{Twenty Nine}

Simple Phone Calls:

Today my friend Andrea called me out of the blue. We talk sometimes at church in passing but we both have little ones and callings that take up a lot of time. She wanted to catch up and get some lunch. Of course I couldn't leave work today but am looking forward to the day that we can sit and chat while our little ones probably terrorize one another, but in a loving way I assure you. I find her so inspiring. She is a mother of four and does the most amazing projects I have ever seen! Almost everything she does is on a budget and she always finds awesome deals at thrift stores and antique shops. Some days I envy her. I wish that I could be as put together as she is and a home as beautifully decorated as hers. But, then I realize that she is just like me. She find the time to be thankful for the little things and to still be a great person. She was one of my first friends when we moved to Arkansas and I am so grateful for her warm welcoming. It is people like Andrea who help me to see the good in myself. And that is a good thing :)

Go to Andrea's blog: jandaandco.blogspot.com

Look at how amazing she is at making things out of stuff around your home and send her some love!

{Twenty Eight}

{I found this post sitting in my drafts and feel compelled to finish it and to keep up my 365 Days of Gratitude, even if it's not consecutive days in a row.}

Drafted Text:

I love my calling... I'm the YW Secretary and Personal Progress Advisor. At first I was nervous... I didn't know anything about Personal Progress or YW to be honest, but I knew that they had faith in me and that it was the right place I was needed.

Last night we had our New Beginnings Program for Young Womens. We talked about Personal Progress and the importance that it has in helping the girls to develop who they are, build their testimony, prepare for the temple, and to just be amazing young women! Kara and Laurie put in so much work to make it such an amazing night and I wish I could have stayed for the whole thing (I had to leave early to finish my homework). I am so grateful for the church and how much happiness and joy it has brought into my life.

I didn't even have a big part in the program, as the Personal Progress Advisor I was just asked to talk about the new changes that have been made. They have added some really amazing things {which I would link to but my editor is being lame} including a new medallion, a book mark with ribbons that coordinate with the value colors, and a new book that is pink! If the girls weren't motivated before... they are totally motivated now! I mean, I want a super cool bookmark :) But, as I stood before the room of the Young Women, their parents, the amazing women I serve with in the Presidency, and our Bishop I was overwhelmed with the spirit and bawled my eyes out with joy and happiness for my calling. It has been so helpful to me and my progress in building my testimony, having a connection with people in a new area, and making new friends. I am especially thankful for the women I serve with and Louanne. If it wasn't for her I don't know if I would have ended up in YW in the first place. She was the YW President when I got my first calling. They have all been so helpful to me in every way possible! Any time I have felt overwhelmed or lost or just having a bad day I know that if I need their strength or help they are there for me in a minute. I wish that everyone in the world could say that they have people they can turn to in their times of need. For me, I can say it honestly and truthfully. That in itself is enough to be grateful for. However, that is not why I started out writing this post. I started it because I was starting to doubt my calling {I am aware that I shouldn't} and last night I was reminded why I was given my calling. It is where I am suppose to be and with people I should be serving with. I am grateful for the way in which the spirit works and I am humbled by it all the time.

{Twenty Seven}

****PLEASE NOTE THIS IS EXTREMELY LATE*****

Please brace yourself for this next statement (especially if you are my mother): I CLEANED OUR ENTIRE KITCHEN BY MY SELF!!!
You may be thinking to yourself, but Jacque, everyone cleans kitchens. This is not true in my case, if you know me well enough, you know, that I detest cleaning. Why do you think I married Kevin? He is a clean freak and cleans up after me. He does the dishes, cleans our bathrooms, is simply amazing! Well, my clean freak of a husband was working all day Friday and Saturday and I decided I was sick of our messy kitchen. So, while the babies were sleeping... I moved every thing I could out of our kitchen area, swept, mopped, and rearranged! I even got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the cracks of our cabinets with a toothbrush. The cleaning bug had bit me and there was no stopping! Even after my little boogers woke up from their nap, I continued to clean scrubbing counter tops and putting away clutter. Seriously, I have never cleaned this hard core in my life. Well, maybe a couple of other times, but not in this house of ours. I was so proud of myself! And to put a cherry on top of my sundae... Kevin and I have committed to keeping our kitchen this nice. I hope it lasts....


