{Gratitude Day 26}

Today I am grateful TO BE BACK HOME!!! I am grateful that we survived the road trip home....and saying we "survived" it is not an understatement....let's just say that the ride home did not go as smoothly as the ride there! I am thankful to be all unpacked and to have a house full of clean laundry.....a clean house full of clean laundry! I am so thankful for my bed (which I am dying to dive into right now)....late last night, I must've said a dozen times, "I LOVE our bed" before we fell asleep! The best thing about going on vacation is coming back to your own bed! I am thankful that both kids got a good nap today...and hopefully will sleep great tonight to get back on track! I am grateful to have our routine back....which I can't wait to start tomorrow! I am grateful that our Christmas decorations are almost all the way up....and that we have a Christmas tree and lights on the house! I am grateful for the look on my kids eyes when they woke up from their naps today and came downstairs to a decorated Christmas tree in the family room....their faces were priceless! I am grateful to have my computer back...and that I can finally post some pictures on my blog (a big, long Utah trip post will be coming soon....with pics)!! We had the best vacation.....so many fun memories....but I am so grateful to be back home!

{Gratitude Day 25}

Today I am grateful for more good friends....I got to go to breakfast with 10 great friends from our old neighborhood before we headed out of town! It was so great seeing everyone and catching up on what everyone is up to!! Can't wait to come back and meet up with everyone again!!

I am not grateful for the 10 hour drive that we had coming home, but I am very grateful to be headed back home! I LOVE vacation, but I also LOVE to get back home and back to our routine! It's hard work to live out of a suitcase for a week....and to lug all our stuff around for ourselves and two kids....and to have kids waking up an hour or two earlier than normal because we all slept in the same room....and to have kids missing naps or having short 30 minute naps while driving in the car! So I am grateful to be going home and getting back to normal! And although we loved the cold weather for a week, we are very grateful to be getting back to our warm Cali sunshine! Bundling the kids up gets a little old....we are ready to be warm again!!

{Gratitude Day 24}

Today I am thankful for BEST friends and date night!! I know I have already posted about being grateful for friends, but today I am so happy that we got to go out with some of our favorite friends. We were able to get a babysitter and go to dinner with 4 other couples....the BEST part was NO KIDS!!! It was so fun to hang out, talk and eat in peace!! The kids got to stay home and play together....they had a blast! Every time we go out lately, it reminds me how nice it is to actually have a meal without the kids....I love not having to share my food and not having to worry about the table next to us being annoyed by our screaming kids!! We went to Sushi with our good friends, the Trevinos, the Bargerons, the Delahuntys and the Campbells! We had a great night and were thoroughly entertained by Chris' first attempt at sushi....it was hilarious! Thanks guys for hanging out.....GREAT friends, GREAT conversation, GREAT fun!!

I am also grateful that on our last night in Utah, we got to stay the night at our friends, the Trevinos. We felt like "youngens" again....staying up chatting until 1 in the morning.....like we did back in the day before we had kids that woke us up for the day at 6 am!! It was a late night and the morning came around way too quickly, but we had a whole year of catching up to do!! =) It was so great hanging out like old times...thanks guys for letting us stay with you!! =)

{Gratitude Day 23}

I am thankful that today is Thanksgiving day and I don't have to write a post about all the things that I am grateful for since I have been doing that all month long!! It really has been such a positive thing to write these posts this month. I know they are boring to read, but it has been a great way for me to make sure that I really think of and appreciate all the things in my life that make me happy! It's so easy to get all wrapped up in the craziness of life and forget about the many blessings in our lives! I am a little sad for the month of November to end because I feel like I could just go on and on about the things that I am grateful for....and maybe I just will have to dust off the ole' journal and get back at writing in it every day!

{Gratitude Day 22}

Today I am grateful that we got to see Zoe's birthmom and a lot of her birth family! We were able to meet up for lunch with her birthmom Lydia, Lydia's sister in law and our friend Andrea, and Zoe's birth father, Brandon's, mom and his sister....wow that was all confusing! I love love love to see people so happy to see Zoe! Lydia hasn't seen Zoe in over a year! I am so grateful that my kids are so lucky to have so many people in their lives that love them! I am grateful that when Ayden's birth family gets Ayden a gift, they also get Zoe one and when Zoe's birth family gets Zoe a gift, they also get Ayden one! It is so sweet and they don't know how much that means to us! Today Brandon's mom brought perfect gifts for both kids! It was so nice and the kids were so excited and were playing all day with their new toys (they also went to sleep with them tonight)! We are lucky to have people from both families that love both kids! It was also very fun to see Zoe and Lydia next to each other and see the similarities they have! I know I have already done a gratitude post about birth moms this month, but this month I am double grateful for birth moms and the open relationships we have with both of them! We are so lucky to have them in our lives and to have them involved in our kid's lives!

{Gratitude Day 21}

Today I am grateful for vacation and grateful to my in laws for letting us be on this awesome vacation this week! We have been so lucky to go on such fun vacations over the past few years with our families! It's always great to get the whole family together to hang out for a week! Jeremiahs parents announced about 2 months ago that they were getting 2 condos in Park City for the week and we couldn't pass that one up! It's fun when all of Jeremiah's siblings and their spouses get together since 2 of them still live in Utah and we don't see them very often! We have had such a fun week hanging out, snowboarding (well, everyone but me since I had to be the "babysitter"), playing games, watching movies, eating, eating and more eating! We are staying at the nicest resort....it's so pretty here and all the buildings and little stores are so cute....it reminds me of a little snow village! It's so cute! And the chair lifts and slopes are right at the entrance of the resort....so we could literally walk outside and walk right onto the slopes! Thanks to Jeremiah's parents for a great vacation!

