Sunday, November 30, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 30

Well, I figured I had better finish out the month with the things I am grateful for! It's the last day, so I had to at least get this one done!

1. I am thankful that Tanner is not a twin. Holy cow that kid is the Energizer Bunny! I am not at all kidding when I say I cannot keep up with him! He keeps going and going...

2. Washable markers. Especially when Tanner gets them.

3. My in-laws. I really have some awesome in-laws! I am continually amazed at what incredible people they are. We miss them a lot.

4. Holidays, families, and traditions. These together make up one thing for me. I love getting together with family around the holidays. I love looking forward to the things we do together, whether old or new.

5. Naps.

6. Christmas trees and lights.

7. Movies. If you know me, you probably know my love for movies...especially older classics and musicals.

8. Books. I love the feeling of getting into a book. It's like you are immersed in this other world. And in the winter, I just want to snuggle in on the couch with slippers, a blanket, hot cocoa, and a good book.

9. Wet wipes. Very handy indeed.

10. Chocolate. Have I said that yet??

11. Ham glaze. We always have Ham and Turkey on our Thanksgiving. My Dad grew up on a farm and beheaded & plucked one too many turkeys. So needless to say, he doesn't really eat the stuff. So my Mom always does a ham as well. Let me just tell you, I am all about the ham glaze my Mom makes! Holy moly, the stuff is unreal.

So I threw in some last minute things. It's the last day! And besides, I missed a bunch of days so I was just filling in! :) I am grateful for so many things and it is sad how many times we forget to give thanks where thanks is due. Or at least how many times I forget to!
But really, I am so blessed and I am truly grateful!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 25

1. Autumn told me today that she was grateful for the temple. Then she says, "Isn't that a great thing to be thankful for?!" Yes it is and I am grateful for the temple as well.

2. Puffs Plus lotion tissues. As the household and everyone I know, is fighting the nasty cold that is going around, I am reminded of how grateful I am for this simple thing. Puffs Plus tissues are the best ones when you are suffering a cold, or allergies. They are soft and lotion-y and lets my nose survive for longer than any other. I should know, I have gone through many a box of tissues in my lifetime.

3. Cell Phones. We just got some cell phones after not having them for a couple years. I love being able to make a call or a text from wherever, whenever. It is nice for convenience reasons...but like my Mom says, it is kind of like a leash! "If I wanted to be found, I wouldn't have left the house!" haha.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 23

Wow. I guess I have missed a few days!

1. Thanksgiving. I love this holiday!

2. Down Comforters.

3. Awesome people. I am continually thankful for the amazing people the Lord has surrounded me with in my life. Even some 'acquaintances' have impacted me in many ways.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 18

1. Flavored drink syrups. There is nothing better than a little caramel, coconut, peppermint, or hazelnut flavoring in my hot cocoa. Or vanilla in my soda. Thank you Torani and all the other drink flavoring brands out there for making this possible.

2. Photography. I love the things you can capture with a photo. One of these days, it is my dream to become a photographer. I would love it!!

3. Netflix. I like getting movies in the mail! :)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 17

1. That hair grows back! (See my last post)

2. Coaching Volleyball. I love coaching. It has it's ups and downs, but I really do love it. The team I worked with this year was really fun and it's always awesome to see them really start to "get" the things you are teaching them.

3. Pregnancy. I am constantly amazed at people that hate being pregnant. Or people that condone abortions. What an amazing thing it is to be entrusted to take care of these little beings. I think the whole thing is amazing and I am grateful for the opportunity! Plus, there is no time in your life that more complete strangers are more nice and friendly than when you are pregnant. People are constantly asking my due date, giving congrats, opening doors, letting me cross the parking lot, you name it!

Haircut Woes

For those of you who see my kids on a regular basis know that their hair is rather thin. Tanner is 21 months old. I decided on Sunday that I would give him a haircut. His FIRST haircut. Not a big deal to very many people I know, but I have been stressing over this for a few weeks now. Tanner's hair is like a "blankie" to other kids. The instant he is tired his hand goes to his hair. It's his comfort blanket. Plus I thought it gave him some character. Whether he just got out of bed with some serious "bed head" or whether I gave him a mow hawk, I thought it was adorable. Anyways, the first swipe with the hair cutter buzzer thing, I almost started crying! "I don't want to give him this haircut anymore!" I said to Scott. Honestly, I think the whole thing was way more traumatic for me than it was for Tanner. I went on with the haircut and held back the tears. The more chunks I buzzed off, the more and more he looked like a cancer patient losing his hair...it was already thin to begin with!

