#74

I am grateful for:

74. a week with my entire family all together in one place.
75. A dad who lets us tease him, and wakes up every morning with the kids to make them pancakes.
76. A mom who spends all of her life planning and preparing fun activities for her grandkids, and Loves all of them to pieces. She spent all of her time in the past few weeks making the tree house of all tree houses. She built it all by herself!!! While my brother, the builder, acted as her personal building consultant, and answered all of her questions over the phone. I am also grateful that we have a lot of fun together and I always know that she loves having us around no matter what.
77. Danny, who always puts his arm around me in a loving, big brother way and calls me when he gets a minute.
78. Meredith, who always gives me a compliment and has a sweet way about her in everything she does.
79. David, who has almost gained Grandma status because he is always on the kids level, playing and having fun with them, and who always makes for good conversation. And, for the opportunity I have to be a big sister, because I always will always love him in a special way.
80. For Megan, who blends so seemlessly into our family. She is fun, sweet, cute, beautiful, helpful, wise, fashionable, playful, loving, adorable, and great in every way. I really just adore her. I don't think anyone could help it.
81. Angi, who is teasable, and has always been there for me, always. She is everyone's protector, and has little inhibition, which makes her a great playmate for people of all ages.
82. Jeff, who adds humor to life, and provided me with his interpretation of "me" when I begged him, and was right on, in an amazingly accurate way. Jeff has a way of making me feel like he has accepted me, I really appreciate that.
83. Kariann, who gets me, and adds energy to life, and also plans all of our days and keeps us on task, which I am SOOO grateful for, because, I have to admit, I like a plan, and its a hard job.
84. Chad, who plays hard and helps hard, a great dad, and great to my kids.
85. Brad, who was willing to fly out just for the weekend, just so that I could stay with my family for Thanksgiving and he knew I wanted him to. And for how much I love having him around.
86. All of the cousins, and how much fun they had together. And that they have all of these opportunities to grow close to one another eventhough we live so far apart.
87. Christ, who came to earth, so that we can know how to live, and the peace that comes to my life as I follow him.
88. To be me. Quirks, and all.
89. My life, and all that it includes, the joy that comes from the good things, and the growth, and joy that comes from the hard things.
90. The times that God answers my prayers, and the times that he gifts me with blessings I didn't even ask for.

#73

73. I am grateful for the many kind strangers who went out of their way to help me maneuver myself, three kids, 2 carryons, a stroller and a carseat through the airport. Especially when it was midnight and the 3 kids were fast asleep and uninterested in waking up to walk and carry their carryons to baggage claim. It reminded me how good people are, and left me feeling soo grateful for their kindness. I really, really could not have done it without them.

#68

68. I am grateful that the girls had a surprise for me when they woke up. They were so excited to tell me they had made their beds and I "didn't even need to ask them!"

69. I am grateful the girls were excited to help me match and fold a laundry basket full of odd socks.

70. I am grateful they can help me out in really useful ways.

71. I am grateful that everytime I get in a cold car with Brad, he has turned on my seat heater just to make me happy =0).

72. I am grateful for airplanes!

#63

63. This morning I am so grateful for the speakers I listened to last night. Four of my take home messages: Make communication with my kids (all of the time, and especially about God) a huge priority, Strengthen my spirituality and spend the most amount of time on my weakest areas, and make 100% success my goal and when I don't get it 100% of the time just try again, make strengthening the life of a young woman everyday my goal (any young woman anywhere, not just the young women in my church congregation.)

One of my favorite quotes: "Through a child's eyes, their family is their entire world, Oh how important it is that we step back and see the world through a child's eyes." Rosemary Wixom, Primary General President (this title means that she is the president of the children's organization for our entire church throughout the entire world).

Can I just tell you how incredible her talk was. It brought me back to my center, gave me great ideas on how to focus on my family and living a God centered life together.

64. I am grateful for my friend Amy who always tells me when I do something to answer her prayers. She is one of the things that has helped me realize that the Holy Ghost prompts me more than I thought, and to recognize what that prompting feels like. A priceless gift.

