Our Afghan

There is a sort of tradition in my husband's family (he is one of 5 boys) in which my mother-in-law would crochet an afghan for her son and new daughter-in-law when they got married.  Over the years, crocheting has become harder and harder on my mother-in-law's fingers and such an undertaking as this beautiful blanket took great effort for her.  In fact, her sister helped her finish ours so we could have it this past year.

But what a beautiful act of love.  What a precious gift.  And so I am thankful for this treasure.  And thankful (a tad belatedly) for the love and effort given by our mom and our aunt.  What an amazing talent.

And isn't it awesome that it matches our recliner so well :)?


What are you grateful for today?

That I Didn't Get As Sick As the Rest

It's been a fun couple of days in our household.  (That's sarcasm, if you couldn't tell ;)). 

It all started Tuesday night/Wednesday morning when my 2 1/2 year old woke up crying because she'd thrown up in bed.  Strip the sheets, strip the kid, bathe the kid (her hair was matted with the nastiness), re-make the bed, convince the 2 1/2 year old it really is still sleeping time.  Feed her crackers.  Get her to agree to try to sleep if mommy sleeps in her room on the floor.  By this time, it's 1:30, the baby wakes up in the next room, so Mommy gets up to go put him back down and in the 2 minutes she's gone... Yep, little girl pukes again.  And so...  we repeated the process (minus the bath, since it wasn't as bad this time, but still needed new jammies!).

So Wednesday was full of a clear liquid diet and trying to convince a 2 1/2 year old (a very energetic one) that she needs to be still and rest.  Ha!

By Wednesday night, I wasn't feeling so great.  I got the kids down (hubby has been on swing shift) by 9 and got into bed with chills and aches around 9:45.  I was miserable.  And so cold -- like I couldn't get warm.  Baby woke up at 4 to eat.  Then woke up at 5 to puke.  Poor guy.  But by then, I was feeling tons better, and my fever was gone.  And by the time both kids were up for the day at 8 (thank goodness for that!), I felt almost 100% -- just very tired.  So I got a nap in. 

And that's when my husband got sick.  And he has had it worst of all :(.  But I've been well enough to care for everyone, and that is a great blessing indeed.  Because it's awful being sick.  But it's even more awful to be sick when you have to take care of all the other sickies!  So I'm grateful I didn't get as sick as the rest (no pukies for me!).


What are you grateful for today?

That My Husband Got Up with the Baby This Morning

Maybe my little guy is teething.  Because he isn't having such great nights of sleep lately.  He is up every 4 hours or less.  Yuck.

My husband knew how many times I got up in the middle of the night.  And so, when our little guy woke up at 6:30 this morning, my husband (who has to work a late shift) took the baby to the living room and fed him and played with him and let me sleep.  I didn't get up until 8.  It was a beautiful thing. 


What are you grateful for today?

That My Kids Woke Up

So lately, I've been kind of in a funk.  It's not a fun place to be.  And it's not a good place to be.  It impacts everything from the way I feel about myself to my relationships with my husband and my kids.  It also means I haven't dealt with things like no sleep well.

And when you're a parent...  Especially when you're a mom...  Well, lack of sleep comes with the territory.

And yesterday was a morning following a night where my little man had a particularly crappy night.  Which meant I had a particularly crappy (read: sleepless) night.  But I'd gotten him back down around 5:30 and was hoping to get another 2 to 2 1/2 hours of sleep before he woke again, and since my sweet girl had been sleeping in until about 7:30 recently, I thought there was an actual chance it might happen.

But it didn't.

My girl was up at 6:30 and went right into the room where her baby brother was sleeping and excitedly called out to him.  Which woke him up.  And well, I just was grumpy from then on.  Which made my husband grumpy.

I've decided grumpiness is the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyway, around 8:30, we all went down for a much-needed nap:  Daddy and baby boy in our bedroom and Mommy and our sweet girl on the couch.  And as I lay there, I thought about something my awesome friend Andrea had just posted on facebook the day before about gratitude.

In my grumpy state, I wanted to say there was nothing for which to be grateful in regards to losing sleep because my kids wake up early.  But I decided, as I lay there next to my precious little girl, that maybe I should look for the silver lining in even the most annoying of circumstances.  And I forced myself to look for one in that scenario.