As soon as I was done with the back, Scott told Tanner to feel his hair. Tanner reached back to his usual grab spot and started crying for a moment with that sort of confused look. I tried to leave the top a bit longer so that it would be like a 'fohawk', but it ended up a bit shorter than I planned. So instead, he looks like he has one of the army crew cuts. He still plays with his hair when he is tired or sad, but he goes for the longer stuff on top instead of the stuff in the back. I decided to save a little of what I had cut off (his hair was almost 2 inches long...I measured) and I compared it to Autumn's. I always knew his was darker than Autumn's but holding the stuff side by side is amazing. Her hair is so white and his was a lot more golden brown than I had once thought. But now that there is almost nothing left, he looks a lot more blonde to me. Here are some pictures of the ordeal.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 15

In no specific order, as usual.

1. Toilets. Being pregnant, I tend to visit the latrine at LEAST twice an hour. I get annoyed sometimes at how often I make these 'visits', then I thought about what it would be like to have lived back when there were no toilets to visit. How awful would that be, pregnant or not, to have to dig a hole or 'go out back'!

2. My husband. Scott is so great. I am so grateful to have married such an awesome guy. He seems to always know when something is bothering me...which sometimes makes me angry because I like to hide it until I'm ready...but somehow he seems to know me better than me sometimes. He is great with our kids and is always willing to do his part in raising them. Even though he is raising them to love things like Star Wars!! ha ha. I love to see him play with Autumn and Tanner. They love playing and wrestling with their Daddy.

3. The internet. I am constantly thankful for the internet. With Rod and Linda in England, it has been pretty cool to be able to chat with them on the internet! And to talk to each other via the web cam has been a life saver for Autumn! She is constantly having what I now call her "Grandma Larson moment" and being able to see her and talk to her has helped a lot! I am also grateful for the other benefits of the internet. I love to email, shop, search, and whatever else I feel like killing some precious free time on.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 14

My list today is short and sweet. But it doesn't mean I am any less grateful!!

1. A good night's sleep. Any Mom should be able to relate. Enough said.

2. Winter time. I am a cold weather person. I love it. I love to pile on the layers or blankets and snuggle down with a cup of hot cocoa and read a good book. I love to go out and play in the snow. I love the "look" of winter. The misty skies and the crisp air.

3. Daniel Craig. In honor of the new Bond movie that is coming out tonight, I thought I would pay homage to this fine specimen of a man! He has given me new found love and respect for the James Bond films. You know what I'm saying!


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude - Nov. 13

I am just starting this and already I missed some days. So, just be grateful for what you get...I know I am! See? I am already feeling more grateful! :)

1. I am thankful for my Mom. I don't think I have ever met a more selfless person in my life. It doesn't matter if she is busy, sick, tired, you name it, she will help if help is asked for. Most of the time she helps without even needing to be asked, which is more amazing in my eyes. She constantly amazes me with how much she knows. I realize that I have wasted many years of my time here on earth by NOT soaking up all that I could from her. She seriously can do anything and most of what I can do I learned from her. So many people are amazed when I do something creative and I think nothing of it because, "My Mom always did it". She is an amazing lady. Her knowledge of the gospel is unreal. Her talents are many and extraordinary. Her love for her family infinite. What she doesn't already know how to do, she teaches herself. She has become a really good friend and I fear the day when she is no longer here.

2. I have hayfever/seasonal allergies really bad, and they suck. But I am so grateful that I, nor do my kids, have any food allergies. Autumn goes to preschool and there are rules about what all the kids are allowed to eat, even before they get to preschool, in case some gets on their clothes and another kid comes in contact with it. We have to make sure any juice or snacks that we bring don't contain anything "harmful" for these other kids. There are so many restaraunts that have the "Warning, may contain Peanuts" signs....so entire place is out for those with peanut allergies. There are so many ingredients in so many foods it would be a pain I think, to have to constantly be triple checking ingredients. I guess if I had to deal with it I would. But for now, I am grateful that I don't have to.

