One Last November Thankful Post

1. I'm thankful for a successful road trip with Evan & Ryan. There were only a few times that I thought about leaving them somewhere and continuing on my own.
2. I'm thankful for Amber & Brian who not only let me stay at their house, but who have always been amazing people and friends.
3. I'm thankful for Karen & Gilbert and their beautiful home. (And can't believe that I didn't take a single picture of Ryan playing with Grandpa or Evan snuggling Grandma).
4. I'm thankful for my parents letting me take over their house for a week. Duct tape is a great way to Evan proof.
5. I'm grateful for being able to visit Nauvoo even on a windy, rainy day.
6. I'm grateful that Mom created a kilt for Ryan in a matter of days.
7. I'm grateful that Oliver and Natalie were able to come in even for just a few days.
8. I'm thankful for having so much family time. Brady family time was much needed and I wish I could have had more. I'm thankful for all the quirks we all have.
9. I'm thankful for having Thanksgiving and the wedding reception at the church where we could sneak away to the nursery to keep Evan away from people.
10. I'm thankful for adding a new sister in law to the family.

Not the Eleventh

I know, I missed it. I was very aware of the date and yet didn't take eleven pictures.
I could have taken a picture at 1am when I got back from the laundromat.
I could have taken a picture at 9am when I woke up (because Evan blessed me by sleeping in).
I did take a picture of the boys helping me put the clean clothes away.
I could have taken a picture of our normal daily stuff...meals, playing, watching a movie.
I should have sent the camera with Oliver. He could have taken a photo of a wonderful Veteran's Day assembly.
I could have taken a picture of Izzy, the lovely young lady who came to watch Evan & Ryan.
I could have taken a picture of my coworkers while we did a few interviews over the phone.
I could have taken a picture of my beautiful sister who came to watch the boys.
I could have taken a picture of my fingernails...I got a little fancy for my date with my husband.
I could have taken a picture of the awesome (free) and delicious bruschetta given to us by the head chef at Cafe Paesan when our food was two seconds slower than normal.
I could have taken a picture of the adorable junior high students surrounding Oliver and I at his school while we watched the performance of Beauty & the Beast.
I could have taken a picture of Ryan being absolutely ridiculous about the bite of cereal that he wanted that his brother ate instead.
I could have taken a lot of pictures. But I didn't. Instead I just remembered them and made note now.

Monday Gratitude

Grateful for the silence forced on us when our radio went out this summer which forced us to talk more and entertain each other in the car.
Grateful now for the option of having silence or music when I want.
Grateful for a beautiful testimony shared in Relief Society that made me introduce myself to someone knew and be given a warm and understanding hug in return.
Grateful for Evan making it through sacrament meeting pretty well yesterday.
Grateful for a "warm" morning because the clouds were low and snowing on us.
Grateful for the interactive play performed by Oliver while reading a book to Ryan.
Grateful for laughter. Giggles. Bursts. Screams of excitement.
Grateful for a home. No matter how messy or disorganized it may be.
Grateful for a warm bed and the wonderful man who lets me put my cold feet on his at night.

Thanks to

Oliver for taking me on a dessert date at our kitchen table after the boys were asleep.
Ryan for loving the bright yellow leaves and making them his stroller padding on our walk.
Evan for snuggling me just a little bit this morning.

Thankful

1. A positive IEP meeting where I was able to get to know Evan's new teacher and therapists better.
2. A smooth grocery shopping trip with both boys(all items stayed in the cart and nothing was ripped).
3. Natalie. :)4. Being creative at the relief society activity. Able to come up with something Thanksgiving oriented when all that was offered were Christmas stuff.
5. The "laundry carpet"

Thankful for

Grandma and the way Evan & Ryan are so excited to see her.
Daddy coming home early!
Getting a lot of work done.
Daddy taking the boys on an errand so I could get a lot of work done.
Family dog piles before bed!
Warm blankets.

Thankful for...

This Mormon Message that says: Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual; however, the opposite is true as well. The more often we see the things around us, even the beautiful and wonderful things, the more they become invisible to us.

I want to open my eyes.

I want to cultivate the attitude of gratitude during this month of Thanksgiving.

Today, I am thankful for the rain, clean dishes, finding the crock pot lid so I could make dinner and this little guy that Evan has latched onto the last few days and truly enjoyed.