Counting My Blessings

1. I'm married to Mr. Wonderful. He is my best friend (whodathunk that anyone could take my twin sis' place as BF#1?) He works hard so I can be a SAHM, puts up with my dry sense of humor (which he often has to explain to others), and compliments my right-brained thinking with his left-brained thinking. He makes me feel loved, beautiful, and safe on a daily basis. He encourages me in my dreams. He can fix anything (woo-hoo!) He also happens to be tall, dark, and handsome. ;)

2. Four beautiful kids. Each one unique and determined to teach me something new every day. All healthy (at least for today). They are not perfect but they can be kind, thoughtful, and loving. They make me laugh on a daily basis. DS#2 has recently been teaching DD how to identify Jazz basketball players. She now calls them by name and loves to watch bball with the boys. DS#1 has been playing around with music software and writing his own music. His stuff sounds pretty good. DS#3 comes home from kindergarten with all sorts of facts to share with me. They are involving me in their lives and I love it.

3. DH's job which is taking us on a new adventure.

4. My Twin Sis, to whom my long distance phone calls were once referred to as "cheap therapy" by DH. (He no longer has to worry that "cheap therapy" will once again be part of our budget. Twin sis and I both have Verizon and our calls are free.) She may have been relegated to BF#2 (just as I have since her DH is her BF#1) but she is and always will be my BGF. Through all of my mini- crisis while DH has held one hand, Twin Sis has held the other. She can still finish my sentences for me. I know she will always love me no matter what.

5. My family, which includes DH's brothers and their wives. Their faith in God strengthens me. I love having Family Nights with them and hearing their prayers and testimonies. I love attending their kids baptisms and ordinations and witnessing their faith and strength. I love singing hymns with them and hearing four-part harmony.

6. Music. All kinds of good uplifting music. Religious, classical, jazz, musicals, some contemporary. If the lyrics are clean and something I can play on the CD at home or on the radio with my kids in the car then it can qualify as good music. Lately I have been listening to a radio station that plays Christian as well as non religious contemporary that falls in my category. It has been fun to sing along to. It has been even more fun to hear my 4 yr old DD pick up the lyrics and sing along. It has been a riot to look in the rear view mirror and see her play air guitar along with some of the more upbeat tunes. If she hears a gospel choir singing backup she puts up her hands and "raises the roof".

7. My parents serving a mission in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their emails and pictures have taught my kids more about life outside of the United States than anything they have learned at school. Seeing the good they do has motivated my family to find good things to do in our area. We miss them very much (DD keeps asking to see them) but we love having them where they are. My parents recently told me that they expected to have 6 hours a day work time on this mission and so far they have had 12-hour work days. Their new motto is "Let's go do some good".

8. My in-loves doing Family History work at home. They have spent hours on the Internet and at the Family History Library, not only working on their own family history, but helping anyone with their own family history. They are incredible at reading handwritten records from the 1600 that I can't interpret at all. The stories they come up with are amazing (the story of the meaning of their family crest is a riot). On top of this they also work two days a week in the Jordan River Temple and spend hours with their church callings.