52 Blessings Project: Weeks 22,23,24,25,& 26

So once again I have slacked off in posting my blessings...so here is my throw-up post of the past month!

The 52 Blessings Project

Once a week post a photo of something you are most grateful for. This gives us a chance to reflect on the good things we have learned from or that have made us better in our everyday lives or things we just enjoy! I think everyone needs to be more grateful for what they have now instead of always thinking about what we want! This is one of the things we can do to be more gracious people. It will be like a photo gratitude journal.

Week 22

When I began blogging in January 2007, I had no idea what a blessing it would be for me and my life. It has helped me to reconnect with old friends, and of course make new. I love being able to log on and document what is going on in my little world, and then 'hop' around and peek in on all of your lives. My life is so crazy busy that there is no way I can actually 'hang out' with all of you, yet blogging has made it feel possible to stay connected. I am very thankful for the opportunities that blogging has brought to my life.

Week 23

(This is actually a picture from swimming lessons last month...I need to take the camera to the pool!)

We bought a family pass for our local swimming pool, and have been having a blast. It would be nice to have a pool in our backyard, but since we don't this is the next best thing. We have been frequenting the pool atleast 3 times a week if not more. It has really gotten hot in the past few weeks, and this has been a great outlet for our family. Sometimes Shawn even takes them when he gets off work, and it allows me to cook dinner in peace!

Week 24

This picture is about a year old, but I still love it!

Life would not be the same without the 'Dad's' in my life. It has been wonderful to watch Shawn grow through the years. Our kids adore him. I love watching their faces light up when they hear the garage open, and see him walk through the door.

I am thankful for my own Dad, and the relationship that I have with him. He is a great man with alot of wisdom. He does have his quirks, but I love him just the same. I know that he would anything for me.

If that wasn't enough, I am so blessed to have married into a great family. Shawn's dad, step-dad, and Grandpa are all great men. I am honored to be able to know each of them. They are all very wonderful, but I have to say that his Grandpa holds a special place in my heart. I grew up never having one. My dad's parents died before I was born, and my mom's dad had also passed. I have really enjoyed getting to know 'Grandpa.' He is always smiling, and such fun to visit with. It is nice for me to be able to say that I have a Grandpa even it it is through marriage.

Week 25

It seems like just in the last week or so...things have really heated up in my neck of the woods. With temps in the 100's, I am so thankful for AIR CONDITIONING! Whoever was inspired by that invention is awesome. I really don't know how people live with out it. Now all I need to do is convince my hubby to lower the thermostat below 86 degrees (he thinks that if it is any lower it makes our downstairs-which is partially underground- too cold). Any ideas would be appreciated! :)

Week 26

I really believe in the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." I am doing my best to raise my children to become capable, loving adults...but I know that I could not do it alone. I think it is important for children to have many adults in their lives that they can look up to. I am so thankful for the wonderful teachers in my kids lives. Caden's primary teacher's had their last Sunday in our ward today. They are moving to go to school in Utah. Today Caden made them a card, and we baked them some cookies. They came over and spent a little bit of time with Caden today. I really am going to miss them and the influence that they have had on my little boys life. It was nice to know that someone loved and cared for him as much as I do.

If you would like to visit other peoples 'blessings' just go to Gardenview Cottage for a list of participants!

Homemade Ice Cream

Last night we went to a fundraising benefit for Gavin. This cute little boy was born with a genetic disorder that caused liver failure. He is now on the waiting list for a liver transplant. His parents are trying to do all they can to raise funds to help pay for all of the expenses that are involved in taking care of Little Gavin. I sure hope and pray that he can get a liver soon.

The event had lots of different YUMMY flavors of Homemade Ice Cream, a band, and a bunch of cute stuff up for a silent auction. We didn't win anything, but we had some fun. Sydney got her face painted and the kids had fun playing with the Brinton's. I can never get enough of these two girls together.

Little Laughs

I LOVE it when they start to laugh!

