Gratitude & Blessings in March

• Thurs 31 *I am thankful for sunshine, a good walk, & productivity. I am also thankful to enjoy the motivation that the show The Biggest Loser gives me.


• Wed 30 * I am thankful for the naps I was able to take after a hard night with Cort. I am also thankful for the time I took to sit down with Braxton and read today. I feel blessed to have been able to engage in a text conversation with my sister-in-law Mariel.


• Tue 29 * I am thankful for good mental health that allowed me to only be a little discouraged when only one person attended my Mystery Hostess Party. I am also thankful that my guest Marki was so easy to visit with and was willing to sit and get to know me a little bit. I am also thankful for a clean house to enjoy.


• Mon 28 * I am thankful I had a good Dr. visit for Cort today.


• Sun 27 * We have been blessed with wonderful weather today. I am thankful for a nice walk with my wonderful neighbor Melissa and the opportunity to teach Braxton the scripture stories.


• Sat 26 * I am grateful for Somer and Justin who were eager to watch our boys for us while we went on a date for our anniversary tonight. We were blessed to have a nice evening enjoying each other.


• Fri 25 * We had an interesting morning driving in the spring snow storm so Braxton could go see Kent at work and help him drive his equipment. I am also thankful for ideas of how to use my old catalogs.


• Thur 24 * I am so thankful I was able to get my tax information collected so I we could get our taxes done and have a great return. I feel like I was blessed to be able to organize my time today. I am also thankful Kent and I were able to go get a yummy dinner tonight because of Braxton's friend wanting him to stay longer and his parent being willing to let Braxton say longer.


• Wed 23 * I am thankful for the inspiration given in regard to myself and my family that perhaps I can be a better mom if I do work.


• Tue 22 * I have been blessed so much with the knowledge of how powerful our minds really are over our reality. I am also thankful for muscle memory so I was able to run more than I had expected to today after a year or more of not running. I am thankful I have been married to my best friend for the past 8 years.


• Mon 21 * My mind is continually blessed with words. The words, "Don't tell me why you can't, tell me why you can!" entered my mind the other day and I am thankful for their inspiration today. I am also thankful for the inspiration that I need to begin running again.


• Sun 20 * Today I have been blessed to get a good nap and spend time with my family.


• Sat 19 * I am thankful for the shifted focus on my business and a great dinner with my friends Ian and Tia and my family.


• Fri 18 * I am thankful I was able to empower myself to get out of the house numerous times.


• Thur 17 * I am blessed to have the gift of the Holy Ghost who prompted me to take dinner to Jenny again and I am thankful I listened. I am also thankful for great deals at Macey's!


• Wed 16 * I am thankful Ian & Tia came down today. It made a dreary day seem bright.


• Tue 15 * I have been blessed to get out of the house today thanks to my sister-in-law Tiffani.


• Mon 14 * I am thankful for inspiration. I am thankful for dinner with old friends from Oregon & a great talk with my good friend Tia.


• Sun 13 * Today we had a wonderful barbecue provided by Kent. I loved enjoying time with my family. I am thankful for the ability I was given to hold my tongue when I needed to while conversing with my husband.


• Sat 12 * I am thankful for a great walk to the mall with my family. I am also thankful for the great customer service we got at Eddie Bauer so shopping could be easy. I am also thankful I was able to write my thoughts about Kent and take a minute to appreciate what a great man I married.


• Fri 11 * I am thankful for a productive afternoon with Kent and Marsha.


• Thur 10 * I am thankful today for the spirit warning me of harm. I am thankful Heavenly Father loves me enough to protect me and my family from possible harm.


• Wed 9 * Today I have been abundantly blessed. I had a good talk with Melissa, Kent and I have been blessed with a new insurance plan, Kent came home and straightened the house, and I was able to get out for a bit. It was really nice.


• Tue 8 * I am thankful that Braxton's teacher was able to have him ready in time for me to pick him up and head to our appointment.


• Mon 7 * I am thankful I was able to sleep in today and be flexible when the storm hit.


• Sun 6 * I am so thankful for the talk I was able to have with Kent to understand better how he thinks and sees life so simple. I am also thankful for a nap and time with the Kunz family.


• Sat 5 * I am thankful that Kylie's baptism was later than it was planned so that I was able to watch Kent help out the women who were in an accident on the freeway and we were still able to be there in time. I am thankful to have a husband who is so caring and quick to respond to the needs of others.


