Thanksgiving has come and gone.

Before Thanksgiving is officially behind us I wanted to take a minute and type up some of the blessings in my life:

a warm and safe place to live
beautiful autumn
a FUN calling with great kids to work with (one of the music leaders in primary)
a stalwart husband who magnifies his church callings
good health
our baby boy
BRIE :0)
the beauties of the earth
WONDERFUL friends and family
The Christmas season
talents and gifts to share with each other
the restored and complete gospel of Jesus Christ
knowing that my family can be an eternal one, if we work for it
BRY--the perfect husband for me!
having the gift of the Holy Ghost
laughter
good food
chances to give AND receive acts of kindness and service
great examples who I can strive to be like
Bry letting me keep the car so I can be free to go places during the day
sincere smiles
true and lasting feelings that come from the spirit: peace, joy, love, etc.
my senses---being able to experience life---to taste, touch, hear, see, smell
the atonement so that I can change and progress

We are all blessed in different ways, but oh how blessed we all are. I truly have been blessed over the years to associate with such wonderful friends. I'm blessed to know each of you and hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgving!!

And, it's a....

...BOY!! :0)

We were a little surprised (just because this pregnancy so far has felt identical to Brie's) but we are SO excited!!!!! Yay for a little boy!! :0) :0)

Here's the story: Bry, Brie and I all went in for the ultrasound (we stopped at Stake & Shake to get shakes before heading to the doctor's office...to celebrate and to get that baby moving so that we would be able to for surely find out the gender!). Dr. Smith was checking things out, mesuring his head, his femur, etc. At one point it looked like he was waving so I turned to Brie and said, "Look he's waving at his big sister...I mean the BABY is waving." When I turned back I looked up at the screen to see M A L E. The Dr. had sneakily typed it while I wasn't looking. A boy! WOW. I WAS surprised....and all these thoughts of raising a boy flooded my mine...since I really hadn't considered a boy. But oh we were SO excited! How fun it will be to have a little Bryan running around...and to have him raised by such a wonderful dad. The world needs more guys like Bryan :0) Anyway, we are so very excited. Brie's going to have a little brother....Yipee!! :0) :0) :0)

Why the monkey you ask? For my Sister Emily's birthday present we decided to theme it on our ultrasound. We knew she'd love being the first to find out (especially since she was the last out of our families to find out that we were expecting Brie. Long story.) We scheduled the ultrasound for her birthday (23 Nov), sent her a cute little package with Ellie the Elephant and Max the Monkey (to tip her off that her REAL present would be finding out whether she'd be having a niece or a nephew)....and then found out that she'd be out of the country that day. Go figure! So we had her open up the package before she left and we coordinated texting/calling her when we'd find out the big news.

Tactics to get a Toddler to eat.

A little background info before I tell you the story...we frequently tell Brie that Mama has a baby in her tummy.

Ok, so the other night Bry and I made homemade pizza for dinner. Brie was thoroughly enjoying the toppings, but was leaving the crust. In an attempt to get Brie to eat the crust as well, Bry told her that the crust wanted to be in her tummy so she should put the bread in her mouth and eat it. Brie looked really perplexed and I just thought she was confused by what he was saying. After a few seconds, Brie said, "I don't want a baby!"

It was TOO funny! We couldn't believe she had made such a connection. Gotta love it :0)

G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E.

(A gratitude turkey, that Brie and I made,
to help us get more into the Season of Thanksgiving.)

Today I opened my General Conference issue of the Ensign and started browsing for a talk I can share for visiting teaching tomorrow. My eyes fell upon, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude" by President Thomas S. Monson. I was touched by so many of the things he had to say and found myself underlining many lines and stories. What a GREAT talk! (The funny thing is that I couldn't remember having heard it during conference. I went back to my notes and had only two things written. Did I doze off during his talk or did I just get distracted? In any case, it was a testimony to me of the power of going back and reading the conference talks. We really DO find new things that are pertinent and applicable for us at the time.) Here are a few of my favorite thoughts from his talk....

• “And one of them [the ten lepers], when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks..."

---I was impressed that this leper not only recognized the blessing, but outwardly recognized and humbly gave thanks to the Lord.

• "My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."

• "We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, 'He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.'"

• "Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings."

• "This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways."

• "If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

• "The English author Aldous Huxley wrote, 'Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.'"

---Sad but true. I know I am often guilty of this.

• "My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

(To read his full talk online, click here.)

In any case, I was so grateful to have read this talk now. Especially as we start preparing and getting excited for Thanksgiving. This year I'm trying to put more focus on making it a SEASON of Thanksgiving, rather than just a decadent meal. Anyway, we truly are blessed!!

