Happy Thought- dreaming

So I had intentions on writing a lengthy post about all of our adventures- complete with pictures of my little darlings but the Internet is creeping tonight! Come on people it is Friday night and unless you are nursing a baby then get out and get a life! Just kidding- who am I to talk even when I am not nursing a baby I wouldn't be out this late anymore. I am sorry to all of my friends who have felt betrayed by my silence. Max is going through a really clingy stage and I have been suffering from "worn out mommy" syndrome. Yet my happy thought is dreams. I realize that I won't be in this season of my life forever and although I love these times, I do look forward to nights of sleep and mental clarity. If you read one of my "tags" a while back I stated that I want to be a writer when I grow up. I feel flattered when my aunts gush to my mom about how well written my blog is and especially when my Aunt Claudine told me that I should follow my dream and write professionally. I realize that in order to do this I would need to go back to school and get more education but that is something I would love to do. My husband also is a big supporter in this dream. The other day he came home with a copy of The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus and Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder for me and told me to write him a book. Yesterday he surprised me with a package of pens and notebooks with more words of encouragement. It is always good to hold onto a dream no matter how lofty that goal is. Yet even better than having a dream is having those who love you believe in that dream too!

Happy Thought- lazy days

So I was taking a break from Happy Thought thinking that my reading public might be sick of them. But a strange thing happened- I stopped thinking of things I was thankful for and thereby my mood plummeted. So my dear readers, you may skip reading them all you like for I don't make you read my posts anyway. I will continue with Happy Thoughts because I desire to be happy. (Can you tell my dear reader that I am reading Jane Eyre! If you haven't read it, she always addresses the reader of the book- I kind of like it like me and Charlotte Bronte are tight!)
So my happy thought for today is lazy days. Yesterday was a doozy (anyone know the correct spelling of doozy if it is even a word) of a lazy day. I didn't feel well so the bare minimum happened- we got dressed and fed and that was about it. My amazing husband came home and cooked dinner of his own invention. If I named it it would be something of the sort of... well I won't give my creative title but it would be Ginger Chicken and Eggplant stew.
The reason I am most thankful for my lazy day yesterday is that by the end of the day I hated myself. I was sick with idleness and today I vow to accomplish more. I still don't feel well but it is 9am my kids are dressed and fed and I am off to take a shower. Once I am ready I think we will go to the children's museum... maybe not productive but at least out of the house.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
~ Cicero ~

Happy Thought- Dads and Brothers

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day. I was grateful for the time set aside to honor some great men in my life. I didn't get to celebrate with my Father but I am so grateful for the Stalwart example that he is in my life. He is an amazing man full of compassion, meekness and conviction. He is strong and faithful and an unchanging example. I am so thankful that he is my dad. I did get to celebrate Father's day with my father-in-law. We even got to watch home videos of him raising his children. Mark is a gentle man who loves his family very much. He loves being a grandpa and his grand kids love him.
Best of all was celebrating with my amazing husband. He is such a terrific father. he loves his boys and would do anything for him. He loves to play with Turner and is gentle and kind with Max. He is always open to learning ways to become a better father and he prays for guidance. Josh is a great example of perseverance and fortitude. I am lucky that my sons have him as an example. Someday my sons will follow in his footsteps and have children of their own.
I am have really enjoyed the relationship between Turner and Max lately. Turner is so tender and kind with Max. Max is always smiling and gooing at him. Today Turner did something that made Max mad and it was so funny to watch the interaction. I was worried how I would deal with their relationship. Everyone always said how hard brothers are and how much they fight and how competitive they are. I am sure we will deal with that but for now i am just enjoying the fact that despite it all- they love each other! I am so Thankful for fathers and brothers.

"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

happy thought- baby smiles

I am so thankful for baby smiles. Although babies smile at everyone, there is something in them that makes you feel special. When he smiles at me, I feel like I matter somehow in this world. One of those can wipe away a rough night, getting pooped on and even a marathon crying fit. Thank you Max for your wonderful smile!

"Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

happy thought-my husband, boy bonding time

We have only done this twice but Josh will take the boys for an hour or two on a Sat. while I get stuff done around the house. It is so freeing to be able to get things done without wondering about what Turner is getting into while I am busy. I am so grateful for such an amazing husband that is willing to do this for me. Josh is truely my companion and best friend and I feel very lucky to have as my husband. Josh- you are my #1 happy thought!

"Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.
Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.
Thankfulness may consist merely of words.
Gratitude is shown in acts."
~ David O. McKay ~

happy thought- good books

I am thankful for good books! I checked Jane Eyre out of the library before we left on vacation but didn't get a chance to start the book until a few days ago. Although it is a bit of a slower read for me (I have to check the footnotes every so often) I love it (so far.) A couple of summers ago Josh and I did a "Thomson summer reading program." If you earned 5,000 points then you got to go and pick out a new book. You earn a point per page and then different kinds of books are worth a certain amount of points. We decided to revive the program again this summer; and classics are worth 1,000 and since Jane Eyre is a classic- I am starting off with a bang this summer. I am thankful for good books- especially when they are worth a lot of points :)

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
~ Marcel Proust ~

Happy Thought- strollers

I am so thankful for strollers! Without a car this week we have been doing as much walking (as the weather permits) as we can just to get out of the house. Thank you mom for buying it when I Max was born. I love our stroller and I am thankful that someone invented them.

