Birthday Breakfast

Carli requested french toast for her birthday breakfast. Yum!

I love the looks I catch with my camera. :)

Aren't they adorable?!

Nice...

Next...on to the presents!

Carli is 4 today!

This is the face of pure joy on your birthday morning. :) I love this face.

This is my sweet Carli Hart. She is 4 today!

I will post more about her birthday tomorrow. What a fun day she had. We are watching Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs so I better pay attention. :) What a great way to end the day--with my family.

Day 5

Today I am thankful for:

1. Good friends!
2. Good neighbors!
3. Singing Happy Birthday to Carli and watching her blow out the candles.

Day 4

I'm a little grumpy tonight so I'm going to have to think about this:

Today I am thankful for:

1. Prayer
2. Blue Bell ice cream on sale
3. Birthday presents (I love giving them to my kids!)

Tomorrow Carli is 4! :) Fun day!

Day 3

Today I am thankful for:

1. good books
2. book clubs
3. patience with my children

Day 2

I'm a day late, but last night was a little rough. :)

I am thankful for:

1. free Redbox movie codes
2. warm cookies
3. my sweet baby Brooke

Experiment

Today Ben and I were asked to speak in sacrament meeting in 2 weeks. The bishopric member almost looked afraid to ask me to do this. :) He was probably noticing how crazy it was trying to get all the primary stuff put away, get all my kids in order (and get them to stop whining about being hungry), and talk to other people I needed to after church. He knows I have nothing else to do except prepare an awesome talk for sacrament meeting, right?

Ha. Of course I said...yes...because I don't ever say no to things like that unless I know I will not be in town. Goodness, what have I done? ;) It will be ok, I'm sure. I only have a primary activity (planned, but has to be done), a birthday party, 8 is Great program, and a sharing time to prepare in the next 2 weeks, too. Besides the fact that I have to continue to deal with 5 children, homework, a house, scouts, activity days, primary stuff, etc.

I am complaining...a little...but really, I'm not feeling too overwhelmed. Which brings me to my topic--Gratitude. I am excited about the topic! I am thankful to have the opportunity to speak on such a topic that will make me look at things I am grateful for in the next 2 weeks and beyond. My brain has already locked into this mode and I am thinking of everything that I give gratitude to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with.

I am grateful to have children and a husband who are wonderful and mine for eternity. It is a blessing to be able to do things for them and take care of them.

I am grateful for a calling that blesses me and makes me grow and learn.

I am grateful for people who help and teach my children through activity days and scouts. What great opportunities for them!

I am grateful that my children have homework (sometimes) because it means they are learning and that I can see the things they are learning and I am here to help them when they need me to.

I am grateful for housework because it means I have a home to live in and people to live in it who mess it up. :)

The Experiment: to blog every day for the next 2 weeks before my talk about the things I am grateful for that day. Basically it's going to be a gratitude journal, which I know is not a new idea, but I have never done one consistently. I am going to try for 3 things each day to be grateful for. They may turn out to be things like eternity or a warm house, but they may also be things like a TV to keep my kids busy for a little while--just keeping it real. :) So stay tuned to see what the next 2 weeks brings. I want to see how finding things I am grateful for every day will change my attitude and outlook in general about everything. I will share my results in my talk. Wish me luck!

Today I am grateful for:
1. People who are ready and willing to substitute in Primary
2. A husband who will cook
3. Hot chocolate