Expressing Gratitude - Day 20

I love cereal for breakfast, as much as it bothers my husband. He's more of a hearty breakfast type of guy.

I hadn't had cereal for a while so I grabbed what we had (Halloween cereal to be exact...don't judge) and started chowin' down. Because the cereal was almost a month old, you can imagine how stale it was. I took another bite and CRUNCH...I chewed on something extremely crunchy. I didn't think it was the cereal so I found a piece with my tongue and grabbed it before I swallowed it.

"Is this part of my tooth?!" I thought.

I put my tongue to use and began exploring for a broken tooth. Thank goodness, I didn't find anything.

But I did find that the bonding to my lower lingual wire chipped off.

Because posting a photo of my actual mouth would have been awkward

I finished getting ready and called the dentist (which we had just been to a week prior! So grateful for that!) and they were able to get me in at 1:00.

It wasn't a huge procedure but I could already start to feel my teeth move. So I was especially thankful they were able to see me right away and the doctor was so nice!

What I wasn't thankful for was that my boys were fist fighting in the operatory while they were working on me. "Um, Mom..." the dentist said. UGH! Thankfully, he followed it up with, "Don't worry, I have two young boys of my own."

We were done in no time and my teeth are squared away.

Expressing Gratitude - Day 19

The Lime had his baptism preview tonight and the invitation said for 8 year olds and parents.  I wasn't going to get a baby-sitter for Doodlebug since I estimated we'd be gone for less than an hour but I also wasn't sure how I'd keep him reverent at 7:00 at night (especially when he didn't have a nap today).

Enter puzzles.

This boy loves puzzles and I couldn't be more grateful. He's perfectly content with doing one, then taking it apart, and doing it over and over. When we were at The Lime's class party last week, he found some good quality floor puzzles and was bound and determined to finish them. I tried putting them away, since school was almost over, and he FREAKED out. So he quickly completed them and was pleased as punch with his accomplishment.

I love seeing his little brain work, his pride when he completes one, and the peace and quiet I get for that brief moment while he's working.

Expressing Gratitude - Day 18

Today was a good day.

My paycheck wasn't ready when I arrived at work so I had to go back at 7:00 to get it.  Doodlebug was already awake (the kid wakes up before 6:30 every.single.day) and The Lime woke up when I went in his room to get Doodlebug's clothes.  I asked him if he wanted to come with us, and that doughnuts were going to be involved, and he said yes.

We picked up my check, grabbed our doughnuts, hot chocolate, and orange juice, and headed back home to gobble up our treats.  I got ready for the day while the boys played outside and then we headed out to run some errands.  We might have stopped by Togo's for lunch where The Lime graciously offered to hold the door open for a woman in a wheelchair but she declined.  Love that he is willing to serve others.

LaVor needed some new work boots so Boot Barn was the next stop on our list.  When we got in the car to leave, Doodlebug asked where we were going next.  Bass Pro wasn't too far so we poked our heads inside for a few minutes.

We worked off our lunch by now and were one exit away from our beloved Taylor's.  Doodlebug asked for a milkshake earlier in the day so it only made sense to make a pit stop.

After enjoying our ice cream and shakes, we walked over to the park next door where Doodlebug played on the playground and The Lime stared at the skateboarders.

The sun began to set and the temperature was cooling off; both signs it was time to head home.

Even though I don't get the weekends off, I'm grateful for the time we're able to spend together as a family.

This next week is going to be just like that times 6!

Expressing Gratitude - Day 17

I was on Facebook one day (shocker, I know) and saw a comment on my sister-in-law's page from a woman in my ward.

"How do you know Robin?!" I asked my SIL.

"She's my mom's cousin," she responded.  "My grandma and Robin's dad are brother and sister."

Since then, I've felt a bond with Robin and her dad.  While we aren't related by blood, I imagine we're related through temple sealings and that's pretty awesome.

Ralph, the dad, passed away last week after 12 years without his sweetheart.  LaVor had a chance to sit down and talk with him once and Ralph expressed how ready he was to die.  Over the course of those 12 years, he handcrafted his coffin (boy, I wish I had a picture of it...talk about AMAZING!).  The detail was immaculate.

The Lime asked me the other day what Ralph was to him.  "Well, he isn't really anything to us but he's Auntie Krista's great uncle."

"I guess I'll have him be my second grandpa," The Lime said.

Ralph was a happy guy and could always be seen with his wooden cane, which he also made.

