Thursday, November 6, 2014

Peter's 2nd Birthday

Peter is absolutely in love with Bob the Builder. He gets so excited when we turn it on and goes nuts.

 So for Peter's birthday a few weeks ago I made a construction themed cake. He was more excited about those little construction toys than he was the cake. He saw it and yelled "Iss Bob the Build!"

 And then he enjoyed the cake...

 A lot... :)
We found a tool set second-hand on Craigslist. Peter's pretty happy to have his set. He's a good aim with the hammers, too. And he got FOUR Bob the Builder DVDs from Gran and Baba. He was in 2-year-old heaven.

Peter is a chatty two-year-old. Lately his favorite phrase has been "What happened?" He asks that about everything. And "Why?" in a really whiny way when I tell him no. He and David are great buddies. He gets very excited to see David coming home from school and runs to give him a hug. He loves to dance, and if you say, "What does the fox say?" he starts dancing and yelling "Ka-ka-ka-ka-kow!" He climbs the ladders at the park, scares me to death every time, and will only go on the big kid slides, you know the ones that are designated for ages 5 and up? Yeah, those big ones.

We're so glad that Peter is healthy now. We were so tired of doctors and getting blood drawn, tests and more tests. We are grateful that he's back to normal.

So it may be a few weeks late, but Happy Birthday little guy!!! :D

A memory I'm thankful for


This is the best picture I could find for this memory. My dad is a big one for road trips, I remember Dad itching to take road trips from the time I was a kid. Even after we could fly relatively easily we'd still take a road trip every once and a while. Sadly, I have no pictures from our road trips.

I remember being a kid driving with Dad to California in a red pickup truck. We were going to pick up my great-grandmother's belongings as she was moving in with our family. One night we stopped and got stuffed-crust pizza from Pizza Hut. I'd been seeing commercials for it for weeks and had wanted to try it. Turns out it was really not that great. We had it cold the next morning and neither of us were terribly interested in finishing our slices... That night, though, we rolled out our sleeping bags in the bed of the truck in the middle of Arizona (?). I looked up and saw a shooting star! I got really excited thinking I wouldn't be seeing another one for a while. But then, again, another shooting star. I fell asleep counting shooting stars.

We went on a day trip to Midland, TX to pick up a piano for my family. That was an interesting trip. I was in big trouble, but Dad didn't bring up my bad behavior for most of the trip. He didn't seem angry. That was almost worst. But it helped me realize just how much he and my mom loved me, despite my terribly disrespectful behavior. I wasn't the easiest teenager, by any stretch of the imagination, but I never doubted my parents' love for me.

I'm thankful for these memories I have, of the time I had to spend with my dad on these trips, as they gave me the foundation of trust I needed to get through the crazy ups-and-downs that is being a teenager. I am thankful for these memories, for it gave me an opportunity to observe my dad and learn what a righteous priesthood holder, father, and man was. He was a good blueprint for me when I thought of the characteristics I wanted to find in myself and in my future spouse.

My dad's a pretty cool dude. I hope I can be a cool dude(ette) for my kids, too. :)

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

A word I am thankful for

Sorry.

That's my word: sorry.

I say it a lot, I hear it a lot, and I'm almost more grateful for the response: it is okay. Followed by a hug and a smile, and then off to happily finish the day. Well, at least that is how I would like it to be most of the time.

We've actually been working on the steps of an apology in our home. 1) I'm sorry I did ABC. 2) I will fix it by doing XYZ. 3) Will you forgive me? It has led to my older kids really thinking about their actions more. I appreciate that. But it has also made me think about my actions, too. Praying my "I'm sorry" is a little different when the apology includes the action I will take to remedy the situation in a way it didn't before. I hope my kids see a difference in me as I've seen in them.


I made wassail today. Yum yum! It actually started as a concentrated dose of spice water that I am using to make soap. And then the spicey, holiday scent filled the house and Andrea started asking when would the Waffle Juice be ready?? And I thought that a very good question myself! So we made up the wassail.

Last night we took the kids with us to the polls as we voted.

It wasn't a complete victory for us here in Michigan, but we are happy with what we got. And so we will work with the leaders the people appointed. I hope they are willing to work with us.

I'm interviewing a daycare parent tomorrow. I'm excited!! I'll have to post pictures of our new playroom arrangements. The kids love it! :)


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

A trinket I am thankful for

I thought long and hard about this gratitude challenge. I even read and re-read the definition for "trinket" several times yesterday. In the end I could not choose just one thing, and I'm not sure they fit the definition of trinket, but it was the best I had.