65. I am grateful that I get extra time this morning to pack anything I have forgotten.

66. I am grateful for my family, and that they are the most important thing to me.

67. I am grateful that I know God will help us grow towards him, together. And that with Him, we can be a family forever.

59.

59. I'm grateful that I get to go to a women's meeting at church tonight. The general Young Women's, Relief Society, and Primary presidents are going to be there!

60. I'm grateful Brad is coming home early to watch the kids so I can go.

61. I'm grateful I don't have to pack everyday. Today it is on my list of least favorite things to do!

62. On the other end of that, I'm grateful I get to go home to be with my family, and that the whole clan is going to be there!

I have to include this picture because I love it

And this one because Megan isn't in the first one, and I love her.

And this one to give you a better idea of what "the whole clan" means. . . All under one roof =0). Can't wait!

56.

Today I am grateful for Gwen.

Gwen is an exuberant soul. When Gwen is smiling, her whole body smiles, and everyone else smiles too. I love the makings of her little person. She draws me right in. She is a little bit of everything. Dainty, rough and tumble, quiet, outgoing, with a mind of her own, yet always eager to do what is right, kind and loving. One Gwen quirk is that she loves everything teeny tiny. She always has an inventory of her special collections, even if it is a paperclip. She will ask something like, "Mommy can I go get my paperclip? It is next to the sink in the bathroom under the towel." Every morning, she is holding exactly the same collection that she had before she went to bed. She also loves to organize things. I often find objects perfectly lined up in a row on the floor, under the cabinet, along the window sill. I always know it was her. Gwen also LOVES to be a helper, I often find her at my heels wanting to know how she can help me. And I have had many people tell me what a good friend she is. One of my favorite memories of Gwen is around 2, she would always come up to me, put her chubby little hand by my ear to move my hair away, and in a soft, airy voice, say, "Mommy, you sooo make me happy." and then back away with a little closed mouth Gwen smile. I love having her around. I always ask her, "Gwen, do you know what makes me happy?" She backs away, gives me that same closed mouth, smiley eyed, Gwen smile and points to herself over and over while she whispers, "me." with a giggle.

57. I am grateful that my favorite thing to do is be on a date with BR. We had a perfect night last night, even though my plan and my backup plan fell through. I always come home happy and rejuvinated.

58. I am grateful for my sweet kids. Just now:

Gwen: Aahh, I know Liv, we can write about how much we love our mom!!

Liv: I already know lots that we can write!

I had a pretend job today

55. I am grateful that Brad asked me to come in and interpret for a deaf man at his office today. BR has a new patient at his office who needs an ASL interpreter. BR asked me to do it, and had tons of confidence in my ability to do a great job. Every time I mentioned I was a bit nervous, BR said, "you shouldn't be, you'll do great." In the end he was right, it went very, very well. The patient was really neat, fun, easygoing, happy. I really enjoyed pursuing something different, and really enjoyed having a new title (other than mom), and I remembered how much I LOVE sign language. I am so grateful to BR who thought of me, knew I could do it, and asked me to help him out. I am already excited for his next appointment in 6 months.

Glitter

Imagine it, It has been raining outside since we woke up this morning. The grey, dark sky kind of rain. Just now, a sun burst streamed through an opening in the sky and shown through my family room window. The screen on the window is covered in thousands of tiny rain drops, all shimmering as if it is covered in thousands of pieces of glitter.

54. I am grateful for the beauty of the earth.

More to come from today, I had a really neat opportunity this morning that I am VERY grateful for!

P.S. The heart bokeh idea is not my own, it came from here (scroll down to the October 19th post.) I loved it, and had fun imagining how I would reproduce it, this picture is my first attempt.

#49

49. I am grateful that bad mornings can turn into fine days.

50. I am grateful that my floors are clean and shiny now.

51. I am grateful that the leaves have fallen, so I can stand at my front door and wave to the bus driver when Liv gets dropped home instead of walking all the way out to the street in the rain.

