Vacationing too long?

You know that you have successfully overtired your child, when you come home and he practically falls asleep at the lunch table. Another sign--when you ask him if he's tired he tries to sign no, but decides instead to suck his thumb instead.

Planes and Trains

The Friendly Hero delights in looking for Planes and Trains. Ever since he rode on an airplane, he can't get enough of them. Here he is pointing them out.
He is a delight!

Six Week Sleeping...

Call me Hopeful. But because The Peaceful Hero slept so much, yea he would fall asleep in the middle of anything we were doing: photo shoots, playing games, getting hugs, and once while his diaper was being changed. I thought that maybe we would not suffer on the sixth week and he'd sleep right through it. But he didn't. I have to say, it wasn't near as bad as it was with the Friendly Hero. I wasn't teaching during the day, so it's loads better. He also got the cold I had last week. We didn't get lots of sleep this week, but we got enough to muddle through. It helps that he's almost 7 weeks old and he's getting better. Sleep does come to us!

Posting

I find myself wanting to post, but not really having much to say. The Friendly Hero is getting over a cold and is getting really excited to travel and see both Grandma Honey's. I'm trying not to go crazy over how much laundry I have to do, or Christmas Cards I need to send out...The Bug Hero is getting ready for finals and the big Entomology Conference, and the Peaceful Hero sleeps through everything--including photo shoots!

We love December!

Playtime

Today I am grateful for play time. We took it easy--read we stayed home and chased each other around the apartment. The Friendly Hero chased me into my room and I chased him back into his. This lasted for a half hour. (aerobic exercise Check!) We laughed so hard. I'm still not sure why he finds running funny, but when he laughs, we all laugh.

We also colored and he played in his crib while I watched. I don't know why he wanted to climb in, but he enjoyed throwing himself onto his stomach and then climbing up again and repeating the process. (When you're 21 months old, you don't have to make sense.)

I am grateful he loves to play. We had a great time today!

I am also grateful for awesome grandparents. The Friendly Hero knows their names and looks for pictures of them. Today our calendar came in the mail, and he carried it around calling for Honey and Papa. He also waved at the picture of Grandma and Grandpa C. He loves his grandparents! I am grateful for their love and example of excellent parenting!

As much as I have enjoyed these gratitude posts, I am grateful that November is over and I don't feel obligated to post daily. ;)

Errands End

Today I am grateful that errands end. I am really excited for Christmas and the long trip we will take--we leave in less than two weeks. I feel overwhelmed right now, that all I need to get done will not get done, and then the stuff I would like to get done won't get looked at because I can't finish the stuff I need to get done. But as I realized today, errands end. There is an end to my list of things to do--it's far away, but there is an end. I am grateful to see the end of the list.

I am grateful for Blizzards. We got them at the end of the Thanksgiving Holidays with my family. The Friendly Hero took bites of everyone's and by the end he had taken a blizzard for himself. He's really cute. I am grateful for him!
I am grateful for good books! I love to read. I am grateful for all the amazing literature and fantasy out there. It makes me very happy!

Guardian Angel

Today I am extremely grateful that I have a Guardian Angel. I keep my Angel very busy. I am prone to accidents and tumbles. I don't know if I am the cause of all my accidents--or if I'm just lucky to be at the right place at the wrong time. All I know that because of my Angel--lots of Heavenly Help--I am spared a lot of injuries.

Take today for instance. I was making breakfast, and trying to put dishes away. I was wearing one of my pregnancy night shirts. (Read XL or XXL). The stove was on high, and as I reached up and put a Tupperware away above the stove. I looked down and saw that my shirt was on fire. I was stunned. The Bug Hero lept into action and and batted out the fire before I was burned, or the house caught on fire. I am extremely grateful that he was able to move, because I was immobilized. I am also grateful that I was protected from harm. I also am not going to wear really baggy shirts to breakfast--and all today I cooked on the rear burner.

I am grateful for Priesthood Blessings. This month I have gotten sick a lot. This whole week I've had a lingering cold that took my voice away. This morning when I woke up, I felt like I was back at square one, and completely sick again. I asked The Bug Hero for a blessing and he brought his Home Teaching Companion, and after the blessing I have felt much better. Right now, almost 12 hours after the blessing I am feeling the best I have felt all week. My voice is also coming back! I am grateful for the healing power of the priesthood.

