An attitude of gratitude

I know this post is so late. As always, our lives have been a whirlwind! We returned home from Orlando just as a snowstorm/blizzard was about to hit. Ok, It was a few days later, but still wonderful!

The morning after we got home James & I went to wake Haden. I was so distraught because Haden didn't want anything to do with me. We had a festive week of Thanksgiving. James, Haden & I even went hiking up the mountains and picked out our first REAL Christmas Tree! It was so much fun. At church that following Sunday we had wonderful lessons on gratitude. I was deeply touched by them. Sometimes I look at things in a misguided prospective. I had been harboring resentment within me all week because Haden didn't want to cuddle with me. What a humbling experience these lessons on gratitude were! Instead of being resentful, I should be grateful! How extremely blessed I am to be able to have a sweet husband who cares for his little one so much! I'm also grateful for a little boy who is willing to show his love for his daddy. They are such a great pair!

Since I had this experience I've been trying to use it more often. We moved the couch out of the living room to make room for the tree. I noticed that my carpet is so disgusting and dirty! Normally I would complain about people not taking off their shoes and making a mess of my home. Instead I counted some more of my blessings. . . How grateful I am that we have friends and family who love us and want to visit us! We have a home that is lived in! And life is lived well here. I can't hide all the dirt on the carpets or the snot Mr. Haden leaves behind (which happens to be all over my couches!). I'm so grateful for all of these blessings.

We've been keeping busy as well with the wedding of Tom & Krystal! It's been so fun to see these two fall in love. They were married yesterday and are now on the way to their honeymoon. They will arrive home on Christmas Eve day. It was such a blessing to be with them when they were sealed for all eternity. Their love is so strong, and reminds me of James and I.

Oops! I'm falling behind!

I'm grateful for the Temples around the world. How wonderful it was to be able to attend the Orlando, FL temple!

I'm also thankful for credit cards. Amazing how you can forget your park tickets and still get in, because you purchased them with your credit card!

Yeah for the spa! I experienced an awesome pedicure at the hotel spa. It was so nice to sleep in and then be pampered.

BOTTLED WATER!!! K, so I found myself dehydrated on the first day of the tradeshow. No Bueno! Luckily James and his co-workers are taking good care of me and making sure I am drinking plenty of water now.

Today I'm grateful for the end of the workday. After eight hours of sun, heat and humidity. . . the evening air is quite welcoming! Also having a good time with food friends and rides should pay off pretty well!

Two days worth

Ok, I missed yesterday. But there's a great excuse for that!

I finally got to bed at 2 am on Friday. Then I woke up at about 5:30 to get ready to head to ORLANDO!!!! The little sleep and flight sure kicked my tail yesterday!!! I didn't get a new job, I'm just here to help James' company with the Expo that's going on next week. So I'm grateful for his company. IMMENSELY!!! Airline, hotel, food. . . it's pretty much covered. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

I'm super grateful for the hotel hot tub! It was so relaxing and peaceful! It helped to whisk my headache away.

Pictures to come soon!!!

Thankful Thursday. . Early on Friday Morning

So I should have been in bed hours ago!!! I'm getting there though.

On this Thankful Thursday, I'm thankful for my sewing machine and the little bit of knowledge I have to be able to use it!

The shirts provided to me to work for S&S did not look very becoming on me. Gratefully, Jenn came over and pinned them for me. Then I was able to sew them in a bit. They look so much better now! Thank you Jenn, Sewing Machine, and for the knowledge I've gained in order to put the machine to use!!!

I'm so very grateful for a happy baby tonight!!!!

We love you little tyke!

Today I'm thankful for parents (and grandparents) who give so willingly of their time. My parents rock! Last night they were our saving grace who invited us over for a warm dinner. After a long, cold, rainy & snowy day it was a blessing beyond measure!!! Today, James had the day off. He spent as much time with Haden as possible. They had a blast. Promptly at 3 this afternoon, my parents were here at the house to watch Haden again while James and I had dentist appointments. Seriously a blessing. Thank you mom and dad, for loving us and giving us so much!!!!

What fun. . .

Today I'm actually thankful for 3 things! And many more, but I just don't have the wherewithall to name them.

1. Fantastic family who are always on the lookout for my well being.
2. The guts to say, "hey, that's not right."
3. Vaccuums

so 2 & 3 have a story behind them.

We went to close on a refinance loan to reduce our house payment today. The guy gives us the first page with the payment. I say, "That's not right. It was lower than that when we began the process." James and I come back home to get the paperwork and take it to him. We call the lender and find out it's that BLASTED mortgage insurance that is lot's higher than discussed. She checks with underwriting. . . ta da!!! My stupid credit, although very high, is one point from where it needs to be to get the lower rate. Well. Now we'll just re-do it again without me to keep it low. But certainly glad I piped up to say "That's not right!"

