Christmas time

What a busy couple of weeks it has been. We have had so much fun this Christmas season. It feels like we did something Christmassy (I think I just made that a word) every day. We put up the Christmas tree one day, did the count down chain the next day, read new Christmas books and sang Christmas songs every day, we went to a big Allen Christmas party (my mom's side) one day, and a get together with some of my other cousins the next day- (potluck soups, the kids acted out the nativity story, and we sang Christmas songs- it was great!) We had our Christmas program in church the Sunday before and my mom came which was so nice. Billy and I both sang in the choir. I loved singing with the choir this Christmas! Oh- and the girls had matching Christmas dresses from their Grandma. Then we did a Christmas dinner with Billy's best friend who is like a brother to him. We had a lot of fun with them playing games while the kids played together.
Two days before Christmas me and the kids had a lot of fun baking, baking, and baking some more. :) We made gingerbread cookies,sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies and turtle things. And they helped with each one. They LOVED it! They helped me roll out the dough with both the gingerbread cookies and the sugar cookies and they helped me make the shapes (we had the gingerbread man, stars, Christmas trees, stockings, a snowman, and we made some regular round ones), they helped me put them on the pan and then I turned the light on for them so they could watch them cook in the oven. The next part was really fun too: Frosting and sprinkles! They liked that.
So my turtle receipe is so easy and so good. Adalynn loved helping me make these ones. First we put pretzels on a cookie sheet and then unwrapped a bunch of rolos and put a rolo on each pretzel. She liked that part for some reason (Tessa just wanted to eat the rolos). Then we put them in the oven at 200 for 4-5 min until the chocolate was melted a bit. Then we got them out and placed a pecan on each on. They are so good.
So we had fun that day baking and delivering goodies.
On Christmas Eve I wrapped all the presents and put them under the tree. That was exciting for them. That's the day we went to Billy's friends house.
Christmas day I loved seeing their faces as they saw the new presents from Santa. Will asked for a Robot. And he got a really cool, shiny, red robot that talks and plays games and moves all around the house. It has a remote control and you can make it go any where you want to. He loves it. Adalynn asked for a doll that talks and we gave Tessa a Tigger that rolls and does somersaults. It was so fun watching them with their new really cool presents from Santa. After we played with them for a bit we had fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we took our time opening one gift at a time. The kids had a lot of fun. The last gift we had them open was a dry erase table with two folding chairs to go with it. We set it up and they all colored on that thing for almost an hour! Billy and I were able to relax and enjoy e/o company while they drew away on that table.
Then we had to get ready to go. We got to Summer's new (big) house in Queen Creek around 11. We had lunch, and watched a nice video about our Saviour. Then we did the kids gift exchange. They got some great gifts and it was so much fun. The kids loved it and all of us adults loved watching them give their gifts and open them. After that the kids played for awhile and the adults visited, then the Dad's took the kids to the park that was around the corner while us women went through boxes of my mom's stuff. She wanted to give us all our own set of dishes (she had 4 sets to give away) and other misc. stuff. Then Tessa went down for her nap and the other two watched Christmas movies and played with their cousins and me, my mom, and my sister played games all afternoon! It was so much fun. I don't remember the last time I've played games- but then just to relax and play games for a whole afternoon was awesome. We had so much fun. Billy joined us for the last two games. When it was dark we went to look at some awesome Christmas lights. Around Summer's neighorhood there are two houses that are fully decked out w/ lights EVERYWHERE and they go in time to Christmas music. It was really cool. Will said they were magic lights.
On the way home we talked in detail about Christ, his birth and life. The kids listened to every word and participated and fully believed. The faith of a child is amazing!
This Christmas was wonderful. I have such a good family!

Family Update

I haven't written a real journal type entry in here for awhile. Things have been busy... and stressful, and hard around here lately. I have had many days in the last four months of crying... my heart has been so heavy at times, and we have all gone through many emotions.
Those of you who know my family most likely know what I am referring to, and I guess it is no secret anymore, but I still feel funny writing down any details here. But one thing I am grateful for going through this trial is that our family is sooo close knit now! We are stronger and tighter than ever before. I have always loved my family and I've always felt so blessed to have such a great family. We always have so much fun together! Now things are different... but through our tears and our heartache we have only grown closer and I am grateful for that.
I also have such a strong testimony of how important it is to not only gain a testimony but to work at it every day, because anybody can falter if they are not heeding the guidance of the prophet and apostles and doing the things they know are right.
I am so glad I have the gospel and that I have such a good husband, good kids, good brothers and sister, a great mom, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends... the list goes on. I have so much to be grateful for! I am so lucky and so blessed.