And I am grateful that Ayden got to take his first ski lesson today! Jeremiah's dad offered to pay the $90 since we were going to just have Jeremiah be his "teacher" and he thought Ayden would do better with someone else! We dropped him off at 12:15 and picked him up at 4:00....and we got to watch him from afar during his lesson! He looked so cute in his tiny little skis (by the way, his daddy really wanted him to snowboard,but they wouldn't give lessons unless he was 8 years old)! But he still looked super super cute.....and he did so so good! He was a natural! He started out with one ski to just get used to the feeling and quickly moved up to actually skiing about 50 yards down a little hill! I think I got some good videos but I won't be able to post anything til I get home! He was so cute and he loved it! When we ask him about how it went, he says his teacher put magic stuff under his skates and it made him go really really fast.....and then he was going fast down a hill and went off a jump and hit some trees and fell down and hit his head on a rock and it hurt really really bad because his teacher didn't catch him!

Yay for vacations!

{Gratitude Day 20}

Today I am grateful for good memories! I love to see old friends and old faces and old things that I haven't seen in a long time that make me happy! I love going back to where I grew up and driving by all my old houses that I grew up in and schools I went to and places I would frequently go to! I love to reminisce and think about the things that I remember from all such places! Jeremiah and I often drive by the first house we owned in Corona right after we got married!

Today we got to go to our old neighborhood and our old street and visit with some old friends! As soon as we drove into the neighborhood all of the good memories I have of being here came flooding in! So many things have changed, yet so many things are the same. I dont think Zoe remembers anything about being here or our friends since she was only 6 months when we left. But when we pulled on our street today, Ayden cheered and said, "yay...we are finally in Utah!" I think he associates our old house as Utah! It was so so so fun to visit with friends and let the kids play like old times. They had a blast! I did have some yucky feelings seeing our old house and knowing that somebody else was living there! tThat was kind of weird! And when we were at the house next door to our old house, Ayden said he wanted to go over to our house now! That was sad to tell him that we couldn't go over there! But we did have a great day and a great night when our besties, The Trevinos, came back up to Park City with us to hang out! We had a good time talking about the good ol' days!

{Gratitude Day 19}

I am gonna try to keep up with my gratitude posts even though we're on vacation! Today I am so grateful for our van. Once you get over the coolness factor (or lack thereof) of having a "minivan" it really is the greatest thing to have on a roadtrip with kids! It's so great to have so much room! Our drive to Utah went as perfectly as it could have! The kids were angels....they didn't complain once....there was no crying....Ayden was entertained with 4 DVDs to watch....Zoe was entertained with all her books to read....they fell asleep at 8:30....we only had to stop once to eat and get gas....and we made the trip in record time! Pretty much one of the most enjoyable drives we've ever had with the kids! They couldn't have made this a more enjoyable 10 hours for you...and I am grateful for that cuz it could have been a lot worse and an ugly adventure! We were all so excited to finally be here....Ayden kept singing "Ayden's in Utah, Ayden's in Utah!" It was so funny! We are staying at the most fun resort and are having a great time!

{Gratitude Day 18}

Today I am grateful that our vacation is FINALLY HERE!! Woot Woot!! We are all packed, the car is loaded, the snacks are packed and the kids are anxious (and so am I)!! We've been counting down for a long time and today is the day!! We are just waiting for Jeremiah to get home and we are off on a 10 hour drive....which usually turns into a 12 hour drive with kids and stops! Thank goodness for DVD players in the car!! I hope we surivive the car ride....at least it will be a full week before we have to turn around and do it again!

I am sad that I will not be able to continue my daily gratitude posts, but I plan on writing things I am grateful for each day and catching up when we get back!! I hope I can keep up!!

{Gratitude Day 17}

I am grateful that my kids have a Daddy that is a "kid at heart"! I am grateful that he is so involved with them and what they do....after all, he is a kid himself! I am grateful that he actually enjoys "playing" with them, "building" things with them, "destroying" things with them, "making messes" with them....he just loves to be with them!! He has so much patience and I often tell him I wish that I could be more patient like he is so I could sit with the kids for an hour and watch a train go around a track 327 times! Or the times when he can play hide and seek with Ayden....and be the "hider" every time.....think of 37 new places to hide....and make the game last for 45 minutes! Although there are many times that I complain about having 3 kids to have to pick up after (one being Jeremiah), I am truly grateful that he is a little kid in a big kid body!! He also involves the kids in everything he does....I think he mostly just does this so he doesn't have to wait to do his hobbies until they go to bed! But the kids don't mind at all! They love to help him work on things, fix things and tonight Ayden got to be a little pilot and "help" Daddy fly his helicopter! I love when they do things like this together because it means that I get to relax on the couch and get all caught up on my TIVO!!

Ayden has a matching controller and he really thought he was flying the helicopter!!



Best Buddies!!!



