Day 23

Today I am thankful for my children...all of them. Each has their faults, but I can honestly say that overall my kids are WONDERFUL.

Matthew is always quick to help with the little ones. He will play with them and keep them busy when I need it, or just because he wants to. He has a deep love for each of his brothers and cares about their well being. You should have seen Matthew when he found out Jayden had to get stitches. I think he cried more than Jayden did. I remember when Teagan was new to our family and we spent so much time in the hospital because of all the illnesses he contracted. Matthew was constantly playing with Logan to help him cope with mom being gone and he would always ask about Teagan and pray for him to be well.

Jayden is always the first one to offer help to his dad and I. In the evening, after dinner he sees us doing dishes and offers to help so we can relax. He is quick to jump in whenever assistance is needed without expecting anything in return. He has a soft heart and a true love for the gospel. He yearns to learn all the he can and he has an amazing memory. I can't believe some of the things this kid can remember. Although he is not very "physically" talented he as talents in many other areas that make him very special in our family.

Logan is my "good boy". At least that is what he strives to be. If you ever tell him he is not a good boy he breaks down in tears. I have never seen a child with such a desire to be good all the time. He wants to make people happy and is quick to change when he does something wrong. He also has a desire to help others be good too. When he does make mistakes he is quick to apologize, and while he may not always understand why he is apologizing, the fact that he does it and really does want to make things right is a step in the right direction. Another interesting thing about Logan is his desire to include those who aren't included. When we play at the park he always looks for the one kid who isn't playing with anyone and will join them in what they're doing. It doesn't matter if there are a ton of kids there that he knows, he always goes for the one he doesn't know.

Teagan... can anyone figure this kid out?? He cracks me up. Any sane person may get annoyed at his stubborn attitude...and I do sometimes, but more often than not I find myself laughing at him. Typical reverse psycology works on most kids...not this one. You can't trick him to do ANYTHING he doesn't want to do. Once he makes up his mind about something that is it, you can't change it. I can say he is quite frustrating, but I love this aspect of his personality. If Skyler and I train him in the ways of the gospel this stubborness can be a great barrier between him and the evil things of the world. Although, it can go the other way, but we pray it does not. Something else we love about Teagan is that he is a total mix between Skyler and I. We are already seeing signs of his playful personality. He loves to be the center of attention and he loves making people laugh.

As for our new son... we have not come up with a name and probably won't any time soon because I've looked through so many and have found absolutely NOTHING yet. We love him already and can't wait to see what kind of personality he brings to our family.