An Eternal Optimist

(doesn't she look cute in her curlers?)

I don't know what it is about an upcoming special occasion, but our kids seem to lose all sense of order. With Christmas coming soon, it seems like the kids have had more and more bad days. It always amazes me that at a time when they should be on their very best behavior, they are on their very worst.

After a particularly bad day a couple of days ago, I told Bria that she really better work hard to improve her behavior. I reminded her that Santa makes his list and checks it twice. Very seriously, I told her that right now she is on the naughty list and if I were her, I would work very fast to be good so that on Santa's second go around she could be moved to the nice list. She asked me what happens if you are on the naughty list. I explained that instead of toys, Santa will bring a lump of coal, a cold black rock.

Well, since then, she has been working really hard to be on the nice list. Today, she cleaned the whole basement, ate all of her dinner, and helped with pretty much anything extra we needed. As I was getting her ready for bed, she said, "Mom, do you think I'm on the nice list yet?" Now, I really don't want her to think she gets this easy and have one good day, only to start misbehaving again, so I said that she needs to keep working day after day to stay on the nice list. I guess that didn't sound like a very good deal to her because she said "Well, if I get a black rock, I can at least decorate it!"

Why that surprises me, I don't know. This girl is absolutely an optimist. If we send her to her room as a punishment, she says "Great! I'll go play with my Barbie's!" If she is grounded from friends, she says "No problem! I'll play with Max today!" We can't seem to find a punishment that is so dreadful to her that she'll do anything to avoid it. Apparently, we have to add the threat of no toys from Santa to the list!

100 Times Thankful

One of the young women in our ward gave a talk on Sunday about being thankful. It was a great talk. She suggested that everyone take time to write down 100 things that they are thankful for, divided into 10 different categories. So, here goes - my 100 things.

Ten Living People I am Thankful For:

1. Dave - obviously...he is wonderful! I definitely married the right person. He is such an amazing husband and person!

2. Bria - she is a beautiful, smart, talented girl and we are lucky to have her in our family

3. Max - such a character! Without him, life would be dull!!

4. Logan - I just LOVE him!!!! I can't wait to watch him grow up!

5. My mom - for raising and teaching me right, for always listen to me , even if it is mostly complaining, and for always being there, etc, etc, etc (because I could never really list everything - there are far, far too many reasons to be thankful for her).

6. Mike - my amazing step-dad, who really is the best dad I've ever had.

7. My Mother and Father-in-law (is it cheating to start combining?!? I don't think I'll make it in 10!) I am so thankful, first, that they raised Dave to be so wonderful. I am so glad that our kids have such incredible grandparents.

8. Thomas S. Monson - How blessed are we to have a living prophet on the earth today!

9. My family - my sisters and brother as well as my sisters and brothers-in-law. Sometimes things get crazy and it never seems to be perfect, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

10. Friends and Neighbors. We have truly been blessed with wonderful, lifelong friends. I feel very lucky to have them.

Ten deceased people I am thankful for:

1. My Grandma Ransom. No one could ask for a better grandma. She was the most selfless and giving person I have ever known. I really wish our kids could have met her, but she died before they were born.

2. Gordon B. Hinckley. I can't even put it into words. Without Gordon B. Hinckley, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

3. My Grandpa Ransom. He was amazing at family history. Thank goodness he kept a record (an very detailed record - over 200 pages!) of his own life. He was a good grandpa when he was alive, but I never knew him as a man until I read his life history.

4. Jesus Christ.

5. The pioneers. The huge amount of sacrifice they gave reminds me that I can do hard things.

6. Joseph Smith. Doc. & Cov 135:3

7. Emma Smith. She was such an amazing woman. I can't imagine having to live through the sacrifices that she was called to endure. The amount of support she gave to Joseph as her husband is almost unbelievable and her example helps me strive to be a better wife.

8. Dr. Seuss

9. My Uncle Garth

10. Benjamin Franklin - because many of the things I'm thankful for wouldn't be possible without his contributions.

Ten Physical abilities I am thankful for:

1. Running. Not that I'm very fast, but thank goodness I'm fast enough to run after my kids!

2. Being able to cook and clean. Not that I always enjoy doing either, but I am so thankful I have to do them.

3. My eyesight. I am so thankful I can see and enjoy this world and our beautiful children.

4. The ability to taste good food. Especially this time of year. Yum!!

5. I'm thankful for my computer knowledge. I feel like I have been pretty blessed with an understanding of computers and have been able to use that to help earn a little extra money here and there in our lean times. And, of course I enjoy some of the projects and things I can do.

6. I am so, so thankful for the need to sleep - especially now when I have less sleep with a little baby. But, I am thankful our bodies need sleep and I have to stop and take a rest.

