Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

WARNING: It's a long one.....

Yes, I am late getting this post up. Since my pictures won't load anymore, I just don't have the extra "umph" to keep my blog updated. However... I figured I should at least make an effort saying what I'm thankful for, seeing as how the Lord has been incredibly giving to us this last year.
So, I guess I should thank Him, first. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much and we owe Him everything.
Next is Connor.... Connor is 2nd on the list of things to be thankful for, mainly because he's screaming in his bed and I can't think of anything else. This is the first time he has thrown a big fit at bedtime. He is on bottle number 2 and Joe is in there trying to console him, to no avail. He's FREAKING OUT!!! But, I love him. When I found out I was pregnant with Connor (on Haylie's 1st birthday) I was very upset. But I don't know what I'd do without him now. He's my snuggler and we are constantly cracking up at the new things he says/does.
Haylie is next and she is Mommy's little helper. Most of the time "helper" means "bossy" but we love her just the same. She's so thoughtful and sweet. She definitely teaches me every day about how I can better myself. She also catches everything.... Joe and I will forever be watching what we say and do because nothing gets by this girl.
What to say about Joe.... My best friend... only Love... confidant... other half... better half... He is always there for me. When I am on the verge of a meltdown, he is there to calm me down. When I am screaming at my kids, he walks in and without saying anything, reminds me that I am screaming at Heavenly Father's children as well. He works his butt off so that I can stay at home with my kids. He's gone for days at a time... sometimes a couple of weeks... It's hard on us all, but he stays strong. I hate it when he leaves, but when he comes home there is so much love in our home. He being gone makes our reunion that much sweeter and our relationship so much stronger. He is a man of God. I know that I can ask him any question about church and he'll give me the answer I'm looking for. When I struggle, he is patient. He doesn't judge me. He loves me no matter what I look like or how much I weigh. I'll never understand how he can think I am the most beautiful person in the world after having 2 kids, but I'm glad he does. :) What a blessing to have him in my life. I can't wait to be sealed to him.
I'm also thankful for my dogs. Lady (our Beagle), Danner (Joe's Lab), and Louis (our Mini-Schnauzer) drive me crazy about 65% of the time, but I love them just the same (yes, we have 3 dogs). I love that I am able to teach my kids how to love and respect our pets.
My family... I love that we live so close to a set of Grandparents. Now that we've moved into our new house, we are only about 10-15 minutes away from my mom and I love it. It's so nice to know that she's just a short ride away if I need her. My dad is now about 45 minutes away, but still close enough. My kids love "Papa" and "Oz" (his dog) and the "Moos" (the cows at his house). All 3 sort of go hand in hand as far as Connor is concerned. We miss Joe's family incredibly and wish we were closer to them, but with gas prices down again, we'll be able to see them more often. We'll be going down to Page, AZ in a few weeks and will be much more comfortable financially. I went there 2 months ago, and gas prices have dropped by half since then, so HALLELUJAH!!!
I'm thankful for the opportunity to buy a house. Not to say, "Look at me, look at me!" or anything, but what an accomplishment. We've been trying to buy a house for about the last year, and it's finally happened. I know in a previous post I said something about having more zits in the last couple of months than I've ever had in my life.... I wasn't joking. It was a very bumpy ride for us. I love my house. It's small, and I thought I'd hate it, but Hey!... less to clean! I LOVE that it's only 1 story. The kids can play in their rooms and I can see/hear everything they're doing.
The last I'm going to add on here, but not least, is friends. This sounds really crazy, but this blog has done wonders for my self esteem. I check my blog probably on average 4-5 times a day. I LOVE getting comments. It really makes my day and helps me to know that I'm not a nobody. So... thank you to all of my blogging friends. I love all of you.
There are millions of things I'm thankful for, but I'd be on here for months probably trying to remember them all. So, thanks for everything I didn't recognize on here.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!