52. I am grateful for everyone that smiled at me today =0).

53. I am grateful for my lists and the slight sense of organization they gave me this morning.

#43

Today I am grateful for:

43. Family Home Evening

44. A fresh Haircut, and a hair dresser that I love.

45. Friends that will watch my kids when I need it.

46. A great, great lesson in Young Women's yesterday by Jessica.

47. We get to go to SAINT LOUIS!!!!! We're counting down the days!

48. That Beckham slept through the night after going to sleep at 2:30, right after church, and not waking up before we all went to bed!

#38

38. I am grateful for my favorite necklace. We purchased the pearl on our honeymoon, and Brad had it set in a necklace for me for our first anniversary. I am super sentimental and it is special to me. And I am grateful that the chain has never broken at a time when I would have lost the pendant.

39. I am grateful for the feeling of a fresh, clean, brushed, flossed, minty mouth. I love that feeling.

40. I am grateful for how much joy the girls get out of oranges. They love them, wish I would let them eat 4 a day and love to put the peelings over their teeth. I love to hear them giggle about it.

41. I am grateful for church music playing through my house on Sundays.

42. I am grateful for Brad who went out of his way to get speakers for our computer just because he knew they would make me happy.

#33

#33. I am grateful for the little things that let me know that God is real, and that reaffirm to me that the teachings of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are true. Here is my best effort to explain what I am saying to my potentially broad audience.

Intro: I have had numerous spiritual experiences that have taught me things like: God is real, Jesus Christ is our Savior, he died for all of us, through him and only him we can be completely clean from our sins, he can lead us to true happiness. I continually have experiences that confirm that if I have a problem, and I turn to God, pray about it, ask for help, try my best to follow his teachings, he will ALWAYS answer my prayers. God loves me, he loves you, he will always help me if I turn to him. I could go on and on. I don't need anything more, but I am grateful for the extras.

Again, I am grateful for the little things that let me know that God is real, and that reaffirm to me that the teachings of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true. These are the two experiences that prompt this statement. 1. Brad gave me a blessing the other night. It was such an answer to my prayers. To start out with, Brad came home, I had a bunch of jumbled thoughts, so much so, that I couldn't explain to him what I was thinking. I didn't even try, I only asked for the blessing. Brad has the priesthood, he can give priesthood blessings. Sometimes it is a blessing of healing, sometimes of comfort and counsel. Always it is from God. This was a blessing of comfort and counsel. His words in the blessing answered every jumbled thought and concern that I had. It was an incredibly personal experience that was only possible because God knows me in a complete way. He knows my thoughts. Through the priesthood and God's ability to communicate with us on earth, Brad can really give me a blessing that is from God. One way I know this is because Brad didn't know the things that he was able to tell me because I had never verbalized the questions. Only God knew, because only God knows my thoughts. The results of the blessing were that I felt clear about my direction on the issue, and completely calm about it. 2. Brad and I went to a world-wide training meeting this morning. The prophet, Thomas Monson, spoke and introduced a new guidebook which outlines the organization of the church, and church policy. He introduced it by saying, we now have 14 million members of the church, and we have written this book in order to keep our structure and practices pure and consistent throughout the world. This makes complete sense to me. I am amazed at how organized the church is, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to try to keep a church of 14 million members, amongst world-wide areas and cultures, the same from one place to the next. It is. Church leadership is always one step ahead of everything. Throughout our moves, and travels, we always find church in one place to be the same as it is in the next. The organization is amazing. It is done in such a simple, clear fashion, that it testifies to me that God is behind it.

These are not the foundation of my faith, they are extras, that reaffirm my faith, and remind me how clear and simple it ALL is. How much it makes sense, and how much I love it ALL and what it adds to my life.

I am grateful for the extra ways God shows himself in my life.

