An Attitude of Gratitude Day Seven

Ok...last post in this series. :0)

I had a hard time picking out only one more thing, though. I have so many other things that I am truly grateful for. How could I narrow it down to just seven? Obviously, these posts have only touched on the things on my gratitude list, and it would be too hard to name everything. My final post will be a fairly short one though.

I have talked about my hubby several times on a couple of my blogs. I met him five years ago and my world has never been the same. I won't bore you with repetitions of things I have blogged about before concerning him, but I do want to make sure that he is on my "list". You see, he means the world to me. If you knew half of the things this poor man has to put up with, you would start calling him Saint Jaysen.

I tell everyone that he got the better end of the deal when we were married, but honestly....I'm not so sure about that. Even though we have such different tastes in so many things...even though he is spontaneous and I am a control freak....even though he says ice cream and I say cupcake...we click. :0) He makes me laugh, he listens to me blather on about things that I'm sure bore him to death, he watches chick flicks with me {except for Mamma Mia...he drew the line with that one}, and he has such a tender heart with the kids. He is not just my hubby, but my boyfriend {tee hee}, my sugar daddy {even bigger tee hee :0) }, and my best friend. He accepts me for who I am, and still is somehow able to love me in spite of it all.

Want to know more?

He coaches my son's little league basketball team

He has tea parties with my daughter

He built me a scrapbook room...it's all mine!

He doesn't complain when I have girls night at our house and have friends over until 2:00 am...and he has to get up in the morning for work. :0)

He lets me sleep in every Saturday and Sunday morning.

He makes crepes for breakfast every Sunday morning.

He lets the neighbor kid come over and play....even if he's the only one home.

He puts up with my late hours staying up to do homework

He offers to take the kids golfing with him, even though its his "alone" time.

I could go on and on....

I won't though. You are probably throwing up in your mouth a little reading how mushy I've gotten here. {I apologize}

But seriously, what would I do without him? I am so grateful to have met him and feel so blessed to have him as my companion through life. I'm so glad he's willing to be stuck with me forever too...

An Attitude of Gratitude Day Four

If you have ever read my "About Me" section on the sidebar here, you've seen how cute my children are. In fact, you have probably noticed they are cuter than your kids. I mean...look at them. CUTE! :0) Now, I urge you to continue loving your children the same way, though you have now realized they are not the cutest children in the world any longer.

I'm such a brat. I know...but get ready for more bragging.

My kids are awesome. They have such different personalities and it is so interesting to watch them experience life in their own way. My son is almost nine *gasp* and I swear he gets bigger every day. And not just in size, but in wisdom as well. His teacher told me that she has been impressed with his ability to get others in his classroom involved so that no one is left out. She uses him as a tutor for some of the other kids in his classroom that are struggling with their schoolwork. She said she appreciates that he doesn't judge or make fun of others who may be struggling. As a mom...those are things I have wished for him, but know that ultimately his choices in life are his. I can only guide him and hope that he chooses wisely. I am so grateful that he has compassion for others. His heart is huge and I love that he is so willing to share it with others. Especially me. :0) Even as old as he is getting, he will still come and want to snuggle with me. He likes to spend time in the kitchen with me, have me play the piano with him, and is still willing to sing and get his groove on with me. How did I ever get so lucky as to be blessed with such a wonderful son? Sure, he frustrates me with his stubbornness and doesn't always make the best decisions. But, that's what kids do. They try to figure it out...how life works and what their role is. I am just grateful that I get to be with him on his journey.

And then there is my daughter. Wow. Where do I start? She has been at full speed since she was born. Compared to my fairly mellow son, I was truly not prepared to be so BUSY with her. She started walking at nine months and has never looked back. She has such a passion for life and can't wait to experience every moment. Her independant nature and unique sense of self is reassuring to me that, if continued, she will be able to handle the diversions of life when they come. She is a momma's girl, yet has her daddy wrapped so tightly around her finger all she has to do is ask and he caves. That's quite a skill for a three year old. :0) She wants to know everything, learn everything, and do it all by herself. She lives for the companionship of friends and has never met a kid she couldn't win over. Then again, most adults are taken with her as well. She keeps me young at heart and helps me to remember that the simple things in life are the most important. I think she tells me she loves me at least ten times a day. And every time I remind myself how blessed I am to have two kids with such big hearts.

My favorite job in life is being a mom. No, not the laundry/dishwashing/cleaning/vaccuuming part. But the teaching, guiding, loving, and learning part. What a daunting task we are given as mothers, to raise little ones and try to mold them into respectful, intelligent, independant individuals who are not afraid to have a little personality. :0) The nurturing and care involved can be heart wrenching at times. I hate the discipline part of the job because I would love to just be their friend and play. But I know that my job is more important than simple friendship.

