November Eleventh...Happy Veterans Day!

Today was a great day! First I wanted to say that I am grateful for Veterans (is it vet-er-ans or vet-rans?) Day! I am grateful for all the amazing men and women who have fought for our country (and other countries as well... I am 1/2 Canadian). I am grateful for the example of our grandfathers willingness to serve our countries.

This is Don's Grandpa... Don Tillman Squire Sr. He served in the US Army.

This is my Grandpa... Gerald Norberg Lind. He served in the US Navy.

This is my Grandpa... Sloan Alma Smith... He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

I love these 3 men so much and I am so grateful for their sacrifices and the sacrifices of millions of others and their families.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to be grateful (more than just in November). Tonight for FHE we talked about gratitude, I think being grateful is one of the VERY most important things, and I want to make sure that my children grow up to be grateful and not entitled. Everything we have is a gift, every breath, every memory (good and bad) and every second. I really hope that my children develop and attitude of gratitude.

When they were little (littler than now) whenever there was a tantrum we would ask them if they were having an attitude of gratitude or an attitude of bratitude (we would do this when they we being grateful as well so that they could be praised to being grateful... but admittedly mostly when they were being brats), and then we would name some things we were grateful for. This is probably something we should still practice.

When they got a little bit older we would play the game 5 things every day. To play 5 things you have to say 5 things you love about each member of your family, it was a lot fun and we all felt great after. Again another thing we should still practice.

Now I keep a gratitude journal and noticed the difference it made to me so we have made being grateful part of our bed time routine. Every night I sing them a lullaby (more sappy music are you surprised?) and in the middle we stop and Leigha and Conner each say 3 things they are grateful for that day. Then we keep singing and mommy (and daddy when he is available) name 3 things that we are grateful for as well, then we sing the first verse again. It has been so much fun, some of the things have been hilarious but also good things to be grateful for... like sinks... and toilets... and toilet paper (that's usually where I stop it). Anyways I love the opportunity to be grateful and we can be grateful for everything.

( I know more musicals... but who can resist em?... probably most of the world, but not this girl)

We sing:

When your tired and you can't sleep,

Just count your blessings instead of sheep,

And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

           Leigha and Conner each do 3 things they are grateful for

When your bankroll is getting small,

Just think of when you had none at all,

And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

           Me and Don do 3 things

Then we sing the first verse again.

OR WARNING....this video contains my singing... watch at you own risk! 

I love writing thank you notes (even though I am not the best at mailing them... or anything really), and I hope to instill that in Leigha and Conner. Leigha is writing thank you notes to all of our wonderful family who came to the baptism, and everyone who helped with soups and things like that. I hope that it will instill in her a love of being grateful and help her to learn the language of being grateful. I know that as I have practiced being grateful the spirit has moved me to think of people to send thank you notes to (sometimes I do it, and sometimes I don't). It started out as a little thing and now I keep thank you noted with me pretty much all the time so I can do it when I am moved to... I keep them in my purse, in my scripture bag, in my car, and in my card box at home (I am kinda a card hoarder... it is a problem). I hope that one day I can feel that I am a truly grateful person.

So tonight for FHE we sang the song and I put it on the bottom of the tree... we talked about how it is a commandment to be grateful and that we need to be grateful for everything and in all things... it is one way we can show that we are a disciple of Christ. Then we made a grateful tree with our finger prints and I went back and wrote in the things we all had said.

(if you want a tree, let me know and I would be more than happy to email you one... or I accidentally printed off 2 so if you want it come and get it)

Day #11: I am grateful for opportunities to show gratitude (like these blog posts)

p.s. Thank you Ashlee and Angela for doing this with me, it is fun to be blogging again, and doing it with you is making it less awkward :)