Y and Z

Well, my last thankful post. Forgot to post quite a few days, but at least I finished before December!
Y
Yogurt. I'm so thankful to have yogurt! Such a yummy healthy snack. I've recently really gotten into Greek yogurt. My favorite is Yoplait honey vanilla Greek yogurt. Add a little granola to it and you've got on great snack!!!

Z
Zoo. So thankful that there are zoos that I can take my kids to and teach them all about animals they otherwise would never get to see in real life. Such a fun experience for young kids! Sure wish we had a zoo close to us.

X

Xtraordinary mom blog. That doesn't really start with x, but the only other word I could think of was xylophone.
I'm so thankful for this blog. It has been such a great outlet for me to get all my thoughts out. Thankful to all of you for reading :)

W

Wahlen.
I'm SO thankful to be a Wahlen. So thankful for the wonderful family I married into. So thankful I get to be a part of this great clan where you really have a lot to live up to I'd you want to wear the Wahlen name. Such a great family!!

V

Variety.
I'm thankful for the variety we have in our world. Thankful that there are so many different people out there. What would our world be like of we were all the same? Boring I tell you, Boring!
I'm thankful that a lot of people out there are not afraid to be different and express who they are. Hopefully we can all learn to be a little more accepting of those who choose to bring variety to our world.

U

Universities.
I'm thankful that there are so many universities for us to attend to gain knowledge. Thankful for all the teachers and the many other people that make that education possible. Now if only we could make that education guarantee us a job!

T

Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for this holiday that makes me really sit back and look at all I have and realize everything I have to be thankful for. Not to mention all the great food there is to eat :)

S

Shoes.
So thankful that I have shoes to protect my feet and keep them warm. I know there are many people out there who are not as lucky as me to have shoes. I've often complained that I don't have enough shoes or comfy shoes, but I need to be thankful for what I do have and stop complaining.
Another thing that makes me so thankful for shoes is that no matter what my waist size is, no matter if I gain weight or not my shoe size will never change and I can always have cute shoes to make me happy :)

R

Rain.
I am thankful for rain and all the moisture it brings. I never truly realized the importance of rain until I married my husband who grew up on a farm.
I also have a lot of fun memories in the rain growing up. Almost every time it rained we'd have toothpick races. It was the best! :)

Q

Hmmm...Q is a hard one. Ok, got it...Quotes!
Lately on Facebook a lot of quotes have been going around. I'm thankful for all the inspirational quotes I read on a daily basis. It's amazing how reading one good quote and instantly change the outlook of your day. Since Quote is my thankful Q word, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes.
"A study of the doctrines of the Gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior."
-Boyd K. Packer

P

Produce.
I am so thankful for the produce at the grocery store. I'm so thankful that it is so readily available. What a blessing to have such healthy fresh food pretty much anywhere we go.

O

Oil.
Yes, I am thankful for oil.  Mainly the oil fields.  If it weren't for the oil fields my husband would be unemployed and I'm not sure where we'd be or what we'd be doing.  Even though Kirk has been working in the oil fields for almost a year now I am no where near an expert at knowing what exactly goes on there, but he is good at what he does and it provides us a steady income so I'm happy! :) Way to go Kirk!!!

N

Nutella.
I've been very sentimental with most of my thankful posts so I thought I'd switch it up today :)
I'm so very thankful for nutella. It is soooooo delicious!!!  If you haven't tried it you are totally  missing out.  I recently discovered nutella with pretzels.  Can you say yum?!  Peanut butter and nutella sandwiches are amazing...like having a reese's cup for lunch :)  I do love nutella but because I am trying  NOT to aid my food addiction I do not have any in my cupboard and don't plan on buying it for a while.  I will just have to savor the memories I have. :)

M

Mom and medicine.
I am SO thankful for my Mom.  She is such a great woman.  She has always been there for me and lent me her love and support even when I was not making the best choices.  Through all the trials in my life her love for me has never changed.  I'm thankful that she taught me the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that she lives them herself.  I loved that she always let me be her little side kick growing up.  I remember lots of times being in the kitchen "helping" with dinner (or just watching her make dinner), and I loved every time I got to go to the grocery store or run any other errands with her.  I still enjoy that :)  I'm thankful she taught me how to be a good mother and wife--she really taught through example.  I'm grateful she is one of my best friends and that I can call her with anything.  She has definitely been a shoulder for me to cry on sometimes and I'm thankful for that and that she always gives me advice to get me back on my feet.  I know I've put her and my dad through a lot, but I'm so glad they never stopped loving me and welcomed me with open arms as soon as I was ready to turn my life around.  I'm thankful for all their prayers in my behalf.  Love you Mom (and Dad!) :)
I'm also thankful that I am blessed to be a Mom myself.  Thankful for the two wonderful children I have.  They are such a blessing in our family and have completely changed me for the better.  I look forward to all the other wonderful children that will come join our family :)
I'm incredibly thankful for modern medicine.  Without it, I think William would have been an only child, haha.  But in all seriousness if it weren't for modern medicine and all the technology we have William and I probably wouldn't have survived his birth.  Though I try not to use medicine too much, it is such an incredible blessing.

