a thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

Marcus & Brittany
Ruthie's family and Brian... the former missionary
were here.
He has been teasing hailey relentlessly & she says he can go back any day now- in fact she says Chile isn't far enough away- hmmm? some things never change.

this year for the first time ever-

I actually bought my pie crusts.

I was at the grocery store, they were on sale, something came over me & I had one of the most stress less Thanksgiving days ever. Why haven't I done that before?

(just don't tell martha)

Brittany was a huge help & loads of fun...

you're not so bad either Marcus.

Lauren brought a friend- somehow he got out of all the photos?
Ruthie brought here prize winning pie!

The two nutcracker girls had fun.

Ruthie's daughter is in a different production of the nutcracker this weekend.

The peanut was followed by his biggest fan & cool older brother.

He's not the smiliest of little guys... but we got him to smile a couple of times.

Max on Bronco got into the Pilgrim spirit of things.

and the turkey turned out PERFecT!

It was my third year in a row of brining & roasting pioneer woman style!

Thanks to her & a laptop in the kitchen- there was no dry turkey in the house... YuM.

There is so much to be thankful for this year...

a new grand baby

the safe return of the missionary

work

family

friends

health

the gospel....

I could go on & on.

thank you for being a part of my life.

just the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Charlie

You can sure tell he loves his mommy!

in case you didn't know...

the missionary comes home...

tomorrow

TOMORROW!

i have so many emotions running through my head...

he gets on a plane tonight...

he is coming home?

it seems like so much longer than two years right now.

when brian was born he was only one ounce smaller than Charlie.

we have come full circle, brett & I.

Brian is a man now.

Megan is a mother.

being a mother & now a grandmother is surely the greatest privilege/responsibility of my life.

I'm so grateful for it.

I am so full of gratitude for the blessings & the trials that are mine.

I feel overwhelmed.

I had no idea having a missionary would do such things to me.

I thought all of the insight & growth would be his.

I was wrong.

I feel so lucky I have three kids still at home & the journey is far from over.

Thank you brett- for giving me this dream come true-

being a stay at home mom

I owe it all to you.

Someone once told me-

"don't worry about having a large family, when you are old your kids are all you've got."

Every now & then I have wondered- if by having a large family we were crazy?

I'm so glad we did it.

my kind of thrilling

These babies were delivered to my house Thursday while I was at the Y.

The are so beautiful- so beautiful. A couple of weeks ago my blogger mom friend Kristy bought a set just like them but red. She found this seriously fantastic deal on them. I knew our old ones were almost dead... I knew it. I told Brett, but hey- I just didn't want to spend that kind of money when we didn't need to. I mean ours were really really old- bought before Hailey arrived in our lives- but they still worked!

Then it happened.
After. the. sale.
We even talked to the salesman about honoring the- two week ago sale- possibly for us...
it just wasn't a possibility.
I was mad.
Mad at myself.
Mad that I didn't buy them when I had the chance for $900 off!!
Instead of celebrating our new purchase I chose to just be mad. Until they arrived.
Oh my
they are amazing
I washed EVERY SINGLE DIRTY TOWEL IN MY HOUSE AT ONE TIME!
Then- my really heavy queens sized duvet with sheets.
Next all the dog bedding- washed on the SANITIZE/STEAM cycle.

That is after I spent a good part of the day figuring them out.

pta convention 09

It's been a busy week for us all, I'm sure!

These last few weeks before school gets out- are jam packed with loads of goodness- plays, parties, college orientation (already?)

Plus, all the ol' regular activities- scouts, ballet... you get the idea.

Spring also brings- the Utah PTA convention at one of my favorite places in the whole world- BYU campus. Oh again... how I love that campus!

Yesterday I drove down by myself- I had to be there early & stay late for some legislative issues. The older I get the more I enjoy being alone with myself. Interesting... the younger me hated being alone & always wanted to be busy (well I guess that hasn't changed but I am doing better.)

I guess being in my 40's now- I'm finally coming to terms with myself & who I am.

(most of the time)

Brett was so great to work from home, get the kids off, be there when they got home- order pizza, the whole mom bit- he's so supportive of me always. I don't think I give him credit here on this blog enough- he is the best!