34. I am grateful that Brad and I like to do house projects together.

35. For good friends that we love to be with, and support me in SO MANY other ways.

36. I am grateful for childcare at the gym.

37. I am grateful for Keebler grasshopper cookies in my freezer. My recent addiction.

Plus a link to www.mormon.org

-Betsy

Art and the way it makes me feel

32. Today I am grateful for art and the way it makes me feel. Alive, excited, rejuvenated. Its a combination of satisfaction that comes from creating something, seeing it my head and then seeing it on paper, Making something noteworthy and beautiful out of something I usually think of as everyday, walking around searching for beauty in the world around me, and the peace that comes as I tune out other thoughts.

More Gratefuls

29. Don't you love bonus Saturdays? Brad had the day off, and the girls had no school, it felt like Saturday on a Thursday. I LOVE that, and I am grateful for it.

30. We went to watch the Veteran's day parade. It was moving to watch all of the veteran's from the various wars march down the street. I got all choked up, and was reminded of how very thankful I am for them, for everyone who has fought to protect the freedom that I enjoy today, and how grateful I am for our country. I love America.

31. I am grateful for Brad's sister Bridgette, her great husband Gary and their cute family. I think she is great and I am so grateful that when I don't get to live by my sisters, I get to live close to her. And I am grateful that I get to live by my adorable, sweet, silly, smart nieces. Nora even sat on my lap during the parade today. I love those girls.

#28

28. Today I am grateful that I get to stay home with my kiddos. I am especially grateful that it's not only important to me, but it is equally important to Brad.

#27

27. Today, (Tuesday) I am grateful for story time with Daddy. Especially on nights like tonight when all of the characters have different accents =0).

Getaway | Boston

(a blurry picture of Brad kissing my cheek on the jumbotron)

(Our "borrowed seats" really were this close.) (this is a very tame picture of the food at the Chinese market. I am sparing your tender stomachs )

I am telling you it is all about the food.

The man behind the wall to the left is the one who massaged BR using all of his weight behind his elbows. . . no exageration.

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15301553@N02/5158137282/" title="boston-2 by betsy_rand, on Flickr">

Everything on this man's cart was part of his instrument.

(I convinced BR to go play with this street performer. He was a good sport.)

Celtics game: "Borrowed" court-side seats from strangers for the first half. Us on the Jumbo-tron twice. Celtics win in overtime.

Chinatown: Visited the Chinese market: "I just pretend I'm at the zoo." -Brad while trying to teach Betsy not to get sick from looking at the meat options. Chinese massage: "I didn't think I would make it through the first 5 minutes, let alone a half hour." "Can you imagine the deep tissue massage??" "He cured me." -BR Lunch at our favorite place-PHO.

7 minutes from the temple, Indian lunch buffet. Freeport on the way.

Exploring the city via the subway: People watching on the T, Sneaking into the bathroom at the Taj Boston, Window shopping on Newbury street, Street performers, Mike's Pasteries (really its all about the food), Gadiva Chocolate, Popcorn and movie at Loews Cinema, The T's final stop right next to our hotel, All day without our jackets just so we didn't have to carry them around,

Dinner at the restaurant where we got engaged

.

26. Today I am grateful that my kids aren't tired, sick and cranky every day. Because, in combination with the gloomy weather, it is really getting to me. I hope they weren't like this for you, Brianna.

#23

23. (Sunday) Today I am grateful I got to have a really great trip to Boston with my hubby. And that we have an annual date weekend in the fall. I am grateful that we like to do the same things, and that I enjoy him so much.
24. I am grateful for memories.
25. I am grateful that we have been able to go to the temple twice in 2 weeks!

#22

22. (Saturday) I am grateful that we live close (ish) to Boston, and that I get the benefits of living in the country, and visiting the city often. I love the city. I love to go enjoy its energy. . . And then go back to my slow-paced, nature-filled way of life.

#21

21. Today, (Friday) I am grateful for BRIANNA, who came up for the weekend to watch our kids so Brad and I can go on a getaway, just the two of us. I am so grateful that she was willing to make the time to do it for us. I am so grateful for the time that they will get to spend with her. Time to enjoy her, and get to know her better. I am grateful that I am excited for them to enjoy the weekend, just like I am excited for ME to enjoy the weekend. AND, I am grateful that I have NO worries about them while I am gone. I am grateful that I got to sit and watch her and BR talk tonight and see how much they reminded me of each other. Grateful that we get to have her here at our house. What a great sister she is!