This is the better one. It brings a smile to my face to think about it. It's quite redneck. But hey, that's right up my ally these days!!! James & I were cleaning the house on Saturday. Working away like crazy bees! We noticed Sophie going crazy. That's weird. She doesn't usually go bezerk. So we moved the hutch which she was sniffing and whining at. A MOUSE! A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE!!! Unreal. Well Mr. Mouse got a way and slid through a tiny slit under the dishwasher. dut dah da duh!!!! I'm married to a Tibbitts MAN!!!! James starts pulling everything apart. He spots Mr. Mouse and starts poking at him to get him to come back out so we can catch him. James had me get the vacuum so he could clean up underneath the dishwasher. He's thinking, "If I can just get at him with the hose, he'll be trapped." James has me stand guard with the bowl to catch Mr. Mouse with. Well that little critter can scurry!!! I exclaimed, "he's right there! Right behind the black plastic!" JAMES TO THE RESCUE. Turns on the vacuum and starts shoving the hose around the plastic. I finally got frustrated and turned off the vacuum because I couldn't hear him. Out of the corner of my eye, I SAW SOMETHING MOVE IN THE DIRT TRAP OF THE VACUUM!!! Yup, Mr. Mouse. Been caught, alive! Quite impressive. My husband sure can redneck, Tibbitts jimmyrig anything!!!

He's turned into a bit of a softie though. Back in the day, he'd have killed the little critter. This day we decided it would be better to let him loose back by the canal. James said he scurried right through the water up the far bank! He didn't even turn back to say goodbye! Oh well!

Here he is. He's gone now. Along with my pride of having a rodent free home. I guess you win some, and loose some. :)

It just keeps coming!!!

Life. Don't blink too often. You may just miss out on something! Or it's just going too fast, no matter what. The important thing is to be grateful for your life! Mine goes really fast. It seems that so often I barely have time to catch my breath before we are on the run again. But how grateful I am for every moment!

Since our last post, we took a little family trip to St. George. I had a clerk's conference and James and Haden came with me to get away from home for a little while. It was so nice to just be together! Haden decided during that week that he was no longer a crawler! He was walking around a lot at Grandma and Grandpa's on Monday and Tuesday (Oct 18 & 19). He got stuck in the car for quite a bit on Wednesday, but on Thursday. . . we had to let him "roam free!" James took him to the mall and all sorts of places that he could just do his own little walking thing while I was in my meetings! It was so cute! He no longer crawls. It's really fun to watch him chase Sophie. Though I'm not sure she likes it!

We didn't take too many pictures. But we always stop in Beaver to take a picture with the large rocking chair! A family favorite!



Haden got a new pair of sunglasses too! He loves them. . . well he loves to eat them sometimes.


Yup, he's facing forward now!!! He really likes it.

When we got back, it was back to the grindstone. For the last two weeks James has been going to work early and staying late. It's been tough, but we managed. He's been preparing a few rides to take to IAAPA. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AMUSEMENT PARKS & ATTRACTIONS. It's a trade show! It's been quite exhausting. James will head out on Wednesday, then I get to follow him on Friday. I'll be working with his company as the "greeter." A free trip? Who could turn that down? NOT ME!!!

With all the business we were still able to fit in a fun Halloween celebration. Haden and Sophie were the cutest bumblebees! I was a 50's chick and James was "over worked and under paid," as he put it. :)




Included in that Halloween weekend, we received some fantastic news. . . TOM GOT ENGAGED!!! He's such a cute guy and we love his girl, Krystal. They are amazing together! We are so grateful that they have come into one another's lives. They bless us with youth and vibrance each time they visit! Krystal has a cute little girl, Krizlynn. She loves Haden so much and is very good to play with him. I'm grateful to have them join our family!


We're so excited to gear up for their 12/18/10 wedding!! Super fast, but super FANTASTIC!!

Now, I really didn't want to make this post too long, but that's what happens when one doesn't write for a while. This blog is more like a journal to me. It's actually the best journal I've kept in my lifetime! Yes, I may go on spurts where I don't write as often, but I always come back. Each day I'm thankful for so many things. This being the month of Thanksgiving, I'm going to say something I'm thankful for each day. Now that I've said it, I have to keep this goal. I don't like it when I fail. So, you should get more posts!

For the first seven days. . . .

I'm Thankful to have a job during trying times.

I'm Thankful for "Sistaz" who make me laugh.

