giving thanks #3

Our internet is on the fritz (whatever that means). Last night I couldn't get online at all! I caught a glimpse of how dependent I am on my computer for entertainment: I couldn't see what anyone was up to on facebook! I couldn't blog! I couldn't listen to music on youtube! I couldn't even watch SURVIVOR! (*gasping sobs!*) What could I do? Everything that I thought to do had to do with the internet. And everything that didn't have to do with the internet didn't sound that fun. So what did I end up doing? I popped a bowl of popcorn and sat in front of the blank computer screen eating it. (the popcorn, not the computer screen).

That's how pathetic I am. (I'm ok with it).

You know, the communications the pioneers had were few and far between. They would be like, "oh, by the way, I've had another baby since I last wrote you. He'll be two tomorrow." My, how far we've come.

I remember watching my grandpa mail a letter when I was little. He dropped it in the slot and said, "There, now she'll have the letter in two or three days. That's so fast!"
Now I can text my sister on the other side of the country and get a response from her immediately (if she has her phone on her). I can also chat online with this same sister in real time. So, really, our "letters" to each other are instantaneous. It's a miracle!

I have a lot of opinions about the internet and what a time waster it can be. In fact, I have strict rules for myself about when and how often to get onto the computer, because it's such a time waster (I really can't afford to kill time these days). maybe I'll talk about that another day. For today, I'm grateful that I live in an age where communication is instantaneous. I am grateful that, even though I am thousands of miles away from family, I can still talk to them all the time. I know what they're up to. I know how they're doing (I know when they have a baby). It really is amazing and wonderful. I'm grateful to be a part of it.

now hopefully the internet will be working tonight so I can post some pictures!

giving thanks #2

Story #1--I am one of the young women leaders in my ward. Tonight we had Young Women in Excellence. In case you don't know, it's a time for the young women to show off some of the talents they've gained while working on their goals in Personal Progress. (check out LDS.org if you're still lost) Anyway, I was listening to all the talents the girls decided to share: singing, playing guitar, playing piano, writing songs, writing poems, baking cookies, painting, photography, public speaking--it was pretty impressive. Some were just starting out, and had simplistic and basic displays for their talents. Others had been working for years on their talents, and they were pretty advanced.

Story #2--Bogey is learning to do a hand stand. He came up to me today and shouted, "mom! Watch this!" then he ran over to the wall and started trying to flip onto his head and lean against the wall. The only problem was, he couldn't get his feet up. They kept falling back down to the ground. Every time he fell, he said, "Oh, wait, that's not it." Finally, when he kicked his feet up into the air, I caught them and put them up against the wall. "Like this?" I asked. "yeah!" he shouted triumphantly from the floor, "I told you I could do it!"

Story #3--my mom came to visit last week. She is an amazing person. My mom had cancer last year and had a surgery to remove the tumor, half her sinus cavity, and her eye. Her face is deformed now, but when I see her, I don't see that. I see an amazing person. (if you want to catch a glimpse of the amazing person she is, read the quote at the top of this page: she's the one that wrote it.) While she was here, we were visiting in the bathroom while I trimmed her hair. One of the hairs fell on the counter, and when mom went to pick it up, her depth perception went askew and she missed it with her finger. We laughed about it, as I helped her put her finger on the hair and guide it to the garbage. For a few minutes after that, we stood in silence while I finished trimming. "Mom," I asked her, "how do you not feel sorry for yourself all the time? After what you've been through no one would blame you for it." She shrugged. I said, "I would be throwing a pity party for myself all the time." She shrugged again and said, "It gets old. No one comes to those parties. I'd rather be where the fun is."

These three stories have combined in my mind today. I am grateful for my body. I'm grateful for my mind, for all the things I'm capable of doing. I'm grateful that I can think and develop talents and try new things. I'm grateful that I can figure out problems. I'm grateful that I can exercise and laugh and cry and feel a million other things. Of course there are times that I look at myself with disgust. My belly is flabby, my nose is too big, I'm too short, blah, blah, blah--it's so easy to fall into that trap of "never good enough." I know because I fall into it A LOT.

But today I'm grateful to have a body that allows me to be and do and experience life is so many ways.

giving thanks#1

I'm typing away on the computer in the dark because Iggy is asleep next to me (and so is The Hubby). I should be sleeping--the next feeding is in 4 short hours, but I feel the urge to write, so here I sit.
I love this time of year--when the produce is ripe for the canning, and the leaves are the color of fire, the air is crisp, and I start thinking about how blessed I am.
My blog was made for this time of year.
I love this time of year. Thanksgiving runs a very close second on my list of favorite holidays (Christmas, of course, is the favorite). A VERY close second. Whoever decided that we needed a holiday to remember how blessed we are is a genius.
It's so easy for me to complain. To focus only on the things that aren't going right. That's a habit I intend to break starting right now.
I gave Iggy a bath tonight. The others were all in bed. I was reminded recently to enjoy these little night time experiences with the baby because it's really the only time I have to enjoy him. He looked so cute and little kicking and splashing in the water. Every once in a while his head went down close enough to the water that he could lap at the water with his tongue like a dog. After he was clean, we sat by the heater and I put lotion on him. He was feeling warm and happy and he started cooing and smiling at me. I love how his hair is all fuzzy when it dries. I love putting lotion on his little grapey toes. I love that he stares at me until I notice and he breaks into a huge smile, just for me.
One thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE being a mother. Sure, kids are challenging. Sure, there are times that I get frustrated and yell, but at the end of the day, I'm always glad for them. I'm always glad that I'm a mother. I would be incomplete without them.

I am so grateful for the chance to be a mother.