So onto lighter topics, b/c there have been a lot of good things happen recently too. Thanksgiving was fun. Ate WAY to much- infact I've been eating way too much junk in general lately and it's so hard to be good for more than... hmmm- 1/2 a day? haha. We had a lot of fun on Thanksgiving. The kids made turkeys out of apples, toothpicks, marshmellows and other candy. They loved that.
They are getting excited for Christmas! This year Adalynn is getting into it too. I bought all the Christmas presents on Black Friday, and then when I knew which one was going to come from Santa to Adalynn I planted the thought in her head to ask Santa for a Doll that talks. Now she is really excited to ask Santa for that. And Will wanted a Robot and wouldn't budge on that even after many other suggested really cool toys. But I found a great Robot for him that I think he'll love.

I joined the ward choir!!! I am so happy to be in Choir again! It's been way too long.. since HS I think. But I love the feelings of singing Christmas music. Love it!

Billy is almost done with this semester. Finals this week! Yay! Then a short break. Can't wait.

And finally, about the kids. I actually started a list of funny things they've said recently:


Will- "Mommy, when I was in heaven I had a spirit, but no body. Now I have a spirit and a body!"
Me- Surprised that he had grasped that whole concept so quickly after learning it just the other day, said "Yes, Will!"
"Yeah, but I'm still a kid."

"I don't want that fazy (crazy) Genie to break our house!" - he was talking about how big the Genie from Aladdin was.

Me- "Did you wash your face?"
Will- "Yes, and I washed my head, too- with hair on it."
Me- laughing
Will- "Some boys have short hair and some girls have long hair."

Daddy in the car asked Adalynn "Are we in the past?"
"No." She thought he was really silly.
"Are we in the future?"
"No. We in the car."

And today I asked her "Is your bear a girl or a boy."
"It's...bear."

My favorite thing to hear Adalynn say is "Is that how it goes?" It's not necissarily the phrase that is funny, but the way she says it. She'll be singing a song and she'll change the words and then say "Is that how it goes?" Really loud like she's the funniest thing in the world. And she'll do it over and over and over again. So funny.

And Tessa. Silly little Tessa. That girl has some personality. And her newly chipped two front teeth just add to that personality. She is trying to say lots of new words. She says (in order of what she said 1st) Mama, Dada, Ball, There, Bye Bye, Hi, Mine (I don't like that she already learned that), Animal noises: baaa, neigh, moo, meow, then yesterday she said Banana, but it was something like Manma. I knew what she meant. And when she was cranky today I asked her if it was time to go to bed and she said No. She is getting big. She is trying to talk more every day, and its exciting! I love to hear her little voice.
She is fitting in very well in nursery lately too. She has always loved it in there and she thought she was one of the "big kids" before but she was always the baby that wasn't really supposed to be in there, but now she really fits in. She even does the motions to some of the songs when we are singing. And she sits at the table really well for snack time and coloring.
She also gives great hugs and kisses now! Sometimes she doesn't want to stop, just kisses over and over again. And she'll give me a hug whenever I ask now- it's so nice. Last night I just wanted to hold her, and right before I went to bed I heard her let out a little cry, and I was actually thankful for the excuse to go run to her and hold her for a little while. My Grandma said something to the effect of "If you're ever sad or scared at night, just hold a little baby and you'll feel better."

Cleaning

Hey, I have a poll here with the question How Much Money Do You Spend on Cleaning Products every year. According to the research I've done, the average household spends $500-$600 a yr on household chemicals (that's bleach, window cleaner, floor cleaners, dusting supplies, disenfecting wipes, shout, carpet remover, sponges, mops, paper towels, etc. But I've even seem some statistics say the average is up to $800 a yr.
I was curious what your estimate was.

I've been doing a lot of research lately on the harmful effects of household chemicals. I never knew just how bad it was to clean the house with chemicals. Basically, most of the products you bring into your home to get rid of all that dirt and bacteria are more dangerous than the dirt and grim was to begin with.

Here's a video clip of the author of the book Holler for Your Health. She was on 3 TV.


here's another one on the news:



"On a typical cleaning day, in a typical home... levels of chemicals in the indoor air can be hundreds, even thousands of times higher than the outdoor air in the most polluted of cities. In fact, indoor air pollution levels would be high enough to trigger an inspection by health and safety authorities in any workplace setting. "(The Nature of Things, CBC-TV 2002)


I am a consultant for a company called Norwex. I am really excited about their products b/c I believe in them. After doing so much research about the harmful effects of chemicals I'm ready to be done with chemicals in my home. And with Norwex I haven't had to use chemicals since I bought one of their Enviro Cloths.
This microfiber cloth picks up all the dirt, grime, and bacteria and then kills it inside the cloth with the help of a silver based agent. It works great! It has been saving me time, $, and I feel so much better now not using chemicals in my home. The cloths are a really great price too! So worth the money ($14.50), especially when it will be saving you $500 a yr for 7 yrs (the life of the cloth).


