Fortune

Pei Wei fortune on a day I needed it:

Don't underestimate yourself. Your skills are needed by others. 

Thank you pei Wei. 

Silly Face

They are putting on a "show". This is their stage.  In the first picture Leah wanted to do silly faces. That's her thing lately. Funny that ruby ended up pullin the same silly face. 

Then I asked for a smile and I got pure sweetness. Love my girls. 

I'm glad they have each other and sometimes wish emily could be little with them. 

But she's pretty awesome the way she is. 

They get to be twins every once in a while. I'm working on making emily twins with them. 

Throwing a fit?  No!  Not Leah!

#twodogsarebetterthanone

No need to sweep with a dog and a baby around. 

(Just kidding mom). 😉

Only people to show up at a high priest group (and spouse and single sisters) meeting, with a baby. She was loved on by a neighbor for a while but kept dropping keys and wanted to play with the chair in front of her and started making noise so we spent the rest of the meeting in the foyer on the couch. It was fun.  Really. Comfortable an relaxing and a good meetin. Even better in the hall. 

Turns out our other six kids went to the white grandmas house while we were gone. Ruby fell asleep on the way home and we walked in to a silent house. It was so weird. Really. So weird. I don't even remember the last time the two of us together have been in our home with it quiet. By the time we get the last to bed every night, we are exhausted and NEVER get to enjoy silence. So we had about 45 minutes or an hour. We turned on our favorite Christmas cd, George Winston December, and cleaned. It was lovely. 

We mentioned how awesome it would be to have enough time to clean the house, then our room, THEN watch a movie. Another thing we say a few times a week "let's watch a movie tonight" and NEVER do. It has become a joke now because we know it won't happen.  Sigh. One day. 

Until then, we sure enjoy our kids and their noise. (Usually). 

The last primary president texted me these. Cute. 

Jack Jack (aka: Gack)

Jack often writes himself reminder notes.

I've done that since I was little. Still do. 

One time my dad looked at my list and got bugged with me and said "why would you write wake up on your list?  You're already awake". 

But then I get to check it off. 

I love Gack!!!

I'm Thankful (but could do much better)

"The more we express our gratitude to God for our blessings, the more He will bring to our mind other blessings.  The more we are aware to be grateful for, the happier we become." 

 -Ezra Taft Benson

 

I LOVE November.  I started blogging in early 2007.  I probably have several years with a post that says this same thing. 

October is beautiful with the changing leaves and the comfortable weather but I love when Halloween is over.  It's the start of two of my favorite months. 

I LOVE that in November we focus on be thankful and showing gratitude.  I love to gather with family on Thanksgiving.  Good food and family and relaxing and being thankful is a wonderful combination. 

Then we move right into Christmas.  Our gratitude sets it up perfectly for us to remember our Savior.  His birth and His life.  And again, good food and family. 

I love to plan activities with my family.  We like to go to Christmas Street in Salt Lake then drive around the avenues.  We like to go to Temple Square.  We like family parties.  We like hot chocolate and putting lights on the house and decorating the tree.  We like a two week break from school.  We like to watch Christmas movies together.  We like to make crafts and buy Christmas presents.  We like to wrap presents.  We like to make yummy treats and give them to neighbors.  We like to do the 12 days of Christmas for people.  We like to watch the snow fall.  John and I like to sneak away and shop alone, together.  And probably eat out too.  :)

 

I've been thinking about gratitude.  I heard recently that

gratitude is a learned trait. 

So we talked about this in our family and decided it's something we should probably focus on more. 

 

Lisa posted this on facebook.....

“Gratitude is a quality I have found in every

happy person I know”    

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

 

Don't we all want to be happy?  I believe it IS that simple.  I choose to be happy.  I choose to be more grateful.  If you see me and I'm not happy or grateful, feel free to remind me.  I'll need it often I'm sure.  (okay John?!)

I've heard it said before something about waking up and only having what you were grateful for in your prayer the night before.  I feel lucky that I would have the following as they are regular parts of my prayers. 

 

JOHN

LITTLE JOHN

EMILY

THOMAS

JACK

SAMUEL

LEAH

RUBY

MY MOM

JOHN'S PARENTS

MY FAMILY

JOHN'S FAMILY

OUR WARD

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

OUR HOME

OUR CARS

THE KIDS SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS

CERTAIN MISSIONARIES

 

It looks like I should step it up on the gratitude.  Looks like I'm missing our church leaders among other things.

