52 Weeks of Blessings #18- Sight

As I am in another part of the country, that looks so much different than where I live, I am seeing so many new and wonderful things. I am grateful for the sight I have that helps me be able to enjoy these things so much more. Even thought I don't have perfect vision, and want to have it fixed, I am grateful that I do have it. As I see the sights around me. As I look into the faces of my two sweet babies. As I see the words on the pages of the books I am reading right now. As I see my sweet husband walk in the door from work every night and see his lips to kiss him"hello". My grandma has been legally blind for years. All she sees are fuzzy shapes. Reading was one of her favorite things to do and I know she misses it terribly. I am worried that the same may happen to me some day. It scares me. Do I take full advantage of the time I have now? Do I appreciate the gift my sight is? No....but I do today!

52 Weeks of Blessings #17- internet

This, to me, is a blessing & a curse. Right now it's a blessing. It is amazing how cut off from "my world" I have felt being so far away from home, friends & family. I have a phone-yes- but it is a cheaper, easier, quicker alternative to log onto the blog or shoot someone an email than to pick up the phone & actually call. While being without the internet has caused me to stop and reevaluate my time spent on it and all that, it has also made being away just that much more difficult for me. So as I try to catch up on my blessings I am grateful for the internet!

BTW-The above picture is a map of what the internet looks like.

52 Weeks of Blessings #16- Cleanliness

K- so I didn't go around taking pictures of my own house. But let me tell you- IT IS CLEAN!!! And has been for the last few weeks. Ever since Ammon left I have kept my house virtually spotless. I am sooo pleased with myself. (as this is not normal for me) Let me tell you exactly how pleased...... All the dishes washed and put right into the dishwasher after being used. All the laundry folded, & put away as soon as it comes out of the dryer...which happens right after the dryer is done drying. The floor has even been swept & mopped. The bathrooms are clean. The kids rooms are clean, the garbages are emptied when they need to be and haven't overflowed once. And all of the piles of garbage all over my room have been diffused and put away, so my room is clean as well...with the exception of the floor that needs to be vacuumed. So, I am not saying that Ammon makes all of the messes, but maybe I am saying we have too much stuff and need to reduce. (since I did send about half of the stuff with him since I can't exactly take it on the plane with me)

This week I spent 3 days in Avondale with my sister and her family. UNEXPECTEDLY. And we had a blast. It was a last minute decision to stay that long. I went out there on Wednesday and at 3am Thursday decided that it was best not to try and drive home that night. Then on Thursday decided that I should probably just stay another day since we would need to go back on Friday for my niece's birthday. We got home at about midnight on Friday night. (or Saturday morning?) It was soooo nice to come home to a sparkling clean house! I must also say a HUGE thank you to Jennifer for coming over and feeding the dogs while I was being irresponsible! It is great to have such good friends as I have been blessed with!

Anyway- I am grateful for cleanliness this week. It makes me feel better about myself and my home. It makes me feel like a better wife & mother. And that makes my home a happier place to be. So I guess that makes this a ten-fold blessing because it affects so many different areas of my life.

To me, this scripture just goes right along with this blessing:
"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"

D&C 88:119

52 Weeks of Blessings #15- Cell Phones

This week I am thankful for cell phones. Mind you - not the bills that come along with them. But I guess that's what you get for the convenience of being able to take your phone with you no matter where you are.

In the last 10 days that Ammon has been gone I have found that I am even more thankful for this little "toy" than ever. Not only am I thankful for this phone, but also for the plan that lets us talk to each other without using any of our oh so precious minutes! I think that we have probably talked to each other more than we normally would in a day. I think that we would have used about 1/2 of our minutes in these last 10 days!!!

With Ammon being gone I have loved the convenience of talking to him when I want and not worrying about having to get a phone card, or using all of his minutes, or the amount of time I have to limit my phone calls to. I am able to send short video clips of the kids saying goodnight, and pics so that he can stay up to date on all the happenings at home. And texting is kind of weird...but we do that too. It's like a fun little game that we have to help pass the time until we can be together again.

Now tomorrow he should be able to get into our apartment. Then he can get the computer hooked up and all of that. We will have the web cam and we can talk to him that way. So don't be surprised if I say something about that for my blessing post next week (haha)!! But for today I am thankful that I can at least hear my husband say he loves me & misses me....and read the silly things he texts me.