This is just a portion of the research I have done, the things I have learned, and the new products I am excited about. BUT really I didn't mean to do this post as a sales pitch. I think it's annoying when people take every opportunity they can to try to get people to buy something.
So I didn't plan on doing this post as a way to sell a product... I just really was curious how much money people spend every year on products, and then I thought maybe I could educate you all on some interesting research I have found lately...

However I do believe in Norwex, and I am really excited to be a consultant for them. I will be having some shows soon which will be a lot of fun b/c I'll get to hang out with my friends and show them a demonstration of how these products work. :)

Word Smithing

The English language can be pretty confusing, and amusing (at least to me). I thought this was funny:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

4) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

5) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

6) I did not object to the object.

7) They were too close to the door to close it.

8) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

9) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

10) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

11) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

12) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.



Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither pine nor apple in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted.
But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.


One more. You lovers of the English language might enjoy this ..

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polishUP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special..

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

October pictures

Mother Teresa

Found a great quote that I wanted to put somewhere :)

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world your best and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway."
-Mother Teresa

Update

I realized I hadn't done a post in awhile, so I thought I'd just do an update on what's going on around here.
We are all healthy and happy now! (The colds that went around 3 times this last month are finally completely gone- Yay)
Billy and I are starting to exercise more consistantly again. He's been waking up between 4:30-6 every morning to exercise(depending on what day it is, with school, etc) Some mornings he works out with his best friend at the gym and other mornings in does P90X from home. He's really getting in good shape. He can't keep a good pair of pants b/c they get too big rather quickly.
Billy's wonderful and the love of my life! I never tire of having him around. Infact I miss him so much when he is gone that I know I'm going to have a hard time when he gets busier in school/ medical school/ his residency/ and life as a doctor. But it is just something I'll have to get used to. He is getting A's in both his classes- a biology class (I can't remember which one) and Trig. I think he's in the top 3 in both of his classes. He studies hard, works hard, and he doesn't go half way. He gives 110%. If he has a homework assignment he'll do that plus more until he really is confident that he knows the material. I'm proud of him.
I had some hard days with the kids a couple weeks ago, and Billy was gone a lot. He actually won tickets to see Creed and was gone all day one day. That was a hard day here at home. All 3 of my kids have days where they are emotional and throw fits. It's like they take turns- one day Will will have 2-4 fits the next day it will be Adalynn and sometimes Tessa. Every once in awhile they'll all cry at once. And it's more than that too- life with 3 young kids is just so busy! So after that week Billy said I could go get a pedicure with one of my friends! It was so nice to get out and have some fun girly time! That really helped my spirits.
Will is doing really good with his at home preschool and I was talking to someone recently about the possibility of him going to preschool at the school near our house for speech. If it was for speech it would be free. I think that would be good for him. He has a list of letters he can't say such as tr=f, g=d, l=y, c=t, etc. He can be a really nice brother- he goes back and forth as I'm sure many siblings do. But sometimes it seems that him and Adalynn are like best friends and he can be really sweet to Tessa.
Adalynn seems to be enjoying her role as the big sister lately. She likes to play with Tessa and give her things. I love it when she makes Tessa laugh, or helps her with something or gets a toy for her. She can be very thoughtful.
She's also starting to make up songs lately. She sang the sesame street song but sang the last part "Can you tell me how to get to garbage man street?" Then when we laughed she knew it was funny and now she sings it all the time and laughs at herself when she sings that part. That girl still loves the garbage man! haha. Another song she made up is (from A Happy Family) We love Tessa, she loves us.. We love Will, WA- WA- WA- WA WILL!
Tessa's transitioning down to 1 nap a day and it's sometimes hard for her to push through until after lunch but she really seems ready for the transition. She is now saying Mama and Dada and trying to imitate animal noises when I do them. But even though she's not saying much you can tell she understands almost everything you say and she's starting to slap (haha) her body parts when you ask Where's your head or Where's your tummy? etc.
We went to a ward Chili cook off last week. That was a lot of fun. Billy made a really good black bean with turkey burger chili. It had a lot of fresh vegetables in it and it was really good. We won a halloween decoration- it's really cute. We didn't have any halloween decorations so I was excited about that. We are going to a costume party in a couple weeks that I am excited about too. But I still haven't decided what I'm going to be... Any ideas?