I'm grateful that Jeremiah can do the things that I can't do with the kids! It makes us a great team at this parenthood thing! He is the fun guy that catches bugs, digs in the dirt, has pillow fights, wrestles, plays, plays and plays! And little Miss Zoe has him wrapped around her little finger!! Those two have a special bond that I love! I'm guessing there are some Moms that would deep down feel a little jealous that their daughter wants Daddy over her, but not me! I love the fact!! To me, it is the sweetest thing ever! I love walking in her room when he is reading a bedtime story to her and she is on cloud 9 in his lap! Or when she will snuggle and fall asleep on his shoulder (she would never do that with me)!!

The last couple nights, Zoe has been waking up a couple times in the night....not sleeping very good! Last night, I felt that something was obviously bothering her so I decided to give her some Motrin. I got it all ready before I even went in her room at 1:30 am when she had been crying for a while. As soon as she saw the medicine, she was hysterical! I told her it would make her feel better and that it was medicine and that it tasted yummy and that she had to drink it! Well, she wasn't having anything to do with it....all she wanted to do was cry! I finally decided to wake up Jeremiah so he could hold her down while I gave her the medicine! As soon as she saw him, she stopped crying! And he started talking to her saying, "Zoe, you need to take this medicine, it will make you feel all better....blah blah blah"!! He pretty much was repeating what I just tried to tell her, but she gazed at him with her puppy dog eyes listening intently to his every word! And then he said, "Zoe will you take the medicine?" And she said, "Sure Daddy" and she drank the whole thing!! And then she laid down on his shoulder and fell asleep! I couldn't believe my eyes....and Jeremiah couldn't hold back the smile. He was impressed with himself! Since then, I call him the "Zoe Whisperer"!!

On another topic, I am grateful that I had these 2 little monkeys to "help" me pack for our trip tomorrow!



And I am grateful that in 24 hours, we will be on our way to Utah!! But I am not grateful that in 24 hours we will be in the middle of nowhere.....Beaver, Utah with 3 hours til our final destination of Park City! And I am hopeful that in 24 hours, we will have 2 sleepy kids that are off in dreamland in the back of the car!!

{Gratitude Day 16}

I am so grateful for my amazing parents! They are the BEST parents that I could ask for! Tonight my mom and I got to go out for "Girls Night Out"! We don't get to do this often enough and this was technically my "birthday dinner" since I was sick on the day she was really going to take me to lunch to celebrate! She took me to Cheesecake Factory and then we did some shopping at the mall! I am so lucky to have such great parents that do and have done so much for me and our family!! I really feel like a "spoiled" adult....they are so good to us and are always there when we need something!

Some of the things that I love about my parents:

1. I get to talk to my mom on the phone every day....at least 5-10 times a day (no joke)!!
2. My dad is the best financial advice giver....always has been and I can still ask him for advice even though I am all grown up!
3. They are so supportive of whatever it is that I want. They have shown this for as long as I can remember and it is such an important gift to give to your kids!
4. My mom is one of the best babysitters for my kids....she is so patient and fun...they just love their Grammy!
5. They spoil my kids rotten!! That's what grandparents are for, right?!?!?
6. My dad and I share a similar sweet tooth and love for peanut M&M's....almost every time I see him lately, he has brought me a new bag to get me through another week! =)
7. They come to our house for dinner (and bring the food and make it) almost every Sunday!! They are usually at our house with dinner cooking when we get home from church! You can't ask for a better Sunday....walk through the door and VIOLA....dinner is served!!
8. My mom is the best listener....I can talk to her about anything!! I can vent, I can complain, I can brag, I can ask for advice....she is NEVER too busy to listen!! I love having someone like that in my life!
9. They have 3 great places.....the beach, the desert, the mountains....gotta love having so many "vacation spots"! They have worked so hard to get where they are...such a great example!
10. My dad is a great grandpa!! The kids are totally attracted to him when he is around! He is always doing fun stuff, saying silly things, tickling them, throwing them in the air....they love their Papa!
11. They are fun to be around....Jeremiah and I really enjoying spending time with them!
12. They are my faithful blog readers....I love that they read my blog....every post!! My mom AND my dad!!
13. They are understanding when it comes to holidays and having to "share" time with the in-laws!
14. They are always there for important events! This was something they committed to when we were young! In the 12 plus years that I played basketball, they NEVER missed a game! That meant a ton! They are there for our kids for important events in their lives....this is so important and really makes someone feel special!
15. AND LAST, but NOT LEAST..........They are a few months shy of celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and that might be THE biggest thing that I am MOST grateful for! I remember how united they were as I was growing up, I really don't remember them fighting a lot, I remember them doing things together, I remember them holding hands, I remember them talking, I remember feeling loved!! It is an amazing accomplishment to make it that far in a marriage. They are a true example to me and I hope and pray that in 30 plus years, Ayden and Zoe will be sitting there telling this same old story about their Mommy and Daddy! I now understand the saying that "the best gift that a Mom or Dad can give to a child is to love each other!!!"