The Zoo

Somehow I convinced myself that it would be a great idea to go to the zoo (twice in the past two weeks...crazy, I know.) Besides it being incredibly hot, we managed to have quite a good time.

Our first trip ran into lunch time. I didn't have time to pack anything before we had left the house so I opted for the overly priced concessions available. I walked up to the window, and tried to decide what was worth paying for. I finally opted for a small pizza. I figured it would at least tie us over until we got home. I placed my order, and chatted with the employee for a minute. She told me it would take about 5 minutes before it would be ready.

I started to push the stroller over to some picnic tables when she turned around and handed me two souvenir cups for the kids! They were filled with Icee's, and the best thing about it is they are good for FREE refills of fountain drinks throughout the zoo for the life of the cup! I was shocked that she just GAVE them to me! I got the kids settled, and went to pick up the pizza. That is when she handed me two kids meals, each with a hot dog, animal crackers, and a rice crispie treat!!! It was one of the nicest things ever! A meal that would have easily cost us $20-$30 only cost me $8!

Sydney had a panic attack while we were eating. The tables we were at were right by a pond/lake. So there were alot of ducks and birds around. These little fellows were obviously used to alot of visitors because they weren't afraid of us at all. In fact they got quite close...too close for comfort for our little Sydney. Some of the birds would just land with their mouths open. I felt bad for Syd, but had to laugh at the same time. She insisted on sitting on my lap, screaming at the top of her lungs, and then started tossing all sorts of her food to try to get them away. My poor kids are so pet deprived...they just don't know how to deal! :)

We even made a stop at the splash pad that they have within the zoo. Sydney was a little hesitant at first, but was able to have a bit of fun in the water. I think I need to send them outside in the sprinklers more often...they aren't too big on getting water in their face. Caden barely even got wet. Hopefully he will get braver as the summer goes by.

So even though it is hotter than hot...you can still have fun at the zoo. They open at 7 am, and since we have a membership, we can go for just a few hours, and still have lots of fun! As a bonus...it totally wears them out! If anyone is brave enough to go...just let me know...and we can meet you there!

Write a check!

When I think back to when I got married one of the best things (besides getting married to the man I love) about the wedding was opening all the gifts that we received from our family and friends. I remember the stack of envelopes that we got that were either filled with cash, gifts cards, or checks. Those gifts helped us buy so many different things in order to start our life together.

This past weekend my friends brother-in-law got married. The day was wonderful, and many friends and family attended the reception. It wasn't until the end of the evening that they were aware of what had happened. Some time during the reception...someone came in and took the basket that held ALL of those lovely envelopes! The basket was found discarded in a woman's yard. All the envelopes had been opened. They had removed all the cash and gift cards...but left the checks. Luckily one of the checks had a home number on it, and the woman contacted that person. After a few more phone calls they were able to get what was left over to the bride and groom's family.

As my friend was telling me the story...it made me so sad for the happy couple! What has this world come to!? I can't believe that someone stooped so low as to going to a reception and stealing the 'money basket'. One thing is for sure...the next time I don't have time to get a gift, I won't get a gift card or give cash! WRITE A CHECK!

To be fair...

This picture (which was taken at the same time) still shows off his rolls, but is a little bit more flattering than the one below. :)

Wordless Wednesday: The Chunk

Seriously, Why can't double chins, and chunky legs always be cute!? Isn't he a chunk!?

T-E-N-T

This guys never ceases to make me laugh. Enjoy!

Good Times

(Tawni, Stacey, Dendi, Me, Keta, Cami, Shelly & Melanie)

Last night I was able to meet up with some old friends. I have known these girls since I was a little girl. We grew up in the same ward. I have so many different memories of the fun times that we were able to share together. I am so glad that Cami planned this evening for us. I hadn't seen some of these girls forever. Luckily, through blogging, we have all found each other again, and are now able to keep up on what is going on in each others lives. Some people brought pictures of us from when we were younger. I laughed so hard at how dorky I looked...yet we all thought we were 'so cool'. Every one looked fabulous....I mean some of these girls have had 4-5 kids and still look amazing! Anyway, I hope to do this again soon. I really had so much fun with all you girls!

