Yes, it's three-day's worth of thanks!

1. Girl's night out with a friend to see Catching Fire
2. Rick's great job
3. Children who go to sleep easily
4. Simon repeating "I love you" a few times in the car after he and I had butted heads about something
5. Visiting with my cousin LaRea and meeting her husband. She'd never met Rick before. 
6. Piper's selflessness in her Primary class at church
7. A new brunch spot
8. My study of humanities in college which helps me better understand the deeper meaning of art and things
9. Daphne's tooth finally broke through
10. My big brother, Mark. It's his birthday today and I'm so glad that we are such good friends. I look up to him, appreciate his counsel, and love having him as a friend, as well as a brother.  His wife, Kristen, is awesome too. 
11. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
12. Piper's teacher and Simon's teachers. I know that while they are at school, that they are being taught and guided by people who love them. 
13. Daphne falling asleep in my arms this afternoon and having a short snooze together
14. Our wonderful landlords
15. Online shopping

Thanks Two-fer

1. Playroom sort - I was able to clean out and sort a bunch of the kid's toys today, not as much as I wanted to do but domething is better than nothing.
2. Grilled cheese & tomato soup
3. RS sisterhood, specifically the women I work with in the Relief Society presidency
4. Simon's preschool - it's where Piper went to preschool too and I just love his teachers. 
5. McDonald's ice cream cones
6. My niece Emma's birthday today. She's 19, how did that happen?!  She's leaving on a mission in February. We miss her already. 
7. Headphones - Simon has recently discovered the joy of headphones. He watched a movie this morning with headphones on next to me and I was able to get a quick nap. 
8. Rick came home early because I had a migraine. I think it may have had more to do with the KU game but I appreciated it just the same. 
9. Early bedtime - I conked out at 9:30.  
10. Mallomars

Today's Gratitude List

1. A walk down memory lane.  Somehow tonight I was surfing the internet when I started looking up old TV shows I used to watch as a kid, specifically cartoons.  I found YouTube had almost all of them in full episodes.  It was amusing, to say the least, to see shows like Thundercats, Kissyfur, Bionic Six, Today's Special, Turkey Television, the Polka Dot Door, and Beverly Hills Teen.  I was surprised at how much I could remember of them.  Ahh, the good old days.  Oh, and I also found Australia's version of Play School which brought back great memories of Piper as a baby; we used to watch it together.
2. Modern technology.  This morning over breakfast the kids and I were able to have family scripture study with Rick even though he was in Las Vegas.
3. I woke to a clean kitchen.  It was a rare but pleasant experience to wake up this morning without any dishes in the sink or on the counter.  This is fully in my control but it doesn't happen that much.
4. It started raining this evening.  I love to be home and hear the rain outside.  I don't like going out in it that much but it is such a lovely background noise.
5. Exciting Christmas gifts for friends and family.  How is it December next week already?!

Thanks for a Tuesday

1. A great report card and parent/teacher conference with Piper's teacher.  She's doing great and her teacher recognizes her kindness and honesty.  No problems to speak of and her reading and vocabulary are stellar.
2. Easy mornings.  The kids went to bed way too late last night but I let them sleep in this morning.  They were much more amenable to waking up since I let them rest a little longer AND I heated up some chocolate/chocolate chip muffins from Costco for breakfast.  Daphne slept until 8:15!!
3. Cozy jammies and slippers
4. Always having enough food.  I put together two boxes of extra food to give to the food bank drive at Piper's school.  It's not a lot but I'm grateful that we have enough for ourselves and enough that we can share.
5. Book fairs.  Piper and I went shopping at her school book fair today.  I remember how much I loved my school's book fair.  It's fun sharing that experience with her.

Monday's Musings on Thanks - Day #18

1. I'm grateful that my children ate hearty dinners tonight.  They tend to be picky, light eaters, which is why they're as skinny as they are.  They ate second helpings, and did so neatly, despite the meal being pasta.
2. Costco.  I don't go that often and when I do, I don't buy a lot.  But it's nice to have a lot of good things in one place.  It's one store where I do tend to buy a lot more healthy produce.
3. Subway.  Simon and I like to go to Subway together.  He picks out the chips he knows I like and we often share a cookie or two.
4. Beginning a new book.  (Thanks Chellese!!)
5. Thanksgiving is next week.  How did that happen?!  I love the holiday though and wish it could last longer than an afternoon.