And when I did, I actually teared up.  Because here's the silver lining:  my kids both woke up.  Sometimes, somewhere, a mother loses a baby or child in sleep.  And every day my babies wake up, I am blessed.

And so, though it is hard to not get enough sleep day after day.  And though I wouldn't mind it if the baby would sleep through the night or the 2 year old would stay asleep until 8 in the morning...  The truth is, I'm infinitely grateful that my babies woke up yesterday.  And today.  And I pray that I don't ever encounter a day when that isn't true.  I just have to remember that there is generally always a silver lining -- even in the most annoying of circumstances.  I just have to look for it a little harder some days.

And I'm working on that.  Because I believe it will help me get out of my funk :).


What are you grateful for today?

Milo (Pronounced Mee-low) ;)

Okay, so this stuff isn't the greatest chocolate drink mix ever.  My love of Milo is not really about the Milo.  It's about the memories. 

Memories of sitting at the kitchen table at 7229-B Rybicki Road in Cardenas with Brad and Christina.  Memories of our glasses of Milo set before us (probably the first time we ever tried the stuff).  Memories of our -- I don't know: shock?  annoyance?  laughter? -- that the stuff didn't mix in at all.  Like, at all.

And most definitely memories of Brad (ever the comedian), lifting his spoonful of Milo, proffering it to me and saying, "Hila, would you like a bite of my Milo?" 

And memories of the laughter that followed. 

It's why I buy this stuff for him (and myself) every time I go home to Alabama (I can't find it in regular grocery stores up here).  Because, trust me, it's not about the Milo (seriously, the stuff doesn't mix in!  Hence the lovely layer in the pictures above!  And hence Brad's burning question!) ;).


What are you grateful for today?

Compassionate Service and Those Who Render It

Five days ago I gave birth to a healthy (and big!) baby boy.  It's a blessing. 

It also means lots of adjusting for everyone, and lots of sleepless nights for mommy and daddy.

And every day since we've been home from the hospital, we have been blessed by the love and service of others who are caring for us by bringing us meals to help alleviate the "things to do" on our list every day.

I cannot even adequately begin to express my gratitude for these wonderful people who so abundantly bless our lives.  With post-pregnancy hormones raging through my body, the truth is I get choked up when I think about how much this service has meant to our little family.  Truly these wonderful people exemplify Christ-like love.  Their generosity has been enormous.  And there truly are not words enough to thank them. 

I know there are others more needing and more deserving of this service.  But it has been so wonderful to have one less thing to think about these days. 

And just as I'm thankful to be receiving this service at this time in our lives, I'm thankful that I have opportunities to serve others when they are in need.  I'm grateful to be able to help, even in a small way.  And I'm grateful that, through receiving the service we are receiving, we have an even better appreciation for and desire to do such service to others -- for we know what a blessing it is.

So to all you wonderful people (some of whom may read this and others who may not), thank you.  Thank you for blessing our lives.


What are you grateful for today?

Ultrasound Technology

I know women have been having babies from the beginning of time.  And now that I have participated in this miraculous event, I realize why something that is so natural was also so incredibly dangerous.  I understand more now why so many sweet babes were lost during childbirth -- and why so many mothers were too. 

I wish our technology had made those tragedies obsolete, but I know it has not.  Nevertheless, our technology has certainly helped doctors be aware of possible complications in some cases, and for that I am grateful.  Because I had a possible complication this pregnancy, and ultrasound technology was able to not only alert my doctor to the possibility but also let us know that all is well.

The concern was that at my 19 week ultrasound, they found my placenta to be low-lying and very near the cervix.  There were not major concerns at that point, because I had plenty of time for my uterus to grow and for that placenta to migrate up during the growth.  But it told the doctor they wanted to check again at around 32 weeks to make sure the placenta had migrated.  If not, I would have been scheduled for a c-section.  Tuesday was my 33 week check-up and they did the ultrasound.  Thankfully, my placenta is now plenty high and away from my cervix, so we do not anticipate any problems there. 

And while it's not my dream to have a c-section (though that can certainly still be required for other reasons... one never knows until at the moment!), I'm grateful that I could have found out if it was necessary with plenty of time to prepare. 

