Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish you all wonderfully Happy Thanksgiving. We spent the day up in Daybreak (S. Jordan) with Lexie's in-law's, the Cottles. It was quite a crew and our kids were wiped by the end of the day. But they had a blast, the food was great, and the company was fantastic. I'll grab some pics from Lexie and post them soon. For now, I just wanted to say how grateful I am to have so many blessings this year at Thanksgiving. Here are my top ten things to be grateful for right now:

1. My family
2. The Gospel
3. Our home. It may be in Provo, but it's all our's and it still always feels good to come home to our lives.
4. Beautiful weather. Other than a little wind, today was another gorgeous day. I don't mind all the leaves falling, if it means beautiful weather that my kids can still play outside in.
5. Choices. This sounds funny but I'm grateful that we have so many options in our lives right now. Our future is wide open. At this time next year, we could be in Seattle, Orem, or Bentonville and I'm excited about the many possibilities.
6. Computers/ Technology. There's so much I can do with a click of a mouse that 10 years would have been unthinkable. I love how the gospel moves ever forward with the help of technology.
7. Babies. I loved seeing my niece, Brizzy, and her cousins, Libby and Kloey, who are 2 months younger than her. They are so curious and in awe of everything around them. I want to be more like that.
8. God books. No matter how busy I am, a good book always calms me down and allows me a brief escape from the mundane-ness of my life. One of goals in life is to have enough space in our home to have a library. It might start as a shelf or two but I'd love to create a reading nook, complete with comfy chair and good lighting. (I might have to steal the comfiest chair from my mom, along with the her knitted blankets, but it will happen!).
9. Second trimester. Silly, but soooooo true. I honestly feel better during 2nd trimester of my pregnancies, that the not-so-pleasant part (you know, the 1st & 3rd trimester, birth, recovery, newborn craziness, sleepless nights, etc.) seem worth it. Oh, and the cute little caramel baby that is the end result is worth it, too.
10. Love. As the Beatles so aptly said, "All you need is love." Cheesy and very Oregonian of me, but I'm grateful to know that there are people in this world who love and care about my welfare. It makes my life so much better. Of course, nothing trumps knowing that my Father in Heaven knows my every thought and intention and still loves me.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have many reasons to give thanks today.

Thanks Update

So, I've been keeping track in my journal of some of the things that I'm grateful for. But it is a little difficult to come up with some "new" ideas. Most of my gratitude is for my family or something related to my family, so I've had to start thinking hard about what I'm truly grateful for.

Nov. 12: I spent the day stressing about a presentation on mealtime with kids I had to teach as part of our quarterly Relief Society meeting (formerly known as "Enrichment"). I actually learned some new ideas for getting my kids to try new things. I think what I'm most grateful for is that Ronell and I have never had to struggle to put good food before our kids. Even if they choose not to each much, I know that at least Ronell and I can provide for them.

Nov. 13: I'm grateful today for days off. Fridays are the only weekdays that Palmer doesn't go to preschool and it's nice not to rush to get him out the door. Because I know that next year, we won't get any weekdays off when he starts kindergarten (yikes, I"ll have a kindergartener!), I'm set on enjoying them now. We don't get dressed right when wake up and I usually get most of my projects done. It's a good day.

Nov. 14: Today I'm grateful for two things totally unrelated, quilting and my in-laws. I'm doing a monthly quilt class that results in a gorgeous pieced and appliqued quilt. I love learning new techniques and I find myself getting quickly obsessed and feel the need to try out my new skills on every new project. I'm grateful for my mother and father-in-law because they called and asked if they could take the kids for the afternoon and then kept them from 2-7pm. It was so nice of them. Ronell and I went to dinner, packed up summer clothes (it's finally getting cold enough to actually wear long sleeves), and enjoyed watching some football without worrying what the kids were doing. It was a great treat.

Nov. 15: I'm grateful for inspired speakers today. We had Stake Conference and our Area Authority, Elder Daniel Jones spoke to us. I loved so much of what he said. He gave us 20 ways to save our families in the last days. I won't list them all here because then this post would be insanely too long. But some of my favorites (other than the standard ones we all think of) were 1. Be Consistent (echoing Elder. Bednar from conference), 2. Have companionship inventory (we've gotten out of the habit since b-school), 3. Arrive 15 minutes early to church and sit towards the front, 4. Encourage children to get as much education as possible, as well as seeking continuous learning opportunities, 5. Teach your children to save for their own missions and college education.

Nov. 16: Today I'm grateful for my kids' excitement. As part of MBA Spouses Association, we took the kids bowling for FHE. Palmer was is heaven. He was so excited, even if he only knocked down one pin. Portia had a blast, mostly because her friends were there. She only came to our alley when it was her turn to bowl, then she'd shove the ball down the alley and walk back to her friends, without even seeing where the ball went.