52 Weeks of Blessings #14- My family!

This is my family.....or it was about 2 years ago. By now more members of the family have been added. NOT in this picture are: My youngest sister's husband (they were married 7 1/2 months ago), my son (now 18 months), my 1st younger brother's son (1 month), my 2nd younger brother's son (now 1 year), and my oldest sister's son (now 1 year) & the baby she is expecting in Sept. Not that you can keep family pictures updated when you are talking about that many people! But maybe when Bren & Calli come home for Christmas we will take another family picture that can be outdated almost before it's taken!

I am thankful for my family for sooo many reasons. But 2 especially come to mind right now.

1: I am thankful that I belong to a family that is so close. Not only do we all live close together, but we have a very close knit family as well. My family all live within 1 hour's drive of each other. And most live closer than that. I think we might be the farthest away. I have a brother & his family who live in Kansas at the moment while he goes to school. But when he is done they will move back. SO I forget to count that as living far away. Since it's only temporary. But the fact that we live close has been on my mind a lot lately...especially since, soon, I will be farther away from home (and family) than I have ever been in my life! That is a scary thought to me. But I guess this is one of those time when I need to rely on my own little family instead of my big family.

2: I am grateful that we were raised by wonderful parents who taught us truth. I am so grateful that we all have the same values and beliefs. I am glad that I can go over to any one of my siblings homes and not have to worry about what my children might see or hear. Because I know that it, most likely, won't be anything that they wouldn't see or hear at my house. I am grateful that I can have conversations about things that are important or troubling to me as a parent or spouse and know that I can get good feed back and advise from my family.

I am grateful for the love of family. To know that I can make a mistake and go to the person and apologise and know that I am forgiven and still loved....with out question!

This is my family: (as I see them)
DAD (Jerry): Never have to guess if he loves us because he tells us he does all the time. Makes the most beautiful things with his hands from wood. Respectful of my mom- a good example of what a husband and father SHOULD be.
MOM (Becky): The best mom in the whole wide world....also the meanest & that's where I learned it and I'm proud to admit it. Never appreciated enough by her family. Always goes the extra mile to care for all of us even though none of us live at home any more. Has a very great desire for her children to remain close- close to each other, close to her & dad, close to the Lord.

THEIR CHILDREN:
RANDI (1st child): Always the voice of reason. Not as silly as the rest of us- nor would we have it any other way. She is the constant in our family. She is a very service oriented person. A loving mother and wife. Very intelligent. You can always ask her anything English related and she knows!
STEVE (Randi's husband): A very hard worker. A great provider for his family. Has a fun sense of humor and can never pass up the opportunity to needle Marcy! He is successful at whatever he sets his mind to accomplish.
THEIR CHILDREN:
MICHAEL, HAILEY, AUDREY, DYLAN, BABY due in Sept

MARCY (2nd child): Athletic. Marcy loves volleyball. She is constantly seeking to improve herself- physically and mentally. She has a wonderful spirit. And through her personal trials she strengthens her relationship with the Lord instead of pushing Him away. She is a very spiritual person with a great understanding of the Gospel.
DIRK (Marcy's husband): Is a fun loving individual. He works hard but can often be seen sitting in the chair in front of the TV playing the PlayStation, with his boys gathered around cheering him on as he reaches levels that they haven't yet. (this can also be very vexing to Marcy)
THEIR CHILDREN:
JORDAN, RILEY, KALE, COURTLYNN

STEPHANIE (3rd child): Happy. Stephanie makes friends easily. She always has a kind word, and a smile, on her lips. She is a loving and attentive mother. She always takes the time to talk to her sisters about whatever they want...even if she is busy. She is a calming influence in my life.
CHRIS (Steph's husband): Chris is just fun. He has so many interests. He is so intelligent. He can usually figure out any problem...especially about computers. He is a most loving father and husband. He is constantly complimenting Steph.
THEIR CHILDREN:
QUINCY, ELLIE, REES

NATALIE (me- 4th child) you read stuff about us all the time since this is our blog...so we won't take any time on our family!
AMMON (Natalie's husband)
THEIR CHILDREN:
ADELAIDE (Addie), EPHRIAM

SCOTT (5th child): Wild! Scott is a free spirit. He does first and thinks later....especially when playing with his nephews. Scott is also successful at whatever he puts his mind too. He loves his girls but is sooo excited to finally have a boy. He is a great brother and has always looked out for me. Since we are so close in age I have aways had a great relationship with both of my brothers (except for a while during our teenage years).
RUTH (Scott's wife): Ruth is a sweet and soft spoken person. She is gentle and quiet when dealing with her children. Even in tough situations. She is forgiving and generous. She keeps a very orderly home. These are ALL qualities I admire in her.
THEIR CHILDREN:
HEIDI, AMBER, BRETT

