30 Days of Thanks

-Lilly’s good health.
-Anton. He is so good to me, so good to Lilly, and just a good man.
-I feel so lucky to be able to spend my days with Lilly. We may not have everything in the world because I don’t work, but, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love being at home with her.
-My home. It is nothing special, but it is “ours”. We have created a home together, and I love that. It is a place of comfort and peace for us.
-Antons job.
-My sibling. I always have a great time when I am with them.
-My sisters. I hope Lilly is blessed with a sister.
-My car. I may not love it, but at least I have one. It runs well, and gets me where I need to go.
-Bath time! It is one of Lilly’s favorite times of day. She sings and plays and splashes all around.
-Blogging. It has become such a fun hobby. And, I love my fellow bloggers..they are inspiring, funny, clever…the list could go on and on.
-I am thankful that I love to cook. I love making a delicious home cooked meal for my little family. There is something about cooking that I simply love.
-How darling Anton is to Lilly. We went to visit him at work today and she walked right off the elevator, past the receptionist, and down the hall to daddy. When she saw him, she could barely contain her excitement. And, I heard him say “oh, you just made daddy’s whole day”. I love moments like that.
-That Anton is my partner. He can take over, and is so willing to do so, when I need a quick break to re-group.
-Lazy Sundays. They drive Anton nuts, but I love just being lazy reading books, taking naps, watching our favorite TV shows, playing with Lilly etc.
-The snow! It makes it so much more exciting for the holidays when there is snow around. Now, if it could only melt on January 2nd.
-My knowledge of the Gospel. The wonderful blessing of the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation is such a sweet, tender, peace in my life.
-Online shopping. I love it. It is so quick, easy, and fun. I would be OK if I never went to the mall again.
-The men in Lilly’s life. Her papa (my dad) is so smitten with her, and can’t go much more than a week without seeing her. He is always wanting to know how Lilly is doing. Lilly’s pompa (Anton’s dad) thinks she is pretty adorable. He always comments on how sweet she is, and I often hear him say “she is one cute grandchild”. And last but not least, Lilly’s daddy. I can’t even begin to describe their relationship. They are so in love with one another. He is so sweet to her, is protective over her, loves her, plays with her, is so happy when he sees her…I could go on and on.
-That I have healthy pregnancies, with little to no complications. The baby is starting to kick…what a fun feeling!
-My parents, Anton’s parents, and both our grandparents. We are so blessed to have them as ours!!
-Mormon Messages. They are always so uplifting and perfect.
-The Office. Honestly, I don’t think there is a show out there that makes me laugh as hard as The Office. We are always a season behind, so we can rent them and watch several episodes without commercials. I think we watch 5 episodes on Saturday night. I laughed until I was crying.
-The Internet and email. So quick and so convenient. I am not a huge phone person, so email is fantastic!
-Our dogs. They are such sweet, good little dogs. They really are a part of our family.
-Utah. We live in the most beautiful state. From the gorgeous red rock down south, or the mountains up here…it is stunning.
-Our grandparents.
-Laughing. Is there anything better than laughing hysterically? I don’t think so. I laughed so hard this weekend, and laughed even harder with Anton on the drive home from St. George.
-My marriage. We have our “issues”, as does everyone, but as a whole, Anton and I have a solid, very happy marriage. For that, I am so thankful.
-Lilly’s laugh.
-Thanksgiving. I love that Thanksgiving is a time for me to reflect on the things in my life that I am so thankful for. I am so very blessed, and have such gratitude for all the many beautiful things in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Way to Go!

My husband was just named "The Biggest Looser" at work! He worked hard to loose some weight, and ended up winning the contest. He lost a total of about 25 pounds!

So proud of him!!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent it down in St. George with Antons family, which was a real treat since we don't get to see them very often. We tried to keep active the entire time we were down there, but when it was time to eat, boy did we eat well! I feel very blessed to have in laws that I love and enjoy spending time with.

Some fun things from the weekend:

-Thanksgiving of course! Yummy!
-Tennis
-Lilly played and played with her cousins. She has slept so well over the last week because she has played so hard.
-Angels Landing. I was rather proud of myself for making it up there, being large with child and all. (No worries, we didn't even get close to the chains. My fear of heights is too real. And yes, a woman fell from there as we were leaving. Horribly sad.)
-Sleeping in! My mother in law took Lilly for a night, so we could have a night alone. It was so nice!
- Games! We played so many games, it was so fun. I love that my in-laws play games, I think they are so fun.
-The laughing that came as a result of the games. Lets just say, for a game or two, my mother in law got really confused with Scategories! Hysterical!
-The beautiful weather. It was so nice down there.
-Spending time with family.
-The drive home. Wow. It was eventful. I kept calling us the Griswolds. I had several hard laughs on the way home.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Teeth

Yesterday while teaching my primary class, a little girl asked me...

