Sweet lies

#1 - I'm grateful that I was able to get a lot done today. I've had tons of stuff piling up and today, I feel like I finally made a pretty good dent in it. There's still a lot to do, but now I don't feel so overwhelmed.

#2 - I'm grateful that Hans acted like he liked my dinner. I had high hopes for the new recipe tonight, but to be completely honest, it was gross. Hans would never admit to it; he insisted that it was good. What a liar. Just another thing I love about him.

#3 - James' and Noah's matching pajamas. They are so stinking cute together.

11/8 Blessings

#1 - I'm grateful that my kids went back to bed after both waking up at 5:30. That extra hour and a half made all the difference.

#2 - I'm grateful for tithing. It's definitely a hard thing to do, especially at a time in our lives when we have plans for every extra penny for about the next ten years, but it is one principle that I have never doubted. We've been behind this year, with all of the moving and switching wards, but at church yesterday, we almost got caught up. It's a good feeling.

#3 - I'm grateful for nursery. What an inspired program. Yesterday, when I walked into nursery to pick James up, all the nursery leaders said, "Look James, it's your mom." He took one look at me, said, "No!" and ran to the other side of the room. At least he loves it.

#1 - I'm grateful for the coupon booklet I found at WalMart today. It saved me $15. Sweet!

#2 - Saturdays. It's so wonderful to have an entire day with my family all together. We didn't exactly get much done as we had 2 kids tag-teaming their naps all day long, but it's just nice to be together.

#3 - My pantry. When I come home from the grocery store with 10 boxes of crackers, 48 cans of spaghettios, and 8 containers of apple juice it sure is nice to have a place to put it all.

Today

#1 - I'm grateful for the park. What a nice release for James. I'm so glad the weather was perfect for our outing.

#2 - I'm grateful for boys. Let's face it, without my boys, I'd be pretty much alone in this world. I hope to have a little girl someday, but right now I'm glad I have these little crazy guys and that they can be such great friends.

#3 - I'm grateful for my venus fly trap. Yes, I own a venus fly trip. When we saw Little Shop of Horrors last week at the Hale, Hans had to buy the movie. Lucky for us, a venus fly trap came with it. Now it sits in my kitchen window sill and makes me chuckle every time I see it.

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