• Fri 4 * I am thankful that I was in a good mood today and I was looking forward to gymnastics before I even got there. I am also thankful I was able to get out and go shopping for an hour without kids.


• Thur 3 * I am thankful for great friends who understand when the day isn't going well and that I was able to get a quick break on a stressful day. I am thankful that Cort was able to latch in a side lying position when he was refusing the breast in ever other position.


• Wed 2 * I am thankful for a productive day and Macey's letting use my coupons that I had forgotten even after the transaction had been completed.


• Tue 1 * I am thankful Kent was able to pick Braxton up from the bus stop and that we were able to go for a walk as a family this afternoon. I am also thankful for humorous texts with Tia.

My Best Friend for 8+ Years

Eight years ago I married my best friend...

I'm so glad that the father of my two boys is still my very best friend! I love you Kent!!!

The Power of Thought

They say the having a baby is a wonderful miracle, but what happens when the consequences of that miracle put your mind, your marriage, and your whole world into a state of shock? That is what my life has been for probably the past month. Don't get me wrong. I do love my baby, but as I look back at Braxton's life I have to say that handling him as a baby has been the hardest part of raising him so far. Once we got him to sleep through the night it was mostly smooth sailing. Due to my loss of sleep my mind has been "short circuiting" and I have been back to struggling with some depression. I can't over emphasize the fact that there is literally a moment to moment battle for control of my mind. Interestingly enough I believe this has happened every year at this time for a while now. I have finally recognized that it's not that my husband neglects me or my marriage goes into failure this time of year as I had thought. It's that there is a literal battle for my thoughts.


However, through this struggle I have been blessed. My Heavenly Father has been teaching me every day what the truth was. For some reason when our bodies are the most frail at the end of a long winter our souls are frail as well, or at least mine is. I have realized with that weakness I have allowed Satan to plant thoughts in my mind that should have been discarded immediately. Interestingly enough this understanding has come from the example that was set by a young man I dated in college and his family. It was amazing to me to see a couple who said they had never had to "work" at their marriage. At the time I believed that I would be married to this young man and as we discussed marriage he told me that he and I would have a marriage even better than his parents had. I had not understood that this idea would not happen by magic, but rather through control over our thoughts.

Bryce's parents honestly did have a wonderful relationship. I remember hearing once that his mom after 20+years of marriage still got butterflies when her husband entered the room. A few years into my marriage I thought on this and thought 'yeah right'. Now as I think I realize that the success of their marriage came through the control they had over their thoughts. Of course no one is perfect, but just think if rather than focusing on what our spouse is not doing we should think every day about all the hard work they do to make our families function.

For instance, Kent is one on the hardest workers I know. He pushes himself to keep working even when he is tired and these days even working from early morning to late night and even on 3 hours of sleep. Maybe he's such a hard worker because of all the years that his mom would tell her children how lucky they were that their dad worked so hard for them. On top of all his hard work he never complains when his little baby wakes him up at 3 in the morning. He just tells his boss he'll be in early when his baby wakes him up, and this morning when I was too tired to get up and feed him Kent was more than happy to give him a bottle for me.

It doesn't stop there. The other night we had about 6 inches of snow fall and after completing his second job at about 11 o'clock or so he took the time to think of others and make sure they had cleared walks for in the morning. He is so willing to give to others and when he gets frustrated it's because he doesn't understand why it's so hard for others to give a helping hand as quickly as he does. Yet too often I have allowed Satan to tell me what Kent is not doing and I allow my heart to close off and become selfish and believe that he is not doing near enough to serve me. When it is the exact opposite. Kent is living his life not only in the service of others, but he is working so hard to provide me with the things that I need and allowing me the opportunity to stay home and raise my children.

I have been very blessed to have married such a great man and yet far too often I have allowed Satan to get into my head and convince me otherwise. When I think back to my honeymoon there is a picture of some words I wrote in the sand saying, "Kent is the best husband ever!" Those words may have long washed away, but that doesn't mean that they are any less true. I do have the best husband in the world. As long as I think that and know that and feel that it will continue to be true. I not only have the best husband, but I have the best kids and the best life. I am going to make that my focus and continue to see where my life can only be improved. I have been blessed with wonderful friends in my life. I have a wonderful family. I have been able to live an amazing life that has allowed me to be who I am, and I am thankful to know that I can look myself in the mirror and still like who I see. As long as that is true there is no problem in my life that I can't tackle!

