Grateful for...

Wow, has it been a long time or what? I decided to take most of the summer off, and I have to say, that I'm not sad that I did. I have never been off work for a whole summer, so I decided to make the most of it and just didn't worry to much about the internet. I wasn't really on it except to check email and pay some bills. Other then that, I did most of my communication with my phone-which doesn't work with blogs. Anyways, I decided that now was a good time to get back into it (I hope and stick with it) since the summer is winding down, the kids are back to school, and I am now back to work. And what better way then to start with a gratitude post, right?

It is going to be really hard to narrow it down to just 5 things this month. There have been SO many things that I am grateful for in my life right now, but there is always next month!

#1~My talk. Back in July, Jordan and I were asked to speak in our ward. I was terrified to say the least. Because Jordan knows how much I didn't want to do this, he was kind enough to let me pick the topic. So I pick Repentance. That is something that I know very well. As I read different talks, quotes, and books, I forgot just how much is involved with this principle. It was a good reminder, and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to do it.

#2~My dad. this one I know is a repeat, but a girl can never say just how much she loves her daddy, right? We celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago and I got some great pictures of him with all his grandkids. As I was looking at all the grandkids standing there with their grandpa, I could tell that they all love him dearly. He his such an awesome grandpa. I don't feel like I spend nearly enough time with him though cause he is always helping someone out. He is the most unselfish man I know and he has and always be a great example for me and my family.

#3~My job. As many of you know (thanks to Facebook)-I went back to work last week. It is a bitter sweet thing for me. I love my kids and I love being home and spending time with them, but I am one of those kinds of people that needs the 'adult' environment too. Many would argue that I work more kids and less with adults, but that's left up to interruption. Regardless, I am grateful that I even have a job. There are so many people that can't even say that. And as an added bonus, I get to work with some great people. It's kicking my butt right now (really, it hurts-BAD), but I'll gradually get back into shape again.

#4~Sports. This summer was so much fun for me. I never really cared for baseball much...that is until Traeden started playing Little League. Then he tried out for the All-Star team and made it. It was so much fun to watch his team learn to play as a team and really kick some booty. Now he is playing football. I'm not really sure how I feel about that one yet. He got hit really hard on Monday and I think he even got a concussion and I'm just not ready for my boy to start getting tackled by people who really mean it. It's still fun to watch though. He gets really excited when he catches a pass or intercepts the ball (which he is the only one on his team to accomplish this so far). I love to see him so passionate about something. By doing football though, he had to give up soccer. That's going to be hard on me. I loved watching his soccer games too. And Elie decided that she had enough of soccer last season so she won't do it again. She is back in dance and loves it. She practiced her handstands and splits all summer. It will be fun to watch both of them mature and grow in areas that they both love and I am excited!

#5~The fact that I was off all summer long! Never before have I had a whole complete summer off. It was great and I loved every single minute of it. I am so glad that I decided to do this-even it was all unpaid. Because of that, we couldn't do everything we wanted to or get passes to certain places, but we really made the most of it. I loved waking up with my kids, getting them breakfast, taking them to cheer camp and basketball or bowling, and playing with them the rest of the day. After all the heartache that my family had experienced, I just felt like my kids needed me around and I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I had to spend as much time with them as possible.

Jordan wakeboarding

So there it is. A nice way to get back into the swing of things, I think. Until next time.....TTFN!