Thankful

I am so thankful to have a job where I get to be home for the holidays. Last week I was literally at work more hours than I was not at work for three straight days, and I was completely wiped out by Friday, but it was so worth it because this week I got to stay home!

I am thankful for a sweet husband. On Monday, Isaac and I went to see Mockingjay Part 1. It was good, and it made me want to re-read the book, so I did that this week too. Isaac went to work that evening, and he came home with two small bottles of Martinelli’s for a sweet Date Part 2.

I am thankful for technology. Our first yearbook deadline is Monday, and I spent hours upon hours going over everything with a fine-toothed comb, correcting errors, adding & shifting elements, and giving lots of feedback. It took forever, but I think when we submit on Monday, the kids will be proud of their (and my, ha) hard work. It was so nice that it’s all done online though, so I could be in contact with the kids asking questions, getting input, and getting their assistance as they had time during the week.

I am thankful for good weather! Teresa & Sarah came to visit us from Provo! We were glad the weather held up enough for them to drive all the way out and back. It was so nice to have them around for a few days. I was yearbooking a lot and not much fun, but they were so sweet. Aiden is especially sad to see them go since they were so nice about playing with him and reading to him, even though he tends to get caught up on the same one or two books at a time.

I am thankful for wonderful family and good food. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s house, and there were about thirty of us there, so it was quite a house full! I got to see aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, and we all enjoyed a fantastic meal together.

I am thankful for fun. On Saturday, Isaac, Dad and I went to the BYU-Cal Berkeley football game. We won 42-35! It was the first BYU game I’d been to in nine years, and I worked with catering for all the games my junior and senior years, so I didn’t get to fully participate in them those last two years. Isaac was excited to see the caffeine-free Diet Coke at the BYU tailgate party. I loved my time at BYU so much, and it was so exciting to cheer for them today. We had so much fun!

I am thankful for my mom. Hats off to my mom for making at least half of these things possible by watching our kids and cooking up a storm. I am so thankful for her not just this week but all the time for her selfless acts of service.

I am thankful for my kids. These two sillies keep me on my toes, but they make me laugh, they make me proud, and they make me a better, more patient, and more loving person. I’m not a perfect mom by a long shot, but they are patient with me as I figure things out. They generally play nicely together, but even when they don’t (like Aiden’s outburst of “I don’t want a brother anymore!” when Landon moved his neatly aligned cars Friday night), we work through it.

I am thankful for the spirit of the holidays. We put up our Christmas decorations (well, most of them) the day after Thanksgiving. We have been reading a Christmas story every night before bed. I can’t help but be affected by the spirit of love and giving that permeates this season, and I hope I can transfer some of that love and joy to my kids as I try to teach them the true meaning of Christmas.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and a happy Thanksgiving. Sending my love your way!

Thirty

I entered the ranks of the thirty-somethings this week. Being thirty doesn’t make me feel as old as owning a home, working full-time, and having two kids, so I guess now I’m as old as feel.

Isaac says it’s my mid-life crisis, not wanting to be forgotten when I die, but anyway, I wanted to make my birthday count this year, so we squeezed in a few acts of service. I donated my hair…

The very talented Mandy in our ward cut off about ten inches.

We went to the beach to do a clean-up. Sad for me, but happy in general, the beach wasn’t that dirty. Here I am, excited to have found a “treasure trove” of about five cigarette butts.

Mostly we just found tiny pieces of paper/plastic/cardboard, cigarette butts, bottle caps… and 7.5 dead birds.

Then we just enjoyed some time at the beach. It was a gorgeous day, overcast and about 60 degrees, not too windy…

We ate at Claim Jumper for dinner and had cheesecake for dessert, and it was a wonderful day off with family and friends.

Thanks to everyone who humored me!

Landon is ONE!

My little boy is ONE now! At one year old, he is 19 lbs. and 30 inches, approximately the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height.

He enjoyed his first cupcake… at least the top layer of it. I remember Aiden smashing his cupcake to smithereens and looking at us like “what is this?” but Landon picked it up with two hands and put it right in his mouth. This kid LOVES FOOD.

We had some friends and family over for lunch and fun. Thanks to everyone who came and made this day so wonderful!

This is Aiden being SO excited to see Landon open up the present he picked out, ha…

This is the face of a baby who LOVES cake. It made him giggle.

He is walking like a pro now, getting faster all the time. He will eat anything we’ve tried so far except lettuce. He sleeps well at night but isn’t a big fan of napping and does so inconsistently. He loves to climb on people, hold hands, and generally interact and be connected to family all the time. He loves to play with and mimic his brother. He is a little bit of a mama’s boy right now, but Dad is a close second, and he also adores other family members he sees often. We sure are happy to have this smiley, sensitive, loving little boy in our family!

Happy Halloween!

From the Avengers