I'm Thankful for extra hands to help me get the things done that I wish to.

I'm Thankful for Health Insurance and Physicians who can help heal us!

I'm Thankful for FRIDAY'S OFF WITH HADEN!!!!

I'm Thankful for MY hard working James.

I'm Thankful for the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Big Little Boy!

Monday nights are becoming a gem for our family. We are striving to have Family Home Evening. It's been going really well this month.

Tonight brought some milestones though.

First off, man cub wanted to eat on his own!! Such a big boy!



Big boys love their juice boxes!!

Second came the big boy car seat.


Slow down, Bub! This is going way too fast for me!

Third, I think he's decided he's a dog. He watches Sophie and laughs at her when she does this with her toys. I guess it's like dog, like boy!

Have I?

This song has been going through my mind a lot today. Enjoy.


Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?


Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

Belated Birthday

So, I've really meant to post these for a few weeks. Life goes faster than I think it should.

Haden is the light of our lives! He's getting better at walking. He like to say, "Dada." He really enjoys sitting on our legs and being bounced too! Perhaps if I was able to be home more, he'd learn more faster. I have to be grateful for what I have though!! He's an amazing little boy with an amazing zeal for life. He sleeps through the night and has such a mellow personality. He's a true joy in our lives!

BiRtHdAy BoY!!!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little son! Love you to pieces, man cub.

WALKING!!!!!

. . . ish.

So adoreable folks! Haden has been taking a few steps tonight. He will take a few steps to grandma, mama, aunties, daddy. . . pretty much anyone. I'm so proud of him! My little boy is growing up. Hold on, I need to get some tissues.

. . . and they ate like Kings & Queens!

We had a fantastic weekend. Unfortunately, James worked all day on Saturday. We were able to make up for it in the evening though. We got together withe Kenny & Michele and her sister, Brooke & her husband Jake. Another set of Brooke & Jake's friends came with us too. We drove up past Camp Lomia. Our men built us a nice bit of a fire and we had fantastic "Tin Foil Dinners." They were so delicious! Then we pulled out the S'mores! James & I found these huge marshmallows. . . they're like 4 times a regular mallow. Wow! Those pack a punch. One is certainly more than enough! Haden and Little Lan Man had a great time in the cars. I do think that Haden likes fire. Just my luck! Gonna be a pyro, just like daddy.

Good Intentions

Our blog is currently a work in progress!! I'll be updating it with a different e-mail address. We'll more than likely be changing it to a private blog as well. If you would like permissions to access the blog, please post a comment with your e-mail address.

As far as the "good intentions" go, I was planning on doing a nice catch up of the last month. Unfortunately, I've left my memory card at work with all the pictures on it! My mind has seriously skipped town!

Anyway, I'll tell you about it. We took Pioneer Day weekend (7/24/10) to work on the boat. We all took turns scrapping old gaskets off the engine so they could be replaced. Yep! I worked on the inside of an engine! I was dirty, greasy & stinky! Many long hours paid off. We got the boat running and were able to finally go have some fun! Much better than last year. Of course, the fire was quite entertaining. We still are wondering though if it would have been better to let nature take its course and allow the boat to die. Only time will tell, and we're gonna "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!!"

We were able to have an amazing time at the Hancey Family camp out! Our Uncle Neil and Uncle Dave were in charge this year and did a really nice job. We didn't do a darn thing! Just played lazy. I liked that.

Haden and I have been having an enjoyable time swimming. Well, kinda. I take him and he screams! We went to Lava Hot Springs and visited their Olympic Pool last weekend. Grandma & Grandpa Tibbitts, Uncle Tom, Brittney & Uncle Luiz, Aunt Anne & the kids all came with us. Haden had such a great time! I got to take him back to the pool in Logan this last week and he did a really good job there too. It's just taking a little bit of convincing.

James turned 28 last Thursday! He's getting to be so old! ;) I had a great time. After I got off of work, Ashlee and I zipped down to SLC with Haden to pick up James' birthday cake. I like to go to Granite Bakery and get the Key Lime Cake for him. Daren & Ash had it for their wedding and James loves it. It was a fantastic surprise for him! He thinks I spoil him! What can I say, He's TOTALLY worth it!

The saddest thing did happen a week ago. I work at the Logan City Court. Our Judge has been very sick. About a year ago she was diagnosed with Aplastic Enemia. It's a weird sort of blood disorder. She's been under immunosuppressant therapy to try and kick it. That wasn't working. So on June 21 she went into the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. It's been pretty rocky for her. She developed a few infections before the transplant took. The doctors worked really hard, but last Sunday she passed away. It's been really hard at work. It just doesn't feel like it's real. That's more than likely because she's been away and we've been using fill in judges. I don't think it will feel real until her replacement takes over. But I'm willing to accept the Lord's will in this. I know that our Savior lives. I know my friend has been called home. I know with all my heart that I will get to see her again. I'm grateful for the atonement and for the opportunity that repentance gives us to live with our Father again.

