#21 My Family

My mom; dad; brothers (yes, all 4 of you!) and their absolutely wonderful, gorgeous, multi-talented wives; my favorite sister in the whole world (who is also wonderful, gorgeous, and multi-talented) and her husband, and then of course the cutest 16 nieces and nephews around! I love these guys so much!
I am thankful to have spent time with them for our Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of you for being such great examples to me.

• I love listening to Chanzen talk about stuff...he can be very passionate about "certain" topics! I loved it when Jen and Janz would allow us to be "sneaky" and follow them around the block while they held hands. I loved having another cool older sister who would allow us to have hair do parties and restaurants in her home! I loved getting to stay at their house late and watch Justin and Abby. (So many memories of falling asleep on their couch.) I loved being such a big part of Justin's life for several years. I love talking with Abby and listening to the story of her life! I love that Caroline is my mini-me, she will always have a special part in my heart! I love that Logan is such a charmer and that he is so easy to please (like going on a drive to Walmart:)!
• I love that Brenton is a very thoughtful person, he would do anything for any of us! I loved it when he would take me in his Bronco to buy a drink at the store. I love that Jessie has always been such an uplifting person, she can make anyone, on their worst days feel good about themselves. I love seeing Olivia beg her parents to stay longer, and then, if they don't, she pulls out the "I'm heartbroken" face, I would give in so fast! I love seeing Johnny play with Corbin, they have so much in common and he is a good example for my boys to follow. I love Mitchell's laughter, his smile melts me!
• I love that Landon has such a sensitive side with kids. I remember when Corbin had a terrible accident when he was 4 1/4 months old and he was one of the first one's to call and make sure he was okay, that meant a lot! Monica is amazing, I love seeing her many talents, and she continues to develop more and more even when her time seems to be getting smaller and smaller! I love that Garrett is a hero to my boys, they look up to him so much and are always wanting to go to Garrett's house! I love how incredibly adorable Emery is, I don't get to see her often, but she still will come to me and let me hold her!
• Tyson has the best sense of humor in the world! I could sit back and listen to him for hours telling stories, drawing "creative" pictures, making fun of people...ah memories! Thanks for all the laughs! Cami has always been their for me (20+ years) She was my best friend, we hung out everyday, we worked together, we went shopping together, we talked late into the night dreaming about our future husband, so many memories!! and even though she has a new #1 best friend, I'm thrilled to say that it is my brother! Gracie is such an Angel, I love that she is a very thoughtful and obedient girl, and that she reminds me so much of Cami. I love Anna's adorable personality, you can see it all over her face when she smiles and I love when she tells me about the green blankie me and Mandi gave her when she was born! Oh, baby Mason, so adorable! I can't believe I have only held him once...darn these colds and the miles between us!!
• Mandi, what an amazing sister! I always loved having her as my sister, but now more than ever do I really appreciate it! I love that she is always, always their for me and that she understands my silly frustrations. Jon, what a brother-in-law! He knows how much I love Black beans, so he thinks I put it in everything...including cookies, so very soon I will be creating a special batch just for him! I love that he calls my three boys George (because all blond boys should be called George :)! Hunter is such a great boy, I love watching Corbin, Taylor, and him play. They are best buds! And my little Jaina, I hope Mandi is totally fine with sharing her with me because I claim her as mine too! Although, I think Jaina would prefer Justin over me! And adorable Grey, what a cutie pie, I love how easily he smiles :)

I am so thankful to be blessed with such a large, wonderful family who all helped make me a better person...thanks!

# 20 Hot Showers

I LOVE THEM!

#19 Digital Camera

What's not to love....delete, delete, delete, delete, that's cute, delete, delete! We are so blessed!

#18 Garage

I absolutely love having a garage to pull into. We've been in this home for over 2 1/2 years and it is still one of my favorite things, mainly in the winter! Better yet, I am thankful for the garage door opener!

#17 Rollerblades and Bike

I love having a fun way to work out, makes me feel like a kid again!

#16 Anti-biotics

I am grateful for certain modern medicine, anti-biotics are one of them. I have two boys on them right now and I am amazed at how it works. What a great time to live when we can be blessed with medicine to help us. Especially when you think that not that many years ago people died from diseases that can now be cured through medicine. Amazing.

