Gratitude Weekly - A Beautiful Day

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day. It was beautiful in more than one way. The obvious beauty of the day was that the weather was 75 degrees and mostly sunny. It was also beautiful because we were all together as a family and not too tired to enjoy such a day. Today we had a great day at church followed by a family lunch in which even the baby ate what was put in front of him. Then after lunch we took the dog, who was freshly bathed two days ago and went for a drive up the Colonial Parkway to Williamsburg and walked around Williamsburg.
We had a great walk up there. It was really crowded with all the other families out making the most of the mild temperatures also. Jay and Nathan received a new wagon for Christmas from my parents and we put that to use and were able to walk and walk. I love living in a place with all four seasons, but it is really fun to have a day that doesn't fit with the season every once in a while.
After we came home we had dinner and again everyone ate what was put in front of them, you just don't know how rare that is. Then we spent the evening hanging out together as a family. It doesn't get much better than that.

Thankful - Sailing Home For Christmas

I find that I am not being properly appreciative this holiday season and I want to rectify that. At this time of year many times I am without a husband. He has only missed one actual Christmas, but he is usually out to sea during December. I spend this time listening to songs that remind me that he is coming home soon and one song in particular that reminds me how there are those who are missing their Christmas with family. I am so very, very grateful for the people serving our country day in and day out. I am grateful to those who are deployed right now so that my husband is able to be home. I am proud to be numbered with people who chose this lifestyle even though just thinking about those families makes me teary eyed. I hope that our military feel our prayers and thankfulness and that they and their families are blessed this holiday season.

Here is my favorite non-traditional Christmas song. http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/DougStone/Sailing-Home-For-Christmas--25697200

All in day's work

Today 12 loads of laundry were washed and put away. After showers tonight I asked Spencer if he had put his clothes in the laundry basket. Spencer said, "I don't have a basket." I walked back to his room to make sure that I wasn't crazy and this is what I saw.

Gratitude Weekly - Trials

Right now I have no trials that I can think of. Can you imagine, even as I write that I am thinking that I must be missing something, but I hope that I can't think of anything. What I was thinking about today was how much the hard times in my life have helped me become who I am today. The hard times help me to know what the most important things in my life are. I am so very grateful for having the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. At the time that I first found out about our church's beliefs I had to struggle to become a part of the church, but through those struggles I am stronger in my beliefs.
I am also grateful for the knowledge that comes from the separations that Jay and I go through. The first time that Jay had to leave us I was very excited for the chance to prove to myself that I could do it. Everyone always said that I was the sort of person who was "needy". I would have to say after 4 deployments, plus training totaling 2 years 8 months not including ins and outs over 3 years, and living apart for 8 months during the whole Rhode Island thing, I am not needy. I want to be with my husband because I love him and enjoy his company more than any other person I know, but I can live without him if I have to. I am also able to say that after the first deployment my understanding and love of our Eternal marriage was made much more clear to me. Though we may not always be able to be together on Earth, we have Eternity to enjoy each other.
There are many other trials that we have throughout our lives, but those come to mind more than the others and I am grateful for the lessons learned. I am also very grateful for the peace of no trials right now.

Army of Women

http://www.armyofwomen.org/

This is a program that all woman can sign up to help with Breast Cancer research. They are trying to reach 1 million women so that they have a better base for their research. Periodically questionares are sent for you to fill out and they use the information to help with research. I have received two questionares since joining that took about a minute to fill out. This is a great way to help with Breast Cancer research without much effort. I hope you will join also.

Gratitude Weekly - Thanksgiving

I am grateful for Thanksgiving coming up and the idea that people all over take the time to sit back and remember all their blessings. I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for his sacrifice on our behalf. I am grateful for a Prophet leading and guiding us today. I am grateful for the greatest husband any woman could ever want to have. I am grateful for four beautiful, smart, happy children. I am grateful for a family that loves me and taught me well. I am grateful for the most wonderful friends and family all over the world. I am grateful for a home that I love in a neighborhood that I love where my children go to school in a safe place. I am grateful for a country in which we have freedom and prosperity. There are many more things that I am thankful for, but that is the top of the list. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Christmas Spirit

I received this as an email and filled it out for my blog because I just enjoy these so much.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? A pleasant mixture of both.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, but I have a candle from Yankee Candle to make it smell real.

3. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving weekend

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day

5. Do you like eggnog? Only homemade eggnog that turns out more like boiled custard.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My cat, I had wanted a horse, but my parents talked me down to a dog and then to a cat because they were willing to have a cat.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? My children

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of one, I must have put a mental block on it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street, the remake or Rodolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Metally right after Christmas, in reality November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Eggnog

16. Lights on the tree? I prefer white lights, but I have been overruled by the husband and all the children.

17. Favorite Christmas song? The Holy and The Ivy

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes, but only because of the song.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? I would do one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning, but again I have been overruled.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Having too many places to go and things to do and not enough time to spend as a family. Also, the way the Navy likes to send ships out for the month of Dec. and bring them home just a couple of days before Christmas after all the work has been finished.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? White lights and red bows with gold ornaments.I

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Chicken with dried beef and bacon, green bean casserole and really great rolls followed by Better than Sex cake.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Brain Age, IPOD, 2nd TV

Hope some of you will fill it out too, I would love to see your answers.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Still Alive

It has been a long time since I last posted. You would think I have something to say, but I really don't. Jay's being home has been wonderful and that is the main reason that I have not been blogging. I have someone to talk to in the evenings again and so I am spending less time on the computer. As a result I am also not keeping up with the blogs I read as well. Since I don't have anything to say I will just add a picture. Nathan is ready for a big boy bed, until he gets one he will just use any bed he can find.

Halloween Pics

We belive in recycling costumes.Nathan as Eyore. Eyore had his 10th Halloween this year.
Sarah spent her third year as an NC State cheerleader.
Spencer who receives the bulk of the hand-me-down clothes was able to chose a new costume and was Anakin Skywalker.
Alex was an NC State Football player for his second or third year.

Gratitude Weekly - Jay is really home

How many weeks am I allowed to be grateful that Jay is home? This weekend he is really home. His ship has been in port for 15 days, but his leave didn't start until after work on Halloween night. During those days he was only off the ship for a full 24 hours 1 time and he had five 24 hour duty days. Now he is all ours for 12 days. We are so excited to have him home all day and all night. I have a long list of things that I had hoped to accomplish, but Jay has other plans.
Friday night after trick or treating I took Jay to the urgent care center to get an xray of his foot and he has a broken foot. We don't really know how badly it is broken, but their are bone chips floating around and he has to stay off of it in a temporary cast until Wednesday when he will go see an orthopedic person. See how resourceful my husband is.
You might ask what in the world he did, well, ultimately he broke it spending quality time with his son. Alex asked Jay to play football with him and some boys from church and first play of the game Jay got hurt. He continued to play for the next hour and then worked on it injured for three full days before getting a doctor to look at the foot. He tried to get the ship doctor to x-ray it, but was denied (that is a whole other story, not so pretty. Just trust us when we say we don't want the government in charge of our health care.) Now we get to spend quiet time that involves Jay sitting for the next few days of his leave. Luckily all I really need right now to make me happy is to be in the same room with my love. I am so so so grateful for every minute we get to spend together.

Gratitude Weekly

I haven't posted my weekly gratitude entry the past two weeks because it has been so obvious what I am grateful for. Jay came home safe and mostly sound. It is amazing the difference having him home makes. It is so dramatically better. We love him so much.
When Jay came home he was also able to confer the Aaronic Priesthood on Alex and ordained him to the office of a Deacon in our church. I am so very grateful that Alex has chosen to live his life in a way that will allow him to enjoy working on Earth on behalf of our Heavenly Father. He is such a great child and we are so blessed to be given him to raise.

Homecoming Pictures

Homecoming Day

No pictures. No one is more sorry about that than I am. It was a great day. First off it didn't pour down rain. It misted off and on, but we weren't wet. It has rained at all three of Jay's ship homecomings, but this was the lightest rain we have had. Jay had duty today so we weren't able to bring him home with us, but we did get to spend 5 hours on board with him.
We arrived at 9:15 and the ship was coming into the dock. It took until about 10:45 for the sailors to begin coming off the ship. We got a quick look at Jay waving to us before he had to get back to work. At about 12:00 someone came down to the pier where we were and escorted Alex, Spencer, Sarah, Nathan, my nephew Sam and I onto the ship where Jay was waiting at the top of the stairs for us. My parents, who had joined us at the Pier and were a HUGE help with Nathan opted to skip the ship tour.
Nathan was confused by everything. He wasn't sure about his Dad until he saw the other children hug Jay. Then Nathan really got into the spirit of the day. Jay would have to run off to do something and every time he came back in a room Nathan would yell, "Daddy's Back!" It never got old. Jay showed us all over the ship and we had a great time.
Can't wait till tomorrow when we get to bring him home.

