Unfortunately, you can't actually look inside this book unless you own it or visit it on Amazon, but this is one of our favorite Christmas books.  The boys and I have read it together several times already this year, and I happen to know that Megan has discreetly moved closer to us so she could listen, too.  I love it when happy books make their way into our lives.

In order to earn the train display trip on Saturday, Matthew cleaned his room.  He proudly brought me to his room to show me his progress.  I had to keep my eyes closed until he told me to open them.  When I opened my eyes, this is what I saw on his neatly made bed:

Matthew had arranged a few of his stuffed animals from largest to smallest on his bed with a handwritten note. 

In the story, animals come to stay in a warm stable with kind ox.  Each animal that comes, from stray dog to small mouse, is welcomed by kind ox and told, "There's always room for a little one here."  The final guests to arrive at the stable are a man and his wife who is expecting a baby.  Of course, there is room for that little one in the stable, too. 

I hope Matthew will personalize the larger message from this story, too, and always have room for Jesus in his heart and life.

Train Gang

Trains are serious business



Matthew, Jacob and I had the pleasure of going to a (free!) train display this afternoon.  The boys worked hard to complete all of their chores so we could go.  And I think they were SO glad that they earned their reward!  The display was at a local (luxury) retirement community and was completely set up by and taken care of by some of the residents there.   (Like I said, luxury.  How many retirement centers have you been to where there is a huge train room with a separate control room?  Pretty cool.)  

It was a pretty amazing set up, and the elder train enthusiasts were so happy to see the young train enthusiasts (translation: Jacob and Matthew) eagerly watching the trains circling the tracks, entering and exiting tunnels, and blowing their whistles.

None of my pictures turned out great, but they will help me keep my mental picture of the boys running from track to track, jumping up and down with excitement.

 These two funny, sweet boys have been talking about those trains all night long and can't wait to go see them again!  I think I scored some points in the cool mom department today!  And I had a ton of fun doing it, too!

 Choo Choo!

I want to play!

While driving around in the car tonight listening to the radio, the boys and I heard a commercial about college.  Jacob asked, "Why do we have to go to college?"  I bypassed his question as I know this topic brings him great anxiety and replied that he didn't have to go to college for a long, long time.  He insisted, "But why do we have to go to college?"  I then explained that going to college helps people get ready to have jobs.  He burst into tears and exclaimed, "But you can't play in college!  (sob, sob, sob)  I'm never going to college.  (gulp, sob, gulp) I want to play!"  Matthew forcefully told him that you need a job to have money for food and a place to live and other stuff.  Jacob shot back through his tears, "Well, I want to play and I want to live with mom!"  I couldn't help myself from laughing as I tried to console him.  I'm sure I won't be giggling when he's 35, still living at home and playing with his trains up in the playroom.  But for now, he's pretty darn cute.

Advent to Christmas

I love this time of year, and I am trying to focus more on Christ as I prepare to celebrate His birth and His life.  

Last year I made this cute advent garland.  I was so excited to put it up again this year and get started with some fun activities to get our family in the Christmas spirit.  I combined the daily activities with a simple scripture "chase" that I found in the December 2010 Friend.  There is a question about the Nativity story with a scripture referenced that contains the answer.  After we read the scripture together we move onto the activity. 

 A few of the activities we have enjoyed so far:

Decorating and eating yummy gingerbread trees.

Putting up and decorating the Christmas tree.

Reading Christmas stories together.

Secret Service for a family member.  (A lot of beds were anonymously made, and baskets full of clean laundry were folded and ready to be put away.)

So, this wasn't an actual activity, but the boys snuggled up together after putting up the tree and playing an intense game of, "I'll hide this ornament somewhere on the tree, and you have to find it!"  They obviously fell asleep like this.  They were so cute.  Matthew still had the Santa hat on when he woke up the next morning.



An Interfaith Sing-A-Long of Handel's Messiah at our Stake Center.  There were excellent soloists, a great choir, and a fantastic chamber orchestra in which our fair Sarah played her flute.  It was a beautiful and inspiring performance.  We have all been breaking out into the "Hallelujah Chorus" ever since.



