38 Weeks!

I am excited to have about 2 weeks left!  I know due dates aren't exact, but once I get to 38 weeks I feel like I will be meeting my baby SO soon and it could be any time!  The doctor commented at the last appointment about his head being down and really low.  I can definitely feel the pressure down there.  Sometimes when I get up it feels like he's just gonna fall out!  I don't know how people fit more than one baby in there sometimes!  Our hospital bags are ready but the car seat isn't ready yet.  I recovered it and still need to do one final thing before it's completely done.  I better get on it!

I feel really blessed because a friend of mine's sister was pregnant with twins and had a "bleed" like I did and she lost both babies.  I know there are many women who suffer the pain of loosing a baby and my heart aches for them.  I am SO thankful my body was able to heal and that I will be holding my baby soon!  I think parenthood is the hardest but also most amazing job in the world.  Little children can teach us so much as we try to teach them.  I am so thankful Devin and I have been trusted with a few of Heavenly Father's special spirits to raise and love.  After my wonderful husband, my little kiddos are my greatest blessing!

And I'm so excited because tomorrow Devin and I are going to see Brian Regan!  He is hilarious!  We went a few years ago and absolutely loved it so I got us tickets for our anniversary this year.  I can't believe we've been married for 6 years.  It's funny to think that now a days many marriages don't last more than a few years.  We've still got eternity to go!  What a blessing that as long as we keep our covenants, we will be together even after we die.  And our children too.  What's better than that?  I say nothing.

Good Enough Nie Nie

I read NieNie's blog daily.  She is so inspiring and amazing.

Her post today especially got to me.  It reminded me of a lot of things I have forgotten lately.  It seems like when things are hard it's hard to be thankful (at least for me).

Read it here or below:

Tonight Lucy came over with Betsy. Andrew is out of town and so she needed a warm home to take Betsy to bide her time until he returned late that evening.

She came up to my house and we had Cafe Rio (of course) for dinner and then she planned on putting Betsy into the hot tub with my kids (Don't worry Mom, with our watchful eyes- of course). The water felt so good and Betsy repeatedly asked her mommy to get in. She caved.

I saw Lucy's darling pregnant-due-any-day-belly up close as she changed into a little make-shift swimming suit I produced for the moment (A sports bra and some old trunks) to get into the hot tub with Betsy and my herd.

In despair after the accident, I looked at my thin, burned, frail body in disgust. I would never ever look the same, or good enough to be in a swimming suit and with that, I threw them all away. All of them. Even the cute polka dotted one-piece I got that was (if I do say so myself) pretty hot on.

I longed for beautiful and healthy skin, but more than that a baby in MY tummy.

After the troop came inside, we put jammies on the children and sat and watched them dance to Christmas music in my living room. They are so innocent and I thought to myself, just how badly I wanted to protect them from anything and everything wrong and bad in the world.

Then I remembered how hard I was (and am) on myself sometimes. I wish I had this and that-mostly physical. But WOW, look at what I have!! I have a body! That is good enough for me. I have skin! That is good enough for me. I don't care the shape its in- I have it, and I am so blessed.

And that is what I want my children to remember about their mother.
That I was always grateful for everything and anything I had.
Even if it is old, worn out, sad, ugly or burned.

I have it- and that is good enough.

Taste Buds

I'm sure some people will think this is silly, but I look at the fact that we have taste buds as proof that we have a loving Father in Heaven.

I mean, what fun is eating if you can't taste the food?  I'll tell you...it's NO fun!  Right now, I am totally congested and can't taste a thing.  Eating is a totally a nuisance when I can't enjoy the taste of what I'm consuming!

It seems like he could have just created us without taste buds and we would still be able to eat.  What real purpose to they serve?  I guess to help us know if what we are eating is rotten or spoiled, but usually our sense of smell could tell us that.

