Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.
That was a quote shared in our Relief Society lesson today. I like it.
Have you ever gotten a random thank-you note for something you didn't really realize you had done? Didn't it make your day?
I'm just going to write a few things that made me grateful today.
I'm thankful for April. She's a good, true friend who has her priorities in order and helps me to have mine in order too.
I'm thankful for the new sister in our ward. I can't remember her name, but when she bore her testimony in Relief Society today, she compared her conversion to searching for other people who tried to be a light, and her baptism to a reunion. Isn't that a beautiful analogy?
I'm thankful for Sister Doubleday. She's new in the ward, too, and I noticed that she signed up to help clean the building. She also helped take dinner to a family who just had a baby. I love that she is just jumping right in and getting involved - it's a good example.
I'm thankful for Rachel. I know she doesn't feel like she's on top of things, but she is seriously one of the best moms I know and one of my favorite people in the ward/neighborhood. I will really miss her if/when they sell their house. I love that she is so genuine and honest.
I'm thankful that I'm not the only one whose 1-year-old is still drinking from a bottle.
I'm thankful for the ladies on "widow row." They are such a great example of sisterhood and love.
I'm thankful for royal icing and all the awesome things you can do with it. (I'm doing a wedding cake later this week, and have been making the decorations for it - fun stuff.)
I'm thankful for old friends who find me on Facebook.
I'm thankful that Jeff loves me even when I'm not very lovable.
I'm thankful for the hymns. Today we sang two hymns that were very special to me as a missionary - There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today, and Teach Me to Walk in the Light. I always sing them in Portuguese in my head, because in some ways, that will always be the native language of my spirit.
I'm thankful for an empty sink and an empty dishwasher. Somehow having all the dishes done makes me feel so much calmer and more..... accomplished? I know, I'm weird.
What are you thankful for today?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
m.i.a.
Missing in action. That's what my blog updates have been. Not that we haven't been doing anything - we've just been so busy that by the time I HAVE time to update, I'd really rather sleep. So here are a few pics of recent activities, and hopefully I'll update some more later.
Faith had a blast catching raisins that my dad was dropping into her mouth. I love how you can see the raisin in this picture.
We went to Christmas Village on 25th Street.
Faith developed a love for her snow boots. So much so, that she decided one day that they should comprise her entire outfit. Yes, her ENTIRE outfit.
Michael took photos of the Christmas stockings.
A little closer.
And just the nose.
Faith saved the world (this is a favorite game of the kids - they run around with laundry baskets on their heads and "save the world!"). Don't you feel safer knowing there is a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old protecting you?
Lauren turned one! She had two parties - one with Jeff's family.
And one with my family.
Jeff turned Faith into a snowman using a roll of toilet paper. (I did this with Michael, but we didn't get a picture of him.)
That's all for today!
Faith had a blast catching raisins that my dad was dropping into her mouth. I love how you can see the raisin in this picture.
We went to Christmas Village on 25th Street.
Faith developed a love for her snow boots. So much so, that she decided one day that they should comprise her entire outfit. Yes, her ENTIRE outfit.
Michael took photos of the Christmas stockings.
A little closer.
And just the nose.
Faith saved the world (this is a favorite game of the kids - they run around with laundry baskets on their heads and "save the world!"). Don't you feel safer knowing there is a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old protecting you?
Lauren turned one! She had two parties - one with Jeff's family.
And one with my family.
Jeff turned Faith into a snowman using a roll of toilet paper. (I did this with Michael, but we didn't get a picture of him.)
That's all for today!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
new family photos
We had my friend Whitnie take some photos for us last week. I was so excited to see them up on her blog! Check it out. I'll post some here after I get them from her.
http://whitniestarkimages.blogspot.com/
http://whitniestarkimages.blogspot.com/
Friday, November 19, 2010
Boys are Gross!!
Maybe it's because he's five. Or maybe it's because he's a boy. Either way, I find myself surprised that my son could be so, well.... yucky. A couple of examples:
He thinks it is totally okay to leave rotting banana peels in the van, next to his seat - where he can see it and we can ALL smell it.