I am grateful for sticker charts--I will work hard to not miss a spot on my sticker chart! My reward is seeing a filled in sticker chart. I am also grateful for family who see my charts and inspire me to do more and to keep slowly improving every day.

I am grateful for Skype. I love to talk to my family, and see the Friendly Hero charm both sets of Grandparents. He loves to talk to them and give love. He is the center of attention and I love that he can interact with them, even though we live on opposite sides of the country.

I am grateful to be alive and to be healthy and happy! I am grateful for days to worship the Savior and Heavenly Father, even if I do it from home and not at Church.

Cloth Diapers

I am grateful for the elastic at the top of cloth diapers. Here's some "You-must-be-crazy" space ____________________________________________________________________ because I use cloth diapers. We love cloth diapers here at our house, and it's because we have excellent poopers. I mean, blow out worthy poopers here. We have less than ten blow outs total for the Friendly Hero whenever he's in his cloth diapers, and today we had our first blow out for the Peaceful Hero. As I was cleaning an epic blowout, I was extremely grateful for the cloth diapers, that this is the first, instead of one a day. I am grateful for the cloth diapers, especially the elastic at the top that keeps the poop in.

I am also grateful for great movies and people to watch them with. Yesterday we watched Toy Story 3 for the first time and I laughed myself sick. I was grateful for my family to be here with us, because it's so much more fun to laugh with others instead of just by yourself.

I am grateful for trains. The Friendly Hero loves them, and I am grateful for the joy they bring him. I said this in a prayer, and the Friendly Hero called out, "Choo Choo!" "Cool!" as I continued thanking Heavenly Father. He's adorable!

Family

The past few days I have been extremely grateful for Family.

So grateful, that I stay up late talking and playing with them instead of blogging. I would rather sacrifice my sleep for family then for the blog.

Aunt M. has been her and it's been great! The Friendly Hero loves bringing her books to read, and playing ball with her. He also gets really sad if she leaves the room, and he goes looking for her. I am grateful that he loves her so much. I am grateful for her love of books. We have spent a lot of time sharing book recommendations and talking about what we've read. I enjoy how she stretches my sphere of reading. I love that we both have a love affair with books and aren't afraid of sharing it. I am also grateful for her example to me. She is the person that got me started on this blog, and in my journal writing. Because of her, I write in my journal daily and now have started several other journals because I process and remember things better if I have written them. It was a great joy to write in my journal with her last night and share it with her. We started talking about goals and now I'm inspired to start thinking about good goals for my New Year's Resolutions and how to improve myself. I am grateful for her love and for her goodness.

I am grateful for Uncle R, now known as "Bob". The Friendly Hero got excited to see him and calls him "Bob." Bob brought Friendly Hero a bus, and earned a dear spot in Friendly Hero's heart. I am grateful for the second bus, because now if Friendly Hero loses one, he can still play with the other one. I am also grateful to watch him play with the Bug Hero. I love watching them interact and know that my husband is an important part of my family. (I am a people watcher.) I am also grateful for my relationship with him. We were the siblings that fought the most and competed the most growing up. (I learned to read by doing his kindergarten homework over his shoulder faster than he could...) I'm grateful that we both over came our similarities to become good friends.

My Aunt and Uncle also are here and it's great fun to have them. I am grateful for their example and their love of us. They love to hold the Peaceful Hero and play with the Friendly Hero. They read stories and I often hear them whispering to my children how lucky they are to be a part of such a great family. I am grateful for their confidence that I am a good mother.

I am extremely grateful for the Bug Hero. He's here all the time, but he is such a support to me. He loves his boys and is willing to help out with them. I love seeing him play or snuggle with them. I am grateful for his willingness to do the dishes, play games with me, scratch my back, let me sleep, and take care of me. I hope that I do as good of job taking care of him as he takes care of me. He makes me feel spoiled and like a queen. I also am grateful that he taught the Friendly Hero how to sign "love," because there is nothing sweeter than having the Friendly Hero tell you that he loves you.

