One Hundred Twenty

Friends and Family Something could be posted about my friends and family everyday. I'm seriously so blessed in this area. Last night, while Ryan took me to the emergency room, a very dear friend kept the boys at her house, got them ready for bed, and them put them down. Two other friends showed up at the er to lend their support. All night long, I received phone calls, fb messages, and texts. One friend called around to find the best er to visit per waiting time. Another friend kept Ethan this morning, so that I could try to rest. Then, she brought him home. I had tons more emails, texts, voicemails, and fb messages. Another friend kept younger boys, while I took Matthew to an appointment. Then, someone brought dinner by tonight and tomorrow night, someone else is coming. I have no idea what I did to receive such love and support, but I feel blessed beyond. I'm grateful for wonderful parents who care so much. My parents and Ryan's parents called several times to check on me. My grandmother called. I have felt an outpouring of love. Friends and family are blessings indeed. Thank you to each of you who helped lighten my burden. I love you.

119 Joyful Noises

Dimples Is there anything more joyful than a smiling face with dimples, telling you that he loves you? Davey just made my day today when he got off the bus and kept telling me how much he loves me. I'm grateful for his smile and cute dimples.

118

Seeing Something Good Come Out of Trials Ryan and I spent last night in the er. We arrived around 8 p.m. and left around 4 a.m. It was a LONG night to say the least. Something really cool happened, though, and I'm convinced that's why we ended up where we did. We initially drove to Katy Hermann Memorial, but the wait time was over 3 hours, and they said the ambulances were bringing people non-stop. We seriously had to scrounge to find chairs to sit in. In addition, we called Methodist and they told us the same story over the phone. As a result, we tried Christus St. Catherine's, and sure enough, their waiting area appeared the most promising. Shortly after arriving, more and more people began showing up. We got bumped further down each time, as some of these people's issues needed to be resolved in a timely manner. Just minutes after sitting down to watch one of the NBA playoff games, a man in his 40's arrived with who appeared to be his father in a wheelchair and his mother by his side. They rolled in the chair, as well as a suitcase full of various scrips, papers, records, meds, the works. We later learned that this man had just finished his 3rd round of chemo, and had really just started the fight for his life. Over the course of the next two hours, we talked about politics, we talked about faith, about courage, about cancer, about God, about morals and principles, about prayer, about tithing, about the divinity and role of motherhood, about the purpose of trials and experiences, and about so many other things. I had the chance to clarify about my beliefs and what LDS people really believe. I bore testimony of the Savior. I bore testimony of lots of things. I felt such compassion for this man, as I saw the same look in his eyes that I saw so many times in my grandfather's. I felt compassion and charity for his sweet wife. She looked just like a dear friend from my childhood, Carol Thompson. Her eyes twinkled, and her face seemed to glow. She exuded kindness, warmth, and love for anyone around--truly, a gentle soul. When this couple was called back to be treated, we exchanged goodbyes, and the wife hugged me. In some ways it felt a little bit bizzarre, but I honestly feel like part of our coming to this hospital was to meet this man, to uplift his family, to bring him comfort, encourage him and support him, learn from him, somehow extend the support and honor I gave to my Pop-Pop and continue to give to him by sustaining this family. We were called back a short time later and ended up rooming next to this family. By the time they finished all of my testing and release forms, it was close to 4 a.m. We felt exhausted. I was certain this man and his wife would be asleep when I walked by their room. However, the man beckoned to me as we were leaving. He asked me if he could ask me a personal question. Then, he started in with various questions about the church and which specific location I attended. It turns out he attends the Catholic Epiphany Church located just west of our stake center. He and his wife attend the Christmas choir concert put on by both churches at our stake center each year. He said he would be looking for me. He, then, inquired of my health and if things were alright. I told him I would keep him and his family in our prayers, and then, I left. I know, without a doubt, Terrance Walsh, was the reason why we needed to be in that er. I'm so grateful for the Lord placing us where we need to be when we need to be there. I would never wish cancer on anyone. It is awful. It is even worse to watch a loved one suffer through it, but I'm grateful that my experience can offer hope and support and empathy for individuals now going through it. This is a blessing.

117 Blessings that Make Me Smile

"Mmmhmmmm" Ethan doesn't respond with "yes." Instead, we hear, "Mmmhmmmm." That is one of my favorite sounds in the whole wide world! Oh, I'm grateful to be the mama to such sweet boys. They are precious.

