30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 30

Well, it's the last day of my month long posting.  It's been a good run, and I've enjoyed it.  So, here is the one thing I am most thankful for, above all else- my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our beloved Heavenly Father.  I was not raised in a religious home, I didn't attend church as a girl, but I knew there something out there that I needed.  When I was around 13 I began to seek out religion for myself.  I read a version of the Bible cover to cover, and I decided I wanted to attend church.  I went with different friends to their churches, I even went with my older sister to the church she attended in high school.  Catholic, Methodist, Southern Baptist... they were fine, but just not for me.  Then, I had a friend give me a Book of Mormon, and invite me to go to church with her.  As soon as I sat down, I knew I was home.  It wasn't always easy to be the only "Mormon" in my family, but I knew I was doing what was right.  Is it right for everyone? No.  It's not a faith or way of life for everyone, but it's what I know is true.  I was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 17, and I have never looked back.  I met Todd at church, we got married and were sealed in the Oklahoma City Temple for time and all eternity.  We've had 4 wonderful boys and each one was blessed and given a name, and our eldest son was baptized this past July.  I am proud to be a member of my church, I love it, honestly, and I don't know who or where I'd be if I hadn't found it.  I know I am where I am supposed to be, I know it to be true with all my heart and soul.  I am thankful for my Savior and Heavenly Father and for all that they have blessed me and my family with.

And with that, I end my 30 days of Being Thankful posts, and I look forward to doing it again next year! I promise things will get back to normal soon enough.  I'll recap about our Summer vacation, the boys starting school, and Halloween in the coming weeks. 

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 29

Well, I'm a day behind...again.  I ran out of time and by the time I realized I hadn't posted, it was already midnight and I was going to bed.  It was a good day, and the boys were in rare form.  The twins slept in until 9 am, and 2 of the 4 boys had wet sheets, so I had extra laundry to do yesterday.  I thought the twins wouldn't take a nap, because they slept in so late, but boy was I wrong! They took over an hour and a half long nap, which is pretty good for them during the week.  With all of the eating the day before and the great sleeping yesterday, I'm starting to think these 2 are about to have a growth spurt.  How much bigger can they get before they turn 3?  They already wear size 4T clothing!

 Before I went to pick the big boys up from school I got a phone call from the school nurse.  She said Gunnar had run into a pole on the playground and had a massive lump on his forehead.  Poor kid! She said he never cried, and they held an ice pack on it for 15 minutes, but the lump didn't go down.  Well, at least he'll have a great memory of it since today is school picture day!  The kids all played together in the backyard yesterday, which was pretty fun to see.  Usually, the big boys ride their bikes in the front and we let the twins play in the backyard, but they all ran around in the back together.  When the big boys decided they wanted to go ride their bikes and they left the twins, Parker came inside crying because he wanted his brothers to come back out and play.  It was pretty sweet to see, actually. 

So, what was I thankful for? My boys.  All of them. I love those affectionate little guys to pieces and would do anything for them.  They truly are my world at this stage in my life. Yes, it was sad that we didn't have any girls, but I've realized that there is only room for one big female personality in our home.  Essentially, there just wasn't any more room for a girl- especially if she would have been like me! I love the fact that I am the first love of my sons' lives.  I love that they all need me right now, and I love taking care of them.  I hope they listen to me when I give them dating advice, and that they find strong, independent, intelligent, spiritual women to marry someday.  So, to anyone reading this blog who has daughters, listen up! I am doing my best to raise my sons to be worthy of your daughters.  I am teaching them how to cook, clean, stay organized, be polite, and love the Lord.  And yes, I have explained to one son in particular that if he doesn't learn to respect me he may not respect his wife.  We're working on that one...but, the point is I'm raising my sons with the awareness that what I'm trying to teach them now will affect them the rest of their lives, including when they're married.  I think about my future daughters-in- law, and I pray for them and for their parents to raise them to the best of their ability so they will grow into the wonderful young women who will join my eternal family.  I may not have had any daughters of my own, but somewhere out there in the world are 4 little girls who will someday marry into my family, and I hope to be able to love them and treat them just as wonderfully as my mother-in-law treats me!