Do you ever wonder if your heart has grown so big with love for your kids that it takes up your entire chest? My kids are such a wonderful part of my life. I know for a fact that life would have been much different without the initial addition of Landon into my life. He gave me purpose and direction. I don't think he will ever know how grateful I am for that. And yes, I tend to boast and brag about what great kids I have, but I consider that to be a part of my job as their mother. I think we are all a bit partial to our own children. That's how it should be. I thank Heavenly Father every day for allowing my heart the ability to grow more than I ever thought was possible. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned FROM my kids and for adding such light and joy to my home. They are my sunshine.

Show Me Love

All right people.....it's been a little too quiet around here lately!

I've been getting NO love.



Perhaps it's because I have not written anything comment worthy....though I beleive every post deserves a comment if one has read the whole stinking thing. What can I say? I'm a comment giver....give, give, give...that's me. I'm also a comment whore. :0) I want them! I put up a comment counter to get you to leave me love! It worked for a while, but alas.....the fight for the #1 spot didn't last very long.

So, here's what's going to happen. Do you see my new little quiz on the sidebar here? Yes, that's the one. It's a quiz to see how well you really know me. All of the answers can be found within my little blog here. If you've read all my posts, then you'll TOTALLY know all the answers right off the bat.

Whoever gets the HIGHEST score {family excluded...sorry guys....you just have an unfair advantage. Please don't let that keep you from taking the quiz to try to show everyone else up though....} WINS! Yes, you heard me....WINS! What do you win? No, not a new car like on the Price is Right...unless you want a Hot Wheels toy or something. But it will be something fabulous. Why? Because I know you love me MOST. That's right....

SO....what are you waiting for? Get testing people! Time's a wasting! And don't forget to leave me a comment too. Remember...I'm looking for love! :0)

4 years and counting

I was a single mom. Because of this I had to work full time. My son was my entire life at that point and so dating wasn't really important to me. I worked all day, so my nights were dedicated to him. The only dating I did back then was blind dates. My friends would set me up with some guy and it would never make it past a second date. If there was no connection, it wasn't worth it to me to keep it going. Fun dating wasn't an option, because it took precious time away from my son. My neighbor set me up with a guy from one of her college classes. She said we were a perfect fit because I was a "Molly Mormon" and he was a "Norman Mormon". Ummm....ok. She obviously didn't know me as well as she thought she did. :0) She knew I loved to bake and that I loved family time. Apparently that makes you a Super-Mormon or something. {If that's the case...a lot of you that aren't Mormon now qualify as Super Mormon. :0) } Anyway, he came over...and brought his roommate along with him. What? And he came over at 10:00 pm. Ummm....3 year old son. Bedtime....he obviously had no clue. But, I figured I would endure him for a short period of time and he would then graciously leave. It didn't happen that way. He was oblivious to my hints for him to leave. And the conversation? He bore his testimony to me and talked about how his mission made him strong. What? On the first date? Sigh....my son tried to throw him a ball, and he didn't even know how to interact with the kid. He was clueless. The date was HORRIBLE. Blind date hell is how I like to refer to it. I swore I would never go on another blind date after that.

I was an assistant manager at an apartment community at that time. It was after this horrible experience that one of my residents {who I knew from high school} told me that her cousin {who I also went to high school with} had someone she wanted to set me up with. Really? Are you kidding me?

I was such a snot. I told her that I would think about it, but that my answer would be no if his name was Jason {I had already dated a couple of them since getting divorced. I figured they were bad luck} or if he was divorced {because when couples divorce it's always the mans fault right? Can you tell that I was still a little bitter towards men? And how hypocritical could I be? I was divorced for heaven's sake!} I really think I just didn't want to go through another horrible blind date again. Another guy that wouldn't cut it. It was kind of depressing. I had actually just resigned myself to being ok with being a single mom forever. It wouldn't be so bad right?

I ended up saying yes even though his name did turn out to be Jaysen {at least it's spelled differently right?} and he was divorced. I honestly wasn't holding out much hope. I told my friend from high school that we had to double date because there was no way I was going alone with some stranger. So, on October 9, 2003 we all went to Chili's for dinner {Jaysen picked me up at my house though} and then we went bowling. I tied him. Best game I've ever bowled...124! At that point we separated from my friend as they had to get home to their babysitter. Jaysen and I went to Dairy Queen for dessert and stayed there until they closed. I still wasn't sure about him after that first date. We went out again a week later. This time it was just the two of us. We went to see a Nicholas Cage movie and then out for dessert afterwards. We talked for hours again. He liked 80s music. I was intrigued. I still wasn't sure if I liked him or not, but knew there was something. I figured even if we ended up really good friends, it wouldn't be a loss.