The First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  This is one of my favorite meetings of the year.  There is always such an amazing spirit present.  The music and the talks were truly uplifting and inspiring.  

I pray that the Spirit of Christ will be in our home this Christmas season.

Proud of You

Monday, Sarah was walking home from school and noticed an older lady raking leaves in her yard.  The lady hadn't finished raking, but went back inside.  Sarah was all out of breath as she was rushed up the killer hill to our house, and quickly said, "I'm going to go rake some leaves for an old lady down the street."  She grabbed a couple rakes and Megan, and said, "Let's go!  Hurry!"  The two of them ran back down the hill and started raking.  Apparently, the lady came back out, and was very thankful to them.  She had just been "resting while watching Oprah, and was coming out to rake during the commercials."  Well, the girls made short work of the rest of those leaves, and just in time as we have had buckets and buckets of rain today.

So how many high school and middle school kids do you know that would spontaneously run to rake someone's leaves . . . for free? I love my girls.  And I'm proud of them.  I searched and searched for a video of Mr. Rogers singing "Proud of You" to insert here, but I couldn't find one.  Fortunately for them, my girls have heard this song many times from my lips (hee hee), and can undoubtedly hear the tune in their heads as they read this.  (If you are unsure of the tune, call me, and I'd be pleased as punch to sing it for you!)

I'm proud of you, I'm proud of you, I hope that you are proud as I am,
Proud of you, I'm proud of youuuuuuuuuuuu,
I hope that you are proud of you, too.

Good girls. Yes, they are.

Standard Rx

Still have a killer headache.  And so, today I am thankful for Ibuprofen, flexible ice packs, and my bed.  The end.

That's what friends are for

I haven't been feeling very well the last couple of days, and to be honest, I'm not feeling that great right now, either.  But I wanted to take a minute and do my post for today.  I'm so thankful for my friends. I can think of many friends throughout my life that have had a tremendous impact on me. I have had several conversations with friends this last week that have been both uplifting and fun.  I'm thankful for their companionship, their compassion, and, occasionally, their commiseration!  I love that I have friends that I can pick up with even after months of not seeing or talking to each other.  I love that there are some that I could talk to every day and never get tired of them.  I love working together. Isn't it always so much more fun to do a project with a friend than by yourself?  I love laughing together - a hearty belly laugh with my girlfriends is always welcome. I'm thankful for all the heart to heart talks about things such as the gospel, parenting, and marriage.  I often gain so much insight from my friends.  I'm totally going to copy my awesome sister-in-law's most recent post and list a few fun memories I have with various friends (none of which are nearly as cool as Laura's, but oh well)!
...swimming in your backyard pool
...spending recess looking for "reebok" tracks in the snow because reeboks were the coolest shoes ever
...playing tennis at the high school
...walking together - somehow always past some boy's house that one of us had a crush on at the time
...taking the country music challenge you issued, and finding out that you were right - I did like it!
...Lone Eagle Resort Senior trip
...pushing each other through the Smith's grocery store in shopping carts
...body surfing and wave jumping - heck, the whole beach trip, every time!
...painting rooms.  And painting them again.  And again.
...watching "Deceived" when no one else was home and scarying ourselves to death!
...sewing days
...walking at Wilson Farm Park
...cooking/baking days
...Popple talk
...craft days
...rolling down hills as fast as we can
...ice blocking
...puddle jumping
...Project: Organization
...staying up waayyyy too late talking every time we're together, vowing to be better next time, and then repeating our late nights
Oh, so many good memories.  What would I do without my friends?  I am so grateful that they accept and love me for who I am - even with all of my imperfections and oddities!

Need a laugh?

Today I am so thankful for some of the delightful things my kids say.  Life is always interesting when they are around.    I thought I'd share a couple of the things I've heard lately that have cracked. me. up.

