Finding my inner Dr. Seuss...

Say!
I am Thankful!
I am! I'm thankful, that I am!
And I would be thankful in a boat.
And I would be thankful with a goat.
And I will be thankful in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
God is so good, so good, you see!

So I will be thankful in a box.
And I will be thankful with a fox.
And I will be thankful in a house.
And I will be thankful with a mouse.
And I will be thankful here and there.
Say! I will be thankful ANYWHERE!

I am so thankful, that I am!
Thankful!
Thankful!
Yes I am!

  

Wolf-ing it...

Doesn't he realize that as the "baby" of my heart, he is not allowed to grow up?!?!

But regardless, he's doing it and doing it well!


Wolf-ing down the pudding is the rule in our pack to earn your badge.
He managed rather nicely.

And yes, that is my eight year old, nearly as tall as his mother.
I resigned myself to being the shortest in my family a long time ago.

Cooper ~ I love you with every piece of my heart!

Her feet weren't that big but her shoes are sure hard to fill...

Two attributes my mom carried beautifully and ones I'm still trying to figure out...

1.  Unconditional love
2.  Thinking of others before oneself

Sometimes two years seems so long ago and sometimes it feels like it was just the other day.

Missing you still.
Loving you always.

more on gratitude...

My very smart, beautiful, funny, insightful friend, Rachel (is that enough praise??) said these words about the month we call November...

"I find it no accident that we spend a month focusing on gratitude before we are ready to spend a month focusing on the Savior."

See!  I told you...smart and insightful : )

And I really do love November.

I love the welcome change in weather ~ finally getting out the comfy quilt to add a layer of snuggle to my bed.

I love the colors ~ earthy and natural with speckles of sunny yellows and radiant reds.

I love the smells ~ Gold Canyon Mulled Cider and Apple Orchard Paradise are the best candle scents this time of year.  Heart them : )

I love the sounds ~ the occasional rain dripping from the eaves and splashing in the pool, crunchy leaves on my porch that I don't sweep away on purpose and opening my windows first thing in the morning to hear the birds morning song.

I love the tastes ~ pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies!  But let's not forget the warm soups and roasted turkey!

I'm grateful to pause, give thanks and recognize from where my blessings come.

By doing so, just like President Monson said, the doors of heaven are open and my mind and heart are ready to welcome

December.

Pondering my gratitude...

I read these words about a month ago...

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

If that was true then today I would have woke up with...

Brent and Maddison (arriving safely home from Youth Conference in the mountains)
Davis (spending the entire day together supporting Cooper at his football tournament)
Cooper (for his safety and all the fun during his football play)

So this morning it looks like all I'd have is my family.
Thankfully.

But there is so much more I'm grateful for!
The list is extensive.

I must say that for the most part I think I would wake up pretty darn good.
But last night was a quick expression of my thanks before I fell into bed ~ asleep before my head touched my pillow.

It happens, right?

I do know that there are blessings that come from the verbal expression of thanks.

But I find comfort knowing that the Lord "looketh on the heart". 

I do try to keep a prayer in my heart going about my daily and sometimes mundane routine.

I find that this is often when I have my best conversations with the Lord...
...driving to and from countless errands
...over a kitchen sink filled with suds
...looking in the mirror applying mascara
...or even eating my bowl of cheerios

So I'm glad I read that quote awhile ago.
I have been much more aware as I've knelt beside my bed.

But I'm glad to know that the Lord looks at my heart...

Thankfully.

District Champs!

Davis + Jr High = SUCCESS



And not just on the football field.

But in the classroom as well.

For whatever reason, he's got this jr. high thing figured out.

And it has been a joy to watch!

He had such a great time doing flag football that he is going to give wrestling a try next.

I love this kid.