I am grateful for the Friendly Hero. He has brought great joy with everyone here. He brings lots of entertainment and smiles. I am grateful that he says "Thank you". He signs it and doesn't usually need to be reminded to say it. Yesterday, as I was giving him mashed potatoes he said, "tang yoo" I was so excited to hear him use the words and the signs. I am grateful he is growing and developing. I am grateful he loves his brother. He is exuberant in showing his love, and I am grateful we are teaching him to be gentle instead of trying teach him not to hate his brother.

I am grateful for the Peaceful Hero. He's six weeks old on Monday and he's a wonderful baby. I am grateful he is sleeping so well, (as well as the Friendly Hero slept at 8 weeks) and that he is peaceful. I am sad that he no longer looks like a new born baby, but I am grateful that he likes to eat and that I can make enough milk for him. I am also grateful that he loves to be held, snuggled, and loves his brother. I am also grateful that I don't have to go back to work. (I haven't been employed for over a year.) As I get close to the six week mark with the Peaceful Hero, I can't help but be extremely grateful that I'm not responsible for going back to work now. My full time job is taking care of my boys and as much as I miss teaching, I am extremely grateful that I can focus on my children.

I am also grateful for my extended family. I am grateful for the blogs to interact and stay close to everyone even though I live far away from everyone. I can't begin to tell all of my cousins and aunts how much they mean to me, but I am grateful for the sealing power and know that we'll be family forever. I am taught and lifted by you guys all the time, and I don't always comment on your blogs, but you change my life. I have the world's best family, both sides of mine and my in-laws. I am grateful that you accept me and my oddities and love me all the same. Thank you!

I am grateful for the restored gospel. I love the Church and the difference it makes in my life. I am grateful for the sacrifice of my Savior and His love for everyone. I am grateful for His love and His ability and willingness to help me be better than I can be by myself.

Long Naps

Today I am grateful for long naps. The Friendly Hero is hitting another growth spurt and sleeps from 6:30pm to 8:00am and then took a 2 1/2 hour nap today. I was very grateful for it since I had a lot I wanted to get done to prepare for Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for our home. I love the feeling of peace that usually resides here. Today I felt the peace.

Books

Today we are grateful for books and the Library.

Now, I love books--is anyone really surprised? No, not really. Every Monday there is a lap sit at the Library. We love to go. There is a dog puppet, and Miss A is awesome. She learns the kids names and she is a joy to watch interact. The Friendly Hero picked out his train book before lap sit today and he had to show everyone his book. Miss A was great with him and looked at it with him and he showed her the blue trains and the cars. I was grateful for her and her interactions with my son.

I am also grateful for the state wide library system. I can get whatever book I want because usually somewhere in the state is the book I want to read. A lot of times, I go to pick up my books on hold and not one of them is from my library system. Whenever I see the library systems, I keep hoping that it came from my sister's library--but not yet.

I am grateful for my family. My family sent the Friendly Hero a card, and he carries it everywhere--he also colored it. One sister told him to look for a bus, and he spends the time carrying the card around, waving at it and screaming "Bus!" He's really trying to find that bus.

He's also really excited for a certain Aunt to come through the door in a few days. He looks at the door and says, "Aria! Door!" I'm grateful for his love and his excitement over family members.

I am grateful for the Peaceful Hero. He is very sweet and loves to wave his arms. As we were bathing him tonight, we couldn't get over how old he looks...He is a month old, but he suddenly looks not like a newborn. He's probably 11+ lbs now and he is straightening himself out. I am grateful he is healthy and wonderful.

I am also grateful for matching clothes. I'm trying to get them in all the matching outfits at least once...before the Peaceful Hero no longer fits in them. About half of the clothes this size are getting tight.

I love how the Peaceful Hero is looking at his Big Brother!

Dancing

Today we are grateful for our legs, so we jumped, danced and ran around. The Friendly Hero never walks anywhere, and he was so cute as he jumped to "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" and we spun around in circles as we danced. I totally love him!

I am also grateful for neighbors--we had our neighbor come over and take our family picture and it was awesome! I am grateful for friends their willingness to serve us.

I am grateful for Home Teachers. When they walked in this afternoon, the Friendly Hero blurted out one of their names. He spent the entire lesson handing him books and toys and having him turn pages and read him stories. He was so excited his friend was here.

I am grateful for my health. I was really tired the last few days--surprise, I have a newborn baby, but then yesterday I was really sick. Today I woke up with loads of energy and realized that the past few days I was sick. Sometimes you don't notice you were sick until you're better.

