Blessed

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” 

― Henry Ward Beecher

Despite the difficulties and trials of this past year, there is still so much to be thankful and grateful for. 

At times I have just been so ready for this year to be over. But I am determined to end this year on a high note. 

I am grateful for a husband who works so hard for us everyday so that I can stay home with Finley. 

Without his hard work we wouldn't be able to enjoy many of the comforts that we do. 

Thank you David for putting in long and stressful hours to support us. 

I am so blessed to be a mom. Finley has brought me the greatest joys I could ever imagine. 

Everyday I am grateful for what an amazing, sweet, smart, and thoughtful boy he is. 

How did I get so lucky? 

I am grateful for living in this country and enjoying the freedoms and rights that we do. 

After recently reading a book about life in North Korea, I have never been so grateful for the everyday things we are blessed with. Food, power, water, clothes. 

I am so blessed to have an amazing family. 

I love my family so much and have the best siblings and parents a person could ask for! 

Their strength and example is what helps lift me up when I am down. 

I am grateful that my car passed state inspection and lives to see another day! 

I am blessed with a healthy body. David and I have been so fortunate to be playing soccer in a league together on Saturdays, just like the good old days. 

I am grateful for modern medicine, health insurance, and Duke Hospital (yes even grateful for the Dookies!) 

Without these things my mom wouldn't still be here today. 

I am blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. To lead me, guide me, and give me strength. 

I am grateful to serve in Primary. I love our primary children and teachers and feel so blessed to serve our little ones. They mean the world to me. 

I am blessed to have amazing friends who are so supporting. They look past my weaknesses and my controlling OCD habits and still love me in spite of how crazy I am. 

I am thankful to live so close to my parents and David's parents. Finley knows and loves his grandparents and we are lucky we can see them whenever we want. 

I am grateful for temple marriages and being sealed to my family forever. 

It brings a comfort and peace to my spirit. 

I am blessed with a home that is filled with laughter, music, dance, and smiles. 

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." - President Thomas S. Monson

For my mother on her birthday

Not a day goes by that I don't think about and pray for my mom. 

I am so grateful that she is such a fighter and that through the grace of God and modern medicine she is still here with us today. I am so happy that we get to celebrate another birthday together.

I love every minute I get to spend with my mom and I will never take our time together for granted.

Here are some fun things you may not know about my mom that make her so awesome:

  My mother is a prima ballerina. She owns a ballet studio in Chapel Hill and danced professionally with the National Ballet, Eliot Feld's American Ballet Company, and the Arlington Dance Theater. 

She and my dad met when they were children when they lived in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. 

My mom was born in Lisbon, Portugal and spent a lot of her youth overseas. 

She is an amazing cook and we all developed wonderful pallets due to her exotic cooking. From curry, to nasi goreng, to mulligatawny, we ate and loved everything she cooked for us!

When she lived in Africa my mom's family had a lion and a monkey as a pet in their home!

She is an amazing multi-tasker. I remember watching her cook bacon and nurse my younger brother at the same time. 

She is great with children and babies! They all love her and she is like a 'baby whisperer' in that she can make them stop crying on cue. 

She served as the Relief Society President in her ward and always put the welfare and needs of others above her own (and still does!). 

She attends all of my dad's home soccer games. She cheers and yells at the refs (even if she still doesn't really know all the rules of soccer :)). 

She is the best person to have on your team during a game of trivial pursuit. Even though she decided to dance instead of go to college, she is a wealth of knowledge, and when she and my dad are on the same team they are unstoppable! 

One of her nick names is 'deer slayer' because she has hit so many deer with her car. 

We love to tease her about it even though it makes her so sad. 

She is a devoted mother and wife. Most recently she jumped on a plane last minute to NYC to see my sister receive an award and flew back home less than 24 hrs later so she could be in dialysis. She is always there for us. 

I love you to pieces mama. I am so lucky to have such an amazing and loving mother. 

 I would do anything for you at a moment's notice.

I can't even express how much you mean to me and our family. 

I am so grateful to be celebrating your birthday with you today! 

  

Halloween Festivities!

Happy belated Halloween! 

I feel like we have been celebrating this holiday for several weeks now,

but it sure has been fun. 

We started off the month with a newer tradition of 'boo' ing a couple of our friends. We put together some craft/treat bags and delivered them. Finley had a lot of fun ringing door bells and running. 

Finley decided to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. Luckily we had received the costume above a year ago as a hand me down and it still fit Fin. We just added the wings for fun. And of course they made Finley fly when he was wearing them. 

David and I kept with the Toy Story theme and decided to be Mr. & Mrs. Potato head. 

I was very happy with how our costumes turned out. I must admit I was more excited about our costumes than Finley's this year. 

Grammie & Abuelo joined us for our annual ward Fall Festival/Chili Cook Off. 

Here are all the kiddos in their costumes!

After the cook off we played some carnival games. Finley decided that instead of putting down his trick or treat bag to throw, he should just throw left handed. 

He did a great job of pinning the bow tie on the ghostie. 

And won some prizes! 

He was a little reluctant about getting his face painted . . . until he found out he could choose a spider! 

We conveniently asked for the spider to be place right on top of a nasty bruise on his cheek. 

Pretty soon it was time to trunk or treat! 

Finley had fun leading Grammie around the parking lot. 

But by the end of the night it was time to take a break in our own trunk and dig in. 

Just so you don't think we are crazy, we had some other friends that also went all out for Halloween. 

Little red and the wolf.

A zoo keeper and her animals. 

Contestants on the price is right! 

For FHE this week we finally got down to business and carved our pumpkins. 

This was our first time using some patterns for our pumpkins. 

But they turned out great! David took on the easier pattern. 

And I took on the challenge of carving Buzz Lightyear late into the night. I got lots of compliments on my pumpkin on Halloween from all the trick or treaters. One even asked if it was a real pumpkin because it looked so good. 

The finished products!

Finley had a fun parade and Halloween hoot at preschool this week too. 

It was freezing outside but the kids rushed by while I snapped a few photos of his class. 

Finley also got to wear his costume to Ballet class this week. 

He had lots of fun incorporating Halloween themes into dance class. 

On Halloween night we decided to go the festive route and make some mummy hot dogs. The perfect snack before hitting the streets. 

To Infinity and Beyond! 

Finley waiting so patiently for dada to get home so we could go trick or treating. 

Finley had so much fun racing from house to house. He was literally sprinting at the beginning to each and every house. 

We definitely hit up a lot more houses this year than last. 

This morning, or what I like to call the morning after, Finley immediately asked when it was going to be Halloween again. Oh this kid and candy! What am I going to do?