I wish to also offer condolences to my siblings. I have an amazing half- brother & sister. Unfortunately, their father also passed away this week. He was such a nice man. He always treated me with love and respect. I loved him too. Until we meet again, dear friend.

Sunday Afternoon Slumbers

Our family loves to take Sunday afternoon naps! It's been working out really well for the last little while. Haden stays awake during all of church and we're able to get him to sleep after his 1 pm bottle. Mommy loves the nap time too!

This is how I just found Haden sleeping. He's so sweet!



And we all agree that the "waking up" is the hardest thing to do!

OUCH

Last Thursday my mom took a fall. She was watering her flowers and must have tripped over the hose. Unfortunately, she broke her fall with her face. There were no broken bones! That's something we can be grateful for.

She and Dad made a quick trip to the ER. I met up with them there. Her dentures cracked during the impact and the inside of her top lip got squished into the crack! Poor thing! We got her all cleaned up and the physicians assistant gave her a numbing agent. After that her lip was good to get some stitches. Only two! I was amazed. The sweetest part was that Mom asked me to come sit and hold her hand while she got the stitches. It was a tender moment for me. I couldn't really do much, but I was able to be there for her comfort.

She took the weekend and two days of watching Haden off. She missed him so much! She's doing much better now. The swelling is down. Her bruising is more wide-stretched, but much lighter. On the mend!

Wow!

Warning. . . . . Lots of pictures ahead. ENJOY!!!

What an amazing couple of months! I turned 30, James and I had our ACTUAL first Mother's and Father's Days, we took a fantastic family vacation & little Haden Grew some more teeth and is almost 10 months old! Super Crazy!

For our family vacation we piled fourteen (yes, that's actually 14)bodies into 2 rented Suburbans! We, along with James' parents, siblings and their children, drove to Oceanside, CA. We stopped in Las Vegas to stay the night on our way there and then in St. George on our way home. We did so many fun things. We went to Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, the San Diego Temple & Universal Studios. The last day we were there we went to the pier area of Oceanside. There was a super fun street fair going on. They had lots of fun treats.

We came home and had just about a week to plan our annual Fireworks BBQ for the 4th of July. It was so much fun! Daren and James made some amazing burgers. Imagine: ground burger and pork. Add a little garlic, Worcestershire sauce and other multiple seasonings. Throw in some crispy bacon pieces and make your patties. Make 'em thin because we're going to throw some shredded cheese on a patty and top it all with another patty. Squish 'em together and get a good seal. That's what I call a bacon cheeseburger! Dad Tibbitts brought over a HUGE grill that he's been storing for a few years. Add great company and things blowing up. . . . that's a fantastic party!

Photos

We're getting geared up for our family pictures on Saturday! It's going to be great. We are going to have all of James' family together and take a big one!

While preparing, I noticed I forgot to post Haden's 6 month pictures. He is such a cutie. These were taken right when he was figuring out how to crawl. He's now got that mastered. It's quite mechanical and reminds me of Mogli from The Jungle Book. He's also quickly taken it upon himself to get into a standing position all on his own. My mom says she caught him standing in his crib when she went to wake him this morning! What have I got myself into? A busy, little, amazing, sweet boy is what!

a few favorites. . .

Ok, so really our lives revolve around this sweet little boy. It's the way it should be. He really has mastered crawling now. His knees sure show it too! He even gets around pretty well on the hard wood floor and tile!

Here's a few more favorite things he's discovered he likes to do lately:

Cruzin'

This video was taken last week. He's gotten much better at it this week! What an amazing little guy!

Haden and Sophie are playing together really well too. We'll try to get a video of that. It's super cute! Sophie will paw at Haden and he just giggles uncontrollably.

I never imagined that adding children to our family would add so much to our lives. There is nothing better than this. We usually get to go wake Haden up together. It's so wonderful and fufilling to see his smile just at the sight of us. I'm so grateful for the blessings and joy that Haden has brought to our lives.

Touchy subject

K. . . please keep in mind that I'm a first time mommy. I don't know what I'm doing and I believe Haden dropped his manual during the delivery process. I can't find it!

