Day 24: Holidays

I love the Holidays at the end of every year. I love that we reflect on the things we're thankful for and for the life the Savior led to give us hope and peace.  I am thankful for all the feelings that I get while decorating for the holidays, cooking, making gifts, wrapping gifts, singing songs. They all give me a spirit of heaven. I am thankful that we get to celebrate the life of our Savior Jesus Christ, and that while doing so, the spirit of Heaven is abound where ever we go.

Day 23: A Home

This year I've had 3 homes. All of them have given my family and I a place to lay our heads, a place we are protected from the evils of the world, a place to play, laugh, learn, love and care for one another. I am grateful that I have a home. It may not be everything I want in a house, but its home because there is love, caring, laughter and tears shed as we as a family work to become a better family.

Day 22: Cooking talent

As a child, and a teen, I had no interest in learning how to cook with my mom. I didn't pay much attention to anything she tried to teach me, but I think I learned the basics. When I moved away from home, my cooking skills didn't get better, they stayed mostly the same, easy things only.  It wasn't until after Shawn and I were married and after Emma was born and I was at home with her all day that I decided that cooking dinner had to become more exciting than simple, easy things.  I started little at a time and soon, I wasn't afraid of anything.  Today I made a simple Thanksgiving dinner for our family. The turkey was so awesome looking and the taste was just as awesome. We had yams with marshmallows like my Grandma Jones would make, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls and stuffing. I made a scratch pumpkin pie that if I would have thought ahead about the elevation change, it would have turned out more awesome. It was still fine.  I was thinking about how important my hands are to me while I was working on dinner tonight and an so thankful that I have working hands that allow me to expand the talent and love I have developed for cooking.  I am thankful my Heavenly Father blessed me with the talent to make good, healthy (most the time) ,wholesome food for my family. It would be boring if I had no idea or ability to put together a meal for our family.

Day 12: A new Chapter

Today we start a new chapter in our life, a new adventure in a place we've never been, or known.  We never saw our family moving to Laramie, Wyoming. We never pictured living that far from our extended families, but here we are and it's going to be a fun adventure. I am grateful that I have a husband who wants life to we awesome for us, and wants to provide for us in a way he nor I have ever known.  I am grateful that we have the support of the Lord in this and because of that I know it's going to be awesome and fun. I also know that we will have the bumps and mountains along the way like everyone does, but today, I am thankful to start that new chapter and start fresh.

Day 11: Safety

I'm always so thankful for my/our safety, especially when we travel. I don't take for granted the safety I enjoy day to day. I know that at any given moment that safety is gone and there could be trouble. I am grateful that when I pray for safety, I feel safe and trust that I will be.  My mind always thinks up the worst case scenario most the time, and even after the fact. I don't wonder what could have been, or what might be per say, but I do think about how quickly life can change by a sudden moment. Today I am grateful that 2 days of driving on the roads have brought us safety. Tomorrow is our last day on the road and I will be praying that the Wyoming roads treat us well.

Day 10: Family

Shawn and I have lived away from our families for 7 1/2 years now. Those years have made us rely on each other and strengthen our own family.When we get the opportunity to visit family we usually feel stressed and run ragged.  Because both our extended families live close to each other, splitting time between both families has proven to be challenging at times.  We have not felt this challenge this visit. I am grateful that amongst all my stress for moving and all that goes with moving, there hasn't been added stress by either family to spend more time. Although I know both families would like to see us longer, as we would like to see them, the time we've had has been enough. Our next visit will have to be a little longer and will be a lot less stressful.

Day 7,8,9

Day 7:  I'm thankful it's moving day. Most thankful that it is FINALLY here and then it's not just talk again.  I am also thankful for Holly R. for taking Paige and Carter for the day so I could pack and focus on getting things taken care of.  Feeling pretty lucky to have great friends every where we go. Today I'm also thankful for the missionaries. Our missionaries in our ward saved the day today. Elders Bagley and Smith arranged for them, three other companionship and 2 members of the singles ward to come and help load the moving truck today. In record time the house was empty and them missionaries we're helping Shawn load. I was so thankful for him and me that we had all that help. Without them, it would not have been possible to leave on time and when we did.

Day 8: I'm grateful that we are together as a family. I'm thankful that we had good roads on the way to Idaho. I'm grateful for my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Don for welcoming us their home for dinner as we traveled to Nampa.  By the end of our 12 hour trek I was most grateful for a bed to sleep in. I was so tired.

Day 9: We got to go as a family to the Boise Idaho LDS Temple open house. We got to go with my Grandparents and it was their first time in a LDS temple and it was such a neat experience for me to watch them take it it. We then got to spend some time with them at lunch.  I am so thankful that the temple is a peace of heaven on earth and that I could share with my children the special feelings you have while there. It is so beautiful and holy. 