BRENDAN (6th child): Bren is soft hearted. He is loving and gentle and has a tender heart. He is a great daddy and is a very loving husband. He is a people pleaser. He cares what others think. He is a big teddy bear. He becomes a big kid again when he gets around his brother and nephews.
CALLI (Bren's wife): Calli is talented. She is very driven. She accomplishes things she sets her mind to. She is creative and makes life beautiful around her. She is a loving mother and is a wonderful wife.
THEIR CHILDREN:
TAYOLR, KEATON

GINNY (7th child): Ginny enjoys life. She gets the most out of everything she does. She makes friends easily. She has a fun personality. She doesn't like it when we treat her like the baby of the family (even though she is). She loves being the center of attention...but then again so do I. She can play multiple instruments and is very good at them all. She is enjoying being a wife and having her own house.
COLIN (Ginny's husband): Since Colin has only been in our family a short while I don't know him so well. I do know he doesn't complain. (he just had back surgery and I never heard a complaint from him, before that, about his back hurting) He is happy. He is always smiling. He's a good sport about things. He fits right in with our family. He lets my little sis be who she is...and that (at this point) is what I like about him the most!
THEIR CHILDREN:
are still in heaven

52 Weeks of Blessings # 13- ADDIE

CAUTION: This may be a rather lengthy post!!!

This is my sweet daughter. I have been struggling with her lately. So I decided that she NEEDS to be my blessing this week to give me time to reflect on her POSITIVE qualities.

First I want to tell you a little about Addie and then (since I/Addie was "tagged") I would like to tell you"The top 10 things you might not know about Addie".

Ammon and I were married for 4 3/4 years before Addie came into our life. And 5 1/2 years before she came to live with us. And 7 3/4 years before she legally ( & eternally) became a member of our family. What a story this little person's life has to tell already!

We found out about Addie through a friend of ours. It is a long and involved story, but she melted my heart the moment I saw a picture of her...I knew this was MY little girl. And I would do WHATEVER IT TOOK to get her home! And we did. It took a long time and a lot of effort, from a lot of people, to get her here. But there is no doubt in my mind that she is my daughter and a part of our family. And was always meant to be!

She may not have my skin color...or Ammon's... who is even whiter than me. hehe Or our eye color- we're both blue. She may have beautiful black hair with AWESOME natural brown highlights, and I have to put mine in. But, you see, that isn't what matters anyway. That is "earthly" thinking. This is sooo much deeper than that!

Some people wonder if you can love an "adopted" child the same as a "biological" child. Well, I'm not an expert on that, especially since I don't have any biological children. But if you love biological children MORE then I can't BEGIN to imagine what that would feel like, since I know how my heart feels like it will burst some times with the love I feel for my children.

Addie is such a joy. She tries sooo hard to please and to do what's right. She never passes up the opportunity to tell us how much she loves us or that we have the BEST family. She has a great enthusiasm for life. She has so much energy. Most the time I don't quite know what to do with it. I guess she doesn't either and that's why she ends up "accidentally" hurting herself or her brother. Or both. She is a snuggler. To this day she loves to climb up on my lap and be held. And she's almost 5. I guess it shouldn't surprise me- i will still sit on my dad's lap occasionally and I'm a grown person! I guess no matter how old you get sometimes it's just nice to feel like you did when you were little.....safe and secure. Addie loves to learn things. She loves to read books... especially ones that give information. Right now we are reading the Little House series. And she loves them! In a lot of ways Addie is just like me..... She talks ALL of the time. She asks TONS of questions. She LOVES to be around people. Especially her daddy. She always likes to help. She loves watching movies. (especially with mom) She LOVES all animals. She is tender and caring and happy. She cares what others think. She tries to be kind to everyone. She has a great imagination and is always playing with her hands like they are horses...or just her friends.

I am soooo blessed to have this sweet little girl as my daughter. I wouldn't have it any other way!

