Our Crew: W46: My gratitude list part DEUX

November 10-16, 2013

Day 10
I'm thankful for a missionary minded husband and kids.

Kurt helped the Rayo family put together a lunch at the trailer park were they live for all their neighbors. A family from our school lives there. So the kids went over together to invite them to come. Unfortunately they were not home. But I made tentative plans to have them to our house at a later time. I am grateful that the kids were willing and excited to do their part. Kurt has been busy with this new assignment to help the Hispanics embrace the gospel in our town. He is alive with the missionary spirit and it is exciting. I had stake meetings and missed the whole event.

Day 11
I'm thankful for the land I am blessed to live in, the freedoms I enjoy daily and all the people who've made it possible. Happy Veterans Day.

I am thankful when cousins come to play.

We had Kenzie and Tyler come and I realized how important play dates are for Lucy while Jane is so little. What great kids these two are! Lucy and I both really enjoyed having them come and will definitely make sure that it happens more often.

I am thankful for impromptu dinners with family who are also my friends.

The kids still had school and routine as normal. After Ruth's clogging we followed the Bair family down to Chavelitas for dinner {they were going and that sounded like a great idea so I invited us to tag along. ;)} Cindy came to watch clogging practice so we invited them too. What made it super fun is that they have made a "kids room" at Chavelitas. Very loud and obnoxious pictures of sponge bob all place {I was pretty sure someone was going to have a seizure in there it was so over stimulating}, kid size tables, a chalkboard wall and a TV. Plus your favorite Mexican food with your BFC {best friend cousins.} I'm pretty sure that it was my kids equivalent of heaven. And because the kids were so happy and contained it means the adults had a nice and fairly normal dinner. Ahhhhhhhh. Maybe I should make my own seizure room at home. ;)

Day 12
I am thankful for the school my kids go to, for an amazing staff that has become friends and that I am involved in their learning community.

It had been a month since I had volunteered so it was great to be back in the classrooms again. Love seeing Ruth's name on the board with a star by it for being a good student and leader. And for some reason Emma Lynn did not want to take selfies with me during class. Geez. ;)

I am thankful for Doctors and medicine that helps us stay knowledgeable and healthy.

After Lucy's gymnastic class she was to Nancy's house while Jane and I rushed to her 4 month check up. She is weighing 13.2 pounds and 24 inches long {putting her in the 25% for about everything.} I think that she will start to chunk on the pounds now that we have the whole eating thing figured out. Jane is still a fabulous sleeper {THANK YOU!} She sucks on multiple fingers sometimes almost gnawing on them. She likes to put both arms on top or behind her head while she drinks her bottle. She is usually stroking her hair. She likes to grab onto her clothes, my clothes or Kurt's arm hair. She has been discovering her own hands with great interest. She has had a bad cough {to the point it will wake her up at night and she cannot stop until she is upright.} I was grateful we had a check up and they said it just looked like she had had a mild cold and was draining.

I'm thankful for talents and the opportunity to develop them. This is the painting that Emma Lynn finished in art this week. It is Blade, our naughty pony.

Day 13

I'm grateful for the direct love I feel from my Father in Heaven in the beauty all around me.

I'm thankful for callings and the opportunity to serve. I spent a lot of time the beginning of this week getting these posters ready to put up in all the church buildings in the stake. We are encouraging the youth and their leaders to share their talents about the upcoming 2014 Mutual theme through art, writing, video, music, etc...I'm excited to see what is submitted!

I was also able to attend Vale 2 Night of Excellence. They used the shoe theme to Stand in Holy Places and had some very cute cupcakes! Huge thank you to Sam for helping with the kids so Kurt and I could both be at Mutual.

Day 14

I am thankful for answered prayers.

Reading has not come easily for Spencer. We have worked on it a lot for quite a while. Gratefully he has not been bothered by it {meaning it has not affected his self confidence.} This week he has devoured a Magic Tree house book, "Mummies in the Morning." He was acting like his older siblings, reading during every free second, in every corner of the house or car and requiring no sustenance in order to finish the chapter! On Thursday he finished the book! The first chapter book all by himself. I'm so proud of him. Look at that happy face! What a great sense of accomplishment.

Spencer continues to enjoy basketball practice on Tuesday and Thursday. We are able to watch him on Thursday and its lots of fun.

Day 15

I am thankful for the haven I call home, an occasional clean floor and the friends who live with me.

I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time together with my family, to serve and to cultivate & strengthen relationships. Bill & Cindy were branding and so we took the kids out of school so they could help and be apart of the day. I took Braxton and Brooke with us too. It was a perfect day. The weather was perfect. The cousins LOVED being together. There were lots of happy songs on the way to West Fall. Austin made up a song, taught it to everyone and then they sang it 3 million times in different voices and styles {grandpa, cowboy, opera, baby, Obama (???))

Once we got there the olders were helpful. It was funny to me that they went straight to Mollie's trampoline as soon as we arrived. Eventually they went down to the branding. ;)

Emma Lynn herded the little calves back with the group if they went the wrong way.

Austin loaded the ear tags and Spencer and Braxton ran them out to Kurt.

These little girls smiles, laughed, told each other stories and ate candy.

Birthday cousin. Matthew was so sweet and happy. Best moment of the day: I had a cookie on my plate and he walked over from across the room, grabbed the cookie and took a big bite of it! I loved it! I didn't know he was eating cookies so it was such a great surprised. YAY Matthew! You can steal my cookie anytime!

Chips and pop = happy kids

Warming up inside on the super cool pillow beds {someone tell Santa we need a few of those!}

Another super exciting milestone is that Jane rolled over for the first time!! {from back to stomach}

She has been closed and very active the past week or so. She has done it a few times since. That means its time to be careful where we put her...we have a lot of hard floors too...

I'm thankful for the opportunities to share and experience other cultures with my children.

We got back from the branding about 5 and then the older kids and I got ready to go to a Mexican ballet in Ontario. The kids were cheaper for 4 Rivers students. It was so amazing! I loved it. What talented musicians and dancers. It was captivating. My only regret is that Kurt wasn't there {he stayed home with Lucy and Jane.} He would have enjoyed it. I'm thankful for mommy dates.

It was quite long {although it didn't feel like it to me} and after intermission Spencer and Ruth were exhausted. It was a long day with the branding and both of them crash when their bedtime hits. I couldn't get Spencer to wake up! A friend came to help me pack them until I could get them more alert.

Day 16
I'm thankful for music {including but not limited to art and dance} and the escape, pleasure and peace it brings. What's even better is training my kids to love it too and sharing it together.

I'm thankful that Kurt was able to come to Spencer's basketball games. They won one, they lost won. He continues to be a great team player and pass. We need to work on shooting so he can have confidence and want to try to shoot a basket. Fun times.