I know that I haven't posted anything that I am grateful for in a long time. This does not mean that I have not been feeling grateful because it has been quite the opposite. I have faced many situations that have made me ponder on my life and what I am grateful for.

I had the opportunity to go to Alicia's wedding in Seattle. First of all, I am so glad that Ryan had me go. It was wonderful to get away from my routine and to be around some of the best people I know. I feel so lucky to have been able to go. I absolutely love Alicia and Stephanie and Lindsay; they are such fun, strong women and it is so good for me to be around them. They truly helped rejuvenate my spirit in the short amount of time I was around them.

Along the same vein, I am so grateful for all the conversations that I was able to have with Lindsay. I love talking to that girl because she brings a fresh perspective to so many issues. She is a modern, independent woman but still keeps herself grounded. Her example really caused me to think of the role of our Savior as an advocate because I felt like she was mine that weekend. And Max's. Plus, she showed me one of the best examples of honesty that I've seen in quite some time. We had parked in a parking lot to go to Gameworks but then decided that we were not going to stay. We were parked in the lot less than 15 minutes, so we were hoping we wouldn't have to pay the $7 it charged. The attendant told Lindsay to write on her ticket that the movie we were going to see had sold out and then he could let us go without charging us. This is something that I would have gladly done not to pay seven bucks; Lindsay on the other hand told the attendant that she wouldn't write that since it was not true and that she would rather pay the $7. What a tremendous example of maintaining principles even with the little things and for keeping perspective on what is important.

The next weekend, Ryan and I took the kids to visit St. Louis. Amazingly enough, we found the perfect place to live, and I think that we will be able to live there (keeping my fingers crossed still). On that Friday afternoon, we looked at SEVERAL places that had very obvious faults and problems including safety hazards, train tracks, no closets, scary neighborhoods, etc. On our last appointment of the day, which was almost cancelled, we found our potential house. We have sent in our application and we are waiting for the contract. I am so grateful that we were able to find something that fits our price range, timeline, and family situation even though it is pretty early to be looking for housing. I am extemely grateful.

Last weekend was General Conference, and today we had Stake Conference which was a regional broadcast. So, we have been able to listen to the prophet two weekends in a row. That doesn't happen very often, and I feel very lucky to live in a time when we can sit in the comfort of a home or church and listen to our prophet and church leaders.

I am grateful that Chris has been doing so well with potty training. He basically has it down now. He is even putting his underwear and pants back on himself most of the time. Most of the time his underwear is on backwards, but I think I may like that even more than if he did it the right way. It's just so cute.

I am grateful that Max's teeth have cut through and that he is subsequently much happier and pleasant. I am also glad that he can crawl now and likes to himself around.