I am grateful for the support of the ward family. I can feel the friendship and the love that our ward has for other members. I can't really describe it without using names or situations, and I don't want to do it, but I feel strength from my ward. I am grateful for it.

Yesterday I was extremely grateful it was Saturday. I would not have been able to take care of both of the boys and was very grateful the Bug Hero was home to help, without missing any school or work.

And of course, I'm grateful for these two:


The Friendly Hero is hugging the Peaceful Hero.

Missionaries

Today I am grateful for the Missionaries.

We had our ward missionaries over to dinner today and I am grateful for them. They are awesome! They have the ability to be friends and ask about our lives and then switch over to teaching. It's just great! I love having this companionship over.

They also challenged us to be better missionaries, and I am ready to take on their challenge.

I am grateful for colors. The Friendly Hero loves to color and loves to identify colors. We spent most of an hour coloring hands (turkeys), buses, trucks, and identifying all the colors. Well, blue, red, yellow, brown, and green. Every other color is blue. Purple is his favorite, even though it's blue.

I am grateful for a great apartment. I love the set up and I am grateful for all the space we have.

Laundry

Today I am grateful for Laundry, because doing it makes me feel like I'm in control of my life. I don't know why, but if I can get one load of laundry done in the day then I'm on top of things. If I can do one load of clothes and a load of diapers, then I'm awesome!

I'm grateful for sisters. I was cleaning off my dresser top, so the Friendly Hero won't dump everything off as he plays, I found a picture of all my sisters. The Friendly Hero took the picture and carried it around for the rest of the day, and he pointed at my older sister and said, "Aria, Aria, Aria, Aria!" He was very pleased to have a picture of her. I tried to point out Mom in the picture, but he only had eyes for his Aunt.

I love my boys!

Cheese

Today I am grateful for cheese. The Friendly Hero loves cheese. He demanded cheese--and since he was melting down because I put the wheat away....let me back up. I made granola and the Friendly Hero helped me count out 14 cups of oats. He wanted to keep going, and pulled out the wheat bucket. I think that it's an easy way to get him to "help" but actually get something done in the kitchen. I open up the wheat and let him play in it. He spilled less than a quarter cup on the floor and then slipped and fell on it. So I am a smart Mom and I put the wheat away.

Commence a melt down of epic proportions--dinner was late because it was late day for the Bug Hero, and the Friendly Hero was tired. And I put the wheat away. There is nothing left for the Friendly Hero except for cheese. So I give him cheese and he wants the block of cheese. I hand it to him not thinking much of it.

Five minutes later he hands it back to me.


He likes his cheese.

I am also grateful for the audio book "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Amazing! I'm only half way through too.

Healthy Kiddos

Today I am grateful for Healthy Kids.

The Friendly Hero just got better from a bout of diarrhea, and I am grateful he is no longer exploding out of his diapers. The Peaceful Hero has a stuffy nose that is making it hard for him to sleep, but we are healthy. They don't have any severe illnesses or disabilities. I am grateful that they have bodies that work and are healthy.

I am grateful for the Priesthood in my home. The Bug Hero gave both boys a blessing of healing and they are making a fast recovery. I am grateful that he is worthy to use the priesthood.

For that matter, I am grateful that I am healthy! I am making a quick recovery from giving birth. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I was pregnant just over four weeks ago. I look like I'm four months postpartum not four weeks. (I'm not trying to brag.) I am extremely grateful for my body's ability to heal itself and for Heavenly Father's blessings to allow me to heal this quickly.

I am also grateful for my family. We laughed a lot today and we taught the Friendly Hero "Ring Around the Rosies". It was adorable. He loved to fall down and then pulled on our arms to do it again. We tried to teach him a family game called "Balloon"--but when we asked what color the balloon was he ran upstairs to get his crayons and color. Cute, but he did miss the point of the game.

Visiting Teaching

Today I am grateful for Visiting Teaching.

I love to make friends with the sisters that I visit teach. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve. My companion just moved to San Diego about six weeks ago, and I have missed her. I got a new companion for November, but all of October I missed my dear friend.

She came back for her Dissertation Defense. I didn't know she was in town, because I missed church--and she showed up on my door step this evening. I was overcome with a great sense of joy to see her again. She is amazing!

