Thanks!!!!

So, I decided I am not going to wait until I have something brilliant to say or something amazing happens before I write something else on here! As if I wait to say something brilliant in real life before I say it! Since it was Thanksgiving yesterday, I thought I would at least share some of the things I am grateful for. I am grateful for:

• My wonderful husband. Lamon is so positive and fun, and does goofy things all the time on purpose to make people laugh. I am so thankful to Lamon for making me feel loved, comfortable and safe. One of my friends teased me the other day telling me that Lamon was my favorite subject, and it is probably true. I never get sick of telling people, and Lamon, how much I love and appreciate him. He is such a great father to our children, and makes me so happy. I don't think I could ever get sick of being around him. He is such a hard worker. He does so much for our family. He is a great provider and he is a great leader. And okay, lets be honest . . . He is pretty much hot. Not that that is important! He is funny, and tender, and just has good character. I wonder a lot of times how I was lucky enough to get him! I'd rather spend my time with him than anyone else on Earth!
• Drew. I am so grateful for Drew. Drew is so creative and imaginative. He brings so much life to our household. I don't think there is ever a boring day with Drew. It is so easy to stay in touch with the child within with Drew around. I am so grateful for this fun age where I get to play with him. He lets me put on a cape and be batgirl, run around the house and play hide and seek, and share and read stories with me. I am thankful for the hard days when I have to discipline Drew for doing something he shouldn't do, because I love watching him see and realize the things he does wrong, and for those gospel teaching moments we have. Drew is very inquisitive and bright and can be so sensitive and loving. I just love him. He also teaches me by the way he is so passionate about things. If he is doing something he wants to do, nothing can detour him from it until he has finished it to his liking. And he is very confident in his work which makes me so happy!
• Hayden. I am thankful for Hayden. It's hard not to want to just grab him up and squeeze him a zillion times a day. He is so darn cute. His little voice coupled with the funny things he says and the adorable faces he makes while he says it . . . makes it impossible not to just love that kid. He is so fun. He's got his nursery teacher wrapped around his little finger. She has told me that her and her daughters keep eachother entertained often with "Haydenisms." They love quoting things that they have heard him say to eachother. On my birthday Hayden said something off the wall funny and gave me a funny smile, and I said, "Hayden . . . I love you! You are so cute!" Then Hayden smiled and said, "Mom . . . I love you! . . . You're a good camper!" That same day in Nursery they were taking about fish, and Sister Hahn was talking about small fish and big fish and Hayden blurted out, "Oh . . . Oh! I know! Like Free Willy! Free Willy has two wheels." She couldn't stop laughing about that. He just says all of these things with such an all knowing serious face.
• Ada. I am grateful for my little girl! She is so different from my boys. She is so . . . girly! Which I am grateful for. I think that is an area I struggle with sometimes. Ada has been helping me learn to be "girly" again. I painted her toenails the other day and curled her hair in little ringlets . . . and it was surprisingly very fun! Ada has such a strong personality. I think that she will be a girl who knows what she wants! She certainly knows what she wants on many occasions and she loves to point at what she wants and say, "Uuuuh." I will be grateful for the day she will know how to communicate what she wants so I don't have to point at everything in the house saying, "This Ada? This? ?????" ! I am especially grateful for her sweet and tender spirit. She is such a cuddler. Sometimes when she is so fussy during the day, all she wants for me to do is to come and let her sit on my lap and be with her. She will sit in my lap and listen to me read books. My boys didn't do that until a lot later. I love it. She loves the boys and wants to do whatever they do. Lately at night she has climbed in bed with them after prayers and pulled up the covers looking up at us like, "Okay, this is where I belong Mom." And she will whine when I take her to her room.

Wow I'm long winded! I need to go to bed and I just got through my little family! I had better continue my thankful list throughout the week!!

28x2

On Sunday it was me and Liz's 28th Birthday. I feel so young, and yet I am getting so old! Not really, but time does certainly fly. I feel like I just turned 21. I don't really keep track anyways. I haven't for awhile. It usually takes me a second to figure out how old I am when someone asks.
I remember once when I was working in the Library at BYU a girl named Dixie Millet asked me, "How old are you Mary?" I told her, "I'm 22." She was like, "No you're not! Because we went to school together and I am only 20 . . . " Or something to that effect. For a minute I wasn't really sure if I really was 22. I had to calculate and make sure in my mind. And then I said assuredly, "Yes . . . I am 22, my birthday was in November . . . etc. etc." So then that same night another co-worker came in and asked me the same question. "How old are you Mary?" I turned to her and said, "23." I was completely serious. Dixie was like, "Mary! You are not 23!" Typical Mary moment . . .
Anyway, I am pretty sure I turned 28 on Sunday.
P.S. This is an old picture of me and Liz. We are certainly hot in this picture, but we are even hotter now!! :) Just kidding. (but not really)

My favorite Birthday gift yet!!!!!/

Drew was so excited to give me an early birthday present last night. He made a card for me, and it just melted my heart! He is so cute. He is trying to figure out all of the sounds, and he wrote this message all by himself, if you couldn't tell. In case you were wondering what momIlikyo Bkooz your NIs means . He meant, "Mom, I like you because you're nice."
How cute! I am excited for all the cards in the future. And I secrectly hope I get a few more that look just like this!! Is it bad to hope Drew won't learn how to spell perfectly too soon? Just kidding. But I sure think it's adorable.

Hayden . . . Did you throw up?

So a few weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night to Hayden screaming. I was so tired and I was thinking, "Oh great!" I had to wake up early and did not want to get up. But I got up and went into his room and was confronted with a terrible sight. Throw up! Pools of it on his bed! Lovely! Hayden was just crying and I said, "Oh no Hayden, You threw up? I'm sorry. Come here, let's get your clothes off and change the sheets. LUckily his pillow didn't get any throw up on it and his clothes were okay. So I just folded in the corners of the comforter and took it off the bed. I changed the sheets and told Hayden to stay there while I went to stick the comforter in the wash. So I took it downstairs and started the washer and as I was putting it in I was just waiting to see the mess . . . but um . . . I never did. I didn't see any throw up on the entire blanket. I walked upstairs and knelt down by Hayden and said, "Hayden . . . you didn't throw up did you." He looked up at me and just shook his head and said, "no". So there you go! A whole hour of sleep lost due to my brain! I promise I don't do drugs. I swear I saw throw up! Anyway, it was pretty funny!