The Divine Gift of Gratitude

I have been thinking so much about gratitude lately. I have much to be grateful for. I have been listening to the General Conference talks and I love what President Monson said about gratitude. He said in his talk titled The Divine Gift of Gratitude: "Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings. This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways. We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

Lauren

So Lauren and I disagree every time she gets dressed. She tells me she wants me to pick out her clothes but complains and will only wear certain things. I have tried her picking the top and me picking the bottom or vice versa but we always seem to have issues. Yesterday we were once again not agreeing and she says to me, "Mom, when will you start to understand that I just love clothes?" Wow. I am in so much trouble when she becomes a teenager!

Landon

Landon lost another tooth this week. He is getting so grown up. When he wears his long sleeve shirts it is evident his arms are growing. He is stick skinny and getting taller. He has been playing basketball since January. I think he is really learning and starting to understand it better. It is fun to watch him play. He has been reading from the Book of Mormon to the family each day. It is awesome to watch him learn and grow. I love being his Mom.

FHE

So Jerry put Avery in charge of the song for FHE. She picked, "All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Well, you can imagine how that went. Clearly she should not be in charge of the songs anymore.

Blog

I finally have internet again so am hoping to slowly re-enter the blogging world. I have missed it! I have a question....has anyone printed off their blog and made a book and how have you done it? One of my goals for 2011 is to try and catch up my pics and journaling. Any advice or suggestions would be helpful. Of course, my other goal is to lose weight?! I can't remember not having that as a new year's resolution. Maybe 2011 will be my year :>

Baby Bridger

Bridger Don North was born on October 20th at 8:57pm. He weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was born a few weeks early but has been doing well. It is a miracle to have a new baby in our home. We are so grateful everything went well. I had gone to the doctor on Wednesday not planning to have the baby that day. He told me to pack my bags, I would probably come in that night. I didn't want to get my hopes up so I just came home and did my normal stuff. My niece, Jennifer has been here so we went on a walk. Then I came home and started cleaning. Around 3pm, the nurse called and said she was surprised I wasn't at the hospital yet and the doctor was a little concerned because I was dialated to a 5. I was having contactions but they were not regular so I wasn't worried. I decided maybe I should pack my bag and tell Jerry to come home. We called Landon and Dana who came over to watch our kids until Jen and Isac could get here. They ended up staying a few nights which was a lifesaver for us. We got to the hospital around 5pm. Dr Jones was on call and they decided to keep me. They gave me an epidural (loved that) and started PIT. Jerry ran to Target and to get something to eat. The nurse came in around 8:30pm and said I was at a 7 or 8 and I better make sure Jerry made it to the hospital. About 10 minutes after he got back, the doctor came in and 10 minutes later, Bridger was here. It is an amazing experience to have the baby placed in your arms after they are born. It is truly a miracle and such a great blessing from Heavenly Father. I am so grateful to be Bridger's mom. They had some concerns about his breathing so he was immediately taken to the nursery. They did a whole series of tests and after a priesthood blessing from his Dad and Uncle Kevin, they determined he was fine. My parents got here on Thursday night. We had to stay at the hospital for at least 24 hours so we ended up coming home on Friday morning. I am so grateful the kids were able to stay at home and we had help with them. We are lucky to have wonderful family and friends. On Saturday, it was determined Bridger had jaundice and needed a bili bed. He is supposed to be in this bed for 18-20 hours a day. It has been difficult not only because we aren't getting much sleep but also because his Dad hasn't been able to hold him much. He is a beautiful baby and has a wonderful spirit about him. I know Heavenly Father has great things in store for him.

November

We found out today we are having a baby boy in November. My due date is November 8th. The kids are beyond excited and so are we. The ultrasound went well and the doctor was pleased with the progress the baby is making. Jerry came to my last appointment and was able to meet the doctor. We feel fortunate and blessed.

Avery's Birthday

We celebrated Avery's birthday yesterday. My parents were in town driving through on their way home to Idaho after spending the winter in Saint George. Kevin and family came as well as Doug, Teresa and kids. We had lunch. Avery's first picture is of her and all her olives. She loves olives so we had taco salad. I made red velvet cupcakes as well. Everything was going well until the cupcake was on her eating tray and she stuck her finger in the candle! It was really sad. Poor girl was so excited and then so sad, so quick. Avery is wonderful little girl. She is so fun to have in our home. She is getting more animated and seems like she is learning new words every day. She loves her older brother and sister. Lauren affectionately calls her Sammy. She responds but when you ask can still say her name is Avery. She is a Daddy's girl and can get whatever she wants from her Daddy. Even coming in our bed at night. :> She LOVES dairy products. Milk, cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese are her favorites. This is wonderful but makes it difficult for her to have bowel movements. She has had this challenge since she was a little baby. We are working with the doctor on it. She LOVES the Wiggles and dances and sings along with all the videos she watches. She has a blanket she loves, a monkey, a piggy and of course, her binky. When she goes to Aunt Lindsay's she immediately goes to the pantry and asks for a cookie. They always have golden Oreos on hand for her. She really gets mostly what she wants from everyone. She is just so dang cute!