My newly arranged kitchen. I LOVE it!!

{Twenty Six}

When I started this blogging adventure I thought "Oh, this will be so easy! I have so many things that I am thankful for!" Well, while this statement is true, I will tell you the adversary has gotten the best of me some days. Especially last Friday! I was so overwhelmed with life in general! My house was a mess, I had weeks worth of laundry to do, I had a bad day at work, and to top it off my lovely husband had to work late. When thinking back on that day I just thought, I have nothing that I was thankful for... I have failed. But, today I was on my friend Andrea's blog and I realized I have so many things that I am thankful for that I haven't even shared with the world! As I have stated in previous posts... Arkansas is not my ideal place for living; however, I am so thankful that I am here. If I hadn't moved here almost two years ago I don't even know what my life would be like. I wouldn't have my two wonderful baby boys, I probably wouldn't have joined the church when I did, I wouldn't have met the amazing friends I have made in our ward, and I probably wouldn't be in school. Its so amazing how Heavenly Father blesses us without our knowing. I am the one who convinced Kevin to move to Arkansas because I thought I had an amazing job and school opportunity lined up. I was wrong about that... but our family has been so blessed in so many other ways. If I wouldn't have followed the prompting I had who knows where our lives would be at his point. I am so thankful that my husband loves me and listens to my crazy ideas (it didn't hurt we found an amazing house either). So, from this point forward I have decided to remind myself of the many wonderful blessings I have received all for moving a measly 1,000 miles from home. Plus, I have learned the meaning of the phrase "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" for the simple fact that I cherish the time I get to spend with my family and do not take it for granted any more. I love you mom!! :)

{Twenty Five}

Plastic wear is amazing! Not only is it easy to clean, but it has created hours of entertainment for our little guys. They have discovered how to open drawers in our kitchen. The drawer that they find the most entertainment in is the one that we keep our tupperware and plastic bowls in. They pull all of them out, push them around the kitchen, hid lids in the hallway, and then find something new to do. Most of the time, they get bored with them until we clean them up and put them away. So, Kevin has just decided to store our bowls on the counter until he installs our safety locks. But here is their adventure in pictures:

Opening the drawer, as you can see they have already pulled out the bowls.

This might be one of their favorite bowls because of its bright color and the loud sound it makes when banged on the floor.

Surveying the treasure that he has found...

Checking to make sure they didn't miss any bowls.

Their success... my drawer is empty!

{Twenty Four}

*Little Blessings*

Wednesday was the day I found out my fate as a student at PTC. I went to register on Monday and it was just a day full of trouble! I stood in line for 30 minutes to find out that I didn't need to go to the school to register.. DUH! Then I waited another hour to meet with an "advisor." Who really just turned out to be some person who had NO idea what they were doing. I went to meed with an advisor to discus which credits would transfer from ASU (Arizona State) so I wouldn't have to take 2 years of school! Well, this guy had no idea what would transfer and just wanted to sign me up... I know how to sign up pal! He sent me over to another building where I could talk to someone who was an actual advisor. I waited a good 20 minutes to meet with her, she was the only lady in. Well, I walk into her office and it is just covered in STUFF!!! I guess she had just moved in, but seriously I couldn't even put my schedule on her desk because it was covered in just stuff. I cant/t even describe it. I was so flustered after all the troubles I had, but I had hope that she would be able to help me... well. I WAS WRONG! All she did was say ok show me these classes... I showed her. I told her what I was signed up for. She said it was good. Then we got to the big classes, my core classes that I was hoping would transfer from ASU (which is a real college). This is where it went bad... She said that she didn't know about these classes and that she would decided if they did after I looked up the course descriptions and scheduled another meeting with her. EXCUSE ME! WHAT!!!! Augh. I thought that was her job as an advisor!! Well, I left. Upset to say the least. This is also the day that I was told "Well, you wont be granted your financial aide so you should just enroll in the payment plan online." SAY WHA!!!! I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for financial aide I wouldn't be going to school. Apparently, you are supposed to return some letter they send to you in the mail to accept your financial aide... I have always done this online for the simple fact thats what I did at my previous more put together school. So I faxed in my letter on Monday hoping that they would approve my funds that have been sitting in their bank accounts since May. Thankfully, on Wednesday when I checked my schedule to see if I had been dropped from my classes due to lack of funds I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was still enrolled and that I had in fact been given my grant. HOLLA! I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to go to school, even though we are poor and really shouldn't be able to afford it. Thanks Government funding! :)

{Twenty Three}

I'll be honest, ever since I got finished with Summer School I've been a little bit of a slacker, and I can't remember back to Tuesday of last week. So instead, I will substitute what I was going to put on a different post. Here are the baby babbles.