Sabbath Day Thanks

1. We made it through church today.  It started poorly with us being late.  Then Simon spent most of sacrament meeting in the hall with either Rick or me because he was being so disruptive and grumpy.  Then I had to conduct Relief Society and he managed to sit quietly most of the time.  He was one tired boy.  So I'm thankful that we made it through church today despite difficult children and other stresses.
2. Beautiful cake Rick made me for my birthday today.  
3. Unexpected gifts.  Rick got me a gift card for a massage (which is what I had asked for) and some great kitchen towels from William-Sonoma.  Simon got me some shea butter from L'Occitane and Piper got me my favorite chocolate peanut bar from Vosges.
4. Daphne's smiles
5. No unfolded laundry waiting for me.  I did it earlier this week!

Saturday Gratitude - Day 16

1. Sleeping in
2. A fun Relief Society activity
3. 1-on-1 time with Piper
4. See's candy (and free samples too)
5. A lovely Japanese birthday dinner with Rick.  My parents were surprise guests.  I was so blown away that they were there.  It was a really nice time with good food, though Daphne was so tired.  Poor girl.
6. Bonus thanks: my niece Louisa has her birthday today.  #15, wow!  She is very talented and beautiful too.  It's also my brother, Rob's, birthday today too.  We miss having him close now that he's moved to Arizona.  He's a great big brother too.

Birthday Thanks

1. All of the birthday well-wishes in the forms of texts, FB posts, phone calls, gifts, and cards.
2. The roaring success of the school bake sale!!
3. Ricks' sweetness in getting me dinner even though it was late and picked up some ice cream to go with the Trader Joe's apple blossoms he heated up.
4. Hot showers
5. A healthy and strong body to do the work I needed to today.

Pre-birthday Thanks

1. Our pediatrician, Anita Sabeti.  She always goes the extra mile.  I never have a hard time getting in to see her, even same day.  She haas called me a few days after an office visit to check on ill kid.  She is so pleasant and the kids love her.
2. Piper's school.  Tomorrow is the big Harvest Fall Festival.  I am working on the committee and it's great to see all of the parents so willingly volunteer.  The teachers care about their students and they do so much that is above and beyond.  Piper has had two teachers, last year and this year, attend her singing program at church to support her.  Her teacher this year even brought her flowers.
3. Crockpots.  They make dinner so easy.
4. All the laundry is folded and put away.  Never an easy feat for me.
5. My old job in the working world.  It has made me a better planner, manager, and organizer.  In my everyday life I use the skills I gained and honed there.

November 13th

1. I made cute apple pies in a jar for our school's bake sale on Friday. 
2. Texts from thoughtful friends
3. KU won last night!
4. Daphne's fever broke and she's sleeping better. Let's hope that her croup clears up soon. 
5. My parent's good health. 

#12 Day of Thanks

1. A lovely early birthday lunch with my mom.  It was delicious and fun.
2. A clean bill of eye health for Daphne
3. My therapist.  I've been seeing her since July and she is just so insightful and supportive.  I always feel like I understand myself better when I leave. 
4. Cold glasses of milk
5. My friend, Lisa, who helps me with a monthly program at school.  She and I were room parents together last year.  Tonight at our function she let Simon share their second iPad so that he would stay quiet and entertained.  It was a godsend as it's the most well-behaved he's ever been at one of these events.

Gratitude - Veteran's Day Edition

1. Veterans - especially my brother, my nephew, my brother-in-law Ben, my brother-in-law Bill, and my father-in-law.  The kids and I visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery and put flowers on some headstones.  I loved the conversation that Piper and I had about freedom, ward, and fighting for what's right.
2. Simon's gymnastics class - he has so much fun and I love the couple who runs the gym.
3. Family Home Evening
4. Pears
5. Daphne loves baths.  She is so funny to watch in the bath.  When she's laying down, she splashes a lot and gets it all in her face and surprises her.  She lets both arms and legs flail so much that she looks like she's trying to do the backstroke.

Sunday Thanks - #10

1. A baby girl who, though she's got croup, napped for three hours this morning.  Her mama may have caught a nap too.
2. Good news for my friend Amberly's nephew.  He's a fighter and a testament to the power of prayer.
3. Noosa yoghurt - Australian-style yogurt available in the U.S.  It's delish!
4. Prospect of a lazy day tomorrow.  No school!
5. Butternut squash risotto - I made this recipe for the first time today and it was really great.  Definitely a keeper. 

