 pounds and probably 5' 10''. Not to mention a total hottie! She is an anomaly!

So now "the dear" not only wants me to obtain a weight that I have not been since the 7th grade... but he wants me to GROW another 5 inches to top it off? At that point I was ready to let him MOVE IN with his Aunt Heidi!

I stopped eating my wrap.

The Great Debate

My poor child! Connor has an internal battle inside him that is fueled by his mother and the world around him, as he knows it. Does he choose his loyalty to his mom and her favorite NBA team (the Portland Trailblazers), or does he get sucked into the hype of having a great NBA home team right here in Houston and join his friends in the Rocket craze? I do my best to put lots of pressure on him, but I am fairly certain after this birthday party that I am loosing the battle... thanks Cris!

A friend of ours works for the Houston Rockets. As if it is not bad enough to have to put up with all the Rocket trash talk he likes to dish out to me... or the multiple Rocket playoff shirts he so kindly gave me last season (to which I almost got thrown out of the family this last summer when I was seen sleeping in one!) this van pulls into the driveway blaring jams from its speakers. Clutch (the Rockets team mascot) jumps out of the back spraying silly string and streamers, blowing loud horns, and giving hugs and high fives galore. The kids all went nuts!

Clutch has Connor in a head lock!

Trenty (the birthday boy) and Eli.

Connor with his good buddy Spencer (the other birthday boy).

Clutch came and played party games with the kids, put on a magic show, individually took pictures and autographed his newest Clutch story book for each of the kids and gave them all Rockets hats. The kids loved it!

And in case you think this is just some joe-schmoe inside that costume... you are wrong! Apparently there is a "one and only" who does Clutch and this is the REAL DEAL, baby! ;)

The whole gang.

Although Dallin was at the party... he quite frankly would rather pick his nose than have anything to do with Clutch! He told me earlier that he was more of a Blaze the Trail Cat fan! ;)

GO BLAZERS! :)

#14 and #15

Sunday Thanks:

After attending a special fireside with Connor on how great it is going to be to turn 8... I am super excited for him and this time in his life! He is approaching a special time of baptism and what it means to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It freaks me out a bit to wonder if I have done all that I can to prepare and teach him what he needs to know to take on this next step, but I think he will be ready. I am proud of him and his example to his friends. He is not always perfect by any means, but he is a good kid with a great heart. He is so excited to be baptised and can't hardly wait to be a boy scout! I am thankful for this.

Saturday Thanks:

I am grateful for eating out! I had a super busy day on Saturday and after only three hours of sleep the night before. My schedule was the following: I woke up and did "mom jobs" making breakfast and cleaning up, feeding and bathing the baby,etc. From there I hit the gym with Dallin (Connor and Eli were still gone camping with Seth) I came straight home and exchanged Dallin for Connor. I hurried and got Connor's uniform and team snack together-- and from there left in still sweat drenched work out clothes to take Connor to his soccer game. Straight from the game (and still in the nasty clothes and appearance) we headed to Target to get a few sale items and buy some birthday presents for a double b-day party the kids had in a couple hours. From there I drove back home and wrapped presents and finally showered! We went to the birthday party as a family. When it was over at 5:30pm-- I was starving and exhausted! I turned to my husband and suggested we head to our favorite Mexican restaurant (Rancho Grande). I was so happy when he complied without a snide budget remark, or a gripe over having to take the three boys with us! :) It felt so good to sit down and be waited on... to eat yummy food... and not to have had to prepare it myself or worry about any of the clean up! I am thankful for the luxury to be able to eat out, and yes I do realize it is a luxury! It gave me the energy I needed to leave from there and hit two more different stores for some grocery shopping that had to be done before my day was officially over. :)

