I feel like I say this a lot, but I am so grateful for Ryan. He has so many amazing characteristics that I am grateful for; I could be grateful for Ryan every day of the year and never mention the same thing twice. So, for yesterday and today, I am grateful that he could make it home on time. I don't know how many business trips he's been on that he's been delayed coming home due to weather. We had a big snow storm yesterday, and I was afraid that I would get a call that his flight had been delayed or cancelled, but I received no such call. Hooray!

Yesterday evening, Ryan got home, we ate dinner, had family home evening, and then Ryan worked on more applications for hours. He has an amazing drive - he had been working 12-hour night shifts and had not really slept in days, and he came home and worked until late on his business school applications. That is amazing to me.

Today, I am grateful that Ryan is so good at taking care of me without being pushy or telling me what I need to do. I had taken the boys to the gym so Ryan could have some quiet in order to sleep this morning (he took a comp day - thank goodness). I dropped the kids off at the child watch and went to exercise. I didn't get more than 2 minutes in before someone came to get me because Max was spitting up like a ferocious beast and was really fussy. I went and calmed him down (I can't do much for the spit up). He calmed down, so I went back to exercise. I got almost 10 minutes when someone came for me because Max was screaming his head off. He was getting hysterical, so I decided to bag exercising and take the kids home. When I got home, Max calmed down and went to sleep. Then Ryan asked if I wanted to go back to the gym - without any kids. It was amazing how much more my mind was at ease knowing that I could work out without distraction because I knew my kids were at home with their dad. How wonderful. I love Ryan.

Today, I'm grateful that I can talk to my husband on the phone when he is away and that I can talk on the webcam with parents. I think it is so much easier to talk when I can see the other person, so I think that the webcam is a great invention. I have been thinking a lot about the early Saints when a woman's husband would leave on a mission for years and they would have extremely limited contact, if any at all. I feel so lucky to live in a technological age where I can talk on the phone, email, web-cam loved ones while I live away from them. I am very lucky that I don't have to be isolated or feel alone when I am not near any family members.

My little baby is growing up so fast. Today, he rolled over from his belly to his back. It makes me so happy to see him growing and learning every day. It really is remarkable that little babies learn and change so quickly. I just wish Ryan could have been here to see it.

Yesterday, we had the missionaries over for dinner last night. They were so great with Chris and they brought their message down to his level, and I was so grateful for that. I know that it is very important for Chris to serve a mission when he is older, and I think that his impressions of missionaries at a young age are very important. So, I am very thankful that these two missionaries took the time to talk with Chris and find out what he likes. It was overall a very enjoyable evening.

Today, I am grateful that Chris has been so agreeable. Ryan left out of town this morning, and this is the first time I've been a lone parent with the kids for any length of time since Max was born. Both Ryan and I have been a little worried about how we would manage, but today went quite well. Mostly, I was worried about bedtime, but I had no need to worry. Max went to sleep earlier than usual which made getting Chris to bed extremely easy. It also helped that Chris didn't fight going to bed one bit. I am so grateful that when I need my kids to go to sleep and behave, they actually do it. I know that I'm getting some divine help.

This morning, I read President Monson's conference talk on finding joy in the journey. It really touched me and I feel more inspired to express my gratitude toward others (I think that this gratitude blog is helping with that) and to try to enjoy even the menial tasks that I do everyday (can you say laundry?). After reading the article, I was a part of a discussion about proposition 8 and following the prophet which got me pretty fired up inside. Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot about our prophet this afternoon, and I feel so grateful that we have a prophet who will not lead us astray. I know that President Monson is a prophet of the Lord and that he has been called to lead the people of the world today. He truly is God's mouthpiece on the earth at this time and I feel safe and confident knowing that if I follow his counsel, I will be on the right path. I am so grateful that with eroding values and sometimes nonexistent values, I have someone to look to that absolutely will not lead me wrong or fail me. I have always had a strong testimony of the prophet, and I am very thankful that as well.