L

Lights and Love.
I'm so thankful to live in these modern times where we are blessed with great luxuries such as lights.  Especially thankful for them now as there are many back east without power :(
I am so thankful for love.  So thankful that I have someone to love, thankful that someone loves me back :) thankful for the indescribable love I have for my children.  Where would we be with out love?  It's such a beautiful thing...though not always an easy thing. Here is great quote about love from one of my favorite movies, Dan In Real Life: "Love is not a feeling. It's an ability"-Marty

I'd also like to add a little to K.
Kenton and Kiersten my older brother and sister.
I was going to write about it yesterday but then got carried away writing all about Kirk :) and totally forgot!
I'm thankful for Kenton. He is such a great big brother and I really look up to him. He has always been a great friend to me and such a good example of how we all should live our life.  When I was about 16 or 17 and he was still living at home we would stay up late a lot of nights just talking and he would give me lots of great advice about dating.  I even remember when I was going to a dance in junior high he taught me how to slow dance with guys.  When he showed me that I hold their hand and put my hand on their shoulder I looked at him and said, "Uh, that's not how everyone else dances. Everyone else kind of hugs each other." He said, "No. You do not to the bear hug.  If a guy asks you to dance, you put out your hand." Not sure if I followed his advice or not, but I'm thankful that he was always looking out for me. He was definitely one of those over protective brothers-but in a good way :)
I'm SO thankful for my sister Kiersten.  She truly is one of my best friends.  She is quite a few years older than me so when I was young we weren't super close, but always got a long great!(at least that I can remember).  It wasn't until she was in college that we really became great friends.  We shared a room when she would come home every summer and even though sometimes I'm sure I drover her crazy, I'm glad we had that time together.  I'll never forget all the times we drove the blue honda civic (making sure to bring water along in case it over heated) around town shopping and listening to the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack.  I'd always ask Kiersten to take me shopping and tell her that I'd buy her krispy kreme if she did.  Worked every time :)  Shopping with Kiersten was good for me because she really taught me how to bargain shop.  When I was in college I use to call her EVERY Sunday, but now we talk sometimes almost every day.  I love that I can call her with no purpose other than to chat.  She is such a great sister and friend!

Giving Thanks

A few years ago my sister started doing thankful posts on her blog for the month of November.  She would do a letter of the alphabet for each day up until Thanksgiving (or the 26th).  I've decided to take on that tradition as well, though I can't always think of just one thing per day. She also has her kids answer and they write it on a "feather" for their thankful turkey.  Maybe I'll do that next year.

Anyway, I've been doing this, but just on Facebook.  Thought I'd add it here as well, and elaborate a little more on some of them. 

A-

Annabelle and Alan. I am so thankful that Annabelle joined our family this year. She is such a sweet happy baby and her sweet spirit is such a joy to have in our home. She eats so well, sleeps great (through the night!), and is very happy and content when she is awake...what a blessing. She also is pretty cute too :) We seriously could not have been blessed with a better baby (of course I think I said that with William, and I'll probably say it with every other baby we have).

Alan is my oldest brother.  He is such an awesome guy! Growing up we weren't really close since there is a 10 year gap between us, but now that we're older 10 years doesn't seem like such a big gap.  I remember after his mission, before he got married we would watch all the Kings games together.  It was so fun and I loved that even though I was his little sister he made me feel like his friend.  He is my only sibling that lives semi-close to me so I get to see him more often which I love!  Him and his wife are always so willing to let me come over and hang out with them if I'm in town.  He is such a great Uncle to my kids and William loves going to his house.  A few months back him and his wife so generously offered to watch William overnight so that Kirk and I could have a night away before the baby came.  That was one of the nicest things, and they even took him to the zoo!  I love how laid back Alan is, how easy he is to get a long with, and his sense of humor.  He always keeps me laughing.  So thankful also that Alan was very smart in choosing a wife, because if you know Marisa you know he hit the jackpot.  Love you both!!