Not too long ago, the boys and I were in the grocery checkout line looking at all the wonders and treasures shelved at kids' eye level.  Matthew pointed to a Slim Jim and asked, "What is that called?"  My eyes fell on the item in question, my stomach gave an involuntary heave, and I replied, "It is called GROSS!"  I then explained that it is supposed to be like jerky (I think), but is actually nothing like real jerky and that they should never, never eat it because it could make them very sick. A week or so went by, and while Jacob and I were in yet another checkout line, he suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, look, Mom!  Two grosses!"  Yep, he'd spotted the double pack.  I laughed and laughed and told him how very right he was.  Good boy, Jake.  You just remember that - GROSS- that's what it is! (And if you ever find yourself tempted by a Slim Jim, you should read this info and see if you can bring yourself to ever stomach one again.)  Gross.

Matthew recently received a charming gift in a party bag  - FLARP! noise putty.  If you are not acquainted with this, uh, substance, you should certainly find some for yourself.  Just be sure you are in a completely juvenile mood when you open it, have your kids demonstrate its amazing properties for you, and laugh till you're crying. I dare you not to laugh.  Sarah and Megan got ahold of said Flarp and were entertaining me with all sorts of . . . noises.  Now I have never been one to really laugh at bodily functions, er, noises much - I'm much too prim and proper for that nonsense, but the girls had me absolutely rolling on the floor.  Darin called from work and when I tried to talk to him, Sarah put the Flarp up to the phone and demonstrated its qualities for him.  Needless to say, I couldn't talk to him right then and had to call back - much later.  The kicker though was when Megan proudly proclaimed, "I can make those noises without that stuff!"  Sarah and I were falling on top of each other with laughter.  Realizing what she had just said, Megan quickly shouted, "No, I meant with my mouth!  WITH MY MOUTH!" and joined us in our pile of giggles. 

Never dull, I tell you.  I love that my kids make me laugh.  Every. single. day.  Thanks, guys!

I am thankful for a healthy, strong body.  I have enjoyed raking leaves, walking miles, and playing soccer the last couple of days among many other things.  I often take my body for granted, and I complain far too often about my anatomical imperfections.  But the fact is, my body is pretty amazing, and I am blessed to be as healthy as I am.  I'm so glad that I can walk, run, jump, skip, hop, bike, somersault, twirl, sit, stand, breathe . . . you get the idea.

Madam Librarian

I love to read.  And I am cheap.  And I have very few bookshelves in my home.  The perfect solution?  My local library.  They buy the books, let me read them, and store them for me.  This is a very good arrangement.  And because my local library is only minutes away, you can often find me there.  Like 2-3 times a week on average!  Yes, that means that I am often there more than three times a week.  Many of the librarians know me and mchildren by name. 

One of my favorite librarians is in the children's department.  Her name is Miss Carol.  She knows much about my family, both immediate and extended, because she often inquires about them.  She knows that I am from Utah and often asks me about it's geography, the people there, etc.  (She had a son spend a while at the U of U doing a pharmacology residency, and he absolutely loved it - so naturally, she wants to visit there.)  We discuss each other's plans for the holidays and other vacations.  She asks me how my girls are doing, and often comments on how grown up they are now.  The boys are always eager to show her what they will be checking out, or to tell her all kinds of interesting tidbits about the life of a preschooler or first grader and she is happy to listen.   I don't think she has any grandchildren of her own, and I think she really enjoys my boys' enthusiasm and willingness to share with her.  So not only do I enjoy the books at the library, I also enjoy many of the employees.  I really feel right at home there. 

A couple of years ago Darin took me out to dinner for my birthday and then asked me what else I would like to do that night.  All I wanted to do was go to the library - without the kids - so I could browse books without any interruptions.  I know, that sounds crazy and very nerdy, and maybe it is, but it was a completely enjoyable evening for me.  I've since spent many evenings or weekday mornings (when the kids are all at school) just hanging out in the library.  (I've never professed to be anything if not a nerd!)  You can sit and peruse books at the book store, but they always have some sort of irritating music playing.  The library is blissfully quiet.
Ahhh, I'm thankful for my library - for the books, for the people, for the quiet.  Join my nerd herd - check out your local library today! 

