Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was low-key this year, which was so nice.  It was just us and my sweet mom.  

I made the whole dinner from top to bottom.  I cooked pretty much all day, which was fine because I do enjoy cooking.  There was no pressure, we had no one showing up at a certain time.  It was perfect and we ate when everything was ready, there was no rushing to get everything done...except the kids got a bit anxious toward the end and we were all starving.   

The turkey turned out so tasty, I made sure I rubbed plenty of herbs on it.  

Scott is my master carver.  So thankful I have him to do that.  

He made his amazing gravy and the food turned out delicious. 

This year I am particularly grateful for family.  Scott and I feel so blessed to have ended up here in Utah, close to most of our family, we do miss our Kemchu.  I think, the Lord knew that we needed this at this time of our lives and especially our children's lives.  They are making memories and they will remember the influence of these amazing individuals, especially the influence of their grandparents.

I've always wanted to make a thankful tree, but never got around to it in prior years.  

This year I made it a priority and I love how it turned out.  

This year our family has so many blessing to be thankful for. 

A few days before Thanksgiving, however, I was not feeling grateful.  

I was dreaming of the things I wanted to have, like a new wardrobe, an ipad, a bigger car, brand new decorations for our house, I was wishing we had more.  Not because our family needs those things but because I WANT them.  It made me think of the verse of the hymn "Count Your Blessings", 'when you look at others with their lands and gold'. The internet can be a double edged sword for me and for many.  It's great and wonderful until I see all the things I can have, that others have and I don't.  All the things that might make me feel good at that moment but eternally they have no value. It is difficult to not want more and more.  But I ask myself, if I had everything I wanted, would I still want more and more and not ever be satisfied by the things of this world? 

The thing is that both Scott and I have such amazing examples in our lives of being thankful.  My mom always says, 'I won't take any of this, when I die." referring to material things.  My mom has always been such an example to me of what matters most.  She puts her time and energy into the things that matter most, always, she never fails at this.  I must confess, that I fail constantly at this...I feel deeply thankful for the gospel that brings perspective to my life.  I am thankful for that hymn, "Count Your Blessings", it makes me teary-eyed every time.  Especially this part "Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.  Count your many blessing, money cannot buy."

I am thankful for this holiday that makes me reflect on my blessings, the blessings that are the most important. 

These are some of the blessing that made it to our Thankful Tree this year:

Health

Scott's Job

The Gospel

Each other

Friends

Dental Insurance

Challenges

A comfy bed

Nature

Modern Medicine

Games

Good food

...and we did have plenty of good food on our table.  

I am so grateful that this geriatric rotation landed on Thanksgiving! Scott had the whole weekend off.  It was such a blessing.  Christmas will be another story but for now I am just grateful that we at least got this holiday with him.  The day after Thanksgiving we headed to Idaho. 

You would think that a 3 1/2 hour ride there wouldn't turn into whiner fest.  But it did.  Brielle and Braden kept asking, 'are we there yet? are we there yet?' every 10 minutes. They got so anxious. Brooke was good for the first half of the trip and the next half she cried and cried. 

But it is always worth making the effort to drive there to spend time with Scott's family.  

They are all so great and fun to be with.  Our kids love being at grandma and grandpa's house.  

Brookie is particularly fond of her grandpa Clay.  

We had Thanksgiving leftovers and they were so delicious!!! 

Can I ever get sick of eating Thanksgiving leftovers?

The kids had fun coloring and playing. 

Aunt Penny was there too and it is always fun to be with her. 

Brooke did not leave poor Emi, the dog alone all weekend.  She just pestered that poor dog.  But Emi was patient and I didn't hear her growl at Brooke one time.  

Scott was able to replace his parents' garbage disposal while we were there. 

I just think my husband is so sexy when he does these kinds of things.  

What a hottie.

Our poor Lanie was sick the whole time we were there.  I asked her what would make her feel better and she requested that I make this soup for her.  (I made it when they came to visit us last time, and she loved it!)  I am glad I was able to do something nice for her.  She is always so thoughtful with our family.  

Braden was so tired that night, he took a nap and was having a hard time waking up and was so grouchy.  Karen asked him if it would make him feel better if she held him, he said it would.  Three seconds later, he was asleep again!:) 

Sunday, before heading back home, we were able to see Scott's uncle Chuck and his wife Shirley.  It was nice to see them, we hadn't seen them in a long, long time.  We were able to visit with them for a couple of hours.  

...and before heading home we had to get a picture with Karen.  We don't have a picture of our whole family with her, so I am so glad we got this one.  

We are so thankful for the good example of courage and hard work that Karen is in our lives.  She is strong and we always have such a fun time when we are with her and Clay.  

We are indeed blessed beyond words.  

 Count your many blessings; name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done! 

It is definitely more than we deserve! 

Around Here│Pre-Turkey Day

November is pretty much gone and I can't believe Thanksgiving is over and we are getting ready for Christmas! Our days around here continue to fly by and next thing I know it'll be 2013! 

