Gratitude #8 Family

I am really grateful for the blessing that is family. Just last month our family lost my only male cousin on my mom's side to a very tragic accident. After the funeral our little boys met for the first time and it was so adorable to see how much they got along and how much his son is like him. One of the greatest blessings we will have in this life are the people we didn't choose, but have been part of us from the beginning.

Gratitude #7 the power of prayer

Gratitude #7 I am so grateful for the power of prayer! I love that Jerron is catching on and that we get to share our prayers with friends and family. There are so many prayers of mine that have been answered, not always how I want. But always in the best way in the end. 
This picture is of my our boy saying the blessing over our dinner, he always has the best prayers when it does it by himself.

Gratitude post #7 Right to Bare Arms

I am very grateful to be in a country where we have so many freedoms.  Today I am grateful that we have the right to own and bare our own arms.  Target practice can be a great relief of stress. 

Gratitude post #6 Toby!

I would feel very ungrateful if I didn't mention the smallest guy in our family, who is such a big part of our home. This little guy is Toby and if you have ever met him you probably have an idea how lucky we are to have him!
In march 2009 we gave up our first dog, Ke'Shaunte who was a pitbull, in an attempt to smooth over some trouble with some.neighbors. it was truly heart breaking for Joshua and I because she was our first baby. She was so sweet and we loved her! I swore after her we would never have another dog because of how hard it was to lose her, for some this may sound silly, but I have rarely felt such pain and loss.
In August the movie How to Train Your Dragon came.out and the main dragon reminded me so much of Ke'Sh that I just wanted to foster a dog for a bit to just ease the loss. On KSL.com classifieds there was someone who needed to find a home for small dog that weekend or they would have to take him to the pound, so we met up with the owner in Spanish fork and took Toby home. It wasn't love at first sight, in fact we were actively looking for a home for him. After 3 weeks we found a place for him and as I was making arrangements to do the exchange I noticed I wasn't having to sweep or mop as much. Then one day I saw Toby was following little Jer around the house, everywhere he went there was Toby. Everytime Jer dropped a morsel of food Toby quickly cleaned it up. It occurred to me this guy could earn his keep!
By this time he was really settled in and was comfortable. He would go outside with me and do chores. He would try to play with the cats, he even help herd the goats! Jerron could snuggle him and I didn't have to worry about it.
I was in love with our little mutt. Somehow he has become to perfect dog for us. He protects the animals from everything, including the sheep herding dog that is 5x his size that would sometimes come into the field. He knows when something is out place and he will take off and scare any animal that does not belong.
But the best thing about Toby? He is our little boy's best friend. He puts up with everything and loves every moment of being here, mostly. He sleeps with our little boy, he cleans up after him, he protects him and most of all he just loves him! He lights up when he meets new people and brings out the light in others. We truly are blessed to have him.

Gratitude #5 Running water

I am really grateful for running water in my home! It may seem to odd to think that there are still people who have never seen a home with indoor plumbing, but it is a harsh reality few Americans will ever have to face. In our day and age in America a family without running water would be faced with having their children taken from them because we see it as such a necessity, while in other countries it is such a luxury to have this service that they can barely imagine the possibility.
This little stream is close to my home, I drive over it every day, and if you look close enough you can see a crane standing in it.

Day #4 of gratitude. Medicine

#4 I'm really grateful for modern medicine. I had been sick for over 2 weeks, went to the doctor and I was able to get medicine that has me almost back to full health in a week, it is quite amazing what we have available. Back in the day I'm sure bronchitis was a very scary and dangerous illness, but today it can be treated quickly!

Day #3 of gratitude. Our Home

Jerron and I were away for the weekend so u have to make up for a couple days. I'm really grateful for the place where we live. We have a home with plenty of room and land enough for animals and still close enough to neighbors to be part of the community.

Day 2 of gratitude. Friendship

I am very grateful for dear friends. I believe true friends are a blessing from God and I am grateful for the friends of mine, my son's and my husband's that have enriched our lives through trials, triumphants and everything in between.

Day 1 of gratitude 2012. Humor

I am really grateful for a healthy sense of humor! This picture is of a toilet that really made me laugh. To some this is just weird, but I found this very funny! There is humor in just about everything, if you want to see it. Thankfully I find humor throughout almost everyday!