In Which We Show Gratitude for 2016

Here's our Gratitude/Blessing Jar entries for 2016:

~ Calvin is two!! (June)
~ October Temple Date:  Sealings on our anniversary with our original sealer! ♡
~ I worked at Coach Outlet for the Holidays (November - December)
~ Calvin's speech & signing are really taking off! (mid. April)
~ Dad & Tracy were sealed/married! 3-12-16
~ March temple date (Dad & Tracy's sealing)
~ I worked at the Puyallup Fair (September)
~ We had a Christmas Elf send us money. - Around Christmas, we received an anonymous card in the mail with some money to help us have a merry Christmas while Brent was in school.
~ My dining room chairs went on super-duper clearance at Fred Meyer!!! :D
~ Brent's last day at ACE Parking! 3-11-16
~ January temple date! :D
~ Calvin had fun in nursery at church with nursery leaders Sisters King and Strauss!
~ Play dates with Heather and Logan!
~ Mom & Jonathan moved to Yelm - now they're only an hour away! (April)
~ We're approved for basic food assistance and WIC checks while Brent is in school.
~ We've had Nessie for a year! (December)
~ 5 years of marriage!!! 10-22-16
~ Brent (miraculously) started the Bio Med Tech program at Bates! (March)

In Which We Show Gratitude for 2015

A few years ago, we started a Blessings Jar.  It sits on a table, in our front hall, next to a basket with note cards and markers waiting for us to fill it.  In theory, we write down blessings or things we're grateful for as they happen and then put them in the jar.  Then, on New Year's Eve, we open the jar and look back over all of the good things that happened to us over the last year.  In reality, we rack our brains at the end of the year to remember all of the blessings we've seen, write them down and then stuff them in zippy bag labeled with the year.  I also had the idea to put them in a blog post so they'd be easier to find if we ever wanted to look at them again.  

Since I've been MIA on the blog for the last couple years, I've got some blessings to catch-up on...  So, in no particular order, here's our Blessing Jar notes from 2015:

~ Pantry Shelves! (August)  - Dad and Kyle built us some shelves in our pantry!

~ Nessie came to live with us! (December) - Sarah left for school and we took her cat in. :)

~ Dad and Tracy got engaged! (December)

~ Brent's last Holiday Season at ACE Parking!!!!

~ Mom watched Cal so we could go to tea for Valentine's!

~ Girl Scout Cookies!

~ Church at 1pm!! :D

~ We bought the CR-V! (September)

~ Brent took a stay-cation the beginning of February.

~ Calvin got a highchair!

~ Calvin turned one!!! (June)

~ All of the Gunnell siblings in town in July & August!

~ Gunnell family sealing team at the Seattle Temple!

~ A new battery made "Joe" reliable again! - Joe is Brent's '97 Civic

~ "Thanks for hosting us!  We love you! <3 Andrew & MB" - Andrew and Mary Beth stayed with us when everyone was in town.

~ Walking Baby!!  Eeek... (August)

I'm positive there were more things we could've included, but those are the things we remembered.