Gratitude & Blessings in February

• Mon 28 *I am thankful that Melissa watched Cort for me while I ran some errands. I needed to get out of the house. I am also thankful I was able to run into my old high school friend Joey while I was at Babies R Us.
• Sun 27 *I am thankful Kent had the idea to stay home from church and spend time as a family helping the boys get over their colds. I am also thankful Braxton and I were able to get outside and take a walk to get some fresh air.
• Sat 26 *I have been blessed to slow down today and spend the day getting my house cleaned and enjoying the day with my boys at home while they work on getting over colds.
• Fri 25 *I am thankful for a good relationship with my brother and that his family was so willing to watch my kids today. I am also thankful for the delicious Pear in Gorgonzola Ravoli @ Olive Garden for dinner tonight.
• Thur 24 *I am grateful for heartfelt prayer that brings me closer to God and allows me to lay my problems at his feet. I am also thankful for the sweet promptings from the spirit & many phone calls from my husband to make me feel loved.
• Wed 23 *I am thankful that Kent and I were able to talk and come to an understanding of one another. I love him and I am thankful for his willingness to work though challenges with me. I am thankful for Cort sharing his first laugh with us on a night we needed to laugh.
• Tue 22 *I have been blessed to know that God has living prophets on the earth today who speak to us. I am thankful for my friend who reminded me of Elder Uchtdorf's talk so that I could listed to it when I needed it most. I am also thankful I was able to get extra feedings in for Cort today.
• Mon 21 *I am thankful we were finally able to get Braxton's cough under control last night so he could sleep. I am also thankful that he didn't have school so we could allow him to rest today.
• Sun 20 *I feel blessed that Kent and I were introduced to the idea of game night so that we could carry it on and enjoy the opportunity to get to know new friends better tonight.
• Sat 19 *I am thankful for my brother Devin and my sister Liesel for coming up to watch my kids for gymnastics last night and today while I went to lunch with friends. I am also thankful for a much needed lunch with great friends & a very uplifting conversation about President Uchtdorf's conference talk.
• Fri 18 *I am thankful for my cousin helping me to see things from a realistic point of view even though I was resistant to the idea at first.
• Thur 17 *I am thankful for friends and family who took the time to be with my on my birthday and who took the time to wish me well on facebook.
• Wed 16 *I am thankful that Cort was ok despite his neck being slung forward in the car seat after going out with my cousin Marsha today. I am also thankful for Braxton's good attitude after he lost his balloon.
• Tue 15 *I am thankful I was able to get my shopping list finished today so I can be ready for shopping tomorrow.
• Mon 14 *I am thankful that even though Kent was scheduled to work tonight things worked out for him to come home & spend time with us on Valentine's Day.
• Sun 13 *I am thankful for a good nap today as well as the nice baptism we were able to attend.
• Sat 12 *I am thankful for a wonderful family I married into. We had such a good time with Kent's family skating at the pod today in Fillmore.
• Fri 11 *I am thankful for a balanced date night tonight. It was really nice to spend the evening with Kent and be able to enjoy visiting with them and still spend time talking with him as well.
• Thur 10 *I am thankful that Braxton was able to sleep through Cort's crying last night. I am also thankful for the knowledge and the strength I've had to be able to help Cort learn to soothe himself to sleep.
• Wed 9 *I'm thankful that I have found the proper outlet for some of the frustrations I have been having with Discovery Toys. I'm thankful for the revelations that I've been having in that regard.
• Tue 8 *I am thankful for the one walk we are going to be able to get in this week.
• Mon 7 *I am thankful that I was able to improve my mood despite the difficult night I had with Cort last night.
• Sun 6 *I am thankful for the impression to read my patriarchal blessing. What a rich blessing to have a personal scripture to give your life direction.
• Sat 5 *I am so thankful I was able to find my old notes on baby sounds so I can test them out even more and maybe be able to help Cort even more with his needs.
• Fri 4 *I am thankful I was able to get the bathroom cleaned well. I am also thankful to know that Kent is supporting me in my decisions.
• Thur 3 *I am thankful for warm bread I was able to make, time spent playing with Braxton, and a few minutes away getting red mango with Melanie.
• Wed 2 *I am thankful that I was able to make my day work despite some set backs. I am also thankful I decided not to rush off to my meeting tonight. It was nice to be at home with my kids.
• Tue 1 *I am thankful I have been able to get my shopping list together so I can go shopping tomorrow.