#15 Smells

I am so thankful to be able to smell so many wonderful scents.

• nothing, but the smell of clean
• something baking with cinnamon in it
• fresh rolls or bread
• brownies
• Baby Magic lotion (Cami, you reminded me of that one!)
• Little boys after they take their baths
• Snuggle Fabric Softener
• Palmolive Orange Dish soap
• Cinnamon Cider Scentsy
• Justin's deodorant
• pine trees in nature
• walking in the door and something yummy is in the crockpot

I am thankful for smells!

#14 Clean car

I love when I go to run an errand and open the van doors to see a spotless floor. No legos scattered everywhere, wrappers thrown on the floor, empty sippy's cups under the seats, and coats laying in the walk way. Ahhh, I love having a clean car! Now, how long will it last?

#13 Warm Bed

I am so thankful for a warm bed to sleep in each night...I think I will go and enjoy it right now :)

#12 Free Country

I am so grateful for this free country. I am grateful for those who came before. This afternoon I was reading a book to the boys about the pilgrims who came over to America so that they could worship how they wanted and not be ruled by a King. I am grateful for their courage.
I am grateful for our founding fathers who fought for this land, who established the Constitution, and lived and died so that we can be free.
I am grateful for those men and women who are fighting for those freedoms today. Thank you.

#11 Game Nights

I am grateful for the nights that we play games as a family...Candyland, Sequence for kids, Go Fish, Memory, Diego, Connect Four...they are so fun now that the boys know how to play.

#10 This message

In the spirit of thanks and giving I had to post this message from President Gordan B. Hinckley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KM_Rq4vYDE

I am grateful for all of the uplifting videos that the church has done.

#9 My Parents

(photograph by Hammer Photography)
I am so grateful for my parents. They gave me such a great childhood. I love the traditions they set for us...4th of July up at Shady, Peach Days with Grandpa Packer, and my favorite, Christmas time. My dad passed on to me the love of the good classic Christmas music (modern music will never even come close to it).Christmas Eve was such a big deal for us with my mom's delicious Christmas meal, and the smell of lacquer throughout the house. Even though Christmas morning hadn't happened yet, there was a sense of sadness because Christmas was practically over. I love these traditions!

My dad has the funnest sense of humor! He is the only person where his jokes that he tells over and over just never get old.
* "Come again when you can't stay so long"...
* "Out of all my children....you're one of them"...
And many others, but you have to be there to hear them!
I love that my dad still teases me, it just wouldn't be the same if he didn't!

I loved when I got to run errands with dad he would always take me to Kents to pick out a treat and a drink. I especially loved when I got out of school to go with him on a business trip to Salt Lake.

On of my favorite things right now about my dad is watching him with my children (and the other 15 grandchildren) He takes the time to talk to each of them individually and asks them about there life and what they love. He captivates them with his stories and keeps them laughing all the time! I love that he is always speaking very highly of all his grandchildren, you can tell he loves each and everyone of them!

My mom is so wonderful! She is the perfect person to be married to my dad, after all of these years she still laughs at his jokes!

As I am getting a little older I can't believe how much I am like my mom. I can be very forgetful (but I love that about my mom because she has got some hilarious stories :), she has taught me that the presentation of food is just as important as the taste (you need to mix the colors, you never have the same color for all of the food on your plate), she taught me to be a lady and to sit up straight, she taught me to be modest, and now I am following in her footsteps with having lots of boys first (she had 4 boys and then 2 girls...so maybe someday)!

I love that my mom is a true farm girl and is not afraid to get dirty. She loves horses, drives a truck, and I don't know any woman who can throw around bails of hay like she can. But when she gets dressed up, she is so classy and gorgeous (I believe she gets this side of herself from her mom!). I honestly hope I look as good as she does when I am her age!!

My mom is such a fun Grandma. Every one of her grandchildren just love getting to go with her to see the horses! They are very lucky! She also is very good at having a yummy treat for them when we come over! She is the best farm grandma!

I am so grateful for my parents!!

#8 Disposable Diapers

I don't know how my parents dealt with six children in cloth diapers, especially when we were sick... I am so grateful to have disposable diapers (and fresh smelling wipes), it's a much cleaner, faster job!

