What am I Thankful for? Day #4

Working out

I have been working out regularly now for about 10 years. I am addicted to it. I love it. Before I had kids I was at the gym every single day. When I had Jadyn I still managed to go most days, but would have to work out at home maybe 2 days a week. Then came Jaxon and things changed. It was harder to make it every day with 2 kids so I found myself working out a lot at home. 6 months after having Jax I started training for a 1/2 marathon so I started running a lot. I loved running the 1/2 marathons and the training was good. After the 3 half marathons last summer I had hurt my hip pretty bad and had to take off about 3 months of hard working out. I hated it-and appreciated working out even more when I got back to it. Again in Jan I started training again for my 1/2's and since it's almost Dec it is easy to know that I will start again this Jan. So although I rarely find myself at the gym anymore, I have a treadmill, kick bag, bosu ball, and my Gymbox that allows me to workout at home most of the time now.

It is safe to say I will never be "skinny" but there is something good about knowing that I am physically fit. Last night I did go to the gym. I ran 65 sets of double stairs, a hard bike ride for 50 min, and a kick box class for 30. And I felt really good. Last Thursday I ran 9 miles outside and felt great! I love that not only does it keep my physically fit, but the overall feeling of happiness and energy when I am done. It gives a huge boost to my day. I can definitely feel it in my mood when I don't get my workouts in-especially if I miss more than about 2 days.

So there you have it. Working out is definitely a huge part of my life and I am so grateful for it.

P.S. Last year I did the challenge of getting in at least 30 min of workout in every day in Dec. I am going to do it again. Who's joining me? (Rachelle-you did it last year-let's do it again!)

Jade's Birthday

I think we were all looking forward to Jade's bday. Jade-because it was her birthday and that meant cake, presents, and fun. The rest of us-it meant a break from the house! Either way, we had a good day. She went to preschool and got to be the leader-she loves that! When she got home she made her birthday cake. Check it out in the pics. Didn't she do a fantastic job? She was so excited about it! :) Scott brought Zach home with him and she was FINALLY able to open her presents. She was so good about having to wait all day to open them! :) She got her LONG awaited cowboy boots, Hannah montana barbie, a purse, markers and twisty crayons, and footed pjs (don't ask why-she has wanted some for awhile). She had decided she wanted to go bowling. I had told her she could take a friend and of course she chose Zach! She was so happy to have him with use. Zach and Jade and Jax had a great time bowling. We also told her she could choose where she wanted to eat dinner. She chose Red Rooster-because they have eggs! And eggs she ate. I think her kids meal came with two little waffles and an egg. She ate her egg and then at Jax's and left the waffles! She was very happy she got to eat there. On the way home Zach wasn't feeling well so we took him home and swaped him for Sam! :) When we got home she had some visitors: Aunt brandee, Uncle Mike, Belva, Roy, Weston, and Grandma Debi! She got her pink cowboy boots, Snow White, Ice Age, Hannah Montanna, Monster vs Alien, A panda that she loves, and a CD player that she has wanted for a long time. She is one spoiled little girl! :) She had fun dancing later that night with her boots and hat. As you can tell she had fun posing with her boots as well! She had a great day and is blessed with so many people who love her!

What am I Thankful for? Day #3

Friends

There is no way I could make it through life without them. No really. Girlfriends do wonder for my stress in life. I learned the hard way the importance of having "great" friends. I dread Jadyn getting bigger because I know of the girl issues that will come her way. Growing up, I had many. But-just like everything else in life, I learned from the hard times and feel like I have surrounded myself with some great friends! I hope that I can work on being as good a friend to those around me as they are to me.

Last weekend I went away with two of my fantastic friends. I have never gone away of a girls trip. We were only gone for 24 hours but....it was soooooo nice. Out to dinner, shopping, chic flicks, working out, lunch and pedicures with no kids and no inner thinking about how I need to hurry to get home. I needed it. We all needed it and we all enjoyed it to the fullest! We want to do it again in 6 months before one of them leaves Utah for awhile.

Picture from the girls weekend!

So to my friends I have known for 20 years, that I met at camp, that I have met from the three great neighborhoods we have been in, that I have met at work....Thank You!!!! Thank you for always supporting me through thick and thin. For letting me vent, for helping me laugh and for loving me. I love you all!

Jade's Birthday Party

Yep-pretty behind here. This was the first year Jade had an actual "Friend" bday party. I convinced her to have it before Halloween so that we could do a Halloween theme party. It was fun but wow....17 kids under 6 was probably a bit much. I have decided these friend parties are only going to occur every other year. I'm not sure I can do it every year! Thankfully my mom, scott, friends, SIL and BIL and older nieces were there to help. We would not have survived with out them!