It's also nice to get bonus pictures of our little one growing.  We still don't know if we are having a boy or a girl, but we're so glad to see our little munchkin growing! (The quality of these weren't the greatest, but that's a face profile ;)...  Plus then I was too lazy to scan it, so I just took a picture of the picture!)


What are you grateful for today?

No Gestational Diabetes!

For both of my pregnancies which got to the point of being tested for this dreaded thing, I was sure I'd probably test positive. 

I crave nothing but junk food -- especially sweets... and especially chocolate.  And I have very little willpower.  Ergo, I figured I was due diabetes. 

But, for the second time, I am gestational diabetes free!  And I'm so grateful!  It would be really hard for me (although probably better for me...). 

I'm a huge carb eater on top of the whole sweets thing, so yeah.  I'm glad.


What are you grateful for today?

The Smell of Jergens Lotion

Is that the most ridiculous thing ever for which to be grateful?  Perhaps.

But I love this scent.

Even more than I love the smell of vanilla, Juliebean ;)!

Perhaps it is the nostalgic in me...  I remember this scent from my childhood, because my mom used the Jergens lotion, and that smell of cherry and almond just stuck with me and has always been a smell I could smell all day long and never get tired of!

The soap in the bathrooms at the Seattle Temple smells like this.  And it always makes me smile when I wash my hands and smell that wonderful cherry-almond smell.

And yeah, it's a small thing.  But sometimes it's all about the small things that make us happy :).


What are you grateful for today?

The Library Hold System

I've been grateful for the library in the past, so I can't do that again....  Well, I could.  Because I seriously love libraries.  A ton.  For a lot of reasons. 

But tonight, was sitting here online putting books and movies on hold.  And it occurred to me how awesome the library hold system is. 

True, the "hold" policies change from library system to library system.  Here we are able to put movies on hold as well as books, etc.  But regardless of what the rules are, it's just awesome.  I'm able to put books on hold I will be reading for the book club.  I'm able to make requests for a variety of movies -- both older and newer -- for myself and my little bug.  And I get them!  For free.  Sure, I may not be as up-to-date on the movies...  But I'll still get to see them.  And free beats 13.00 any day of the week for me!

Anyway, I think it's just plain awesome that we can make requests for library items which ensure our ability to utilize said items at some point.  So super convenient!

What are you grateful for today?

A Healthy, Happy Little Girl

This is pretty random.  And I sometimes think I'm a crazy person.  But for some reason, I was lying in bed late last night and the soul-crushing thought came to my mind:  what if our little girl wasn't healthy?  What if she had an incurable, terminal disease? 

Am I the only crazy person who does this?  Probably. 

But as I thought about that, it's because I know it's a reality for some.  A very hard and sad reality.  And in that moment, I was incredibly -- and almost beyond words -- grateful that my precious girl is healthy and happy.  She learns and grows and runs and plays and laughs.  She sometimes drives me to the brink of losing my sanity.  But then, I think she's supposed to ;). 

I do not know what the future holds.  While I hope never to face a trial such as a terminal illness in my child, I know that it is possible.  It scares the jeepers out of me, honestly.  And so I push those fears aside, and embrace the now.  And feel grateful every moment for a healthy little girl who is so full of life.  A little girl who brings me infinitely more joy than I knew possible. 

What are you grateful for today?

9:00 Church

Yes, I know I may receive some hate-mail from other members of my congregation for the fact that I am grateful for 9:00 church ;)...  But I'm okay with that.  Because I still get 9:00 church for another 50 weeks!

So, our church building has two congregations meeting in it every Sunday.  One attends at 9:00 in the morning and the other at 1:00 in the afternoon.  Typically, our congregations change back and forth each year and swap times -- just to keep things fair.  But, due to circumstances that just were, our congregation has spent the last 3 years attending at 1:00.  This year we got to change!  True, the reason for the change means we had to say good-bye to an awesome family, and that is a sad part.  But the part of us having church at 9 has been, for me, a much anticipated event!

I just love having morning church; then having the rest of the day to come home, relax, and -- most importantly, get my toddler her afternoon nap!  I don't know why it is, honestly, that I am so in favor of having morning church.  I just know that I am :).  Probably because I'm a creature of habit, and pretty much my whole life until I moved here in 2008, I attended church with start times between 9 and 9:30.  It's just what is normal for me.

