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!!

Happy Halloween!!

Landon LOVED Trick or Treating this year!! He also really liked his costume (a bear) - he thought the hood part was a football helmet. Needless to say, we let him believe it :)!
He was so happy walking all over the neighborhood. And was a pro at knocking on doors (he would knock until someone answered, or we told him no one was home) and saying his version of "trick or treat." He loved picking the candy out of the bowl and even got really good at saying "thank you" at the end. Who knew we could improve manners on Halloween ... nothing like a little motivational candy!We had so much fun taking him around the neighborhood!! The first thing he said the next morning when he saw his bucket was "candy!" Oh dear!!

It was so cute it was worth the Halloween-excitement-hangover the next day!!

My Little Cheeser

Lately Landon has decided to smile for the camera (when he can bother standing still long enough!) and it cracks me up ... his "camera" smile is so, so cheesy!

Helping to dig up our now-dead flowers out back!
Helping make dinner ... he loves these mini-pizzas and
LOVES to eat the ingredients while we're making them!

So cute! I just can't help but smile every time I see this adorably cheesy face!!