Gratitude & Blessings in September

• Thur 30 *I am thankful we have such good friends and that Braxton was able to attend his good friends birthday party.

• Wed 29 *We are so blessed to have Braxton in preschool and working with fantastic people. I am so thankful his bus driver is so nice and told me I'm a parents she adores. :)

• Tue 28 *I am thankful I was able to take a little bit of time to run errands with my neighbor and that we were able to endulge in Red Mango.

• Mon 27 *I am thankful I was able to visit with my aunts today and I'm also thankful for a great massage.

• Sun 26 *I a thankful Kent had such a great idea on how to get Braxton taken care of when this baby comes.

• Sat 25 *I am thankful for a wonderful day with good mental health.

• Fri 24 *I am thankful I was able to get so much accomplished today. I feel really good about the What Women Want Show and I am glad I was able to get most of my reminder calls made for my open house.

• Thur 23 *I feel so blessed to have been given tickets to attend the circus with my family as well as Kent's uncle & his family. It was exactly what I needed.

• Wed 22 *I am thankful for a clean house.

• Tue 21 *I am thankful for my morning walks.

• Mon 20 *I am thankful that I was able to be honest with how I feel and not allow feeling sorry for someone to make me do something I didn't want to do.

• Sun 19 *I am thankful for good friends who invited us over for dinner and conversation.

• Sat 18 *I am thankful that I was able to stay reasonable and understand when Kent found a great deal on a loft bed for Braxton without me being there.

• Fri 17 *I am thankful to have been so productive with getting my closet organized and cleaning out things that needed to be thrown out. I am also thankful for a wonderful night out with Kent and Braxton at the nicklecade.

• Thur 16 *I am thankful for a husband who is willing to listen when I need him to & who also knows me well enough to understand when something is wrong.

• Wed 15 *I am thankful for a wonderful son who enjoys spending time with me.

• Tue 14 *I have been blessed today with productivity. I am thankful the Lord helped me to organize my time better because I took the time to read his word.

• Mon 13 *I am thankful I had the opportunity to remind my friend of the saving power of the atonement. I am thankful the Savior atoned for my sins & transgressions!

• Sun 12 *I am thankful for a must needed relaxing drive in the canyon today.

• Sat 11 *I was blessed to find a box of baby boy clothes at my sisters house today. I am so thankful to have found it.

• Fri 10 *Today we were blessed to be able to go to the state fair for free with Kent's brother & uncle and their families. We had a great time.

• Thur 9 *I am thankful for a great husband who is so kind and generous with others even when their son was joining the kids in throwing dirt clods on the road and Kent's truck.

• Wed 8 *I am thankful for a new possible understanding of answers to my prayers.

• Tue 7 *I am thankful I was able to talk to Braxton's bus driver to get things worked out so he could ride the bus home.

• Mon 6 *I am thankful for a wonderful fun evening with my husband and for the good laugh that trailer racing brought.

• Sun 5 *I have been blessed to have a wonderful husband who takes care of and loves his family. I am also thankful we were able to enjoy a night up at my Aunt and Uncle's property.

• Sat 4 *I am thankful for a great day with my good friend Tia.

• Fri 3 *I am thankful for a fun and delicious evening with my good friends Beau and Janessa.

• Thur 2 *I am thankful for a wonderful husband who is always eager to show support and love to his friend when they are in need.

• Wed 1 *I am thankful that Braxton was able to ride and bus to preschool today and that he really loved it.

Remembering My Individual Worth

Each year as the days grow shorter I struggle with my mental health. While eating right, exercising, and trying to think positive help there is truly something that goes on inside of me & I lack the capability to feel as healthy as I do in the spring & summer months. I've come to understand that this is just one of the challenges I have to face. This year being pregnant seems to have hyper jumped me into my winter depression early.

While I am working with my midwife to find something to help me through this winter I am struggling and scared of the mental attacks that will come. Last night brought many things that made me break down and feel a lack of power and low self worth. I went to bed feeling fatigued and beaten. At 4 am I awoke and these feelings came flooding back so strongly that I could not lay my head down to sleep. I came in and wasted time online hoping to tire myself out. After about an hour I went in and tried to sleep and when I found that my mind was too busy racing with thoughts of self doubt to sleep I began to sob due to exhaustion. Kent awoke and comforted me for a while and made me feel more calm and at ease.

As I laid there in my loving husbands arms my mind began to be filled with something I haven't thought about in a while. The words to the Young Women's theme began to run through my head...

I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father, who loves me, and I love Him. I will "stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as I strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, and Integrity. I believe as I come to accept and act upon these values, I will be prepared to make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

As I thought of these words I realized how each of these values applied to this challenge in my life. I must have faith and rely on the Lord knowing that he is aware of my trials and he will strengthen me as I turn to him for help. I truly AM a Daughter of my Heavenly Father which makes my nature divine. The Lord has many daughters, but he loves me, Marlies Robison, and cares for me individually and I am of worth to him. I have been blessed with great knowledge in this life. I have been given much of the knowledge I need to be successful in life and I have been abundantly blessed to have a knowledge of God's plan of happiness. I have been given the great power to make choices and be accountable for them. Some of those choices have brought me pain, but so many of those choices have brought me joy and happiness and for that I am grateful. I have been given the opportunity to perform good works in my life that have blessed me & others more than I can ever know. With all that I have been blessed with I must have the integrity to to acknowledge all that I have been blessed with even when the walls of my mind seem grim and confining.

I am grateful to know of the changes that have been made to the theme since I was a young woman. I know that in a world of changing values that it was important to add the value of virtue. Much of our would would find more joy and happiness if we were all a little more virtuous. I am also glad that they added "We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family..." I think that far too often I look outside my family to find my worth. My greatest calling and my greatest source of joy is in the service that I give as a wife and mother. I need to remember that these are the most important roles that I have. I am thankful I have been prepared to strengthen my home and my family so that I can raise people who are prepared to be strong in the face of adversity.

Changes

Two weeks ago on August 30th my little boy grew into a big boy. He started his first day of preschool.He was excited all morning long waiting for preschool to start.
When I told him to get his school clothes on he jumped to his feet quickly
He is loving preschool and loves to tell me about his day.

When he gets to school he finds his name tag and practices writing his name.

He was SO excited to be at preschool!!!

Wednesday, Sept. 1st we finally working it out with transportation to get the bus to pick Braxton up. Taking him to preschool was a little bit hard, but putting him on the bus was much harder. After putting him on the bus I was freaking out inside. I'm starting to get better at letting him ride the bus. He's the little head in the window here.

Noteworthy Quote

“You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly” Sam Keen