One night after feeding them their dinner, the boys were so funny! They just kept babbling and pulling their hair and telling stories. We thought it was too cute so we took some video and pictures of them. We tried to capture their "Albert Einstein"-esk hair...

Aidens silly hairdo

Cooper's wasn't as big...

These guys are hilarious! This is Cooper's newest face.

{Twenty Two}

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!! MY GPA FOR THE SEMESTER IS A 4.0!!! Hurray! I'm so excited that I found out that I passed both of my classes with flying colors. Also, I found out that I was awarded a Grant for school. So, each semester I get some $$money$$ which will be so helpful for our family. Also, my student loans are put on hold for the time being, which is another blessing that I don't have to make that payment each month. I was definitely blessed in knowing that going back to school is the right decision to make! I have been struggling with what do do for school, the whole cosmetology vs education or both idea. Don't get me wrong people I would LOVE to do BOTH! However, financially, that does not seem possible. Cosmetology school cost roughly $15,000!! Holy Cannoli! That is quite a pretty penny which we most definitely do not have, and if we did have it I highly doubt Kevin would let me spend it on cosmetology school. So, ultimately I have made a decision to continue to pursue my degree in Early Childhood Education. I'm going to finish taking some courses at PTC (which is a big joke if you ask me) and then transfer to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. It would be about a 30 - 45 minute drive to school, but thats the same as going to North Little Rock, so I'll take it. Plus, if you have seen where UALR (University of Arkansas Little Rock) is located you would be scared to go there too. Long story short, I'm thankful that our family has been blessed with my ability to go back to school and get a degree, FINALLY!

{Twenty One}

Good Food and Friends! I was so excited when our friends Kara and Dave invited us over for dinner a week ago. Its always such a treat when we get to hang out with other adults. Is that lame to say? Oh well, its nice. Anyways we got to go over to their house for amazing Aussie Chicken (I looked for the recipe but couldn't find it.) It was a yummy bacon covered chicken with a honey mustard sauce. YUMMY! Even the boys liked it. They stood diligently next to my chair like little birdies waiting to be fed. It was cute. I'm so thankful that we have had the opportunity to make friends here. That is one of the things that I was very fearful of moving away from home. Its so wonderful that we have people that we can spend time with that are our age and that are fun! Seriously, I thought that I would make no friends and be stuck with only Kevin's family to talk to, which isn't bad but when you see people everyday it gets stagnant. Anyways, Dinner and conversation is always fun, plus the babies had a fun time exploring their house. The only bad thing is that they are super curious and all they wanted to do was get into the chemicals under the sink. But, Kara and I chased them down. I think the babies favorite part was watching their dogs through their back window. You could tell the puppies wanted to play with the babies, but our babies aren't quite ready for big dogs. As soon as they can stand on their own good and figure out their balance issues they will be ready. Until then, they just watch them through the window. I wish I would have taken pictures but we were busy talking. Maybe next time?

{Twenty}

I know I have a lot of catching up but we have been busy... so heres what I was thankful for on Saturday... A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN! Well not really, Kevin's brother Jimmy came over and watched the babies while we went to a play that some kids from church were in. It was fun. While we were downtown our little town was having an Ice Cream Social. It was fun to see what potential our little town has. We got free ice cream from the Schwans man, lots of it! Plus, we discovered that our neighbor that lives nextdoor to us has a photography studio down there! She was super excited to show it off to us and she even said that she would do a "trade out" with our kids because she wants some pictures of twins. DOUBLE BONUS! I love when people take pictures of our kids, they always turn out better than mine... so I was grateful that Kev and I had some nice quality time to hang out like we were dating again. It's nice to get away from the kiddos for a little bit.