The Prophet

I was telling the kids today about general conference tommorow and about the prophet, and I decided to look for some pictures of Thomas S. Monson on the computer.
I found a nice little smilebox slideshow if anyone wants to look at it with their kids. My kids loved it. The music is such a great touch, it really invites the spirit. I know Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet! And I'm so glad we have a prophet to lead and guide our church. I am looking forward to conference tomorow.

http://smilebox.com/snap/4f4451304d4445304d413d3d0d0a.jpg or
://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://smilebox.com/snap/4f4451304d4445304d413d3d0d0a.httpjpg&imgrefurl=http://fheabitofheavenathome.blogspot.com/2009/04/our-prophet-thomas-s-monson.html&usg=__Qgz4auMPrgZ6fNXb5Fc0YGdosos=&h=330&w=420&sz=28&hl=en&start=12&tbnid=WiZbIkDdYl0ihM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bof%2Bthomas%2Bs%2Bmonson%2Bprophet%2Band%2B12%2Bapostles%26hl%3Den

Chores

I've been thinking that I need to start a system with chores around here lately. My kids know how to clean up their toys and help around the house (Will even occasionally helps me vaccum- he likes to vacuum with the hose) BUT I'd like to do something consistent that involves making every day chores fun.
I've heard some good ideas from some of my friends, but I just wanted to put this out there b/c I know a lot of you do some really creative things to help the kids get involved.
So, any suggestions?

Counting to 100

We got a new numbers book at Goodwill this week for 50 cents I think. It's in excellent condition and the kids love it. Don't ya love 1/2 off days?
Anyway, it goes all the way to 100 and Will loves it. He's been wanting to read it a lot lately and every time we get with the page that goes to 100 he wants me to count all the way to 100. The first time I figured- Why not? I thought he was probably a little young to catch onto counting all the way to 100 but I thought it'd still be good for him to hear it. I thought maybe the more he hears it the sooner he'll start hearing the pattern and learning it.
Well, the first time I did it he started counting with me and tried to keep up the whole way. He started getting better each time we did it, but I still thought he was just saying it with me and I wondered how much of it he was getting. So today I decided to write all the numbers down so he could see the pattern. But then after I got to 50 I had the idea that there might be a better numbers chart on the computer that would be easier to teach/ learn.
So I found some stuff. First I found a cool chart where you could color each number any color you wanted. So I think that really helped him to see that and color cordinate it as we counted, then we found a great counting song on YouTube.

THEN we found a great math/ numbers game/ chart. :) Here it is http://www.hbschool.com/activity/count/index.html
I think it really clicked with him today. It would count 54, 55, 56 then say what comes next? And he knew the answer 90% of the time. He really got it! I'm so proud of him that he's learning this at such a young age, and I thought those two things that I found were pretty cool things to help learn counting, and I wanted to share them with you. :)

What I love about the people I love...

I was thinking about all the things I love about my kids and I thought I'd make a list. It started out 10 things I love about them, but then it got longer- Billy added some of his favorites at the end for each of them too. I have great kids and I love them so much.
Billy and I mentioned the other day how nice and relaxing it was before we had kids. Even though in some ways I miss those days, I wouldn't trade my life with these 3 kids for anything in the world. They are such a joy. They have their fussy moments but the joy outways the times when I want to go crazy, so maybe during the times when I want to scream I can think of these things that I love about them:


Will:
1. I like his dancing. He got his awesome dancing skills from me. He is so funny when he wiggles around and does his silly dance. The other day he was sticking his bottom out and gettin' his groove on. And I asked him if he was dancing and he said, "No, I'm shaking my Booty!"
2. He has so much energy, and sometimes to get out his energy he just starts spinning in circles. Hey, I don't mind spinning as long as he's not making up some silly screechy song.
3. He is so smart on the computer. He picked up on everything so fast. He can get on here, go right to PBS kids, click on what he wants and follow all the instructions- he can even click on the letters to spell his name. He is a smart boy.
4. I like how I can play games with him now. He loves Candyland and Memory. He's good at them too- most of the time he wins. He just discovered Uno today. We played it 4 times in a row today. He loved it! I made it simple for him, and we had a lot of fun.
5. I love taking him to Primary like he's such a big kid, and hearing from him what he did in his class.
6. I like how (being the oldest) he's the ringleader among the kids. If he has an idea to go in the "forest", or dance or spin in circles or pretend to be animals then the other two will just follow suit. They just do what he does.
7. He is a perfectionist like me. He has always been real good about cleaning up his toys. When he was around a yr old I started having him help me put things away and he thought it was a game. Now when we are cleaning up- every little thing has to be in its place and if Tessa goes to take a toy out during clean up time he'll take it away and say "no, it goes here." Everything just has to be in it's place. There have been times where I've seen him obsessed about making sure his shoes line up or that our VHS movies are stacked just right.
8. I will always have special memories of each of the births of my children, but Will's in particular was so amazing b/c he was our first. And when I think of his birth it still hits me what a miracle it was to see this baby and realize "That's our son. That's our baby." I loved him from the moment I saw him. And I love that as the oldest I had 2 yrs of him to myself. We had so much one on one time and Mommy, Daddy and Will time. We have a lot of good memories of when Will was our only baby.
9. Will can be so sweet. He can be such a good older brother. Sometimes he'll lay on the floor and Tessa will come crawl all over him and he'll just laugh and they'll have a good time together. He also plays peek-a-boo w/ her and he does ring around the roses with Adalynn. He plays really well with them sometimes. And they'll be times when he says really sweet things to them too, like last Sunday he said "Ada-inn, you in your Sunday 'ress." She said yes and then he said "You look pitty."
10. I like that Will can now tell stories. He sometimes just makes up stories out of the blue and they are so funny. I like that he is now talkative and says such funny things. I remember when he was a baby I used to think how fun it would be once he learned how to talk and we could carry on a conversation. I love it.
11. I love his big blue eyes. Where did he get those?
Here's Billy's:
12. I like it when I am working on the recliner and Will has to get his "laptop" and work next to me.
13. I love wrestling with him on the floor and hearing him squeal.
13. I love it when he comes up to me on his own and says "Daddy, I love you."