On Visiting Teaching

Today we had an excellent Sacrament Meeting. The theme was visiting teaching/home teaching and the speakers were our RS President, our VT coordinator, and an "outstanding" visiting teacher. I enjoyed the talks so much and many fond memories of visiting teaching experiences came to my mind. Of course, I thought of the visits I had done with my mom many years ago. Good times there. And I thought of the many sisters I have had the privilege of visiting over the years. I have visited so many different ladies - rich, poor, educated, uneducated, active in the gospel, inactive, married, single, young, old. . . You get the idea. And I can honestly say, that for the most part, it has been a joy to visit them all. I have learned many things from them. We have cooked, read, scrapbooked, cleaned, walked, laughed, cried, talked, sung, learned, sewed, gone to the temple and so many more things together as we have come to understand, love, and serve each other. These ladies are not just "the sisters I visit", they have become my friends. I am not a perfect visiting teacher by a long shot, but I am committing today to be better. I am thankful for my calling as a visiting teacher and for the sisters I visit! If you need a little pep talk on visiting teaching, I highly recommend reading Sister Barbara Thompson's talk from the October 2010 General Relief Society Meeting titled, "And of Some Have Compassion, Making a Difference." Her talk is so uplifting and inspiring. You'll be calling to schedule appointments right away after reading it!

Sunshine on my shoulders . . .

makes me happy! After another beautiful fall day, I am so grateful for sunshine. Dark, dreary winter months can really get me down, and I know they're on their way. But even in the winter there may be sunny (though still frigid) days in the winter, and on those days you can often find me curled up in front of a window with a blanket wrapped around me just soaking in the sun as it streams through the glass. I live for those moments during the cold months. When sunshine is plentiful, I love just being out in it. I am guilty of just lying on a lawn chair basking in the sun - not to get a tan as I have completely given up that quest and have accepted that I am simply a pasty white American of Northern European descent with no hope of ever tanning. No, I just love to feel the sun. It gives me energy, vitality and comfort all at the same time. I am extra thankful for every ounce of sunlight that warms me, body and soul, at this time of year - and any time!

Never too early . . .

So I missed yesterday, but I'm back on track today. Sarah and I have been talking and dreaming of Christmas. She was dying to play some Christmas music on the piano so she went on a treasure hunt in the attic and found our Reader's Digest Christmas Songbook. She started playing lots of lovely tunes for me to hum as I went about my business around the house. Pretty soon I couldn't resist and asked her if I could have a turn at the piano. I spent the better part of the next hour playing to my heart's delight. I am grateful Sarah got me started on Christmas music early this year, I am thankful that I can play the piano and sing, and I am thankful that we have that lovely book. It was a Christmas gift a couple of years ago from Darin's parents, and I have loved having it. (Thanks, Dave and Lynette!) Here's hoping all of you will start enjoying Christmas music in your home soon, too!

And to all a good night

5:15 am wake up, get ready . . . 5:30 am wake up Sarah . . . 6:05 take Sarah to Seminary . . . 6:20 go walking . . . 6:55 take Sarah to school . . . 7:00 get back home, wake up boys . . . 7:30 get Megan off to school, get boys ready for school, eat breakfast . . . 8:30 get Matthew off to school . . . 9:00 get Jacob off to school . . . 9:20 shower (finally) . . . 10:00 Institute class . . . 11:30 pick up Sarah for orthodontist appointment . . . 11:50 pick up Jacob from school . . . 12:00 orthodontist appointment . . . 1:00 park with Jacob and friends . . . 3:00 library with Jacob . . . 3:30 teach sewing class to Megan and two friends - PJ pants should be done next week . . . 4:30 three cute little girls come over for me to babysit them . . .5:00 start dinner . . . 6:00 Darin comes home (hooray!), eat dinner . . . 6:30 clean up dinner . . . 7:00 play with cutie baby Violet . . . 7:30 fold laundry . . . 8:00 cute girls go home, family scripture study . . . 8:15 read to Matthew and Jacob, put them to bed . . . 8:45 unload dishwasher, load it again . . . 9:00 get myself ready for bed . . . 9:15 reading in bed . . . 9:30 try to convince Sarah and Megan to go to bed . . . failed . . . 9:40 pm remember to do blog post . . .

