Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

I took a few minutes today and thought about all the silver linings I have experienced the past week or two and I thought maybe I would share a few.....
*Jas made it home safely after a four day work trip to Santa Rosa, CA*I saw my friend's beautiful new baby...absolutely perfect*I enjoyed a 45 minute phone conversation with my sister; I loved and needed every minute of it*I overheard my three year old describing ice cream to her little brother, as if he had never had it*watching my 20 month old scream with delight as he ran through the sprinklers...the neighbors enjoyed it as well*a great walk with a good friend and her little girl*waking up to the sound of my husband doing the dishes*a Mr. Pib soft drink*A wonderful talk on gratitude by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin and realizing that God DOES speak to us today*singing songs with my two beautiful children; their favorite is the Hokey Pokey...they love to "put their whole bodies in and shake them all about"*seeing friends deal with adversity and come out shining*and something that will always put a smile on my face or a silver lining in my darkest clouds is to hear my children tell me they love me*

Lucky Jack

With Ashley being gone, I have had nothing but one on one time with little "Lucky Jack" (as he is often referred to around our house). I have discovered new things about this little mystery boy. Depsite all the teasing he gets from his big sister, he misses her too. Yesterday morning and this morning he has gone around the house saying, "Ash, Ash" with a very, very sad look on his face. He has, however, eaten up all the attention that he has gotten from Dad and Mom. He has gotten the water hose all to himself, along with all the toys (including Ashley's) without a fight. It has just been so fun to see him kind of bloom into his own little person without being in the shadow of an older sibling. He is a strong willed little boy with a fun personality that could melt your heart in milli-seconds. We sure love both him and Ashley!

Missing my Little Ashley

After seeing how much fun Ashley was having with her "Idaho" cousins (that's right, I now how to refer to my sibling's children with a state because they all moved out of state on me). So after seeing that she was having so much fun, I just couldn't say no when my mom asked if I would please let Ash spend the week with them down in Teasdale. That was 72 hours ago and I am missing her like crazy. I miss the coming into our bed in the middle of the night, the begging of her to eat her food, brush her teeth, wear shoes, stay inside, get dressed, stay in one outfit per hour, stop teasing her brother, stop screaming and all that comes with my little bundle of Ash. I do know that she is in great hands and that she is having a fun time. That brings me peace of mind and helps me relax a little better. I still can't wait to see her in T minus 29 hours...till then wish me luck!

A Runny Nose

Way back when, before I had children of my own, I vowed I would never let my children run around with runny, dirty noses....oh, how vain I was! I never knew how children could be endless producers of snot (for lack of a better word there, sorry!) Well, the other day my little 18 month old started getting a runny nose. I went through the usual drop of my shoulders accompanied with a sigh of "here we go again!" However, those feelings didn't last as I thought of my cousin and his little girl, who at age one was diagnosed with cancer. I also thought of my sweet, adorable niece who had some health problems at age 4. Soon my runny nose seemed so trivial and so small. Well, the runny nose at our house has nearly reached its end, and I have to admit that he did run around with a dirty face, though I did my best to keep it clean. But this go round I find myself grateful it for just a runny nose.

Thankful for...

I am thankful for...Jas (he made it home safely, always a relief to me)
I am thankful for...Jacks (he is always ready to give me hug, drops everything to give me one)
I am thankful for ...Ash (she informed me today that she was a woman, I am not sure where she picked that up)
I am thankful for...my mom and dad (they are always doing so much for me and my family, I don't think they will ever know how much they mean to me)
I am thankful for...people who read my blog (yes, that means you!)