Date #3 was exactly a week after date #2 and exactly two weeks after date #1. It was like he wanted to make sure to give the "proper" amount of time in between them. It was during this date that I knew. Which was scary. He accidentally met my son that night. I hadn't introduced them yet because I didn't want Landon to get to know him if he was just going to disappear. But, there was a flood in one of the apartments and so I had to go take care of the emergency call after work. I rushed home to get ready and Jaysen showed up right after I did. I told him to sit down and wait because I needed to touch up a bit. Landon came out with his little basketball and Jaysen taught him how to "slamma jamma". It was adorable. Anyway...our 3rd date was great. He knew I loved photography and so he took me out to Shoshone Falls and gave me a photography lesson {he has a degree in it} with his fabulous camera and all the lenses and cool gadgets that went with it. Afterwards he took me to Sunsations, which is a spa, and hung out for an hour while I got a massage from a masseuse there. He paid for it. :0) And after that we went out to Johnny Carinos for dinner. {Italian...my favorite!} Again...we talked until they were closing. They had to kick us out. It was a fabulous date.

After that, I lost ten pounds. I was stressed out. Have you ever heard about people praying to know if the person they are dating are "the one"? I didn't do that. I prayed that if he wasn't the one that God would make him go away. I was scared because I knew I was falling for him and I didn't want to get hurt again. It was a horrible feeling. Luckily I had a friend that talked me through it and I made it through it. Jaysen never went away. And I'm so glad.

We were married May 22, 2004 in the Boise Temple. It's been four fabulous years. We added a new member to the family since then and are now complete. Landon and I weren't meant to be alone. We needed Jaysen and Kenzee to finish the circle. My heart is so full of love for this man who completely changed my world. He opened my heart up again, when I didn't know if I could let it. His unconditional love for me amazes me. His spunk makes life fun. His compassion and love for our children is truly one of the sexiest things about him. :0) I love him more and more every day. I can't wait for the years to come!

Valentine's?

I know that today is the "day of love" and most people are posting love stories and what not. But, honestly, I just can't get into it. The holiday that is. I've never been a huge fan of the day. When I was little and in elementary it was dealing with the stress over who got which Valentine. I took all those little cards so literally. I couldn't give the ones that said anything about "love" or "be mine" to the boys. They might think I liked them. I would sit for hours deliberating about those dang things. So, it was rather interesting to watch my eight year old in his 2nd grade class tearing through his Valentines and not even reading them. Nope. Not a one. He looked at who gave him the Spiderman one, or the "gross!" Hello Kitty one. But, he didn't actually even read what it said. Apparently nobody really cares. {All those wasted hours!}
And then as I got older it was the stress over if you HAD a Valentine or not. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. It was always the same thing when I did......What in the crap do you get a BOY on the day of love? Because the day is so commercialized they tell you that you are supposed to buy chocolate, jewelry, flowers, or stuffed animals right? Boys don't want any of that stuff. {well....maybe the chocolate :0)} I hated worrying about it. And for me it was wierd getting jewelry from boys I had dated for only a month.
The last couple of years of high school and for a couple of years afterwards, I worked in a flower shop. Valentine's Day was CRAZY! Seriously. And, all of you that complain out there about the price of roses on this day...don't blame your florist! The wholesalers jack up the prices for the little shops buying them and that's why they charge you more. Vicious cycle. Anyway...seeing all of this didn't help my feelings about the most romantic day of the year either. Sigh.

I have received some really nice and thoughtful gifts from my hubby on Valentine's Day. And I have put a lot of thought into gifts for him as well. But, this year we fully agreed TOGETHER to just bag the whole thing. He was really nervous when he asked me if it would be ok if we just didn't buy anything for each other this year and so when I jumped at the chance to "skip" V-day he was thoroughly relieved. Now, when I say SKIP, I don't mean to REALLY skip the holiday. Just the gifts. I don't need one from him to know how much he loves me. I see it in his face every day when he gives me a little wink from across the room. The little things we do for each other EVERY DAY, not just on V-DAY make us giddy in love with each other. Like when I make his favorite meal for dinner, or rub his round little belly. :0) {Bet you wanted to know that huh?} The UNpurchased gifts are the best ones.

So, do you see my reasoning? I'm sure you all get it now. I'm not completely bah humbug. We are having heart shaped pizza for dinner tonight. And Jaysen's gift from me will be a big fat juicy slobbery kiss. :0) {I don't really slobber though}

I hope you all have a VERY happy Valentine's Day......however you celebrate it. Hopefully you will be surrounded by those you love and that love you in return!