Whew! Grateful for it all, and grateful to go to bed! Good night!

Cool, clear water

No juice or soda for me. I choose water hands down. Not those completely disgusting flavored waters you can find by the dozens at stores nationwide, but pure, unadulterated water. This probably seems a very simple and rather obvious thing to put on my list, but I am truly grateful for water every day. My grandparents served an LDS mission in Accra, Ghana several years ago and shared stories of young children walking miles every day to fill large, heavy jugs with (often dirty)water for their families. They then had to walk miles back to their villages only to repeat the task the next day and the next. Higher illness and death rates in many of these areas and others throughout the world are often directly related to the polluted water the people are forced to use as they currently have no other alternatives. The LDS church and other humanitarian organizations are actively involved in many areas of the world making potable water more accessible to the general public - especially to those in remote areas.

Knowing this, how can I take for granted the fact that I can lift a lever in my home and have clean water at my fingertips any time of the day or night? One of the first things I do every morning is take a cool, tall drink of water poured from my most excellent Brita pitcher. I do the same every night right before bed. And I enjoy many more drinks throughout the day. Nothing tastes better. And so, I am grateful for cool, clear water.

Primary

Today I am thankful for Primary. I served in the Primary organization for a lot of years several years ago. Then I had about a 5 year break during which I dabbled in RS, YW, and Sunday School. Now I'm back in Primary, and totally loving it. I love those happy and energetic little faces each Sunday morning. I love singing songs with them. I love hearing their funny off-topic stories. I love seeing them putting things together and learning the gospel. I love learning to feel the Spirit with them. What a special place Primary is.

Lovely Lady Leona

I'm so grateful today for my beautiful mom. She made this world a brighter place when she entered it 60 years ago today. I have recently been reflecting on mothers and grandmothers and the vast impact they have on our lives. I would like to share just a few things that make my mom an outstanding lady.
My mom grew up on a farm in a family of ten kids and was driving tractors and tossin' hay bales practically before she was out of diapers. What does this mean? She has an amazing work ethic. I've known few people that work as hard as my mom does whether she's cooking, cleaning, gardening, or serving others she is always working hard.

Mom is a fantastic cook. She can (and often does) feed an army. Her home is often the center of the family hubub for extended family gatherings and everyone loves her food. She can make a wheat bread lover out of any Wonder Bread fan with her homemade wheat bread, and her neighbors look forward to a warm loaf of bread and homemade grape jelly (from my dad's grape vines) for Christmas every year. Way better than your average Christmas cookies!

Mom is also a great gardener. She has a gorgeous yard that she has cultivated and tended for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, we had a huge vegetable garden, too. I remember many summer mornings spent weeding the garden. I know I did this begrudgingly then, I didn't realize that mom was actually giving me a wonderful gift. I have inherited my mom's gardening bug and now love to plant and weed my own garden every year. I am grateful for my mom's desire to pass on her love of gardening and the wonders of the natural world to me.

When I was a teenager, Mom was my Young Women's softball coach. I don't know many women who could whip a bunch of silly, giggly teenage girls into a good softball team, but my mom certainly did just that. She was serious about early morning practices and taught all of us so many skills - many of them life skills that would benefit us both on the field and in real life. Anytime girls were goofing around or wouldn't run the bases, she would start chasing them around the bases. That really lit a fire under them! (She could often beat them, too, which shocked the pants off all of us.) She's a mean batter, too. We had a ton of fielding practice with her just whaling that softball out to us over and over again. She often ended practices back at our house with a breakfast of hot scones and honey butter. Although all of us girls knew she meant business when we were on that field, we all loved her for it, and we turned out to be a pretty decent team.

I have a great love of music and I credit that to both of my parents, but especially to my mom. She spent so much time with me and my brothers and sister teaching us songs and singing with us. I was often surprised (and still am) to find that many of the other kids in Primary didn't know certain songs until I realized that the only reason I knew them was that my mom had taken the time to teach them to me. I still sing many of those songs today and have fond memories of sitting or standing around the piano with my mom.

