Every year I try to write down one thing every day in November that I am thankful for. This year I had forgotten all about my tradition until a week or so ago, so I had been collecting them all in my head! I have a million things to be thankful for, some very obvious, and others not so much. First of all my family!
My husband, who is the greatest father I know, and very genorous to me and others. My parents have named Carson the ultimate gift giver because he puts so much time and effort into every gift he ever gives.
My Addie, she is the sweetest 2 year old I know.. maybe I'm biased.. But she brings so much joy to my day! When she laughs she makes everyone around her happy. She is very obedient most of the time, and always has something funny to tell you.
My Easton, he is so crazy and fun! I love when he is just so tired that he can't stand it anymore- he has to cuddle with me. (That's about the only time he is still) He loves everyone, but hates having his diapers and clothes changed!
My parents. who taught me most everything I know about how to treat others. They would give you the shoes they are wearing, and never complain. They devote so much time to serving others.
My siblings, who are my very best friends. All 4 of them! How lucky am I?!
Sisters in law, Let's see.. I have 6 wonderful new sisters who I love talking to and miss so much!!
Friendship, I have wonderful friends, some far away (that I miss always) and other rite down the street. Nobody is complete without great friends.
Okay, now the not so obvious ones...
My flat iron, Oh I should probably say this is my very best friend. Without it I would be doomed to walk a life with terrible frizzy hair! Plus it makes my job a whole lot easier, and people think I am fabulous because of this tool!
Cameras, I love being able to capture lifes moments to remember them later.
Technology, Although I am what one would call "tech challenged" I will still say I am very grateful for cell phones, and computers, Ipods, GPS's, and all that! Don't ask me how to use it all, but I love it still!
Doctors, I am glad someone knows things that I haven't a clue about. Modern medicine is amazing.
(By the way.. if this post isn't making sense, sorry. These are thoughts floating out of my head before I think about what I am typing, and I probably won't have time to proofread..)
Television, I love putting my kids to bed and sitting down in front of the TV to watch some pointless mindless show. It is how I relax after what always seems like a long day.
Hot Chocolate, I love it when is starts getting cold outside. Quiktrips is the best!
Coats, nobody can tell how fat you really are in a coat! (if they can then buy a bigger coat!)
The beach, although it has been a while.. I love laying in the warm sun on the sand!
Okay, I could go on all day about all the things that I am glad I have in my life, but I am going to go spend time with the most important of all those things, MY FAMILY.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Invisible Mother
My friend Kali emailed this story to me, so I share it with all of you.....
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it t o me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.
No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM!
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it t o me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.
No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM!
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Summers family
This morning Duane Summers passed away after fighting cancer for over a year. He left behind his wife, Becky, and thier seven children. Becky used to babysit my siblings and I when she was 11. We knew then that she would be an excellent mother, but did not know that she would have to finish it alone. Lucky she has so many people who love her and Duane, and who are willing to give all they have to help this family. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for them, and pray that their faith in the Lord will help them through this.
Watching her yesterday and the way she looked at her husband really helped me to appriciate my own husband. I don't know how I would live my life without him, and am grateful for all he does. He is a great daddy, and a great man! Thank you Becky for loving Duane with all your heart. I saw that in your eyes, and learned from it. Becky is a inspiration to me. Through this whole ordeal she has made life go on for her and her children. I aspire to be the kind of wife and mother she is.
Watching her yesterday and the way she looked at her husband really helped me to appriciate my own husband. I don't know how I would live my life without him, and am grateful for all he does. He is a great daddy, and a great man! Thank you Becky for loving Duane with all your heart. I saw that in your eyes, and learned from it. Becky is a inspiration to me. Through this whole ordeal she has made life go on for her and her children. I aspire to be the kind of wife and mother she is.
Utah trip and Easton's birthday
Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Utah to visit the family! We had a great time and already miss you all!!
Addie and her cousins at the kagaroo zoo.
Easton opening his presents.
Addie and her cousins at the kagaroo zoo.
Easton opening his presents.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
Family picture in the middle of the pumpkin patch!
Easton was the cutest turtle I have ever seen! (Besides my nephew Cohen who wore the costume last year :) 
My sweet little Nemo. She decided a few days before Halloween that she didn't want to be Nemo anymore, she wanted to be Ariel. She was really funny at the trunk or treat because there were a lot of mermaids there and she followed them around thewhole time saying "I want to touch them Mommy."
We dressed the kids up and took them to the pumpkin patch a week or so before Halloween. Forgive me because I don't have any pictures of trick or treating yet, they are on my sister in laws camera. Zach, Kelly, and the boys were down from Colorado for Halloween, and we had so much fun with them! I wish we lived closer! I was thinking of flying myself and the kids out there in 2 weeks while Carson hunts, but I have too many clients already booked. Responsibility sucks sometimes huh! But we always enjoy their visits, and Addie is already missing her cousins!
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