I hope it is obvious in my blog posts how much I love my sisters. They are the best and I am blessed to be so close to them. I only wish we lived much closer to each other. :) They love me despite my flaws. They understand me. We share a history that no one else fully knows but us. That's special. (I really should be grouping my aunt Tami into that whole description too since we grew up together more as sisters than as aunt and niece!!!) I have also been blessed to have 4 great sisters-in-law. While we don't share a lifetime of memories, I still feel like they are my sisters- and I hope that over the years we can become closer even though we don't live near them. #49 My Education
I have a degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University. While I really haven't had too much time to use it professionally, I have certainly used it in my life- within our family, in my kids schools, and in my church responsibilities. I'm glad to have the knowledge I have acquired, the satisfaction that I accomplished that goal, and the security that I could use it professionally if the need arises.#50The ability to cook and clean
#51 Lotion
This is my hand after a day of cooking and cleaning, etc.,etc., etc. Especially during the winter months not much is more appreciated than a good lotion for my dry, itchy, cracking-open-and-bleeding skin. (Sorry about the nastiness of the picture!) My kids have pretty dry skin too. How miserable would life be if I couldn't soothe this simple pain for them and me. A blessing in my life? Yes.
#52 52 Blessings Project
This project has been a good experience for me. I looked for the blessings around me in my daily life- and there are truly so many. Certainly more than 52! I appreciate more the simple things I'd taken for granted. I thought more about how blessed I am. I appreciate whoever's brain child this was. (I learned of through Cara's blog) And I'm glad I did all 52, even if it took me couple of extra weeks to get them all recorded! ;)
Going to Girls Camp this year was full of blessings.
Who'd have thought a little machine in a hole in the corner of my basement would be so important to me. Our sump pump started having problems this fall. It would just not shut off and started making a noise you could hear throughout the house. Sometimes I would just unplug it for a while to free myself from the noise. One night I unplugged it and forgot to plug it back in. Luckily Reagan went to the hardly-used-because-it's-such-a mess basement and reported back that it was flooded. It would have been a much easier mess to clean up had the floors not been covered with miscellaneous toys. Not a fun day. We finally gave in and bought a new one. What a blessing to not have our home filling with water on a daily basis.
Whether the big holiday traditions like Christmas Family Home Evening with friends, decorating the Christmas tree together, big Thanksgiving dinners, Easter Egg hunts, designing birthday cakes & planning birthday parties, Disney trips... or the small ones like playing basketball, Family Home Evenings, going to church, attending school events... these are the the things that help to strengthen our family. This is where many of our memories of good times together are made. This is what helps us want to be a Forever Family.
some Christmas presents.
It feels good to be creative . Since President 
This daughter of ours has blessed our lives, as have the other kids, but I haven't singled her out yet. She has a nice, easy going personality. Lately she's been a little more emotional (hormones kicking in already?) But overall, she's so even tempered. She is a great helper, has a natural talent entertaining small children, can do anything she sets out to do, and she tries many things- except foods! She blesses our lives as Jillie's best friend, as Kobe and Jackson's big sister, and as our sweet daughter. She's growing up fast. I can't believe she'll be going off to Middle School in the fall!
And then there's Kobe. What a character! He can be so sweet and sensitive. He still sometimes asks if I can snuggle with him when he's going to sleep. Melts a mom's heart! He can be annoying little brother sometimes too though! He blesses our family by making us laugh, reminding us to say family prayers, making his artistic creations, and melting all of our hearts with those dimples!
We had to slowly coerce him to open the rest after a while. Every time we'd offer another present to open he would just say, "No! I like Cars!" as if he'd have to trade the Cars for the new present. He finally opened some more, but I think this one remains his favorite with Mickey's Speedway as a close second.
...with Uggs.
Reagan too...
The boys ended up with mostly toys, toys, toys and the girls got lots of clothes and girlie things
We ate Italian at Jillie's request- Angela's delicious lasagna and my homemade spaghetti. Jillie got her orthodontic expander out on Christmas Eve morning. We thought she would be getting braces on that morning too, but a Christmas miracle happened. :) He decided he didn't have time to do the braces and made her a retainer to hold everything in place til Jan 22 when she will start braces. So yea! She gets to eat again! We are relieved.
(Kobe, Blake, Reagan, Jillie, Connor, Jackson)
(Angela w/ 'Baby L', Cole, Dave, Greg)
church activities, Christmas parties, and trying to fit in meals and homework... bedtimes were running behind schedule. I even scrapped any attempt at creative gifting. This is the best I could do for Reagan's teacher's gift. 
(I'm the room parent and collected money to get the teacher a gift. These are each gift cards to a few of her favorite places. I called her son who is Greg's friend to find out what she likes.)
Other than that, I scrambled Monday night before Christmas to prepare for the kids last day of school. We had snow days on Friday, (Sunday), and Monday. Monday afternoon I realized that we had to get everything to school the next day. Got the kids friends gifts ready to go, teacher gifts, party supplies, crepes for Reagan's Heritage Festival...
Then realized it was my last chance to go out child free on Tuesday while Jackson was at school so I needed to evaluate all the kids gifts for equality & see who needed to be bought for still, plan our Christmas Eve party, and prepare a shopping list for all of the last minute gifts and goodies I needed. Like all procrastinators, I work well under pressure- and I simplify better when there's no time for the perfectionist-wanna-be inside of my head.