{Nineteen}

Linear, Stagnant, One Way, Straight Shooter... All of these words may apply to me but when it comes to my thinking and dreams and hopes of the future they do not! I am thankful for the fact that I am an overachiever, someone who has big dreams and thinks that they can achieve all of them. Last night it was brought to my attention when someone asked what I was going to school for, I simply stated "Well, I want to get my teaching degree and go to cosmetology school." I didn't think there was anything wrong with this statement, its what I want to do. I love the joy I get from teaching little kids and I think doing hair and makeup on people is super fun. So, why not have the best of both worlds? Well, I was quickly shaken from my pedestal of thinking when they replied "You better decide quick, you can only do one." WHAT! No way! I have my whole life planned out around both of these careers working together. You see, how I look at is like this: Cosmetology school is roughly 10-12 months here in Arkansas, to get my Associates in Early Childhood Education from PTC (Pulaski Technical College) I have roughly 3 -4 semesters? So roughly 2 years of school maybe 3? So, anyways this is my plan after getting my degrees: I can teach during the school year, do some hair cuts for friends and family on the side, and then in the summer I can work at a salon. Sounds pretty sweet. Especially since I have a tendency to get bored with things I think it would be a great way to keep variety in my life. So, case and point I like variety and I like challenges and I like new adventures. Todays thankfulness is that I was blessed with the ability to handle these types of situations and that I am able to think more than just one way. What a great way to view life! Well, for me anyways.

{Eighteen}

ENRICHMENT!!! Ok, so I have to admit I love enrichment activities... maybe its only because I go to ones that sound like fun? I dunno, but our RS presidency is so creative and I was totally inspired last night! We learned how to make bread in an hour from start to finish! The only downside was that I do not have a mixer... so it is in my plan to BUDGET for one! That was the second part of our activity, learning how to budget. Lets be honest, I am not exactly perfect with money. But, after listening last night and taking notes I am motivated to do much better! Plus, if I can figure out how to budget... I will be able to figure out food storage, my other nemisis! I'm so glad I went last night and was taught new tools to apply to my life.

{Seventeen}

Maybe its because I grew up in Arizona where rain was greatly appreciated when it came, or the simple fact I will probably always be a kid at heart, but I LOVE THE RAIN! It seems to be an ongoing trend in our family. Last week? I think thats when it was, we had a good rainy day and Cooper decided he wanted to go out the front door at work which was open... so he did. I realized he had gone outside when I tried to find him frantically and saw him crawling in the front door with a big smile on his face. After that incident, we decided to take the boys outside and let them play in the puddles. I regretted that I did not have my camera that day. Thankfully, tonight I got the idea to take them back on our deck when it was raining and Kevin was on the phone with his brother. Our deck does not collect puddles like the gravel pavement at work,

but they found a good puddle hiding in an empty pot.

It was fun to soak up the nice cool rainy weather. Sometimes the humidity just kills me, but a nice cool rain is always appreciated. Oh, and yes we have taken better precaution at making sure they do not go out any doors at work. Don't worry!

A video of them playing and Aiden crawling around for my mom :)

{Sweet Sixteen}

Just when I thought that today would be a day of no gratitude my hubby turned it around.:) Lately we have been facing a lot of stress with traveling, school, two crazy fast crawling babies who are teething, working, and Kev's new calling (as Deacon's Advisor)! Geeze Louise! This has been extremely annoying to our wonderful relationship and to be quite honest, we have barely had time to hang out and just talk. You might say, but Jacque... you guys work together! Yes, yes we do. However, we have a rule called no talking about work after work. It makes our lives easier to deal with because working with family is a very tender and stressful situation. Anyways, today was the MOST PAINFUL DAY EVER!!! I decided to just not even speak about anything for the fact that I was sure that some little thing would be the straw to break my camels back. But, after many hours of me listening to my headphones while working on homework, we talked. We talked about everything that was bothering us, how to improve it, and now it is better. Its amazing what just taking the time to sit and talk things out can do. I am so thankful that I have a husband who is less stubborn than I am.