I want to dedicate a post, sometime this month, to some of my blessings. Til then, what are some of the things that YOU have been blessed with?

Our little Cuppie Cake.

In just ONE month from today Brie will be TWO YEARS OLD!! Craziness. To celebrate we're going to do a cupcake party with her little friends in the area. I'm excited! I really enjoy planning parties and such. I just love putting together colors and decorations and food to make something creative and fun. So her party will probably be more for me than for Brie, but oh well :0) She'll be all over cupcake decorating with her buddies!

Speaking of Brie...the last few months have been fun AND challenging. Every day Brie gets more and more playful, but also more independent and less keen on listening to her parents. I keep finding myself snapping at her and getting frustrated over the littlest things. It makes me sad (after the fact) how I chose to react and am reminded that I DO NOT want to be that kind of Sarah... impatient, snappy and easy to anger. I don't like how it makes me feel OR how it makes Brie feel :0(

But ya know? Life is for living and learning, and I am grateful that as I choose to turn to God after making poor choices that He is able to cast His light and wisdom on the situation. This week I have found that when I am stringent with my schedule or do projects and chores in a certain way and in a particular time frame....I tend to lose my temper with Brie because I see her as just getting in the way. BUT when I have tried to slow down, to include my shorter-striding buddy and to be more realistic about toddler-appropriate behavior...things go so much better. There is more laughing, more collaboration, more fun. I've just got to remember that when I'm in the moment.

Any thoughts on how to interact with toddlers in a consistent yet fun and loving way?

Girl or Boy?

In a few weeks we'll be finding out the gender of our baby. We're SO excited to say the least! :0) If you want to get in on the guessing fun, leave a VOTE (at the top right of page) ----->

Our little fam.

Yesterday (7 November 2010), after coming home from church, I knocked on our neighbors' door and asked Kate if she could do a mini impromptu photo shoot for us. I've been wanting family pictures with the Fall leaves...and had to seize the moment when all of us were looking presentable :0) Plus the yellow leaves outside our town home are so beautiful! Anyway, here are a few of my favorites...

(click to enlarge.)

Scape : American Bistro.

Since at the time of our anniversary food was my enemy....we decided to postpone our anniversary dinner til 2nd trimester. We ended up going to Scape. It was just what I had in mind---nice sit-down dining, contemporary yet romantic feel and delicious food.

My handsome husband.

My delicious entrée.

Here's what we had:

Country Time Hard* Lemonade
Lemon vodka with housemade lemonade
and muddled strawberries

*We asked for the vodka to be left off. It cut the price in more than half. Yay for virgin drinks.

Scape Chopped Salad
chopped salad greens, radicchio, spinach, candied pecans
and green apple with a citrus-shallot vinaigrette

French Onion Soup
with gruyere cheese gratinee

--it was served IN an onion...so inventive.

Center Loin "Kurobuta" Pork Chop
Oven roasted center cut loin chop with braised collard
greens and our medjool date-cippolini soubis

Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken
papaya marmalade, sho-yu cream sauce and
mashed potatoes

---This was our FAVORITE hands down. We would definitely go back for more of this chicken dish. Délicieux!

It was a delightful evening---attending the temple first and dinner next. Getting dressed up and out on the town with my sweetie. Good times :0)

Halloween : How things have changed.

Until this year I have never really LOVED Halloween or gotten into it much. Probably because I get scared SO easily and I'm not much for the creepy, gory, yucky happenings that often accompany the holiday. But this time round---I don't know if it's being out-of-state and away from family and Brie being a toddler---we got into a lot of the festivities.

We visited the St. Louis Zoo several times including
good ol' Boo at the Zoo with Myriam & Estaban.

---We drove out to a pumpkin patch for one of the play groups...






---We, along with the Gublers, went to a ward/community activity at Meacham Park. I had to bribe Brie to get her to wear her Hershey Kiss hat...

"Sammie" and Peter, our pals.

---Our neighbors, the Kirks, teamed up to decorate our front porch. Kate and I made a Happy Halloween sign, she bought some beautiful yellow mums (not pictured) and we all collaborated to paint/carve pumpkins...



---Keeping with tradition, Bry and I planned a typical Sheets' Halloween dinner with a few additions this year. Here was our "menu"...

(table all set and ready for our dinner)

The Toledos joined us for our Halloween Dinner...

---Saturday evening we caught the tail end of our ward's Trunk or Treat. On Sunday we went to a FUN Halloween potluck at the McEwans (a family in our ward/complex).