7. I am thankful for my ability to drive a car.

8. I am thankful that I am able to take three crazy kids to the store all alone. It's not always easy and there are many times that I forget half of what I went for. But, I can do it!

9. I'm thankful that I can hear music and the sound of our kids laughing and playing

10. Smiles and laughs. Not just my own, but those that surround me day after day.

Ten Physical Possessions I am thankful for:

1. Our home. I love our home and not a day goes by that I don't feel thankful to have it.

2. Our cars. With all the "green" talk on TV these days, Bria keeps asking if we can walk places. We live so far from everything. If we were forced to walk, it would be miserable. I seriously don't know how Dave could even work! We probably wouldn't go anywhere - especially in the winter. Not that I don't love walking, but I think we'll save our "green"-ness for other things.

3. Our computers. I would be completely lost without mine and Dave makes a huge portion of our income by using his. I cannot imagine living in a world without computers.

4. Television. Maybe to some it might sound shallow. But, I. Love. TV. It's something that Dave and I have always done together and we love it. I am equally thankful for our DVR that allows us to pick and choose our shows and watch whenever we want - which is usually very late at night.

5. The washer and dryer. Seriously. Push a button and it does all the work. Amazing!! Now, someone just needs to invent and clothes folder and put away-er. (I guess that's what kids are for, right?!?)

6. The grill. And, of course Dave and his grilling masterfulness. It really wouldn't even be something to be thankful for without someone who uses it so well.

7. Good books.

8. The shower/bathtub and good smelling soaps.

9. Our photos and camera.

10. Our soft, comfortable bed to go to sleep in every night.

Ten things in nature I am thankful for:

1. Fruits and Vegetables and growing them. I love gardening and it never ceases to amaze me what you can get from one little seed.

2. The mountains. I love camping. Everything about it. Being near a campfire, with trees surrounding you. I love the sounds of the birds and animal and the wind blowing through the tress. I love being in the mountains.

3. The ocean. I don't think you can truly appreciate the power of God until you are near an ocean. Watching and feeling and hearing the force of a wave is just incredible.

4. Waterfalls

5. The fresh smell of rain.

6. Thunder and lightning - as long as it's not too close to me.

7. The beauty and color of fall.

8. Spring blossoms covering trees.

9. Living in Idaho, it's hard not to appreciate the beauty of winter, even though I often complain about how cold it get - snow really is beautiful.

10. The moon and stars

Ten things about today I am thankful for:

1. Pumpkin pie. Really the yumminess of all of Thanksgiving dinner, but especially pumpkin pie.

2. Being a mom. This is literally the hardest job I have ever done, but it is also the most rewarding. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!!

3. Teachers. Especially the one's who teach my kids.

4. Dave being home from work for a couple of days. He's been working so hard lately, he really needs a break!

5. The baby swing. Such a lifesaver!

6. My health and the health of everyone in our family.

7. Christmastime.

8. Our growing food storage.

9. Pinching Your Pennies. We wouldn't have the food storage we do without this website.

10. The blogosphere. Especially our blog. I am so thankful that it is so easy to keep and share a journal of our family and for the ability to get it published.

Ten places on Earth I am thankful for:

1. The temple.

2. Our backyard.

3. The grocery store.

4. Albuquerque.

5. The Oregon coast.

6. Hawaii.

7. Disneyland and Disneyworld.

8. Salt Lake City

9. Arches National Park

10. Yellowstone

Ten Modern Inventions I am thankful for:

1. Modern Medicine. Obviously for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that we wouldn't have Max at all. He would never have made it through the incredibly complicated delivery. He was a complete miracle baby.

2. The Internet. Online bill-pay, ideas for my calling, printable coloring pages, research for every crazy question I come up with, deal finding. Gosh...I use the Internet for nearly everything.

3. Indoor plumbing

4. The DVR. See "Physical Possession" #4

5. DVD players for your car. Long trips are SO much easier with one.

6. Riding lawn mowers. I never mow, but I know it saves Dave hours of time mowing our whole acre with a riding lawn mower.

7. My iPod.

8. Texting. I am not a huge fan, but when it is the only way I can get in touch with Dave in a hurry, I am truly thankful.

9. The furnace - especially on cold night like tonight.

10. The hot water heater. There is nothing more wonderful that a hot bath!

Ten Foods I'm thankful for:

1. Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.

2. Pizza. I used to always write that down as my favorite food in elementary school. Sadly, even after all these years, it is still probably one of my most favorite foods.

3. Pot stickers.

4. Homemade bread.

5. Ice cream. Especially when it has chocolate in it.

6. Brownies.

7. Pepsi.

8. Salad.

9. Milk and cheese.

10. Cold cereal. I love that our kids can get it for themselves in the morning so I don't have to get up as early as they do. We really have some early risers in this house!