His room reeked. Seriously, reeked. It smelled like something died in there. Then by chance, I saw him tucking his wet diaper (yes, he still has not been able to get the all-night potty training down) into a cardboard shoe box and closing the lid. When I opened up the lid, I saw that the box was packed full of wet diapers, from like, the last two weeks or something. I was totally grossed out. He was devastated that I would chuck his entire "garbage can" into the large garbage can outside.
He started peeing without lifting the seat, so I was frequently finding pee all over the toilet seat. I told him that was gross, and he needed to lift up the seat. Later I was cleaning the kitchen and said something about not being able to find the dishrag. He ran into the bathroom and came out with it. Yeah, rather than lifting the seat, he had been using my dishrag to wipe his pee off.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Somebody please tell me why boys are so gross! And please, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me that he'll grow out of it!!!!
He thinks it is totally okay to leave rotting banana peels in the van, next to his seat - where he can see it and we can ALL smell it.
His room reeked. Seriously, reeked. It smelled like something died in there. Then by chance, I saw him tucking his wet diaper (yes, he still has not been able to get the all-night potty training down) into a cardboard shoe box and closing the lid. When I opened up the lid, I saw that the box was packed full of wet diapers, from like, the last two weeks or something. I was totally grossed out. He was devastated that I would chuck his entire "garbage can" into the large garbage can outside.
He started peeing without lifting the seat, so I was frequently finding pee all over the toilet seat. I told him that was gross, and he needed to lift up the seat. Later I was cleaning the kitchen and said something about not being able to find the dishrag. He ran into the bathroom and came out with it. Yeah, rather than lifting the seat, he had been using my dishrag to wipe his pee off.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Somebody please tell me why boys are so gross! And please, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me that he'll grow out of it!!!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
30 days of thankful
I was going to do a post each day this month about something for which I am grateful. But yeah, you can see that didn't happen. So I'll put 30 things into one post. Some of these are serious, most of them are not. Not that I'm not grateful for the big serious things too, but I'm also grateful for a lot of little things.
1. A husband who lets me be me and loves me that way.
2. Five-year-old knowledge (The pilgrims got sick because their water was thick and yucky. So they drank beer, and it didn't make them sick).
3. Two-year-old curiosity (Mom, do you have a bum? Where is your bum? Does Michael have a bum? Does Daddy have a bum?....).
4. Almost-one-year-old smiles, babbles, and belly laughs.
5. Gospel perspective and blessings.
6. My ward - I love living around people who are not clique-y and who really reach out to others.
7. Vitamin Water Zero - sweetened with Stevia. The acai-blueberry-pomegranate flavor is delish.
8. Comet, OxiClean, and Tide With Bleach.
9. Peanut butter. Mmmmm.
10. Utah Truffles - especially the almond or the mint ones. But really, I'll take any of them.
11. Personal revelation and insight and direction that helps me improve myself.
12. Progress on the basement remodel.
13. Jeans that fit. Hooray for Fashion Bug! For once, I don't have to take the waist in on jeans that fit everywhere else perfectly.
14. Crafty people who come up with good ideas.
15. The ability to copy said ideas.
16. Friends who are true and just say it like it is.
17. NPR.
18. Discussions with Jeff about things we hear on NPR or in other media.
19. Green salad with lemon juice and salt.
20. Guacamole - just avocados, lime juice, salt, and tomatoes.
21. Two part-time jobs with fantastic co-workers at both of them.
22. Craft shows and boutiques.
23. Facebook and blogs.
24. Not having a pet.
25. Being an American, and having my native language be English.
26. Indoor plumbing and hot water.
27. Memories of cobblestone streets - and the fact that I don't have to eat feijoada, cachupa, and bacalhau anymore.
28. Mexican food.
29. A dishwasher.
30. Snuggles with the 5-year-old, the 2-year-old, the almost-1-year-old, and the 32-year-old (although not all at the same time - that would get kind of suffocating).
What are you thankful for this month?
1. A husband who lets me be me and loves me that way.
2. Five-year-old knowledge (The pilgrims got sick because their water was thick and yucky. So they drank beer, and it didn't make them sick).
3. Two-year-old curiosity (Mom, do you have a bum? Where is your bum? Does Michael have a bum? Does Daddy have a bum?....).