116 Blessings in My Life

Friends Who Act on Promptings Two days ago was a really rough day for me. I won't go into specifics, but by the time Ryan walked in the door, I was about in tears. Anyway, two different friends felt prompted to do various things that largely impacted my day. First, there was a light knock at the door and there stood my friends' two daughters with a note and a plate of cookies. I ran out to the car to see this friend and she said she'd been meaning to stop by, but hadn't been able to and felt like she needed to today. It was just what I needed to feel loved and supported. That same night, our home teacher stopped by for a visit, and right before that happened, Ryan and I had been discussing changes we can make in the home to help particular situations. We both felt uneasy and even frustrated over some things, but we left the conversation not knowing what to change or how to improve said discussion items. Anyway, after our home teacher visited for a while and then delivered his lesson, he all of a sudden made a comment completely off topic and out of the blue. Ryan turned to me and just looked into my eyes. Of course, tears were already streaming down my face. How could our home teacher have known what we needed to hear most? How could he have known to go completely off track and make the comment he did? I'm ever grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who answers the prayers in our hearts, who loves us unconditionally and helps us when we struggle. I'm grateful for friends who seek out the companionship of the Holy Ghost and act in faith to be instruments in the hands of the Lord. Both of these friends were my angels that day. I'm so blessed.

115 Thanks

Matthew's First Run Matthew has played over 10 games, at least, now. However, he is yet to get on base, until last night. Two games ago he had his first hit, but was thrown out at first. Last night, though, he hit a grounder to third, and then, he ran his little heart out and made it on base. He was so excited and it was a very sweet experience as a mom. You can only imagine his excitement, then, when he made it home! All of the other moms were coming over to me and congratulating me. I'm really proud of Matthew. It's been very humbling and difficult for him at times to get up to bat, because he's struck out over 25 times. His courage inspires me and his determination paid off! Way to go, Teus Teus. We're proud of you and grateful you could overcome this.

114 Gracias

Working With This Little Man It has been such a joy to work with Matthew on his final grade school project. We have sculpted and glued and cut and pasted and manipulated and created and fastened and painted and worked for over 14 hours on this project. He had to an animal that lays eggs out of a plastic egg, write about that animal through a series of elements, and then, create a box with the animal's habitat. Matthew chose a great white shark, because it lays eggs and births babies. Of course, the 14 hours includes the entire family, as this was a student/family project. Ryan sculpted the great white shark, and then, Matthew, David, Ethan, and I did the rest. Matthew and I also wrote the report on the shark and it ended up being 5 pages front and back or 10 pages. He worked so hard on this and I'm really proud of him. Great job, Matthew. I love creating with you!! Perhaps you cannot see everything, but there are lots of little details here. We created coral with texture, different types of seaweed and sea anemonies, clown fish, angel fish, a hammerhead shark, blowfish, sting rays, and more.

113 Jumps For Joy

Dates With Ryan It was my turn to plan our date this past Saturday. I took Ryan to our favorite sushi and hibachi place here in Katy, and then, we made our way over to Sky High. Now, we didn't take any pics, because everything was in our little locker. However, we had such an amazing time! The place has over 150 trampolines. There are trampolines on the walls, foam pits, dodge ball courts, kids' courts, and more. The best part was the ab workout. Hours later, my abs were still on fire! I definitely see family night and group date nights here in the future!

112 Ways I Feel Glad

Our New Grill I have waited for 10 years to have a grill and at last, we bought one! It has been so fun to grill out and make tasty things with our new toy. We got a great deal on it via Home Depot and things taste so much better than the oven-cooked meals.

111 Reasons

Our Garden I know. I know. It's not very exciting, but we are thrilled!!! Everything is growing. We've finally reaped some fruits of our labors and it's a tad over crowded, but next season, we will thin it out in our other box. Until then . . . cucumbers, squash, two varieties of tomatoes, bell peppers, and watermelon.

110.0

My Bicycle Trailer The weather here has been GORGEOUS! We still have pleasant temperatures that we can go outside in and feel good. The humidity has not kicked in yet, and the breeze feels amazing. As a result, I've made it a goal to take the boys out each day for several bike rides. Typically, Ethan and I will go in the morning, while Davey is at school. Then, upon his return, the three of us venture out into the neighborhood to look at all of the new development, check on our upcoming rec center, play ground, pool, and picnic pavilion, as well as look for snakes. On these bike rides, most of the time, our conversations always end on Disney World. Davey is a boy that is so looking forward to that trip (whenever it happens and however far it is in the future). The sunshine and exercise, along with the gentle breeze, is so soothing to my soul. Oh, how I LOVE this spring weather! I'm grateful I own a bike and trailer to take Ethan out in, and that my other boys have bikes of their own to ride. This has brought our family great enjoyment.

