Give Thanks

 We were asked by President Nelson to write about gratitude and share it with others. I posted mine on Facebook originally and am reposting them here.

Day 1

Typically we have a tradition to do Thankful leaves at the beginning of November and then I hang them for us to see the rest of the month. This year I let busy weeks and stress push it aside. Today I was reminded how important this opportunity is to have my kids display their gratitude. 

So today I am thankful for traditions, big and small that my family enjoys!

Day 2

I am grateful for hope. 

Hope it's what helped me through three bouts of infertility and blessed me with three amazing kids. 

Hope is what gave (gives) me light through my mental health lowes of depression and anxiety. 

Hope gives me courage for things promised, yet not seen.

Hope is a gift I can hold tight onto, yet also share at the same time. 

Hope and faith walk hand in hand. My Savior has taught me that. 

Hope inspires dreams, many of which I have and are blessed with, and many I hope to look forward to. 

Day 3

Today I am grateful for the gospel. I am grateful for all that it encompasses. 

- A loving Heavenly Father, the beginning and the end

- My Savior Jesus Christ, my light, my rock. . .

- The Holy Ghost, the ultimate comforter

- A living prophet, that gives heavenly guidance

- Scriptures, that teach and guide

- The Temple, that gives me eternal blessings and a forever family

- etc. - there are truly endless reasons I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. It has blessed my life in innumerable ways. 

I am grateful for religion in all forms and for all its diversity. As well as the privilege to worship how, where, and what we may. 

Day 4

I've never liked the saying choose happiness. I don't have the ability to snap into a happy state at will. I do believe a set of choices can lead to Happiness. This year has definitely pushed me to find more choices that bring happiness and fill my personal cup. My top three that I'm grateful for are: 

Laughter: sometimes you just need a good laugh to lift you up. I've found that in my silly kids, shows, and people.

Music: I have a deep love for music. It may not be on my list of talents, but I very much appreciate it. Music is balm to my soul in any mood I'm in.

Reading: I've always loved books; and I love that my kids and husband adore them as well. This year I've read more than I ever have in a year! They've become a beautiful refuge to dive into when I need a bit of time to myself. 

Day 5

I am grateful for this little lady! Alice brightens our world and makes us laugh daily. She is silly, over the top, and wonderful all rolled into one. We couldn't imagine life without her!

We did our thankful leaves the other day! 

Alice is thankful for: grandparents, mommy, spinning, eating, twinkle twinkle🎵, sleep, blankets, Kendal, cousins / Jemma, bike, and rubber bands 😆

 

Day 6

I am grateful for my one and only Peter! He has a huge heart, an amazing mind, and a very strong will. He teaches, and stretches me in every way and I thank him for helping me be a better Mom. Peter; you are perfect for me! 

Peter's thankful leaves: Air, Daddy, Legos, food, home, family, learning, time, shoes, and his favorite stuffed Animals - chewy, little chewy, monkey, monk, and teddy

Day 7

Kendal was our first dream turned reality! She has a heart of gold and wears it on her sleeve. Kendal has a great light to her that reaches out to those around her. She is a dreamer and I hope she never looses her sense of wonder! 

Kendal's thankful leaves: light, tithing, Jesus, Holy Ghost, books, Alice, safety, health, help, trees, ducky

Day 8

I am grateful to have this amazing man in my life. Casey cares so much, is very dedicated, and works so hard to give his best as Husband, Father, Teacher, Coach, and his church callings. Casey and I are imperfect in every way, yet perfect for each other. Casey is the love of my life, my very best friend, our kids' favorite, and simply put a wonderful man! 

He's not one to post so I'll share Casey's thankful leaves: Peter, employment, education, diversity, singing, Christmas, automobile, pizza, warm bed, and being together

Day 9

Family and friends: They are our playmates, our examples, they teach us, love us, care for us, lift us, laugh with us, tolerate us, and very much bless us!! 

Day 10

Last grateful post 

I am grateful for our beautiful world. Thanks to covid my appreciation to get out and enjoy mother nature grew a lot this year. I love all the beauty that surrounds us; always there for us to enjoy. I love the change of the seasons. New life in the spring, sunshine filled days in the summer, beautiful changing leaves in the fall,  and the stillness of winter. Nature shows us change is a wonderful thing. 

