Chaser

Day 13- So Thankful for Chase; "Chaser" "Chaser-boy" "Chaser bug" "Chasers" .

He is somethin else ! That boy...he is extreme . One minute he can be cuddling you so sweetly and the next minute be screaming about something . It's ALWAYS been on HIS terms . No forcing this boy to do something he does not want to do . We still love his huge personality though !

Chase is; charming (has ALWAYS stopped people wherever we go, with his big smile and baby blues-dangerous) , super silly , friendly , brave , determined , has an addictive type of personality (yikes!) , sweet (when he wants to be) , loves to "read" (ya!) , passionate , helpful , leader , and more.

One little funny thing...Teigen and Chase were playing trains yesterday and they were making them fly off the tracks and such. Chase kept saying, after a train would fly in the air, "That was sick !" He always tries to act older than his age and with his lingo too apparently .

He just makes me laugh! 

(Chase was copying Teigen and trying to pout like him but he started laughing shortly after)

(Chase loves being Mr. Potato head)

(Loves playing outside with the big boys-refuses to wear shirts most the time)

 

(Mustache Chaser)

 

(These lips!!)

 

Teigen

 Day 11- I am very thankful for Teigen..."Teig", "T-boy", "Teigster" . I love his personality. He is funny , a jokester ,  athletic , caring , determined , smart , sweet , sensitive (Zodiacs most sensitive sign) , quick to feel remorse , is always genuinely worried about others , and more . He makes us so happy . During his "parent-teacher" conference , his teachers mentioned they have noticed that he is sensitive to everyones concerns and that they wish they had a class of all Teigens and another boy (who happens to be LDS as well- funny) One occasion , Teigens teacher told the class she had a bad headache and Teigen kept asking her throughout the day how she was feeling . Always praying for others to feel better too . That's our T-boy . One more thing...he is SUCH a good big brother to his little sister and little brother . One time Chase got his finger smashed in the sliding door on accident by one of Teigens friends and Teigen started crying before Chase even did because he felt his brothers pain and was worried about him . He just naturally cares for others so deeply . I would do anything for this kiddo, then again...for any of my kiddos . Incredibly thankful that he's in our lives .    

(Teigens favorite fastfood-Taco Bell)

(Teigen loves making silly faces, just like his mama. Here's our duck face)

(Teigen kissing on his baby sissy)

(Teigen (during allergy season-poor guy) cuddling with his Addy Sue) 



(This last picture was when I told Teigen to keep an eye on Addyson while I put Chase down for a nap. I came out maybe 5-10 minutes later and Teigen had fallen asleep next to his baby sister making sure she didn't fall off the couch)

10 things

Day 10-           I thought I'd do something different today...Let's get personal...
                       Did you know?.....

1.)  I went to college for 1 1/2 years, with a major focused in photojournalism . Honestly...I don't like taking family photographs of other people . Ya . Sorry I don't . (Although I do enjoy taking engagement photos...maybe it's the love I can feel while taking them) I enjoy taking photos of mountains, waterfalls, sunsets, animals, buildings, abstract things, some people-but just living their life-not necessarily looking at the camera . Anyway...I wanted to be in National Geographic . I wanted to travel . Everywhere . It was one of my favorite magazines to read/look at, starting at a young age . I soon realized this dream would be impractical since I wanted to have a family and stay home with my kids . So, maybe in another life...

2.)  I love the smell of wet pavement after rain, dirt and soil as well . (I ate dirt clods on occasion as a very small child...not sure why) But I do remember doing it, even though it sounds gross to me now .  

3.)  Ok this one is going to sound weird too...but I enjoy the smell of Moth balls . It's not necessarily the smell though, it's the memory I have associated with the smell . There was an older couple on our street when I lived in Merced, CA., that I called grandpa and grandma . Their house would always smell of moth balls (as a kid I didn't know what the smell was though, I just thought it was what old people smelled like. lol) They were so kind to me . They were from Puerto Rico (I'm pretty sure) . They would always bring me a gift back when they visited Puerto Rico . I remember walking or riding my bike to their house everyday to say hi and get my handful of the tiny tootsie rolls . (tootsie rolls have a good memory too-still love them today)

4.)  Something that's very personal, but we're getting personal here...I've had depression off and on my whole life . It's something I'd rather deal with without medication but sometimes it really does help balance the body . I'm not currently on anything and haven't been for a while . But I've come to accept that I may have to be on them again someday, and that's ok .

5.) This may come as a shocker . Only a handful of family/friends know about this one . I USED to have an eating disorder . It's something I keep secret, but realizing there may be girls in my ward that suffer from this (I know the signs that others may not see), I'm willing to open up to help them . How else will they get help if they don't talk to someone who's been in their situation ? I feel it's my job to help young girls . I don't have any local friends following my blog...so I can still keep this private from most people . P.S. Please don't treat me different now that you know this . ;)

6.)  Back to something good...lol...I LOVE swings . If I had the backyard for it, we'd have a huge swing set with like 6 swings . It's so relaxing . I'm able to clear my head and think . To relax my head and let the wind blow through my hair . To let my legs go limp and then push high into the sky pointing to the clouds . It's very peaceful . The swings are my quiet escape . (That's why my hubby proposed to me on a swing set ) .Makes me want to go swing now...

7.)  I do not like driving on bridges . It's like I want to hurry up and get to the other side . I hold my breath a little going over them too . I do like looking at bridges though .

8.)  I have anxiety now (after having kids) if we go hiking and there are cliffs (even with railings) or anywhere there is a drop if I am with my kids . Just typing this, I'm getting anxiety THINKING about it . Sad, I know . I'm trying to work on it .