Ten things about the Gospel of Jesus Christ I am thankful for:

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ

2. The Book of Mormon

3. Tithing. It is sometimes so hard to pay, but every time we do, we witness very specific and real blessings

4. The priesthood.

5. Eternal Families.

6. The ordinances of the Temple.

7. The primary. I loved serving in the primary and I'm so thankful that my children can be a part of it. Children really are blessed.

8. The hymns.

9. The Relief Society and visiting teaching.

10. The prophet.

I am seriously ashamed to say that was harder than I thought. Naming 100 specific and different things takes some thinking. Then, after a few minutes of thinking about each category, narrowing it down to just 10 for each!

3 Months

I am a little late getting this posted, but I really want to track Logan's growth every month for the first year. Technically, he was 3 months last Friday, but close enough I guess.

He is just shy of 14lbs. I'm not sure what percentile he is in right now, but I think he's right on track with the "obese" 17 lb 4-month old in Colorado who was denied health insurance. Not that I even believe in the garbage of a baby that young actually being obese!!

Logan is a really smart baby. He learned to laugh and we all have so much fun seeing who can get him to laugh the hardest. He really enjoys watching Bria and Max try to entertain him. Although, I think his favorite person to watch is probably himself - in the mirror. It is so entertaining for me to hold him in front of the mirror and watch his delight. I do it several times a day because I know it is only so much longer until he grows out of that stage.

He is also very good at coo-ing. He can talk up quite a storm when he gets going. He really loves looking at and batting at his toys. He smiles and coo-es away while he's doing it. It's very cute.

I just can't believe how much he's growing!!

Bria's Birthday

I can't believe she is already 6!!!!

Bria had a really fun birthday this year!! The main event was going to the movies. We very rarely take our kids to the movies, so it was a really special treat. We went to go see Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D. We've been planning on going for her birthday because when we were in Albuquerque this summer, we went on the Christmas Carol Train Tour. It was cool to see the movie after going on the train.

The movie was INCREDIBLE!!! It was so fun to watch in 3D. But.....and I really mean a big BUT.....This is NOT a movie for kids. It was really scary. I think they did a great job staying true to Charles Dickens. It was very close to the book. But, way WAY too scary for kids. So, my recommendation is: Definitely go see it. Definitely. Just leave the kids at home.

Grandma & Grandpa Webster came to the movie with us and brought Taryn with them. Doesn't everyone look fabulous in their 3D glasses?

After the movie, we went home to open presents. Bria's cousins Morgan and Lexi met us there to have a sleep-over with Bria. We probably could have bagged the whole movie idea, because this last minute sleep-over idea was what Bria was most looking forward to.

Bria got lots of really cool gifts. Everything was just perfect. She got a bead kit to make bracelets and the new Tinkerbell movie (from mom and dad), modeling clay (from Lexi), a make-your-own sun catcher kit (from Morgan), a new barbie and TONS of barbie clothes (from G&G Martin), a Tinkerbell lapboard with lots of markers and stickers (from G&G Webster), a couple of littlest pet shop animals (from Max) and some coloring books (from Logan).

After opening presents, it was cake time.

I have to put lots of pictures because that cake took FOREVER to decorate. Don't let those cake shows fool you. They only look simple to make. It was fun, though and I think it turned out really cute. Bria loved it, and I guess in the end that is really all that matters.

The girls had a BLAST at the sleep-over. They had a barbie fashion show and watched movies. They all looked pretty hammered by 10:30 so I was floored when they stayed up clear until 1:30!!!

Even Max stayed up with them!! I could not believe that little guy could hold out that long! He just couldn't bear to miss out on any of the action, I guess.

After staying up so late, I thought for sure that the girls would sleep in. But, no. Bria is such a light sleeper so when she heard the slightest stir, she was awake at 6:00 AM!!! Sigh....

A few hours later, when I could finally drag myself out of bed, I made the girls Bria's favorite breakfast of pumpkin pancakes. They were a huge hit!

After breakfast, they each made their very own bracelet from the bead kit Bria got.

I think they all turned out very cute! I especially like the hearts Max picked for his. He doesn't ever wear it, of course. But, he didn't want to miss one second of the activities we were doing.

It was a fun and very exhausting birthday! Dave pointed out after it was all over that it was Bria's "Golden" birthday - She turned 6 on the 6th. So, definitely worth all the festivies, I suppose.

Happy Halloween!!!

Bria the Cheerleader

Super Mario Max

Logan the Lion

Time for Trick-or-Treating!

Because of Dave's super busy schedule, we didn't have a chance to carve pumpkins yet. So, after trick-or-treating, we came home and did it then. Dave's parents came over and helped. It was so fun!