I love Ryan. I think it is fitting that today, Ryan's birthday, I feel very grateful for him. Ryan has been the most amazing husband. I know that the typical wifely thing to do is to complain about how her husband doesn't listen to her or pay attention to her needs or wants or doesn't spend enough time on her. I can't even come close to saying that. Ryan is always very attentive and concerned about what I need and how I am feeling. He always shows a lot of genuine concern for how I'm doing each and every day. Plus, I have to watch what I say because he is definitely listening and will always remember what I say. I am so thankful that he has his priorities and that family and religion are at the top. He sacrifices his time and energy so easily for his family and for his beliefs, it astounds me. He is a great example for me, and I love him. I am so glad that we are so compatible and that we have so much fun together. One of my favorite things in life is to stay up late talking to him when I know we should be going to sleep. I am also thankful for how involved he is with our boys. Last night, Max was up in the early morning hours screaming, and Ryan came out to try to calm him down so I could go to bed. I know that I could not have found a better partner than Ryan.

We are very lucky to have our own washer and dryer in our basement. I am so glad that I do not have to leave my building to do laundry and that we don't have to pay to do laundry. I love that I can put a load of laundry in the washer late at night and put it into the dryer the next morning. Since Max was born, I've been doing more than twice the amount of laundry, and I'm just glad that I have the freedom to do it when I need to and that it is so easy and accessible for me to make sure my family has clean clothes to wear, sheets to sleep in, and towels to dry with.

I am very thankful for all the help that I get at church when I am there without Ryan. I know that I could probably make it through church without all the help that I get, but I have a much easier time with the help I get. After church Ben Cowan, one of our wonderful neighbors, saw that I was struggling with Chris, Max, and the multitude of bags that I need at church and he offered to carry Max in his carseat to our car. And this is not the first time the Cowans have helped me to my car - I love them for their generosity, service, and friendship.

I am also really grateful that Chris likes to sing. I am amazed at how many songs he knows the words to - I guess singing to him every day at naps and at bedtime has actually taught him some songs. That's refreshing to know.

I love libraries. Yesterday, we went to the Verona library which I think is the best library I've ever been to. It has a fabulous children's section with a puzzle area, a train table, and a great selection of books. It's a new library, so everything is neat and clean. I love going there and I love that Chris and I can get new books to read every week for free. Plus, their DVD selection is great!

Today, I am grateful that the Cowans were willing to watch Chris so that Ryan and I could go out to dinner for his birthday to a real restaurant. It was delicious and very nice to be as alone as we could be with a fussy baby. I also am very grateful that Chris gets so excited to go to Haven's house - it makes leaving him so much easier.

I love Max's hair right now. The hair on top of his head is a bunch of fuzz, and I love rubbing it. In the back, his hair is growing in pretty thick and dark (at least much thicker and darker than the light fuzz that's around the rest of his head) with a little bald spot where it gets rubbed off when he's on his back. Today, I noticed the hair on his knuckles - how cute! He has very light, thin hair growing on parts of his knuckes and fingers, just like a grown man. You can really only see it when the sun is shining just right, but it's there.

Having the right to vote is good and actually exercising that right is awesome. I was able to vote yesterday, and although I didn't get to vote on all the issues that were important to me (such as Prop 8 in California) and not all of the races I did vote for went the way I was hoping, I am very grateful that I get to express my voice along with my fellow countrymen. I am also very grateful for Ginnie for listening in for Chris so that I could go vote. It's always fun to be a part of history.

Tonight, Max cuddled with me as he fell asleep. I know that cuddling sounds like such a simple thing, but it really calms me down and helps me focus on what is really important: I have my family and we are safe and healthy and happy. Tonight when Max nuzzled up against my chest, I could feel the frustration of all the spit up and all the crying slowly ooze out of my mind. It really doesn't matter how much he screams in a day as long as I can have a tender snuggle at the end of it all.

Today, I am grateful that I went to Enrichment and found out that Cascade is the best weapon against blow-out poop stains. Max decided to be uber explosive today, so I used lots of Cascade, and it worked really well on those yellow stains that mark so many of Chris's clothes. Hooray for white onesies!

A few things I'm grateful for (for the last few days that I've missed posting):
1. We are so lucky to have family that lives close. We were able to go visit my brother Wade's family this weekend and we only had to drive for 3 hours to see them. Chris got to go trick-or-treating with his cool older cousins and he had a great time. I love being able to spend time with family.

2. I am extremely grateful that the BYU Cougars pulled out another win. It was really fun to watch their last drive to get a touchdown. Wins for the Cougars equate a happy husband for me.

3. I am really grateful for Halloween/autumn food. I love the candy, the pumpkin seeds, the apples, the pumpkin breads and everything else associated with Halloween and autumn. It's all so delicious and I can't seem to get enough of it!