Nov. 17: I'm grateful today for time I have with my kids. We built a fort today after naps and watched a movie. It was fun to see how excited the kids were to hang out with me. I know that will quickly fade, so I love that I'm one of their favorite people right now and I'll take every kiss and snuggle I can get.

Nov. 18: I love eating good food at good places. We went to dinner with some of the recruiters from Walmart at Chef's Table in Orem. I'd never been there and felt a little under-refined (if that's a word). It was good to learn more about the good people and the environment of Walmart's home office. I'm grateful not only that we have an offer in this economy, but that it's with a company filled with people who seem to genuinely want to help my husband and I and our family have the best possible experience.

Nov. 19: Okay, crazy day. I went the NAC (National Advisory Council) dinner and met a bunch of business execs who support the Marriott School. Then I went to a friend's house and munched and chatted until midnight. Then I went and saw "New Moon" with 100 MBA Spouses, students, and friends. It was a blast. I'm so grateful that I've been put in a place where I can develop friendships with people I probably never would have met, had we not been in b-school. I love learning more about them, especially in the setting of such cheesiness as a Twilight movie.

Nov. 20: Today I'm grateful for Merrilee Web. She spoke at a NAC spouses' luncheon and touched my heart. She talked about expecting miracles and embracing them, even when they don't look the way we envisioned them. How grateful I am for the many miracles I experience daily. I didn't really want to go to the luncheon (Major sleep hangover from staying up until 3:30am will do that), but I know I needed to hear what Sis. Web had to teach me.

Nov. 21: Today I'm grateful for modern medicine (okay really just the drugs, ha!). Ronell came home from basketball this morning holding his shoulder and saying he couldn't move it. So, off the BYU Health center urgent care we went. After x-rays, chasing kids down the halls, two juice boxes and suckers later, we had the answer. Ronell partially dislocated his shoulder. So with pain pills and splint at hand, we headed home to spend the day relaxing at home. Okay, really Ronell relaxed, I made 100 rolls and tried to contain the kids. But I'm grateful that I got to take care of Ronell. Sometimes he's a little too independent and it's always good to remind him that he needs me. :-)

Nov. 22: Today we had our Hugh/Watson family Thanksgiving at Katy and Jason's home. It was so nice to sit and enjoy the company of family. I'm grateful for the spirit of the holiday season and how everyone seems to happier, more generous, and kinder than at any other time of year. Maybe it's because we're too cold to care about the non-essentials, but I appreciate the opportunity to get together with family and just enjoy each other's company.

If you made it through the novel, you're very patient. Here's your reward! :-) Our friend Chloe, took our Christmas pictures and I loved this one. Enjoy!

Busy Day

I don't have time right now to post my thanks for the week, but I have been thinking of them. Yesterday was a busy day (today is, too, but I had zero time yesterday to post). Ronell came home from basketball at 7:15 saying he fell on his shoulder and it was really hurting. So we spent the morning at the Urgent Care center at the BYU health center. Diagnosis: Dislocated shoulder. Luckily, it wasn't completely dislocated and Ronell had already popped in back in the right place. So they gave him a splint and some pain pills and sent him home. He's pretty much out of commission for 4-6 weeks. The rest of the day I spent making lots of rolls of the Hugh family Thanksgiving today and trying to keep the kids off Ronell. To top it off, both my kids have coughs, which don't sound bad but are just very annoying. Fun day!

New Moon

So, despite the fact that I'm seriously sleep deprived, I really did have a blast last night. A bunch of friends from the spouse association rented a theater for the opening night of "New Moon" (Thanks, Mandi, for doing all the work). We spent the evening chatting it up at a friends house and headed to the theater for our 12:43am showing. I thoroughly enjoyed it.......probably because New Moon was the one book I like from the Twilight series for two reasons: Jacob Black and they went to Volterra, a little town in Tuscany that I visited on several occasions. This movie was much better than the first. I had to fight the urge to laugh at the cheesiness of the first movie, but this one was pretty well-done. It was entertaining, mostly because it featured lots and lots of Taylor Lautner, which is always a good recipe for an entertaining movie. :-) I'm glad my friends coerced me into going. It was definitely worth the two-day sleep hangover. And because he's a little cutie......enjoy.

Under Construction

I apologize for any weird-looking things on my blog. I'm learning how to make custom blog backgrounds and lots of other fun stuff. Until then, just bear with me.

Are you Obsessed yet?

My new favorite show is Glee. I can't find the video on youtube but here's the link to watch on of my favorite songs "Defying Gravity" sung by two of my favorite characters, Rachel and Kurt. If you want to laugh, cry, and fight the urge to dance for an hour, I'd recommend "Glee". What an amazing show....and it's highly inappropriate, which always makes for a great show.

Watch it here.