9.)  I love to sing super loud in my car, house or shower . The kids are starting to enjoy singing too, which makes me happy . I suggested this to Justin for Teigen, but he's anti . I did it when I was young for a few years and it really boosted my confidence . So I guess I'll have to wait until Addyson is a little older . ;) It was a lot of fun! I recommend it !

10.)  I am sooooo okay with staying in my pajamas all day sometimes . Like right now, it's 11:20 and I'm still in my pajamas . lol . But I did promise the kids I'd take them to the dollar theater later, so I guess today won't be an all day jammie day . ;)

I'm thankful for all these things, because I wouldn't be ME without them .
Hope you enjoyed learning (or maybe you already knew) 10 things about me !
 Now it's YOUR TURN to get personal...please !!

Addyson

Day 8-
          I am so thankful for Addyson "Addy Sue". She brings so much happiness in my life. I didn't realize how much I needed her, until we were surprised with her. BEST surprise ever!! I love her to pieces. She's seems so tough for a baby, hardly cries. She makes any sad feeling go away just by looking into her eyes. Such a sweet girl. True joy in her smile. I can feel a tenderness about her that she will be able to ease any troubled heart that needs comfort. A true sweetie pie. I'm sure we'll be blessed with drama down the road, but to tell you the truth, I look forward to it, after all, she's my only girl. I am so thankful to have her and am blessed to take care of her.

Such a deep cackle. lol. Her brothers love making her laugh.

Today

It's really hard to kick this depressing feeling after the results of the Presidential debate last night and think about what I have to be thankful for, but I think it's JUST what I need to do in order to feel better. A positive outlook.

I'm a little behind, so here goes...

Day 5-  There is one thing that I KNOW to be 100% true, can't be shaken and can't ever be taken away from me. My testimony. I'm thankful to have MY testimony.  


Day 6- I am thankful for Doctors. I hate putting my health in another persons hands, but when I can't figure out what's best for my body, it's nice to have professionals to help me. Along those lines, comes modern day medicine. I can honestly say, I wouldn't be here without it. I feel very blessed to have medicine.


Today, Day 7- I am thankful for the internet. I know that sounds silly. But I am thankful I can communicate with my family daily through the internet and or phone. I'm also thankful for all the GOOD resources you can find online.

Friends

Day 4- Today I'm thankful for good friends. We've started something fun with some friends of ours recently. (Beth and Travs and their kids ages 9,7 and 4). We get together on Sundays for dinner and games after church. We started this a few weeks and it is lots of fun. We rotate houses. Tonight, it was at our house. I cooked some pork tenderloins with my homemade applesauce, a little water and herbs de provence. Oh.my.word! It was fabulous. It melted like butter in my mouth. I made some delish gravy too with the left over juice that was left behind along with some more applesauce and herbs mixed with some cornstarch to thicken it. Wow! It was one of my favorite gravy's I've made. I guess you could say I'm pretty proud with the outcome. Note to self: Don't forget to write this recipe down! I also made some garlic mashed potatoes in 6 minutes in my fabulous pressure cooker. ;) (No, I haven't named her yet. Sorry sil's!) Anyway...back to the meal...my friend made a perfect salad with feta, candied nuts and little cubed apples. (It's like she was on my wave link and new what would balance out perfectly) Bonus: All kids chowed it. Then we ended the night with some blondies with ice cream, made by my friend, while we played, The Game of Life. Overall, a very fun evening. Can't wait till next Sunday.
I am very thankful for the friends we have and are continuing to make.    

30 days to be Thankful...

I'm making it my goal to post every day about something I'm Thankful for, for the month of November. (Yes I know I've missed 2 days already so I'll make them up today). After all, Thanksgiving is in 19 days. (And Christmas is in 52 days). Your welcome! :)

Side note: These are not in order of importance (although Day 1, is #1). These are just what come to mind in that moment.

Day 1- Thankful for my amazingly, perfectly made for me, hubby! For those "Friends" watchers....He's my Lobster. :) He is my hero...our kids' hero, actually because of his occupation, he's everyones hero. I can't imagine life without him. He completes me. He "gets" me, because let's face it...I'm hard to "get" sometimes. He's brave, strong, knowledgeable, determined, hardworking, handy, a problem solver(thank goodness, because I am not), funny, sassy(which is perfect for me because I'm sassy back), helps me think before I speak, and he keeps me calm and helps me breathe when there is literally smoke steaming from my ears! :) I could go on and on about ALL the reasons why I love and am Thankful for my hubby...but I'll just put those few. So Thankful that I get to spend eternity with my best friend!

Day 2- Thankful...because I'm eating some right now, thanks to Halloween....CHOCOLATE! A mini heath bar to be exact. Oh it's delightful. And okay okay! I ate 2, and I'm about to go for another. Seriously...what is it about chocolate that makes everything melt away...except for the pounds?! I love the stuff. I actually have 1, 2, 3, 4 oh ya 5...secret stashes in my house. That's normal, right? lol. Well, I'm very thankful for chocolate in all its forms.

Day 3- Thankful for a roof over my head. It literally breaks my heart when I see/hear about devastations that ruin peoples homes. Sometimes I feel I have it so easy compared to other countries or even in our own country. I do take it for granted. I get so busy in my everyday agenda, that I lose track of why I even get to have an agenda. I want my kids to be grateful for what they have. They aren't going to have "what all the other kids have". (I'm sure I'll hear those words eventually). I'm scared for the future generation being given whatever they want. I am very thankful for what I have and hope I can teach my kids to be thankful too.