And sure, I love my sleep as much as many (and possibly more than most).  I especially love morning sleep, and being in my pajamas for a long time before I get moving.  But something about morning church just resounds with me -- and I think I'll always prefer it, even if it means no sleeping-in (which hasn't been happening with a toddler lately anyhow ;)) and no pancakes in the morning (who has time when you sleep!?!).

So, I apologize to my friends who may not share my enthusiasm that, for the next 50 weeks, our ward will be up early attending church.  But I'm still grateful ;).


What are you grateful for today?

Baby Taps

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last expressed gratitude here.  My life has certainly been filled with gratitude-worthy moments and things and people.  I've just been busy!  But I do need to make sure I'm taking the time to count my blessings, and so today, I choose to write here again.

I write this with hesitation, because I know many wonderful women who long to feel what I am about to describe.  Women who have never had the opportunity to carry a child.  And women who have lost babies at various times during pregnancy.  And so, my comments are not meant to be cold or callous as I relish the feeling of life growing within me. 

I truly am grateful for being able to feel our unborn baby inside.  For I am a worrier by nature.  And feeling the little tiny bumps -- which require that I lay still and focus with my hands on my abdomen at this point -- reassure the worry-wart in me.  From the days I first start feeling these taps within, I start seeking them every day.  I did the same when I was pregnant with our little girl.

And they never get old.  They always make me smile.  And I sometimes even laugh as I will sometimes feel the baby respond to my putting pressure on a specific spot (the baby usually taps there, then I press again, and the baby taps again). 

I remember the first time I realized I was feeling my baby move within when I was pregnant with Lynnaea.  It was a weird and marvelous experience all rolled into one.  It was not at all what I had anticipated.  Somehow, before I'd experienced it, I thought I would anticipate the movement -- that I'd know it was coming.  Almost as though the baby and I were connected mentally, and not just physically.  Which, of course, isn't the case.  I never know when the baby will move or kick.  And even the feeling of it is different than what I thought.  Amazing and wonderful, but different.  Just proof for myself that sometimes what we expect isn't what happens -- and that isn't necessarily a bad thing at all ;).

I am always awed by the amazing miracle that is pregnancy.  And I know I am imperfect and flawed.  But I am grateful to have the opportunity to carry life within me.  It is an honor I cannot fully describe.  A humbling experience.

What are you grateful for today?

Birthday Love

Today was easily one of the busiest birthdays I've ever had.  And, honestly, I should be in bed! 

I spent the majority of the day at a vendor event at the local mall -- mostly just getting my name out there and introducing THRIVE Life to people.

Then I had a doctor's appointment.  Which the check-in gal totally messed something up and I waited an hour past my appointment time before I got called back.  Have I mentioned patience isn't my strong suit? 

Then I bought Burger King (dinner of birthday-girls, right?  Eh, not so much, but I needed food fast -- I was fading.) and brought it home and shared with my sister and nieces (and toddler).  My sweet sister came to watch my munchkin so my hubby could go to work while I was still at the mall and then the doctor.  I appreciate her.

Then I went to talk to a couple of other lovely ladies about THRIVE.  And got home after 8.  Showered.  Put the baby to bed.  Made dinner for my husband who isn't such a fan of fast food... ;).  Opened my presents... finally!

Oh, and did I mention I had two gifts dropped off at my house -- both while I wasn't here!

I have said it before, and I'll say it again:  I have the most amazing friends and family.  And today, I felt tons of birthday love.

I also love that my friends know me so well....  book of lists, awesome 80s cereal (some that even have face masks I can cut out, by the way ;)), chocolate...  Oh my.

I am blessed.

What are you grateful for today?

Credit Card Fraud Checkers

... Yeah, I don't know what the official term or name is...  I just know I'm grateful for it.

Because, as though things weren't crazy enough in our little world right now (still not living at our home)...  Monday morning dawned with a text from our credit card company asking that we check in on some recent charges that were flagged for possible fraudulence.  Because this has happened to a couple of my friends recently -- and for at least one of them, the charges were legit -- I wasn't overly concerned.

But then I found out I needed to be.  Because, sure enough...  That $80 charge to sportsfood for "nondurable goods" sure was not one I made.  Particularly not at 6 a.m. Monday morning. 