After his service today, his daughter posted on Facebook that she managed to make it through the entire service without shedding a tear.  "...I am so happy he is with mom. I will miss him terribly. I am grateful and proud to be his daughter."

I don't know how people deal with death without the knowledge of eternal families.  It's so hard to be sad for someone when you know they're jumping for joy because of all the reunions they're participating in.

I can't express enough gratitude for the hope and happiness the gospel of Jesus Christ brings me.  And for the blessing it is to be sealed to my family forever.

Expressing Gratitude - Day 16

The rain finally stopped and the ground is dry enough that I don't have to bag my papers!  Yah!

But with the rain gone, that means the clouds are gone.  And it's getting chilly outside!

That's AM

I haven't seen him this week but there's a guy at work that appears to have a MUCH harder life than I do.  I don't think he has a car because I've only seen him hitch a ride with another carrier and her daughter or he rides his bike.

But his most recent most of transportation has been his skateboard.  He loads all of his papers in a large garbage can and skates with the can on his board.

He's amazing.

I sit in my heated car, with my heated seats, with my scarf tightly wrapped around my neck, and my fleece jacket on and I still manage to complain about how long it takes me to do my routes and how cold I am.

Never have I been more grateful for my car, and the warmth & safety in provides me, than I was when I first saw this man on his skateboard.  Talk about dedication and determination!

And what an example he is of someone who can do hard things.

Expressing Gratitude - Day 15

I got to work this morning and it was BUSY. I used to go in at midnight but realized I needed a good chunk of sleep before heading out so now I arrive after 2:00. Since it rained today, and I knew I'd need extra time to bag the papers, I went in a smidge earlier. A bunch of carriers were still there and my normal table was taken so I parked it next to my friend. My friend that has no name because I'm embarrassed to ask him! He knows mine but I have yet to ask him what his is. I'm horrible.

We got to talking about Thanksgiving and the craziness it brings when it comes to newspapers. Like, each paper weighs about 5 lbs. Say a prayer for me Thursday morning.

I asked him what his plans were and he said he didn't have any. "Any kids that'll come over?" "Nope," he said. "Any siblings close by?" I asked. "I have a nephew in Huntington Beach and my mom is down there. But nobody up here."

My heart sank.

Nobody should be alone on Thanksgiving.

I regretfully told him we were headed out of town, otherwise I'd be more than happy to have him join our family. He appreciated my offer and said he'd be fine.

Man, it made me grateful that we always have a place to go. We have plenty of family around that are more than willing to celebrate with us. And even if they weren't, we have friends that could substitute. And if that didn't work out, we have each other. It's something that I might have taken for granted in the past but I will now treasure the moments we get to be with our family. Especially this year, with LaVor's parents joining us.

Thanksgiving 1993

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2012

Expressing Gratitude - Day 14

I often think back to when it was just The Lime and me. We had our weekly library trips, visited Target often, headed to Auntie's house every day but I got to join him on Thursdays, and watched the MoMo man every Tuesday. We had lots and lots of fun!

I'm not as fun with Doodlebug. Which I feel bad about! We're much more limited on time than The Lime and I were. We drop The Lime off and have about 2 hours before we need to be back home for lunch so I can put Doodlebug down for a decent nap before we have to pick The Lime up from school.

We didn't have anything planned today (which was apparent by the way I looked) and I was pleased as punch when Doodlebug suggested we play baseball. We got the T out, which he hit off of, and he pitched to me. He's just as talented as his big bro and is going to be a rock star in two years when he can play baseball.

He laughed hysterically every time he purposely threw the ball at my head.  It was a wiffle ball so I wasn't too scared.

Then he suggested we play soccer. As much as it isn't in the cards LaVor has for his boys, I think Doodlebug would make an excellent soccer player. We'd bring a ball to all of The Lime's practices and games and at one point he was repeating "I love soccer!" over and over and over again.

Next up was a rousing session of sidewalk chalk. I drew a turkey and then Doodlebug asked me to draw something. I could not, for the life of me, understand what he was saying. So we played our guessing game where he gave me clues. Is it a movie? No. Is it a toy? No. TV show? Yes! Then Doodlebug said "yellow" and I said, "SpongeBob?" "Yes! Yes! Yes!" he said. In his sweet mind, he was saying it perfectly and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting it. So when I did get it, he was ecstatic. It was darling.

Almost 2 hours later, we headed inside to get ready for lunch.

I'm so grateful Doodlebug suggested we do all those fun things together. Not just because I love making those memories with him but also because it's supposed to rain for the next two days and we won't be outside much.