I am grateful for visiting teaching because it brings us closer together as friends and allows us to get to know these amazing sisters. I have loved serving with her and feel like I have learned so much from my companion!

We are blessed by this program. It is truly inspired by Heaven. I love to go visiting teaching because I leave a better person. I don't think that I can help the sisters, I am called to teach, as much as they help me.

Swaddling

Today I am grateful for several things.

1. I am grateful for the Sacrament. I am grateful that I was able to go to church for five minutes to take the sacrament. (The Friendly Hero is still sick and we didn't want to get anyone else sick.)

2. Power. There was an accident yesterday. Someone decided to hit a power pole right outside of our apartment complex. We were without power from 2:30 until 11:20pm. It hits home how wonderful electricity is and how dependent we are on it. We spent the afternoon playing with flashlights and a camping lantern.

3. Preparedness. Our Afternoon wasn't awful and we were just fine, because I had followed the commandments of the Prophet and was prepared. I am grateful for my faithfulness in being prepared. (I sound like it's all about me, but I am truly grateful for the guidance.)

4. Swaddling. The Peaceful Hero loves to be swaddled. He practically falls asleep once we swaddle him. I think he loves it so much because there was no room in my tummy for him. When we wrap him tight, he feels like he did his whole womb experience.

5. Brothers. They are adorable and love each other. The Friendly Hero asks to be swaddled every time I swaddle The Peaceful Hero. They are so cute together.
Love.
6. Sleep. I am grateful for all the sleep that I get. I am a much nicer person when I get enough sleep.

Prayer

Today I am grateful for Prayer.

1. I have a sister that I visit teach that is extremely hard to get a hold of--no voice mail on her phone, never checks email, and almost never answers her phone. I have been praying for her and praying to be able to get a hold of her--I called and she didn't answer and as I was reading my scriptures the thought came to try again. I did, and she answered! I am grateful that my prayer was answered and she knows that the Lord loves her!

2. The Friendly Hero is sick. Due to this illness he's fighting naps and is cranky most of the day. I prayed to have patience and be able to show him that I love him, even as he screams at me and tells me "no." I felt the Lord answer my prayer, because I didn't feel upset or any frustrations with him today. I know that it was the Lord, and not me--I just don't do that normally. I am grateful for my prayer being answered and that I was able to be a good mom today and help my child feel better.

Kitchen and Veterens.

I am grateful for the Veterans that fought and are fighting to keep our nation safe. I am grateful for their sacrifice and willingness to protect our nation.

I am grateful for this picture: I love both of their faces. The Friendly Hero has recently started wanting to hold the "BeeeBeee"
Yesterday we had a hawk almost crash into our front window. He dove down and landed between two bushes inches away from our window. He then walked down to the sidewalk and chilled there for a few minutes. I am grateful for this world we live in.
I am grateful for this: It's our gratitude calender. Every day we do something different to show we are grateful for them. I love having little activities to do with The Friendly Hero. I also like the reminder to be grateful.
Today we are grateful for the Kitchen. So we made cookies.
And a Mess. Editor's Note: The true mess didn't get caught by the camera. The Friendly Hero got the sugar sprinkles all over the floor and counter top. We're still stepping on them and we've washed the floor twice!
I am grateful for this little angel. He slept through all the mess making and let me feel like a cool Mom for doing fun things with my toddler.
I am grateful to be alive!

The Friendly Hero

Today I am grateful for the Friendly Hero.

1. He's Friendly. He loves to make new friends and is willing to wave and smile at most anyone. He won't go with anyone that he doesn't know--which is nice, but he will be friendly and smile.

2. Buses. He LOVES buses and trucks. We spend a lot of time every day looking for buses, coloring buses, playing with his bus. He yells "Buas" every time he sees one and it's great fun.

3. He Loves the Peaceful Hero. He wants to help out with everything--swaddling, feeding, changing the diaper, and give tons of kisses. He is a great brother and tender (when he's not so excited to see the baby.)

4. "Thank You." He says "Thank You" to everyone for anything nice that they've done for him. He has a very tender heart.

5. Giggles. He has the best laugh. We spend a good portion of every day laughing. I love it!

I am grateful for the Friendly Hero!