Friday the 13th, Day of Thanks

Today I am thankful to have a husband who is willing and wants to take his sons on a Father and Son camp out. He knows how much our kids look forward to it all year long and he does his best to prepare and make it fun for the boys. He took a half day off of work today so that he could load up the van with all the proper attire (tent, sleeping bags, camping stove, firewood, supplies for hot dogs and bratwurst (dinner), smores (dessert), hot chocolate, pancakes and bacon (breakfast), snacks/treats, drinks, flashlights, glow sticks, balls/bats, bug spray, burn bandages and medicine (cuz we all know how fathers and sons turned out last year for Connor) and anything else you could possibly think of. Then he picked Connor straight up from school (he didn't even have to ride the bus today... he was SUPER excited) and drove the three of them to the campsite off of Lake Houston. I have no doubt the boys are having the time of their life right now throwing rocks and playing with sticks and Seth is a bit bored and wishing he had a comfy bed to climb into right about now. :) I am also thankful that next year Dallin will be old enough to tag along and I will officially have the night OFF! ;)

Day 12 of Thanks

Today I am grateful for doctors. I was comforted by the thorough and attentive primary care physician that we have. I have not been feeling the best as of late. I have been very tired the last few months and have had a lot of dizzy spells followed by constant "black outs" when I stand up. I would say it happens about 8-10 times a day. I finally saw the doctor about it and turns out my blood pressure is very low. My heart was strong and breathing is fine. He took some blood and they are running some tests. But he is fairly certain that I am anemic which is what has been causing this. We are waiting on the blood test results, but hoping that by popping some iron pills it will help solve the problem and I will be back to normal!

Double Trouble

I love these two little boys! Here they are in their "club house". Whenever I am on the computer while they are awake... they are never far. They like to park themselves in the nook under the desk right below me. They pull out anything and everything that they can get their hands on and make a great mess of all the bills, office supplies, computer software, filing records, trash, etc in a matter of seconds... especially little Dallin Kelly! Seth LOVES it! ;)

11 Days of Thanks

Today I was thankful for the opportunity to serve others.

10th day of Thanks!

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to walk around Lake Anne. I am thankful for the changing leaves, the sunshine and the 77 degree weather. I am thankful for the beautiful lake, pretty fountains, and the those crazy ducks. Most of all I was grateful for the two wonderful little boys that accompanied me on my walk and helped make it so much fun!

9th Day of Thanks

Today for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on the plan of Salvation/ the plan of Happiness. I am filled with gratitude to know that my Savior died and atoned for my sins so that we can return and live with Him again as families forever. I am thankful for this knowledge and for the comfort and blessings it provides.

8th Day of Thanks

Today I was asked to substitute in the junior nursery at our church. This means I got to help out with the 18 month old children up to 2 year olds. As I sat in there I was amazed at how much work and effort goes into those small children. The other adults/teachers in there are AMAZING! They sang and danced with those children, played musical instruments for them, broke up fights and restored friendships, taught them that they are all children of God and have a Heavenly Father that loves them, laughed and played with them, prepared snacks and activities for them... and just put an amazing amount of effort into ensuring our little ones have fun, know they are loved by their teachers and their Heavenly Father, and keeping them all safe and happy. I do not have a child currently in the junior nursery, but I am thankful for these people... for their service to these little ones, and for knowing that in 3 months when Dallin will be in this class... he will be in excellent hands!

7th Day of Thanks

Today I am so thankful to be able to go on a date with my husband! Since we have moved to Texas our dates seem to have gotten fewer and farther between. One reason is we have no family to ask which makes it hard. Another reason is there are not very many youth in our ward that babysit which makes it a little harder. The main reason is that we have three small children all with busy schedules and usually we are too busy flying by the seat of our pants to even think a week or two ahead of time... to ask or arrange for a sitter. So Friday night to our surprise we got a call from some friends asking us if they could babysit our kids for us on Saturday night so we could go out on a date! And they wanted to do it for us in our own house! HOLY CRAP! You don't have to ask us that twice! :) We jumped on the offer. We had a wonderful time just doing silly things. We went to a stuffy retirement party of a friend of Seth's from Exxon. We went out to eat at a fancy restaurant! ( NOT Chilli's, Chick-Fil-A, or What-a burger.) And then we went to Wal-mart to pick up some groceries. It was perfect! We did not have to divide and conquer with managing kids, we were able to hold hands, actually look at each other and talk while we were eating instead of wrestling kids from under the table, we were not super rushed to get in and out of the store as fast as we could... we simply enjoyed ourselves... and each other! Don't get me wrong... we would be miserable with out those other three little 'things' in our lives... but it is nice to have have a bit of both worlds. I love my husband and was very grateful to be reminded last night of how much I do. I am so thankful for our KIND friends to think of us and for their simple act of service! THANK YOU!