I remember when I was a little girl, the 2000's seemed so far away...now we are going to be 13 years into the 2000's!  Doesn't that seem a bit crazy? 

We got a pretty good storm the first week of November.  It snowed for three days, pretty much non-stop.  

Brielle and Braden LOVED it...and Braden insisted on going to play out in the snow, even with a broken arm.  He built that snowman with his own hands, with no help from anyone.  Scott and I were so surprised when he called us to come outside to see his snowman.  There is just no way of stopping a 5 year old.  

Scott built a snow igloo, he spent a good hour out there and our kids and the neighbor kids thought he was so cool for building it. 

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Scott and I went to the Salt Lake Temple one Saturday.  

We needed to go terribly.  Since Brooke was born, our temple attendance has suffered immensely.  It takes twice as much preparation and planning.  But we are determined to be better.  We LOVED the live session, it was so incredibly special. Let's just say, it was so very needed, in so many ways.  

I always feel deeply strengthened when I attend the temple.   

Downtown Salt Lake was so beautiful with all the snow on the trees.  

Salt Lake is a beautiful city. 

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Our afternoons around here look like this: 

Homework, homework and homework...and a little 15 month old that wants to be part of the action.  

She is so happy to be sitting there watching her big sister and big brother do their homework, while she has a snack.  

Can I just say, how much work it is to keep up with all the school papers my children bring home? 

I go through dozens and dozens of papers daily! 

Sometimes I feel bad throwing it away, but we just can't keep everything.  

It's not all work around here, Brielle and Braden still enjoy playing together.    

They don't see each other that much, since Brielle is in school until 3pm. 

Brielle is pulling her 'injured' brother. :)

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Scott's cousin Tristan was in town visiting his sister Jana, whom we hang out with all the time.  

We hadn't seen Tristan in quite a few years.  Jana had us over for dinner and we had such a great visit.  

...and as always Brielle and Macie played so well and Braden and Parker did too.  

Brooke was loving those sunglasses and thought she was so cool. 

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I've been lucky to volunteer a few times in the kids' classrooms.  

I enjoy it so much and I love how special my children think I am. 

There is something about a classroom that I love, no matter what age really...except, I must say that junior high school is not my favorite...but those little kindergartners are still so innocent and have such a desire to learn and are curious about the world around them.  

They are frank and honest and they just say what they are thinking...and I enjoy that so much. They are just themselves and have no inhibitions...and they NEVER run out of energy!:)

Braden had his Thanksgiving party and I got to be one the mom helpers.  

I loved that I was able to watch Braden and how he interacts with his teacher and classmates.  

There are a zillion little girls in his class and ONLY 6 boys!!! 

That ratio is really uneven...but I guess he's used to it having two sisters at home. 

My friend Heidi watched Brookie while I was at the school and her little boy Blake is such a cutie pie! 

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Scott has been on a geriatric rotation for the last 2 weeks and we have LOVED it! 

The hours are awesome and he gets home so early, compared to 10 or 11pm, when he's in the wards at the hospital.  We have been so spoiled lately and I can't help but feel grateful and take advantage of every second we get with him...it almost feels like we are a normal family and Scott has a normal profession, where he is home for dinner and he can help me put the kids to bed and help lift the load...and that he does.  He is so helpful when he is home and I appreciate him so much. 

Brooke loves riding on that scooter.  She can go around and around our little front yard forever.  

Like I said earlier, there is no stopping Mr. Braden.  He is still riding his bike with a broken arm and there is no slowing him down.  This whole half-day kindergarten has been hard on me and Braden.  He is often bored out his mind and I have to find something to entertain him with for 3 or 4 hours until his sister gets home...and then it's not all that much fun and games because Brielle has to do homework and he does too.  He is so ready to be in school all day.  This is where I miss Virginia.  The most frustrating part of this situation is that for some incomprehensible reason, Salt Lake County doesn't offer any kind of classes through the rec centers during early afternoon, after lunch...I wanted him take a swimming class but the rec center doesn't offer anything until after 4pm. So.frustrating. This is where I miss Virginia too...they had such awesome rec centers there, with so many varieties of classes.  Soccer season ended and that's made it even worse...so...in order to keep the sanity in both us, I have been trying to do some kind of craft with him, we've been scheduling play dates and we've been going on lots of walks around our neighborhood...it has been good for all of us.   

Brookie has been loving our walks.  Now that she is a big girl, she pretty much walks all by herself...but she does like to hold on to my pinky...which just melts my heart. 

This stage is so fun in so many ways, they are discovering the world and they are such sponges.  

But I must admit that this stage has been and will always be exhausting for me.  

I feel drained physically and emotionally when I have a one year old...now until they are potty trained.  Brooke needs me constantly.  

Thank goodness she is such a good napper, otherwise I don't know what I would do. 

I get at least a 3 hour break when she naps...which I wish I could say was a good time to relax, but housework NEVER EVER sleeps.  

