Princess Fruit Smiles

Day 29
Today I am thankful for the kids that I work with. Each day brings something new from them and I love it! Sometimes they give me challenges that I have to work really hard to overcome, but each challenge is a learning process, and I become wiser because of them! I want to share three quick snapshots of why I'm so thankful for my students.
At the beginning of the year when the weather was nice I would go with one of my students out to recess. We would lie on the grass in the shade of a nice tree and talk. One day he turned to me and said "This is the best day ever!" That one sentence made my heart so happy! As the days wore on we played games where he was the prince and I was the princess. Now that the days are colder we don't get that same opportunity to just take it easy at recess, and we haven't talked about princes, princesses, or dragons in a long time. Yesterday while we were reading my sweet little guy looked at me and said "You're the princess. I'm the king." Every girl wants to get told that she is a princess, and each time I hear those words from this guy my heart smiles!
Another one of my students is a very picky eater, and one of my jobs is to make sure that more fruits and veggies are consumed. Easier said than done! Seriously, you would think that I'm trying to poison the kid with the faces that get pulled. I'm not a completely terrible person, I only ask that my student take one bite of whatever we chose as our fruit/veggie. We've missed many minutes of recess just waiting for that one bite to be taken, I've offered so many bribes, and still that one bite is the most dreaded part of lunch. A few weeks ago I had to miss a couple of days of school for training. When I came back my student proudly told me that they had eaten a bite of orange. I did a quick mental check and couldn't come up with any way for my sub to know of this routine. I asked if the sub had enforced this rule, and the reply totally made my day. "No, I did it myself. I told the sub that's what we do." After so many days of wincing, grimacing, gagging, and finally swallowing, my little student willing participated in our tradition even when I wasn't there! Someone really does listen to me! Getting the one bite is still quite the production, but knowing that my student will willingly do it without me there makes each battle worth it!
The last heart-warming tale from this post is quite simple in nature. It is simply the smile that one of my students gives to me. Smiles are hard to come by with this student, and when I get a true, genuine smile it makes me so happy! That smile that starts in the eyes and travels to the mouth is what I search for each day, and finding it is like finding something that you thought was forever lost but now is found. Such power in smiles!
Needless to say, I LOVE MY STUDENTS! I could go on and on about a million other things that I love about or from my students, but I won't bore you with all the details! For now you may call me Princess Miss Amanda, the fruit & veggie queen, on a quest for smiles. You may now be envious of my job!

Zzzzzzz....

Day 28
Today's thought of thankfulness is very simple: I am thankful that I didn't feel as tired today as I should have. I wasn't feeling well last night and didn't get to sleep until around 3 this morning. Normally this is a recipe for disaster, but somehow I got through the day without feeling sluggish and sleep deprived. For this I am oh so thankful!

Hope

Day 26
Today I am so thankful for lazy weekends! I spent most of my day reading ("The Hunger Games" will pull you in every time!) and watching movies. I did manage to throw in some closet cleaning, oh, and I moved my couch into my sitting room. By myself. It was quite the adventure! It may not have been my most productive day in history, but it was a good day that I am totally satisfied with. I got to take some time just for me, which was really nice.

Day 27
Today I am thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. So often in life I fall short of who I should be and what I should be doing. I make dumb mistakes, sometimes repeatedly, and sometimes I just overlook doing things that I know deep down I should do. That is where my Savior steps in. He makes up the difference where I so greatly lack, and He so freely forgives. Today in my Sunday School class we talked about hope, and one sister applied it to mean that we hope that we can change. In the gospel of Jesus Christ hope isn't just a wish, it is a sure knowledge that something will happen. When we have the hope that we can change and be better it is a hope that is sure-we can change. It is through our Savior Jesus Christ that we have this bright hope. I know that with His help all things are possible. His atonement makes it so. The atonement gives me hope each and every day that I can be better, and that I can overcome the obstacles which do so easily beset me. I love my Savior with all of my heart, and my hope is anchored in him!

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." Ether 12:4 (Book of Mormon)

The Family Pet

Day 25
Just because Thanksgiving day has come and gone is no reason to stop being thankful! I am going to keep posting my thanks for the remainder of the month, just to help me keep in the spirit of the season.
Today I am thankful for all of the pets in my life, and there are quite a few of them! When I was younger I felt like we were Noah's ark: 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats. It was pretty fun! Pets have always been a big part of our family, and most times they are treated like family! I have learned many valuable lessons from our pets about faith, trust, loyalty, and friendship. So this is a shout-out to all of the awesome pets in my life! Tinkerbelle-my sister dog, Stubby my nephew dog, Sanders my nephew cat, Gus my nephew dog, and Ruger my nephew dog. :)
*I don't have pics of everyone, so I'll have to work on that!

