Grateful #9: siblings

I have 9 siblings. In my family there are 7 girls and 3 boys, and the girls definitely have strong personalities. As girls we probably like to go out and eat the most. We probably like food way more than we should. As we've grown older we've definitely grown closer, and become friends. I think we're more like friends than sisters. We tease each other, (in fact we say that when we're not teasing you, is when you should be worried) and tell each other almost everything.

My relationship with my brothers is different. I'm grateful to Matthew for being friends with Nolan pretty much his whole life, because if he hadn't we probably wouldn't have wound up together. I'm much closer to Ben now that we both have kids (it's good to have things in common).

We can talk about movies, politics, discuss current events, go on vacations, and not kill each other. So I'm grateful for siblings that are also my friends.

Grateful #8: My parents

I purposefully left family posts closer to Thanksgiving day. Here's a list of why I'm grateful to my parents:

-Without them I wouldn't be here.

-They still buy me things when they go to the store including clothes and food even though I'm married and have kids of my own. (This may sound materialistic but to me it shows they are thinking of me.)

- They baby sit my kids.

- They reassure me that I am not a terrible mother.

- They are fantastic grandparents.

- They taught me how to cook.

As I grow older, and have kids of my own, I realize that parents truly never stop loving their children. I will always be their daughter, and they will always be my parents, whether they like it or not. (hahaha) And they never stop taking care of me. For example, the other day, I was just making the remark that I needed to go to the store to buy milk on Monday, and my mom was like, oh, we have extra milk, just take some, Dad bought extra. So I took some of course, because she would have been insulted if I hadn't.

Grateful #7: Facebook

Facebook is an amazing social network. Without it I wouldn't be able to keep up with all the doing and goings on of my extended family. I've had friends move all across the country and I still can keep up with them on a day to day basis because of facebook. I can see their pictures instantly, offer condolences, offer congratulations, offer advice, ask for advice, etc. Some might say that Facebook has no redeeming qualities, but I say those people have not looked and indeed might not want to look and might only want to see the bad. But Facebook can be an excellent tool to build relationships with those whose location to us would not make it otherwise possible.

Grateful #6: naptime

Naptime, enough said!

Crocker Art Museum

I went to the Crocker Art Museum for the first time today. I went with friends from church as a playdate. I didn't actually get to see much art since I had the kids, but Oliver loved it. We did the Wee Wednesdays which is the group every Wednesday for young children. They showed the kids a painting and read a story and talked about warm and cool colors and went around and tried to find warm and cool colors on other paintings. Oliver looked at statues and told me what the statues looked like to him. It was really a neat experience because I thought he would be too young to appreciate or even pay attention to the pieces, but he surprised me. Then of course I had to go see Uncle Eric who is the executive chef at the cafe there, and had lunch with him. It was so fun to see Oliver interested in art when I thought he would have no interest at all.

Grateful #5: Ready to wear clothes

Imagine before you can wear a shirt, you have to first shear the sheep, pull the wool, spin the wool, weave the fabric, cut the fabric and then finally sew, by hand. Now, I just go to the store, shop the clearance rack and find a couple pairs of jeans, each for only $9 (yes I went shopping today and found some jeans at Old Navy today for only $9). I know that's two posts in a row about modern conveniences, but I think they are pretty darn amazing. So I am totally grateful for ready to wear clothing that fits and looks good, and is inexpensive.

Grateful #4: Refridgerator and Freezer

I love that I can just go grocery shopping once a week or even once every 2 weeks and throw my perishables in the fridge or freezer and know that they will last a while until I can use them. I think back to the days before fridges and try to imagine having to go to the market everyday for your daily food, or having a ice house and having to cut out an ice block from the river and dragging it to the ice house, covering it with hay, and hope it lasts a while. We are so lucky to have this amazing appliance that keeps our food fresh and cold. Next time you open that door, just hink about what you would do without it.

Grateful #3: Glasses

Yes Hillary, I'm copying this from you.

After reading my SIL blog post today, I realized how grateful I am for MY glasses. I just got my first pair this past July. I've been needing glasses forever, but we haven't had the insurance, or I've been pregnant, or any number of excuses you can think of. So now that we have insurance and I'm not pregnant, I decided that now is the time! I love being able to see! I'm nearsighted so I couldn't see things far away. So watching TV, movies, trying to read street signs were all pretty difficult. Then I got my glasses and TA-dA, suddenly everything had details. I remember watching the newest Harry Potter movie and wondering, "When did Lupin get all those scars?" Now when I take my glasses off I realize how bad my eyes really are and wonder how I got along without them. Next step, Laser eye surgery?!

Grateful #2: Friends

I feel so blessed to be in a ward with so many friends! I have made friends with the women not just my own age but with the women of all ages, and I have my callings to thank for that (Which I might do as a later post.) But I am really especially grateful for the friends I have made through playgroups. These women have kept me sane on the long days when Nolan is at work. Sometimes those days feel like they will never end. But then the thought of going to go play with my friends, and the kids get to go play with their friends, makes my day a lot easier. We talk on facebook, and vent if we've had a hard time, or give each other tips about kids. I've never met a more accepting group of women. And as more young mothers/ women come into the ward they just join right into the group. I love it! It's like a group of ready made friends.

Thank you friends!

Grateful #1: Nolan

So my unoriginal self is going to copy countless others and do a gratitude post for the month of Thanksgiving. I don't know if I will actually do one for each day of the month, but I'll try!

I'm pretty much grateful for my husband everyday. But if I posted about him everyday that would probably get pretty boring (but trust me I could find 30 things about him to be grateful for!).

Here are just a few:

-He is the best father ever! (I think he is a better father than I am mother)

-He works super hard at a job that he doesn't love.

-He lets me be a stay at home mom even though he would love to be a stay at home dad.

-He is an incredible husband.

-He tells me I'm beautiful all the time, and lets me know just how desirable he finds me.

-He tells me I should spend more money.

-He tells me I should take more "me" time.

-When I've had a bad day he always makes it better.

-He puts me first.

-He can always make me laugh.

-I love to talk to him, and hear what he has to say.

Ok, so maybe that is more than a few. But seriously, if you think you have a better husband, you would be wrong. He is my best friend, and he tells me that I am his all the time. I don't know what I would do without him.