Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Eternally Grateful

There has been a church video circulating around about what people are thankful for. I haven't been able to see until a few minutes ago on a friend's blog because our computers have been having many issues.

I posted this as a comment on her blog and wanted to make sure I put it up on my blog as well.

"When I see videos done by the church like this, my heart wells up with so much gratefulness and I am humbled to realize everything, EVERYTHING in my life is designed just for me. I am a child of God. He loves me. He knows who I am. And I have the knowledge of the restored gospel. I have parents who bent over backwards to make sure I would follow the straight and narrow path and for their gift to me being members of the church, I will be forever grateful. I am thankful to be me."

I have people who love me, all of my crazy quirks, weird habits, you know- what makes me who I am. I have a mother, father, and stepmom who all love me very much. They gave me roots in the gospel- I didn't have to wander around through life trying to find it, I just had to figure out how to accept it. I have a husband who takes time to make my life easier, who loves me, who does everything in his power to make sure I can be a happy person. I have a beautiful son, who I think I practically willed into existance, who is very easy to raise (even when I don't want to be the grown-up), and fills everyday with smiles and giggles, and now hugs me back. I have the opportunity to bring another life into this world, when there are so many others who would give anything to have that opportunity. The older I get, the more I realize just how awesome it is to be me. I'm awesome! And I would NEVER want to be anyone else.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Most Thankful

Alrighty, for those of you who's been following my weird status updates on Facebook, I'm outing myself.

Story: I took this test on Sunday last weekend, right after we got home from church- middle of the day, hormones not that high in the cup, if you get my drift. I was pretty sure I was, so I bought this last week on Friday.

My initial test didn't turn immediately like it had with Jonathan, so I yelled at Lars from the bathroom that it was negative and then decided to tell him how long it said to wait on the package. He yelled back to leave it and come have lunch and we'd check it afterward.

I forgot it was even in there, so as Lars was getting up to put his dishes in the sink, I remembered and asked him to get it. He yelled from the bathroom that he wasn't sure how to read it, so I told him to bring it out to me. Although not as strong as the first line, the second was definitely there. It looked identical to the time I took Jonathan's first test. I was relieved to see I was right and I wasn't late and queasy from some other reason. But I still couldn't really believe it. I left the test on the bathroom counter by the sink for the next 4 days, double checking to make sure I was right every time I went in the bathroom for whatever. I finally took a picture and threw it away.
This whole week, I told only a few people and felt like I was lying, since I'd taken 6 pregnancy tests to confirm with Jonathan and I was worrying myself into a stupor. I sent Lars out to get more tests from the store, but wouldn't you know, they were out of stock and wouldn't be rotating it until Saturday afternoon. I hate life when it gets in the way of my own sanity...

So tonight, while he was coming back from La Habra, I called and asked Lars to pick me up a couple more. Bless his heart, he bought four... he knows me. And these are the results:

So yep. I'm DEFINITELY preggers. And to top to it off, I'm not sick hardly at all! *knock on wood* Just queasy at times and a little dizzy when I forget to drink enough water. After seeing this little panel of tests, I was instantly feeling more calm. Willing to tell the blogging world in fact. So there you have it. 'll be taking polls on what we're having later. As for me, I'm voting girl.
I'm thankful for babies in November: Jonathan turning one, and finding out the same week his little sibling is on the way.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Thankful 4

Stay-at-Home-Mom

Four little consecutive words, but how much they mean. I can not even tell you how seriously blessed I am to be able to stay home with my little boy. With how attached to me he has been this first year, especially the first 6 months, I just don't know how I could've ever gone back to work, even if we were overly desperate.

I'm sure part of me is lazy and hates working and would rather be at home than out slaving away for someone else, but really I do prefer to be at home watching my son grow, test my patience, spill things, eat paper and diaper wipes, throw up, run away from me, all those things that toddlers do. But amidst all that are the godlen moments- giggles, smiles, seeing him do everything for the first time, being there to cuddle and love him when he's hurt or lonely, able to put him to bed at night.

