Andrew's glasses

I forgot that I never posted pictures of Andrew with his glasses. There was a little snaffoo with the first pair, so we took him back and exchanged them. He only needs them for reading.

This is the Before picture (they weren't that purple when I picked them out, hence the exchanging them part of the story)

This is the After picture. (Just a nice metal color.) I like the shape better on the first pair, but this was as close as we could get. He doesn't have a problem with having to wear glasses, so that's nice. I still have to remind him to use them, but that will come with time.

Seeing Todd

Tonight I was able to Skype with Todd for the first time. It was so nice, especially for the kids, to seem him. Of course, it got a little hard to hear since they all wanted to talk to him at the same time. We have a big picture of Todd as my background on the computer so Lillian can see him. We've been trying to teach her that his is the face she needs to associate 'Dada' with. She's done really well. Everytime we say 'Dada' she looks at the computer to see his face and smiles. So when she finally got to see him, it was a little different for her, but she started smiling at him right away. I know it will probably still be a big change for her when she sees/meets him in person, but for right now she doesn't seem to be having a problem.
It ended up being a fairly short conversation since it was 4 am for him and he hadn't gone to bed yet, but had to be up in another 3 hrs. But we've been trying to do the webcam thing for at least the last 2 months, but he hasn't been able to for various reasons. Now we should be able to do it fairly regularly.
I love Todd so much. I'm very grateful for the service he is doing for our country. I know he is working hard and doing some important things to help in the war effort. And, eventually, he may even be able to tell me what that is. ;o) (He's keeping a list of all of the classified things that he's working on so he can check when they're made public so he can finally tell me some stuff he's done over there.) He's a great example to the children. I'm just so grateful for the technology that allows me to see him when he's 1/2 a world away. We definitely live in a bless time.

Guilty

I've noticed that when I feel down, I feel guilty. Right or wrong, I tend to think, 'I'm one of the strong ones, and people shouldn't have to worry about me when there are other people that need attention.' It always seems that it's the same few families/people that do everything, and I feel like if I, being one of those people, need help, than it's just making more work for the others. Of course, I have no problem helping someone else out, but I'd rather just wait out the bad times instead of having to bother someone else with my problems. I don't think it's fair, but nonetheless, it's the way it is. I think the strong ones need to be easier on theirselves, although, I doubt we will. Maybe we can try.

Grateful

With Thanksgiving upon us, I've been trying to focus more on the things that I am thankful for. I realize that, even though I have things that are tough to deal with sometimes, my problems are trivial compared to things others deal with. In just the last month, I've had friends who have had major financial struggles due to job loss, have had miscarriages, aren't able to have anymore or any children, had a loved one seriously injured, one who's friend is dying of cancer and another who's had a child die. What are my problems compared to those?
I have so much that I'm grateful for. Sometimes it's easy to just focus on the bad. So I want to share some of the things I'm grateful for. I'm grateful that:

-I have a husband who is truly my best friend; who loves me probably better then I deserve. :o)
-I've been able to have my 7 children and they are all, basically, healthy.
-We have a house to live in.
-We have enough food.
-We have vehicles to get where we need to go.
-Todd's job is fairly close to home, so we get to see him more frequently when he's here.
-We have family that love us.
-I have technology that allows me to easily stay connected with family and friends.
-I don't get stressed out easily, which is perfect for a military wife with 7 children. :o)
-We have some really good friends.
-Although Todd is gone, he is currently safe and is doing a lot of good work to help keep our country safe.
-I'm able to talk to or email Todd almost everyday.
-Todd has already finished 40% of his deployment.
-He has a good job that provides for us.
-We've been able to help those that need help.
-I have the luxury of being able to stay home with my children.
-I have modern conveinences that help me take care of my family.
-I have a husband who supports me in whatever I want to do.
-I have a husband who is worthy of the Priesthood which he holds and who is able to exercise that Priesthood to bless our family.
-I have access to the scriptures.
-Joseph Smith followed the Spirit's prompting, and prayed to God.
-That we have a modern Prophet who leads and guides the world.
-That I get to attend the temple.
-My family is sealed for Eternity.

I am very grateful that I have the trials I have because I know that they could be more difficult. I try to remember all that I have, and all that I've been blessed not to have, and I try to just be grateful. That doesn't always make my trials easy, but sometimes it makes them just a little less hard. I love all of you. I hope you, too, will take time to count your blessing, even amongst some of your hardest trials.