30 Days of Thanks #11

Anna has a new trick. And it melts my heart every time. When she is happy and feeling sweet she calls me "Mimi" instead of mommy. I tried to catch it on video, but never got a great one. But you do get to see her calling her friends on her "phone."

Love that girl.

30 Days of Thanks #10

So I feel a little silly posting this, but it really is what I was thankful for today. On Thursday afternoon I took all the food from my freezer and packed it up to bring to the new house. But I left it in the car. Thankfully it was cold, and by the time I found it on Friday it was still somewhat frozen, but needed to be eaten rather than refrozen. So Saturday night I attempted to make Ryan's delicious short rib ragu. Halfway through the process I realized that the box with the beef bullion was packed. I went downstairs, tore through a few boxes but only ended up more frustrated that I couldn't find what I wanted. I gave up, but was so sad because all my hard work was going to be for nothing. So I said a little prayer. And immediately I remembered what box it was in, and where it was. I went to the storage room and found it no problem. I was so grateful to be able to finish cooking with a smile on my face, and not get caught in a downward spiral of "I can't find anything...everything is a mess...I have so much left to do...I'll never get it all done...poor me..."

I believe in the power of prayer and am most thankful for it in my life. 

30 Days of Thanks #9

So, so, so, so thankful we were not trying to move during Winter Storm Brutus. We were originally scheduled to move on Saturday. Fortuitously we closed early and were able to move on Wednesday, with gorgeous weather. 

(also, I don't have internet yet, so my days of thanks are backdated)

30 Days of Thanks #7 & 8

not a great shot--it was a busy day

I am thankful for movers. We survived the move, mainly because we had 60 man hours worth of professional movers. 60 hours!! Even with the Elder's Quorum, that would have taken us weeks. Who knew we had so much junk?!? 

We are getting settled in our new place. I continue to have so many people help me--I can't thank you all enough. My aunt Sharon and cousin Kristen came and helped (unbidden, I might add. Refer to yesterday's post :) Sharon brought the most delicious cookies, and Kristen totally unpacked the girls' rooms so that when they went to bed that night they had a somewhat familiar setting. My friend Danielle has watched my kids for two days straight, all like it's no big deal. And she unpacked the playroom. My friend Lyssa came down and turned my kitchen into something workable. Ifeta came and tried to do everything, from cleaning to organizing to moving. I kept telling her that we hired movers, and she kept telling me that she would do a better job so she was just going to do it herself. My Dad brought his truck and some muscle (thank you Jose Louis). And my mom...despite a horribly swollen sprained ankle, has done it all and then some. We also had three people from the new ward stop by with treats in hand. Ryan left for Australia yesterday, so it has been great to have so many people stepping up. I feel really blessed.

30 Days of Thanks #6

During this move I have had so many people show up and help out. Today a friend brought me lunch (when I really needed a friend to ground me and keep me from freaking out) and then another friend knocked on my door and said, "I've got an hour. Put me to work." This second friend, Trudy, is one of my favorite people. She gets stuff done, and doesn't ever worry about if she gets credit, or who is actually supposed to be doing it. And this is all the more impressive when you know she has cancer (although she'd never tell you). The kind of cancer that doesn't allow her out of bed some days. And still, there she was, knocking on my door and helping me pack boxes--for the second time--she came last week, too! She is a fun, kind, hard-working Idaho farm girl and I love her and am grateful for her in my life.

a photo I snapped of Trudy while she was getting Anna some juice

Above quote by Ronald A. Rasband. Read the whole talk here.

30 Days of Thanks #5

I love my job. I do. I'm lucky like that. I look forward to work. It can be stressful and crazy and heart wrenching, but for the most part it is really really great.

(until we move in and get settled, these posts might be of the short and sweet variety. t minus 1 day!)

30 Days of Thanks #4

I am thankful for many things today (that's the beauty of this exercise--in trying to find something to blog about you become aware of so many things that might have previously gone unnoticed). But one of them is this talk. One of my partners told me about it a few months ago, and I've been meaning to look it up. It was highlighted in this month's BYU Magazine and I thought it had some great insights.

30 Days of Thanks #3

I have said it before, and I am sure I will say it again, but one of the things I am most thankful for is my nanny Lyssa.  The main thing I ask of her is to love and watch over my children while I am gone. And she does that willingly and very well.  But it is the countless extra things she does that make me over the moon thankful for her. Like organize my storage room. For my birthday she came down and floor to ceiling cleaned out my storage room. It was a dream. And today, when I had to pack it all up, it was a million times easier than it would have been without Lyssa's touch. Out of all the things I am going to miss about living here, number 1 is Lyssa Jane.

30 Days of Thanks #2

My cupboards look like this right now. The only dishes I have are the ones I forgot about that were in the dishwasher while I was packing. Last night my mom took the girls home for a sleepover. She left me minestrone soup. It was delicious. And it was not McDonalds. Thanks Mom!

