Nov 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st

18th: I am grateful for essential oils. Those tiny little drops help so much and keep us from a doctor's visit sometimes.

19th: I am grateful for doctors and modern medicine. Sometimes illnesses need more than nature's drop. Sometimes a bonk requires more than a band-aid and a kiss. I am so grateful for all the medicines and knowledge available today!

20th: I am grateful that I am one of the lucky women who sheds the baby weight with breastfeeding. I eat like crazy in pregnancies (and gain a nice amount of weight), so it is nice that I lose it all just by feeding my baby (No workout needed!) :P

21st: I am grateful for Pinterest. This site has been amazing when it comes to homeschooling ideas, fun crafts, and easy meals!

Nov 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th

Oops! Been busy...

14th: Grateful for a crockpot! It has now become a "tradition" that on Sundays, I put something in before church and then we get to eat immediately after coming home :)

15th: I am grateful for our burb. We had not planned on buying it the day we did, but everything just fell into place :)

16th: I am grateful for how good of sleepers my kids are. Sure every once in a while there is a rough nap or bedtime but 95% of the time, things go wonderfully :) (They get up by 7 every morning and that sucks but they also go to bed at 7 :P)

17th: I am grateful for Bo's job. Whether he will be there forever, for the next 5 years, or even just til next month, this job was a miracle from heaven. His boss chose Bo while we were in Wyoming to take the internship position, which was paid! Then he extended a job offer and helped pay for us to move out here. His boss is also who we rent our house from which makes turning in rent super easy :P

November 12th and 13th

12th: I am so grateful for how God made children's bodies. They go through things that would break or hurt an adult so badly! Most times, they just get up. Sometimes, there are tears but they are quickly cleared up with a kiss from mom or dad. I am just so grateful that they are spared from horrible injuries during these tender ages.

13th: I am grateful for my calling. I just love seeing all those kids every Sunday and being a part of their learning the truths of God. I have one sweet little girl who I just light up when I see her coming to the back of the chapel before church to say hi :) I cannot get enough of hearing "Sister Thomas" by all the little kids :)

November 10th and 11th

10th: I am grateful for Meijer and there awesomely (Is that a word? :P) insane deals! I was able to get a 20 lb turkey for $11! And that's just one of the amazing things I have reaped from their deals :)

11th: Just like many others today, I am grateful for veterans. Living or dead, I thank you for your service! Whether you see or hear it, there are many who appreciate you and your sacrifices. God be with you all <3

November 8th and 9th

8th: I am grateful for perms. Silly but true! The wavy perm I found for myself this past year has helped me feel attractive all the time! Not just when I have the time to get gussied up. :)

9th: I am so grateful that I live in this country. Right now, there are people rejoicing, people feeling depressed, and people not quite sure how to feel. Regardless of which group we are in, we all have one thing in common: we GET to vote. There are places in the world where it does not matter what is best for the people. It does not matter what the majority wants or what any of the people want. I am glad that that is not how this country works.

November 6th and 7th

6th: I am grateful for how our physical trials could have been worse, but were not. Laneah only fractured her wrist, did not fully break it. Only my kneecap dislocated, not my whole knee. I have seen God's mercy in sparing us from worse.

7th: I am grateful for the things that make my life as a mom easier. Pregnancy pillows, nipple cream, baby gear that vibrates, disposable diapers, I could go on and on. I live in a day and age where there is so much available to me, and I love it :)

November 3rd, 4th, and 5th

3rd: I am so grateful I get to homeschool. Indiana does not have laws that make it really difficult or stressful to homeschool. Even though it is difficult, I just love being there and seeing when things click :)

4th: I am so grateful we live in a house. We are still renting but I love not being connected to anyone else. I love having our own yard. I love the fact that Bo just has to walk across a small field to get to work. I love how we are in a safe, secluded place in the city.

5th: I am so grateful we are in a position in our lives to be experiencing independence. While Bo was going to school, we were on all kinds of government assistance. I am NOT complaining, I am counting another blessing! It helped us through! Now, we only need help with health insurance and even then, we have monthly premiums. It makes me happy to know we do not need that much help from fellow taxpayers anymore. (Pretty sure we could afford our own health insurance if it weren't for a certain act, but that's a different story :P)

Happy 4th Rhycherd!

I can't believe this boy is 4! Happy Birthday little man!

Rhycherd is obsessed with Transformers right now. So before Halloween, we nabbed a Bumblebee costume for him to wear :) He doesn't know it, but between us and Santa, he is getting the whole Rescue Bots group! :)

Nov 1st and 2nd

I am going to try to share something I am grateful for every day this month. (There are way more than 30 things but I don't think I could keep this going for that long)

1st: I am grateful for holidays. The serious aspects of them (Christmas- Christ's birth, 4th of July- our country's independence, etc) and the fun that comes with them. I love seeing my kids have fun! I loved watching my kids run up and down streets getting candy. I know I will love watching them see the gifts left under the tree from Santa.

2nd: Rhycherd just celebrated his 4th birthday (I will make a post of this). So I have been thinking about my kids and how grateful I am for them. I am so grateful that I have been able to get pregnant easily, have easy pregnancies, enjoy vaginal births, and deliver healthy babies.

Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith ~Deiter F Uchtdorf

One of my apologetics books had a section called "Mormonism." I was already nervous at what I was going to read. (The book was written by evangelical christians). Even though you got the sense they didn't believe a lick of it, they got several things right... and a few things wrong; especially the part where they said we "have a different gospel and a different Jesus than theirs."

