More blessings . . . belated

These will be yesterday's blessings. I planned on posting in the evening, but I (not surprisingly) conked out much earlier than I intended.

So for yesterday:

#1 - I'm grateful for nice weather. Yesterday, we opened the garage door while I cleaned the car and James roamed free. He loves having outdoor time and it makes the days fly by. Today, we'll try to venture out to the park if we can squeeze it in between naps.

#2 - I'm grateful for green bell peppers. They added that little extra kick to our omelets last night. Yum!

#3 - I'm grateful that my husband pretends to think that my couponing is cool. He always listens and acts excited when tell him about my great deals, but I know him well enough to know that he is just trying to make me feel good. It's the thought that counts, right.

Blessings

#1 - I'm grateful that my kids go to bed well. Heaven knows I have crazy kids, but when it hits 7:00 pm, all is right in the world. No screaming and no tantrums. James tries to help say the prayer, Noah gives us one last big smile, we give lots of kisses and we're (usually) done for the night. I love them!

#2 - I'm grateful for Butterfingers. Yum! Especially the fun size because they don't make me feel as guilty.

#3 - I'm grateful for my $19 Walmart jeans. I seem to have had bad luck lately with jeans (probably because I just about have a stroke when I look at the price tag of any decent pair, and I apparently don't have enough of a butt to keep them up), so I decided to give the old Wally World a try. I'm in love! Finally, jeans that don't fall off my butt all day long. They may not be the cutest things on earth, but what can I say, I'm on a budget.

Day 2

#1 - Today I am grateful for my washing machine. If there were no such thing, my entire life would consist of doing laundry. Even though I already feel that way.

#2 - I am grateful for long hot baths during naptime. If I am lucky enough to have both boys asleep at the same time for any length of time, I take the opportunity. It makes me feel renewed.

#3 - I am grateful for the long hours my hubby puts in at work. As much as miss him when he's gone, I am grateful that I have a husband who cares enough about his family to completely wear himself out during the day, come home to these crazy kids, and then get up and do it all over again. He does it without a word of complaint and it's all because he loves us so much!

Fall Fun!

About 2 weeks ago, we ventured out to the corn maze. It was a bit chilly, but the kids held up well. James wasn't a big fan of the maze, but he did love the animals.

We made it all the way through. I pushed the stroller and had to check on Noah every two minutes to make sure he didn't suffer from shaken baby syndrome (the path was extremely bumpy). Hans carried James the whole way through, but we made it out alive. No cheating, promise!

James wouldn't pose for a picture with our carved pumpkin, but Noah would and boy, isn't he cute!

Halloween night. Tons of fun!

November!

I got this great idea from a friend's blog and decided it would be a fun thing to participate in. So, here goes:

It's that time of year again (can you believe that it is November already?). Time for pumpkins and gloves and long-sleeves and the November Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. For those of you who have not played before, the challenge is outlined below.

Here's how it works:
Each day during the month of November I will post three things I am grateful for. You should, too.
Definition of "things"- the term "things" is used here to encompass a myriad of stuff including, but not limited to:

• a certain set of circumstances
• an event
• an inanimate object distinguished from a living being
• possessions or effects
• a deed or act
• a product of work or activity
• an idea or notion
• a piece of news or information
• a personal memory
• anything that makes you smile

* The challenge is to come up with three ORIGINAL "things" each day. Try not to repeat entries.

WARNING OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS!!
Please note that challenge participation may result in any or all of the following:
- you will be surprised at all the Lord has done for you
- angels will attend
- you will feel help and comfort
- you will find yourself "singing as the days go by"
- your doubts will fly
(see LDS Hymn #241 for the above references)

Ok, so I already missed a day, but why not start today?

1 - I'm grateful that I finished making the boys' Halloween costumes in time. I have to admit they looked so cute, but then again, my kids would look cute in pretty much anything.

2 - I'm grateful that we made it through Sacrament meeting yesterday without having to take either of the kids out. An incredible accomplishment if you know my kids. I was actually able to pay attention to a few of the testimonies. When you have little ones, spiritual edification can be hard to come by in Sacrament Meeting.

3 - Noah's smile. He is the one person who looks absolutely elated to see me every time I see him. He is my angel baby.

Ha!

You might think this is dumb, but I can't get enough of this kind of stuff. Yes, Hans is playing two roles. Our family isn't quite big enough yet. Marissa, I thought of including you, but I didn't think you would appreciate being the wolfman.

