Thankful for Family

I can't believe November is almost over! I have tried to hit all of the really big things in our lives that we are thankful for. I was driving along the other day listing off a million other things in my head. It's such a blessing to be able to list so many things to be thankful for. I would feel remiss, though, if I didn't list in one grand finale the thing I am the most grateful for. Family. I have touched on this one in different ways, but can you really ever be grateful enough for these people?

I'm grateful for the family I came from and the family who accepted me as their own 6 years ago. I'm thankful to be our own little family. I'm incredibly grateful that not only are we put into these groups to love and support one another, but that I have the knowledge that families are forever.

This is the gang I came from. We're looking particularly snazzy here don't you think? (This was at our most recent family pics, which if you're wondering, Landon wasn't happy about:)!) I love these people. They gave and continue to give me the best they have on a daily basis. They have never given up on me, they let me be opinionated (and right!), and most of all they love me (and my little family) unconditionally. And they SHOWER Landon with love and attention.
And this is a small part of the gang I married into. Here we are the day after Thanksgiving braving the hike to Angel's Landing in Zion's National Park while Landon hung out with Grandma and Grandpa (and a few cousins, which he was SUPER excited about!!). That day will get it's own post ... but I picked this picture because it really proves to me that when these people claim you it is for life ... and no matter what (again, more explanation will come with that post!)!
I love them all so incredibly much. So, so much!

So today ... in our grand finale (just for now though, because I'm a firm believer we should never stop being thankful!) ... we are thankful for family.

Thankful for Little Friends

In addition to our friends I am really thankful for Landon's little friends. He was born at a great time ... lots of really cute little boys and girls are around his same age. With fun moms (something I'm also thankful for!). They are all experiencing the growing pains of toddler-hood and all that comes with it. Fortunately they are all patient with everyone's inability to share sometimes and tendencies to do not-nice things every once-in-a-while because, you know ... being little is hard sometimes (again, thankful for those moms who help this process along and are patient too!)!

It is fun to watch them learn to share (which I am finding to be a really LONG process :)!), learn to get excited when they hear "play with friends," learn to say each others' names (I love the way Landon says his friends' names ... so cute!), and learn that there are other people out there that are just their size when the rest of the world must seem so big to them.

I also have to express gratitude for Landon's best friend - Bear. Bear has been with him from the very beginning. And boy does Landon love Bear. And clearly it's mutual considering all that Bear goes through :)! He is there to comfort when mom and dad can't be (or aren't doing the trick ... like during his shots when mom clearly was a conspirator), and is just so snuggly for Landon at night. He can calm any storm and instantly makes Landon light up with delight. Landon starts shouting "BEAR" at the top of his little lungs whenever he sees him, and often goes in search of Bear. I love when I walk in to check on him at night and he is sound asleep, Bear snugly in his arms ... it melts my heart.

For privacy's sake I won't post any pictures of Landon and his people-friends... but here he is with Bear.

Thankful for Date Night

Last night Jeff took me on a date ... to Trafalga for a little mini-golf/arcade competition. And do you know what it reminded me of? Just what a fun guy I married ... and how much I cherish date night with him. We had quite the Saturday afternoon. It included a toddler who was perfecting his throwing-fits-in-public-because-I-can't-do-what-I-want fits and two very frustrated parents. Needless to say, it was much needed night out.

As a side note, can I also say that I am a pretty stellar mini-golfer (so is Jeff, but really, he should be - he actually plays golf). Also, one should not make statements like "babe, it's all about the defense" when playing air hockey unless they fully understand that statement will come back to haunt them approximately 2 minutes later. Not that I speak from experience or anything :)!

We've gone on some really fun dates over the years, but the ones that get us out and about and provide lots of time to talk (or tease for someone's not-so-stellar skills at some activity) are always our favorite.

And along the lines of date night ... I am thankful for really good sitters. These, I have discovered, are hard to find. But when you have both family and a favorite sitter in the neighborhood it is totally priceless. We can leave the house knowing Landon is in capable and loving hands.

Here's to a lot more great dates ... and being thankful to have someone to go on them with!

Thankful for Friends

I'll be honest, a lot of people think their friends are wonderful. But mine? Mine are even MORE wonderful. Some examples...

I got a well-timed email from a dear friend who lives much too far away these days. It said just what I needed to hear with a promise to catch up on the phone soon.

I have friends who give me a shoulder to cry on (something that isn't easy for me), and a listening ear... and sometimes even little surprises to make my day go better.

I have learned so much about motherhood from them...

They are patient and loving with my sweet boy even when he's having a not-so-sweet toddler moment, or are willing to pitch in when I need a sitter.