Adalynn:
1. I love how she is obsessed with the garbage man. Every time she hears a big truck she says with awe and excitement- "Dabage Man!" her eyes get big like it's Christmas morning. And if it really is the garbage man she runs to the window and watches the truck till it's gone.
2. I like to sing primary songs with Adalynn. She is starting to do all the motions to all the songs and sing along with some of them too. Poppcorn Popping and Snowman are two of our favorites. And her favorite non-primary song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; I love to hear her sing that in her monotone voice. Lol. It's great.
3. I love to hear her say her name. Sometimes she'll still call herself Anna but then when we say "What's your name?" She'll emphasize "Ada- yinn"
4. I like how she has to sleep with her bear every night. If we can't find it we say "The bear's on vacation." So last night she was looking for it and came to us and said "Mommy, baya on acation." It was so cute.
5. I like that her favorite toy is still legos.
6. I love her little voice and the cute things she says. One phrase in particular is when I come out of the shower she always says "Mommy, take sour?" "Mommy, all keen?" "Otay."
7. I like it that she still downs 7 oz. of milk laying down on her dog. She started laying down on her big soft dog when she turned one and switched to sippy cups, but I didn't think it'd stick this long. She only does it once or twice a day, but I still think it's cute b/c right after I give her the milk she runs down the hall in her funny dance run and says "I go dink milk on dog, Mommy." It's so cute- I can't break that habit yet.
8. I like how she's into dinasours lately. Everytime I open the closet she says "Dinasour!" Like she just found a surprise present. She doesn't act scared of them; she just walks around sometimes pretending she saw one.
9. I love her show off smile when she thinks she's funny.
10. Her favorite book is Bean's Boo Boo and she always calls it "Baby's boo boo." She loves to read books and I love to read to her.
11. I love her hugs. She will give you a hug until you pull her away. She just wraps her arms around you, lays her head on you and doesn't stop hugging until you stop. She is so cuddly and loving and sweet.
Billy's:
12. I like that her favorite word is "uh huh." You can ask 100 questions and every answer will be "Uh Huh," with the occasional "Otay."
13. Can't forget about "Yook, See?"
14. Every time I'm working on my work computer, she walks up to me and says "Daddy, Puter?" she will says this like 5-10 times in a row.


Tessa:
1. I like her little grin when she tries to hold in a laugh
2. I love her little laugh. It's sounding a little different lately- and it always makes me want to laugh with her.
3. I love her big blue eyes and her soft chubby cheeks.
4. I like it when she follows Will and Adalynn around like she's as big as they are. The other day they were pretending to be dinasours and Tessa learned to say "raahhh!" It was so cute.
5. I love her drunken, bowel-legged walk. I could just watch her walk around the house all day with a smile on my face b/c I think she is so cute.
6. I love how she is starting to plop in my lap with a story or toy.
7. I love her wave. She waves A LOT. Every time she wakes up I hold her as we go around the house and say hi to everyone and she just waves and waves. She waves whenever someone says hi or bye or sometimes at random times like around the dinner table or at the TV.
8. I love it when she does something she thinks is remarkable and she happily looks up at me with a huge smile on her face and claps her hands. She does this whenever she climbs to the top of the bunk bed. So there I am watching nervously as she makes her way up, and then when she claps her hands at the top I just have to laugh.
9. I like how she likes to go upside down, and how ticklish she is.
10. I love her hugs. They are few and far between b/c she is busy and likes to look around and move and explore. But when she gives me a hug it is one of the best feelings in the world.
11. I love how she fills the places in my heart that I didn't even realize needed filling. She fills my heart with joy.
Billy's:
12. I like how when she eats she has a look on her face like she is doing something extremely important, and when she takes a drink she has to tilt her head as far back as possible. Oh, and I can't forget about the cute "little" mess she makes on the floor.