Today....and every day, I am grateful for you Mom and Dad!! =)

{Gratitude Day 15}

Today I am grateful that I have had so many things to be grateful for! When I started doing this grateful thing 15 days ago, I had no idea that I would still be going....and have not missed a day! It has made me realize that I truly have SO MANY things in my life to be grateful for....and that my pessimistic attitude sometimes (ok, most of the time) is ridiculous! I feel like doing this gratitude post has really changed me....I feel like a happier person because I am constantly thinking throughout my day about things that I am thankful for! It has also made me be more appreciative of the things that I often take for granted! I am really thinking that when I stop posting every day in November about things I am grateful for that I should continue on with a gratitude journal....I know it will help me to be more appreciative since it has been such a positive experience for me! My mom told me today that she was going to make a book of all my gratitude posts and when she hears me complaining about something or having a bad day, she is going to tell me to go refer to day such and such...and get over it! Ha!! I think that is a great idea, but I really hope that I don't forget about these things when I stop writing every day!

{Gratitide Day 14}

Today I am grateful....simply for MY KIDS!! Not for one or the other, not for what they do, not for who they are....just simply that I have KIDS in my life and I am HERE....to be with them, to be happy for them, to laugh at them, to be annoyed by them, to teach them, to learn from them, to lose patience with them, to clean up after them, to clean up after them again.....and again, to watch them, to snuggle them, to rock them, to protect them, to wipe bums for them, to hold them, to cry about them, to love them......basically just TO HAVE THEM!!! I am so grateful to be a Mom....I know I just said this in my last post, but after talking to a friend today about how lucky we are just to be here with our kids....when there are so many Moms that have lost that chance! I am inspired by moms that are in this situation and lately there have been a few that have really made me stop in my tracks and appreciate my kids so much more....for the little things! I love the show The Biggest Loser and when Abby shared at the beginning of the show about how she lost her husband and 2 kids in a car accident....I nearly lost it! I couldn't EVEN imagine what I would do!! And to hear someone that has been through something so tragic say this......

"Happiness is a choice. You choose how you respond to the things in your life. It doesn’t mean it’s easy or you feel happy every day — but you have the power to choose differently."

.....makes me really look at my life and be grateful! That first show made a huge impression on me! I was determined to be a better mom....and appreciate just HAVING my kids here with me!

And then I came across this blog of a girl who is the daughter of a guy my dad works with. She lost her little 3 year old girl a few months ago, unexpectedly.....she shares stories and writes all about her little girl on her blog and I can't get through reading one post without SOBBING!!! It is impossible to not put myself in her shoes (mostly because I have a 3 year old that is only 1 week younger than her daughter was) as I read her posts and think, "what if that was me?? what if I had to go through that??" And that is what makes me cry every time! Her most recent post said this....

"Living without Hailey is a struggle for me during every little thing of every day. I am the one who spent my entire days with Hailey, taking care of her, playing with her, laughing at her, watching her grow, and yes, I'll admit it, getting annoyed at her!!! Everything I do used to include her."

It is the little things that we (I) should be grateful for....and unfortunately, sometimes we don't realize what we have until it is gone! So that is why I couldn't let another day pass without saying how grateful I am to be here....and to have my kids here with me! I will take their tantrums, screaming, talking back, dirty bums, messes any day of the week if it means that I just get to HAVE them! I'm grateful for amazing Moms (that I don't even know) that inspire to be better....THANK YOU!

****Wow....that was such a serious post! Hopefully tomorrow I will touch on a topic on a lighter note!!!**** =)

{Gratitude Day 13}

I am grateful for trials. Although at times I feel like I have definitely been dealt my fair share of trials, there are other times when I see what others are going through and it makes me so grateful for how easy I really have it! Trials suck...I am usually never one that first thinks "what can I learn from this....what can I get out of this". I am more "why is this happening to me??? what did I do to deserve this???" That is until I change my attitude.... and have faith that everything happens for a reason and truly turns out the way it is supposed to...this is a very hard concept to come to (for me at times)!! =) I am a true believer in the saying that without the bad, we can't appreciate the good. I know this for a fact in my own life! I would not be as happy or content with things in my life if I hadn't gone through some tough days to get where we are! There are so many people that inspire me to be better....a better mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister....a better all around person! Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had....definitely the MOST amazing, MOST rewarding, MOST loving, MOST enjoyable....but also one of the hardest! There are so many times that my patience is tested and lately I have really been trying to be a better mom that has more patience and doesn't "sweat the small stuff"! It is definitely HARD! But I am grateful for those hard times because it makes me appreciate my kids even more and makes me appreciate the fact that I am a MOM.....something I dreamed of being from the time that I was very small!! I love being a mom, I love my kids.....and the trials that we've been through make me better! I am grateful for the things I have learned through my trials....it's amazing how many of my trials have changed my life so much....for the better!! =)

{Gratitude Day 12}

Today I am grateful to the mailman that delivered a special treasure to our mailbox yesterday....actually it was TWO special treasures!! We got a $250 gift card for signing up on our new cell phone plan AND a $350 check that Jeremiah got for doing a very small side computer drawing job for a company!! SCORE!!!! A FREE $600 that we weren't really expecting or planning on right at the moment! And it couldn't have come at a better time as we get ready to go on our vacation next week and with Christmas shopping right around the corner!! Thank you Mr. Mailman for making my day!! Feel free to come again and be so kind another time!!