Gratitude Weekly - Less than a week

Jay will be home in less than a week. Right now he is playing around in the middle of the Atlantic headed our way. Less than a week.

Gratitude Weekly - In-Laws

I truly have the best in-laws ever. They are really a second set of parents. I know they love me like their own child and I love them too. Now my in-laws are closer. They are serving a mission at the Washington DC Temple and we hope to be able to see them monthly.
I will also add that I feel like I hit the jackpot when it come to in-laws. They aren't perfect, but it isn't from lack of trying on their part.

Nothing but a giant playpen

My father has begun work on our attached garage. The goal is to turn it into another bedroom. Nathan is loving Granddaddy working around the house. He wants to be right in the middle of the action. Daddy has found a safe way to make that happen. The trailer appears to be nothing but a giant playpen.

Hold to the Rod

I am laughing outloud with no one to share it with so I am putting it on my blog. Alex is in the shower singing at the top of his lungs, Hold to the Rod. I don't think he realizes that everyone in the house can hear him or the people walking by outside if their were any. Lucky for all of us he is a really great singer. Oh, now he has switched to I Lived in Heaven.

Gratitude Weekly - This week and last

Last weekend we had our friends the Francesconis come to visit us and we went to the airshow at Naval Station Oceana. An airshow is always a great way to spend a day. We got to meet their new baby boy and had a wonderful time hanging out and having fun.
This weekend in a continuation of our great weekend last week Gregory Scadden, Lauren's little brother, included us in the reading of his mission call. We listened in on speaker phone while he opened it and read it word for word. He is going to the Albania Triana Mission. (I think that is right.) We could feel the Holy Ghost so strongly while he read. Jay was also on another phone to hear it too. We are so grateful to have been included. There is nothing like hearing a mission call read for the first time.

Shoes everywhere

I look around my house and I wonder, why are there shoes everywhere? Then I look a little closer and realize that more than half of them are mine. I think I have figured out where the problem lies. In my defense, some of those were played in by little girls, but I still need to learn to pick up after myself better.

Update + Gratitude

It has been so long since I have blogged so I am going to just recap some of our past few weeks. I know this much, each week that has passed I have thought about what I was grateful for even if I didn't blog about it. Two weeks ago I was thankful for the wonderful summer that we have had. It was great to have the summer to ourselves. We started out with Scout camp and Dance camps and Golf camp, but then we settled into life with just family life the rest of the summer. I love being able to decide what we do and when and not having to run our lives on other people's schedules. We spent most of our summer at Busch Gardens for our fun times. What a way to spend the summer.
Last week I was so very thankful for a good first week of school. We are very happy with our new teachers and classes and friends. I think that it is going to be a great year. Sarah has the teacher we had hoped for and a couple of good friends in her class. Spencer has his best friend from 2 grade and his different best friend from 3 grade in his class this year. It feels like he has won the lottery. Alex has a couple of great male teachers in middle school and that makes him very happy. He relates to male teachers better and enjoys their classes more. He also has a couple of classes with good friends. Nathan started preschool. Day 1 was awful, but it was the day the parents stay. Day 2 was really good. Day 3 was perfect and Day 4 was above average. He is a totally different child since starting school and it is in a good way that he is different. He really needed to have someone not treat him like a baby. I apparently can't give him that because he is my baby and I keep failing to let him grow up.
This week I will say that I am thankful for prayer. I know that Nathan's success in going to school comes from the number of prayers on his behalf we have made. I know that the big children have been blessed in their classes and with their friends thanks to prayer. I believe that Jay is coping much better in his very difficult trials while on the ship thanks to the abundant prayers on his behalf. And I can really tell of so many instances of personal revelation for my family that I have had thanks to my prayers.
There is so very much to be thankful for and I am. One of Jay's friends wrote to him, "Things may get worse, but they just might get better." I hope to continue to find things of optimism and hope every day and I hope to share those things with others to help brighten their worlds as well.