"Why are your teeth so big?"

I didn't really have a response, but just kind of laughed. When I told Anton about it, he said "Well, did you tell her it is because they are Chiclets?"

Such a loving husband.

(and yes, my teeth are a little big...so what!)

Snow!

Lilly loved playing in the snow storm!

Lilly Lilly Lilly

Recently, Lilly is the most fun she has ever been. 18 months, is by far my favorite age. She is so talkative, funny, darling, sweet, cuddly, and happy. She runs everywhere, is starting to learn how to climb on the furniture, talks non stop, and has become my little buddy. Everyday she does something new that amazes me. Like this morning, I was in the kitchen doing dishes, and I walked into the living room, and she is sitting on the couch. I didn't put her there, she climbed up herself! Life with Lilly is the best. I can't believe how happy she makes the both of us.

You are probably wondering why I never post pictures. Well, that's because she has taken my camera cord and put it somewhere really sneaky. Little squirt!

Mt. Olympus

Anton loves to hike. This summer he kept saying "I want to hike to the top of Olympus". So, last week, he finally did. He went with some of his good friends, and I am so glad one of them snapped some pictures of him. Nice work Anton!

By Lilly

I had a fabulous day on Friday...

*I went to my Gymboree class. It was Marvelous! They had lots of balls that I could throw around and they changed the mats around so I could climb up and down them. I wore myself right out!
*Had a yummy lunch with my mom. I love pinto beans!!
*Took a nice long nap. My mom was so happy with me. She likes it when I take two hour naps.
*Then, I got to go see "A Christmas Carol" with my daddy's work. Everyone thought I would last twenty minutes or so. Not the case! I lasted the whole movie. I loved it! Mommy got me some popcorn and I sat on her lap with my cool 3D glasses on, munched on my popcorn, and had a grand old time!
*Came home and ran around while dinner was cooking. My mom let me play with my crayons. I love when she does that.
*Ate my dinner like a good girl, so mom let me have some yummy Halloween candy.
*Played with my daddy. I love when he chases me and scares me.
*Got all cozy and read books with my mommy. Then, off to bed.

What a marvelous day!

Thankful

I have really enjoyed reading peoples blogs who emphasize the things they are grateful for, in preparation for Thanksgiving. While I was in the shower this morning, I thought (that's where I do a lot of my thinking) I should keep a small list of my own, and then look it over at the end of the month. I really want to focus on recognizing all the blessings in my life. Because, after all, I have so many of them. I ran across a blog this morning that really tugged at my heart strings. I couldn't keep the tears from coming. I remember when Lilly was in the NICU, I took a break to go home and take a nap, and when I came back Lilly had more cords, and tubes in her than before. I just started to cry. The nurses explained that's why they did it when I had left...Lilly fought them while they were putting her feeding tube in, and for me to be there and watch, would have been awful. I knew Lilly was going to pull through, and be fine. But what about those parents who don't have that confidence? It really, honestly, breaks my heart. I just can't imagine the sadness and the heartache that these darling families go through when their child is so severely sick, or worse, if they loose a child. So, I will begin my list with the incredible gratitude I have for Lilly's good health. She is happy, healthy and is growing like a weed...and for that, I couldn't be more Thankful.

WOW!

Went and saw "This Is It" tonight with some of my siblings. Absolutely AMAZING. I loved every single second of it. I have always been a fan, and will always continue to be. After seeing this, it is very clear why he was named The King Of Pop.

(lilly is a fan as well. every time MJ's cd is playing in my car, she slaps her little hands to her legs. her favorites...Billy Jean, Thriller and Beat It. Smart girl.)

Witch!!

Most of my pictures of Lilly on Halloween didn't turn out - sniff sniff - so, I am waiting to get others that were taken of her from my family. Check back later for more of our Halloween.

We had the BEST day!! I can't believe how much Lilly loved the whole Halloween thing. We have been trying for weeks to get her to wear and keep her witch hat on, but didn't have much success. When actual Halloween came and she had her costume on with her fancy makeup, she put it on and loved it. We went to my parents for a killer Halloween party, which Lilly thought was the best thing going, then came home and off we went....Lilly's first experience Trick-or-Treating! She LOVED it. It was so much fun!!

And what about my Ghost cookies?! I think they turned out pretty cute!