P.S. Welcome to our new reader in China!

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 28

Ah, Wednesday...this week is almost over! It was another ho-hum day around here.  We just hung out around here, and it felt like I was feeding the twins all day long.  And then when the big boys came home, it was the same thing.  Even after they filled their bellies at dinner time, they all wanted more food after dinner! I'm thankful we have food enough to feed all of our hungry boys.  There are so many families that have a hard time feeding a small family, and we're especially blessed that we are able to feed our family of 6.  We don't have a huge family, but with a family of all boys, I know I'll have to go back to work just to supplement the food bill.  I'm just so blessed that right now our family can survive with me staying home with the twins and only Todd working.  I know we were not always so fortunate, so this is something I deeply appreciate at this time. 

Only 2 more days of posting, people! I had better think of more things to be thankful for!

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 27

Today I'm thankful for some of the cute things my twins say/do during the day.  This morning, when I was dropping Chase off at his building, I said, "Goodbye, Pumpkin! Have a great day! Love you!" And he told me he loved me, and he told the twins goodbye.  As soon as he shut the door, I hear Mason say, "Bye, Punkn Pie!" It was just too cute! Then, I gave the twins some M&M candies, and Parker found some more and brought them to me asking me to open the package.  I explained that Nana (that's what the boys call my Mom) brought them for Chase and Gunnar as well, and I asked him if he thought he should share them with his big brothers.  He looked right at me and said, "No, MINE!" They constantly keep me entertained and I am just so fortunate that I get to stay home with them all day.  I love my twiny twin twins!

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 26

Well, today was my laundry day and BOY it was a doozy! I did laundry all day long.  I did not, however, put away said laundry.  There is always tomorrow for that.  I'm super thankful for an electric washing machine, and an electric dryer.  I'm also thankful for Tide liquid detergent and Downy liquid fabric softener- they make our clothing smell like perfection! So, I did a little bit of Christmas shopping today.  My Dad was kind enough to watch the boys while I ran out for an hour or so, and I'm thankful to have most of my shopping done.  Let's see, what else am I thankful for this Monday? Oh! I'm thankful for the guy who comes to spray my house for ants, because they just don't seem to be dead yet, but at least they'll be out of my house now.  I'm thankful for staying busy all day long, and afternoon naps.  I'm also thankful for the wonderful dinner we had tonight- roast beef and carrots (that simmered in a crock pot all day,) mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy.  YUM-O!  And right now, at this exact minute, I'm thankful for Jimmy Fallon and bedtime.  Goodnight, y'all!

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 25

It's another lazy Sunday around our house, and it's going to be a busy evening getting everything ready for the big boys to go back to school.  I've also vowed to stay up late and watch as many shows as I can on the DVR.  It's going to be a busy week...I can feel it.  So, tonight I'm thankful for long Sunday naps with the twins, and finding the motivation to get my house back in order after coming home from vacation.  And bedtime for children.  I'm SO thankful for that!

P.S. Hello and welcome to our new reader in France!

30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 24

I am so bloody tired! We went to bed late last night, and we were up early to fly home from Arizona.  The boys were wonderful on the plane, and even though it's been a "go-go-go" type of day, we didn't slow down when we got home.  My Dad dropped us off at home, and we basically did a quick stock of what was in the house, and headed out to Sam's Club for some shopping.  We hadn't had a proper lunch and only ate snacks on the airplane, so everyone was a bit hungry.  Thankfully, Sam's Club had a lot of their sample carts out tonight for snacks.  So, after we shopped our tails off, we unloaded our groceries and headed to my parents' house for dinner.  Then, we came home and put the kids to bed.  Now, we're trying to watch as many shows on our DVR before we fall asleep. 

Tonight I'm thankful for laptops with DVD players that keep my kids quiet on a plane, I'm thankful for my Dad's home made Gumbo, I'm thankful I had such a wonderful week with my McKnight family out in Arizona, but I'm thankful to back in Oklahoma.  Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.