And so, I'm ever so grateful that the credit card company is on the lookout for suspicious activity.  I've never had this happen before (other than the time they got a little concerned about all the gas I was buying across the country in 2009...).  But there's a first time for everything.  And this time, my account had been compromised.  Which is a total bummer.  Why must there be so much dishonesty in this world?  It's sad.

But I'm so grateful that we are protected.  That that old account is now closed.  That we have a new account.  That they were willing to send the new cards to our temporary address.  Yeah, it was a bit of a hassle.  But still a huge blessing.

And yes, I know it's true what my husband said:  the credit card company is just covering themselves...  That's fine.  Because they are covering me in the process.  And that's what I need in this world when almost everything is credit-based and not everyone is honest.

What are you grateful for today?

The Generosity of Others

This past week has, once again, been a testament to me of the good people -- no, the great people -- Heavenly Father has placed in our my (and our) life.

I write this from the basement of my dear friend Amalea's home.  It is where my family will call home for the next several days.

Some of you may have read about the lovely stair situation at our apartment building.  Well, progress is finally being made.  But the price of that progress was that we had to be relocated temporarily.  Because this relocation fell during the time I'd been planning to have an 80s party at my (albeit ghetto) digs, I had to notify all my invitees that the party had been postponed. 

And in response, Amalea and her husband invited us to stay with them in their basement.  With only the hope that we'd be out in 10 days max (but who knows?  it could go longer...).  And while my husband is on swing shift.  Which means he gets home around midnight. 

I was beyond shocked -- and humbled -- by her invitation.  By their outpouring of love for our little family in this inconvenient situation.  Their offer saved my husband at least 1 1/2 hours of commute time every day for work. 

And here's the thing:  I know there are others of our friends and family who would have welcomed us as well.  (The landlord would have put us up in a hotel, but that would have been less-than-pleasant with a toddler...)  I know we are so very blessed by the generosity and love of others.  It amazes me.

I recognize that it cannot be easy to have 3 extra people living in your home.  And yet...  And yet they offered without hesitation.  And I don't know if I can ever fully repay them for their kindness and love.  This has meant more to our family than we can express.  It has been a stressful time (trying to figure out what all we need for however long we'll be away from home) -- and today was a bit overwhelming and exhausting (we had to be out this evening for them to begin tearing down all the walkways tomorrow morning).  But having a comfortable and open place welcoming us, full of welcoming, loving friends, has made it less difficult than it could have been.  And so, I am grateful.

What are you grateful for today?

Life -- an Abundant One

Well, here it is.  My 365th post.  My 365th grateful.  I felt it only appropriate, after an entire year of daily gratitude for both the exciting and the mundane, the grand and the less-noticed, to be grateful for my life.  And not only just that I have life.  But that my life is an abundant one.  The past year has shown me that in new ways as I have chosen something each day for which to be grateful.

The fact that I live is an awesome thing.  True, it's not like I really know what the alternative is like...  But each new day comes with new opportunities for me to enjoy life and grow and learn.  Do I always embrace it?  Probably not as much as I should.  Do I always succeed in improving each day?  Unfortunately, no.  But each new day of my life, the opportunity is there.  The potential is there.  The blessing of experiencing mortality in all of its ups and downs is there.  And that's a beautiful thing.

The fact that my life is so full of goodness...  That is also awesome.  We can live and just exist.  But I don't think that's why we're here in this life.  We are here to find and experience joy.  Some days I have a hard time believing that...  But deep down I know it's true.  And so, as I've spent a year chronicling the things for which I am grateful -- the reasons I have to be grateful...  I recognize the blessings.  The people who have made life special and wonderful and fun for me over the years.  The food that I've been able to enjoy and savor (because wouldn't it be less than stellar to subsist on gruel every day of your life?).  The moments I've been able to treasure and turn into memories.

And so, as I ponder over all these things (and millions more I didn't even recognize over the course of this past year), I am left with a song lyric by One Republic to quote:  It's gonna be a good, good life.  (Because, honestly?  It already is.)

And because I know that's true -- that my life will continue to be good and abundant -- I will, from time to time, pop on and write another "grateful."  I just will not be holding myself to the daily blogging here from here on out.  But thank you all for joining me on this journey of gratitude.  It was good for my soul.

What are you grateful for today?

Blog Comments

You may call me the biggest dork ever, but seriously...  Blog comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

And today, I got some of them.  From some very special ladies. 

