Thankful to be Thankful

Last year was a really hard one for me. I was in the depths of post-postpartum depression and was not very thankful for anything. I has just been moved away from my family and all I had ever know.

As we went around the table naming something we were thankful for I had to reach pretty deep. Think pretty hard.....and in the end, I felt like I lied. That's how bad it was.

This year.......I am THANKFUL to be THANKFUL!

I have a WONDERFUL husband. He handles me SO well and allows me to be free to pursue my interests and dreams. Did I mention that he is a completely hands-on dad. What more could I ask for?

I have three HANDSOME boys who will, undoubtedly, send me to an early grave. But I love them anyway. The are energetic, funny, smart, and sassy. There is NEVER a dull moment at our house.

I am so lucky to have the extended family I do. We are given so much support through our parents/siblings/nieces/nephews and I LOVE THEM and am SO GRATEFUL to have them.

Most of all, I am THANKFUL to have a knowledge of my Heavenly Father and his love for me. I know that he wants what is best for me and will lead me down the paths I must go in order to fulfill the destiny he has laid out for me.

I am THANKFUL for Jesus Christ, my brother, who loves me so much he sacrificed his very life for me. I am grateful for my faith in the atonement and the blessing that is in my life EVERY day as I continuously struggle to become perfect like him.

I am THANKFUL for the healthy body that was given to me and a "spouting" knowledge that it is perfect in the sight of the Lord.

I hope this year we can all take a minute to remember what we have been blessed with.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Back to the real world......

Well, in a few hours I will be headed home..

What an interesting weekend it's been.

Rob dropped my sister and I off at the airport on Friday and I felt like something was missing. Could it be the three kids, the husband, the five pieces of luggage to check in, the three carry-on's, the three car seats and the stoller. Yep, I think that was it.

When we arrived in Utah, my dad came to pick us up. I felt like a little girl again......the "baby," (I am the youngest of 7 children) without my "babies." There I was in my dad's car, my sister in the back seat and I had no one to take care of but myself. It was really strange.

On Saturday, after a 9 1/2 hour certification workshop, and getting lost in the dark on my way home (you see, I am night blind and I was in a very unfamiliar place), I found myself, again, with no one to take care of. I chatted my parents ears off (just like old times), my sister and I went out for ice cream, and came home and watched a movie. No diapers, no screaming, no kids to put to bed...........nice.....but again, strange.

Today I got up and had only myself to get ready for church. There, I got to listen to the speakers, enjoy my nieces and nephews, and actually feel the spirit. It was awesome. My sister hosted a family get together and without even thinking, I got up to get the kids food. Then I realized they weren't there. It was bizarre. Nice, but bizarre.

I only wish I could say Rob was enjoying this time away as much as I am.

When I taked to him on the phone yesturday, he said, "Mel, I don't know how you do this. It's hard!"

VALIDATION!

I think every father should get to have an adventure in motherhood, even if only for a few days. Just to get a feel for what our lives are like, day in and day out.

I LOVE YOU, ROB!

Thank you for giving me wings to fly and being the wind that keeps me soaring high above the clouds.

I owe this all to you. You allow me the freedom to follow my dreams and I love you for it. I feel extremely blessed to have you.

I am so grateful for my adventure in freedom. But alas, it's time to go back to the real world. Back to REAL LIFE. To my wonderfully supportive husband, and my hillariously funny kids (that is that I would think they were hillariously funny if they weren't MY responsibility). This time away has taught me that my husband and my kids ARE REAL LIFE...............MY LIFE and I think it's about time I start enjoying them a little more. Don't you?

Thanks again, Robbie. You're the best!

Freedom..........what will it feel like?

I leave for the airport in less than 20 minutes.

I have the weekend all to myself.....no kids, no husband, no household responsibilities, NO POOPY DIAPERS!

What will I do with myself?

ANYTHING I WANT! (besides the 9 hour certification workshop on Saturday).

I'm actually a little nervous.

Wish me luck!

So much to say....I just cant spit it out......enjoy the pics!

Random.....Random......Random.

I have a lot going on in "the head" right now.....but I don't have time to really analyze it and jot it down so......I just thought I would post some Random pictures.

Rob and leaf pile #2 (luckily there are only about 50 leaves left on the trees).......the thing was huge......almost as tall as Gabe....it was awesome. Of course the boys dove in head first and destroyed it but they had the BEST time doing it. Good Times...........

Isaac LOVES his food. This picture was taken AFTER Isaac had finished his snack. He is always checking to see whether or not anyone has left any scraps behind. He was in luck this time. Cael left an unfinished yogurt on the table. Isaac took to it and finished it off. Then he drank Cael's water and dumped Gabe's all over the place. Oh, and did I mention he does it from ON TOP of the table and the splashes in the puddles. Typical BOY! Naughty that is............

I made this meal with food from our garden (except the peaches). Doesn't the pizza look yummy even without meat and cheese? It was actually REALLY good. Pizza can be healthy. Who would have thought. It has now become somewhat of a habit. Rob gets totally embarrassed calling Papa Murphy's and asking them to leave cheese off part of the pizza. I don't get it. It must be a man thing.

I hope you enjoyed Random Wednesday. No.....it is not my new Wednesday thing. It was just.............um...........well, RANDOM!

Today the fate of our great country will be decided

Warning......political opinion (as in MY OPINION.....not anyone else's) ahead......if you tend to be liberal, you will probably not like what you are about to read.......consider yourself warned.......If you do decide to forge ahead, do so at your own risk.

Today is the day. I have cast my vote and there is nothing more I can do. I must watch and wait along with everyone else.

