What am I Thankful for?

As I sit here, I am listening to Christmas music...that's right...I've been listening to it for a week now. For some reason, I have been wanting to feel the "spirit" of the season for a long time!

But I have also been thinking about all of the things I am thankful for...I have lots to be thankful for this year!

I am thankful for my husband...a hard working man who does everything in his power to let me stay home and take care of our kids. What a huge blessing that is in my life to be home with my kids.

I am also thankful that he is so willing to help around the house. He folds laundry, washes dishes, makes dinner, and mops the floor without a second thought.

I am also thankful he holds the Priesthood worthily and blesses my home with it each and every day.

I am thankful for my sweet children. I love when they play together. You can just feel the love in our house.



I am thankful for Isaac being such a good big brother and Maylee being a great sister.

And of course, I love when my kids are helping me work around the house! That's a total bonus in my book!

I am thankful for goodly parents who taught (and still teach) me very important things. I love them more than I can express and I grow more appreciative of them each day.

(missing one brother, Josh. Sorry I don't have a pic of you!) LtoR Austin, Mark, Grandmother, and Samuel.)


I am thankful for brothers who protected me and teased me--it made me stronger!! I am thankful for a sister, who I prayed would come to our family, who is now one of my best friends!

I am thankful for in-laws who are kind and generous. I love them and I wouldn't change them for the world!

I am also thankful for sisters-in-law (Suzanne, Jenilee, Hanaga and Heather) who are some of my best friends...women whom I would call sisters. I am thankful for wonderful brothers-in-law who love these ladies (and my sister) with all their hearts!

I am thankful for Grandmothers and Grandfathers, Aunts and Uncles and cousins.

I am thankful for WIS international for hiring my husband during the greatest economic turmoil our country has seen in YEARS!

I am thankful for friends, both mine and my kids.

I am thankful for our Soldiers, past and present. I am thankful for the pioneers who walked across the plains. I am thankful for Joseph Smith. I am thankful for The Book of Mormon.

But most of all, I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, for the atoning sacrifice he made for me and for all of us. For his selfless act in the Garden of Gethsemane. For his undying love for each of us. And that because of him my family can be together forever.

I hope each and every one of you have a Thankful Thanksgiving. Remember all of the people who have made sacrifices so we could enjoy the freedoms we have.

Happy Thanksgiving!
-Jennie

Jenga

Ever played Jenga with a 2 year old and an almost 4 year old?



Well, it results in a lot of this...

The kind of mom I want to be...

I hope that 30 years from now, my kids remember me being a fun, happy, playful mom. I hope they have fond memories from their childhood. I do.
I remember my mom jumping on our trampoline.
I remember helping my mom cook.
I remember playing tether ball in the backyard with my mom.
I remember gardening with my mom.
I remember swimming with my mom.
I remember my mom eating ice like it was chocolate when she was pregnant with my youngest brother.
I remember lots of fun things I did as a child with my mom.
There are 6 kids in my family...my mom had to devote time to them all, yet I don't think any of us ever felt slighted in her love or attention.
I want to be this kind of mom.
I want to be the mom who's kids talk about her with love, admiration, and fondness.
I want to be the mom who gets dirty with her kids in the muddy back yard.
I want to be the mom who sits on the sidewalk and draws Mickey Mouse--and Minnie--for hours on end.
I hope I am always this mom...


(we're playing Donald Duck Space Ship...putting on our seat belts)


(we can't forget to talk to Professor Vondrake, so we know where to go!)


(Here we are blasting off to find Pluto's bouncy ball)

I read in a Nicholas Sparks book one time about how (when you become a parent) and it's time to get to church on time, you're always late. When you're trying to get dinner on the table, you never have enough time. But when it comes to playing with your kids, time ticks by so slowly. You can play dolls, dress-up, space ships, trucks, blocks, anything...and it only takes 10 minutes off the clock. So true, but those few minutes are priceless--and I love them!

We like to party!

I have that song stuck in my head...

we like...we like to party...don't know who sings it...but I do know it was probably from the mid to late 90's when it hit the airwaves...

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm even talking about this song...but my kids and I like to party.
On Wednesday's, Kevin is gone to work all day and then gone all evening at Scouts. We don't mind that he's gone because we like to party!


I pop popcorn and the kids and I watch a movie...my kids love to snuggle me while we watch! It's so much fun.


Too bad Kevin was home for this party and the kids wanted nothing to do with him...just wanted to snuggle mom! Love it!

Fun, cheap, easy craft

I was in need of a Relief Society Activity for November and saw this craft on this blog and thought it would work well.

So I made it...and Maylee looks adorable in it!

Yes, she has a black eye...long story...she's better now...nuf said!
We're making them at my house this Tuesday...bring 1/3 yard of fleece and matching thread...it so simple a toddler could make it!