Summer pictures

Funny Kid Stories

Tessa:
Yesterday Tessa had her 1 yr well check, and the doctor was saying "Is she.." Just then she got down from my lap and started walking and she finished "..walking yet?"
It was funny that just as she was asking that particular question Tessa decided to start walking. Then she said "Does she talk? Like Mama, baba?" And before I could respond Tessa said "Baba, baba"


Adalynn:
I was driving thru the drive thru (haha) at Burger King one day and I asked Adalynn what she wanted and she said green beans. haha I just thought it was so funny that she wanted green beans from a fast food place. She loves green beans.

Her favorite song to sing is Twinkle Twinkle little Star. She was singing it one day and I was pretty amazed that she knew all the words, and then she went on- "up above the word so high, die die die die die." I guess Like a diamond in the sky sounds like just a bunch of di di di's to her. haha.


Will:
Will yesterday said "I took it off because I didn't want it on."

In the car he said "Mommy, when you was a baby you used to ride in Tessa's car seat." haha! When I was a kid we sat laps and piled in the car however we could fit in there. But they'll never know car rides like that. It's just funny, lately he's been making comments hear and there about when I was a kid and, it's not always accurate, but it usually makes me laugh.

We were going to the library the other day and when we turned North Will saw the Superstion mountains and he said "Mom! Those are all the mountains in the whole world!!" haha. I said "Will, the world is really big, and there are a lot of mountains all around the world."
... Digesting... (he really thought about that for a couple minutes. I could practically see the wheels spinning in his head)
There was more to the conversation then that but I can't remember all of it. I just remember it was hard for him to grasp that there were more mountains then just those mountains. It was just funny to me how he said "Those are all the mountains in the WHOLE WORLD!"

He saw Beauty and the Beast for the first time yesterday, and after it was over he came and told me "The beast turned into a Prince b/c he didn't want to be a beast anymore." He looked so sad about it too! So I explained it a little better in a really happy way. And then he started saying over and over again "The beast turned into a Prince again!" He would not stop for like 10 minutes! It was so funny, it was like he was stuck and that was all he could think about.

Isn't it wonderful to see young kids discover little things for the first time? Everything is wonderful, new, and amazing. They learn so much every day.

Will's been taking pictures lately. If he can reach the camera, then I'll find it later with a bunch of crazy pictures that he took.
So I thought I'd put together an online scrapbook. Here's some pictures Will took. Oh, they make me laugh.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Tessa

Tessa's turing 1 soon! So I signed up for a free trial with Smilebox, and it's been fun but I think I'm going to cancel before the beginning of the month. So I thought I'd do one last thing for Tessa.
So it's a little early, but Tessa will be 1 in about a week. I can't believe it! That little girl does something to my heart. I LOVE getting her when she wakes up and Will and Adalynn know it too b/c they get all excited too and later they role play with their dolls "You woke up!! My baby! I love you!" But oh, it's so fun to get her up from a nap. As soon as she sees me she stands up and starts squealing with delight like she can hardly contain herself she's so happy. She laughs and reaches out for me, and if she grabs a hold of me she can almost pull herself out- crazy girl. She is so strong. That girl is willful, determined and strong. She is walking all the time now. If she falls she gets right back up without crying. And she is not only climbing into chairs now, but she also figured out how to climb a ladder. Scary! If she sees something she wants, she'll get it. And if you take it away she'll let you know how mad that made her.
But oh I love her! She can be so sweet and so happy and so fun. I love her soft, chubby cheeks, and the way she rests her little hand on my arm when I'm holding her.
I love to give her noses (that's our new thing lately- it makes her laugh) and give her lots of kisses. I love to tickle her and to sing songs with her. Her favorite song is "If Your Happy and You Know It" b/c she likes clapping her hands. And when we say "your face will surely show it" she raises her little arms in the air. It's so cute. I also love to see her wave. When she wakes up in the morning (last one to wake up) or from a nap I always bring her out to say Hi to everyone. She'll wave really excitedly and even sometimes say "hhhh". This is such a fun stage to see her learn so much so quickly. I can't wait to see what she'll do next.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Results

Hey, some of you might know that Billy and I have a blog called http://thebloggingdiet.blogspot.com/
We used to record what we ate to help keep us on track, but now we are doing P90X, which is an intense exercise program, with a nutrition plan to teach you how to make healthy choices in cooking for a lifestyle change. So lately we have been updating every now and then with P90X stuff. So, I did a post yesterday with our before and after pictures if anyone is interested.
We have just completed Phase 2 (60 days) and are starting Phase 3. They recommend you take pictures after each phase to help with motivation and to see progress, and it really has helped us. We've been slacking a little bit the last couple weeks, but after seeing the pictures and knowing that we are coming up on the last and final (hardest) stage we are motivated again! And we are going to finish strong, and get the results we want.
I had a dream goal weight, but after having kids I didn't know if it was possible to get back to that weight I used to be at. Now I know it is possible. I'm only 10 lbs away, and I think I can get there! More importantly then reaching a number though, is that we are starting to feel better about ourselves, more confident and healthier.