I cant help but feel a little gloom and doom. For starters, it is raining outside and the cloudy sky has been casting a dark shadow on my soul all day. Secondly, there are MANY important MORAL issues being decided upon, by the American people, today and frankly, as a whole, they do not have my confidence.

I fear we may be headed into the destruction of our country, as we know it . I mean, as a Latter-Day Saint, I have always known it would happen, I just hate to see it come so soon.

Senator Barack Obama is a man of little/no integrity and mixed up morals. He cares nothing for the well being of our country, only to have himself in the spotlight. It is hard enough to follow/support a leader who knows what they want and is willing to work hard to get it, let alone a leader who has no idea what he believes in/stands for. He really is a Superstar...........a man who looks good for the camera but has nothing but fluff in his head.

It could, in fact, be worse.........Hillary Clinton could still be in the race (fluff in the head is far better than steel in the heart and a "lightless" countenance, dont you think?)

SENATOR McCain......you are, by far, the better choice for this country......too bad the majority is too stupid to know that.

(This piece is not intended to personally offend anyone. We all have our own beliefs, thank goodness, and have a right to voice them).

Leaves, Leaves, and MORE Leaves

For many months we have enjoyed the shade of these two beautiful trees in our back yard. We knew, once fall came, we would have quite the task of raking leaves but dreamed of the fun the boys would have jumping in them.

Saturday dawned bright and chilly. What a perfect day for leaf jumping. Rob raked and raked until there was a pile big enough to enjoy. He left for a football game so the kids and I put on our shoes and set out for an adventure.

We had such an fun time. Even Mommy got into the game (such a rarity.....I don't think the kids quite knew what to think of it). Here are some pics:

Just having fun......

"Whoa Cael, NOT ON ISAAC'S HEAD!"

Good throw Gabe!

"Guys.....I SAID, 'NOT ON ISAAC'S HEAD!'"

Burying the mommy. I buried Gabe and Cael as well but they would not hold still long enough to take a picture.

When Rob got home he raked them back into a big pile and we all took turns taking a running leap into it. Except Rob himself. He barely touched it. He said he doesn't like getting leaves in his underwear. No one can blame him right? (CHICKEN!) He hadn't even showered yet (again, CHICKEN). Don't worry....Gabe and I made sure he got his fair share of leaves dumped on his head.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience (even though I found a slug in the hood of my hoodie. YUCK!). What a good time.

This morning when we looked out the window......you couldn't even tell the leaves had been raked the day before. The yard was COVERED (and the trees are not even half bare). Gabe was so anxious to go out and play again, until we reminded him it was Sunday. But......by the look of things, we will have plenty more "Adventures in Leaves" ahead of us.

Good Times........Good Memories..........On the road to becoming a "GOOD" (as in a more playful....not so mean all of the time) mother.

Halloween Bandwagon

We am jumping on the Halloween picture bandwagon.

Festivities started Tuesday night when we went to our old ward's trunk-or-treat. Sorry, no pics.....I forgot the camera.

The fun continued Thursday afternoon. We decorated and ate cookies (my mom's tasty pumpkin cookies) and carved our pumpkins (the two medium sized ones we grew all by ourselves......yeay!). We had a really good time doing that as a family.

Gabe didn't like cleaning his out but I made him anyway (gotta' make a man out of him).


Isaac thought it might be a good idea to EAT the raw pumpkin
(he seemed to enjoy it...no harm done).

All a-glow! Thank for the gourds and corn stalks Grandpa and Grandma G.

On Friday I made pumpkin tortillas for lunch (thanks for the idea Sheena).

I got to go school with Gabe and participate in his classroom Halloween party. It was a lot of fun. I don't get a lot of one-on-one time with Gabe. (Again, I forgot the camera but hopefully one of the other parents will send me a picture).

Gabe said to one of his friends, "That's my mom. She's a lot of fun."

Truthfully, I don't know where he came up with that. I am not-so-much fun but it was nice to hear him say it. Maybe I'm not a complete failure after all.

We had a yummy dinner of chili (again, my mom's super tasty recipe) and cornbread (I forgot the baking powder. It was as flat as a pancake but still tasted good). We got the kids dressed and went trick-or-treating.

The kids looked so cute.

Gabe's Spiderman costume had HUGE muscles (reminded me of the way Rob looked in college) and he enjoyed flexing them for everyone. We had a few "polite" issues (with Gabe) while trick-or-treating (he would say, "What did you give me?" "Wow, I don't like those" "I LOVE THOSE" "Cael can't have those"....the list goes on. We finally gave him a script. It consisted of three phrases...."Trick-or-treat" "Thank you" and "Happy Halloween." He did much better after that.

Cael dressed up as a ghost (although with his coat on he looked more like a hunchback). He had the CRAZIEST hair. It was awesome. People couldn't take their eyes off of it (as if he doesn't get enough attention for it everyday).

Isaac was a frog. We did get him to "ribbit" a few times. SOOOO cute. That boy is just adorable. Trick-or-treating did not hold the same magic for him as it did for the other two. He just kept reaching into his basket and whinning for candy. I finally gave in and gave him a few pieces to quiet his whimpering.

(Yes.....the ghost and frog are repeats from years past).

When we got home, we put Isaac to bed. The other two got to watch Scooby Doo and drink hot chocolate. They LOVED it.

Once all the kids were fast asleep, Rob and I settled in to watch a scary movie together. We haven't done anything like this since before we were married. We watched "The Others." And.....it was scary and truthfully, anything but settling.

All-in-all it was a really fun week.

Next thing to look forward to.......AUNT CHRISTY'S COMING in two weeks.......YEAY!