6th Day of Thanks

Today on the 6th of November... I am especially grateful for my Grandma McKeehan. She is 97 today. She has been a wonderful grandmother... full of spunk and life! I will always remember sneaking stale, hard oatmeal cookies from her cookie jar, drinking the unlimited supply of flat 7-up that she had stored in her refrigerator, her undying loyalty to the Oregon State Beavers, her love for golf (and to this day she still tries to get me to take it up), being stuffed to the point that my stomach hurt and then being force fed more, the best Easter egg hunts ever, the amazing doll house she made for me from her own two hands, peanut butter sundaes, being taught and playing every card game under the sun, long walks just she and I, and most of all always knowing of her love for me. To this day every time I call her... I can hear the hope and anticipation in her voice that I am just around the corner and am planning on stopping by. I truly feel my grandmother has lived her life to the fullest. She shared over 75 years of marriage to the love of her life, she has traveled the world, she is educated, she has been able to rear, love, see and know children, grandchildren and many great grandchildren. My Grandmother is an amazing woman! I am blessed to have her in my life. This I know... and am VERY thankful for!

Dallin Is Walking!

5th Day of Thanks

Thurs. November, 5:

I am thankful to have had the following interaction:

Today my doorbell rang at 8:30am. To my surprise it was our cute, little 4 year old neighbor asking if Eli could play outside with him. He is not normally home during the day since both his parents work. When I asked why he was home today, he responded with a sweet little smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye and said, "I crapped too much while I was at school and now they won't let me go back." I was a bit taken by his response. I did not know whether to laugh (which is what I wanted to do), or discipline because I know his parents would not have liked the fact that he just used the word 'crap'. I must have looked kind of confused because then he politely explained to me, "You know Miss Tiffany... I went POTTY too much!!" At this point I had to laugh. :)

4th Day of Thanks

Wed. November 4th:
Today I had a meeting with Connor's teacher, vice principal, and speech therapist about Connor's speech therapy. Although I constantly worry over Connor's fluency and wonder if he will ever be able to speak without stuttering; I was happy to hear that the therapist thought that Connor was progressing enough to go from 3 speech sessions a week... down to two. I am so thankful at how far Connor has come! I am thankful to have help with Connor's condition and for the patience of teachers, friends, and family. As a mother this is an issue I am highly sensitive about. Nothing breaks my heart more than when I see a child (or an adult!) tease Connor over his speech. I am thankful Connor is a confident and resilient kid regardless of the stupidity of others and for the capabilities he does have! I think he is amazing!

Is It Possible?

Could Dallin actually be starting to walk?!? At ONLY 3 days shy of 15 months...

I think we might be able to soon say good-bye to this... (the walker)

and to this... (crawling)

because last night Dallin started to up and walk! He was taking about 10 steps at a time. Don't get me wrong, crawling still seems to be his preference. But Seth did catch some great footage of the little munchkin in action, while I was out getting my haircut. (Yes, Dallin has officially chosen to hit ALL his milestones while I am gone! First crawling... now walking!) I am hoping to get some of the video posted in the next day or two.

3rd day of Thanks

Tues. November 3rd:
Today I am thankful for for the gym. I am thankful to have a safe place to go and exercise. I am thankful to have a healthy way to release pent up frustrations from the day. I am thankful to have some alone time and to be able to listen to my music as loud as I want without having to worry if it has any bad words in it. :) I am thankful for the way I feel after I have a good workout. I am most thankful to have a husband who is willing to put all three boys to bed by himself (without so much as a second thought) so that I could go to the gym. I love you!