{Gratitude Day 11}

Today I am grateful that we will be leaving for our Utah vacation one week from today!! I can't wait! When we moved away exactly a year ago, I thought for sure we would be back to visit a couple times this year....yet we haven't! So this will be the first time and I can't wait to see old friends and eat at some of our favorite restaurants that we miss so much and crave so often (oh Bajio, I can't wait to taste you again....and can't wait to get me some of those Rumbi Fries at Rumbi....just to name a few)!! And I think I just might be excited about this forecast in Park City when we are there....



It looks cold and chilly....and possibly some snow!! Although I am a little concerned what my kids are going to wear to keep them warm since their current wardrobe consists of flip flops and shorts still!! Other than that, I am excited to VISIT the snow and cold weather....it will be nice to be able to leave it after a week!!

This will also be our first "vacation" in a very long time! It has been a whole year since Jeremiah has had a whole week off of work! And Ayden is so excited to go back that he can hardly contain himself....I don't really think he remembers much of it, but whenever he meets someone new, he tells them, "My name is Ayden....I come from Utah!!" And every once in a while, I think he sees certain things that "remind" him of Utah because he will say, "Look, it's Utah" as we are driving past an open field or something! And he constantly talks about his "other family" he has in Utah....he says he has a "Utah Mom" and a "Utah Dad"!! Not sure who he is referring to, but after naming many people, he said yes when I asked him if he was talking about our old next door neighbor, Marci! LOL!! So to say that Ayden is excited is an understatement!

We can't wait to see you Utah....we will see you soon!!

{Gratitude Day 10}

Today I am thankful for good friends that I have had throughout my life. I have been lucky enough to have some great friendships....some that are very old friends and some that I haven't known forever, but still consider them a great friend. I have been friends with my friend in Chicago since before we were born....our moms were buddies when we were in their bellies at the same time! And even though we haven't lived in the same state in 24 years, we have still kept in touch! I had so many great friends in Utah....friends that were just like "family" to me since they really were my "family" away from home! I have some great friends from high school that I am still able to keep in touch with! Today, I got to go to Disneyland with my good friend Angela that has been one of my "longest" friends! We grew up across the street from each other when I moved to Cali 24 years ago! And today we got to take just our boys to Disneyland and leave the "babies" at home! It's so fun to have our boys be buddies and to think back to when we were only a few years older than them when we met! It was such a fun trip to Disneyland to just have Ayden (sorry Zoe Zoe), but it was great to just have to stress and worry about losing one kid instead of 2! And to be able to rush to rides faster and get in and out of line quicker! And today was the first day that Disneyland had all their Christmas decorations up and it was so cute! I am officially in the Christmas Spirit! We got to go on lots of rides since lines were very short! It was a great day....with great friends! =)

Here are a few pics....

Love the BIG, GIGANTIC Christmas tree on Main Street....with HUGE presents and HUGE ornaments....





Ayden and James....so cute!





Angela and James on the Rockets....



Ayden LOVES the Rockets...this ride makes me sick....spinning around and around and Ayden makes us go up and down! Ugh....I get dizzy and sick just thinking about it!



Love this picture of the boys with their messy faces on the tea cups....Ayden got introduced to his first taste of cotton candy today! Thanks a lot Ang!!! =) Ayden kept saying, "I need some more Angela!!!" Might explain why he didn't eat any dinner tonight!! Ha!



Love the excitement on their faces as we spun around and around....





Cheeeeeeeeessseee......



We went on Autopia for Ayden's first time today! He loved driving the car and really wanted me to take my foot off the pedal so he could push it to make us go! And he was wild with the steering wheel...kept spinning it around and making us almost go off the track! James and Angela were in front of us and by the way their car was driving, it was obvious that James was the driver! Ayden kept saying, "Uh oh...James is not staying in the lines very well!!"



Thanks for a fun day guys....we will have to do it again soon!! =)

{Gratitude Day 9}

Today I am grateful for the simple things in life, such as.....

I am thankful for kids in bed and asleep by 7:45 tonight! Ahhh....nothing better! And that's the least they can do for us when they make our days start at 6:15 am!

I am thankful for a guaranteed 2-3 hour nap from Zoe every day! And even if she doesn't "sleep" the whole time, I am thankful that she is content to hang out in her bed and read books! Today she sat quietly in her bed for TWO HOURS and read books! She didn't make one single peep! And after 2 hours, she fell asleep for a short 30 minute catnap!



I am thankful for TIVO and for the fact that I can relax on the couch every night and get caught up on all my favorite shows....without wasting my life away watching commercials!

I am thankful for PBS Kids....Ayden's new favorite shows are on PBS and he loves to play games on pbskids.org! I believe that shows like Super Why and Word World and honestly teaching him something!! Two bangs for our buck...he is busy and entertained watching TV AND actually learning something!! Our home teachers came over tonight and were talking about forgiveness. They had a piece of paper for each letter that spelled FORGIVENESS and wanted Ayden to find the letters to spell the word correctly. So we said, "find the F. find the O. find the R".....and so on and he didn't make 1 mistake!! I was kind of shocked!! He knew and could recognize all the letters! Yay for educational TV shows (and preschool)!!

I am thankful for the fact that I actually made dinner tonight and Jeremiah liked it! He always says he likes it (of course to be nice), but tonight I could really tell he liked it....the big clue was when he dished up his 3rd serving!

