Thankful Thursday Sept. '09

Yes, another month has gone by and it is time for Thankful Thursday again. I am still having a hard time believing that it's September now and that the holidays are just around the corner, but considering how hot it's been for the last few months, I couldn't be more thrilled. With that said, here is my current list of things I am thankful for:

1.) Cooler weather coming soon (hooray!!)
2.) Not three, but four days with my hubby home this Labor Day weekend
3.) Avery loving kindergarten
4.) Hayden starting preschool next week
5.) Kiley sleeping 12 hours at night
6.) Laughter - it can really turn a bad day around
7.) Healthy children
8.) Healthy children (that one deserves two)
9.) Halloween costumes already in our closets (from previous Halloweens and dress-ups)
10.) Kroger ice cream at Fry's ($1.88 per 1/2 gallon and divinely delicious, especially the slow churned flavors which decrease the guilt slightly)
11.) Any store that doubles coupons :)
12.) Did I mention cooler weather coming? My jeans and sweaters are calling me...
13.) Contact lenses - I think I've mentioned that one in a previous list, but I am still grateful that I have a different option other than wearing glasses every day
14.) People who listen to me
15.) The Book of Mormon
16.) My scrapbook albums
17.) The leaders of the Church (they are such amazing men and women and their words of counsel are so inspiring)
18.) Our agency (obviously we would not be here without the ability to choose for ourselves, but it is such an amazing gift that we have the ability to make our own choices and decide how we want to live our lives)
19.) Forever families through temple sealings
20.) Blessings from paying tithing
21.) Anyone who has ever helped us in any way financially, physically, spiritually over the years; we are blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family members and friends
22.) The plan of salvation (I know my faith and views would be much different if I did not know where I came from or where I want to go)
23.) The Ensign magazine (every month there are articles that apply directly to me and they are so uplifting and inspiring)
24.) Good people who do the right thing and help others even when no one is watching
25.) A loving Heavenly Father who is always willing and able to send me help when I need it, even when I don't even realize that I need it.
26.) Answers to prayers
27.) Contagious smiles of others
28.) The joy of service, both given and received
29.) Living in America and being able to live and worship how I please
30.) The constant and never-changing values and standards of the LDS Church

For all these things and so many more, I am truly thankful.

Pink Day at Home

Well, only after two weeks of school, Avery is already home sick today :( She has had a cough thing going on for about 4 or 5 days now and then on Saturday she started losing her voice. We stayed home from church yesterday so she could rest and get better, but she was still coughing and had a hoarse voice when she woke up today. She was soooo sad to miss school, especially since today was PINK day. She had her pink shirt and pink plaid shorts and pink socks all laid out last night just in case she was feeling better in the morning. I still let her wear her pink outfit today even though we are staying home. That seemed to help a little.

Last night Avery was saying our family prayer before bedtime and this is what she said at the end of her prayer:

"Please help me to feel better soon, and my voice is gone because someone took it away. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

As soon as we said, "Amen," Brandon and I started cracking up laughing. He asked Avery who took her voice away and she pointed to Brandon and said, "You took it, Daddy!"

Where do they come up with these things? We are hoping that Brandon is able to find Avery's voice tonight so that she can go back to school tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!

Loving Age 5

All of you "seasoned moms" already know this, I just have to tell all of you moms out there with little babies that things will get better. Some day your newborn will be an infant and not wake up every 3 hours to eat and need a diaper change. Some day your infant will be a toddler and will be able to walk and eat on their own and say cute things that make you laugh. Some day your toddler will be a preschooler and be able to sing the ABC's and write their name and play "make believe" with their toys. And some day your preschooler will turn 5 and will get to be a big kid and go to kindergarten. They will be more independent sometimes than they should be, but that is how they will learn. They will be excited to go to school and will not complain about getting up early to get dressed, eat breakfast, and get their backpack ready. They will tell you all about their day and show you the pictures they drew and the games they played at recess and the name of their new friend who sits by them in their classroom. They will eat all of their dinner (usually) and then help clear the table and sometimes even sweep the floor, which is mostly covered in crumbs left by their little sisters. They will finish brushing their teeth first so they can choose the bedtime story and they will surprise you at the words they are starting to read on their very own. They will say the sweetest prayer that only a child could say and then climb into their bed and give you a hug and kiss goodnight. They will fall asleep quickly because they had a busy day at school and will dream of whatever adventures the next day will bring. And in the morning they will wake up happy and smiling and be so excited to do it all over again. That's because they are 5 and they are growing up and everything in the world is still fun and exciting to them.

I know this stage won't last forever, and that is why I am cherishing every moment of Avery's innocent young childhood. Some day she will be 13 and will no longer think that I'm cool and will not be so excited to go to school and will not want to tell me all about her day, and I'm sure that will be hard for me sometimes, but every 13-year-old goes through the same phase. In the meantime though, I will enjoy my 5-year-old and all of the innocence and learning and excitement that comes with that age. For right now, I am really loving age 5.

Black Eye and Powder Baby

Last week, Kiley was holding a toy and walking around upstairs when she tripped and landed right on a toy. Unfortunately, it was not a stuffed animal that broke her fall - it was a hard plastic minitature bookshelf from the girls' dollhouse. It left quite a bruise on her upper cheek, which turned into a colorful shiner the next day. It's been a week and a half and you can still see some of the bruising under eye. Poor kid.

A few days after she got her black eye, Avery and her friend decided to poor some baby powder on Kiley's head. Why might you ask? I asked the same thing, but didn't get much of an answer from the two mischevious 5-year-olds. Thankfully it wasn't like dish soap or bathroom cleaner or anything. Of course, I had to take some pics.