More Thanks to Give

Here's what's been on my mind:

Nov.9: It's Dewayne's birthday today and I'm grateful for extended family, both mine and Ronell's. Our families aren't perfect but they support us and love us in their individual ways. I'm grateful to have family close, especially as the prospect of having no family around is a sad, but real, thought right now. I'm grateful for the talents and gifts each sister, brother, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew, mother, father, mother-in-law, father-in-law and how I've grown and learned from every one of them.

Nov. 10: I had a baby check-up today (I'm 17 weeks). All is well with both the baby and I. I'm just barely starting to "pop" but I can still wear all my normal clothes. As I listened to this little one's heartbeat and watched Portia's face light up as she listened to that "thump, thump, thump" (she loves telling people what our baby sounds like), I was so grateful for healthy children. With so many friends and family struggling to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and deal with children with complications, I'm so grateful that I get to be pregnant. I complain about not being able to lose the baby weight, but of all the problems that could go wrong with pregnancy, nursing, and the beautiful babies that are the result of all the discomfort, I'll take it. I'm grateful for the joy that has come to my life because of the children the Lord has entrusted to us.

Nov. 11: Today I'm grateful for Portia and her craziness. She drives me bonkers sometimes with her serious attitude. But then I come out of the shower and see this...
Portia was apparently hungry and decided to grab a slice of cold pizza from the fridge while I showered. I love that she grabbed the biggest piece ever. The best part of this is that she ate the whole thing. That's my little lady. (I did make her go sit at the table to finish it). What a funny kid.

A Month of Thanksgiving

While perusing friends' blogs, I came across the Baker's family blog and Megan is doing a month of Thanksgiving. I love that idea and decided this is a great time for me to be more grateful for the blessings in the lives of our family. Since I'm a few days behind, here's my catch-up thanksgivings:

Nov.1: I'm grateful for the gospel in my life. I can honestly say I'm a better person because I believe in Jesus Christ and that His Atonement can (and regularly does) renew me and remind me how much I need my Savior and the gospel in my life.

Nov. 2: I'm grateful for the beautiful weather. Generally speaking, November is the beginning of the cold and it's usually in the 40's or 50's. This whole week was at least 65 every day. Combine that with the incredible fall colors and the mountains, and our view is stupendous.

Nov. 3: I'm grateful for Primary. I love that Palmer comes home singing the songs he's learned and loves sharing what he's learned from his teachers. Plus, he's got a crush on our Primary President and asks when he gets to see Sister Roberts almost every day.

Nov. 4: I'm grateful for healthy children. So far this year, the kids and I have been healthy. I'm not sure if I should credit the vaccines they recently got or the fact that we eat clementines regularly, but I'm grateful for health.

Nov. 5: I'm grateful for my husband. Though he's often gone with school or his calling, he makes a concerted effort to be home and spend quality time with the kids and I. He's better at balancing the chaos that is our lives and I'm grateful that Heavenly Father brought us together and continued to assure me that this was the man I should marry, despite all the opposition.

Nov. 6: I'm grateful that Ronell's secured one job offer. Walmart offered us an amazing position. While it's taken me a few days (really, months) to accustom myself to the fact that we might be moving to Arkansas, I'm grateful for a company that sees as much potential in my husband as I do and is willing to give him the chance to grow. Even though we haven't decided whether we're accepting the offer just yet, it's a huge blessing to have a good offer with a company that Ronell wants to work for in a community that so far seems to meet all our needs.

Nov. 7: I'm grateful for good friends. I'm not really a great friend and I'm horrible at staying in contact with my dear friends who've moved. I don't know if it's because I don't love talking on the phone or because I'm just lazy, but I know I need to be better at staying in contact. I truly do value my friends near and far, new and old for all that they teach me and how they inspire me to be a better friend and a better person.

Nov. 8: I'm grateful to be a mom. Though it's hectic most of the time, my kids make me laugh every day and I'm grateful that the Lord entrusts these incredible spirits to Ronell and I. Though Palmer is currently is a pre-adolescence phases where he mumbles instead of speaking and Portia has the attitude of a 15-year-old, they teach me continuously about love and patience and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

(Here's a cute picture of the kids at Halloween. Yes, it's random, but I think blog posts are always better when there's a picture somewhere.)

I can't promise I'll update the blog daily, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to think more about the things I'm grateful for during this month. Want to join me?

Some Serious Catch-up

Yes, I realize that I'm a slacker. But it really did take all of my energy just to take care of my kids while being exhausted and sick for all of September and into October (and let's be honest, I didn't do a great job of that). Thankfully, I'm in the second trimester and life is much better!!

Here's a recap of our lives so far this fall. There are some funny moments, which I hope make up for my non-existent blogging.