Day 6: Our founding Fathers

Over the years at different times I have thought profoundly on who our founding fathers of America were. I wondered what their childhoods were like and what drove them to have the convictions they did. They sacrificed a lot to build this country and not just build it, but to make it a new free world. They could have chosen to build up a country that they would have control, but they gave that control to the people of the United States of America. Today, as people head to the polls to cast their vote for Leadership all over America, I think of our founding fathers, wondering what they think about what we've done with the freedoms they preserved and am humbled and have such gratitude that they preserved those freedoms for me and my family to enjoy.

Day 5: Transportation

I think about times when people got around on horse and buggy and think, man it would have taken so long to go anywhere. Because our family has lived far away from our extended family for 8 of the 9 years we've been married, I am grateful that in a day I can just jump in my car, spend lots of money in gas and be at my parents house by the end of the day.  I am also grateful that when it's raining, I don't get wet and that my car keeps me dry and warm. I also don't have to feel the wind on my face when I desire not to. We have been blessed to have a car that runs well and so far have required minimal maintenance. Technology makes life so easy and yet, so complicated at time. Today I'm grateful for the easy part.

Day 4: Priesthood

I feel so blessed to have been able to access the power of the priesthood all my life. There are many who have the blessing of having a righteous worthy father who hold and bear the priesthood in the home as a child, but do not have that blessing as an adult due to no fault of their own. There are also those who were not raised in the church and as such, did not have those blessings as a child, but now as an adult have that blessing through their husband.  I have both. I love the miracles that can be performed through the Savior's power, the Priesthood power. There have been times in my own life when I have needed a physical voice to give me comfort, direction or a blessing of healing and I find that in receiving priesthood blessings. It is also through the power of the priesthood I was able to follow the example of Jesus Christ and was baptised for a remission of my sins. As an adult, I made covenants in the Lord's House, The Temple, and did that through the power of the priesthood. I served a mission to teach people about the saving ordinances that were there for them through the power of the priesthood.  Through the priesthood, I was married, sealed, to my best friend and together we became one and started a family, an eternal family that even death won't separate us. My life has been filled with rich blessings from heaven through the Priesthood all because a boy who at 14 didn't know what church to join. When he sought the Lord's help through prayer, he was instructed to not join any of them, and that he had a work to do. Through Joseph Smith, Heavenly Father restored Christ's church back to the earth, the same church that existed in the times of Christ. I am so thankful to have the knowledge that He lives and loves us and blesses us daily so that we can become all that we are to be. The priesthood is His power and through Him and the priesthood power, we will return to live with God one day. Of this I have the utmost gratitude for and a testimony of. I share this with you, whom ever you may be, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Day 3: Helping Child

I'm thankful that sometimes Emma listens and follows directions. It gives me hope for her future. She cleaned all the window tracks in the house without being told over and over to please help. She stayed focused and worked till it was done going window to window.  That saved me a lot of time.  Thank you Emma!

Day 2: The Holy Ghost

I am thankful for the power of the Holy Ghost and the peace it brings to our lives when we are feeling like we are hanging from a cobweb. The process of buying the clinic is moving forward and we are planning on moving from Oregon to Wyoming next week, but we do not have a house lined up for our family to live in. The house we had put money down on and planned on renting fell through and we are wondering if there is anything in Laramie that would work for our family.  I have faith that Heavenly Father is aware of us and he is preparing a home for us. It may not be idea, but it will keep us together and we will stay warm.

30 Days of Thanksgiving; Day 1:Electricity

Being November and the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, I'm giving myself a challenge to post daily (when I have internet) something I'm thankful for that day.

Today I'm thankful for electricity. It makes our lives so much easier from turning on a light to see to flushing the toilet. We had a very blustery morning and I am grateful the power didn't go out and our morning went on in the normal fashion.

Family Pumpkin Pie

I don't think that I have ever made a pumpkin pie with non-canned pumpkin. Actually, I am sure I haven't. This year, everyone in our family took a part of making our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

Shawn did the planting, watering, weeding and watching. He also harvested, and transported all our pumpkins home when they were done in the garden. Shawn cooked our pumpkin and we put it in this bowl and got it ready for the rest of the process.

Heather squeezed out some extra pumpkin juice as we put it through the food strainer so that the pumpkin pulp was smooth and ready to be made into yummy pie. She also assisted the kids, put it in the oven, and took it out when it was time.

Emma worked on pureeing the pumpkin and making sure it went into the right bowl. She did an awesome job. Emma also took the pictures of Mason and Paige working with Mom. When it was time to pour the pumpkin into the pie, she did that also.

Mason made the first part of our pie crust. He blended the flour and Crisco together. He was really excited to help.

Paige helped with the next few steps and Mason lost interest. She blended the water into Mason's pie start. She then helped get the counter ready for rolling the dough out.

When the time came to add our other ingredients to our pie, Paige was eager to help. She broke 1 egg and Emma broke the other. I think that was her most favorite part of the whole process.

Both Emma and Paige took turns shaking the milk before we opened the can. They were so funny sharing turns.

I didn't get another picture of Emma while she poured this into the pie pan. It looked really good. When our cooked pie came out, it looked even better. We will sure enjoy eating this tomorrow as we all had a hand in making this pie. Some more than others, but we all did our part.

