iCreate

And finally, on this last day of November, I would like to say that I've been really grateful for this experience this month. It has really helped to keep my attitude positive. Even on the hard days, I still had to think of something I was grateful for and it made me feel better. I know that I am an incredibly blessed woman, but it's been really good to actually see it in writing. I will always look back on this and remember how happy it made me.

I'm thankful for Christmas traditions. Like these...

A new ornament for the tree every year



And a new Christmas book every year

I'm grateful for special family moments when you just know that you are so happy and blessed. I had one of those tonight.


I love snuggling with my kiddos. Especially when my living room feels so Christmas-y and warm and cozy. I love love it.

I'm grateful for the smell of freshly baked bread.

xo

I'm grateful for Christmas shopping! It makes me so excited. And happy! I'm getting a little giddy with anticipation... One of my favorite parts about Christmas is thinking of gifts to give others and seeing their excitement (well, hopefully!) when they open it.

So Corey finally got our flu bug. We tried really hard to vitamin him up with green smoothies, essential oils, and vitamin c overloaded orange juliuses. But, alas, it didn't work. He is now sick as well. :(


Today I'm most grateful for tithing. It's something that's always been important to us and I know that we have been blessed because of that. I'm also grateful that my parents taught me at an early age the importance of paying tithing. And that I married a man with the same understanding and devotion.

I'm grateful we put up all our Christmas decorations today!

That is all.

I'm so thankful for the family I chose to marry (my in-laws!)! I love them and I love how much they have accepted me as one of their own. I'm grateful that it's always been easy to be around them. It's great to spend time with them. We got to have our own Thanksgiving #2 with the Holmgrens today. I'm grateful for my in-law parents for raising my husband up so well. I'm grateful that for my sisters-in-law. They are the closest things I have to 'real' sisters. And I guess I'll mention my brothers-in-law as well, but only because I don't want them to feel left out! (if they really read our blog, they'd laugh about that, because I'm kidding.)

I'm blessed to have a lot of great family, which means a lot of support and love, and you can never have too much of that!

xo

Friends! My kids gave me a wonderful Thanksgiving present. Their flu bug! Tuesday night, Nora was so sweet to throw up all over me. My shirt, pants, her jammies, the floor, the wall (as I was on my way trying to make it to the bathroom), her blanket. Wednesday was fabulous (for real this time). The woke up basically all better. I got to make pies and food with my mom all day. Then just in time for dinner, I started feeling sick. My dad gave me a blessing (Corey wasn't here yet because I cam down early to help my mom with Thanksgiving). I read Nora a story and put her down. Then I read Nathan a story and barely made it upstairs to the toilet to throw up myself. I slept/rested all morning today. I did feel good enough by noon to take a shower and get dressed. I made it down for our Thanksgiving dinner, although I didn't eat very much. But I did feel good enough to at least visit and be with everyone. Then we went to my uncle's church to have pie with all of my cousins. So many of them were all in town for the holiday and it had been so long since we'd all been together. It was great to see everyone!

Day 21
Today I am so thankful for my mom! We had such a good day in the kitchen together. We always have fun together and can talk about anything. What's that picture I saw on Pinterest? "The older I get the more I realize my mother is the best friend I've ever had." Something like that... and it's true. My mom is always there. She knows when to call me when I'm having a hard day. I can always talk to her about everything. I love my mom.

Day 22
I'm so thankful for my family. I have a great dad. A super awesome brother, who I'm so proud of. And a great extended family. We had a great Thanksgiving today. It's a tradition to go around the room after you eat and say what you are thankful for and I love it. It's a time for us to all reflect as a family on the blessings we have.

Today has been a really great holiday, despite the fact that I was so sick this morning I couldn't stand up without almost passing out (for real that happened. I had to yell for Corey to help me get back to bed). And then tonight to feel almost completely back to normal. It's been a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am grateful for doTERRA essential oils. Last night, during the night, both kids started throwing up. It's too early to see if they are getting better yet or not, but without these oils I wouldn't be able to do anything. There's nothing you can do for the flu when it's just a virus, but you can use oils! They will help! I just hope its quickly enough for me to go help my mom get ready for Thanksgiving at her house today.

Today I'm thankful for preschool. I love it. Well, I love the 3 hours 'break'. Nathan also loves it. He has great teachers and a great program. He learns so much and has a lot of fun. I love his preschool. And I love my 3 hours. If I can get Nora to take a nap while he's gone, it's a little bit of heaven. I love my kids but it's nice to have a moment to yourself once in awhile!

Today I'm grateful for lazy Sundays where we are all home together all day long doing whatever we want.

The end.

Today I'm thankful we have a car. Corey, sort of last minute, had to stay in Logan last night for some National Guard stuff and was gone until 3:30 today. I always feel a little stranded when that happens because we only have one car. I felt like I couldn't go anywhere and it was raining which made it a little inconvenient.  So while I do wish we could afford 2 cars, I am very grateful for even just one. Otherwise, I'd haven no choice but walk around in the rain!