30 DAYS OF THANKS!

So I am going to fall in line with other fellow bloggers and try to complete the 30 days of Thanks for the month of November. I encourage anyone else who wants to... to do the same. I will try my best to record at least one thing I am thankful for everyday.

Sun. November, 1st:
I was so thankful to hear Connor's sweet testimony in sacrament meeting. (see previous post)

Mon. November, 2nd:
I am very grateful to be able to go to Connor's school and volunteer in the classroom/workroom once a week. It is such an awesome feeling to see Connor's face light up as he sees me walk into his classroom! I am glad to help out his teacher and it is always nice to have a break from the little ones! :) But I am most grateful to have a friend who makes it all possible. She is willing to watch my other two kids so that I can volunteer. (This includes, but not limited to, a 1 year old with some major separation anxiety which = a screaming baby for almost 2 hours straight). I am thankful that even though I have given her many outs she continues to tell me it does not bother her and to keep going. She must be a better person than I am because I can not stand a screaming baby... and it is my own! :) Thanks Kenna!!

Sweet Connor

Today during fast and testimony meeting Connor heard the new Stake President's daughter go up and share her testimony... she does this almost every fast and testimony meeting. I think she is 10 and has Down Syndrome. And what a big example sweet Mary set for my son today. Connor listened to her, as he has many times, turned to me and said, "Mom, I want to go up there and do that, too." I told him that was fine. He was nervous and went back and forth for a minute in his head and then walked up to the front and sat down while he waited his turn to speak.

If I can remember it correctly, I wanted to share and record Connor's testimony at age 7. His first experience with burying his testimony from the pulpit. He stood up on the cute foot stool the bishop put out for him and said, "I would like to bare my testimony that I know this church is true. I know Jesus loves me and I love my family. I want to go to the temple and be married in it someday. I am thankful that I can be baptized when I am 8 to wash away my sins. I want people to like me and I want to read my scriptures. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

It really was a sweet and tender moment. I was so happy for him. As soon as he came down he said, "Mom, can I go back up there and do it again?" :) I told him he could in a month. That did not seem soon enough for him. It ended up being a testimony meeting filled with the sweet testimonies of many of the primary children and it touched my heart. It is the first time in the 15 months or so that I have been here in this ward that I have ever seen that many kids get up on fast Sunday.

I personally do not care for getting up in public and speaking, and as a result almost never share my testimony in sacrament meeting. It is a sad thing. I know it was not my example that sparked the fire in Connor's heart to get up there today. I am so grateful for Mary and her consistent and steadfast example of doing what she knows is right. That little person with her big spirit made a lasting impression for me and my son today. Thank you! I hope that I, too, can be more like Mary.

Trick or Treat!

Darling Eli as a scarecrow! (Another great costume borrowed from another great neighbor! :) He looked so cute and little in this outfit... I just can't express the way my heart felt when I saw him in it. I was in love! My lil' E-diddy!

Connor and Eli ready to go trick or treating! (Eli trying to do what the ninja is doing! :)

Our awesome neighbors hooked up their tractor to their 4 wheeler and pulled all the kids on their own private hayride as they trick-or-treated! We felt like Halloween royalty! :)

Rylan and Connor... best buds.

Mom and Dallin

Unlike last year where Eli pooped out after three houses.. he was psyched and ready to go all night long! His bucket got so heavy and he never asked me to carry it once.

Dallin and Dad stayed home and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. (We had a ton! The streets were filled!!) Seth said Dallin got so excited every time the doorbell rang and would make a mad dash for the door (crawling of course)! He also loved to help pick out the candy for the trick-or-treaters! So cute!

Well, I blew my diet today BIG-TIME and pigged out on candy and pizza until I was SICK! Such a fun night! :) Now we get to wait a whole year until next time! Happy Haunting!