Halloween - Kendal's 11th birthday

Halloween looked different for us this year. We started the day with Kendal's first basketball game of the season. Her team played hard and won! Kendal got in a basket and did a good job helping her team! My Young Women Group had a goal to collect 150 cans of food for the local food bank. Originally our ward was going to have a trunk or treat that we could collect cans at, but it got cancelled (thank you covid), so I had to change plans, and have some yw's homes be "bases" for collecting and then I spent an hour at the church collecting cans. We let the older kids play for a bit that afternoon while Casey and I baked cookies with Alice. Early evening we had the kids dress up; Kendal was Cinderella this year, Peter chose Han Solo, and Alice ended up as superhero - prices Anna with an abundance of accessories! We opted out of trick or treating and decided to take the kids to a drive through trunk or treat at Window Nursery, out to dinner at McAlister's, and we finished off watching Coco at home. It was different, but still a good day! 

Our next week felt very packed! Casey started his basketball season, and had to call his home room kids' parents to give them a parent teacher report. (Kendal got high praises for her hard work, and great attitude in school. She's doing so well in school and her teacher loves her! Peter's teacher said he is going very well at school. She loves his willingness to help and participate. She also was happy with his improvement this school year!) I helped with the book fair throughout the week, (turned into a lot of time, but I'm grateful to help when I can.) had Jemma a couple of days, and went to parent teacher conferences. Casey and I both carved out time and voted on Tuesday. I took Jemma and Alice. Thankfully the wait was minimal so we did fine. Casey took his prep hour to go vote! (It's such a crazy year and the election only adds to it. Who knows what roller coaster Trump / the nation will go on in the coming months. We hope and pray Biden does good things for our country in the coming years.) We ended our week with another basketball game for Kendal. Casey had to miss the game to be at an extra practice for his team. Kendal put in some hard work and her team pulled out another win! I also went out with Kendal, Peter, and Kendal's friend Hope, plus my YW to give fliers door to door for a food drive.

Last Sunday we woke to some snow. Alice was so excited! After church the kids went out and build some snowmen! This week we had our usual Nov. routines. Busy days, school, work, Babysitting, piano, basketball, and remote learning Frida (First Friday Peter had been done early with online school and work , yay!!) Still busy, but thankfully not packed to the max with extras. 

My parents and Katherine came into town Friday to celebrate Kendal's birthday with us. Sadly Kendal's game got cancelled on Saturday morning so we had an easy going start to the day. We went out to Barnes and Noble. Kendal and Peter picked a book, while Auntie Katherine was so sweet and read Alice a plethora of books! In the afternoon us girls went back out for a bit of shopping and brought home Costa Vida for dinner. We finished off our Saturday watching The Sorcerer's Apprentice.  

Today is Kendal's birthday!! This sweet girl is 11! She got to open her presents this morning. We gave her a Kindle E - reader that she's been wanting and she has the next Keepers book coming next week. My parents gave her some money for a book, a Lego Harry Potter advent calendar, some hair clips, and a ukulele music book. Aunt Katherine gave her Hermionies wand, and a fun book! Casey and Peter went to do the broadcast for church while the rest of us opted to watch church at home today. We had a yummy lunch with cake and ice cream before sending my parents and sister on their way. This afternoon Kendal got a couple of surprises with friends dropping off a treat, and book marks. We also got video chats and messages from family! The kids played around this afternoon and watched Home Alone. We ended the evening with a pizza picnic watching mandilorian! 

Kendal is such a sweetheart. From the beginning she's been an easy going, happy little lady. She may have more ups and downs as her teen years approach, but still she's a very sweet girl! Kendal has a love of learning and a passion for books (seriously they're her life!) Kendal has grown in her skills this year. She's putting in the effort and she's improving in her sports, music, art, and writing! We are beyond blessed to have her in our lives! Happy happy birthday Kendal!! 

11yr old interview: 

Favorite color: pink, purple, teal

Favorite Activity: basketball, volleyball, Reading, friends, and family time

Favorite Food: chicken tacos

Favorite Animal: duck, fox

Favorite song: I will be what I believe

Favorite Holiday: "All of them. They are special in own ways. "

Favorite Book: Keepers of the Lost cities, Land of Stories, Adventurers Wanted, Harry Potter, etc. ; )

When I grow up: Teacher and a coach like Dad

Nicknames: Sweet Pea