I asked Nathan tonight what his favorite thing about today was. Of all the things...friend's house twice, stuff with dad, movie with pillows and blankets, favorite dinner...he said, "Playing blocks with you."

Today I am thankful for the simple reminders in life to what things are really the most important.

The month is already half over! I can't believe it! I have been enjoying my time focusing on things I am thankful for. I do think it has lifted my spirits.


Today I am thankful for exercise! You might know that I love my Turbo and right now I am doing TurboFire with some great friends everyday in my garage while we take turns one day a week watching each other's kids.


It's great social time, friend time, workout time. I love that it makes me happy. I love that it makes me sweat. I love that it makes me feel stronger. I love that it makes me have the energy to keep up with my kids. I love that I have energy to be that fun active Mom who will run around with them outside playing tag or something. I am thankful for exercise!!


*Special note: Today I am also sore from these workouts I love so much. I love that I can push myself so hard that I get sore. So what am I thankful for? EXERCISE!!

Today I am thankful for doctors. We don't use them hardly ever, but it's nice to have them there when we do need them. Today was Nora's 18-month check-up. She is doing great. She weighed 24lbs 10oz (50%), 33" tall (90%), and 49.0cm for head (97%). Maybe she will have the Holmgren gene of being tall and skinny! (wouldn't mind that...) She looked cute today with her little ponytail braid, which I did not take a picture of. Maybe I'll try to do it again tomorrow. Love my little girl!


Look how beautiful this smoothie is?!? I couldn't help but take a picture it had so many colors in it...

frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, spinach and kale, frozen peaches + water and freshly squeezed orange juice = YUMMY!

Bowling, bowling, bowling, bowling







You'd never know that one lane was just the kids and the other was all the adults...


Today I am thankful for days I have an excuse to get ready for the day and get out of the house. They were only errands, but I met up with some friends, we went to lunch together with all our kids, and did more errands. I left the house pretty clean in the morning, and when I got home at 4:00-ish, the house was still clean! Only for me to mess up the kitchen again to make dinner, which we ate on paper plates :). Hey, nobody ever said I was perfect!

The missionaries came over for dinner tonight. Thanks to my hubby for signing us up only yesterday. It left for a lot to do in just one day! lol. He has learned his lesson. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind having the missionaries over at all, in fact I really do enjoy it, but that was not very much notice for a person who wants to make a completely delicious dinner and have her house spotless on a day when it's also my turn for carpool and the house happens to be a complete mess from a fun filled weekend. (well if that wasn't a run-on sentence I'm not sure what is...) Everything turned out great though and husband is still ok to sign up to feed the missionaries again just at a later time in the week! (thanks goes to said hubby for taking an hour out of his day to help me clean a little. xo, babe).

This is going to sound really, really weird, but today I'm thankful for the talent I was blessed with of being able to cook. We are trying to cut out processed foods from our diet, and have been mostly successful, but it's kind of a work in progress and you have to start by taking baby steps. Switching to a 'real food' idea really opens your eyes to the kinds of ingredients that are in the foods you eat. I'm thankful that I've always enjoyed cooking, and that I've always tried to make good food for my family, because it's made this 'real food' switch a little easier.

So on this note of cooking, a few mornings ago it was freezing as I came in from exercising with my friends in my garage. I quickly decided it was definitely a hot chocolate kind of morning for all 4 of us. The store bought kind is full of refined sugars and other artificial ingredients, so I of course made our own!

Today I am thankful for our freedoms, this country in which we live, and those who serve, both past and present. This of course includes my handsome soldier husband!


xo

Today I am thankful for a day off from our job which means we are able to go somewhere and do something as an entire family. Today we went bowling. I have pictures and such that I will post later.

xo

Today I am thankful for the season. This holiday season. I put some orange peels I'd been saving, a bag of cranberries, and cinnamon essential oil in a pot on low all day. It made my house smell like wassail. My house smelt good, snow was outside, it was warm inside, all I needed was my Christmas tree! This whole holiday season is a reminder to me to focus on the important things- my family mostly. Spending time, keeping up traditions, enjoying each others company.

Here are some pictures I've taken over the last few days.

Raking the leaves and mowing the lawn and great-grandma Anderson's


 Then Corey took the kids to the playground across the street while we finished.


 Nora sporting Mom's sunglasses at Gramma J's house.
 I got Nathan out of the tub and took him to other room to get his clothes on for church. I came back to find that Nora thought her jammies needed a bath too.
My handsome devil sporting his brand new tie and new white shirt (both of which were previously much to small).
 This is what you call a 'good eating dinner night'. Just check out how much Nora's belly sticks out. Yeah, she's having a food baby.