Thanksgiving in Idaho

It is always so stressful getting ready to leave to go and visit family in Idaho, and this year was no exception. We left Wednesday afternoon when Shawn got off work at lunch time. I had good intentions to pack everything the night before and have the van ready, it didn't happen. I packed the our clothes Wednesday morning. As we were driving, I realized I forgot toys to the car ride, snacks for the drive, our church bag, and a few other non important things we got along with out. I realized that I just need Shawn here as my head as I am putting things together. :0)

We went to Grandpa and Grandma Sanders house Thanksgiving morning and played with all the cousins and enjoyed the company of our siblings. We decorated Grandma and Grandpa's tree with Grandpa handing ornaments to the grand kids. This was Paige's first experience with putting up decorations, and it was great to see her jump in and try to help. She would walk over to the tree and throw the ornaments into the tree. She thought it was great, and so did we.

Waiting for an ornament.
My sister started a tradition last year that we got to take part in this year. She made a plate of goodies and we took them to the fire department down the street from my parents. We thanked the firemen for all their hard work and for being willing to spend Thanksgiving at the fire station. 2 of the firemen have kids at home around our kids ages and they totally showed it. They took all the crazy kids out to the fire truck and let them play around on them. They have a old fire truck from the 20's or 30's that has been restored and the kids actually liked it better than the newer one. They all got their own fire hat and had a lot of fun visiting the fire station, and I think that the firemen enjoyed the visit.

Shawn and I got out early on Black Friday, but I won't say too much cause it would spoil Christmas. Just know this, we got everything we went out for.

Being the loving wife I am, I got Shawn a ticket to go to the Boise State/ Nevada game in Boise Friday night. I stayed at our friends house and watched the kids and got them to bed. Shawn had a lot of fun, and I am sure he loved spending time with his best friend. I wonder if we could separate them if we lived closer.

Saturday was really the reason we traveled to Idaho. My sister, Jodi, went to the temple for the first time. It was wonderful to be in the temple with so many people who support her. There were a few people missing, but for the most part everyone was there, and it was a good day.

Later that night, my family and a few of Jodi's friends joined us as we went out for dinner. We had 11 kids 5 or under. For this reason, we chose a buffet and it was a big hit.

One of the black Friday purchase we made was a duel DVD player for the van. Our trip home was wonderful. I don't know why we didn't get these 2 years ago.

Thanksgiving Thursday

• Safe travels to our parents house. It is nice to have that drive behind us for a few days.
• Thanksgiving Day. It is nice to have a day that we think of all we are thankful for, but really, we should live in thanksgiving daily as we will realize the hand Heavenly Father plays in our lives.
• Visits with Family, are nice. It is good to see the nieces and nephews and how much they grow. It is fun to see Aunt and Uncles reaction of how much our kids have grown. Now that we are employed and time off has to be taken to visit family, we are realizing how spoiled we were while we were in Pullman.
• The blessings of this past year.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and hopefully, this next year will bring lots of blessings and thankfulness all year thought.

Thankful Thursday

• Thanksgiving and the reminder to be thankful.
• Emma who turns 4 today. Happy Birthday Emma!!
• Time to spend with Family which is always hectic, but we sure enjoy having time with family, and enjoying a meal with them.
• Shawn who finished his boards exam yesterday, and didn't complain about the time it took, or how grooling it really was. I am so thankful for his positive attitude.
• Health. To this point I have managed to escape the cold that has been being passed around. I hope this continues.
• Night time sleep, which has improved so much in the last 2 nights. Paige has started sleeping at night much better than she was.
• Done with the Christmas shopping. It wasn't so hard to do, and I stayed with in budget.

The Board Exam

Shawn scheduled his board exam this last week.He is going to be taking this 7.5 hour exam Wednesday, November 26. Yep, right before Thanksgiving/Emma's birthday. We figured if he takes if before the Holiday, he will have more to be thankful for. I am sure he will also enjoy Thanksgiving and Emma's birthday a bit more, knowing that it isn't coming up. Can't wait for this to be over with!

Thanksgiving Dinner

This Thanksgiving we were finding more to be grateful for than years past. Heather's parents came up Thanksgiving morning and stayed until Sunday. It was so nice to have them with us.

Heather cooked the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with a little help from Jodi and Shawn. We had a Maple Roast Turkey with all the trimmings, yams, potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, an amazing Apple pie and of course rolls and gravy! This was our first Thanksgiving in our home since we have been married....and it was wonderful.

Late October, we took the kids to the Vet School campus to collect leaves (they have some really awesome leaves there). We made some place mats, window hangings and the rest we spread down the center of the table as our center piece. We really felt the fall feeling, and it was really festive.

Emma and Mason got to sit at their own little table (no seat belts) and they loved it. The did really well for the prayer on the food, which all with in its self was amazing. Usually Mason will figure out that he isn't buckled down and is the first to jump up and run around. They both sat quietly. They didn't sit through the whole meal, but what kid does.