10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME (Addie) ARE..........
1. I LOVE horses.. Ok you might know this. But I bet you don't know that I can make ANYTHING be a horse. One of my favorite things to pretend is a horse is my fingers. Horses are my FAVORITE animal. When I grow up I want to be a horse back rider. I have worn holes in the knees of ALL of my pants. Mom bought me some new jeans and now I am FORBIDDEN to crawl around the floor in those or suffer the consequences!
2. I want all kinds of animals..... birds, bunnies, a cow, a horse (pink of course), a kitty, a pony- TOTALLY different than a horse. And this is where they will live...the bunnies, cow & kitty will live in my closet. The horse & pony in the back yard. And the birds in a cage by my bed.
3. My favorite thing to do is clean up the house with mom & daddy. Even if they don't need my help. It's great to follow them around so close that they almost trip over me EVERY time they turn around.
4. I am not a girly girl. I like girly things but don't HAVE to have them ALL of the time. Pink is a good color to wear...but I don't care what color it is if it has a horse on it!
5. My favorite movie is Black Beauty. My mom thought she would be smart and buy the cheap one at WalMart that only cost a dollar. That's fine by me because the voices are so quiet, and the background music so loud, that I get to turn the TV up FULL BLAST!
6. My favorite friends are my cousins! I would play with them any day of the week. My favorite thing to do while we are driving to their houses is ask where we are (gilbert, mesa, chandler) as we go to a new road. Mom LOVES answering me every 2 minutes! But sometimes she gives the wrong answer (we're almost there) and I have to set her straight.
7. I love to have my friends come over to play and will sit by the door and wait until they get there. Even if it isn't going to be for hours. I think that's why mom quit telling me so far in advance when they were coming.
8. I am learning how to spell my name really well. I love learning. The alphabet is my favorite thing right now. And I can't wait until I can read a book without any help. Word World and Super Why are my favorite shows right now. Because they are all about the alphabet and learning to put letters together to make words.
9. I want to get rid of all of my dogs so that I can have a kitty. Dad is allergic to animals but I KNOW if I keep asking they will break down and get me one. I think I will give all of my dogs to Quincy & Ellie ( my cousins) so I can have my kitty!
10. I have been asking my mom to take me to swim lessons all winter. She keeps saying "Not until the summer comes." Whatever that means! I think ANY time is a good time to go swimming. And to think- 2 years ago I wouldn't go near the water!

52 Weeks of Blessings #12- My Savior!

Who can resist having the Lord Jesus Christ as a blessing on this very special day! (OK- well yesterday - because it was Easter and I'm a day late!) And since I haven't had Him as one of my blessings yet.....what more appropriate time to do so!!!

I am always grateful for my Savior and the sacrifice He gave for me! However, like everyone does, I tend to focus on it more at this time of year. And this year, for some reason I have come to have a better understanding of His sacrifice and what it really means in my life.

A few months ago one of my sisters had a miscarriage for the first time. In the midst of this experience she was ask how she was doing countless times. The answer was always the same.... "I'm fine!" On the outside we saw a very put together individual. Who didn't seem to be struggling with this. And so one day in a conversation, I asked her about this. The answer she gave showed great understanding of the Savior and his roll in her life.......

She said, "In praying about this, and why it has happened I have realized something and it has helped me tremendously. The Savior ALREADY suffered this hurt for me, so I don't need to. If I take the atonement and apply it in my life then I don't need to hurt. Because that is what Christ did for me. That knowledge is why I can be so calm through this experience."

And then I had an eye opening experience (for me) last night. I asked my dad (& Ammon) to give me a blessing. I need help making some decisions for my family. And I am struggling to know what the right decision is. I was told I would be able to make the correct choice and I would feel at peace with that decision. But something I came away from that blessing with was this.... That Heavenly Father understands that this is a HUGE deal to me right now. But I need to understand that in the eternal scheme of things it is NOT that big of a deal. I am hurting over this decision. And it hit me like a ton of bricks.......Christ suffered for THIS!!?! How selfish do I feel that my Savior had to suffer over something so trivial as this little thing! But I realized that He suffered for EVERYTHING! and why that realization didn't sink in until last night I don't know. But it didn't. I am grateful that my LITTLE problems are BIG enough to the Lord that He would need to suffer for them, to help comfort me!

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

52 Weeks of Blessings #11- Money

Without sounding too materialistic..... YES this week I am thankful for MONEY!!!

The past 2 weeks have been especially stressful for us. Ammon has not been paid. We have been waiting for his paycheck from March 1st to arrive. It SHOULD be here tomorrow. Along with the one from Friday. Not to share all of our financial woes or anything.... But doesn't it seem that with anything in life....when you don't have it is when you miss it the most?

Money has never been the most important thing to me. I don't care if I have the biggest or best of anything. I never have. But I do realize, the older I get, that there are certain things you ABSOLUTELY MUST have money for. Food is one thing....a house is another.....maybe electricity is a good thing to have....and the list of related type items goes on. All of which require the use of MONEY. So this past couple weeks has given money a very important position in our home. And I realize I am grateful for the times when it was there without me even having to think about it.

Now hopefully it will be here tomorrow and life can get back to some sort of normal. Then maybe I can switch my focus back to something MORE important! But today am sooo grateful for money!