30 Days of Thanks #1

In planning this move I had lots of friends tell me they wanted to help. In a moment of desperation I took them up on it. I sent out an email saying that Thursday was the day to stop by for an hour or so, pack a few boxes, eat some leftover Halloween candy, and be on your way. At the end of the day I had 11 people each help for at least an hour--closer to two or three. I am close to being packed, and there is NO WAY I could have done it (mentally or physically) without these great friends. I was overwhelmed with the love and support I felt. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

30 Days of Thanks #30

(I am writing this from 37,336 feet while flying over Caspar, WY, on my phone. Technology is pretty amazing, isn't it?)

30 days. Made it. Paying more attention to what I am thankful for has truly made me more appreciative of the many many blessings I have. I know sometimes it was more of a "here's what I did today and I am thankful for it" and twice I asked my sisters what they were thankful for to get some ideas....but all in all this has been a great experiment in gratitude...and I am thankful for it.

I also realized that I never gave thanks for my wonderful daughter. I am more grateful to have her in my life than just about anything, and she deserves her own post with pictures and eloquent words. But I'm at 37,336 feet and not that good with technology. I know everyone thinks their child is something special, but man, that girl is something special. Love you, El.

30 Days of Thanks #29

One of my least favorite pregnancy related changes are the newly acquired varicose veins/spider veins on my left leg. They kind of gross me out (I spared you an actual picture), and I am really hoping they go away after delivery. But while lamenting my unsightly lower limb last night, Jamie pointed out that at least it is winter and I am not wearing shorts.

True, true, true. So here's to cold weather and covered legs.

30 Days of Thanks #28

day 205

I give thanks every time I feel her kick.

30 Days of Thanks #27

Breakfast



Lunch



&
Dinner



yeah, I'm eating for two

30 Days of Thanks #26

Ryan carried Ella and her stroller up and down subway station after subway station today.

Ella's favorite part of the day was not riding the ferris wheel in Toys R Us, but "riding on the train."

Thanks, Dad.

30 Days of Thanks #25

We made it.
Ella slept the entire flight.
Not a peep.
Kimmy made a delicious feast.
A great Thanksgiving.

Thanks, family.

30 Days of Thanks #23

Lately I have been one tired mama. But not a fatigued type of tired. An 'I-can't-walk-up-the-stairs-without-stopping-to-rest' kind of tired. We are traveling for the holidays, and I was a little worried about how I would keep up. But today I got a letter from my doctor telling me that there is a reason for my drained state: I am slightly anemic. Hallelujah. That I can fix. And fix I will.

Also, today I am thankful for my husband who knows how to work the Delta SkyMiles agent. Yesterday I had received an email that I was upgraded on our flight to NYC. Yippee. First class. Sweeeeet! But when I checked later on no such upgrade existed. When I called the woman was all snippy, telling me that it had been a mistake and I had been put back in my original seat and the upgrade went to "the person who deserved it." Talk about deflated. Well, long story short, Ryan called and was able get me back to 5C. Thank you!!!

{But really, thanks to my mom who is ever so graciously staying back with Ella (who will hopefully be sleeping). I know, I'm kind of a jerk to even take the upgrade...go ahead and judge...but I am pregnant...and anemic...does that make it any less reprehensible??}

30 Days of Thanks #22

Lately I have found Ella's stuffed animals scattered throughout the house placed on "pillows" with "blankets" on top of them. She spends hours rearranging them, putting them to bed, waking them up and reading them stories. It is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Puts a smile on my face every time.

30 Days of Thanks #20

{cartoon}

Costco. Love it. Hate it. But mostly, love it. I know it leads me to buy things that I probably don't need. And it leads to excessive waste. And it can be crazy. But there is something really fun about finding that great item that you can only find at Costco (cut up butternut squash, ribbon, books, jammies, little shoes, Christmas tree, the list goes on...less fun when you find that your bill is $200+). Today Ella and I made a little Costco run and even though it was really crowded it was fun. There was a sense of comradery amongst the madness. People were sharing information "Where did you get that? Have you ever tried that before? Was it good?" and lining up for samples.

So, thank you Costco. I had a good time, and can't wait to try out the new cookbook that I didn't need.

30 Days of Thanks #19

A few days ago I was driving home from Park City listening to NPR when I heard a story about Operation Pedro Pan. In the early 1960s Cuban parents began to worry what life would be like under Castro's reign. Fearing for their children's safety and future, they made the agonizing choice to send their babies to Miami under what was dubbed Operation Pedro Pan, a program set up to give visas to children. The children were initially cared for by a Catholic priest and then sent to refugee camps and foster homes. The families hoped they would see their children again but they had no guarantees. As political tensions rose, many families were not able to reunite.

Now 50 years later, these children told their stories. It was heartbreaking to hear them talk about their parent's decisions. As I thought about the little baby coming to our family and my desires to keep her safe and protected, I ached for the mothers who sent their children into the unknown and I had a renewed sense of gratitude for the freedoms and life I enjoy.