So, Haden is now 6 months old. We've been giving him food now. You know, the baby 1st stage stuff. He really enjoys it. We've also cut out all nursing during the day. The rest of the feedings are formula bottles. Here's the problem. . . Haden's poo is different!!! I know this is normal, right? He just hasn't been pooing as much. And it looks like it hurts the poor little guy! Am I crazy that I'm concerned about this. Please help me ease my mind! I thank you in advance. Love you all!

Here's a cute picture for you to see what he's up to this week as well.

The Salon. . . .

IS OPEN!!!

James purchased a hair cutting set. It's really nice. We've had it for about a month now. I've just been too chicken to use it.

My brother in law, Tom--BLESS HIS HEART!!--, was my first guinea pig. He was such a trooper and just guided me along with how the other elders did it while he was on his mission. I must admit, Tom walked away with a stinking good looking hair cut. (maybe he just lies to me when he says it's a good cut though!) But my poor James. . . his hair is so different than Tom's. It still looks good. I just have to get better at the blending as far as his hair goes. I'm really excited though. It turned out pretty well. And he just keeps reminding me that it will grow back. I can try again! I'm so excited.

So, I'll be able to get my hair done because I can save money on my boys' hair cuts.

WAHOOOO!!!

HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY

Haden turned 6 months old on 3/12/10. He's such a cute little guy. Caught him waking up!



We went to the doctor that day. He weighs 13 lbs 3 oz and is 26.5 in tall! Scrawny little man! But a happy one. Here's how he likes to take his binky lately! I think it's pretty good for a kid who doesn't really like it anyway :)



Every parent makes mistakes, right. Well, I guess I didn't read correctly and made a good mistake. We should have been feeding him stage one solids since his 4 month appointment. OOPS! Missed that one. We've started now though. He has been enjoying his rice cereal. Now he likes his carrots. We will try beans or squash next I think. I've got to make sure he likes veggies before feeding him sweets.

More Firsts!

We've had quite a few firsts. We skipped one. . . Haden's first rice cereal. He loves his rice cereal! He's done really well with it since day one. . . which was January 19, 2010.



Then he sat up on his own on February 21, 2010. That was in my previous post.
Also on this day he got his first bruise! He got in the way of a cell phone being tossed to it's owner. Here he is with his Uncle Tom. The bruise isn't too visible though.



Now he has cut his first teeth!!!! His first one popped through on March 5, 2010 with the second one following through on the 6th!!



Stay posted for more to come!

Look What I Can DO!!!!

The Olympics have been so inspiring. . . we came home from our family dinner tonight to watch a bit of ice dancing. I was doing up a few dishes and heard James holler from the living room, "Mommy, come quick!" This is what I caught Little Mr. H doing. Luckily we were able to get a picture. Tonight is the first night he's sit up on his own! I'm so proud of him. Now he's just laying on the floor squealing and laughing at Sophie. What a nice way to wrap up the weekend! I love my family.

Been A While. . .

Well, what do ya know. There I was in a whirlwind, called life. Then I realized, I haven't posted on my blog for some time. Wow! It's been over 2 months. So much has happened. I think I've been avoiding it as well. With the baby and going back to work, add the Holidays, Family togetherness, Ward responsibilities etc,, something was bound to take the back burner. I wish I was amazing and could do it all. Oh well. New year, new situation. . . time to catch up.

We had a wonderful holiday season! I don't think we had a spare night during the whole month of December! We had a lot of fun. We got to go to the Jon Schmidt Christmas concert and the Pickleville Playhouse Christmas show as well. They were so much fun! Haden got to come with us to the Pickleville Play. He was such a good little boy and got to sit on Santa's lap. We went to that play on Dec. 21. Right before we left we got this cute video of the little man:



We spent a quiet Christmas with all our parents. It was just so nice. Our real Christmas came 4 days later, on the 29th. James' little brother came home from his mission! We traveled down to SLC in an ucky storm and picked him up just before midnight. It was late, but a total blast! It's been so good to see him and have him back home.


My schedule has changed a little bit lately. Since the new year, I've been able to switch from being a full time employee at the Logan City Court, to a part timer! It's absolutely fantastic!! I work Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 1 pm. Haden and I seem to enjoy it.

Haden is almost 5 months old now. We went in for his 4 month appointment on Jan 14. He weighed in at 12 lbs 5 oz, was 26 in tall and his head was 15.5 in. His percentiles are 8, 85 and 8. He's just a tall, skinny kid. We moved him to his crib last weekend. he's doing so very well. Still sleeping through the night, so that's what counts!

James is just doin' the same old thing. He's doing good at S&S. He's still serving as an Assistant Scout Master and enjoying himself.

That's our little update. I hope all is well with everyone else and look forward to blogging more in the near future.

Here's a cute little picture of Haden taken just after Christmas.