3. I am thankful for my kids. Tanner is a crazy handful, but he is constantly cracking me up. I love his facial expressions and his personality. I love when I get home and he runs to give me a hug. Half the time I am following in his path of destruction, cleaning things up as fast as he demolishing something else. But I love the kid and couldn't imagine my life without him. Autumn can be the sweetest little girl in the world...when she wants to. But I love it when she is. She is a lot like me in many ways and that makes me proud and also scares me. I guess it's true that your kids are like you, whether bad or good. She loves to do her 'projects', which is doing anything creative and artsy. She loves to be loved and always wants attention, which is hard sometimes, but she is very good at giving of her love too. They are awesome little munchkins and I am glad Heavenly Father felt me worthy enough to care for them!

Monday, November 10, 2008

TROUBLE with a capital "T"...that stands for Tanner


These pictures are from back in September. I was getting Tanner's laundry out of the dryer (which is why he has no clothes on) and he likes to help me pull the clothes out and put them in the basket. Well, I got all the clothes out, shut the dryer and headed to his room with the basket full of clean clothes. I set the basket down in his bedroom and immediately went back to the laundry room. I looked in, but didn't see Tanner. I started to leave when I heard a strange sound coming from the dryer. So I turn back around and peek in and there is Tanner just chillin' in the dryer with a huge grin on his face. It was one of those parenting moments where you don't want your child to see you laugh because he then thinks it's OK to do in the future. I opted instead to run and get my camera...then I lectured him after I got the photos! Hee hee

Sunday, November 9, 2008

So you know...

My computer has not been "recognizing" my memory stick for the past month or so. I have things that I have meant to post, but haven't had time to get my pictures on in a 'roundabout' way. Plus I have been pretty busy. But my volleyball season is almost over, so I plan to play some catch-up in the next few weeks to come! Unless I find myself engrossed in some new project. Anyhow, for those who care, there is my excuse!

Attitude of Gratitude-Nov. 9

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, my sister Kristina gave us a cute idea. For the month of November, you are to write three things each day that you are thankful for. I have been so busy, stressed and overwhelmed with everything lately, that I figured it would do me good. So here it goes....starting from today anyway.
I cannot promise any deep thoughts, I am just writing what comes to mind first. If you want to join in on this 'challenge' of sorts, go right ahead!

1. I am grateful for my sisters. (I admit, this comes to mind because I just read Kris's blog...) But seriously, they are awesome. Amazing examples to me of selflessness, patience, love, you name it. They are always willing to help me with whatever, whenever. Even when it involves taking care of my kids and having to clean up throw-up (sorry Bec!), diarrhea, snot, tantrums, or whatever other fun things my kids produce and yet how you still have genuine love for them and me. I love you guys. I love that you no longer feel the need to secretly "ditch" me out the window!! haha

2. I am grateful for popcorn. It is indeed my absolute favorite food. In fact, I think I am starting to consider it it's own food group. Air popped, stove popped, microwave, kettle corn, caramel corn, movie theater, chicken popcorn, the red sticky coated pull-out-your-filling stuff my mom used to make, I LOVE it all!! I always used tell myself before going to a movie that I am not going to buy popcorn...ridiculously expensive...but as soon as I walk in the smell hits me and all hope is lost. I have since embraced the fact that if I go to a movie, I am getting popcorn too. There is one variety of popcorn, however, that I absolutely do NOT care for. "Peacock Popcorn". YUCK! It has this fruit-loop-flavor-like coating and it is just not good. A disgrace to popcorn in my mind! I am sorry Larson's, I hope you will not disown me for not liking this family favorite.

3. I am grateful for music. I love music. I love to sing. I am not good at it, but I love it anyways. I love how music can bring out so many different emotions. It can get you pumped up for a game, get you going, relax you, put you to sleep, make you want to dance or sing, make you cry, laugh, think. I love how music can invite the Spirit. If there is one regret from my childhood, it is that I gave up on piano lessons. (Although I am starting up with that again!) It seems to me like there would be something so satisfying about being able to sit down and play a beautiful piece. It's silly, but I used to wish that Julie Andrews would be my nanny (like in Sound of Music or Marry Poppins) so that she could teach me how to sing! I love musicals. It's a dream of mine to go to New York and see all the good Broadway shows.
 

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