EVER! :)

I am finding more and more that this whole motherhood business is without a doubt the most challenging thing I will ever do in my life.  I say this not as a complaint but as to state a fact, and the fact that it is challenging doesn't mean I don't enjoy it.  However, it is not easy to give and give of self constantly.  I've always struggled with that part of motherhood...and I don't think we are necessarily meant to neglect who we are as individuals, our physical, mental and spiritual health, but the truth is that sometimes it is difficult to take care of myself.  It is possible, but it requires a whole lot of planning and being on top of things all the time...which let's be honest...I am not on top of things all the time.  

I am a hopeless procrastinator.  

I am determined to improve and hopefully I can find this whole motherhood business less challenging.  

In an attempt to 'take care of myself' I've started going to zumba classes.  I am taking advantage of the fact that Scott is home in the evenings, at least for another week...I found this little fitness studio and can I say how much it has done for me? Because seriously, my flabby belly NEEDS this! That poor flabby belly has been neglected for way too long! ha! Now if I can just organize my time more efficiently to read my scriptures every day consistently I think I will be set! :)

Who would think that, that little face would just demand so much of me? 

Brooke and her 'boyfriend' Blake.  

We love our Blakey!

I got to go to Brielle's class to help out for a couple of hours last week.  

Brielle is turning into such an out-of-this-world little girl.  

I hope she continues this way.  

She makes me so proud.  

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These two are getting to spend so much time together lately.  Brooke is getting old enough that she interacts and plays with Braden...most of the time it goes well, until she does this:

Not good... 

When Brooke does this, Braden tells her, "get your own glasses Brooke!!!" 

Nya's Baby Shower.

I threw a baby shower for my little sister, Nya a few weeks ago.  She is due soon and we are all excited for the new arrival.  She is having a baby girl. 

She and her husband live in Provo.  It is so nice to be close to them and my mom. 

We had a good turn out and I'm so grateful to everyone that came.  Baby showers are always so helpful and people are always so generous.  

My mom made that blanket, we all thought it was so cute and soft.  

I wish I would have taken more photos of everyone there, but this is all I was able to get.  

Heather is always present in all of the important family occasions.  

Thanks for your consistent support Heather! We appreciate it more than you know.  

We had a successful evening and it was fun to see all the cute things she got. 

Congrats Nya and Rob! 

Can't wait to meet this little baby!:) 

Soccer Season and Lessons.

Soccer season ended two weeks ago and I can say that it was so much fun.  

It was Brielle and Braden's first time playing and they both did so well and got into it.  

Braden's games were inside a fieldhouse and I never could get a non-blurry picture in there.  

They had a good team and the coach was a Cuban-American from Miami...I could totally tell by the way he spoke that he had grown up in Miami...Coach Romero was a great coach and Braden had a blast playing.  

Braden is the perfect little size to get in there and steal the ball.  

He made 3 goals this season.  We were so proud of him! and he was just beyond excited! 

I must admit that, without even realizing it, I am a very competitive person.  It is something I don't see in myself, but I am (for good or bad).  I became the mom that would yell from the sidelines, 'get in there!', 'go get that ball!' Man! You know? like one of 'those moms''?  One day, Scott came to one of the games.  I was telling Braden, 'you need to focus bud!'.  Braden got a little bit exasperated and said, 'I am! mom!, I'm trying!' Scott looked at me and said, 'you need to chill, it's about having fun.' I realized at that moment that I was not making it fun for him.  I didn't want to be that mother to my children.  It's okay to motivate your children but it's not okay to not make it fun for them (the tiger mother would probably disagree.) 

I learned that sometimes, I need to take a chill pill. 

My mom used to often say to us in Spanish, 'ganar o perder, la cosa es jugar'...to win or to lose, playing is what matters...and that became something that we talked a lot with Brielle and Braden this season. 

Braden learned some lessons too, like being a good sport and trying his very best.  

One day he said, 'we are all winners when we are trying our best!' 

It was a moment that brought laughter and tears to my eyes. 

Brielle did so well also.  She got into it.  It was funny to watch her interact with her little friends on practice day.  Her 'favorite boy' was in the team and as you tell from the picture above, she was ecstatic! 

This little boy is a nice little neighbor friend.  They are both in first grade and get along really well (most of the time).  I have to reiterate that this little 'crush' is not encouraged by neither Scott nor I.  But I guess that is the way life is for a girl from the beginning...:) 

Brielle is really outgoing and is one of the sweetest little girls...I am biased of course.  But there is a kindness about her, she is generally never mean-spirited (except with her little brother, but not often.) Kindness and compassion for others is something we often talk to our children about.  It is important to both Scott and I, that those traits are deeply instilled in them...and it is something, that I think comes naturally to Brielle. 

  

Brielle is a good little runner.  She is not as competitive natured as Braden, which can be a good thing!:) But she still likes to do her best and get in there! 

The team was great and coach Amy was awesome.  All of these little kids are in the same grade and in the same primary class. 

Many lessons were learned this season and we had many memorable moments of fun! 

We are all excited for Spring!:)