Jade and me before the partyThe Group

Musical Chairs

Bingo!
Face painting

This one made me laugh. Everyone had to see what she was opening!

What am I thankful for? Day #2

My Job

I have a great job. I have worked for my company for 10.5 years. When I had Jaxon I was able to start working from home. I work 4 days a week-7 hours a day. I get paid well, have pretty good benefits, work with great people, and have a lot of flexibility. I also enjoy what I do and have learned a lot this past year. Although my kids still go to daycare and preschool, working from home has allowed me to see my kids so much more than when I was working in the office. That said, I work in the health industry and just like so many others the past 2 years, the economy has hit us hard and with the Health Reform bill that Obama is working on, it could just continue.

This past week they laid off 625 people. We lost someone on my team who has been with the company as long as I have and is a good employee. I felt awful for her and at the same time a little sigh of relief because I missed the bullet. Unfortunately later that day a release came out that said they are bringing in a consulting firm to do a lot of reorgs and that it is expected that there will be about 650 more laid off by the end of first quarter. Sigh. So now I get to worry for the next 3-4 months as they decide what to do. I am crossing all crossables and praying that things work out and that I get to keep my job. Any of you reading this can feel free to pray with me! I'm so nervous. I know there are so many out there who are going through these same things and worries. This economy has been so hard on everyone!

So there you have it. This year-more than any other-I am VERY grateful for my job. It is a huge blessing in my life.

She may just be a mom after all!

A few nights ago Jade and I were getting ready for bed. She said "When I have kids....". After she finished her sentence I said "Wait...you just said you were going to have kids" She smiled a sly little smile and said "Well...ok" I then asked her how many she was going to have. She said " Ummm....8, 9, 10, 11? Maybe 12. Yeah. 12" Wow from none to 12! The rest of the conversation went like this
Mom: Wow. 12!!! That's a lot! How are you going to pay for 12!
Jade: Duh. I'll get a job. You or Collene or Jax can watch them!
Mom: I would love to do that. Where are you going to live
Jade: (Rolls the eyes) Uhhhh....here?
Mom: All of you? Where will you sleep?
Jade: In your room. Well....wait. The kids will sleep in your bed. I will sleep down down stairs in the basement
Mom: But your kids are staying in my room?
Jade: Yes.

So there ya go. She may just be a mom after all....to 12.... and live in my basement! Awesome! I can't wait! :) Monumentos

What are YOU thankful for?

Today I have seen this video posted on several blogs. And I liked it. So I added it to mine. And it sparked the question: What am I thankful for? A Lot. Enough that I will do my 7 days of Thanks-ya know....for Thanksgiving and all. :)


I was hesitating to do this because I was thinking about how I do it every year and it's probably close to the same. And then-since I have been blogging for 2 years I thought I would check on last year. I laughed-realizing that I COMPLETELY skipped Thanksgiving last year. As in not even a mention of it. What the Heck? Can't let that happen. So, I am going forward with my 7 days! :) So where will I start? Ok, I'll go with what may seem like the "right" answer but is by far the most important to me:

My Family

Not even sure where to start with this one. I have an amazing family that I am grateful for every day.

My parents: I was blessed with amazing parents. Not sure what I did to get so lucky, but I love them both. I am grateful that I know that I can call them for anything. They are always so willing to help me. They are always so great and calming me in times of stress. I do not know what I would do without them!

My Siblings (including SIL and BIL): I love them all. Because we all live pretty close I am able to see them often. We may not always agree on everything but we always support and love each other.

My Grandma: My grandma is amazing. She can do EVERYTHING. She is in her 70's and does so much for me and for all of my family. She volunteers for two different organization, takes fantastic care of my uncle and the most amazing part is that she never even hesitates to say "yes" when I ask her to watch my kids. She thinks Jax is great and reminds me "he's just a boy" when I mention his wildness. I will pray for her energy, wit, and skill when I am 75! Pretty sure I am going to be so lucky!

My kids: I love both my kids. They make me happy and feel loved every day. They make me laugh and hearing them laugh every day is fantastic medicine. Like all mom's, I have good and bad days but I pray that they will always know how great they are, how much I love them, and how blessed I am to have them in my life.

My Husband: He loves me and is good at showing and telling me every day. He works hard for our family and loves our kids. We have our ups and downs but definitely more ups and wouldn't want to go through this life with anyone else!

There ya go. Countdown to Thanksgiving day one. I would not be where I am today without my family. There is something about knowing that no matter what, there are people in your life that will love and support you. It makes the hard times seem a little less hard and the happy times that much better. I love you all!