Nanny tales

Day 24
Today I am thankful for my nephews, Turkey and Marmitt. They are the two cutest little boys in the world, and I love being their Nanny!
Today is Turkey's second birthday! We celebrated with him on Sunday. I came quickly to the realization that I have a spending problem when it comes to my little guys, but that's ok! Seeing how much Turkey enjoyed his presents was so much fun. He's growing so fast and learning so much. A few weeks ago when Marmitt was blessed we were all at my sister's house for dinner afterwards. It was past Turkey's nap time, so I decided that the two of us would sneak into Jolene and Nic's room for a little nap. We were both on the bed, me with my eyes closed and pretending to be asleep when suddenly I felt a little hand on my face. "Nanny, you sleepin?" Try as I might I could not contain my laughter! It was so adorable to hear that little voice ask me if I was sleeping. I tried to pretend to be asleep again with similar results, only it moved from a hand on the face to a little boy climbing on my back. My little Turkey is the sweetest thing ever, and I am so lucky to be his Nanny! There is no sweeter sound in the world than to hear "Nanny! Nanny! Nanny!" when he sees me, and there's no greater feeling in the world than him hugging and kissing me. So thankful for that little boy!
Yesterday was Marmitt's 3-month birthday. He is the same age now that Turkey was when I met him. My little Marmitt is getting so big and so fun! He has started smiling now, and as I held him the other night he was so happy and smiling at me! He is even starting to love kisses from his Nanny. Just like his big brother, this little guy has his Nanny wrapped around his finger! My little Marmitt is so stinking cute-with hair that changes from platinum blonde to red depending on the day (and probably his mood!) and the sweetest little smile and cheeks...he's a keeper, that's fo sho! I'm so excited to watch this little Marmitt grow, and can't wait until he's yelling "Nanny!" too!
Today is Thanksgiving day, and so it deserves a special "thankful" moment. I am so thankful for my extended family. We had Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad's sister and her family for the first time in years (everyone usually splits up and goes different directions for Thanksgiving, but we do Christmas together) and it was so much fun! I love my Aunt Suzy and Uncle Allen so much! They are the best aunt and uncle that a kid could ask for! Being at their house and just laughing and talking was the best! Their son Danny and his wife Heather were also there with their tow kids, as well as Uncle Allen's mother, Nelly. Such a fun gathering! I am so thankful for family!

The power of the Sister Rings

Day 23
Today I am oh-so-thankful for my wonderful sister, Jolene. Not everyone knows this, but when she and I were younger we didn't really get a long. There is a 9 year age gap between us, so for a long time I was the "annoying little sister" that everyone talks about (really, I was!) and she was the "mean big sister" who never let me have any fun (at least that's how I remember it!). We did plenty to torture one another back in the day, and somehow we both survived.
Fast forward to Jolene going on her mission. I missed her while she was gone, and was excited when she came home, but there still wasn't that deep connection. Then she was home, and we started to do things together. In the 18 months that she had been gone we had both done a lot of growing, and it helped us to grow closer together. Plus, she gave me a pretty awesome "sister" ring, to which she has a twin. To this day we both wear our "sister" rings to prove that we're really sisters!
I am so thankful that we both finally grew up and really got to know one another. In my sister I have found my dearest friend, my kindred spirit. For better or for worse my sister knows me inside and out-and she loves me despite my faults and shortcomings. My sister is someone I know that I can turn to no matter what, and she'll always listen and offer support and counsel. Jolene is my cheerleader, my motivator, my mediator, my sounding board, my rock, and she's a really good shoulder to cry on! We have so much fun together, and it's usually quite the adventure when we're together! Nic calls Jolene and I "surround sound" because we tend to say the same thing, at the same time, over and over again. It's a pretty decent accomplishment, if you ask me! We laugh until we cry, share our most embarrassing moments (crazy enough-plenty of mine have happened in the presence of my sister! Jolene-remember my awesome face-plant in your car?!), and share our innermost secrets and desires. Now you're wishing that you have a sister as awesome as mine! I'm so glad that I get to call her my own. Jolene is one amazing and beautiful woman, and I am so thankful to have her in my life!

"Ask me if I'm a truck."

Day 22
Today I am super-de-duper thankful for my little brother, Jason Dee! Ever since we were little he has always had a way of making me laugh like no one else does. My all-time favorite joke of his goes as follows:
"Ask me if I'm a truck."
"Are you a truck?"
"No."
I don't know why, but when he first told me this I would laugh my head off! Even now as I sit here and type I'm laughing! There was just something about the way he would say no, like it was the most obscure and ridiculous thing to ask him if he was a truck...I guess you had to be there! (Please note, we were like 11 and 8 respectively when he told me this joke.)
There are other things about my brother that I love and am thankful for besides his sense of humor. When I left for my mission I left behind a teenage boy, but when I came back I found that a man had replaced him. My little brother is so responsible and mature, and he knows how to take care of things. I am so impressed everyday with the man that he has become, and I am so proud to call him my little brother!
We had the opportunity to work together for nearly a year recently, and I loved it. We carpooled everyday and had so many good chances to talk about life and our plans. My brother is someone whom I trust and know that I can talk to, and I know that he will listen and give me sound advice. Now that we aren't working together and he's married and moved out of the house I miss those talks and really look forward to when he comes home and we talk. So here is to my handsome, funny, mature man of a little brother! I love you!