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
~ Epictetus ~

My Mom

I know my vacation counted as my happy thought for the day but today is my mom's birthday! I am so thankful for her today. She is the woman that gave me life. Not only did she bring me into this world but she brought me up in this world. My mom is the greatest mom in the whole world. She is stalwart and strong. She is an amazing example of faith and patience. She has a wonderful relationship with the Savior. She also is very close with her children- I know she has worked hard to maintain those throughout our lives. She also has accomplished much- she got her masters degree when she was 55! I love this woman and she is my happy thought today! I am thankful for my mom! Happy Birthday!

San Diego

MANGUM FAMILY REUNION!
We are back! We had a fabulous time in San Diego last week. We left on Sunday and went as far as Mesquite, NV. We had high hopes of swimming in the pool the next morning but it didn't open until 9 and that is when we wanted to hit the road but we had already got into our swim suits.
Here the boys are before we changed them back into thier clothes. Max started smiling a week before we left- it melts my heart everytime. This isn't the best picture of his smile but you can get a glimpse of it. His face looks funny in this picture but he is such a cutie. It is great that I have a child that will smile at the camera (for now) as Turner pretty much boycotts it.

On Tuesday we went to Scrippts Birch aquarium. The coolest part was the kelp forest. We got to watch a diver feed the fish.

Wednesday we hung out at the beach. That night we had a retirement party for my dad. It is always crazy with 12 grandkids- 5 of them being 2 but we had a great time. Congrats Dad on 36 years of wonderful service to our family and the community! Aren't my parents cute?

Turner couldn't get enough of the water or the sand.



Thursday we went to Legoland. Josh loves legos and makes AMAZING structures with them. He was in heaven. Of course Josh also loves Starwars making this the perfect photo op. (I think the light sabor was positioned for little kids- oops)

Turner is in love Thomas and so he loved this lego version. He cried when we had to leave it.



The best part was just hanging out with the family and goofing off.

On Friday we had a little birthday party with all of the cousins for Turner's birthday. He is going to be 2 on the 12th. I can't believe he is going to be 2 already although he has been acting two for a month or so now so it shouldn't be a suprise.

Here he is before he "blew out his candles" really the wind was so bad that he didn't really get a chance to blow them out but we tried our hardest. We must have lit like 15 matches to get it to light and that is Thanks to my brother who insisted that we get the candles lit.


The condo we stayed in was right on the beach. It was amazing to look out the window and watch the waves. This is the view from our window.

Here is a picture of the condo (this is for you Heather- I am not sure that it stands out much!) Overall it was a great week. If you want to see more pictures of my family go to this website: ginahansenphotography.com User name is mangum and password is beach. We had a great time!
On the way home our transmission started going out! With a lot of faith, and prayers on behalf of our family we made it home slowly. We haven't got the van looked at yet so we aren't sure of the damages but it looks like it will probably be in the range of $3,000. It makes it an expensive family vacation but that trial helped me remember why I married my husband. I knew we could get through anything together. I am greatful for families, the beauty of the earth the Lord made for us, and trials that make us stronger!

Frosting

I LOVE the movie how to loose a guy in 10 days. I always laugh at the part where Ben's boss leans out the window and yells "women of New York frost yourselves." We are leaving for CA tomorrow and while we are there we are going to have a birthday party for Turner. So I was making up frosting for his birthday cake last night and found the best recipe for frosting. It is so good. My happy thought is that I am thankful for frosting! Here is the recipe:

1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and cook until it turns nut brown (this step is essential for the flavor) remove from heat and add powdered sugar and boiling water and stir. And vanilla.

If I don't get a chance to post in CA I will see you all when I get back!

Happy Thought

I am thankful for early mornings. This week I have had a lot to do so I have been waking up early to get stuff done. I love when everyone else is still sleeping and I am checking things off my to do list. This morning my alarm didn't go off and I didn't wake up early; it made me realize how thankful I am for my early mornings.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie ~

Happy Thought

Today I am thankful for family vacations. Sunday we are leaving for Mission Beach for a week! I am so excited for the beach and the opportunity to just get out of town and see something new :) We are meeting up with my whole family for the week and I just can't wait!

"Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. People are generally happier when they have gratitude in their hearts." -lds.org

Happy Thought

There may be a couple of you out there that remember Happy Thought. In one of my apartments (when I lived with Jen, Michelle, and Cami) in the Villa we had happy thought every night where we said something we were thankful for that day, sang a song and prayed together. My experience was amazing. I think it is through expressing gratitude that life becomes great. Dietrich Bonhoeffer obviously agrees with me:
"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I want to start posting my happy thoughts for the day. I am grateful for families. I now am part of 3 amazing families, my family of origin, Josh's family of origin and now our own family of 4. Most of the meaning in my life is tied to the people in those 3 units. Families make me happy!