#7 Lazy Afternoon

I am so thankful to be able to be in my warm home, close the blinds, turn on a movie, and sit back with my three little boys and watch a movie, ah, so relaxing! (especially when the baby falls asleep on his brothers shoulders.)

#6 Health

I am so thankful to be a healthy person. I have had my moments of sickness, but in general I am a healthy person. I can run (if I choose..), I can play frisbee, I can ride a bike, I can chase my little boys all day and still have the energy to make dinner, clean up(most days), get boys to bed, and even stay up late to post this... I am very thankful for my health.

#5 Levi

Of course, my little baby!! Oh, I can't get enough of this boy. He makes me laugh everyday and he has got personality written all over his face!! And his cheeks, oh how I still love his cheeks!

It has amazed me how much he has picked up from watching his brothers. For instance, today Corbin was saying "pow, pow" pretending to shoot a gun. Levi was in the other room and I could hear him say, "pow, pow...pow, pow" Okay, so sometimes it's not the greatest things he learns, but you have to admitt, hearing that from a 15 month old is pretty darn cute! He also loves holding onto his brothers hands and spinning in circles or else chasing them around the family room!

I love waking up each morning and seeing him jump up and down in his crib waiting for me to pick him up. As soon as I do, he points up to the basket in his closet and says "ball". He wastes no time in the morning cuddling, he is ready to play.

His favorite thing to do is Raaarrr!!! Everything raars; the bear, the dog, the cat, the fish, the pumpkin, the statue of a girl...everything. But, he does know how to bark like a dog, talk like a monkey, and moo like a cow.

Levi, loves food. If he wants it, he squeels as loud as he can, "ma!!!" and takes me over to the kitchen to find something...anything, but preferably the big bowl of candy on the top shelf. The only problem we have in the kitchen, these days is that Levi is too tall and any food that is left on the table, it's all his...

Oh, I am so grateful for my baby! Everytime I look at him I am so grateful we got him for our third child!

#4 Taylor

Oh, my little Tay. He has been such a light in our family. He has always been so sweet and really obedient. And he is the only one who will really cuddle up, especially when he has a sippy cup full of milk!

Tay is very content to sit in his room and play animals by himself or sit and look at books, or play with legos and come up with tons of creations. But as he is getting a little older, he is spending way more time with Corbin and they love to come up with ALL kinds of ideas!

He loves when he can get one on one time with mommy or daddy. He loves to help me bake, he loves sitting on our laps and reading a book, he loves when I sit down on th floor and play some game with him, he loves when I tell him stories about him being either a superhero or a knight saving the day. Although I think Tay really prefers Daddy's stories because he comes up with very entertaining ones! I just love that our kids love simple things and they don't need much to cheer them up.

Tay is a sensitive child and very caring of others. If we ask him if he would please share a toy with someone, he is usually willing to do it. Taylor and Justin love to give each other the "I Love You" sign, it is there thing, I love seeing Taylor do that to Justin just out of the blue!

When Tay get's in trouble, it is the saddest thing, he looks up at me with those sad eyes and then starts running off crying and saying "fine, I'm not sharing my toys with you!"

Tay is such a delight and he makes the perfect second child. I am so grateful that he was sent to us!

#3 Corbin

Corbs is not such a little boy anymore. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I mean, we have had two other children since him so it would make since that he is growing up, but still it has just gone too fast.

Corbin has a personality like no other person I know and you can see it all over his face, his expressions say it all! He loves to get spazzed up and he gets so excited about the most simplest things; like going to the park, or getting to watch a movie, or getting to make popcorn...

He is very creative, I mean really, he is better than I am. For instance, today he found a stick, found some shoelace and made himself a bow (and used other sticks for the arrows). He was thrilled (until it broke 1 hour later) He has taught me how to make swords and shields out of diaper boxes, he loves making binoculars with paper and tape, he goes through tons of paper just making different maps, he ties rope from his bunk bed and uses them as monkey vines, or just to climb down, and the list goes on...

Corbs has got a one tracked mind, when he wants something and I'm not there to make it or get it for him...he is on it. I could just lay in bed all day and he would take care of himself, the only thing is, he loves me as his audience!!

Corbs has a pretty sensitive side, too. He can get devastated by something we say to him and he tells us we broke his heart, ouch, that one hurts. Or, I love when I see him take such good care of his brothers and makes sure they are okay! He is also quite shy. As much as he LOVES performing at home, he is sooo shy in public. It was a huge achievement to have him give his part for the primary program!