I am very thankful that I am able to be home to raise my son everyday.

Thankful 3 (yesterday's post, internet was down)

WATER

I am SO thankful for fresh, clean running water. I don't have much of a view while looking out of my bay window in my living room, but what I do see I love am very thankul for- there is a well house with a HUGE pipe that extends from it about 5 feet sround and 12 feet long before it goes into the ground, enclosed behind chainlink and brick walls on either side. Our city is one of only 3-4 in the entire area of Soutern California that has its own natural clean water well that doesn't have to borrow and pay another city for its use of water. And I'm lucky enough to live right on top of it! I do enjoy great hot water and cold water, good pressure most days, too.

I've had to try to live without running water for a few days on more than one occation over at my mother-in-law's while the plumbing was on the fritz and I'll tell you, running to the grocery store around the corner every 10 minutes is not very condusive to a normal lifestyle. =P

All the normal things in life we do everyday take lots and lots of water- bathroom use, laundry, making baby formula/food, washing our hands, cooking, cleaning up baby, drinking, etc. You get the picture. How blessed are we to live in such a wonderful time that we have fresh water at the twist of a faucet knob?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Thankful 2

Alrighty. This may sound reaaaaally shallow, but here it goes. Today I am thankful for cable. I've missed it, but have learned that I can function and DO much more if I just shut off the tv.

But today I got cable. I feel like I've really made it, as if I'm really a grown up because I now have to pay for my own cable. Weird? Maybe, but everyone has that moment in their lives when they feel like they've really matured and are fully into adulthood. It just so happens that today was my day.

I'm most thankful for it because on those long days-Monday, Tuesday, and any other day that he needs to fully consentrate without a wife and a toddler vying for attention- I can flip it on in the evenings around 5-6 and have an adult voice to keep me company. I get so lonely around that time of night. It just feels nice to be able to have "adult conversation" around me after the entire day full of baby babbling and squealing.

**NOTE** I tried to publish this last night, but the internet connection was in and out for around 2 hours.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Thankful November

I'm stealing this from an old friend who also stole it from one of her old friends. I need more time to think about all the good things in my life and be grafeul for all of it. So even though I'm a couple days behind, I want to try to be diligent in doing a "thankful post" everyday for this month.

Today I am thankful for my mother. She has always been there for me, even during the time I was ackward and angry through my teenage years and early twenties- which by the way, I'm just getting over. She has such a giving heart and is the most thoughtful person I've ever known. She's given her life to others to try and make them more comfortable and happy, insomuch that she now has permanent health problems. She now has some time to take for herself to be more healthy and active and I'm so very glad of that.

I love her sweet voice and her emotions as she feels for me all the things I go through. She is a wonderful grandmother. She loves to listen to me talk and talk and talk about my son and never tires of it, even though I'm sure I repeat myself over and over and over.

I'm thankful that she always taught me not to hate, even though there were many times which I'm sure she would've been justified in hating many people for the things that they did. I hear her voice in my head saying, "Never hate, Rebekah. Hate the actions, but not the person. It poisons who you are if you can't forgive." I could never understand why she was so passionate about it when I'd scream and cry about how someone had hurt me or someone I cared about and I'd say, "I HATE THEM!!" She was very right. Hate does poison who we are.

I'm thankful for all the skills she passed to me. She instilled a desire to be a good wife and homemaker. Even though she never took the time to officially teach me how to do a lot of things, I was always watching her- sewing, baking, crocheting, floral arranging, running her business in our basement. If someone wanted something, she could create it with her own two hands.


And she still calls me, talks to me. I have no idea what could possess her to continue loving me after all those horrible years while I was trying to figure out who I was, but she did and still loves me when I get angry about silly things, even when I shouldn't. She has the sweetest, most tender spirit. I am blessed to have such a mother.

Mom, today I am thankful for you. I love you.