Better Late than Never

As Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have thought a great deal about all that we have been blessed with.  There is so much.  We have been so blessed this past year.

First and foremost I am so truly grateful for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am forever indebted to him.  He loves us more than we can understand.  He endured more than we can comprehend.  He was and is perfect.  He did not need an atonement.  But we did.  There is no other way we can return to our Father in Heaven except through him.  He will guide us through this life.  All we have to do is remember Him and listen.

I am so grateful for our prophet President Monson.  He is truly amazing and has led an outstanding life (his biography "To the Rescue" is very informative and interesting).  He wants all of us to return to our Heavenly Father.  He loves EVERYONE.  He has many Christlike attributes.  He is the Prophet for our time and I am so grateful he is here to guide us at this time.

I love the scriptures.  They are such a blessing in my life.  As I read from them I can feel the love that grows in our home. They make me want to become better.  They guide me, comfort me, and give my life meaning as sometimes it's tedious doing the same thing every day.

I am so grateful to be a wife and mom.  Bo is such a great husband and father.  He makes us better.  He is always there when we need him.  Which is every night.  I still can't wait for him to get home from work every night.  I still can't wait for the weekend when I get to see him more than just a few hours a day.  I am so grateful to be married to such a great man.  He brings peace into our home.  And he just got back from pack meeting with a caramel sundae just for me. :)

I love being a mom.  I've wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember.  I was always asking for a new baby doll each Christmas.  Each one of our children is special in their own way.  I am grateful for their unconditional love and forgiving spirits.  I love their little giggles.  The way they think I don't ever make mistakes.  The way they are ready at any time to give me a hug and a kiss.  And each of them gives a different wink.   They are always making gifts for us.  The things I learn from them.  The way they always see the positive and reach for the stars.   The way they treat each other (for the most part).  Yes, as every parent thinks, I have the best kids ever.  What a blessing it is to have a family.

As we raise our kids, it makes me realize the many things that our parents did without so that we could have every opportunity we could.  I am so grateful for all that my parents have done for me and continue to do for me.  And for all Bo's parents do for me and our family also.  We are so blessed to have great loving parents!

Of course I can't forget the rest of our family and friends.  We always have so much fun when we are together.  I know I can count on support from each of you!

Life is easier with the extras.  So, I must say the many things I am grateful for every day.  I am grateful for a variety of foods to eat.  I am grateful for a warm home in the winter and a cool home in the summer.  I am grateful for my bed, my bathtub, my kitchen, a car to get to places I need and want to be, cleaning supplies, a dishwasher, and disposal. My piano.  I'm grateful that we are all healthy and happy. I'm grateful to live in Rigby, ID. I'm grateful for time to myself every morning (well most mornings if I get up early enough). 

If any of you are still reading this my list could go on forever.  We have been so blessed.  I'm not sure what we have done to get all these blessings.  I just hope I can always remember our Father in Heaven gives us everything we have and not take them for granted.


  

2 month stats

Oh, I just love this little man!!! He is such a sweetheart. He started smiling last week and it just makes my heart melt.

Brayden loves to cuddle and I have mixed feelings about it. There is nothing better than holding a baby and just being able to cuddle. The problem is that he has a hard time going to sleep on his own and sleeping in his own bed. The other boys just wanted to be put down and they would fall asleep on their own. Much easier than trying everything to get them down. But, I'll take what I can get because I know someday he will not want to cuddle anymore. :)  He is very strong and can hold his own weight and hold his head up when he's on his tummy.

He fits in great with the family. Everybody just adores him. He has such a sweet spirit and I can't wait to watch him grow.

Sorry I don't have any great pictures of him. But here are a few for those who haven't gotten to see him yet. And for those of you who haven't seen him for awhile, I think we have another little tank among us.

2 Month Stats:

Weight: 13 lbs
Height: 23 1/2 inches
Head: 15"

We love you Brayden!!

The Infinite Atonement

I have been reading a book called The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister the past few weeks. It is AMAZING!!!

When Bo was on his mission, I went into Seagull Book to find a great book to send his way. The store clerk recommended this one. I quickly read it (not getting to deep into it because I had to send it off quick so he'd get it in time) and liked it so I sent it off to him. It has been staring me in the face on a bookshelf for the last 7 years but I've never been a big reader and so I never picked it up even though I wanted to read it again. I've always told myself, "I should just read my scriptures because I'll get the most from them, and I don't feel like I read them enough". But I just decided to start reading it a few weeks ago.

Wow! I am totally inspired I want to be a better person. It has made me want to devour the scriptures and any other gospel book. I know that sounds dumb, but he talks about the scriptures and other great books so often that I just want to read everything he mentions in the book. He explains the atonement in a way that is so simple and organized yet so deep and thought provoking. I have such a greater understanding and love for Christ and all that he did for us and continues to do.

If you are looking for something to inspire you. Read it. I can't really put in to words how I felt reading the book, but it has strengthened my testimony greatly and has made me a better wife and mom.

New Tradition at Our House

I am so far behind on blogging but with 3 new posts I'm a little closer.

I have been trying to think of a new tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yesterday, our Home Teachers came by.  For the lesson, they summed up President Monson's talk on gratitude from conference. They gave us the idea to have a "Thankful Jar" sitting around the house until Thanksgiving, We are to write things down that we are grateful for and open it up on Thanksgiving and read it.

I set ours out on the table so it is easily seen. At dinner each night until Thanksgiving we all write two things down and place them in the jar.

Our kids have been drawing pictures of what they are thankful for. Hailey loves this idea. Most of those papers are hers.  I can't wait to read what we all come up with.  I just hope I can tell what the pictures are that the kids are drawing. :)

Happy 29th Birthday!

Bo's birthday was fun. Once again we had family over and had cake and ice cream.

Bo you are a great dad. The kids love you and get so excited to see you every day. You know just how to make us laugh and feel special. Thanks for all that you do for us. We love you!