Newborn photos

As I had mentioned...I had my cousin Ashley do a photo shoot of Thomas when he was just shy of two weeks. I was so pleased with how they turned out. These are just a few of my favorites (They all turned out well!). You can see all of them here. Let me know which ones you like best.

Our past week...

It amazes me at how fast time seems to go by...then I log on and realize that I haven't posted in over a week! We have been having loads of fun. Here is a recap of our week...

We celebrated Memorial Day by going to the pool. We split a season pass with some friends, and decided to 'break it in'. The water was still a little cold, but not too bad. The kids didn't seem to mind. While we were there we ran into our friends, the Olson's. Since I have had Thomas we haven't been doing our kids swap...so the kids have missed each other. We invited them over to BBQ, and then we just hung out while the kids played. They had a blast together.

We spent some time with my sister Nancy. She lured us over with a 'pretend' house that was for sell just around the corner. heehee...It was just a mistake that we both overlooked. I haven't mentioned it on here, but we may or may not move. (I thought I would never move again!) Shawn has decided that he would like for us to have a pool. I am kinda on the fence about the whole thing. We figure if it is meant to be then we will find one in the right price range, and in the area that we would like to be.

Summer Movie Fun started on Friday. The kids were so excited about going to the movies. We got there right when it was starting so I had a hard time finding a seat in the dark. Luckily some lady showed me where some were together. Shortly after we sat down, Sydney decided that she needed to pee. I took her to the potty. When we came back Thomas decided to unload...then I felt my leg get warm. He had exploded out the side of his diaper and then leaked all over my pants and shirt! Lovely! Luckily Julie was sitting behind me and kept an eye on my kids while I took Thomas to the bathroom to strip him down and clean him up. I finally got back in time for the last few minutes of the show! Needless to say...I was exhausted! I hope to get there earlier this Friday.

After the movie we decided to cash in on the FREE lunches that the school system provides for kids 1-18. The kids were stoked about getting pizza, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much they got. They had alot of fun.



On Saturday, I got a much needed date with my honey. We did our usual dinner and a movie. We got to see Indiana Jones. It has a little bit of an odd plot line, but we still enjoyed it. It is just nice to get away and have some time with Shawn.

On Sunday we managed to get to church in time (I still don't understand why they allow 8 am church!). I finally got a calling to be the Primary Secretary. It has been a strange 9 months since our ward got dissolved. We have always been in wards that needed alot of help. It was kinda nice not having any responsibilities each week, but I am glad to have a calling now. It makes me feel like I am actually contributing something. There is still alot I have to learn, but I look forward to it.

Monday was really productive. The kids were up bright and early, so I decided to go to the gym earlier than I usually do. It was actually kinda nice to get that done and out of the way. It opened up the day to get some errands done. When Thomas was just a little under 2 weeks old, my cousin Ashley graciously obliged to take some photos of him. It has taken me forever to get over to her house to pick up the disc with all of his pics, but I finally did! They are sooooo great! I will be posting about that soon, but here is a little sneak peek. She is amazing! After we picked up the disc we went by the library to sign up for their summer reading program. The kids are excited for the prizes they will win, and picked out a bunch of books to read over the next week. We left the library just in time to stop by the school again for a FREE meal. The kids are really enjoying going to the school, and it saves me time and money because I don't have to make them anything! I love it!

We ended our day by going to the pool with the whole fam. The kids are loving the water, and I am looking forward to the rest of the summer.

Shawn left for Georgia. He will be back on Thursday, but it just isn't the same without him around! Hopefully I can get some stuff done around the house while he is away.

Anyway...I just am babbling away! Hopefully I didn't bore you too much!

(If you are interested in knowing about any of the things I talked about in this post just email me!)

Wordless Wednesday - Thomas at 2 weeks