Stories about Will.. and Adalynn.. and Tessa

*I've just been adding to this whenever I have time, so some of it might seem unorganized. But here's some funny stories about Will:


Will has a stuffed Thomas the Train that apparently came to life today

Will- "Thomas the train, you have to have monkey's on you."
Will role playing Thomas the train, "But I don't want monkeys on me."
Will- "Oh, I'm sorry." (very sincere like he's comforting him) "But you have to have monkeys on you."
Will role playing "Otay."
Oh, now He just came in here and said, "Look Mommy, Thomas the train has monkeys on him."
Me- "Oh that's nice. Does he like that?"
Will says yes and then sits down with Thomas again and talks to him, "You didn't want monkeys at first... but that's why I love you." I didn't hear all of what he said but I know he said that's why I love you at the end.
Where did he get all that from? Is there some sort of life lesson there? lol. I was laughing when he said "I'm sorry" like he was giving him a hug, "but you have to have monkeys on you." It was so funny b/c it's like he was trying to be the parent and comfort, but it was all about monkeys. haha
... Later Thomas went to time out and then when Will got him I heard "Thomas the Train, why didn't you listen to me the first time I asked... wasn't being nice... I love you."
He really does listen to me!

Yesterday I was cleaning up some toys in Will's room, and he said "Mommy, I can't get my drum." It was up on a shelf. I said "OK, let me just finish this and I'll get it for you." Then he said two more times "I can't get my drum, Mommy." followed by, "It's so terrible."
haha! I think I told him once "Oh, it's so terrible." in a sarcastic way when he was acting like some little thing was the end of the world. It was just so funny b/c he was so serious when he said it.

And today Adalynn spilled some Nilla Wafers on the floor, and Will said "Ada-inn, what did you do? What did I tell you?" (It was as if he was reprimanding her) "I told you I didn't want anymore." And then he asked her to help him pick them up.
What a little parent he's trying to become. I really need to watch what I say b/c he's repeating everything.

We really have to work on getting Will to eat his vegetables. I have to do some sort of bribery every meal. Like if we have bread w/ the meal (which he loves) then I'll say he can't get any unless he takes two bites of vegetables.
The other day he took his two bites of vegetables and said "I'm SOOO Full! I ate too many vegetables."

Here's Billy's conversation with Will:
Will was drawing on his doodle pro, and I would ask him what it was. He drew a design and I thought it looked like a fire cracker w/ a wick… He said No daddy, it’s a “BueyHopp.” I asked him what a BueyHopp was and he said, It’s paper. I then asked, so it’s a flat piece of paper and he said no, you cut it out of paper. I said ok, so you cut that design out of paper and he said yeah…I then asked what you do w/ it…he said you put it over your eyes, like glasses, and then it turns into a doodle pro! LOL!

His random thoughts at the table today:
"God made fireworks."
"Someday I'm going to be a grandpa!"
"Remember when Adalynn was a baby?"
"I love you, Mom."

Now the girls:
Adalynn is getting really good at pretend now. Yesterday she had her baby and she went to the kitchen table and set the baby in her chair, and she said "Baby eat lunch?" "Baby sit here." "Baby, all done?" "Baby take nap?" Then she ran w/ the baby to put her down for a nap. Then "Night, Baby." It was so cute.
She also loves to open and close doors right now. It's not so bad though b/c usually it's for a reason. She'll go out of the bedroom w/ her purse and say she's going to the store, and then in a couple seconds she'll come back in and say "I'm back!" And repeat that over and over again.
She's a lot of fun. I think she's at the perfect cuddling age too. Will's getting so big to sit in my lap and snuggle (we still do it anyway when reading books but I wonder how long it will last) and Tessa doesn't stay still for very long, so Adalynn's just at the perfect cuddling age where she fits right in my lap so snug and cuddly and she leans her head on my and just relaxes. She gives great hugs too!

I thought Tessa would be walking for sure by 10 months. She took 5 steps so many times I can't even count. That was her record for awhile. She would pull up to stand and then just start walking. She'd take anywhere from 3-5 steps at a time. Until one day a couple weeks ago (so she was about 10 1/2 mo.) She took 20 steps. I started counting as she came down the hall toward me. I was so proud of her. But I don't know if we could actually count that as starting to walk by 10 mo. She just turned 11 mo. and while she's walking more and more she's still not steady and crawls quite a bit too. She'll be getting it soon though.
Two days ago she figured out how to crawl into the kids rocking chair all by herself, and she thought she was so cool. She just sat up there and bounced up and down like she was dancing w/ this huge smile on her face. And then she got down. She kind of fell off of it before I could catch her. And she was not even sad when she fell a little bit, she just got right back up all happy and climbed back on the chair again. Then yesterday she figured out how to go from the kids rocking chair over into the big rocking chair (they're right next to e/o) That girl is adventureous; there are no boundaries. She is also starting to dance a lot more whenever she hears music, and if we ever turn the TV on she'll turn to it and start waving right away.
She thinks I'm her entertainment though and she expects me to entertain her all day, and if I'm busy she'll cling to my legs.