November 9th

Today I am grateful for the following things:

1. Sticker Charts. I am motivated to do all sorts of things--break bad habits or starting new habits like flossing my teeth, because I don't want to miss a spot on my sticker chart.

2. The E. Family. I tutor their daughter and we just love the association with their family. I always leave feeling enriched and blessed. They love the Friendly Hero and the Peaceful Hero. We love them!

3. Computers. I love how they connect us to each other. (I love Technology, not as much as you you see, but yes I love technology!)

4. Giggles. Today I walked around a corner and the Friendly Hero erupted in giggles because it was the funniest thing. I'm still not sure about the humor, but I love his laugh.

5. The Bug Hero's lab. We went to lab meeting to introduce the Peaceful Hero to everyone and I enjoy their camaraderie. I also am grateful that they love playing with the Friendly Hero. They loved to show him pictures of buses, and bugs for him to get excited about.

The Prophet

Today I am grateful for the following things:

1. The Bug Hero. He came home about an hour early, because he knew it was a rough night last night and came home to help. He played with the Friendly Hero and took him away so I could nurse in peace--I was starting to get really upset over little things and he was a huge help. I am grateful for all he does to support and take care of us.

2. Weather. This whole week we are supposed to have temperatures in the 70's. Very unusual for Indiana in November. I am grateful to go outside and play with the Friendly Hero--he loves going outside and swinging and playing.

3. The Prophet. I am grateful for the knowledge that we have a living prophet on the earth and that he guides us. I love listening to his counsel and I am trying to apply it.

4. This fellow for helping me with my exercises. It's a lot harder to do push ups with a 27 lb. toddler riding on your back.

5. These shirts. They make me smile and I love the pictures of the boys together.

Church

Today I am grateful for the following things:

1. How sweet The Friendly Hero is with The Peaceful Hero. He loves to hold his hand and give him kisses.
Here's their meeting.


2. Church. I went to Sacrament Meeting today with the family, and I am grateful for the spirit. I loved being back to partake of the Sacrament and feel the spirit of the ward.

3. Staying only 1 hour. I am grateful I went to Church, but that I didn't try to stay for all three meetings. I loved going, but was glad I took it easy.

4. Skype. I talked with my family today and The Bug Hero's family yesterday. I am grateful for technology that allows them to see our little heroes and interact with them.

5. My Extended Family. I love having blogs to stay in contact with so many of my cousins and to let them know what we're up to. I love being close to them, even though I live far away from most of them. My family rocks!

Digital Cameras

Today I am grateful for the following things:
1. A clean apartment. We clean every Saturday (and days in between) and it feels so awesome to have everything clean.

2. Digital Cameras. We had a photo essay done by this fellow, I found his pictures when I turned on the camera.
The Photo Essay. (Or at least the pictures worth saving.)



3. The Changing Seasons. All last month I loved the colors changing. Now it's a little bit nippy every time we go out, but it's lots of fun to have the seasons change.

4. Turkey Shirts as seen below.

5. Brothers. They love each other, and this is a rare moment with the Peaceful Hero awake.
Giving Loves.
Finding Ears-also known as-Toughening up my little Brother.
The Friendly Hero loves his little Brother. We are sure that the Peaceful Hero will love him, once he's awake long enough to know someone other than Mom. And He only knows Mom because she's his food source. ;)

A Comb and Chocolate

Today I am grateful for a comb and the promise of chocolate. Those two things were all it took for a painless hair cut for the Friendly Hero. He's adorable. Here is the new haircut, with him sitting on my lap.
Racing around to look at the picture Mom is taking.
I'm also grateful for how well this little angel sleeps. I'm trying to take more pictures of him, but they're all of a sleeping baby. Not very interesting, but oh, so nice!
This is a picture I took this morning. The Friendly Hero loves the Peaceful Hero and wants to be a part of everything he does. I'm getting ready to swaddle the Peaceful Hero and the Friendly Hero had to come and lay down on his blanket and pat him on the leg. They are so wonderful together!
I am grateful for my family! We're also grateful for our hands today and we will be doing an art project as soon as Dad gets home.

November 4th

Today I am grateful for:

1. Washing Machines. I love my washer and dryer set. I did a load of laundry today and just loved how awesome they are.

2. Grocery Stores. I went for the first time with both little Heroes and all of our friends, one at the bank, the managers, the cashiers, and stockers were so excited to see us again and to meet the Peaceful Hero. I am grateful that I am known there and everyone is friendly to us.