 

I'm thankful to be thankful.  It feels good.  I should do it more.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

I'm excited to celebrate early with John's family and again in my own home with my side of the family on Thanksgiving day.

 

Life

Another rainbow. But I think Lisa took this picture. Ha. 

Oh jack. 

Teach em young. 

Lil john at the BYU vs. USU game. We lost. Thanks to the pitts for taking john!!

Like. 

Putting a J by all the hallmark ornaments he likes. Our ridiculous tradition. 

Enjoying Thomas' lacrosse game between Saturday conference. 

Listening to conference. 

Taking his turn with the hallmark dream book. 

I think we maybe heard two talks on Saturday even though we sat in front of the TV for all of them. I wasn't as prepared for the kids as I should have been. 

Thomas always in the green shorts playing lacrosse. 

Life

Little John snapped some pictures of Ruby. We're all smitten. 

Lil john said he sees this purple ce everywhere. Since he said that, I see it everywhere too. 

My friends framed mirror. I'm hoping john will frame a couple mirrors for me. Eventually. 

My neighbor/counselor/friends fireplace. We have a chimney but no fireplace. We will be poking a hole in it soon to see what needs to be done o get it working. 

I had to pull over on my way to preschool to snap this picture. The sky has been amazingly beautiful this season. 

Leah's cute

Outfit that she REFUSED to wear. That girl. 

As our home teachers were leaving, our neighbor, his home teacher, stopped with cake and a candle and we all sang happy birthday. We really have the best home teachers. For 5 years now. LOVE THEM!!!!

Just another rainbow. Lots I full rainbows lately too. Beautiful. 

Emily played "Happy Together" for her guitar recital. Emily is amaIng in the guitar but this song......eh. Not impressed. Firy son I've ever heard her play/sing that I didn't like. And it wasn't her it was the Boeing song. But she is beautiful and sounds beautiful. 

Sitting in a college prep class listening to one of my favorite neighbors teach. Karen Findley. She's a counselor at viewmont. 

Thomas earned his 1st class. Whoop. 

Jack likes to get out our gratitude journal sometimes. It was started in 2010 and it's fun to pull out and be grateful. 

Women's conference

I enjoyed the evening with my mom and sister and daughter and neices. We missed laura. 

We went to Texas Roadhouse then watched the conference at jolies stake center. It was nice to be together. 

Jolie and mom chatting during the song. 

RubySue - 9 months

Life

Someone posted this on facebook. I like it. 

Ruby has had an awful cold for about two weeks. Neither John or I have had much sleep and it's been rough. I finally took her in and it had turned into nasty ear infections. 

I was at a meeting one night and john sent me this pics on text and snapchat. I had put her to bed before I left. It didn't last long I guess. 

My mom is so cute. She made salsa with her sister than packages them up with towels and homemade dishrags. This is te one she gave me. 

I should have had two and a half hours of quiet and cleaning with Leah at preschool and Ruby had just gone to bed. Instead I got a phone all that this kids car was dead so I woke Ruby right back up and headed to the school. We say there for about 45 minutes letting his battery charge before it finally started. 

This is "Set your Course" for the 11 year old scouts in the stake. I was invited to go since I'm the primary president. It's an awesome evening or these boys with thei scout leaders, bishops, stake presidency an primary president. Thy did three merit badge activities then went inside for a short program. About 30 16-17 year old men walked in singing called to serve. They stood in the isles then walked up front and sang the second verse and left. Little John and boys from our ward got to be a part of it. I wish I had taken a picture but we were in the chapel so I didn't dare.the boys then signed something IF they agreed to follow the course. Which is toget their eagle. Get their duty to God.  Graduate from seminary. Go on a mission. Our stake has been doing this for a lot of years and here are pictures and the signatures frames and hanging in the stake center. Pretty cool tradtition. Their sophomore year, they have another meetin with parents called "stay the course". They talk a lot about pornography and other issues kids face at that age. 

Thomas helped teAch about ropes. 

These three. I was lucky to be their 8 year old scout leader. Then their primary teacher when they were 10 and got to be at this meetin with them. I feel lucky. 

I'm hard on myself. I rArely feel like I do a good enough job on anything I do. One day at church a couple months ago, drew, the kid in te middle came up to me and said, "can you be my scout leader again?  You were the best scout leader!" Oh man. I was so grateful. I thanked him and told him how nice it was to tell me that. It really was. I love these boys. Noah, Drew, McKay.