Gratitude

"We need to be more grateful. It's one of the marks of strong character, to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings that are ours. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in church, everywhere. It's so easy to cultivate the spirit of appreciation."

- President Ezra Taft Benson

I am grateful for:

• a great lesson given at church (from our awesome Bishop)
• the foot rub my sweet husband gave me after church
• the fact that my feet are not always this swollen ☺
• our baby girl who never stops kicking 
• home teachers who we love to have visit
• a classroom that is now 99% ready for school to begin
• Daniel & Marie (and the kids) coming to town this week
• the stormy weather
• our super cute puppy, Lisbon
• this new cookbook and the really delicious recipes we have already tried
• my new scriptures
• a hard-working husband (who is kicking butt at his AmEx internship)
• the fact that I am normally part of a two car family (right now we are down to one)
• the temple reopening this week
• the "I am Mormon" ads (I mean, how adorable is Paris?!)
• a recent trip to the cabin
• my principal who is so nice with this pregnancy
• and this list which could go on forever....

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves.  They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable."

- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

How Do I Love Thee?

 

I ♥ Elder Holland and this devotional!

Sonic Ice

This little thing has made my summer and pregnancy extremely pleasant! 

I'm lucky they sell it by the bag!

MO

I remember being engaged and thinking that once we were married life would settle down, things would be a little less chaotic, and we would have so much more time together!  Clearly I was clueless.  Two years later, and I would say that life has only gotten busier!

Because our schedules have never seemed to match up, our only trips together have been within a short car ride and lasted just a couple of days.  So when we realized that we had a 5 day break between my school getting out and Robert's AmEx internship starting, I was seriously excited!  And then, because my babe is so wonderful, he suggested we visit Daniel, Marie, and the girls in Missouri (something I had really been wanting to do). 

So we miraculously found this great deal on flights, my principal even let me take off a little bit early, and we flew back to spend a long weekend in Columbia.  The timing was definitely a little crazy - it came after tornado warnings and Marie being induced a couple of weeks early - but we had a lot of fun!

So here are a few pictures from our trip:

So fun to meet Jacob (only two days old)!

And so cute to see these helpful big sisters!

At the park:

How cute are their outfits?!

Madi could not handle the sun!

I promise, Robert had fun!

How hilarious is Grace's expression!  But she loved it!

Overall, it was so fun to finally take a trip together!  Plus, we loved seeing family (and also getting a little preview of our life to come in just a few months).  I cannot wait until we get some time off together again!

Dos Anos

It is hard to believe it has been two years since we got married!

I remember thinking that I was marrying a pretty fantastic guy.  

He was.

I remember feeling like we were so in love.

We were.

I remember knowing that I was making the right decision.

I was.

I remember thinking we were incredibly blessed.

We were

I remember feeling pretty dang happy.

I was.

I remember feeling like our day was seriously amazing.

It was.

Now two years in the future, it is awesome to see how it has only gotten better!  I feel so unbelievably blessed to be even happier and more in love than we were then.  My husband has only grown to be a better man than I already knew.  We continue to have wonderful things added to our life:
a home, new jobs, a new car, one college degree (with another on the way), a puppy,
and in just a few months...our baby girl!


I am so excited for the next two years!!!
(and for the eternities after that)

First Comes Love...

Then Comes Marriage...

Then Comes a Puppy...

Then Comes a Baby in the Baby Carriage!

Robert warned me that getting a puppy was a great way to guarantee that we were going to be having a baby not long after.  I thought he was crazy!  Well, not long after we found out that his theory is indeed correct!  

Baby McKay arriving on October 2, 2011

Isn't that tiny little leg adorable?!

AmEx

Have I mentioned lately that I have the most incredible husband?!  Yeah...  I am hoping one day to be as good to him as he is to me.

So there has been a change of plans.  Robert was offered this awesome internship with Apple (see previous post) that would have meant moving to Cupertino, California.  Well, I was not super thrilled with the idea of leaving Arizona.  So after a lot of talking and prayer and a definite sacrifice by my babe, we decided not to take the internship with Apple.

Instead, Robert was offered another really awesome (maybe not quite as prestigious) internship.  This time with a company know as AmEx!

The really fantastic part is that there were some major perks to this job that we were not initially aware of!  So even though it was a hard decision to make, as always, our Heavenly Father is definitely aware of us and continues to bless us more than we deserve! 

I am so grateful to have such a hard working, selfless husband who is willing to do whatever it takes to support our family.

AmEx is lucky to have him...and so am I! 
.