I think our kind Heavenly Father gave us those taste buds so we could delight in and savor all the different tastes of food in the world.  For me, there are few experiences better than eating my favorite food.  (I can think of one and I'll give you a clue:  it usually takes place in the bedroom...I think you can figure it out!)  But seriously, I'm very thankful that I am blessed with those little dots on my tongue to bring joy to the obligation of eating!

LG

Isn't the brand name LG great?  It stands for Life is Good and I think it's fabulous someone gave their products that name.

Anyway, in case you didn't know, life is good.  Yesterday was just so fabulous.  I did my reading before anyone else woke up and the days are always better when I'm sure to fit that in.  The day with the daycare kids went almost flawlessly.  They were picked up by 4:15 so I was able to go for a run while it was SO beautiful outside.  My boys rode in the stroller and had a little nap.  Oh it was wonderful!  I enjoy running so much!  I prefer to go without the stroller, but to do that, I would have had to go to the Y and I wanted to be outside this time.  I listened to this book on my iPod.  Dr. Lund is fun to listen to and I'm learning lots about how to be a good communicator, especially in marriage.

I had (a yummy and healthy) dinner ready when we got back from the run and Devin came home a few minutes after that.  We all ate together then did the boys' baths.  We all read and played for a few minutes until the boys went to bed.  Devin, Jaxon, and Henry sat on the couch as I read a little for Family Home Evening.  I just felt so much joy for the blessings in my life, particularly my husband and sweet boys.  All three were so cute.  Jaxon as he half-way listened to what I was reading, Henry as he climbed up and down and over the couch with a big grin on his face the whole time, and Devin as he guided Jaxon to pay attention and caught Henry so he wouldn't fall.  I constantly worry about bills and all the stresses of life, but in that moment, none of it mattered.  There are times when I wish we had this or that, but at that moment, I had it all.  I was there with them and everything else in the world was perfect.

Little Things

Sometimes I notice the little things--like how this one section was like twice the size of the rest.

Yep, that is totally random and doesn't matter.  But, some little things aren't random at all and do matter.  

Like when I'm reading Henry his bedtime stories and he turns his head toward me, puts his hand on my cheek, and turns my head towards him because he wants me to kiss his forehead.

Like when Jaxon says, "Mommy, hold me" and climbs up on my lap for a hug and kiss.

Like when Devin looks into my eyes and says, "I love you, Sweets."

I am thankful for those things.

Tennis Shoes & Toenails

A few things I am thankful for:

Closed toed shoes so I can hide my overrun, overworked feet.  They don't hide it well.

Arizona winter weather.  It's not too cold to go running outside, even after dark.  I don't know how people do it other places.  I'd be a popsicle!

Neighbors who decorate their houses for the holidays.  It's so fun to go running after dark through the neighborhood looking at all the lights.  It really puts me in the Christmas mood!

Devin, who wants to spend the few moments of free time we have together, but understands that I have to go for my run.

Jaxon, who comes with me to the Y even when he is tired enough to fall asleep on the floor in the middle of a room of screaming kids.

Henry, who just started giving kisses and hasn't denied me once.

Two Choices

As I stood at the stove this evening attempting to make gravy by myself for the first time, both of my little boys were crying at my feet.  They were both tired and hungry and needed love from their mommy.  I myself, was tired and hungry too plus tired of hearing them cry.

I realized I had two choices:  Get upset, pull the gravy off the stove, run to my room, lock the door and take a moment to push away my frustrations while the boys continued to cry at my door.  OR I could kneel down right there, take my sad boys in my arms and just love them with all I had.  That's what I chose.

As I sat their holding them, I felt so much love for them and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for granting them to be my boys.  It was kinda cute--they both were trying to push the other one off me so they wouldn't have to share mommy.  I thought to myself that though times like the one a few moments earlier are hard, and I might have thoughts of wishing I were somewhere else besides home with kids, there might be a time when I would love to have my little boys small again when all they needed was their mama.

I can't believe Jaxon is already 3.  Time goes by so quickly and before I know it, they will be graduating high school, or getting married, or having kids of their own.  I love my sweet babies and I know Devin and I are so blessed they came to our family.