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Around the house

There's nothing special to report, just some good times around the house. While trying to get some stuff done around the house the other day, I happened to look out my front window in the morning and noticed this beautiful view. I wish I could capture the colors better because it was absolutely beautiful. This picture was taken right outside my front door.

Then the very next evening, I glanced out my back window and saw this. Noah, James and I all huddled under the umbrella while we captured a few pictures from the backyard.

James disappeared down the hall the other day and came back a few minutes later looking like this. Yes, that's my makeup. Whatever wasn't on his face turned out to be on my bathroom floor.

James wouldn't pose for a picture so this is the best I got in his Home Depot apron. Apparently, on the first Saturday of every month, The Home Depot has a Kids Club. This month, it happened to be about fire safety. They had a fireman there to talk to the kids and then they got to build these cool banks that looked like fire stations. It was totally free and you don't have to register or sign up for anything. James absolutely loved it, so for everyone out there with little ones, definitely check it out.

Just one of the many we've been finding around the house these days. Yuck!

I often walk into this in the mornings or after naptime.

Hans calls Noah an aggressive eater. Here's proof!

I hope I win!!

Free groceries for a year? That would be the life! Go here to enter.

http://www.itpaystoeatpasta.com/ip.cfm?u=204FB816-7256-4A91-98A1-5A81D5CED781

Panties!

James has been wearing panties for about an hour and a half. Excuse me. Apparently with boys, you're supposed to call them underwear. Anyway, the Lightning McQueen on his bum better get ready for a good soaking! I know it's coming . . . any moment now.

Love it!

My computer cycles through my photos and posts them as the wallpaper on my desktop. Today, this one popped up. I don't know why, but it completely cracked me up so I felt the need to share. I think Hans is looking pretty good and James looks like he is posing for a mug shot with sunglasses and a life jacket. LOVE IT!

Settled

We are finally settled in our new house and couldn't be happier. Here are just a few pictures of the house. We are loving our new ward and James LOVES nursery. The house is exactly what we need. It fits us perfectly. Give us a few years and we'll have it looking great.

This is our backyard with some new fruit trees we planted last week. They're so tiny. And yes, the lawn needs help. We're working on it.

Just a little side note. Noah is 7 months old and not only is he crawling all over the place, he is pulling himself up on everything. I guess I have 2 busybodies on my hands.

Arachnophobia!

I will be the first to admit, that in the last few years, I have developed a not so mild case of arachnophobia. I'm not psycho about it, but when I see a spider in my house, I tend to have a hard time. I can handle spiders outside where they belong, but they DO NOT belong in my house. Apparently several of them disagree as I have found many who seem to prefer the inside to the outside. I have a problem with that.

I have found several in the past few days, but just today I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life (apart from zoos and museums). Noah woke up from his nap so I started to walk down the hall to go get him. I was suddenly stopped in my tracks when I saw a giant spider hanging out in the middle of the hallway. What nerve! I immediately knew what I had to do, but didn't want to face the truth. I called Hans for some moral support, but, of course, all he could do was laugh and make fun of me. I'm sure all the guys at work are having a good laugh about it as I type this. After getting off the phone, I grabbed a nearby Anatomy book and inched as close as I dared. By this point, I'm practically shaking and my heart is going a mile a minute. Noah is in the his room screaming his head off, wondering why I'm not there yet. So, I drop the book and, just my luck, the spider, giant as he is, happens to be fast. I have a hard enough time when it stays in one place, but when it moves, I kind of freak out. I don't really remember, but I think I might have screamed and I know I jumped.

Now the spider is up against a wall so I know I can't try the book trick again. I had an idea. I found some old glue traps that we had used for mice in our old house. I put it up against the wall about a foot away from the spider (that's as close I dared get my hand to it) and then I threw things at it until it went right into my trap. I watched it for a moment to be sure it was stuck. Feeling pretty good about myself, I went and got Noah up from his nap and when I came out, it was still there. I walked away for about a minute and came to back to find the spider gone!!! I kind of freaked and called Hans again. I should have known better. He sure got a kick out of that. I put on shoes and went on a hunt with a long stick. No luck!

So here I am, wearing thick-soled shoes and blogging on a computer far away from the original sighting. I spotted a fly a minute ago and jumped about 3 feet in the air. Noah is bugged with me because I won't put him down on the floor. James is still sleeping and you better believe that when he wakes up, we're going out for the rest of the day.