My Girls - Day 9

Today I am grateful for girls who want to "nuggle" me. As hard as bedtimes can be, the words of "Mom I need a nuggle" always get me and I just have to give them alittle :)
I know they won't want to snuggle for forever and I appreciate those little arms wrapped around my neck. I am loved by my girls. I am the Mom and they need me. I have a huge need to be needed and they definitely NEED me and love me. So for as long as they will ask I will always give them a little "nuggle" at the end of the day (or whenever they ask!)

Me and My Girls on Mothers Day May 2011

Husband - Day 8

I feel particularly grateful today for a husband who loves me and is attracted to me even when I am feeling terrible about myself.
Let's be honest, we are hard on ourselves and see our weaknesses and have a tendency to call ourselves down. That is just not right! I was reading my friend Chelsea's blog today and it totally helped remind me of this concept. We are beloved children of God and he does not make mistakes! We are beautiful spirits and need to be reminded of such. How dare we call ourselves anything less then what he sees us as. I try to remind myself that what is most important is what is in our hearts and how we live our lives. It does not matter if I am a size 2 or a size bigger (ha ha), it doesn't matter how dark the circles are under my eyes, it doesn't matter if my hair is not the exact length or color I think it should be, it doesn't matter if everyone likes me because I apparently cannot please everyone. What matters is that I am doing the best I can to be the best version of myself. It matters if I am serving those around me. It matters if I can love my family with everything I have in me. It matters that I am beautiful on the inside and doing everything I can, everyday, to return to live with my Heavenly Father and with my little family.
I was having a tired and sensitive day today but Steve just kept loving me and telling me how beautiful and wonderful I was. When I said something negative, he responded with "Well I love that part of you", it was a little annoying to be honest at the beginning but in the end, it totally made me feel better. Sometimes, I just need someone to love me in spite of all the things I think are wrong with me and he did that today.
He also had an epiphany this weekend while he was away. He informed me that he was starting to understand where I am coming from. He realized that being a Mom/Wife is my "job" and he understands better that when I get so frustrated with things around me (my children, computer, appliances not working, family, house problems) it is affecting my job. When things are not going right for him at work it really frustrates him and he said that he gets it now. I am so grateful that my world is a little more clear for him. Women are fairly mysterious, so I'm glad that one door opened for him so he could see things from my perspective. He validated the feelings and frustrations that I've been having and that just meant the world to me for him to vocalize that!
So today I was grateful for Steve (don't tell him though!)

On our wedding day, July 18 2003

June 2008, We still love each other!

April 2011, 8 years together and I still love him lots!

Stroller - Day 7

We stayed home from church today because Renae was still not feeling great and Steve is gone. Sorry but I think Heavenly Father will be understanding for a Sunday :) I'm really glad we stayed home because I think staying for 3 hours of church would have been really hard on myself and Renae (the girls missed going to Primary but seemed to forget about it after they starting playing).
We had a quiet day at home, the girls played pretty well together for the most part. There was once instance where Nicole bit Lindy on the inner thigh (tender) and now she has a mouth shaped, bite bruise. We went outside, the girls played and I weeded my front garden area. Renae had 2 naps today but really all she wanted when she was awake was for me to hold her or to crawl all over me and snuggling me. It made it fairly challenging to get anything done but really I DON'T CARE for today!
After dinner I thought it would be a good idea to take them for a walk around the block to burn off some last minute energy, to get some more fresh air, to get Renae out and for Mommy to get a little exercise. So that brings me to my blessing for the day.....My Joovey Caboose Stroller. I got it 2 years ago and I love it! It is so convenient to bring in the van. It's great for spontaneous walks when we are out because I can put both the girls in it. But today both Lindy and Nicole insisted on wearing flip flops for our walk (I did explain that wasn't a good idea for walking but what do Mothers know???). 1/4 of the way Lindy was complaining her feet hurt, so she hopped on too. So I pushed all 3 around the block on the stroller. It's not just for 2, you can also fit 3 kids :)

This is my exact stroller (minus the 3 kids) I love it!

Sun - Day 6

SUNSHINE!!!! Glorious Sunshine!!! That is what I am grateful for today!
We spent the whole afternoon/evening at my Gramma's Lake (Fuller Lake) in Chemainus. It was BEAUTIFUL! The kids all went swimming in the lake, I was a little surprised but they were so excited to jump right in (they did come out a little cold but had a blast!) We celebrated Seth (May 28) and Renae's (June 18) 1st Birthdays. We did sidewalk chalk, a scavenger hunt, broke a pinata, had presents and birthday cake. It was a fabulous day for an outside birthday party and I am soooo grateful that it was a warm and beautiful day. I am hoping for many more of those to come in the following months.
I was also really grateful that the Canucks won again tonight. I've been sporting my flag for a few weeks now and am very happy that they doing a good job for their fans. I will be honest in saying that I don't know everything about hockey or the Canucks but I have been watching the playoffs (when I can, with bedtimes and crying babies it's not always possible to watch every second). I have watched the Canucks with my Dad since I was a kid and continue to do so because it helps me connect with him. It is fun and I like to have something to talk about with my Dad, he seems to enjoy it too!
Except for the fact that I had a disobedient 3 yr old and a half the time miserable 1 yr old, today was a great day!

Friends - Day 5

I am thankful for wonderful friends today. My friend Aimee took Nicole for a good portion of the day so I could drive for Lindy's gymnastics class with Kindergarten. She also kept Nicole for longer when I needed to take Renae to the doctor to get her mouth checked out (she is teething and also has a huge canker sore on her palate). I also had Angie, Emily, Peggy, Leanne and Jaime helping comfort Renae during the gymnastics class. After I got home I returned a call to my friend Catherine who had called me (we didn't get to have a play date which I had hoped for) and even though she worked all day and has a husband who has been gone for 10 days, she listened to me complain and then told me she loves me. I needed that!
Renae had a rough day today (I was going to say I had a rough day but she wins) and I had alot of love and support from my wonderful friends!
I wish I had pictures to post of all my friends but I haven't taken alot, that will soon be fixed!

Renae - Day 4

Today I am grateful for a beautiful baby Renae. She has been beyond miserable the last few days due to teething, but generally she is a beautiful and sweet baby. She definitely has a temper and an attitude that is her own but I am so glad she came into our family. I cannot imagine my life without my sweet, chubby Renae Elenor.

The other day I was making dinner and wondering why it was so quiet, I went around the corner and discovered Renae here as she had discovered a chocolate girl guide cookie that one of her sisters had let behind. She was quite pleased with herself :)

Mr.Clean - Day 3

Today I am grateful for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They helped me clean 2 different surfaces today.
I was able to clean off the orange crayon Nicole lovingly wrote on her pink bedroom wall.
I also used it to clean my bathtub. I have never used one before for cleaning the bathroom surfaces but a couple of my friends use them and said they were fantastic so I gave it a try. They really are magical! The dirty, disgusting soap scum on my tub magically got wiped away. My tub is once again white, oh happy day!

On another note, I was alittle saddened to hear today that our family cat Oliver had to be put down last night. He was apart of our family for 13 years. I am not a cat person but Oliver and I had an understanding and I loved him. My girls will miss him too (I haven't actually told them yet, not sure when that will happen).