B-

Bobby pins. You're thinking, "really??" but yes, I am very thankful for bobby pins. They are a saving grace for my crazy hair sometimes.

C-

Chester and Carla. I am very thankful for Grandpa Chester and Grandma Carla. Grandpa Chester was such a fun, loving man. I loved every time I got to visit with him, he always made me feel welcome. I loved how much he loved my kids and how he always wanted to give William rides on his electric wheelchair. He was such a great example to me of a true follower of Christ. I sure miss him!! I'm also so thankful for Grandma Carla. I'm thankful for her kind heart and how much she selflessly serves others. She is always so willing to help out in any way. I love visiting with her and can't wait to go up to Idaho an see her again.

D-

Dad's and Disney. I'm so incredibly thankful for my Dad. He is the best example of ANYONE I know of giving so willingly of his time and serving others. I know that if we truly needed my Dad's help with anything he would be there in a second to help. He even mowed our lawn 

and helped fix our little golf cart while he was here on vacation visiting us. My Dad is such a great person to be around and visit with.
Another great Dad in my life is my father-in-law. Thinking about it both my Dad and father-in-law have a lot in common. They are both very willing to help us anytime and call us often just to chat and keep in touch-I love that about both of them! My father-in-law is always full of great advice for us and I love that!
Disney, because lets be honest they really have made this world a better place :) love their movies and Disneyland really is one of the happiest places on earth (unless you went there with me and William two years ago, hahaha!)

E-
Eggs. I am thankful for eggs because William LOVES them! I was just thinking about all the great things I make with eggs, and without them I would be missing out on a lot of great food!
So...which came first, the chicken or the egg??
F-
Freedom and faith. So thankful to live in this free country. Thankful to all those who have and continue to fight for those freedoms.
I'm also so thankful for our Heavenly Father's plan and that he gives us our agency and the freedom to make our own decisions. Though I may not always make the best choices, I'm thankful that He lets me make those choices so I can learn from them.
I'm so thankful for my faith in my Heavenly Father and his plan for us.  I'm thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that has taught me what faith is.  Without it I would be a very lonely and sad person.
G-
Gym. I'm thankful that I have a gym that I can go work out at. Going to the gym is definitely therapy for me.  I'm thankful that the gym here has a child care center included in my membership so I can still workout even when Kirk is at work. I really need to take advantage of my gym membership more, but I am thankful that when I choose to go it's there--such a stress reliever!!
H-
Henrie (my maiden name for those who don't know). I'm thankful to be a Henrie. Though I'm a Wahlen now, I'll still always be a Henrie :) thankful for my Henrie family; they are so fun to be around and ALWAYS keep me laughing!! I sure wish they lived a little closer so I could see them more often. I love how willing each of my Henrie Aunt and Uncles are so supportive of me and my family. Thankful for my Grandma Henrie and her love for her family. I love getting emails from her and she has made some beautiful quilts for me and my kids. She is such a strong woman and a great example to me :) 

I-

Ice cream. I'm thankful for ice cream, even though it makes me fat :) It just makes everything better.  Now if only they could make a calorie, fat, and carb free ice cream that tastes good!

J-

Jana. I am so thankful for my sister Jana. I have so many fun memories with her. Growing up we did almost everything together. We had a lot of the same friends, same hobbies, same music interests, etc. We really were so much alike which also caused us to fight..a lot; but now that we're all grown up she really is one of my best friends. I love that I can tell her something is "Bomb-Diggity" and she gets it, hahaha! I remember doing so many fun things with her like...showing eachother the gifts we got each other on Christmas Eve, going to Wishing Well all the time to get Spice Girl suckers and gum, singing and dancing to the Spice Girls (blasting it as loud as we could in our living room), sneaking out of our beds to watch Home Improvement, playing school, sleepovers after she moved out into her own apt, and all those nights of folding papers together while watching Toy Story.<---Jana somehow would ALWAYS get me to help her fold papers for her paper route, but then she would always fall asleep during the movie and I'd end up folding most of them.  Then she'd beg me and beg me to help her deliver, and for some reason I always said yes!  So I always ended up being the one holding all the papers.  Yeah, not quite sure how that happened, lol.  She is so fun to hang out with; just wish she lived closer so we could hang out more! She really has been there for me through a lot of tough times in my life. She is such a great mother, sister, and friend, and has THE cutest (besides Annabelle of course :)) little girl. If you know my sister Jana, consider yourself lucky :)
K-

 Kirk. I am SO thankful for Kirk! He is such a great husband, and a perfect match for me. He supports me through my trials and helps me to become better every day. I am so thankful for his example to me. I'm thankful for him being a great Father to our children. I love the way he plays with them every chance he gets and is always such a great example to them. I'm also thankful that Kirk knows when I've had a rough day and is so willing to just jump in and cook dinner, help out with the kids, or whatever I need.
Things haven't always been easy for us, but I'm so thankful for all the fun times we've had and will continue to have like......  