Kiley was fascinated by the camera and was completely unaware that her head was covered in white powder. I could not get her to smile for the life of me.

She must have touched her head before crawling up the stairs because she left a trail of white handprints.

There Mommy is with that camera again. I couldn't pass up this photo-op. It's not every day that you see a 1-year-old with a black eye and baby powder covering their head. I got a good laugh out of it.

My Good Deals Stash of the Day

13 boxes of fruit snacks
9 boxes of cereal
6 boxes of Nutri-Grain bars
4 packages of cookies
2 boxes of Special K bars
2 boxes of Capri Suns
1 12-pk. box of variety snacks
1 box Suddenly Salad pasta salad
1 DiGiorno Flatbread pizza

Total Retail Price: $140.24

MY TOTAL: $36.32

Savings of $103.92 (74 %)

It's deals like this that make me grin for days! I want to give a special thanks to Albertson's and Fry's, and of course my coupons. It took a little time to coordinate all of the deals and cut/print coupons, but all worth it in the end :)

If you want to find out more about coupons and good deals, two of my favorite sites are: couponmom.com and dealseekingmom.com.

Avery's First Day of Kindergarten

Well, Monday was the big day! Avery officially started kindergarten!! She was sooooooo excited to go to school. We met her teacher, Mrs. "K" (for Kesterson) on Friday and Avery absolutely fell in love with her. Mrs. K is such a fun teacher and already Avery has formed a special bond with her. She gives Mrs. K a big hug every time I drop her off at school.All of the kindergarteners have their own grass area/playground that is fenced off. They meet there in the morning and play and then line up with their class when it's time to go inside.This is Avery walking into the school with her class. When they got inside to their classroom, they all sat down on the mat and each got a turn to find an apple with their name on it to put in the basket (this is how the teacher does attendance).
Avery showing off her new backpack and lunch bag. I really like how the lunch bag fits in a pouch in the front, and she hasn't forgotten to bring it home yet :)

Avery was not sad at all to see me leave her classroom that morning. And to be honest, I was not sad either. I felt like she was ready and excited and she was in good hands with her teacher. It was kind of funny because when I picked her up at the end of her first day, for some reason she thought she was going to ride the bus home. So when she saw me there, she actually cried and did not want to go home with me. I tried to explain to her that some kids ride the bus and some kids get to home with their mommies. The last two days have been much better and she has been happy to come home with me. So far, it's been a great school experience for everyone :)

Summer Quickly Ending and Thankful Thursday August '09

Well, believe it or not it is the first Thursday of the month again. Is it just me, or is the summer flying by? I am not too sad about that though since it is so stinkin' hot! I know that every year, especially in August, we Arizonans ask ourselves why we live here and put up with the 110 + degree weather, and this year is no exception. I would give anything to be in 70 degree weather right now. Even 80 would be fabulous. OK, let's just say 90 and lower - I could definitely handle 90 degrees. I know - I'm dreaming, and complaining about the hot weather is actually the opposite of living in "thanksgiving daily" so I'll stop.

Speaking of summer flying by, I am still having a hard time believing that Avery is starting kindergarten in four days! She is getting so old and I just cannot believe that I will have a kindergartener! We go to her school tomorrow to meet her teacher, and she is soooo excited. We've got the shoes, the clothes, the backpack with matching lunch kit now - the whole works, but it still hasn't quite hit me yet. I am actually really excited for her and I know she will do great. She loves being around other kids and making new friends, and from my observations of her in preschool last year, she seems to catch on to things and learn them quickly. I will definitely post some pictures of her on the big day!

Now on to my gratitude list. I am really glad that I started doing this a few months ago. It has really helped me to think about all the things I am thankful for and to really ponder about my blessings throughout the days and weeks of every month. So, on this first Thursday in August, 2009, here is my current list of things I am thankful for:

1.) The ice-maker in our freezer (we never had one before this house and it really has made drinking water a lot easier)
2.) Digital cameras - sooooo much easier and more functional than film cameras
3.) My Dad - it's his birthday today so here is a mini list of things I am thankful when it comes to him:
- coaching my countless sports teams when I was little
- never missing a game or tournament I was playing in
- always being worthy and willing to give me father's priesthood blessings
- living with 5 women and never complaining (at least out loud) about our emotional roller coasters and shopping addictions
- loving me no matter how many mistakes I made
- dropping anything for us if we ever needed help
- always telling me that he loves me (he just told me today on the phone)
I love you Dad, Happy Birthday!!
4.) Microwaves
5.) My wedding ring - I know it's probalby considered a "worldly possession," but it really means so much more to me than a piece of jewelry and I love that Brandon designed it (it also has the eternity symbol etched on the inside of it, which is something we always put at the end of our notes and letters we wrote to each other)
6.) Brandon's amazing ability to fix just about anything that's broken (we have saved so much $ on repairs over the years, which makes his tool chest and power tool collection in the garage worth every penny)
7.) All of my sisters - I love each of them dearly and cherish our memories and fun times together
8.) All of Brandon's sisters - they have all been so loving and accepting of me and have always made me feel like one of their sisters when I am around them. I love each one of them.
9.) My maternal grandmother, Alta Ashby - she was such an amazing person and a wonderful example to me. She was patient, loving, kind, smart, funny, very good at board games, made the yummiest homemade cookies, and always gave the best hugs in the world. She passed away from cancer when I was 13 and I still think of her and picture her smile all the time.
10.) Good doctors
11.) Modern medicine
12.) Ultrasounds - it is so incredible to actually see your baby on a screen when you're pregnant
13.) Avery starting kindergarten on Monday
14.) Hugs and kisses from my kids
15.) Being a member of the Church - I can't imagine my life without the truth of the gospel and the strength and guidance it give me on a daily basis.