109 Gracias

My Award-Winning Flowers We received a letter from our HOA, commenting on our beautiful yard and flowers in the front. This makes me so happy! Our roses are in full bloom now, our petunias have filled out nicely, and our habiscus are about to bloom. To say, I feel excited would be an understatement. I love to sit out by my flowers and examine the intricacies of each one. It's crazy to think how much effort and design and creativity went into one simple flower and that each seed knows what to grow into. I continue to learn about the nature of God through my gardens. I love that. Pics to follow!

108 Things I Feel Grateful For

David's Singing I often catch David singing to himself, while he's playing or doing anything in our house. I love to hear him sing. He gets so into it, and he sings a wide variety of music--anything from Black Eyed Peas to Adele to primary songs he learns at church.

Tonight before bed he sang, "I Am a Child of God." LOVE that boy. I am grateful I get to hear him sing.

One Hundred Seven

First Words It's been so fun to listen to Ethan get his voice and vocabulary. He says such funny things. Right now, I hear four or five repeated phrases throughout the day.

1) Where's Dad? Where's Matt? Where's Dave?

2) He'll yell to get what he wants and I will ignore him until he stops or sometimes, I will respond with, "Ethan, that is not the way you talk to Mama." He'll reply, "Sorry, Mommy."

3) Pease!!!

4) Ow-sigh. Bike.

5) May-urr = Mater

I love this kid! So grateful I get to hear him speak and see the world through his eyes and thoughts. I'm grateful to be his mother.

106 Blessings

Matthew's First Hit Matthew began playing coach's pitch baseball this spring, and he's improved so much since the season began. His throwing has become harder, faster, and more accurate, and his batting continues to get better. However, until tonight, he was yet to have a hit in the actual game. This has been very discouraging for him and we've continued to impress upon him how well he's doing and that he'll figure it out.

Tonight was the night. He hit a fairly hard grounder to the third baseman, and at first he didn't run, because he was in such shock of his hit. Then, Ryan yelled, "Matthew, RUN!!!" He was so excited to have his first hit, and what not a better way to celebrate than with ice cream!! Way to go, Teus! We're so proud of you and grateful you get this opportunity to play baseball right now. It's been such a joy to watch you learn and grow.

105 Jumps for Joy

Homemade Donuts I know I have ranted and raved about Pinterest before, but I just love the accessibility, the creativity, the knowledge shared, and that I can combine and save all of my ideas in one place. I made the boys some homemade donuts this morning. I don't know how they turned out, because I didn't eat any, but they seemed pretty pleased. The best part was the "easy" factor. I opened a can of Pillsbury Grand Homestyle biscuits, which I bought for $.49 at the store, cut holes in them with a cookie cutter, warmed oil, browned them, dipped them in melted butter, and cinnamon sugar, and served them up. This took me about 10 minutes total!

104 Moments of Gratitude

My Tile and Baseboards A year and a half after our floods, and our floors are finished at last! This isn't the greatest pic to show our floor, but I'm really excited with how it turned out. I love the cool feel of tile beneath my feet in the kitchen, and I think Daniel did a fabulous job! We're ever pleased with Pro Floors. And I feel like I can breath again in my own house. I hate having unfinished projects, and my baseboards were driving me nuts! We had the yellow wood filler all over the place. Now, they are back to their brilliant white! And there is no mess to clean up with them. Fabulous!!!

Before

And After

103 Reasons to Shout Hooray!

Coloring of Easter Eggs This will never cease to be an exciting activity for me. I grew up doing this each year with my family, and I LOVELOVELOVE it! The colors are so vibrant and make me happy. I love that my kids enjoy it so much too. I'm grateful we have this tradition. (And it's exciting to make the colors from scratch. I no longer buy those Paas coloring boxes, because I make my own potion to color the eggs. I know this means nothing in the world of self-reliance, but it's one more skill I have, and that excites me!)