 -getting the nickname of sweat heart ;)   

-going to a YSA halloween dance after we were married and I was 5 months pregnant :)

-the many many movie date nights   

-Seeing Phantom of the Opera in Vegas on our honeymoon...not to mention the Walgreens adventure we had there as well<---yeah, not one of my favorite memories, lol.   

-Driving up into the South Hills almost every week when we lived in Twin Falls   

-Eating our first breakfast in our apt using our suitcases as a table and our camping chairs to sit on (the only furniture we had at the time)   

-bringing him homemade chocolate chip cookies to work   

-working (almost) along side him at Sportsmans Warehouse   

-Fishing at Dierkies lake in Twin Falls   

-That moment we KNEW we should start our family   

-Our time spent together at the Hospital when William was born.  None of our family was there until about 3 hours after he was born, such a great experience to know that "We did it!" all on our own.   

-When Annabelle was born and becoming a family of 4.  Seeing the look on William's face when he first met his little sister :)

Yeah, I could go on FOREVER! :)   Anyway, I love you Babe! 

Stay tuned for more!!!

Life's Lemons

Life has given me lemons, but I have definitely not been making lemonade (at least not by my understanding of this phrase). 
I'm not sure that I want to share all of this, but I'm hoping that sharing my thoughts and feelings with you will help me.  I usually write in my journal, but when I'm feeling down those journal entries just tend to fuel the fire and are just down right depressing.  Anyway.....
I have a problem.  I have an addiction.  In all seriousness, I am addicted to food, specifically sweets.  I know some of you may read this and think "me too!" or "it's okay, everyone loves food" but for me it is not okay. Yes it is an addiction, no it is not just a love of food.  When I'm depressed, upset, sad, etc, I eat and eat and eat.  If there are sweets around I devour them until they are gone.  I can't just have one cookie, I have to eat them all or eat until I am sick.  It's gotten to the point where I am eating in secret because I don't want my husband to know I eat as much as I do.  I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed.  Most importantly though, I don't want this to be how my kids remember me.
So I'm an emotional eater and I get in this terrible cycle where (as I mentioned above) I eat when I'm upset, then that makes me more depressed, which makes me want to eat more--and I do, EVERY TIME!  Today for example I was doing great all day.  I even went for a 2 mile run and did a TON of ab exercises and pushups.  Later in the day I got upset and started eating sweets and pretty much any kind of food in the house that sounded just a tiny bit appetizing.  The candy I was eating wasn't even really that good but just having it made me "feel better." 
I'm getting really upset because I literally hate every aspect of my body right now.  I only weigh 12 lbs less than when my daughter was born and my stomach is bigger than it's ever been.  Most people I talk to just say, "It's okay, you just had a baby, give it some time, you'll lose it in no time" well that's what I thought too after having my son, and 2 1/2 years later when I got pregnant with baby #2 I still hadn't lost all the baby weight.  I know everyone is just trying to be nice and help me feel better but I'm sick of it!  I don't need any excuses.  I give myself enough excuses every single minute of every day.
I really am at a loss of what to do.  I know I shouldn't eat as much as I do, but I just don't know how to say no!  A lot of people just say to not buy the sweets and junk so you won't eat it, but if I don't have it in the house then I'll just go buy it.  It's a serious disease.  I just wish I hated food and never had the desire to eat, then maybe I'd be a lot healthier, skinnier, and happier.  I know looks aren't everything, but they sure are something, and what's in the mirror now is NOT what I want to see!  I'm not being hard on myself, I'm just finally being honest with myself.
My purpose in writing this is not to try and get sympathy or for you to give me compliments or help me rationalize my behavior.  My purpose was to get my thoughts out and hopefully get some feedback of tips or ideas on what I can do to beat my addiction.  I love all the feedback I usually get from my blog posts, but PLEASE if you are just going to comment and say, "Don't be so hard on yourself" "You look great", etc. no offense, but I'd rather not hear it; at least not today.  I need HELP, not sympathy.