What do you want for Christmas little boy?

Every time I think of sitting on Santa's lap all I can hear in my head is the scene in "A Christmas Story." Things like, "I like the Wizard of Oz. I like the Tin Man." "Football? What's a football?" On to my story:

We went to a Christmas party with my sister and the big man was there. This is the first year the Silly One has actually wanted to sit on Santa's lap and talk to him. This was a big deal. Sometimes it is hard being a parent and really knowing what your kid wants for Christmas. It is easy when they are little and they are just excited to get a present. Last year the Silly One became obsessed with wanting a Mack truck (from the Cars movies) in early December. I just kept waiting for that to happen this year because whenever I'd ask him he would make some crazy thing up (ie: a huge Santa that would move and talk on its own, seriously sounds creepy to me). I figured this was my chance, he would tell Santa what he wanted and I would finally know. 

He first stood next to Santa and talked to him. We then convinced him to sit on his lap to get a picture with Santa and the Small One. As we walked away, I asked the Silly One what he asked Santa for. He responded, "I told him I wanted a Samurai Castle just like mine for my brother." This is what Santa brought him last year. My heart melted, my sweet boy didn't ask for anything for himself but instead something he likes for his brother. (Now true, he could be thinking that if there were two he wouldn't have to share but I'll stick with the sweet thought.) What a wonderful example to me of the true Christmas spirit, being Christlike to those around us and being truly selfless. 

More than a Holiday

Today I attended Time Out For Women with my Mom and one of my sisters. It was a nice break and there were some wonderful messages. I saw this video and I feel it explains exactly what I was feeling last night and what I have a goal to accomplish. 

"Giving thanks isn't a holiday. It's how people live."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Forced Thankfulness?

I started a blog post about a month ago after the first ER visit with the Small One but didn't like the direction it was going so I never finished it. I haven't even blogged about that kid's birthday on our family blog. It has been a hard month for us, I won't go into all the details. The quick facts: the Small One ended up with a skull fracture, the Silly One got 5 stitches in his chin after crashing on his bike and the Smart One was in the ER earlier this evening and ended up getting a gastroscope. (Hence I referenced the "first" ER visit.) After the first incident I had a huge wake up call as to how precious life really is, things are fine one moment and can be gone the next. Thankfully everyone is fine, even as I write this. The boys are healed and back to their normal (crazy and wild) selves. 

The Smart One is sleeping it off and hopefully will be back to normal tomorrow. I thought about writing a blog post about being thankful for modern medicine and the wonderful things they are able to do and discover in an instant, it is Thanksgiving in a week after all. I thought about writing how thankful I am for my wonderful little family and how each of them mean the world to me. I could go on and on about the thoughts I had about being thankful but as I was thinking I realized it is more than just being thankful. I need to live that gratitude. 

My greatest blessings, as silly as they are!

A few years ago at a large Thanksgiving dinner (my favorite way to have it) there was a particularly poignant thought on the favor that year. I liked it so much it has been stuck to my fridge ever since. It spoke of not just giving thanks but in actually living it. We shouldn't have to be forced into thankfulness as I feel I am at times. And yet here I am overwhelmed by my feelings just for 3 people, not counting the many others who impact my life for good. My goal this Thanksgiving season and moving forward is to not just be grateful and thankful for the bounteous blessings I have been given but to act on that gratitude. To show those people that mean more to me than anything how wonderful I think they are. To strive to share the blessings I have with others around me.

"Gratitude is expressed in prayer and thanksgiving, but more so in living lives of honor and integrity, of kindness and compassion, in awareness of others and their needs, and an honest expression of gratitude for all those who bless and affect our lives for good. Thanksgiving is best expressed in thanks-living -in lives of goodness and obedience and love and service."

- A. Theodore Tuttle

Time of Need

Yes, I am writing this blog post during General Conference but I wanted to share "the good" I just witnessed before I forgot. I was running some errands with the Silly One during sessions. We were on our way home and waiting to turn left onto the major street that goes to our neighborhood. The light turned green and we didn't move, I started to feel impatient and frustrated that someone obviously wasn't paying attention. I then saw two guys jump out of two different vehicles in front of me. I saw a guy on a motorcycle who just turned stop and get off. They all saw a man unable to start or move his car and started to push the car. I didn't make it through the light but wasn't frustrated anymore. I watched as a couple of guys stayed to see how they could continue to help. I wondered about myself and willingness to watch out for the welfare of others. I was so amazed at how quickly those guys were there to help that other man in his time of need. It was inspiring and another one of those moments where my faith in mankind is uplifted. There are good people out there, all around us. Everyone struggles and some of those struggles are more visible than others.