After reading this chapter, my faith started to shake. But I have had too many feelings, blessings, and revelations to find this gospel false. Just like you don't go to the podiatrist to fix your heart; you don't read an evangelical chapter on the restored gospel. So I went to lds.org... and Jeffrey R Holland did it again! (I don't know how many times his messages have helped me). I found "The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent." This article strengthened my faith and increased my knowledge.

For anyone who wishes to know, read/listen/watch this article:

Elder Holland "The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent"

Satan then: No Choice, Satan Now: No Accountability

Us Mormons know the story. But for those who don't know...

Before coming to Earth, all of us, existed with God in heaven. We wanted to become like He was. In order for this to happen, we had to receive bodies and come here to be tried and tested. We were given 2 options: Jesus' plan and Satan's plan. Jesus presented a plan that went along with everything our Heavenly Father said. We would come here and be tried and tested. That meant we would need agency. God GAVE us the right to choose! BUT, if we wanted to get back with Heavenly Father, we would need to choose the right. Because we are imperfect men, we inevitably would sin. That's where our savior, Jesus Christ, comes in. He suffered and died for our pains and sins. Jesus did all this and still gives all the glory to God. Satan, had a much different plan in mind. He wanted us to make it back to God as well. BUT, he would force us to do so. We would not have had agency. We would not have grown. Therefore, we could not have become like God. On top of this, Satan wanted all the glory for himself. There was a war in heaven. 2/3 of us (All of us who have lived, are living, or will live on Earth) agreed with Jesus and God. 1/3 of our brothers and sisters sided with Satan. The third, along with Satan, were cast out. They were denied bodies and can never become like God or join Him again. What do they do now? Whisper evil thoughts into the hearts of men. They want us as miserable as them. After all, misery loves company.

So, back then, Satan wanted to take away agency. Now, He has a much more different plan and a very destructive one at that. He is seeking to destroy accountability. You see it everywhere. The world chants things like "My choice!" "It's my choice!" Yes, it is your choice! It is your God given right to choose! BUT, that does not mean there are no consequences. There is still right and wrong. And although Satan is very much winning at people escaping man's consequences, he will NOT succeed in stopping the consequences set forth by God.

I hope and pray that we will not fall prey to the evil whisperings of our fallen brother. He would love nothing more than for us to join him and not our Heavenly Father.

Spiritual Thought

I was thinking about how some people obey the speed limit in construction zones and some don't. I know for me, I follow it because I know it is there for protection of the workers lives. It is a request made out of care. I wonder if the people who do not follow it, view it as a burden and unnecessary. I believe it is the same with God's commandments and standards. Those who view them as being given out of love, tend to follow them better. They know they are there to keep them safe. Those who view them as a burden and unnecessary, tend to rebel and not follow them. I know for me, when I was younger, I would follow God's commandments because it's what He said. I didn't want to at times, but I did. Now, it is so much easier to follow them because I know it is there for my protection. They are given out of love :)

Happy 1st Birthday Kaedence!

 Right after being born :)

 Eating her cake :)

Looking at her presents :)

We love you Kae Kae!

Latest Pics :)

 Nay and Rhych has a sleepout with daddy in the living room

 Daddy and I were hosing down the kids

 Laneah's Tball getup

 Rhycherd's Tball getup

With all the pics of Nay and Rhych getting taken, Kae was grunting and wanted some pics taken of herself :P

Some Updates...

I am almost done with physical therapy. I can now bend my knee to 63 degrees (I have another appt today, hoping to bend it more). I took the straight leg brace off a couple of days ago and have been doing pretty good, the leg is weak but is getting stronger by the day :)

I was asked to join and accepted a membership with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars! It will definitely help me with my future career :)

Laneah and Rhycherd started T-ball last week. They seem to love it! Mommy and daddy sure love watching them :)

Kaedence started walking a couple weeks ago! Such a big girl :)

I need to remember this . . .

Latest Pics of the Kiddos :)

 My girls playing together on daddy's bed downstairs (I have to sleep on the couch downstairs cause of my knee and he can't stand the thought of me sleeping alone :)

 FINALLY caught one of Kae's HUGE smiles!!! She is such a happy baby!

 My handsome little man before church one Sunday :)

Rhychie fell asleep in his toybox :P

OUCH!

I dislocated my knee cap for the second time in my life a week and a half ago :( It is always so painful and I hate when it happens! Blessing though: because it happened so soon after the first time (Just about 2 years ago) and because it popped out so easily (Barely tapping Kae's highchair with my knee) the doctor recommends surgery. That's a blessing? YES because after this surgery, it should never happen again! He will be reconstructing one ligament while loosening the other. I will be in a full leg brace for 4-6 weeks with physical therapy starting 2 weeks after the surgery. I am NOT looking forward to that recovery time but am very much looking forward to never going through that dislocation again!

Happy 5th Birthday Nay!

My beautiful firstborn is now 5. I just can't believe it! Look how tiny she used to be! Ever since she was born, she has just been the sweetest thing. We love you Laneah, Happy BELATED Birthday!

Updates!!!

 This little beauty is almost 7 months old! She is now a pro at crawling! :)

 All 3 of our precious children :)

 Laneah graduated from homeschool preschool! We start Kindergarten in the Fall!

 My 2 little girls :)
                                      
Apparently crawling isn't enough, she is now pulling herself up on things like crazy!

Bo got another raise! He is still loving his job!

I have started online school at Liberty University Online. It is a christian school and so far I am loving it!

Bo and I finally got to go to the temple for the 1st time in 2 years at the Indianapolis Temple, Oh it was wonderful :)