Service could be my mom's middle name. She is a whiz at spotting the weary and downtrodden around her and strives to lift them up. She has done this in so many ways that I have witnessed. I often went visiting teaching with her when I was young. I wondered why we didn't ever see the ladies she visited at church. I learned later that most of these ladies were completely inactive, but they loved my mom and she loved them, and so they would let her in month after month. Many of them wouldn't let anyone else come visit them. Some of the other girls my age thought that one of these women in particular was "scary". The lady was a little bit of a hermit, and I probably would have been scared of her, too, except that I had been to visit her many times with my mom and I know that she was actually an incredibly sweet (and rather lonely) lady. I always felt happy and a little proud when she would drive by our house and smile and wave at me.

My mom and dad have been serving in a branch at a youth correctional facility for the last couple of years. I have been so touched to hear their stories of teaching and sharing the gospel with these young kids who have been through so much already in their lives. Mom has wept for the kids who have never had a birthday cake until she made one for them

My mom's home has always been open to anyone. Her home is a safe haven for many, including myself. I always know I'm "home" when I walk in her door even though I've been gone for17 years, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. My kids have made that same comment to me. She has housed many different family members for many different reasons without complaint. My own little family was able to spend a summer with her and my dad a couple of years ago and I will always treasure that time. We had many late night talks, much laughter, and some tears. The tears were always accompanied with hugs of love and support.

I have recently been so touched to watch her welcome her mother and father into her home for much of the past two years while my grandma battled cancer. Mom has lovingly cared for Grandma as well as all the people who have been in and out of her home to visit with Grandma. Because I live so far away, she would also keep me updated on Grandma's condition and share sweet stories about Grandma with me as the cancer slowly took Grandma away from us.

Her love and devotion are an inspiration to me. My mom has never hesitated to say "I love you" to me or anyone else. I know I took that for granted when I was younger. I thought everyone's parents told them that they loved them several times a day. I have come to know that that is sadly not true. I am truly grateful for her willingness to tell me that, and then to show me that she meant it.
I hope that I can in some way measure up to her. I truly couldn't have asked for a better mom because she is the best! Mom, you will always be a shining star for me. Thank you for illuminating my life!

I love you, Mom! Happy birthday!

On motor clubs, cameras and little boys

Jacob and I were recently on our way to an apple orchard field trip when I suddenly heard a horrible noise coming from my car. We were on a little two lane road with absolutely no shoulder so I kept driving, slowly, until I came to an open area and pulled over, still not sure what was going on with my car. Well, it turns out that this is what was wrong with my car:

I'm a little embarassed that I didn't know what was wrong until I laid my eyes on that flatness, but I have honestly never had a flat tire before. Well, I promptly called Darin, because that was the logical thing to do, of course. He was only 40 minutes away at work. He could fix that tire lickety split, right? He kindly reminded me that we pay a small monthly fee for an auto club that would happily dispatch someone to come help me. Oh, yeah. Silly me. So after arranging for someone to come help me, I checked the car for anything Jake and I could play with or do while we waited for them to show up. I was afraid Jake would be upset that we were going to be late for his field trip, but he didn't seem to care at all. Bless him. Jake and I decided to explore the 20 feet of "wilderness" next to the road while we waited. After playing catch with a football for a few minutes, we entertained ourselves taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites:

Some of Jake's photographic contributions:

And here is Alex, originally from the Ukraine and now from the motor club, who could not speak English very well and took an hour and a half to find us, but had a winning smile and could change flat tires very well.

Jacob took a series of pictures of Alex's tools as well as the whole tire-changing process. He was quite interested in it all.

