i am grateful for BOGO deals! l and i made a last minute decision to skip the gym and go grocery shopping. there was quite a commotion at the gym in the form of a few fire trucks... good enough reason to skip the gym and buy large amounts of food... right?
usually i get one or two things on my list that are bogo. today however i hit bogo pay dirt! just about everything i needed to buy was bogo. i love publix because every receipt shows you how much you save. today i saved 25% on everything. it's not huge but it was enough to prompt a call to the hubs to boast. luckily he was just as excited as i was. and that is why he is so awesome!

today i am grateful for the quiet moments in life. with k at school, l and i can catch up on some cuddling. it was in a small moment like this that i realized he and i were sitting the same way while looking at books.
while both of our kids look like me in the face, the rest is all their dad. from their yoda ears(that disappear around age 2) to the hands, feet and torso, they are mirror images of their daddy. it will be interesting to see if they change more into mini daddys more than mini mommys. 
genetics are an amazing thing!

school was back in session today. k woke up before his brother and wandered into our room. it was literally freezing overnight so i convinced k to snuggle in bed with us until l woke up. our warm climate home is not great at keeping the heat evenly distributed so while upstairs is toasty, downstairs is frigid. i am grateful for space heaters that fill in the gaps!
k bounded into school and l and i headed to the gym. it was our first time back since learning of l's allergies. i was apprehensive about explaining everything to the childcare staff but they were wonderful and i had a great workout.
the hubs nabbed a new ottoman from target today so we can snuggle on our couch together. it's a new year's resolution and i am excited to kick it off with a great place to prop our feet.

today the hubs was home. i am so grateful for the days he gets to relax with us. it was not log ago that days were long and days off were a pipe dream. even if he had a rare day off, it could all come crashing down with a phone call or a check of the blackberry. he is so great with the kids, interactive, attentive and just plain silly. l is getting into his 'age range' and their bond grows every day. since we have been doing divide and conquer since l was born, it is nice to have both boys taken off my hand from time to time.
lazy days home are the best kind of blessing and one i would never have thought possible two years ago.

a new year, 365 days to be grateful. i am grateful for parents who enjoy my children and love them as much as we do. i am grateful for a stalwart mother who has always set an excellent example of faith and for a caring father who's small acts of service are so very appreciated. i am grateful for a husband who not only is a amazing father but also my best friend.
both of the boys enjoyed time with their cousins. k split time between his new bike, the old trikes and generally running around causing a ruckus. l was getting into all of the little spaces he should not and reminding us why babyproofing is important even at the grandparent's.
after a loud and long day with delish food, great family and even a birthday celebration of g's 4th, we were happy to be home, settled into our quiet routine.

two years ago, had i been asked if i was blessed, my answer would have been 'but of course'! little k was 3,  i was pregnant with l, the hubs had a well paying job, we had almost all of our family close by, good friends surrounded us, we had a roof over our head and had all of the necessities of life.
but it was not easy. the hubs worked 80-100 hours a week at a firm that cared little for him beyond squeezing every ounce of life out of him. it was stressful work that few would understand. i was essentially a single parent to k. i was pregnant with l but very sick. callings in church were demanding and frustrating and left little time to replenish the spirit.
every day that the hubs had off could be called to a close at a moment's notice. it was a weekend wedding of a family friend when hubs was called back to work that changed our path. in his frustration(after finishing his work), he sought a new job and found a dream job. we and everyone who knew about the opportunity prayed hard.
soon after he submitted his resume he was called back for an interview. a few days after the interview the news came that he landed the position. it truly was a dream job with amazing coworkers, perks and location.
the move would take us a little over an hour from our family and friends but into an area that was everything we could dream of.
quickly we were looking for a place to rent and coordinating a move as well as setting up doctors and  all the necessities a move brings.
we found a great house in a prestigious neighborhood but it fell through two weeks before our move. the only other house available was a two level townhome. both of those were things we did not want but since we were left with little choice, we happily moved in right on schedule and with just a month to spare before the birth of our second child.
the dream job really was a dream job, the house turned out to be across the street from great friends who happened to be lds as well with two kids of their own close to k's age, our area of town was more than we could have asked for and our new ward was a joy to serve in.
life is amazing. at least once a week since we moved here we marvel at how amazingly blessed we are. we firmly believe that where much is given, much is required(Doctrine and Covenants 82:3). we have been given much in our life. for months i have been pondering what to do with these blessings. this blog contains my daily thoughts of what i am grateful as well as hopefully my path to finding a way to serve others.