I am thankful that it is finally starting to feel like fall around here! The leaves are falling, there is a crispness in the air, the smell of fireplaces is looming and the 10 day forecast actually shows that fall may be here to stay....no heat waves coming any time soon!!

I am thankful that today someone asked me what school (as in college) I go to!! And it wasn't an old, senile lady that was losing her mind either....it was a cute, young college girl! I was so happy and she made my whole day....make that year! I am not enjoying getting older, so this statement was a huge compliment! Especially considering the fact that I GRADUATED from college almost NINE long years ago!! But I was proud of myself....instead of saying to her, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!!? I am an old married lady with 2 kids that graduated almost a decade ago!!!", I said, "Oh, I went to Chapman!" Simple as that....it is the simple things these days that I am grateful for!

{Grateful Day 8}

I am grateful today for Veteran's Day and for how blessed we are to live in such a great country! I am grateful that there was no school today....which meant no work for me!! =) I am grateful that I got to meet up with my mom and do some shopping! And there might be a 3 year old that is very grateful that he got to see a special someone at the mall today.....(my mom snuck this picture when noone was looking)!!



We couldn't believe that he was already there!! But I guess Christmas is only about 6 weeks away!! Wow! And there was not one single person in line, so we couldn't pass up a chance to tell Santa our Christmas wishes! Ayden was excited to tell him he wanted a dinosaur and a robot! I can't say the same for his sister...she was pretty terrified! She wouldn't go near him, but had no problem telling him from Mommy's arms that she wanted a new baby and some books for Christmas!

I am also grateful that we got to have lunch at one of our favorite girly "foo-foo" restaurants (as Jeremiah would call it because they have soups & salads)....even if I had to resort to letting Ayden watch "Handy Manny" on the Ipod and popped Zoe's binky in her mouth....just so my mom and I could eat! ****On a side note...today was the 3rd time in about a week that I have said that we will not take Zoe to a restaurant ever again (or until she grows out of her crying for no reason phase)! For Zoe, restaurants are like the doctor's office...she cries as soon as she gets in there! Hopefully we will remember this next time we are going out and will get a sitter!**** Back to what I am grateful for....we had a great day! And my great day is continuing......Zoe is taking a nap, Ayden is outside playing with neighbors, my laundry is all folded, the house is picked up, it is cloudy and cooler outside....now if I could just get dinner planned and my grocery shopping done I will be all set! Today is good....I am grateful for days off!! =) I just might go eat a bowl of ice cream and catch up on my TIVO!

{Grateful Day 7}

I am grateful today for things falling into place. Over the past 7 years that Jeremiah and I have been married, I can count so many times that our lives were chaotic, we had a trial, we were struggling with something, things weren't going our way, etc, etc!! And I can count so many times that in the end, everything worked out the way it was supposed to! We truly are blessed and lucky....and I often think to myself, "wow, things really ARE falling into place"!! I've noticed that the similarity in all of these instances when things fall into place is FAITH! I am a major control freak and have a hard time letting go of that, but it is ALWAYS when I throw my hands in the air, give up the control and say "Ok....I CAN'T do this on my own" that things work out! I am mostly grateful today that things have worked out with our renters in Utah...it has been a huge stress these past 3 weeks since our previous renters up and left us in the middle of winter and we DEFINITELY need that income to pay the bills....but luckily, we found someone and our finances are back in order! I am so grateful for that! And now that the finances are back in order, I just may be heading to the Nordstrom sale tomorrow.....hopefully there will be a "grateful" blog about that tomorrow!! =) ****Just kidding Jeremiah....in case you are reading this!!!****

{a ViSiT from AyDeN's birthMoM}

A couple weeks ago, we got a visit from Ayden's birthmom, Crystal and her sister, Kyra. We were so excited to see her because it had been over 2 years since the last time she saw Ayden! My most favorite thing about meeting up with Ayden and Zoe's birthmoms is to see how excited they are to see the kids! It is a priceless feeling to give these girls an opportunity to see their babies after they placed them for adoption! Crystal and Kyra were so sweet to bring gifts for Ayden and Zoe when they first came! Here is Ayden playing with the Thomas train set he got....



He had a blast playing with both of them....and he totally wore them out!! They definitely got to see his wild side and I joked with Crystal...."Imagine if you had to deal with this EVERY day"!!! Ha! They had a great time with the kids and it was fun for us to catch up! They were nice enough to babysit for us one night while we went to a wedding! I told them both that babysitting for about 8 hours that night was probably the best birth control they could ever have....they were exhausted by the end of the weekend!!!

This was a cute story....Ayden knows all about being adopted (as much as a 3 year old can really understand)....he knows that he was in Crystal's tummy for a long time and then it was time for him to be born, so Crystal went to the hospital and he was born (Ayden thinks Crystal pooped him out in the toilet because when he asked how he got out of her tummy, I told him she pushed really hard and he came out....LOL....and sometimes he thinks that she must have thrown him up and he came out of her mouth) and then got to come home with Mommy and Daddy!! So I was reminding him about all this when they were here...I told him that Crystal was like a kangaroo and carried him around in her tummy like a kangaroo carries its babies in a pouch! He liked that analogy! =) And the next day, Crystal showed up with this huge, furry, life sized kangaroo that had a baby kangaroo in its pouch...just for Ayden! It was VERY sweet!!