#20

20. Today (Thursday)I am grateful that since we never plan on moving, our kids are developing friends they will have for the rest of their lives. I moved around a lot as a kid. I am really grateful for that experience. I believe those experiences shaped a lot of who I am, but I am grateful that my kids will have something that I don't have. Lifelong friendships. To go along with this, I am grateful for our small town. The people BR has known his whole life, and the way that they have helped me feel like I have always known them. It is a great feeling.

#17

Today I am grateful for Liv.

Liv has a wisdom beyond her years. She has a strong moral code, and is committed to doing what she knows is right. She has a very sensitive, loving, faithful heart. And she was born with a love for people. One of the things that I could tell about her from a very early age was she is happiest when she can do whatever she is doing with someone else. Liv carries a lot of love and compassion for the people and things in her life. One of my mom's favorite memories is of Liv as a toddler, putting her arms around Grandma's neck with the most adoring look you could ever imagine, and Liv telling her how much she loved her. She exudes love through the look in her eye. Her mind is naturally inquisitive, and loves learning anything and everything. She is a silly girl, and even sillier when she is tired {that's when she gets the crazies =0)}. She also LOVES thinking of ways to make people laugh. She has developed quite the sense of humor lately =0). I am lucky to have this girl in my life. She is my daughter, my friend, and an example to me.

18. I am grateful that Liv knows that I love her. If you asked her how much her mom loves her, she would say, "SOOO MUCH, you can't even imagine how much!! All the way to the moon and back and forever!"

19. I am grateful that as my mind has wandered today, I have found it spontaneously thinking of things I am grateful for =0).

Today

This little boy took his first steps! I can't believe it happened while I wasn't home! A little part

of me is SO PROUD, and a little part of me is sad. He's growing up. I can't wait to see him

tomorrow when he wakes up.

This little girl was sick. Pathetically sick. The kind where she lays on the couch all day, only

whispers a few little words, and stares off into space with sunken eyes and a fever. Poor little

thing, I felt so bad for her.

I'm so grateful for this guy. I love how proud he is of Beckham. I love listening to him tell me all

about Beckham's first steps, and how he talks to the little fussing, hungry boy. I love the way,

only he, has the power to make me feel. I love that we get to go through life together. I love us.

I voted.

I am grateful for:

16. Brad. That I get to know him in a way that no one else does. And how much more I know

about love now than I did 10 years ago when we first met, and before we started our family

together. I love us.

Quotes that have been on my board lately:

"In family relationships, love is spelled, T-I-M-E, time." Deiter F. Uchtdorf

"To live with gratitude in our hearts is to touch heaven." Thomas S. Monson

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Halloween festivities

Saturday night after we drove home from the Trunk or Treat, Brad said, now the only thing we need to make everything perfect is snow. We woke up, completely unexpected, to snow! Which usually doesn't happen until December. I was mostly excited because Brad and the kids were excited.

We spent halloween with family, doing one of our favorite Halloween Traditions. Homemade doughnuts. Brad's grandmother's recipe. The twelve I ate almost exploded my stomach. Really. But they sure did taste good going in!

Now rewind to our pre-Halloween festivities. Pumpkin Carving

And Amy, I mean Carol Brady's, fabulous halloween party. Adults only.

Great, gross you out food

Great costumes

Games that make your cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

In case you can't tell, I'm Judy Jetson, and Brad is Richard Simmons.

I am grateful: Saturday:

11. All of my kids sleep through the night.

Sunday:

12. I love the girls I work with at church.

13. Family Traditions. One of my favorite things on this earth

Monday:

14. The 30 minutes that my house will stay clean after I am finished cleaning it today.

15. Our family is in a great rhythm for Family Home Evening and family scripture study. I am looking forward to family home evening tonight!