To be grateful

I was called to repentance today. We had some great talks on gratitude and I felt ashamed at how negative I have been lately (case in point, my last post).
I am richly blessed!!!! Why do I so easily see the negative and the things to worry about instead of basking in the goodness that is all around me? So I thought I would post some of the things I am most grateful for today.

Amazing friends who bless my life daily.

(and even threw me a baby shower for my 4TH CHILD, who gets that!?! Yeah, I'm pretty much spoiled.)

A husband who is an awesome dad and is always looking for opportunities to make great memories with our kids.
My calling with the Young Women.
Fall in Kentucky

My sis-in-law Julie (she is coming on Thursday and staying for 2 whole weeks, YAY!)
She is an angel.
My little man... he cracks me up.
My girlies.

Our sweet baby boy. The back aches, restless nights, and heartburn are all worth it.

I'm so grateful for him and I can't wait to hold him in my arms.

Truly, I am so blessed.

UPDATE

I'm still pregnant.
Just refer to this list and add huge and ornery... 38 weeks... nuff said.

Pictures of the new "playhouse"

BEFORE

At the back end of our new room is a little nook we decided to finish and use as a "playhouse" for the kids. We weren't sure if it would work out or be worth the extra cost and effort but it definitely was!

This is the entryway to the playhouse from the loft/playroom. I made the curtains from 2 place mats and I'm going to make a sign to hang above the door that says "Home Sweet Home".

Here is the view from inside the new room. There is a good size step up to the play area (a step that Campbell falls off of daily ;0).

This "project" of building the new room and playhouse started in March and has been quite the experience. I can't tell you how many late nights Trevor spent hammering in nails or how many trips to Home Depot he made. It has been so much work but it has added so much to our house!

We love to just sit up there as a family and read or watch movies or just play with the kids.

It has been a great blessing in so many ways. When Trevor told me he wanted to do this back in February I was VERY hesitant (we've never done anything like this before!) but I'm so glad I finally gave in! He did a great job.

(as soon as we finish the doors in the main room I will post pictures of that too)

"I looked out the window and what did I see"

My RED tree. She's back and she makes me smile.

Trip to Cinci

During the girls "Fall Break" we decided to head up to Cincinnati (about 1 1/2 hour drive) for an over-nighter. We stayed in a great hotel and enjoyed swimming and a bar-b-que dinner.

Yes, that is Campbell and no, he did not break his head on the ceiling (but he was close).

Hallie was ready to scare the crap out of Campbell with this mask on.

Then the next day we went to the Newport Aquarium which we have heard so much about.

Everyone was right... it was great! The kids loved it!

Hallie and Megan especially loved feeding the Lorakeets. Campbell liked pestering the Lorakeets (one finally had had enough and bit him ;O)

The sharks were another favorite. We actually got to pet some of the sharks... seriously. They had a whole pond full of them, it was awesome!

They had some workers cleaning inside the tank while we were there. The guy in the back with the stick is supposed to protect the other guy from the sharks. Can you see the shark coming right at him?... I wouldn't want that job!

Why it is so important to vote

I've never said anything about politics on this blog, mostly because I don't have much to say... but, when I saw this I had to share it.

Candy, Candy, Candy

It's not even Halloween yet and the girls have dressed up in their costumes 4 times already in the last 2 weeks.

We had lot's of fun at the "Biggest Halloween Party" at the Louisville zoo.

Lots of games and treats at the "trunk or treat".

(I love this picture of Campbell begging for candy. )

A neighbor had a Halloween Birthday party and all the kids had a "parade" in their costumes around the court .

A cute and clever wizard. And a beautiful ballerina.

That explains it!

24 hour heartburn

swollen feet

waddling walk

puffy face... and hands... and feet

out of breath

charlie horses

side cramps

aching back

restless nights

exhausted

overwhelmed

scared to death of a newborn baby


Only one explanation...

I'm 35 weeks pregnant.

Vote for Amy!!

Okay, how cool is this... my friend up the street entered a costume designing contest for Dancing With The Stars (she was a BYU ballroom dancer who graduated in costume design and now is a stay at home mother of 3!).

Anyway, she recently received a phone call informing her that her designs were picked as one of the TOP 5 in the nation!!!

So here is where we come in... until Friday the public can go to http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=designvote08 vote for their favorite... VOTE FOR AMY!

If she wins, her designs will be used for two costumes on the show and they will fly her and her hubby out to sit in the audience!

The picture to the left is the girls costume (cute and modest too!) and there is a man's costume to match it. Her name is Amy Smith.

If you want to read more about how all of this happened go to her blog and read from her own words.

What do you see?

Oh, it's just our BRAND NEW FINISHED ROOM!!... nothing really exciting or anything.

(More pictures to come)

Need some gift ideas?

If you are interested in finding some new fun projects or sharing your own great ideas please join the "craft tag" on my creative blog. littlenannygoat.blogspot.com

Come on ladies, lets share ideas... you know you want to.

Megan's artistic interpretation

I found this in the pile of "artwork" Hallie and Megan created during General Conference.

Megan drew this picture.

Hmmm... Henry B. Eyring. Looks just like him.

A glimpse

It's funny how I go through life, day to day, wrapped up in myself... my family... my "world". So quick to find the obstacles in my path and sadly I'm often so slow to see the blessings.

Every once in awhile I feel like the Lord takes an ordinary moment and pricks my heart and opens my mind and gives me a glimpse of what I have and how blessed I truly am. I had one of those "glimpses" last night. It doesn't matter what I was doing because like I said it was an ordinary moment. What matters is the feeling I got... I hope I will always remember... I know I will forget.

So today I will be different.

I will hug my children more,

I will smile and giggle and dance and play with them,

I will think of someone outside "my world",

I will "feast on the words of Christ" and drink of the spirit which I am so blessed to have in my life,

I will talk with my husband and enjoy him,

I will praise more and criticize less,

I will see the joys in my life and remember who they come from.

I will be different today... and hopefully tomorrow.

How quickly I forget.

Hand-me-down Heaven

Can I just say, people are SO GENEROUS!
I remember as a young girl every once in awhile we would receive big black garbage bags full of clothes a cousin or neighbor had out-grown. It was like Christmas! My sister and I would sort through the clothes (fighting over who got what) so thrilled with our new wardrobe.

We LOVED hand-me-downs.
Recently our family have been the recipients of lots of hand-me-down treasures from dear friends and neighbors and I just wanted to share my gratitude on our blog.

These are just a few of the fun new-to-us treasures.

Thank you my friend. Thank you my friend.

Thank you my friend and my other friend. Thank you my friend.

Thank you my friend.

How blessed am I to have such generous friends! THANK YOU!
Don't you just love hand-me-downs?!

We've got grubs in our garden!

I don't know why but Campbell loves this patch of long grass in our flowerbed. He runs outside and sits on it like it's his throne.

I try not to think about the spiders and bugs that live inside the grass patch.