Thanks for coming Crystal....we can't wait to see you again!! =)

{Gratitude Day 6}

I am SO grateful for adoption! Who knew 5 years ago that I would be saying that today!!! Because 5 years ago when we were in the middle of fertility treatments and had been trying for 2 years to have a baby, I cried when someone said the word "adoption"! I was terrified of adoption....I remember saying to my mom many times (when she would suggest adoption), "I don't want to adopt because I will not be able to bond with a baby that I don't carry myself!!" That and the fact that we would have to explain to our child that they had a birth mom and birth father....and that meant we would have to "share" them! Boy....was I wrong!!! First of all, I remember the very first second that I saw Ayden after he was born! I remembered being shocked...Jeremiah was shocked....we both looked at each other as we watched him get his first bath in the nursery....and we were in LOVE!! We couldn't believe that we felt an INSTANT bond to him! And it was at that moment that my fear of not being bonded went out the window! And when Zoe came along, we already knew how easy it was going to be to bond with her!! Being able to see her birth and be one of the first people to see her take her first breathe was an AMAZING experience!! I am so grateful to her birthmom for letting me share in that moment! And we have had a great experience having open adoptions and being able to share with our kids about their birthmoms!! Recently we were able to have a visit from Ayden's birthmom who lives in Central Cali! And in a couple weeks we are going to Utah and will get to see Zoe's birthmom! Seeing both of these girls is something we really look forward to! Most people that have not been in our situation can't understand that, but from the moment we met these girls, we have loved them like a family member! How could we not.....they gave us the greatest gifts we have ever received!! We have an amazing bond with them that will last forever because we are reminded of them every time we see Ayden and Zoe! And my fear of "sharing" them has also left....I love to share them and I love that there is another person out there that loves them as much as we do! You can never have too many people that LOVE your children! And now that I look back, I am so grateful for all the struggles we went through to have our family....it has made me a better Mom and has made me appreciate my kids more than I could ever have imagined! I know they were meant to come to our family and thanks to the unselfishness of Crystal and Lydia, we have been blessed.....TWICE!!!

{Gratitude Day 5}

I am grateful to live near our families! Although I LOVED living in Utah and not a day passes that I don't miss being there, having our house and seeing our good friends, there is nothing greater than living close to family! I love that both mine and Jeremiah's families live within an hour from us. I love that we got to go to dinner with Jeremiah's parents on Friday night, his brother and wife on Saturday night and that my parents came to our house for dinner tonight! We really missed Sunday night dinners with family living in Utah...we spent many Sundays feeling sorry for ourselves (not really) eating cereal for dinner and saying how we would give anything for our moms to cook a great meal for us! Now we get as much time as we want (and as much of us that they can handle) with our families! There is nothing greater! And I am so thankful that my kids get to grow up close to their grandparents....so close that they can come to special programs at preschool, can babysit and will be able to come to all the kids sporting events and activities as they grow older!

{Gratitude Day 4}

I am grateful for Disneyland....the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!



I am grateful that we have annual passes and that we can go WHENEVER we want (we went yesterday)!



I am grateful that when we do go to Disneyland, we can stay for HOWEVER long (or short) we want to since we have passes and will be back very soon the next time!



I am grateful that we live 20 minutes from the place....the place that people all over the world long to be and vacation to!



I am grateful that Disneyland is "the happiest place on Earth" and that my kids TRULY are the "HAPPIEST" when they are there!





I am grateful that whenever we go, I am GUARANTEED to have some peace and quiet as soon as their little heads hit their car seats in the car....without fail, they are both asleep within minutes of leaving the park!!!



We love you Disneyland....even if sometimes Mommy forgets that some rides like Pirates of the Carribean may be a little scary for the little kids....and may make them look like this! Oops! =)

{Gratitude Day 3}

I am grateful for marriage. I am reminded of this every single day from about 6:30 am to 5 pm....I don't know what I would do if I was a single mom! Jeremiah does so much for our kids that I couldn't imagine life without him. I often look at him interacting with Ayden and Zoe and think to myself, "wow, I wish I could be as patient as he is"! I honestly don't know where he gets it, but he can sit for hours playing GeoTrax, building a tower of blocks, doing puzzles, playing at the park, fixing things, teaching things, making things (I think this is mostly because he is a kid himself).....the list goes on and on! No wonder the kids love him so much and are drawn to him! I love that as soon as he gets home from work, he gets down on the ground and becomes a human jungle gym for the kids to climb on.....he doesn't have a choice, they demand his attention immediately! =) I love that he puts them both to bed every night and is so patient brushing their teeth, reading them stories, tucking them in, getting drinks, etc.....and he makes it all so fun for them!! He is a great Daddy! I love that he gives me a break just when I need it....although he may not always "recognize" that I am about to snap and need a break, as soon as I say "JEREMIAH, I NEED A BREAK", he kindly gets the point and takes over!! I love that he is there for me when I am having one of those "I am the worst Mom EVER days" (which I just had a couple nights ago! He sat forever and told me what a GREAT Mom I am and all the GREAT things I do for our kids! I am grateful for that! I am grateful to have a partner in this crazy life....someone to go through trials with and someone to enjoy happiness with! I love that my kids see us together and know we love each other. I love that they see us hug and can't stop themselves from getting in between us and wrapping their arms around our legs! I love that last night at dinner, I said something to Jeremiah and Ayden asked me, "why do you call him "Hun" all the time! And I told him because he is my "Hun" and I love him! Ayden smiled a great big smile, put his head down and kept eating! I know how important it is for kids to see that "love" in their parents....and I am glad mine see it!

