So Much to be Thankful For!

It seems that in these "difficult times" it is becoming the norm to complain about things. The weather, the economy, crime, taxes, the economy, rude people, the economy...you get the picture. Today being Thanksgiving, it is appropriate to think about what we are grateful for. But more than just the season, the "difficult times" have had an interesting affect on me. I won't pretend that I'm not a complainer. If you read this blog, you know that's not true. But over the past year or so, I have had an overwhelming feeling (regardless of weather or not I expressed it adequately) of gratitude. I have been so blessed in so many ways.

I am thankful for my beautiful daughter, and that she wakes up each morning alive and well. I am grateful for my loving and patient husband (though I won't elaborate, due to my recent post's high sap content). I am thankful, too, that we have a home (okay, so mostly, the bank has it, but they are gracious enough to let us live in it), that we live in a country with so many freedoms, even a promised land, that I have a loving family (and in-laws) who have set a righteous example for Jon and I, and who love Olivia.

Mostly, though, I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to be a member of His church. I feel so thankful that as, in many ways, the world falls apart around us, we have the knowledge that allows us to "stand in holy places", and be protected. In these troubled times, the words of Christ resonate with me. He said "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." (John 14:27) I do feel his peace in my life, and that is reason enough to be thankful.

This is my meager attempt to actually express the gratitude I feel. I will try to express it more consistently. I'd love to know what you are especially grateful for right now. If you are reading this (even if you don't normally comment) please take a moment to let me know one or two things you are thankful for! I would be so thankful to hear from you! ;)

1.5

Today, Jon and I have been married for one and a half years. That's 18 months. This morning, as we were talking, Jon said, "That's long enough for you to have served another mission!". I LOVED my mission, but eighteen months of marriage flew by much faster than my mission did. :) On the other hand, it seems as if I've always been married to Jon. He lights up my life, is the strength to my weaknesses, loves me for who I am, and is so kind. I feel so lucky to have him in my life. Here are 18 things I love about Jon, for each of the months we have been married, in no particular order.

1. His puppy dog eyes.
2. The way he makes up songs (that never rhyme) to sing to Olivia.
3. What a hard worker he is.
4. His to-do lists (Jon thinks these drive me crazy, but I have come to love and appreciate them).
5. His commitment to the gospel.
   
6. The way his hair sticks up in front.
7. His ability to make me laugh like crazy.
8. His desire to learn.
9. The way he is willing to go along with my crazy schemes ("Let's paint the shutters! What? You have to risk your life climbing an enormous ladder? I want them blue anyway! Today!")
10. His gentleness.
    
11. The way he gets Olivia out of her crib in the morning when I am still comatose.
    
12. The way he gets up in the night to put Olivia's pacifier in her mouth when she cries in her sleep.
13. How he has embraced my large and often chaotic family.
14. How much he loves his own family.
15. His integrity.
16. How he lets me warm my cold feet up on him.
    
17. His enthusiasm about food.
18. His unconditional love for me (even when I'm cranky).
    

I LOVE my husband! Thanks, honey, for loving me!!

So, so, suck your toe...

Olivia is definitely in the foot-obsessed stage. It is quite hilarious, and extremely cute. She is constantly playing with her feet, and they usually go right into her mouth. This tends to happen especially when we are changing her diaper. Off come her pants, in her mouth go her feet. She also loves to suck on her toes in the bath. I just have to make sure to remove any sock lint from her toes before she gets a hold of them. The other night, when I went to do her dream feed (I feed her while she sleeps every night before I go to bed...it helps her sleep until six-ish instead of four-ish), as soon as I picked her up, she grabbed at her foot and into the mouth it went (mind you she was fast asleep). She is usually happily playing with her feet when I get her out of her crib in the morning. All of this has made for soggy socks (and soggy pajama feet), but a happy baby. She loves these new toys that are always around!

Havre de Grace

This past weekend we took a little trip to a little town called Havre de Grace, saw a lighthouse, and walked along the Chesapeake bay. It was beautiful! Olivia LOVES wind, and since it was a windy day, she was in heaven! (Check out her face in the picture with me.)

Makeover

This weekend we gave the outside of our house a quick makeover. What do you think?

before

after

How could I forget?!

I was out shopping yesterday, and what did I behold, staring out at me through the glass, as if to say, "What took you so long? I thought you would never buy me..."?

Would you believe, a half-gallon of eggnog?

Well it's true. All two of my faithful readers will remember how I feel about eggnog season, how I look forward to it every year, and how I have to ask for the eggnog from the back of the store, before they even put it out.

I am ashamed to say that this year, until the moment I saw that half-gallon staring at me forlornly, I forgot to so much as think about eggnog. Maybe it has something to do with the small person I take with me everywhere, whose needs I think about every waking moment (and most of my sleeping moments, too.) Perhaps all those new thoughts about this tiny person have crowded out the thoughts of eggnog season before it begins. And I'm okay with that.

Don't be alarmed, though. Now that I know it's eggnog season, I won't be slacking on my purchases of the delectable beverage.
Mmmmmmm....

In the Jungle

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps it is the proximity to my birthday, or the beautiful fall colors. Maybe the chance to dress up as someone or something else, or maybe it's the candy. At any rate, we had a fantastic Halloween this year. We started early, with an Alzheimer's Memory Walk in the morning. Olivia was dressed up and rode in the front pack carrier while Jon and I walked. We had a great time, and Olivia got loads of attention. It was a really neat event, and one that we hope to continue to participate in in the future.

We spent the afternoon getting the house ready for a party at our place that we co-hosted with our neighbors and good friends, the Tholen's. I thought it looked pretty good all decked out for Halloween!

The party was a blast. We invited members of our playgroups, and the kids were so adorable. The adults had a lot of fun too.

We dressed in a jungle-safari theme. Olivia was a giraffe, I was a monkey, and Jon was a lion. I would have hoped that the costumes would speak for themselves, but unfortunately, some people expressed confusion. I'll try to do better next year...

Olivia and her little BF Gardner were both Giraffes. Here they are with their dads.
The Tholen's were the whole crew from Scooby Doo...

The Ellison's.
Olivia the Giraffe.
Trick-or-Treating. Olivia got a whole bucket of candy for mom and dad! Thanks Livi-girl!

We had a slight mishap in our kitchen with the extra dry-ice from homemade root beer. It all evaporated eventually. :)

PS Olivia is 5 months old today. "Five month" picture and stats on the sidebar to come.