4. Almost-one-year-old smiles, babbles, and belly laughs.
5. Gospel perspective and blessings.
6. My ward - I love living around people who are not clique-y and who really reach out to others.
7. Vitamin Water Zero - sweetened with Stevia. The acai-blueberry-pomegranate flavor is delish.
8. Comet, OxiClean, and Tide With Bleach.
9. Peanut butter. Mmmmm.
10. Utah Truffles - especially the almond or the mint ones. But really, I'll take any of them.
11. Personal revelation and insight and direction that helps me improve myself.
12. Progress on the basement remodel.
13. Jeans that fit. Hooray for Fashion Bug! For once, I don't have to take the waist in on jeans that fit everywhere else perfectly.
14. Crafty people who come up with good ideas.
15. The ability to copy said ideas.
16. Friends who are true and just say it like it is.
17. NPR.
18. Discussions with Jeff about things we hear on NPR or in other media.
19. Green salad with lemon juice and salt.
20. Guacamole - just avocados, lime juice, salt, and tomatoes.
21. Two part-time jobs with fantastic co-workers at both of them.
22. Craft shows and boutiques.
23. Facebook and blogs.
24. Not having a pet.
25. Being an American, and having my native language be English.
26. Indoor plumbing and hot water.
27. Memories of cobblestone streets - and the fact that I don't have to eat feijoada, cachupa, and bacalhau anymore.
28. Mexican food.
29. A dishwasher.
30. Snuggles with the 5-year-old, the 2-year-old, the almost-1-year-old, and the 32-year-old (although not all at the same time - that would get kind of suffocating).
What are you thankful for this month?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Developmental Stages
Lauren:
She is now 11 months old, and has figured out how to pull herself up to standing. It's still new to her, so she isn't great at it yet, but I'm sure that will come quickly. She has four teeth, and even though she knows how to crawl on all fours, she prefers her faster "army crawl."
Faith:
She has been using the toilet like a champ for a couple of days now. I still put her in a pull-up at naptime and bedtime, but she usually wakes up dry. She is so proud of herself whenever she uses the toilet and gets excited to put a sticker on her chart. Of course, I catch her at random times putting stickers on her chart when she hasn't used the toilet, too.
Michael:
Big news on the Michael front. As of November 1, he is only allowed to eat 2 "easy" foods a day. That means he can eat yogurt for breakfast (because just try to tell him he can't) and one other easy food. The rest of his food has to be "real," or foods that he has to chew. So far he's done spectacularly. Of course, it helps that we've planned our menu this week around foods he likes and can eat well. I'm loving not having to prepare a separate meal for him every time we eat.
Me:
The other day I was at Ross with the kids. I tried on a sweater, and Michael said he really, really liked it a lot, and I should get it. When I asked him why he liked it, he said, "Because it looks like Grandma Hansen." So I've become my mother, which is a developmental stage all kids go through as adults, right? And she has nice style, so that's okay. (I did buy the sweater, by the way.)
She is now 11 months old, and has figured out how to pull herself up to standing. It's still new to her, so she isn't great at it yet, but I'm sure that will come quickly. She has four teeth, and even though she knows how to crawl on all fours, she prefers her faster "army crawl."
Faith:
She has been using the toilet like a champ for a couple of days now. I still put her in a pull-up at naptime and bedtime, but she usually wakes up dry. She is so proud of herself whenever she uses the toilet and gets excited to put a sticker on her chart. Of course, I catch her at random times putting stickers on her chart when she hasn't used the toilet, too.
Michael:
Big news on the Michael front. As of November 1, he is only allowed to eat 2 "easy" foods a day. That means he can eat yogurt for breakfast (because just try to tell him he can't) and one other easy food. The rest of his food has to be "real," or foods that he has to chew. So far he's done spectacularly. Of course, it helps that we've planned our menu this week around foods he likes and can eat well. I'm loving not having to prepare a separate meal for him every time we eat.
Me:
The other day I was at Ross with the kids. I tried on a sweater, and Michael said he really, really liked it a lot, and I should get it. When I asked him why he liked it, he said, "Because it looks like Grandma Hansen." So I've become my mother, which is a developmental stage all kids go through as adults, right? And she has nice style, so that's okay. (I did buy the sweater, by the way.)
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