102 Blessings

Order I LOVELOVELOVE the Easter springtime and season. It makes sense to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ and His atonement and rebirth (resurrection)--both of which bridged the gap of sin and death, so that we could return to live with Heavenly Father--during the springtime, when the earth is changing and having its rebirth with new leaves, new life, new starts. My testimony has been ever strengthened, as I've studied His life once more and reflected on the the gifts I've been given. I feel so blessed that there is order in this life. It just makes sense.

I didn't take any Easter pics this year. I just didn't even think about it. We attended the annual Easter egg hunt primary activity at the church on Saturday and then, we had our traditional Easter dinner. It was a wonderful day.

101.0

Teaching I had the chance to teach a friend to cook a chicken today. The lesson was rather basic and I'm not certain how the recipe will turn out--since we made it up based on the limited spices in her cupboard. However, it was such FUN to create and to share something I love so much with a friend. I'm grateful for teaching opportunities.

100 Reasons

Teus's Tender Heart Since Matthew was just a little child, he has always had a soft spot for the down trodden and sad, the lonely, the less fortunate, and persons with disabilities or special needs. I remember that often, as a 9 to 24-month old, he was drawn to someone at the grocery store with down syndrome or someone in a wheel chair. He sought them out. And then, he acted with such kindness, love, and tenderness. I absolutely love that quality about him.

He continues to have that soft heart. Several months ago, I had a girls' night out, while the boys took up a football movie with Dad, at home in our bed. When I came home, they were all curled up to Radio. Matthew was loving it until Radio's mom passed away. He suddenly began sobbing and came over to me, telling me that he didn't want me to go anywhere. His tears were completely innocent, sincere, and heartfelt.

Today, he read I'll Love You Forever, one of the many stories I have read to our boys over and over again. I guess reading it brought new meaning to the words, because when he finished reading it, he came over sobbing again. This time, he told me, "Mom, it made me so sad when he sang the song to his mom that last time." Then, he had me hold him for about 5 minutes.

Oh, I love that boy. I'm ever thankful for his tender heart.

99 Jumps for Joy

Feeding My Family This probably sounds like I'm a 90-year-old woman or something, but it really gives me great joy to be able to feed my family. In many parts of the world, and not long ago for many of our ancestors, food is/was scarce. We have food at our fingertips on every shelf of the grocery store. It's clean and free of disease, bugs, or infection.

Yesterday, I was able to serve my family a delicious Easter feast with homemade rolls, a deliciously-glazed honey ham, fresh green beans, homemade mashed potatoes (not from a box), blackberry/raspberry/blueberry cobbler from scratch, with a touch of vanilla ice cream. There were "oohs" and "ahhs," smiles, and giggles of delight at the sight of the spread.

I'm grateful Heavenly Father has blessed me with the talent of cooking. This is something I have had to really work hard on and something I never thought I would attain. I'm grateful to a mother and grandmother who taught me so much about preparing nutritious food for my family, as they always did for me growing up. My mother-in-law has done an amazing job with teaching me how to create from scratch. She's given me courage and inspired me to try new things.

Oh, I am one blessed mama to have these amazing women in my life, and to be able to feed my family! (Thanks to a wonderful husband who provides so that we can afford food on our table. And thanks also to fabulous friends that teach me how to afford that food for less!)

98 Give Thanks

Fasting Yesterday, I had the opportunity to close my fast on behalf of the Ingram and Lauritzen families. Prior to that, I had actually prayed with our nursery leaders and children on behalf of little David. His parents adopted him from birth, but they had previously gone through SIX failed adoptions. In addition to that, David had actually received a hematoma while playing with both his parents on their tile floor. This resulted in CPS taking him away for one week and the courts determining if they should remove him permanently. Once specialists confirmed the skull fracture resulted from the fall and no harm from the parents, they were given David back. They also had to battle a few court things for the first little while, before he was finally deemed their's on a permanent basis. This little family has gone through so much to have David. Now, he will fight for his life over the next six months to a year. It was wonderful to join others in a fast for him, as well as Joel Ingram, and put forth our faith. I felt strengthened in doing so, and I pray that they also received that support.

I have a testimony of fasting. When we give up something and put off the natural mind, we are spiritually strengthened. We are blessed with an outpouring of the Spirit. I can't really explain it. You don't know until you actually do it. But it works. When family and friends have come together to fast for my family, we have been lifted up and able to bear our burdens better. I'm ever grateful we have the blessing of fasting.