First is my little cherub. I have had to have that little angel resaudered to the heart so many times in the twenty-one years I've had that charm. The chain was also broken several times, and last year was sold to help pay our bills, but there is no way I could ever part with the angel. My grandfather, John, gave it to me at my baptism. He told me when he gave it to me that when he had come to my baby blessing he was struck by one of the things said: that I would always have angels to protect me. My confirmation blessing contained the same promise, as has almost every major blessing I've ever had.

Seeing my grandfather is one of the few things I remember about my baptism. I remember standing in the cold water as my dad said the prayer, and glancing quickly at my family gathered to be with me on that day. I remember my grandpa was wearing jeans and boots, and he had his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, and his arms folded. He was smiling a gentle smile, but I was shivering too hard to return it. I know that I had other family members there that day, a special thing as none of them are members, but for some reason Grandpa John and my mom are the only two faces I remember from that moment.


As a signer this held special meaning from the get, but it was made more special because I received it the for Christmas or my birthday (I can't remember which, they're only five days apart) before I got married. It was a gift fron my Grandma and Grandpa Black. I was wearing it the day I found out I was pregnant with David, which was also the same day I found out Grandma had passed away.


My last trinket I am thankful for not because of the trinket itself, but because of the work that went into getting it. While tested a lot, these last few years especially, it is the faith gained through the Personal Progress program that has gotten me through a lot of personal trials and struggles. What started out as a way to earn candy at church quickly became a great source of comfort. The trinket is merely a reminder of those things I learned in my youth that have helped me as an adult.


Monday, November 3, 2014

A food I am thankful for


I am a total fan of a whole, roast chicken. It is a food everyone in my family will eat, and I can adjust seasoning to suit our tastes for the day. After that I strip the chicken down to the bare bones and make as much broth as possible. Chicken soup can be stretched into chicken pot pie soup, which can be stretched into chicken pot pies. Shredded chicken can be seasoned and turned into tacos or sandwiches, leftovers can be stretched into tamales, and even a tiny bit of chicken can make a couple dozen tamales. It is always fun to see how far I can stretch a roast chicken. My record is six dinners, I wonder if I could make it seven. :)

When it comes to food I'm most grateful that my family is able to eat full meals everyday and we never have to go hungry. There was a little while when we first moved to Michigan where, even stretching as much as I could, I skipped meals to save food for my kids and they were still constantly hungry. I am so grateful that time is over and we are all able to have full bellies. The experience has made me hyper aware of those who don't have the same luxuries and go to bed hungry. It makes me appreciate the Bishop's Storehouse. It makes me want to give in a very big way to charities that give food to hungry children. Someday, hopefully very soon, we are able to be generous donors to such organizations.

So speaking of chicken, guess what we had for dinner last night? I've got big plans for those leftovers. ;)


Sunday, November 2, 2014

A place I'm thankful for


I got to the temple on Thursday. It really is a quiet, peaceful place. I was glad to go, though I totally fought sleep through the whole session. It was just so still and quiet I couldn't help nodding off every once and a while. I tried hard not to, but this has been an exhausting week.

All fatigue aside, it was a really wonderful opportunity to take a moment and contemplate something more than what is immediately before me. Reminders of the big picture is nice. While I'm still struggling with some faith-related issues, one thing I've continued to appreciate is the serenity and beauty of the temple and the promises found there.

I saw an old friend while I was at the temple!
Sister Mo'unga! So good to see her again before she heads home in a couple months. She is an awesome missionary that served a long while in our old ward. We swapped crazy hair stories all the time. :)

Ps- the Blogger App? Love it! Writing blogs on my phone is so much easier than downloading pictures, uploading pictures, then writing the blog on the computer. This might just mean that I'll be blogging more regularly. ;)


Saturday, November 1, 2014

A person I'm thankful for


David is getting so big. He is so helpful and kind, even if he does enjoy pestering his sister sometimes.

 I had a Parent-Teacher conference last month and learned that David is a whole grade ahead of his peers in reading. The teacher is wonderful and placing him in an advanced reading group. So David has been gobbling up the reading he's been given. When a stack of books tumbled out of his backpack the other day I asked why he had so many books. He replied "Because I like reading them."

David has a new pen pal, the son of old singles ward friends. He got his first letter a week or so ago and sent off a letter in return. He is so excited to get another letter and write more about what's been going on. He keeps saying, "I'll have to put that in my next letter!" Things like how he found a dead mouse in Peter's pumpkin. How he dressed as Spyro from Skylander for Halloween. How he went through a corn maze with his cub pack and got through it in 30 minutes flat.

David makes me happy everyday. He makes me worry every day. So much crazy going on around him, I really hope he'll be okay. He's a good kid, he really is. And I love him to death. :)