They make me laugh ... these are a hilarious, fun, ferocious bunch of women. Trust me - their loyalty will tell you it isn't wise to mess with one of us...and it feels good to know you have someone else (or lots of someone else's in your corner).

Jeff and I are also blessed with very amazing couple-friends and neighbors. They have saved us more times than I can count ... from a cup of flour, a fixed car, or a meal brought in to much, much more. It's sometimes hard to believe we have so many wonderful people in our lives. It makes me (and us!) feel really blessed. So today I'm thankful for friends!

Thankful for Home

Lately I have been thinking a lot about home and what it means. Five years ago Jeff and I bought our little house and set about making it a home. It's been good to us. We've made wonderful memories here, and had so much fun making it ours (read: lots of hours on Jeff and my dad's part doing things I want done :)!).

Early this year we decided to put our house up for sale. With the economy and the market it hasn't sold. And as we decide what the best next step is for us, I'm so grateful it hasn't. Sure, on one hand we want to sell it. But on the other hand this is our home. And we love it (and no matter where we live after, I will always love it). And as the weather gets colder and with the economy not getting any better I am extra grateful to have a warm, safe place for our family.

I decided that what we needed was a little project around the house. Every once in a while I get that itch. I've been resisting it with a for-sale sign in the front yard ... but I couldn't resist any longer. We have a closet under our stairs ... we affectionately call the "Harry Potter closet." It's always been storage. Then as Landon had more toys it was toy storage and regular storage. I wanted it to be just for Landon's toys. He thinks it is a really fun area and it is just his size.

So we moved everything out and painted it so it wasn't so stark white. Then we added a new toy shelf and some vinyl lettering/decor ... and voila!

I present Landon's new toy room:

He LOVES it! When he first saw it with the circles he started yelling circle at the top of his lungs. He loves to point at them and name his colors (which may or may not be correct depending on the day :)!). Then he went right to playing with his toys! Nothing like putting a little love into the home that loves us so much!

Not only are we thankful for our home in the literal sense of where we live, but we are thankful for our little town and community. It means a lot to us to be a part of a great community and to have such wonderful neighbors and friends.

So tonight we are grateful for home.

Thankful for My Boys

I could think of millions of big and small reasons I am thankful for these two:
But let me just summarize by saying they make my life brighter, happier and more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. Ever.

Thankful for Maw-Maws and Papas

Around our house we are really grateful for Maw-Maws and Papas (translation: grandmas and grandpas). Landon loves both sets of grandparents so, so much! What's funny to us is that he calls them the same thing, but there are very specific things about each that he knows are specific to them. For example:

Grandma and Grandpa Wuthrich: My dad is a BYU fanatic. He might have gotten teary eyed the first time Landon ever did the "rah-rah" part of the fight song he was so proud. Landon loves to watch football and Elmo with Grandpa. Grandma spoils him rotten. She watches him a couple of times each week and he loves to destroy their house dragging all the trucks around. She also loves to drink Diet Coke. Now, when Landon sees one he immediately starts pointing to it and screaming "maw-maw!" We're lucky they live so close!

Grandma and Grandpa Terry: The SECOND Landon saw them the last time they visited a couple of weeks ago he immediately started intimating a noise that Grandpa makes with his mouth (where you put your finger in and when you pull it out against your cheek it makes a popping noise). Every few days he says "papa" while trying to make the noise. Grandma recently bought him a book about farm animals ... and we read it approximately 90 times a day! He loves it so much!

We are so grateful to have them in our lives!!

Thankful for Reading

I love November! It's a blustery month, but one that reminds us to step back a little from our crazy lives and appreciate all that we have. I can't think of a better way to prepare for Christmas and the New Year. The last little while has been a challenging and growing time for me. I have spent a lot of time reflecting a lot on how much we have to be thankful for. I'm excited to share some of those things with you.

We started November doing something that means a lot to me - reading! Books and reading are one thing I am always grateful for. Not only do they provide me an escape from day to day life and some me-time, but I'm a firm believer that reading and the ability to do so one of the greatest gifts you can ever receive. My mom loves to read and passed that along to me, for which I am so thankful! I have always hoped that my children would love to read as well - and so far Landon LOVES to!! I think it is our biggest shared "interest" so far :)!

Sometimes when kids get quiet it means trouble ... most of the time in our house a quiet Landon is one I find doing this:

Here he is reading with Dad ...
Our local library recently did a reading program for kids 1-5. We read different groups of books and did some different activities (finger plays, library programs, listened to a silly song CD, etc.) after each "group" he got a little prize. The end prize was a new book! He picked one about fire trucks - it is so cute!

I love that he loves to read and I hope that it continues to bring him joy throughout his life.

Up next: more things we are thankful for ... so stay tuned!!