a grateful heart...

A grateful heart will give you a touch of refinement that can come in no other way. -Marjorie Hinckley, wife of President Gordon B. Hinckley I have wondered how we can teach gratitude and humility to our American children in the face of such abundance. Perhaps the best way is to be constant in the matter of family prayer.
It is good to kneel as a family and to hear daily expressions of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the blessings we enjoy. The Lord intended His children to enjoy the good things of life. With all that we have, we must also have grateful hearts. We must teach our children not to take all that they have for granted. –Marjorie Hinckley
This is our gratitude or thankful tree that we are putting together the entire month before Thanksgiving. L was our Thanksgiving baby, born right on Thanksgiving morning after some years of infertility testing and many prayers. So this holiday has taken on extra special meaning to us. Our goal is to speak only positive things for this month (harder than you think for us!) and then daily write something we are thankful for on a leaf of our tree. I want to end in a culminating event during the thanksgiving holidays. Something they can look forward to. But I can't think of anything that would be meaningful for such young ones...any ideas, please? My blogging world always comes through for me, I'm thankful for you. :)

on becoming a new mother...

"Remember that this is the time in my life that I have dropped off the face of the world as I knew it, to enter the realm of motherhood. My eulogy will mention all of the accomplishments I’ve done before this time and after my children are grown. But the greatest achievements of my life, will be the children that come from this quiet anonymous period." –Me, written in my journal shortly after my first daughter came into the world.

calling all decorators...

...my latest little project needs a little help...this is what I started with...
...and after some lovely scrapbook paper, and mod podge, here is the final...however, which boarder around the clock? Dark Brown:

Blue:

Black:

Cream:

Or just leave it the way it is right now? I feel like the brown paint I oozed into the paper to make it look 'older' or 'worn' or 'distressed' makes it just look sloppy? What should I do? Help please? Then, very soon I have finished curtain pictures coming up!

hooray for modern medicine...

...even with all it's glitches...I feel we are a people inspired by God in the advancement of medicinal break-throughs...
...flu shots hurt! But we are thankful for them. When a flu rolled into our home this week, I stayed well (I was immunized a few weeks ago), both girls (immunized a week earlier) got a mild case clearing up after a day with only lasting weakness, and my hubby is still sick, sorry sweetie (no shot for him). Do I think the flu shot caused the girls to get sick? uh, no. And we might get the flu a few more times this season! But if it was as mild as this case, bring it on! My mommy nerves can handle it. Are we diligent in getting the flu shot? no, more as a convenience. Do I ever want a loved one to be 1 of the 500 in 40 million that contract a serious illness as a result of adverse reactions to the flu shot...never. Even knowing we were perhaps helping the greater cause would not ease the pain and suffering of loosing a loved one or remaining permanently disabled. But would I regret getting the flu shot and go on an anti-flu shot campaign? no. Because you do the best you can for your family. Would I stop driving my kids around because the stats of dying in a car accident are by far greater than them dying by the flu shot? no. You do the best you can in this world...and...I'll continue to luuuuv my epidural...

it's that time again...and we are enjoying it...

go BYU!

a little creativity of our own...

...my sis made me do this...we made these little dresses in a few hour burst of creativity one evening late into the night...I was sick of it after one dress...she persisted and encouraged and we got them all done...she will be good at encouraging her own kids efforts one day...

lights, camera, action...

...a friend has an etsy shop for her creations and my girls tried some on to display the pieces...and quality pieces they are too! I was impressed...creative and well done...check them out HERE. Hey, if we live close to you, I'll bet you can just pick it up from me instead of paying shipping!
Baby leggings, soooo cute and cuddley!

"I'm a little teapot..."