On a side note: I got a 96.9% in my speech class!!! My first A of going back to school. I should have my psychology grade tomorrow or thursday. :)

{Day Ten + Five}

I was really hoping that today I would be able to say: I am thankful that I am done with school!
However, that is not the case. I have two homework assignments, two finals, and a survey. ICK! But I do have something to be thankful for and that is my job. Yes, I am thankful that I have an income but that is not what I am MOST thankful for! I am so grateful that, because I work for family, I am able to have such a flexible work schedule. Due to the flexibility that I have I am able to take time off when I need to do homework, take the babies to the doctor, and go to "playdates." It is so wonderful to have this ability, where with any other job I wouldnt be able to and I would totally have to pay for daycare. So that is what today is all about... my gratitude for flexability in my life.

{Day Fourteen}

I am thankful for the NURSERY! Ok so I know the rule is your baby(s) must be 18-months before entering nursery but yesterday Sister Smith said she wanted to break the rules and take our babies in. Am I going to argue with her? NO WAY!! Not that now Kevin has a calling in YM so we are both busy third hour and I'm scared to death that a boy will smash my child when he rocks his chair forward. Is that normal? Probably not. Anyways... They went into nursery for 2nd & 3rd hour and they said that the boys did great. Not necessarily with one another, which is normal, but they played with the other kids and even had snacks. It was nice to be able to sit in RS and listen to the lesson instead of playing crawl all over mommy with one, or both, of the babies. I don't know how often we will be able to break the rules, but it was a nice change... even if it only was for one Sunday.

{Day Thirteen}

BANGS!!! Today I went and got my hair did at the new Paul Mitchell school. Which is a completely awesome school to go to if you ever need your hair done. It cost me $40 for my rockin new 'do!! The only bad part is that it took the poor girl 6 hours to do it. So, if you have the time to sit in a salon chair for that long... then check the place out. Here is the outcome of my six hour adventure at the school.

Please disregard the fact that I am extremely tired and have shiny skin. Thanks.

{Day Twelve}

Sorry I didn't post yesterday... I had to finish all of my psychology homework which was 6 chapters and 5 quizzes. Thankfully I had some help at my house! :) There is a family in our Ward, the Wells, who live fairly close to us. They have four kids from age 16-8. I often call upon them in my desperate times of need for a babysitter! Thankfully their mom, Monica, is awesome and lets them come over to my house and play with my babies when I have things to do. So, yesterday they arrived a little after 9 and played with the babies all day while I worked diligently on my homework. Without them I don't think I would have been able to get it all accomplished. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed us with such wonderful help close by.

{Day Eleven}

Fun with a cardboard box. I'm so thankful that the babies have discovered the fun of a box. Today they spent almost the whole day in their "cage." Here are the following pictures to outline their day for you:

End of the day... Aiden was waiting for his daddy to close up the shop.

Aiden was so tired he started to fall asleep in the box. Every time I tried to get close he would wake up... so you might have to stare through the "cage."

Aiden and his little tongue. This was after they pulled all of their toys out of the box.

Cooper was very interested in the camera. He might be the little photog when he grows up.

Aiden liked standing in the box as much as playing with it.

The guys at the end of the day... each to his own box.

Trying to escape...

Cooper conquered the box first. He sat up there for like 30 mins.

That is a recap of today. It was fun for them and I got a lot of work done! I think they like the new location of the "baby cage" and that it is closer to me. I have a theory that they are learning how to move it by working together... if I can ever get it on video you will see that they are super smart.

{Day Ten}

YAY! I have finally caught up and from this point forward I am hoping to be able to blog everyday. Speaking of my crazy goal that I set for myself... I have inspired someone else. That person is my friend Krystal. She is living an amazing life! She has 3 little ones, a set of twins (boy & girl) and a little man, plus she is a surrogate for a family who is unable to conceive. While talking to her today she told me that she was inspired from my blog to post something every day on hers about her journey as a surrogate. What an amazing adventure to live! I don't know if I could be a surrogate for the simple fact I love babies too much and probably wouldn't want to give it up. But, she is doing such an amazing job and the family that she is the surrogate for is so deserving. To read more about this journey check out her blog "Your Bun in My Oven."
Krystal with the family of the precious baby girl in her tummy.