3. Relief Society. We had a Relief Society Craft night and I went to socialize. I am grateful for friends and for opportunities to spend in the company of great women.

4. The Bug Hero. He was willing to watch both boys so I could go to the meeting. He played outside with the Friendly Hero and the Peaceful Hero slept. I am grateful for his help and support.

5. My Body. I am grateful I am recovering so well and am always amazed at the wonderful things my body can do--create another body for another person, bend over, jump up and down, and dance. I am grateful for this gift from Heavenly Father.

November 3

I am grateful for the following things:

1. Colors. We colored pictures today--I drew a bus and colored it and then the Friendly Hero colored over it. We did a bus, a garbage truck and a train. His favorite things right now.

2. The Bug Hero. He came home and started helping out--he just did his "normal" things, but it made a huge difference in my frazzled state today.

3. Growing Peaceful Hero. We went to the doctor's today for his two week visit, and I was pleased to find out that he is 8 lbs, 14 oz. I am really proud of how well he eats and how well he is growing. He's also 21 inches long and so he doesn't fit into Newborn clothes anymore...he wore a total of three outfits before we started putting him in 0-3 month clothes.

4. Tylenol. The Friendly Hero got his flu shot this morning and I was grateful we had dosed him up on tylenol before hand. He didn't like seeing the needle get ready--nor the stick, but as soon as the nurse took away the shot, he was completely happy and back to being friendly.

5. Heat. It was cold this morning and all afternoon it just looked yucky outside. I love having a heater and a warm house.

Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the following things:

1. My ears. We have been listening to music all day and dancing to it. It's great fun to dance with the Friendly Hero.

2. Singing with the Friendly Hero. He sings along now to "I am a Child of God." He sings "Car, Car, Caaaaaaaaaaaaaar" and we think he's trying to say "God." I am grateful for his love!


3. Boys. We have so much fun together! I love both of my boys--even though the new baby sleeps most of the time, when he's awake we love to play and talk together.

4. This Face. Who can resist it?



5. Primary songs. I am grateful for the gospel that they teach and that singing them brings peace into our home.

Thanksgiving Gratitude

Last year I was impressed on how many people did gratitude lists for every day in November. This year, I think I'd like to try it out.

Today I am grateful for:
1. The Peaceful Hero. I just love his kissable cheeks and he's forming a double chin that is adorable! He is a great sleeper and brings love to our family.

2. My teeth. I love how straight they are (thanks to braces) and that they're clean and healthy.

3. Sleep. I am working on getting enough, but I am grateful for the amounts I do get.

4. Temples. I am reading "The Holy Temple" by Boyd K. Packer and I am grateful for all they teach us and the spirit we find in the temples. I am also grateful that we are getting a temple in Indianapolis. We found out it will be in Carmel, which is in the North West side of Indy--right by Costco. I'm really excited about that too!

5. I am grateful for colorful pens. They help me make goals to do each day, and as long as I have a different color each day, I am motivated to accomplish everything I need to and some things that I would just like to get done--all so I can cross off that I did it and use a pretty color.

New Words

The Friendly Hero has added some new words to his repertoire. He added almost twenty while Grandma was here. This is our favorite. He adds it now at the end almost everything, bugs, buses, trucks, cars, outside, etc.

Halloween!

Our stake had a Trunk or Treat last night. We decided to postpone bedtime and dress up!
We had a Friendly Hero as a bee, complete with Honey. We actually had a family theme: All inspired by the ultra cute costume I made for the Friendly Hero. (Yeah, be impressed--I Made IT!)

We had an entomologist, a grub, a flower and a bee!

Happy Halloween!

A Heroic Naming

We have thought long and hard for a name to reflect our newest Super Hero. It's hard enough for us to name our children, and then to come up with a Heroic name on top of a real name is nigh impossible. But without further ado, I am proud to introduce you to the Peaceful Hero!

Demonstrating his peaceful abilities to sleep through his Brother's Love. We love having you around!

Introducing a new Hero

Hello all! We are pleased to announce that the Penguin has arrived! He is also home from the Hospital and that the Math Hero and the Penguin are healthy and happy. He doesn't have a Heroic name yet, but his name is Dad's middle name.

