Happy Thanksgiving from Joe

Background vocals provided by Kathrynn Bossy Pants. :)

Recap: Joe's First Day of School

Joe started Kindergarten this year and was SO excited - he was counting the days for months.

Showing off his super-cool Toy Story shoes. By the way, that is his 'too cool for school' face.. he was talking all morning about how all of the girls were going to fall in love with him. :)



With Kathrynn. Don't you just love how she looks like a little mommy? :)



With Mommy.

Heading out the door.

I have to say, I did very well for sending my oldest child off on his first day of school - didn't cry at all when I dropped him off. I got it all out of my system the night before. :) I felt much better when I saw other parents - even dads - getting choked up in the classroom. Joseph has LOVED school and is doing VERY well. And though not all of the girls in class want to marry him, he does have is very first crush on a very cute girl. :)

Recap: Favorite Picture of the Year

I'm obviously behind on blogging, but rather than going over EVERYTHING that has happened over the last year, I'm going to share a few gems.

This is my favorite picture of the last year. It was taken on a family fishing trip. Such a fun day!

33

I recently celebrated my 33rd birthday. Though I love birthdays, this one was not the most joyous occasion. It was spent in bed, with 103 degree temperature and involved getting a shot in my bum which the nurse described as "pushing peanut butter through a syringe." Oh, and I felt like I had razor blades in my throat. Ah, the joys of strep throat. But that's not the point of this post.

32 was a big year for me. Nothing truly notable happened, but I think I learned more this last year than any year of my life.

When I turned 32 I had a goal to be at a healthy weight before my 33rd birthday and I met that goal somewhere in the middle of the summer. Getting there was pure, well, you know. Would I have done it again? Yes, but in a different way. I successful lost 32 lbs in three months on a very restrictive, very very low calorie diet. Then I got a little sick and realized that what I was doing to my body was not healthy and changed my ways a bit. I gained some of it back but am healthier than I've been since I've been a mom. This leads to lesson #1 that I learned this year:

Our bodies are a gift and we need to respect them.

I look at what I put into my body and how I treat my body so differently that I ever have. We are literally what we eat. If we eat well, we are healthy and strong. If we don't eat enough we don't have enough to give those around us. If we eat junk, well...
It's important to keep our bodies strong - there is so much they are capable of - we need to respect that.

Lesson #2..

Time is a gift.

I don't have a lot of free time these days. I run a daycare in my home, I have 2 active little kids, one who is in school now, and a husband whose schedule could put some of the busiest people to shame.
I do my best not to waste a lot of time these days. Every moment is precious and important. We only have one life. It's best not to waste it away doing meaningless things.

Lesson #3
No Excuses

I learned this year that the easiest and happiest way to live life is to take full accountability. Your difficulties are very rarely another person's fault. Once I was able to embrace this fact, I became a much happier person.

Lesson #4
Love Yourself

When I was in high school I was so in tune with who I was - I knew it and was sure of it and loved the person I was. Adulthood has a way of instilling self-doubt and self-loathing. Through a lot of prayer, scripture study, and just time exploring who I am I've really been able to reacquaint with myself and develop that self-love again. And, let me tell you, once you love who you are, all of your other relationships become AMAZING. You're able to see just how much others love you and return that love a hundred fold.

Lesson #5
Cherish all of the Little Moments

We're busy people. We don't have time for big moments around here. But, I have learned that there is so much joy to be found in those little itty bitty moments. Hugs are wonderful. Little "I love you" moments. Cuddles, snuggles, the list goes on. I used to think that big monumental things were what made life special.. they're not. It's those little tender moments that make my world go 'round.

Lesson #6
Be Grateful

I found myself counting down. Counting down until Steve's done with school. Counting down until we move to Logan. Counting down until... This was big during the summer. I was counting down until the summer was over - I don't like hot weather and there were other things that were just kind of driving me crazy. Then I realized - I am counting down the last days I have Joseph at home before I lose him to school and responsibility forever. That's when I stopped counting down and started counting my blessings. I would write in my journal everyday 3 things I was grateful for, whether it be a hug, a cool morning, or a call from a close friend - I recognized my blessings was grateful for each and every one and stopped waiting for life to be the way I wanted it - I decided to want the life I have right now and cherish every second. Joseph will never be 5 again. Kathrynn may possibly be less obsessively a mommy's girl one day (though that's hard to imagine). These days are precious even if they're not perfect, and I'm grateful for each and every one of them.

Here's to another great year!