Christmas Card

Day 30: I am grateful for Christmas.

Christmas is hectic and full of pressure and responsibilities and deadlines and angry shoppers and horrible drivers and bad weather and cold and.....

A wonderful spirit of Christ and giving and love and peace. A time for family and reflection and church and Christ and forgiveness and the atonement and happiness. I love Christmas and I am excited to teach my son what it is really about and focus on Christ and His birth and why He came to earth and His purpose.


And with that, my 30 day challenge comes to an end! I have truly been impressed as to all the blessings in which I have--I am so grateful for ALL that I have been given and that I still have the chance to give back. I love my LIFE!

Peace, Love, and CookieDough.

A Hand Full

Day 28: I am grateful for chaos. I've spent 2 days babysiting 2 boys in addition to Aiden. I've babysat these boys before and they're awesome! We always have fun but it's always hectic. And I love the practice!! It gives me a sense of what it would be like if we were to have any more kids... it's a learning experience and it definitely keeps me on my toes!

Day 29: I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry. I am grateful for my son's cry.

It means he's breathing. He is alive and alert. This is all I am coming up with.

I'm sure it'll sink in soon....

Peace, Love, and CookieDough.

My Sister

Day 27: I'm grateful that Shauna's surgery went well-now i just wish she felt better! Can't wait to be there-5days:)

I'm sorry. I've been up since 6 and babysat 2 boys in addition to Aiden not taking ANY nap. This is all I've got although it is a HUGE gratitude!! I love my sister beyond reason and am so grateful for all that she is in my life. She's one of my very best friends, my only living sister, and the closest thing to a mom I have on this earth. She means the world to me and I'm just her sister, she's an even better wife and mother.

So I guess, in addition to the original, I am grateful for Shauna. I am grateful for the constant example she is to me and the life that she has led. She is an amazing person and I love her entirely!!

Peace, Love, and CookieDough.

Santa's Shopper

Day 26: I am grateful for budgeting.

Now I know that it is never fun to HAVE to budget, believe me, I KNOW. But I am grateful for the opportunity to learn. Its a good skill to have and it makes me practice restraining myself; which, lets me honest, is hard to do. So here I am, all done with Christmas shopping. Got the grandparents, TK, Aiden, and even all of the name exchange presents and my grand total? Less than $100!! OH YEAH, I ROCK!!!!! Haha, I am quite proud of myself :)

We are SOOOOO excited for Aiden's 1st Christmas!! It's going to be so nice having a baby in the house!! I realize he won't actually know what's going on or ever remember it or even be able to open his own presents, but it'll be fun for us anyway!! His "big" gifts are a Bat and Wobble Penguin--
inflatable, this playful penguin bops back and forth when baby bats it, rewarding actions with plenty of silly musical fun. Music, sounds and 3, count them.. 1...2...3!colorful bouncing balls inside will "invite" him to play again and again, encouraging physical development. He's also getting a Move and Crawl Ball stimulates gross motor movement and should catch his attention with the colors and lights to cause him to want to crawl after it. And its colorful buttons teach numbers, shapes, animal names and sounds!! (did i sell ya on them????? ha)

So yeah, other than needing to wrap things still, WE'RE SET! Bring it on Christmas!! We've got some memories to be makin!!

Peace, Love, and CookieDough.

What's that word again?

Day 25: Is grateful for the true meaning of Christmas.

I don't know about any of you, but when writing a lot I enjoy using short hand. And this includes the occasional "xmas" Now, I realize that some people may be "offended" at the term. Some say that it takes the Christ out of Christmas (which, technically, that is exactly what it does) but that is NEVER how I meant it. I was just lazy, not blasphemous.

But today I was out doing a little Christmas shopping and as I drive from point A to B I don't mind listening to a few Christmas songs... Welp a commercial came on in between songs (ya all i have in my car is radio and I HATE commercials but wasn't paying enough attention to change stations) anywho. So this commercial is on telling you that you can get all your christmas shopping done at one spot.. or i think they said holiday but whatever. So everything you need, right there bladdy bladdy blah and at the very end they specifically said "_________. for all your "giftmas" shopping!!"

Now like I said, I use the occasional Xmas, I don't mean to take Christ away. But GIFTmas?! Really?! Talk about putting the emphasis on the WRONG part of Christmas. Its not about the presents, or what you get, or who can get the best present for susie--Its about the birth of our savior.


I've been stressing this in Music Time at church for a couple of weeks now, but its sad to see that its not just the children that get wrapped up in the "i want i want i want i want i want"

And now, the even the adults are giving in.

So yes, today, I am grateful that I know the true meaning of Christmas and that my family has always stressed it and so has TK's family. And that together, we can teach our children.

Peace, Love, and CookieDough