He was born on Monday, Oct. 18, 2010 at 2:29pm. He weighed 8 lbs 3 oz, and is 20 inches long. The nurses couldn't believe that I was carrying a baby that big. They didn't know how he fit in.

The Heroic Family:
Happy at Home:

Ode to the Computer Backup

My Ode to the Automatic Computer Backup System:

You are a blessing.
You are amazing.
I love the computer backup.

I'm glad that you do this yourself-
I didn't realize the joys of having this essential backup--
until I had a toddler.
We're still not sure what he did,
But it required wiping our hard drive to fix it.
You had all of our important documents in the backup.

You are a blessing.
You are amazing.
I love the Computer Backup.

TEMPLE!!!

I've got a few ideas for different posts, but I had to share how excited we are to find out that Indianapolis is getting a temple! We have been praying for it! We will probably still make visits to Chicago to see family, but won't feel like we're rushing to get to the temple. We are really excited to watch this progress--especially since we'll be here for five more years!

We were having difficulties getting conference to stream with sound and the only part we heard of President Monson's opening remarks was his talking about the temple dedications and then right after he announced the Indianapolis Temple we lost sound again. We got it working in time for the speakers, but feel extremely blessed that we heard about our new temple.

I love conference!

Project-Check!

Yesterday I made applesauce with a friend. On my list of things to take to her house was my camera. Did my camera make it into the car? No, the Friendly Hero was busy helping me pack things in and out of the pots I needed to take. We had powder all over our carpet that had to be quickly vacuumed up--before we could leave our house.

I'm really sad that there is no picture of the "mice tracks" The Friendly Hero and his friend left as they ate apples. They left the peels all over the house.

Nor are there any pictures of all the quarts or boxes of apples. We turned eight bushels of apples into 153 quarts of applesauce. It was great fun!

I did take pictures of the applesauce that I brought home. My friend was gracious enough to help me with my 114 quarts in exchange for teaching her how to make her 39 quarts. I find it very obvious at times that I grew up on an Apple Orchard.

Applesauce waiting to be steam bathed.

Steam bath going strong.
I was very grateful we found an orchard out here that sells Red and Golden Delicious, which is what my family grew, and that the apples in Indiana ripen almost a month before they do in Utah. I was able to make the applesauce a month before I'm due and guarantee that I have enough for next year. Yes, as a family, we can eat 114 quarts in a year--easily.

A Question

I have a question for all my talented quilting friends, cousins, and family:

I am really interested in learning more about quilting, but being due in 6 weeks is stopping me from actively seeking out classes. Is there a book or a website that I can look at that is really good for a beginner, or would you just advise me to wait until the baby is a little bit older and take a few classes?

Any and all thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

Ohio

In Ohio we went to see where my Brother lives and also Kirtland. It was great to see the sites and know that many of the Saints were faithful all the way through. It was sad to hear about saints that fell away.

Outside the Temple:
Isaac Morley Farm: This was my favorite spot. (It was tough to decide between this spot and the John Johnson Farm though.) I felt the spirit very strongly here, and the Friendly Hero loved the dirt.
The Temple:
It was great to spend two weeks with my family and have them play with us. We laughed and joked tons. It was sad to leave them, but the Friendly Hero was glad to get back to his own crib and sleep the whole night through. Come to think of it--I was glad that he started sleeping the whole night again.

West Lafayette

My family has a fascination with Fire Museums. And there's one in my town where I live. Of Course we had to go. It was fun and awesome. There was a free hat for the little boy. He loves to wear it around the house.

Learning how to drive with an Aunt.
Playing with an Uncle, who wouldn't let him drive.
We also went to our favorite park in West Lafayette.

Getting Wet at the Park. Second favorite activity.
Swinging at the Park--All time Favorite Activity.
We ended by doing all of the Friendly Hero's Signs. (Hurt, Cracker, Please and Thank You).
Best story about the aunt doing hurt. The Friendly Hero walked up to her knocking on his head, which is how he tells people he's hurt. She didn't know and so she knocked his head back. He was very confused and went to his dad and knocked his head and got the hug he was looking for. He never went back to the aunt to tell her he was hurt the rest of the trip--he found other people to give him hugs.