Anyway, it has been a fun Halloween season. I'm glad that I was more proactive about getting involved. However, I have to say that the 1st of November I already had my Halloween decorations down and am now ready to welcome Thanksgiving.

Our First Official Visitors.

(7 Oct - 11 Oct 2010)

Last month Julie & Isaac came out to visit for a weekend. It was SO great having them here. Julie is always fun to be with and Brie LOVED having her cousin Isaac here.


It was cute to watch the two of them play, hold hands, swap sippie cups, hold onto their blankies, suck their finger(s) of choice, etc. Such cuties.

Here's a quick rundown of the weekend's events...

Friday.

We went to Grants' Farm. Since the line was long we unfortunately didn't get to stay long, but we enjoyed seeing a few animals and walking around for a few minutes.

We visited Julie's former organ teacher, Mary Beth, at the Catholic seminary where she now teaches. She gave us a tour of the seminary, it was a beautiful building. The funniest thing was having several priests in training peek around corners because they heard the kids' singing---such an unusual sound for them at the seminary :0)

Mary Beth was so sweet to treat us to lunch at a fun little café in the area (Brie and I had French Onion Soup and Pommes Frites with garlic mayo). We enjoyed our yummy food outside on the patio.

That evening we went to Fitz's for yummy hamburgers and sodas...well, and the sample appetizer platter. The server misunderstood and put one on our order. It was fun though with toasted raviolis, chicken wings, sweet potato fries and fried pickles.

To finish off the day Mary Beth let us come take a little tour of the BEAUTIFUL basilica downtown while she practiced for Sunday mass. What a treat. By the way, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is home to the World's LARGEST collection of mosaics. Definitely worth seeing.

Saturday.

We met up with Myriam and Estaban at the Botanical Gardens. We primarily saw the kids' garden and the Japanese Garden. It was warmer that day so we took a few breaks in the shade to snack and gather up energy to finish the beautiful stroll.

Sunday.

After church and while the kids were napping, Julie, Bry, Kate and I tried our hands at making Grandma Graden's famous Walnut Creme Roll. It didn't turn out quite like hers does, but it was delicious. Later that evening we enjoyed it over herbal tea and cards. Fun :0)

Monday.

We had breakfast, walked around Wash-U's campus, drove through Forest Park then found our way to the airport.

Julie & Isaac...
thanks for coming AND being our first official visitors.
You're always welcome :0)

With one in the Oven.

Wishing you all a Happy and Spooktacular Halloween from St. Louis!!

Penguins to Pain au Chocolat.

(4 October 2010)

A few weeks ago Bryan invited a family over for Sunday dinner. (Christian, the husband, is in the same program as Bry, but is a year ahead of him.) Myriam used to work full-time so she has made being a stay-at-home mom her full-time job....and is pro at finding all the fun and free stuff around town. She invited me & Brie to go to the zoo (in the morning while everything is free) and to check out some of St. Louis. We of course accepted and what a fun day we had!

I loved that the Zoo was lined with hay bales and pumpkins. That's one fun thing about living in a place....you get to see it change for seasons and holidays, whereas as a tourist you usually only see it in the Summer.

Brie riding on a carousel for the first time. She loved it!

Brushing a baby goat.

Brie and Estaban "riding" in a jeep.

(Brie, love the face.)


While we drove around St. Louis the kids apparently held hands. Too funny :0) Myriam took us out to lunch for some YUMMY friend chicken. Then we drove around Central West End and Lafayette Square. It was more of St. Louis than I've seen yet and it was so fun to venture around with someone who knows the city.

Our last stop was at this charming French bakery (Rue LaFayette) where Myriam treated me to a Pain au Chocolat (I LOVE those things!) and a vanilla steamer* She got bread pudding (she let me taste it....oh my goodness...it was to die for!) and a cappuccino. We of course had to enjoy our pastries and drinks on their patio. Oh what fun. Took me back to Paris.

*I felt spoiled all day long! Thanks for EVERYTHING, Myriam.

Like mother like daughter....enjoying Pain au Chocolat :0)




I'm telling you again...
Bread Pudding* = To Die For.

*I later read on their website that they make it from pain au chocolat. No wonder it was SO good!

Aside from the kiddies getting a bit cranky and needing naps by the end....it was a delightful day!

Lawn-Dwee.

Brie has recently become my "Lawn-dwee" (laundry) assistant. I ask her to open her arms, I place a wad of wet clothes in her arms and she carries it the three feet to the dryer, throws 'em in and comes back for more. She even has helped put the dirty into the washer. It's cute to watch.

Brie helping Bry "fold" laundry.
We haven't gotten this one down yet :0)