97 Reasons

The New TCH West Campus Davey needed an ultra sound today and in the past, we would have had to have driven clear downtown to be seen by his pediatric urology team and what not. Now that the west Texas Children's Hospital is open, we simply left our doctor's office, dropped Ethan to the babysitter's house, and then, headed over. It took all of 20 minutes! That is a blessing indeed!

96.0

Health I know of at least three different sets of friends whose lives were turned upside down a little bit last week with a bill of poor health and deadly diseases. I'm ever grateful I have not had to tread that path. Our health is a huge blessing!

95

Transportation I feel so blessed to have a van that fits all of my family in it and allows us to travel to and from our destinations. We have had to do lots of stops back and forth to the store, the doctor, the temple, the school, church, and so on. I'm ever grateful to be blessed with transportation. This allows me more time to do other things and makes my life more comfortable!

94 Jumps For Joy

Delivering a Bit of Cheer These past two days, I have been ever blessed to find myself in serviceable opportunities, where I could be of missionary service and spread my love for the Lord, where I could deliver a tasty treat and a meal for a sick family, where I could lend a shoulder to cry on, offer support and lend love, where I could spread a smile, and where I could shed some gratitude. Each act was so simple and small, but it brought sunshine to my soul.

I'm ever grateful to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. It gives me purpose. It teaches me and humbles me, and it brings me such tremendous happiness! I'm so blessed!

93 Feelings of Gratitude

Eternal Families We found out yesterday that a dear friend's little boy will begin fighting for his life the next little while. Many questions continue to remain unanswered at this time. I guess doctors will relay more information next week. In the mean time, my heart breaks for this family. Ryan has served as their home teacher for the past year or so. Their 18-month old is one of my nursery kids, and he's so darling.

Once more information is publicly known I shall have to relate the family dynamic here. Their story is touching, and it makes you want him to overcome this that much more.

I'm ever grateful for the blessings of the sealing ordinances in the temple. I want to hold my boys a little bit tighter and never let go. We will rally around our friends. We will fast and we will pray, and we will trust in Heavenly Father's plan for this precious child and his family. I'm so grateful I can be with my family forever.

92 Blessings

Reading With Ryan Each night, Ryan and I pick up from where we left off the night before in the Hunger Games series. It's his first time reading them through and it's been so much fun! I anxiously anticipate our time together! It's such a blessing to have him in my life, as well as something we enjoy together.

91 Feelings of Gratitude

General Conference I love listening to general conference each April and October. The words penetrate my heart, and I feel the love of the Lord. Yesterday's and today's messages were no different. I left conference with a stronger desire to follow Jesus Christ, to teach others about him, and I gained a stronger testimony of various topics.

President Uchtdorf's talk especially touched my heart. He spoke on forgiving others, not holding grudges, and letting go--even when we were wronged by someone else. I know what it's like to have your feelings hurt or have someone simply come against you, because they do not like you and base judgments on false accusations and information. Margaret Kartchner once told me, "Holding a grudge is like drinking the poison you intended for someone else." In essence, it gets you know where and harboring those bad feelings only hurts yourself. Furthermore, when we refuse to forgive others, it's as if we are telling the Savior that His infinite atonement was not enough to pay for the sins of that person. He comes to us and asks us for forgiveness on the perpetrator's behalf. Of course, we will forgive Him, when things are put in that light. He has nothing to repent of or be forgiven of. Thinking about the atonement in this way has really helped me (as described in The Peacegiver).

Anyway, I loved general conference. I'm grateful I had the opportunity to watch via the Internet and I invite anyone who is curious about where they came from, where they are going, or why they are here to view the conference addresses online here.

90 Reasons I Feel Blessed

72-Hour Kits Our home is currently under construction. The kitchen floor was torn out and new tile is being laid. Also, we are finishing our family room trim, and replacing some damaged wood in the bathroom. As a result, our fridge and stove currently reside in our computer room and we have very limited access to our kitchen. This has forced us to get creative with cooking and meals. Thankfully, we have 72-hour kits and it just so happens that I pulled them out each general conference (which is every 6 months) to replenish. On these weekends, we always plan to eat the various items from those kits, and then, refurbish them until the next disaster or conference.

The timing worked out perfectly here for us, because we were able to make chicken salad with canned chicken (actually it was turkey), snack on the jerkey, applesauce, trail mix, and what not. In addition to food items, our 72-hour kits contain important documents, emergency funds, toiletries, clothes, and various necessities. Although, we can always expand these kits, I'm most grateful we have something in place.