You see, once upon a time, blogging was all the rage.  And blog comments were more common.  I am guilty myself of not only not blogging as often (other than on this blog, because I set a goal and have kept up with it...) but also not commenting on others' blogs.  And so it is a special treat when I get blog comments :). 

What are you grateful for today?

The Tenant/Landlord Act

Say hello to our apartment complex's front staircase.  Do you see a problem?

So here's the thing:  I don't like to rock the boat.  Like ever.  I am incredibly non-confrontational.  Sometimes this serves me well.  Other times, not so much.

But when I got back from my trip to Utah in August (August 11th, to be exact), the stairs had been taken apart.  Meaning I had to unload the van from below and haul everything up a bunch of stairs.  All well.  It would be over soon enough and the stairs would (hopefully) be improved.

'Tis to laugh.

That picture was taken somewhere in the beginning of September.  And it doesn't look any different today.

This, by the way, was why I had a reason to meet all my neighbors.  Because, though I am not a boat-rocker...  Eventually, this is absurd.  And beyond absurd. 

Here's the thing:  the upstairs neighbors have to walk down a flight of steps, all the way around the building, up the stairs from the car port... just to check their mail.  We can't have company over without making them traipse around the entire building and up 18 stairs to make it to our level.  We are lacking an extra exit (which is hazardous in an emergency situation).  And this is in no way safe.  And...  How the heck are we supposed to move out?  We'd have to move huge stuff down the stairs, but they inserted extra beams which take up extra room on the already-small landing between the flights of stairs.

We got fed up.  Because not only was no work being done...  We weren't even being kept informed!  I even emailed the property manager and asked what the status was.  Their office manager's reply:  They were waiting to find out the status.  What the heck?  If they don't know, who does?

So my husband started researching.  And then we wrote a letter.  A letter that referenced some revised code of Washington.  Specifically the stuff relating to the landlord/tenant act.  A letter that at least lit a fire under the property managers to tell us what the heck was going on.  They taped letters to all of our doors (every single one of the tenants signed the letter -- we've all been fed up!) the day after they picked up the letter at the post office (I got certified return receipt, thank you very much).  Then they mailed us an "official" copy of the letter for good measure.  They said they were in the permitting process.  (We think they started the project without permits -- and the person who was going to do it for them decided it wasn't worth the liability and quit...  leaving them on choice but to get the permits, but being unable to fix anything and so we are where we are.)  They said the project should be done by the end of September. 

Well, it isn't.  But we got another letter yesterday.  Telling us they now have the permits and are making plans.  And that they may have to temporarily lodge us elsewhere (motel) while they do the construction. 

Yeah, this is fun.

So it's a hassle.  But I'm grateful that the tenant/landlord act exists.  Granted, we're still in limbo.  And I'm really annoyed, since I have some get-togethers planned at my place this month (one of them tomorrow) and I was sure we'd have a front staircase by now when I scheduled them.  But at least we had an avenue to pursue.  And it has kept the property managers in communication with us -- which is how it should have been from the start.  

I don't like to be a pest.  I don't like to start stuff.  But it's not okay to take advantage of people either.  And so I'm grateful we had some recourse.  And I guess we still could, if we wanted to keep pursuing it.  But I am hoping they will actually keep moving forward now that they know we're fed up and willing to move forward.  Grrr...

Anyway, rant over.

What are you grateful for today?

Modern Dentistry

Today was a day for getting cavities filled.

Way fun, right?

But as I sat there with the right half of my mouth numb and a huge bite-down block in my mouth, along with a suctioner, two dentist hands, and an array of various dental tools, it occurred to me that I'm grateful for modern dentistry. 

I'm grateful for Novocaine, which allowed me not to feel pain.

I'm grateful for the bite block that allows me to rest my jaw and not have to keep my mouth open.

I'm grateful for the suction thing that kept my mouth relatively clean through the process.

I'm grateful for those tools that are clean and made to make the job faster, easier, and better.

And I'm grateful for the dentist's hands which have been trained to be able to do deal with cavities.  So that I can keep my own personal teeth for as long as possible.

So as much fun as it isn't to get fillings and shots to numb...  I'm grateful that I live now when it's a lot better than I can only imagine it used to be.

What are you grateful for today?