 I found her reading herself a story on her rocking chair.
 The kids set the table for dinner last night all by themselves. Forks are the only thing Nora can reach and she thought we needed a whole bunch. I just thought this was funny!


And now, what am I thankful for today? Well, the temple of course! Corey and I are going to the temple tonight and I am really excited!

I was trying to think all day about something I was thankful for and was having a hard time. Not because I don't know that I am an incredibly blessed woman, it was just one of those days. It wasn't until after the kids went to bed that I sat down at the kitchen table and was able to receive some spiritual encouragement. I've been studying Preach My Gospel. It was something Corey gave me awhile ago, either before we had kids or right after Nathan was born, I can't remember exactly. We had a family home evening lesson on it. We talked about how it was important for a mother to know all of these lessons just like a missionary in order to teach her children, and especially future missionaries. He said you could substitute the word 'mother' every time you saw the word 'missionary' and it would fit. One example that I read last night: "An important part of a missionary's mother's duty is to bear testimony of the current prophet and president of the Church." (pg. 38) I have started and stopped this deep study a couple of times, but am determined to keep it up this time. So last night I was studying about the Restoration. I felt the spirit as I was reading. I read some great verses in 2 Nephi chapter 3 that made my testimony grow about the prophet Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful for The Book of Mormon and what it teaches me about my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today I am grateful to live in this country. I am grateful for those men and women who founded our country and those who have died serving our country. I am grateful that we have the freedoms we enjoy, especially to vote for the leader of our choice and to worship how we desire. We voted, I hope you did, too.

Today I am thankful for payday.
No, not the candy bar. The MOO-LAH!


Our bimonthly direct deposit came in this morning and we weren't even down to $0 before it came. So that means I'm also thankful for strict budgets. They can be really hard sometimes, and take discipline, but are worth it in the end.


Corey and I had a proud moment the other night. He was seriously craving some pizza. Usually, if one of us says something about wanting to eat out, the other goes for it. I cook a lot, like a lot. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy it. But it can be hard to keep up on all the dishes, and it does get a little tiring. If Corey wants to go buy food, that means I don't have to cook and there is virtually no clean up. If I want to go buy food, Corey does not argue because otherwise he would have to cook and that just ain't happenin'. So anyway, Corey wanted pizza. Well, I put my foot down and whipped up some homemade whole wheat pizza dough, we already had a few things, and I just ran to the store to grab a couple more. So we had a completely delicious dinner of homemade pizza and green monster smoothies (or here! or here!)

Now, I can't mention payday without also mentioning our job, you can't have one without the other. Our motel managing job has been the hardest, most stressful thing I have ever done. It's been hard on our marriage, my sanity, my mothering abilities, my spirituality, my social life. There are days that I couldn't care less about these customers. But, it has also been one of the greatest blessings to our family. We have yet to pay 'rent' to live somewhere. We owned our trailer, which we were able to pay off only 2 years in, and we live here for 'free'. Corey is able to work and go to school at literally the same time. He has breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us virtually everyday. I am able to stay home with our children. Corey is getting good grades because he's able to focus so much of his time on studying. He does not have to go to work all day just to come home and study all night. We have a great boss who is very supportive of us and our needs. He's concerned when we're (and by this I really mean just me) stressed or upset. He really tries to make sure we are taken care of.

p.s. If you haven't yet, you should 'like' our facebook page.
p.s.s. If you haven't yet, you should come stay a night in the motel and hang out with us! Everybody's doing it...

Today I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. It gives me strength and purpose when I don't know which way to go. I am grateful for the comfort I feel from the Holy Ghost when I am sad. I am grateful for my knowledge and growing understanding of gospel principles.



This was one of Nathan's funny things he said today. In the 5 minutes we'd been home from church, Nathan kept "tooting". So while I was helping him get his clothes changed I said, "Nathan, why are you tooting so much?" He said, "Because when I go camping and the smoke gets in my ears, that makes me toot." (nope, not a typo, that's really what he said)

Well, then...since the last time we went camping was I think the beginning of September. It must have a delayed effect.

I am thankful for my friends. I have been so blessed throughout my life to have some really good friends. When I was little, all through high school, starting again my freshman year at Utah State, after we got married and moved into our marriend student ward, and again when we moved to Tremonton. Today I met up with a long lost friend. I love her and it was really good to see her and catch up. I was reminded from this meeting about the amazing friends I have been blessed with. So thank you, all of you out there. And I hope that I can be that good friend to you like you have been to me.

xo

I am very privileged to call myself their mother. My Heavenly Father has blessed my life, first with Nathan, then his sister, Nora. They challenge me every day. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out. Sometimes I can't wait for bedtime. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with love for them that I just want to cry. Sometimes all I want to do is read stories or dance around the living room with them.

I love you, little angels!