November 13: Giving In

Tonight there were board games, we watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and, Heaven help me, we had reindeer cookies.

We couldn't hold out any longer!  The kids were ecstatic and Dallas and I laughed harder at the movie than the kids did.  Why postpone joy when it's at your doorstep?

November 12: What are you going to be when you grow up?

No picture for this one.  It is, however, something I want (and NEED) to remember always.

This afternoon I went to Target to peruse the Christmas merchandise (and toys!) with my Dad and my kids.  On the way home I attempted some light chit chat with the munchkins:

Me:  Will, tell Grandpa what you want to be when you grow up.
Will:  I want to be an artist and a paleontologist.  Dinosaurs are all dead, but you could also find other things like bugs, and snakes, and lizards...
Me:  That's great!  Annie, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Annie:  A kitty!  What do you want to be when you grow up, Mom?
Me:  A mom!  Or maybe a nurse or a teacher.
Will:  Annie, Mom can't be anything else because she's already grown up.  Plus, if she was a nurse then she couldn't take care of us!

Will was so right.  I don't want to be anything else but the mother of my sweet children.  Right now is the season to take care of my kids.  I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do so.  The sacrifices that Dallas and I make so that I can stay home with them are minuscule compared to the blessings we receive as a family.

November 11: My New Job

Isn't he so cute?!  His name is Jack and we get to play with him every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from now on. His dark eyes remind me so much of Will when he was a baby!  He is the sweetest little guy and didn't even mind me taking a little nap with him today.  I just know we are going to be fast friends.   We're feeling very blessed that I was able to find a new babysitting job so quickly.

November 10: Crazy Carolyn

Can your Grandma make a mean casserole, play Klondike Rummy, and beat you in Scrabble?  Mine can!  Grandma Carolyn is one of my best friends.  When I get an evening to spare, I usually end up at her house where I know I'll be stuffed with food, my kids will be spoiled rotten, and I will most likely be getting competitive with cards.  We are so blessed to live close to Grandma and have a relationship with her. 

Tonight we got to treat her to dinner at our house, and it was a very fun change!  (For the record, I'm certain that I didn't cheat and make more than one "buy" during the last hand of Klondike Rummy.  I think the dealer (ahem, Carolyn) dealt me an extra card.  Therefore, I should have won rather than being disqualified.  It was dealer error, after all!)

November 9: Good Reads

I have been reading a book entitled The Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  I spent an hour trying to read through tears this afternoon.  The book has left me very touched, with a renewed commitment to serve others.  I love it.  I also love reading on a Kindle.

November 8: Friends

I have no picture for today.  I know!  But that's just the way it is.

I'm feeling overcome with emotion tonight as I am thinking of my friends.  I am blessed to be strengthened by some of the most amazing women in this life.  From great cooks, patient mothers, OCD organizers, good laughs, hard runs, and beautiful testimonies- my friends are a huge part of who I am.

I learned early on in my marriage how much friends meant to me, so since then I have always tried hard to keep in touch with people and nurture those relationships.  I'm so glad I did.  So glad I DO!  While it's not always easy, it is always worth it.

So, to my friends- thank you for being you, and for loving me.  I am very humbled to know you all and to call you friend.

November 7: Work

I have a husband that isn't afraid of a little work.  Sunup to sundown he's plugging in the hours, the miles, and the math homework.  He even finds time to show his little man a thing or two about what it means to be the man of the house- yard work.  It's a good thing.

November 6: Perfect

The Robinson Family:  James, Brad, Miles, Jenn, John (in lap), Allison

Sweet baby John Clark Robinson was blessed today.  I love this family.  I love that the priesthood power is real and allows us to all be sealed together as families forever.  I love that we got to be there to watch this little boy be blessed by that same power- with all of those Melchezidek Priesthood holders forming a circle of protection around this perfect little being.  I love this sweet little boy.

November 5: The Seasons

Living in a place with four distinct seasons is a must for me.  I love the springing tulips in April, I always get excited about warm summer nights, fall takes my breath away with its beauty, and winter brings a calm and stillness that I couldn't do without.  The first snow is always magic.

November 4: Sleeping Beauty

When Annie was a newborn we would nap together every day; she would fit perfectly snuggled on my chest as I lay on the couch.  Today I got to nap with her again and it was chicken soup for my soul.  I was even lucky enough to slip away and take a picture without her waking.