The Gratitude Challenge: Day Nine

Day nine:

I'm grateful for my friends.

This is Garrett & Sallie. They're special. I actually had a picture of them both with funny faces but I didn't have the flash on so it's not great...at least Sallie looks pretty :). These two are perfect for each other. Ahem, Allan & I take credit for setting them up, I might add! They stood in line for hours to win free wings for a year from Buffalo Wild Wings and we got to eat the fruits of their labor a few weeks ago. Man, I don't even like wings and I wanted more! They're getting married December 28th (having wings at their reception, love it) and we couldn't be happier for them. Now if only Garrett wasn't stealing Sallie away to Lubbock! 


We are so lucky to be blessed with such great friends: Mindy, Levi, and their boy Aiden, Ephraim (AKA George), Sallie & Garrett (above), our siblings (it's the best when you're friends AND related, eh!?), Bill, Blair, Jackie, the list goes on...I love you all! I didn't write down all of our friends (thought that would get boring) so if you're not on the list...we love you!!


-Little Wife Power House 

grocery shopping with a baby

Let me tell you, I used to love grocery shopping (I know - weird thing to love). I loved making the list, people watching, taking my time strolling down the aisles, I didn't even mind when I forgot something and had to go back to the other side of the store. Now? I hate grocery shopping. I still like list making (although I have improved it significantly), I can't people watch anymore, and I do not stroll. There is no strolling. There is constant rushing because I just can't wait to get it over with. Sounds a little dramatic but that is how annoying it is to me. I was just telling Allan two nights ago about how much of a pain it is now. For the first *almost* four months of Holden's life, I have had to carry him around the grocery store. YES - carry him while pushing a cart and while getting things off of the shelves. It truly is amazing the things moms can do with only one arm free. He is not a fan of his car seat. 


We had a breakthrough in the last week! Holden has sat in his car seat practically the whole time the last TWO times I've gone shopping! I only had to get him out once to hold while I got deli meat and then popped him right back in. HALLELUJAH! I still don't stroll (yet) because I never know how long his content-ness will last but hey, I'm happy as a clam! 


Now, I said I've improved my grocery list making lately. This is thanks to Rookie Cookie (who sadly stopped blogging recently - but that's a link to her post on this that I followed). It's genius and I don't know why I never thought of it before. I'll leave you to her post so you don't have to read it twice. No more having to walk back & forth and back & forth because you forgot something in the produce section and now you're in the dairy section. I love it! My grocery shopping experience is much faster and easier. 


One more thing that makes my grocery shopping trip easier? MARKET STREET. If you live in the Frisco area and don't shop there, I would consider switching :). Best customer service - hands down. No competition. They have parking for expectant/new mothers. They are helpful in the store, cheery even! They unload your grocery cart, re-load it, take it out to your car, unload it, and take it back inside! They won't even accept tips! I've been completely spoiled by them and rarely go anywhere else. 


Sorry for the long post :) Happy Thursday! I can almost taste the weekend!


-Little Wife Power House


P.S. We ordered our stockings from Pottery Barn last night! Holden got this one, Husband got this one, and I got this one. Let me tell you, it was a little weird typing "Mom" and "Dad" for the embroidery! I'm so excited for our first Christmas with H. 

The Gratitude Challenge: Day Eight

Day eight:

I'm grateful for my iPad :o)

{Would any of you guess that this was 

one of Allan's favorite newborn pictures?}

Hehe! Allan is going to love this post! I married a geek, okay?! What do you expect?! When Allan was (successfully) talking me into getting him an iPad I thought to myself that I would never get one. He was home for about a month when I had Holden and I ended up using it a lot. Mostly for TV, facebook, and browsing the internet (which is still the case...but I added Solitaire now). It has an ABC app, a Netflix app, tons of games, an iCalendar, a Pandora app, etc. Allan got me one for my birthday and I use it every single day. He knows me better than I know myself! He got me the 16 gig wifi version and it's been perfect. I can take it anywhere in the house with me while I nurse H. If you have the extra money, I totally recommend one! 


-Little Wife Power House

frisco heritage museum

I'm sure some of you are getting really bored with my gratitude posts so I'm going to make sure and still post fun things we do. Last week Holden & I went to the Frisco Heritage Museum with Lori and the boys. For those in the Frisco area with young children, it was actually pretty fun and really cheap - just $4! We got to see old cars:

{This was a car from 1916}

They had a retro-style living room which was so fun! I actually want one of these TV's (with a HD screen :P) in my house!

{Holden is sitting up really well now-a-days!}

Holden and Ash got some "cousin time." It's funny because they look almost nothing alike! Asher & JR have tan skin and dark hair while Holden has very fair skin and red hair (both from me...hope he doesn't resent me later :P). They love each other none the less!

They also had a train section, king cotton section, and a quilting section. Overall, it was a win! Older children (3+) would enjoy it more but Asher still had a great time.

-Little Wife Power House

P.S. I have a phone again! Happy day!! 

The Gratitude Challenge: Day Seven

Day seven:

I'm grateful for my family.

{Allan's family on our wedding day}

{My family on our wedding day}

I have to do the rest of my family in one post or else it will take up all 30 days! Let me show you how many people I'm grateful for in my immediate family (including in-laws): Mom, Dad, Lori, Robert, JR, Asher, Steve, Emily, Julie, John, Chris, Melanie, Tim, Jennifer, Babe, Sterling, Carter, Jett, Casey, Joe, Melissa, Jaimie, Jeff, Kirsten, Carrie, and Adelle. PHEW! Both Allan & I have HUGE families. My family has 8 people (not including in-laws or my nephews) and Allan's family has 11 people (not including in-laws or my nephews). The family wedding picture when we got married was a little ridiculous. It will be a lot of ridiculous by the time Allan's youngest sister (who is six) gets married. I'm so grateful to have all of them in my life. It's nice having so many people to lean on - and boy do I lean on them! They help us SO much. They're always willing to lend a hand whenever we're in need of one. THANK YOU GUYS. It means a lot to us. I hope they all know that we're there for them whenever they need us :). Love you all.


-Little Wife Power House

The Gratitude Challenge: Day Six

Day six:

I'm grateful for my house.

We bought our first house about six months ago. We were very lucky to find the house we did for the price we did. We have enough room in the house that we could have a few more kids and be fine. I don't want to move again anytime soon! I love it here too much. We've had to do some work (paint and more recently fix the sprinkler system, replace the two trees you see in the front, and get gutters put on the rest of the house.) We knew all of this needed to be done when we bought it - I was just a little busy being pregnant then having a newborn to deal with it :). There is still more work to be done but just little things. I can't wait to start on the upstairs playroom in the next six months or so! I already have it all mapped out! I love the location, the size, the neighborhood, the ward, the layout, the fireplace, the garden bathtub, the HUGE closet, the list goes on. AAAANDDD we got it in time to qualify for the $8,000 tax refund! Bonus! A big thank you to our realtor Ryan Owens for finding us this house!

-Little Wife Power House

The Gratitude Challenge: Day Five

Day five:

I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel changed my life. There is no way that I would be the person I am today or have the things I have today without it. The Gospel has blessed my life in ways I never could have imagined. It has helped me become a better wife, sister, daughter, friend, and most recently, mother. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know they love me. I have faith that I will live with them again one day. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm thankful for the temple. I love its beauty and the peace I feel when I'm there. I'm grateful that I get to be with Allan, Holden, and our future children forever. I'm grateful to have the Holy Ghost with me to guide me and that Heavenly Father answers my prayers. I love that I'm never alone even though I may feel like it sometimes. 

-Little Wife Power House