8th of November

1. My comfy bed. A lot of people go to hotels and love the luxurious beds. I go to a hotel and miss my incredible mattress at home.
2. Hot chocolate 
3. My new-ish sister-in-law Karen, Jeff's wife. I have to specify because I have two sisters-in-law named Karen Johnson. Well, she and Jeff are in town this weekend and I iust love talking to her. She's incredible with Jeff's boys and you can tell that she really loves Jeff. 
4. Being able to surprise my mom today at her ward's craft day. I took the girls with me and we just showed up. We had to support her and her new calling!
5. Piper loves to read, like me when I was a kid. Who am I kidding, I still love to read?!

Day 8

1. Piper's nice friends. I don't like all of her friends but the ones that are nice I like a lot. 
2. Netflix
3. A clean car
4. Simon singing, especially songs he's learned at preschool
5. My good friend Brooke. I've missed her since she moved to Florida this summer. We got to talk today and it was good to hear from her, even with both of our kids whining and fighting in the background. 

Thanks on the 7th

1. Rick's good job and his nice boss
2. Simon told me "this strawberry is hilarious" all the while not knowing what "hilarious" means.
3. A free evening to knock some stuff out that I've needed to do
4. Lovely southern California weather
5. Good new music

Day 6

1. New recipes
2. Surprise visits from out-of-town guests.  Our good friend Jeremiah was in town for work.  He and Rick texted about him dropping over to visit for a bit.  Rick didn't tell me so I was thrilled when I answered the door.
3. Warm chocolate chip cookies
4. Good mail
5. Fun birthday dinner plans

Five on the 5th

1. Watching Daphne fall asleep while she nurses
2. My therapist - she is so insightful and generally just rocks!
3. Rick stayed home from work for a few hours this morning to watch the kids so I could go to my therapist. Poor Simon's asthma made preschool a no-go today. 
4. Playing outside with Simon
5. The right and privilege to vote and showing my kids how it works

4th Day

1. Piper's sweet heart
2. Simon's hugs
3. Daphne's good nature
4. Rick doing the dishes
5. Modern medicine

Third Day of Gratitude

1. Cookie dough
2. Short naps
3. Sopes
4. Water
5. Crossword puzzles

Day 2 of Thanks

1. Watching Daphne learn & grow. She is such a smart cookie. 
2. My good friend, Chellese. I always have a smile on my face and a giggle in my throat after I talk to her. 
3. Going to lunch with my dad. I especially love watching his interactions with my kids. 
4. Clean laundry
5. Reese's peanut butter cups

November is here!!

November is already here. I waffled on whether I was going to share my grateful list on our blog this year. It's pretty mundane but I remembered how much I love reading everyone else's.  So here goes. 

1. My mom and that she was lucky enough to have left LAX before all of the drama. 
2. Piper's generosity. She gave more than half of her candy to the military and the $5 from her grandma to UNICEF (she collected $25!!).  
3. Halloween is over. 
4. Rick's coming home tonight
5. Playing video games with Simon. He's getting pretty good at Super Mario Brothers. 

Baby Shower

My good friend Brooke offered to throw me a baby shower.  Despite this being baby number three, I've never had a really big baby shower.  Brooke pulled out all the stops despite having a sinus and throat infection.  I brought Piper with me since I knew she would have a fun time.  Kris handled the decorations and my mom was in charge of the drinks.

We ate strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar, blue cheese dip with veggies, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, hummus, and candy.

It was a wonderful day; I was so spoiled by all my friends and my mom.

Me, Jenica, and Cheryl

Julia and Lisa

Cutie Eisen

Kate, Melissa, and Fran

Noelle, Brooke, and Kris

An original quilt made by my mom.  It's chicken-themed so she titled in "The New Chick."

Simon Has Eye Surgery - AGAIN!

Back in January Simon had eye surgery again.  This time it was on the outer muscles of his eyes.  He did really well.  The surgery was over quickly.  They took out his breathing tube when he was still pretty sedated because he has a bronchial spasm last time due to his asthma.  He slept for a long time in recovery but it was good for me to be there with him when he woke up.  

He still has some slight pink scarring on the whites of his eyes due to a bad reaction to the stitches.  He now has to patch 30 minutes a day due to his right eye still turning a little.  Hopefully we'll be able to avoid a repeat surgery.

Getting drowsy from the sleepy meds

Not Catching Up (for now)

For whatever reason, I cannot find my pictures from Thanksgiving/Christmas from last year.  So I'm not gonna post about the holidays for now.  In the meantime, check back for updates from February until now.