{Gratitude Day 2}

I am so grateful for my mom and mother in law! Thanks to them, I am able to work 3 days a week and NOT have to send my kids to daycare or worry about them being in the hands of some strange person! They would do anything for my kids.....they rearrange their schedules to plan around babysitting, they spoil them rotten, they are so patient with them, they can sit for hours with them to play games, color, do activities, play with toys, take them to the park, etc.!! Ayden and Zoe are so lucky to have such a great Grammy and Nana (and of course Grandpa's too).....and especially to live so close to them that they get to see them EVERY week!!

Ayden was sitting on my lap when I was writing this and I told him I was writing about his Grandma's and asked him what he wanted to say to them.....he started singing a song he learned at school....and Zoe joined in when she could! =)

"Hello Grandma....
Hello Grandpa...
You are very special....
You are very special....
I love you....
I love you!!"

And then they blew kisses!! It's so obvious these two love their Grandma's to death! If that wasn't clear when they run to them when they see them, then it is definitely clear when they are pushing me out the door and say, "Bye Mom....See ya....We're gonna have a great day today....Don't let the door hit you on your way out!!!" Yep, no tears in this house when Mommy leaves!! It's such a great feeling to leave and know that my kids are happy AND in good hands!! Thanks for EVERYTHING Grammy and Nana!!

{DAY of GRATITUDE....day 1}

My sister in law, Cara, is doing this on her blog and I thought it was such a great idea. Each day in November, you focus on things to be thankful for! I really need this right now....for many reasons! I am typically a "glass is half empty", "prepare for the worst so you can be surprised when something better happens", "I'm not being negative, just being realistic".....and the list goes on and on! And I will also admit to having a meltdown a couple nights ago...my poor husband had to listen to me go on and on about how I have been ungrateful for things in my life and don't appreciate the little things! So this idea couldn't have come at a better time....and I am excited to focus on all the things that make me happy!! I usually try to do this just on Thanksgiving Day, so I can't wait to be thinking about it all month long!

I know I am a little late in starting, since today is the 4th of the month! But I just got the idea....and better late than never!! =)

For day 1, I am grateful that this little guy gets to go to preschool! I am grateful that we can afford to send him to a great school because we all know that preschool in Cali is a FORTUNE!! Forget about learning letters, numbers, shapes and colors....this could perhaps be the very cutest thing that he will ever learn in preschool! I love this....and make him say it as much as I can!!

{hApPy HaLloWeEn}

We had a great Halloween this year! It was very mellow, but just what we needed after the very busy week we had and the sickness that I have been trying to kick! Ayden was sad we didn't end up going to San Diego to go trick-or-treating with cousins....luckily he got over it when he started getting some candy!! We went for a family bike ride in the morning, Ayden and Jeremiah went to the movies to see "Astro Boy", we made homemade pizzas for dinner and went trick or treating in our own neighborhood!

We really had a fun time trick or treating! We thought Zoe might be too young still and that she would maybe go to a house or two and be ready to come home, but we were WRONG!! She had a BLAST!! She followed Ayden around, from house to house, and didn't slow down! She carried her own little bag the whole way....just like a little purse on her arm! It got so heavy that it was weighing her arm down, but she didn't mind! Every house the kids went to, they both said "trick or treat" and "thank you"!! Ayden was ready to move onto the next houses, but Zoe just stood there at the door....with her bag in front of her....waiting for more and more candy! She didn't understand that people just gave her one candy and then we went on to the next house! She kept saying "trick or treat" and literally just stood there!! People thought it was cute and gave her more candy! She had it ALL figured out!! She was the smart one of the group! Then Ayden started catching on to her game and thought "if that's the way to get more candy, then I can do it too!!" By the end of the night, we were almost having to pry them off of people's doorsteps! They had a blast!

After making our rounds, we came back home and dumped out the buckets for Mommy and Daddy to "look through the candy"! What is the point of this?? Like we would really be able to see if there was a "bad candy" in the bunch!! And then....the kids started eating....and eating....and eating!! They definitely had MORE than they should have....and have had more than they should have since! And they had just as much fun answering our own door and passing out candy as they did receiving it! After Zoe went to bed and we reminded Ayden that he only gives every kid ONE piece of candy (instead of the HANDFULS that he was giving), Jeremiah and I were able to sit back and relax while Ayden handled the door and all the trick or treaters! It was a great night!

Another flashback moment for me....love this bucket!! =) Zoe- 18 months and Ayden 16 months!!



We have had our pumpkins for about 3 weeks now and finally got around to carving them on.....November 1st!! That is the great thing about having young kids! They don't know the difference and had just as much fun carving them on November 1st as they would've had carving them in October! Ayden is obsessed with "Astro Boy" right now since that is the current Happy Meal toy at McD's and he & Jeremiah went to see the movie on Saturday! So he wanted his pumpkin to have all his favorite Astro Boy characters on it!





Deep concentration.....



Feeling the guts....they both loved it!



The finished product.....