First, I have to share this funny little story. We like to use toilet paper rolls to make telescopes, kaleidoscopes, or rainsticks. One day, Palmer and Portia were fighting over the last toilet paper roll. I asked Palmer to go find another one, knowing that there were at least three in his room somewhere. He left the room and I honestly didn't think about it. Then I hear this from down the hall, "Mom, I can't get it off. The roll is stuck." I go into my bathroom and behold, he'd found the toilet paper roll, just like I'd asked. I couldn't really be mad at him for doing exactly what I asked. I learned from this that I need to be a little more specific when I ask Palmer to do something for me. In September, Palmer played in Provo's "Start Smart" soccer. It was a perfect little introduction to soccer and it was only four weeks long. We thought we'd try this and if he loves it, we'll enroll him in the league for spring soccer. Needless to say, he loved it (serious understatement). Here's his team picture, they were the Houston Dynamo.

Stretching before practice

Palmer and some Dynamo friends. They were all so friendly and energetic, to say the least. I love that about preschoolers--that they have no qualms about being friends with anyone around them and that they're always so open and honest.

This probably goes without saying, but Palmer's favorite parts of soccer were running and scoring goals. I think he's going to take after his daddy and be a striker. Hey, whatever gets the energy out is fine by me.

practicing stopping the ball with his foot, instead of his hands.

Portia was in heaven playing on the playground next to soccer field with a bunch of little buddies. She paused long enough to think about something very serious and then was gone.

Palmer's first day of preschool. He was SOOOOOOO excited, he didn't really want to pause to take a picture. Since we're in school and have no income, we decided to take advantage of the government and put Palmer in the Headstart preschool. I wasn't too stressed about him being going to a government-sponsored preschool, because honestly, the kid already knows how to read and doesn't really need any academic push. It's mostly for the social and he talks non-stop about his teachers and his school friends. I honestly think his favorite thing about school is that he finally gets to "wear a backpack and go to school like Daddy!" Whatever gets him excited about school is fine by me.

At the end of September, my FIL, Charles, graduated from Provo College with a certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology. We're so proud of him, especially since he graduated with high honors.

October came way too fast (and apparently left too fast, too). With some of our friends from the MBA Spouses' group (aka, MBASA), we went to the pumpkin patch. Palmer was in school, so Portia was flying solo, but she loved being with all her friends. You can't tell because she's such a ham, but she didn't really want to pause long enough to take this picture. Her friends were going to play and she didn't want to be left out. Typical Portia.

Portia with one of her best buddies, Emma Allred.

Climbing with Emma and Brielle Mackrory.

Cheesing it up with the ducks. They had a small petting zoo as part of this pumpkin patch. Portia did not want to touch the goats or sheep but loved the bunnies, turkeys, and ducks.

I loved this cute moment, where she finally caught up to her friends, Jenna and Cooper Barnum.

A week later, we went to one of the local fire stations and took a tour of their firehouse and played with the trucks. Portia did not love the firemen all dressed up in their gear and I think one of them was too close to her in this picture. I'm not sure exactly what Palmer's doing but, hey we documented the moment, right?

On the walk home from the fire station, we stopped to play in the leaves outside our condos. One of the things I love about Utah (there really aren't that many so I have to share those things that I love about living in Provo) is the gorgeous weather changes. This fall was no exception. We've had gorgeous weather and gorgeous scenery (it's 68 right now and it's November!).

More leaf fun!

In her true Nona style, my mother knitted these bright but very appropriately fall sweaters. Only my caramel children can look good in this color of yellow. I love these sweaters. This was also the Sunday of Palmer's first Primary program. He stole the show, complete with reading the other kids' lines, trying to sneak towards the podium, and getting super excited about singing the songs he knew really loudly and with lots o f enthusiasm. It was definitely one of those moments where I wish I'd had one of those small digital camcorders. I totally would have snuck it into church.

At the ward Halloween carnival. This year, Halloween was actually pretty fun because my kids got the concept of dressing up as clowns and playing games. Halloween really lasted a week around here, with all the activities and parties.

At MBASA's Halloween party. No clue what I'm saying, but apparently Portia thought it was funny.

Here's the actual Halloween event. My sister, Sierra, came trick-or-treating with us. It took the kids a few houses to get the idea. At first, Palmer would knock on the door about 20 times and when it opened, he'd start walking right into the house. Luckily, we knew everyone we visited. Our last stop was Osmond Ln., where our friends, the Andersons, live. It was crazy, non-stop action. Palmer and Portia thought it was fun to hand out candy and took over the job of manning the door and handing out candy to all the kids who came by. It was a steady stream for the 30 minutes we were there. The best part was that Palmer made comments about the kids' costumes, things like "Oh, you're a princess, how cute!" or "Oh, I like your costume!", even though most of the kids who came by were at least three or four years older than him. He's such an imitator. It makes me laugh.

So, there's our fall. I promise I'll be better about documenting the rest of this holiday season for all you blog-stalkers (Mom).