Joy School

My kids love joy school...and when I say love...I mean Isaac jumps up and down Tuesday night so excited for school the next day. Maylee gets so excited she wants to go to school with Isaac! She calls it..shool.

This week I was blessed to teach both Isaac's class and Maylee's class. Isaac's class consists of 5 kids...3 adorable girls and 2 boys who are best buddies. At my house we practice letters. I spend the night before class making each kids name out of dotted lines, so they can practice writing their names by connecting the dots. I try to have some sort of snack and craft. This week I went all out!

Not only did we practice our names, but we wrote out our phone numbers. One of the little girls is a rock star at this! (she does have 3 older sisters) Isaac did pretty well. All week long we have been focusing on how to make an "s". Up until now the "s" has eluded us. So for his letters, he only want to do his "s". He would write the "s" while saying, "squiggle, squiggle"

For our snack we had homemade Maraschino Cherry Cookies. They were very yummy.

Then for our craft...we made turkey hats. Thanks to Family Fun, we did this...

Isaac loves his so much, he wore it the whole afternoon, evening, and even this morning!

Maylee enjoyed her's, but not as much...

(he looks like he's being tortured in this picture!)

I feel bad. The younger class did not get to do something this fun!

Maylee's class consists of 3 girls and 2 boys (twins). Ranging in age from 13 months to 27 months. (the teacher has her hands full!) We each try to focus on something these little kids need to learn, I try to teach them their colors. We worked on flash cards...played with blocks, colored turkey pictures, eat yummy popcorn and cookies, sang songs, and read books about colors.

I guess I was just too burnt out after the big kid class yesterday to do anything to stellar! I guess that just proves that there is no way I could homeschool.

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy...and friends!

Mickey and Minnie's Friends: bottom row (L-R) Addie the Ladybug, Clara aka Annie, Shaelyn aka Cinderella, Maylee aka Minnie, Caroline aka Cinderella, and Isaac aka Mickey. Yes, he is a stud with all those ladies!

Just Maylee

I have always wanted to try curling Maylee's stick straight hair. She actually sat still one morning and let me curl it...


I think it turned out pretty well.

Then, Kevin got a hold of her one evening. Maylee has a problem keeping her bangs out of her face and I am constantly pushing her hair out of her eyes...here was his solution...


Not bad for his first ponytail...

Maylee's vocabulary is increasing rapidly. She now yells at me from the potty, "Mommy, I done!" She has also said she needs to go potty on a consistent basis! I think we've finally turned a corner!

When we were up in Mt. Airy for the Autumn Leaves Festival, we spent the night with Grandma Hiatt. We got up for church on Sunday morning thinking we would only last for Sacrament Meeting, but little did we know Maylee had other plans. After the closing prayer was said, she looked up at me and said, "class." She went to class in a ward she didn't know with people she didn't know. She sure is a good example to all of us!

Tonight (Wednesday) when I was tucking Maylee in bed, I asked her if she knew what tomorrow is and she looked at me and said, "church?" I love that she loves to go to church.

Maylee has slept at nap time twice with no diaper...just her panties! It's hard to believe how quickly she's done this potty training thing.

Maylee watched Beauty and the Beast this last week for the first time, she loves Belle. Last night we were watching the ending of it and she started singing along with Mrs. Potts. Except she can't quite say all of the words, so she just kept repeating "beast".

I love the way my kids sleep. This is how I found Maylee...too funny!

Just Isaac

During this past session of General Conference, the kids were playing pretty well together. I hear Isaac pushing this toy box into the front room and Maylee crying. (this toy box is Maylee's and the toys in it were her's) I told him he had to share with her, and instead he climbed inside the box!

"These are my toys I got from her room." he said. hum...


So I guess this is how Isaac shares!

I walked in to Isaac's room today and he and Maylee were playing at the foot of his bed. I asked him what they were doing, and he replied, "We're playing General Conference." He then asked me to bear my testimony.

Today in Sacrament Meeting we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" for the closing song. This happens to also be one of the songs on Isaac's Primary CD. He heard the organ start to play and looked at me with a BIG grin on his face and said, "It's Families can be forgether forever!" Then he made my heart leap with joy when he sang just about every word to both verses!!

Isaac has learned to wink. He even winked at me during the Primary Program!


Isaac got into bed with Kevin and me this morning. I put his arm around my neck and snuggled in the crook of his arm. I said, "Do you like to snuggle like this?" He replied, "This is how I snuggle with Maylee."

I was working on Isaac's costume today and he was sitting at the table next to Kevin with his hand on Kevin's knee and a big grin on his face!

To kill time when we're in the car, I have been counting to ten in Spanish. Isaac is having fun learning this and recently has started counting on his own. "Uno, dos, siete, ocho, dies." Maybe he needs a little more practice?