(Early) Monday Morning Gratitude

Even though I'm getting a lot less sleep these days, I've still got a lot to be grateful for. I like doing these Monday morning posts to remind myself of all that I have to be thankful for. Plus, it's fun to find all the pictures!

Sitting and nursing a baby, I have a lot of reading time. Sometimes I forget that I could be spending more time with my scriptures. I've tried to do that and it's made a difference in me and my life. I find that I can deal with my days so much better if I spend some time studying. I'm hoping, after this year at school, to read the entire Book of Mormon in French.
Will might be more grateful for this one than I am. Will, who eats it by the handful (I wish I were kidding!). But we could all use a little chocolate-y hazelnut goodness every now and again. With Will around, I go through more than I used to, but that's okay. Can't fault him for loving chocolate.

Laurel got a bath every day. Will, most days. James, maybe every one out of three. Henry doesn't like them, and I have difficulty finding the time. But I still love the smell of this stuff. It's nice to snuggle with a sweet-smelling baby.

I'm getting a serious crush on Gordon Ramsay. I discovered Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares on hulu and I'm addicted. Aaron is too. It's fun to watch the shows together and then talk about it over the next few days. I've decided that Gordon Ramsay is the blond, British, chef version of Aaron. Aaron would love to be able to tell people off like GR.

School supplies. I love them. All the time. They are just so cheap right now! I think school supplies are half the reason I'm taking classes. Love me some composition notebooks, which is funny, because I never used them while I was growing up. School supplies shopping was one thing I was really looking forward to doing with Laurel. Walking through the store with our list and picking out crayons and pencil cases and boxes of Kleenex. Laurel's school has stolen my thunder - they've just asked all the parents to give them $20 and they will buy what they need. All she has to bring is a box of Kleenex, a back pack and a water bottle. Bummer. But this hasn't stopped me from stocking up anyway.

Water. My best friend these days.

Friday nights are designated "Breakfast for Dinner" night at our house now. Really, it's almost like eating dessert for dinner. These ebelskeivers are a favorite - we fill them with raspberry jam and pour a Nutella sauce over them. Super nutritious, I promise. James just eat the chocolate sauce. We're going to try the apple ones. And the cinnamon bun ones. Williams-Sonoma has some great recipes on their site - which make sense, since this is where we got the pan! I know I should do healthier stuff like eggs and toast, but this is more fun. And I'm working on creating great memories for all of us. After our brinner, we have family movie night. We just watched Mr. Bean's Holiday and, seriously, the most fun was watching Will just giggle at Mr. Bean's antics. He was just cracking up at his facial expressions and goofiness.

It's September now. Which means fall. Which means apples. I love apples. I love apple pie. I love caramel apples. I love caramel apple pie. Just another great thing about fall.

Hope you enjoyed the list. Hope you made one of your own. There are so many wonderful things to be grateful for. Life is good.