Raising this kid can be challenging at times, but when I see him and Taylor playing for hours laughing and playing pretend, I have to smile. When he does something without asking, I am grateful he is being such a good example to his brothers. When it is Monday night and we are sitting in the family room and he chooses to share his testimony all by himself, I feel, it's worth it all!

#2 Justin

Of course how can I not mention this wonderful husband of mine!!
*Thankyou Justin for choosing me to be your wife!
*Thankyou for being the best dad to our three little rascals!
*Thankyou for providing for us, for making us feel safe and well taken care of!
*Thankyou for taking the time to fix up our home! and anything our little ones break (or even me for that matter)!
*Thankyou for learning to take care of things yourself rather than pay someone else to do it!
*Thankyou for teaching me the value of saving!
*Thankyou for introducing me to frisbee and biking - I love that we really enjoys doing these things together - and even running can be fun with you sometimes :)
*Thankyou for stepping in when you know I have had a hard day!
*Thankyou for rubbing my neck to help get rid of my headaches!
*Thankyou for being the one to kill the spidees (and then teaching our boys so that I don't have too!)
*Thankyou for loving the food I make, or at least eating it!
*Thankyou for being patient with me!
*Thankyou for teaching me that I don't have to throw away food on the sell by date!
*Thankyou for the many hours of card games!
*Thank you for your example!
*Thankyou for being you!!

#1 The Gospel

I cannot start this month of focusing on blessings without first mentioning the gospel. I never think of myself as a person with many gifts, but one that I feel I was blessed with is Faith. I never doubt the gospel. I have always known that I am a child of God, that we had a plan presented to us before this life and that our Savior is the center of that plan, I know I will be with my family forever, Heavenly Father loves me and forgives me for my weaknesses, the Book of Mormon is a true book - it is simple, yet is full of answer's to life's questions, we have a living prophet who recieves revelation from God, temples are a little heaven on earth. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with this Faith and I don't question these things one bit.

I am especially grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior and what he went through so that I might live again. I love knowing that I will always have someone to turn to and I never have to feel alone. He knows just how I feel in every aspect of my life.

This has become one of my favorite talks, how can you not have a great love for our Savior after hearing this?

A month of Blessings

November...the month to focus more on what we are thankful for. I felt like last year, around this time, it went way too fast and I know it will again, but I want to make certain that I am already focusing on what is important to me and think about the things I am thankful for. Each day this month I want to post something I am grateful for. Don't feel like you have to read it at all and this is not intended to brag about me...it just seems like a great way for me to write it down.

Happy Halloween

from two bats and a baby chick...

We had a little Pumpkin Carving party with Alisa and Jerry...the boys were thrilled and came up with all kinds of ideas for a pumpkin, the ending results were...Corbin - A bat and a silly face, Taylor - superman and batman, Jerry (doing it for the rest of us) - A bat and a moon

And of course we had to have cider and some doughnuts (fyi - doughnuts...no good :( ... I will be sticking to the other recipe (from Abe and Nicole) which is so delicious!!) On halloween we went to a local grocery store's trunk or treat. There was one worker that was dressed, well scary. Levi was terrified. He would either stop and stare or else just keep walking past slowly staring at him. He didn't know what to think.

The boys thought it was great, though!It was a blast to have MandiJon (as we call them) and the kids over. We have been getting together every Halloween for the last 3 years and having dinner and trick or treating. Have I ever metioned how much I love having my sister and her family live only 15 minutes away! Well, I do!! Jaina is the girl that I claim for my own since I don't have one (but don't worry Mandi, I won't steal her!) Justin asked Jaina what she was dressed up as, she said, "a costume"

The kids got a TON of candy...but what the heck, it's Halloween!
One of our most favorite part of Halloween this year was watching Levi. I can't believe he is only 14 1/2 months old and he totally got the concept down. He walked right up to the door with all the kids, grabbed some candy, then put it in his bag, walked away without even looking at it, then he was ready to go to the next house. By the end of the night, he was dragging that bag behind him, but he would not let go. When we got home, he found our bowl of candy to pass out to other kids, he sat right down, and starting transfering from our bowl to his bag :) :)