There Is Much To Be Thankful For

Although I did not take the time to blog each day during November about all the things we have to be thankful for, I have really appreciated the focus on gratitude that I see all around me. Many of my friends and family have blogged about or posted about the things that they are grateful for, and I really have enjoyed seeing the things they have to say. 

I feel like this year, we have had so many blessings, and good things just keep coming our way! It's like somebody up there likes us. ;)

A part of me regrets that I haven't shared throughout this gratitude month all the things that I am thankful for (or at least the things most top-of-mind), but I have been trying to reflect on my own what all there is that we have been blessed with, especially lately. 

Without sounding too sappy, I do want to say how grateful I am for Tyler, and for all the sacrifices he has made (and continues to make) to support our family. We decided a long time ago that when we started our family, I would be a stay-at-home mom, and my main job would be to care for our home and family. From a financial standpoint, this decision we made means that Tyler has to work harder than he would have to if I was not staying at home. It also means that he is under more pressure to provide for our family, and I know that sometimes, he really feels that pressure. I am incredibly grateful for all that he does so that we can have our physical (and spiritual) needs provided for. 

So when I look at the feast we had on Thanksgiving--and are still working on as leftovers--I see all the hard work that Tyler is putting into his schoolwork and job. And I am so very grateful for that. 

Thanks Tyler, for all you do! We sure appreciate you around here.

HE PASSED!

For the last year, Tyler has been working his tail off to study for and pass Exam P--which would certify him as an actuary.

Today, Tyler took the test (for the first time) and PASSED IT!

I cannot tell you how much awesome is in this news. This is why we moved away from Spanish Fork. This is why Tyler went back to school. This is what we have been working for, for so long.

Now, it's only the start on getting him to the career he wants, but it is a HUGE start!

I am so so proud of him. He has worked incredibly and amazingly hard for this, and it is SUCH a blessing.

"Sam"

If you spend any time with Richie any time soon, you'll probably eventually hear him repeat his newest word, "Sam."

I'm pretty sure that when he's saying it, he's thinking about his favorite book character from his favorite book, Green Eggs and Ham. He LOVES that book. Our particular edition has flaps for Rich to pull open. Those flaps fascinate him.

In fact, the flaps fascinate him so much that he ripped his book to shreds the other day when I left him alone for a few minutes.

But, yay for duct tape, scotch tape, and hot glue! Our copy may be a little rough now, but boy is it loved.

"I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you, thank you, Sam-I-Am!"

(Insert Rich's applause here. Yes, he does applaud me almost every time I read this book to him.)

If you look really closely, you can see part of my book reconstruction. Let's just say that I am definitely not meant to be a book restorer.

Halloween 2012

The longer I wait to actually post some pictures of Halloween, the less likely it is to actually happen.

I even started a Halloween post like, a week ago, but then I never got around to finishing it. So, I'm just going to insert it here, less than two weeks later. And since I am so late, I'll just flood you guys with pictures. Deal? Deal.

Tyler loves Halloween. He always has. But since we've had to be a little extra careful with our funds this year, we didn't get to go all out Halloween-style. (We're saving that for Christmas. Well, as much as we can, at least.)

But, sometimes, grandparents like to see their grandkids celebrating the holidays, so my mom helped us splurge a little to transform our son into THE HULK!

Have you ever seen the Incredible Hulk look so adorable? I haven't.

Unfortunately, the Hulk didn't care so much for his hat. So even though he looked totes adorb with it on, I didn't force him to wear it.

After all, I made him wear his costume all day.

In the morning. (Rich likes to cuddle for a few minutes after waking up. Yes, I did put his costume on him almost immediately.)

Running errands.

Picking up some Halloween candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters.

Richie's favorite part of Halloween though, was probably the time he got to spend playing outside. Halloween day was beautiful and warm; so I decided that Rich/the Incredible Hulk needed to get some play time where he could just roam around freely.

And he had a blast!

He explored everything! He was fascinated by the sticks and leaves and grass. He loved the bark on the trees. Even the concrete was interesting to him.

And of course, he managed to look as handsome as ever.

But what Halloween is complete without some trick-or-treating? Since Rich is a little stranger-shy right now, we decided to only visit family.

But he loved it! (Especially the Thurgood's dog. Apparently, Rich loves dogs.)

So, our Halloween was a little low-key this year. But it was still awesome!

Bedtime is a Precious Gift

I've often felt very very grateful that Rich is such a good sleeper. He always has been--which has definitely made my life easier.

And I'm definitely glad that we have a routine that helps Rich wind down and realize, "Ok, my day is over. It's time to sleep."

But today, I was grateful for Rich's bedtime for a whole new reason. Well, new to me, at least.

Today was not Rich's day. He's teething (3 molars at once!), he fell a couple different times (once banging and scratching his head), he might have a black eye (we hit a bump while he was in his stroller), and he got tripped over right before bed (which I think was more of an over reaction than an actual painful experience--he was pretty tired at this point), and he shut his fingers in his dresser drawer (also more than once today).

So tonight, as we put Rich down for bed, I was just grateful that he survived the day. And that with all the bumps and bruises he acquired today, nothing was so serious as to send us to the hospital. (I seriously live in fear of that day. Sometimes it feels like it's only a matter of time until I have to rush him to the ER.)

Hopefully tomorrow will be a much happier day for Rich.

(In case it isn't, I have the ingredients to make Rich some Rice Krispie treats, which he loves.)

There were some good times today too. While Tyler studied, Rich and I went to the park. Rich LOVES getting to crawl around everywhere and explore everything. And I'm sure that once he gets the hang of walking, he's going to love running all over that park.