By the time we were on the road again, we had missed the field trip entirely, but decided to go to the orchard anyway. We played on the little playground there for about 5 minutes, bought a dozen apple cider doughnuts to take home, and jumped back in the car to head home. Sigh. So what am I grateful for? I am grateful I didn't get that flat tire on the freeway (that I had exited only moments before), but rather on a quiet country road. I am grateful it was a dry and warm day. I am thankful we pay that small fee to the auto club each month. I am grateful that Alex (finally) showed up with his cool tools and fixed everything up. I'm grateful that the camera was in the car and didn't even run out of batteries. I'm especially grateful that Jacob was with me. He kept me entertained and helped me maintain my patience as we waited. And waited. And waited. I was amazed at how happy he was sitting on the side of the road for so long just taking pictures, playing tic tac toe, playing catch, and eating fruit snacks with me. I suspect we had an even better time together there on the side of that road than if we had actually made it to the field trip. So, in a round about way, I am grateful we got that flat tire. Yes. Grateful.

Oh, yeah, and the donuts were pretty awesome.

I am grateful for days off of work. Darin has been using some of his vacation days to spend with me on dates! A couple of weeks ago we went to the D.C. Temple without the kids. It was a great day. Last week we took a hike up Mount Misery in Valley Forge. It was a perfect day for a hike and I truly enjoyed just walking along with Darin - sometimes talking, sometimes laughing, sometimes silent, all the time grateful for

him . . .

and the beautiful world we live in . . .
and just being together . . .

Betcha can't eat just one . . .

So this is pathetic for my first "thankful" post, but here it is. I am thankful for cookies and especially when I get to bake them with my kids - Jacob was my helper today! I love it when he helps me! He's so much fun. I'm not usually one to write about food, but the cookies I made today are seriously post worthy.

Behold, The Gingersnaps:

I know my photography skills are sadly lacking, but you get the idea. These are super easy to make. Jacob loved rolling the dough balls in sugar (when he wasn't sneaking bits of dough to eat), and after eating a warm cookie or two, he proclaimed them,"The best cookies EVER!"
Jeannie's Gingersnaps
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and mix completely. Sift or whisk together all other dry ingredients and add to shortening mixture. Mix well. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see "crackling" on top.

Kiss any diet plans goodbye, and enjoy!

An attitude of . . .

It is already the third of November, and I haven't started on a goal I set for myself in October after hearing President Monson's Conference talk. My goal is to blog about one thing I am thankful for every day through Thanksgiving. I am obviously a few days behind, but I am going to start today and maybe even catch up a bit with a couple posts a day. Join me if you'd like to! Or leave me a comment with something you're thankful for!

Today was absolutely gorgeous

I enjoyed a beautiful walk along the river . . .

with these cuties . . .
and my camera shy sweetie.

smelling roses, collecting leaves, throwing rocks, holding hands

Life is good.

*If you are lucky enough to be invited to Miss Sarah's blog,

you can see more beautiful pictures she took on our walk there!

Can I go back to college?

Matthew (after being told for the umpteenth time to fold his clothes): "Sarah, you're lucky. You get to go to college soon and then you won't have to do any hard jobs."

After a chuckle from the adults in the room, I asked him who does the jobs for you in college. "Who does your laundry, who cleans your room, who does your grocery shopping, who cooks your food?"

With whole-hearted confidence and without skipping a beat, he beamed,

"The chefs!"

Wow. Where do I sign up?

14

Love you.

Curious George

Questions Matthew asked me during Stake Conference today that showed he was very interested in the talks being given:

What is a monk?
Why does Brother Rothey have a real sword?
What makes sour Skittles sour?

I guess we'll have to work on feeling the Spirit tomorrow.

Frostbite

The boys and I recently read this delightful book together. Mr. Popper, a small town wallpaperer has a fascination with everything Arctic. One day he receives an amazing package in the mail from Admiral Drake and his whole life changes. He also comes up with some pretty creative ways to keep cool. Matthew decided his own penguin needed to have a special place. Here is said penguin, Frostbite, keeping cool. You can find him here at any given time. I think he looks pretty happy. Don't you?

Yep! He's Seven!

So, Mr. Matthew turned seven this month. He's such an awesome kid. He is so much fun and he never fails to entertain. July 15th is a great day for our family!

Awesome! It's the scooter I wanted!

My superstar rocks out on his new "electric" guitar.

Darin took Matthew to a Phillies game and now he's their biggest fan.

And many more . . .