I found this fabulous parking spot right across the street from the Monte L. Bean life science museum. When Brett was in school I would take Megan & Brian there. It's full of taxidermy animals- kind of gross now that I think about it- but two toddlers loved it & it was free. The best price for our little college family. It was delightful walking down past the bell tower in the morning sun as the bells played "Come, Come Ye Saints."
And look at this-
Right down from my car...
loads & loads of blooming lilacs!!
I took this shot as I came around to the Wilkenson center. I love it. the sun is coming over the mountains, students walking & the Y in the background. Happiness. There is just a feeling here-

This year in PTA I am the region legislative representative. My goal is to educate & increase awareness of what the PTA locally & nationally does for children. Increase my own awareness & knowledge of local & national issues & use my voice to hopefully make a difference.

I love legislative issues, the legislative session, being at the capitol, etc. This position is a good fit for me & has made me excited to be involved on a different level.

At this meeting I was sitting next to my PTA friends, Charity & Natalie- (I should have gotten a photo) Charity was worried about here parking spot & left to move her car- I was of course telling her about my Fabulous spot near the bell tower- gush gush.
I met Janae for lunch- we shared a mint brownie- the verdict is in... hers are SO MUCH better! I feel so privileged to have experienced her mint brownies in real life.
Ms. Utah spoke- she was surprisingly excellent
Ryan Shupe & the Rubber band was there- they are FAntastic!
I went to three classes:
1. Legislative VP 101- been here before
2. Legislative VP- what is the National PTA's agenda
3. Protecting Children from Abuse
I checked out all the vendors trying to get fundraiser commitments, & I won a Marie Calendars Pie!! woo hoo- I didn't want to carry that around all day- so I called my newly engaged nephew Marcus aka: BYU student extraordinaire & he came & picked it up. I hope it was good, I don't even know what flavor it was!? Later I stayed & voted on this next year's resolutions.
As I walked back to my car... I saw something in the distance on my windshield?

WHAT THE???
how does that scripture go-
pride goeth before the fall
I guess I didn't see the "Y zone only parking" that was not clearly marked on the curb.
dang it!
When will I ever learn? I tell you I am just like one of my kids...
The good news?

I had a dinner date set up to meet Jill & this oh so fabulous Bacon, Blue Cheese Burger!

Jill is the best.

I talked and talked and talked my full blown head off & she was so GREat!

Jill is one of those people who just get it-

she is amazing & so warm & kind & even brought me Chocolate chip cookies!

I am so lucky to know her in REal life.

Thanks Jill!

I came home to find my two guys waiting for me.

Brett & Trent

What a great day

gratitude day two

You know I am not the only one writing these gratitude posts, right?

I am seeing them all over. I'm not sure who started it, but I thought it was a brilliant idea & wanted to participate. I'm only on my second day and - I'm realizing something new about myself

I am private in some ways...

***

I feel grateful for so many things- but I don't want to necessarily share that with my blog. Weird. I can talk about my family, missionary, aspergers, etc. but for some reason I just feel uncomfortable with the things I love the most... those things I am grateful for. I don't like listing them. I feel like something may be forgotten- I wonder if I will be judged by some who already judge this blog... like I didn't list the "right" things? That's silly, but real in my head. I saw on the Today show recently that people who have gratitude journals & list things in them daily are healthier, happier, exercise more frequently..., get out more-live longer it went on & on.

hmmm.

I started a gratitude journal a couple years ago. It's in a drawer next to my bed. I thought I was a positive person- but sometimes I wasn't very grateful when writing. It became a gratitude/get my frustrations on paper- kind of a thing.... I don't think that's the healthy thing they were talking about on the news show?

So I am putting myself out there. I'm not really comfortable listing. This is really nuts.

but in my quest for a more meaningful life...

today I am grateful for:

My family

My friends

My faith

My testimony in that faith

Knowledge that God lives & love me

The opportunity to be a mother

Marriage

My home- I love my home.

so there you go- that wasn't so bad.

Am I the only crazy one out there?