Today, I am grateful for many, many things. First of all, I am thankful that Ryan could stay home to work and that he didn't have to go out in all of the snow to uncover his car and go to work. I am also extremely grateful for our landlords for not only shovelling/snowblowing the snow off of our driveway, sidewalks, and parking lot, but also for getting the snow off of our cars. That was a little surprise when we went outside to get in the car - how nice! I also have to note that both Chris and Max took naps today at the same time, so I was able to lie down for a few minutes. I am so grateful that I got to sleep some today because the last few nights have not been so good with Max's feedings. Most of all, I am grateful that Ryan received news that he has been accepted to two different MBA programs, one with a $20,000/year scholarship. I'm so proud of him and all of the hard work that he's put into his work and into doing all of his applications. I am so excited for him and for our family to start planning on the next steps in our future.

I am very grateful that our horrendous storm didn't start until AFTER Ryan got home. Ryan is thankfully home with us after his business trip, and I'm very grateful that he didn't get stranded in Detroit or in New York. I really like having him home with me and the kids.

Yesterday, Max did not spit up very much - only 10-12 times. Woohoo! Hopefully it's a sign that things are getting better.

Today, I am grateful that I could listen and participate in some of the Institute lesson and did't have to be in the nursery the whole time.

I am thankful that we have had such great home teachers while we've been in Madison. I feel that it contributes to the sense of community we have here. Plus, they said they would give us a ride to the airport, which is a huge thing in my book.

Today, we went and got family pictures taken. I love having current family pictures, and smoe of these turned out really well. was worried about taking pictures with such a small baby and such a wild toddler, but everything went really well and the people at Portrait Innovations did a really great job.

I threw a Christmas party for Chris yesterday, and it was really fun. I am so glad that he liked the cupcakes that I made. At least he liked the frosting and M&Ms on the cupcakes I made.

Today, we went to the mall to buy Ryan some shoes with his birthday money. We stopped by the play area, and I saw 2 different families that I know. I love going out and seeing people I know. I feel old when it happens because it reminds me of my parents seeing people around town, but it also makes me feel really happy.

I am also especially grateful that Ryan was home and got Chris to take a nap today - his first all week. He is so much more pleasant when he gets a nap, and I'm really glad he had one today.

I am also grateful that Max ate some solids today. Woohoo! For breakfast, I fed him some scrambled egg yolk, and he was so excited his little body was shaking with excitement. I also gave him some banana while I was trying to make Christmas cookies. I think it was really fun for him, and I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to wait until after Christmas to consistently feed him solids.

Chris picked up all of his trains today without being asked. It was great. At least I know that something that I've been trying to teach him is rubbing off.

I am so grateful that Ryan has some interviews lined up. Hopefully, this means that we will get some scholarship/fellowship offers for school.

I am also very grateful that I have visiting teachers who are so diligent. It feels wonderful to have people who are concerned about you and who come to visit just to see how you are. I really enjoy my visiting teachers' visits.

I am thankful that Chris has started to try to sound out words and has started to play games like Uno (with some help). I am also thankful that Ryan and I got to play a game tongiht. We played Scrabble, and I was able to play some good words: antacid, quoit, and gnomes.It had been a long time since we had played, so I was proud of myself getting any word over 4 letters.

Last night we decorated for Christmas. I am so thankful that we have so many Christmas decorations from our wedding. All of the decorations and ornaments are beautiful, and I love seeing our tree all gussied up with sentimental ornaments. It always reminds me of our first Christmas married. I always think it is so fun to reminisce as we put each ornament on the tree. It was especially fun to see Chris's excitement to put the ornaments on the tree.

Today, I am grateful that my sweet little Christopher and how he wants me to cuddle with him as he falls asleep. It is so hard to resist his sweet request for me to stay with him "for just a little while". With such an energetic hurricane of destruction (especially with all the new Christmas stuff up) running around, it is so nice to snuggle with him as he is calm and quiet. He really is a loving, sweet boy.

It's been a while since I've posted on this (or any) blog, and I need to get back into it. In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to write a general gratitude post for the things that I am most grateful for.

1. I am so lucky to have amazing parents who have taught me so many things. They have taught me how to speak up, take phone messages, look someone in the eye when talking, organize kitchen cupboards, pray, laugh at myself, drive a stick, say "I'm sorry", be a good friend, shop for sales, and a billion other things. I have they best parents in the world.

2. I love my husband. Ryan is so considerate of me and my feelings, and he always has my well-being in mind. I love the fact that he likes sports and can memorize just about anything in half a second. I am so lucky to have someone who will answer all of my stupid and/or embarrassing questions and who likes to have fun. He even indulges my chick-flick desires. What a man!

3. I love my two boys. They make me laugh and smile in adoration almost all day long. Chris has grown up to be such a bright, funny, loving little boy. I love that he likes to make me laugh. Max is turning into a cheerful chunk of a baby, and I love, love, love to hear him laugh and see him grin.

4. I am so grateful to have a knowledge and testimony of the gospel of Christ and of the Latter-day prophets, including the current prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that he speaks for my Savior and I feel safe knowing that I will follow his counsel.

5. I am very grateful for wonderful in-laws. I married into a wonderful, fun-loving, spirited family, and they have graciously welcomed me into their lives. I love them and love spending time with them.

6. I love my friends, new and old. I have been so blessed to have so many close friends.

7. I am grateful for my temple marriage. I am so happy that my family will be my family forever and that I will always be with them. I love them so much, and Ican't imagine any sort of life without them.

8. I am grateful for food. I love almost all food, and I love to taste all the wonderful flavors that this world has to offer.

9. I am grateful for technology and the ability I have to talk to family members even though we live far away.

10. I am grateful for change. I am very grateful that I am able to change qualities and characteristics in myself and that other people can change as well. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for his wisdom in letting us change ourselves and letting us make our own choices and mistakes. I am so grateful that I understand that I can be better every day if I choose to be.

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!

Today, I am especially grateful for the fun Halloween party we had during playgroup today. I didn't want to leave and thus I was the last person to leave (minus Bethany who was practicing the organ). I sat and watched the pure love of so many of the mothers in my ward watch another's child while she could do something for the group or for another child. I really feel like we are a family in our ward because of the love that everyone feels for each other. It's really an incredible thing to witness.

I am very thankful for the chance to take an Institute class on the book of Isaiah. I am learning a lot and I love the feeling of the Spirit whispering insights into the scriptures. I actually shared some thoughts today (which I have not been doing lately), and a woman thanked me for my comments. I am especially thankful for her expression of gratitude. I am also very thankful for Brother Christensen for taking his time to teach our class.

I am extremely grateful for glue. More specifically, I am extremely grateful that the medical community glues some things back together instead of using stitches. I am also glad that I didn't have to hold Max down while getting his forehead stitched - instead I could hold his arms and chest while the doctor applied glue to his forehead. He was smiling and cooing at the doctor instead of crying and screaming.

Today I saw the first snow of the season, just flurries. I love watching the tiny flakes meander down and not ever reach the ground because they evaporate too quickly.

I am grateful for my husband reading books to my sons and doing all the voices.