Eating Right

I gained a few extra pounds over the summer and after I saw my little brother post something on facebook I wanted to remember it. I try to eat healthy but I also eat chocolate and popcorn like they are their own food groups needing daily consumption. (sigh) Anyway these were his tips that he learned from a Weight Management Class at BYU. 

1. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. They fill you up without adding too many calories. 

2. Don't eat out. Restaurants, both fast food and more expensive, are all about getting people to come back. So they prepare foods that are delicious and mildly addicting. Which means they use a lot of fats, greases, and sugars. 

3. Don't drink your calories. Be it in the form of juices, smoothies, soda, milk, etc., liquids don't fill you up, but often add unnecessary calories to your diet. Even if they're "healthy" beverages. 

4. Drink lots of water. Water increases the efficiency of your body, so you use the calories that you consume more efficiently. 

5. Diets don't work. You have to find a system of consumption that you actually enjoy, or your won't stick to it.  

We use myfitnesspal.com around here. It helps track what you eat and what is good and what isn't. A couple of others things is I use dashingdish.com and skinnytaste.com for recipes and have found quite a few that are delicious and even my family (with little boys) enjoy. 

Thinking Positive

Yesterday was our 7 year anniversary. We recently returned home from a family reunion to Idaho and Yellowstone. My plan was to wash everything and then enjoy the evening as a family to celebrate. The Smart One and I had made plans to celebrate just the two of us next week at the OC Tanner Gift of Music Concert with James Taylor. The Smart One headed to work and I started the first load (of many) to get the wash going. I soon realized the washer wasn't working and after many internet suggestions and cleaning up water with the shop vac I was ready to give up. Not how I anticipated the day going at all. Other things happened as well that I won't go into detail, just to say that life happens. At one point the Smart One was apologizing for things not going as planned and I had the thought, it is all because Adam and Eve fell. It is part of life and although I understood it I was having a hard time not being a downer about things.
I tried to find something positive about it all and the only one I could think of was that this was the first appliance repair in all 7 years, not too bad on that front. But the thing that really changed my outlook was driving home from getting dinner and doing a couple of loads of laundry at my parent's home.
The sunset:

Sunset view from the end of our street

The sunset in itself was amazing and pictures never do them justice it seems. I remembered a silly story from when I was in high school. I had gone to Temple Square for a YW activity and I remember that night looking at the temple and seeing the sunset was purple behind it. I decided I was going to get married on that day, May 14, sometime in the future to have a purple sunset on my wedding day. Well 4 years later I got married but it was August 26 instead, and if I remember correctly the sunset was purplish that night just like last night. A small tender mercy and a blessing to see something good in frustrating life moments.

Legos and my boys!

I love being a mom, that is the truth! But to be totally honest, it is hard to be a mom. It can be exhausting and frustrating and at times bring me to tears. It is also one of the most rewarding things in the world. As hard as it is to be a mom at times I wouldn't trade it for anything, really ANYTHING. 

I had one of those great moments tonight. Usually on Thursdays I am so ready for bedtime and usually because the Smart One goes to scouts so I do bedtime solo. The Silly One wanted to play with Legos so while I was doing dinner he was working on building a race car. He got Legos for Christmas and has been loving them and is even getting pretty good at building things and modifying to make them his own. We ate dinner as a family and the Smart One was off to scouts and I cleaned up. Once the dishwasher was loaded I helped finish the race car. I got totally sucked in, we ended up making two more cars and the boys and I had a race. A race in which started simple but then the rules changed mid-race and all of a sudden the cars could fly. :) It probably sounds silly but while we were playing I had the thought how wonderful it is to be a mother of boys. I am grateful for these two crazy boys!

On a side note, I have been meaning to post the sweet flower my Silly One gave me on Mother's Day.

The middle says, "I Love My Mom because. . ."

Each petal has his answer to a question:

My favorite thing to do with my Mom: Play games

My Mom is good at: making stuff and playing basketball

My Mom is as beautiful as: a flower

My Mom teaches me: to tie my shoes

My Mom loves me because: she makes yummy stuff

My Mom makes the best: Chocolate stuff

Apparently I make a lot of good food. :) This made my day. See didn't I tell you being a Mom was the best? So worth it.