AND they're favorite things to do together are hide under a blanket (play peek-a-boo), go into the forest (Tessa's room), and then come out yelling that they found an animal), pretend to be animals (Tessa loves this one b/c when Will and Adalynn are crawling on the floor meowing she thinks it's so funny), and they also all like playing w/ mega blocks or potatoe head. It's so nice when they play well together!

Will making lines

So lately Will's been very creative. He's been making straight lines out of various things:
Here's him with his Jenga blocks. They're in a perfect line stacked two high. That's pretty good! I didn't even know he could balance them like that before that day. He did that all by himself while I was in the other room.

again...made this by himself

Not sure where he got this idea. But he decided to take all the cushions and throw pillows off the couch and make a play center in the front room. I didn't actually get Will in any of the pictures... I guess building that wore him out b/c he fell asleep. But he went around and around on those cushions, and then when the girls woke up from their naps, they had a blast! It really was like a little jungle gym. Tessa was crawling up on the cusions by herself and crawling around, she'd crawl down by herself, and then she was so happy that she could actually climb on the couch by herself as well. Who would've thought this would be so much fun?





And this one is 2 days worth of creativeness. First he lined up three chairs in a row, and him and Adalynn pretended to be on a train. Adalynn kept saying "We're home!" And then they went to the beach and to the store. They played in their "train" for awhile! And then he had the funny idea to get all the blankets out of the closet to put on his train. Then today he decided to line up a bunch of toys. Funny boy.

This actually isn't the first time he's gone through this phase of wanting to line things up. He's been doing this for awhile. He'll all the sudden want to start lining things up (just like these pictures: toys, pillows, books, etc.) and he'll make big huge piles sometimes, and then it'll kind of die out and then start again. I like his creativeness when he's saying he's making a train or a house or just having fun, I wish it wouldn't make such a mess, but I like it.

My 2 year old

I have a 2 yr old now! My goodness. Time flew by. Adalynn is so big now, and we are so proud of our little girl. She means the world to us. She says such funny things, and has the cutest little voice, she gives the best hugs, and she can be so sweet. I love to see her give something to Tessa and say "'ere go, Tessa." thats "here you go, Tessa." and I love to see her playing nicely with Will and laughing with him. Yesterday, she was so excited about the garbage man. She came into our room and said "Daddy, dabage man." "Mommy, dabage man." We told her that was nice and so cool and then she ran as fast as she could to go tell Will. "Will, dabage man." She just makes us laugh all the time. She has made our lives so much fuller and happier these past two years. We are so blessed to have her in our lives bringing us joy every day. I am thankful for my pretty little doll.

We had a lot of fun on her birthday. Since we have four birthdays right in a row (one every month April, May, June and July) we decided we'd do one big birthday party every year. So this year we had a party for Will, and for Adalynn we had a nice relaxing day with our family. She opened her presents in the morning: a new talking purse w/ a bunch of girly stuff inside, a jack in the box, a giggly elmo ball, and an incredible bubble wand. She was so excited about the new toys, and really they were all great for all of the kids. So they had a lot of fun playing that morning. Then we went to church, and after church her grandma and grandpa came over. They had a great little shapes toy for her.
Adalynn does not like chocolate. Can you believe that? I have tried to give her chocolate in so many different ways: m & m's, hersheys kisses, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, granola bars w/ chocolate chips, chocolate pudding... Nope. She DOES NOT like chocolate. She actually doesn't like very many sweet things (including ice cream- I think my kids think it's too cold) So, I was trying to think before her birthday if I should even make a bday cake. I finally decided that since bananas and graham crackers are two of her favorite things that I'd make a banana cream pie. Here's some pictures of that:
She blew the first candle out on her first try, but the second one was a little harder for her. It was so fun to watch though!

She did not want to try it at first.

And then she wanted to sit with me. For some reason once she was sitting in my lap she wanted to try it. And she loved it!

Will and Tessa liked it too!



To top the night off, we went outside at dusk to make some "incredible" bubbles. They were HUGE! It was actually pretty cool for the whole family. Will and Adalynn were laughing and so excited! It was a fun day.
We love our little girl!

Oh BTW, for anyone interested to know- Adalynn went for her 2 yr check up and she is in the 50% for height and 10% for weight. I knew she was little.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My random thoughts

The kids have a really big overstuffed extremely comfortable dog in their room, and every once in awhile when I have a really tired day, and I'm sitting in their room on the floor playing with them I just can't resist laying back on that dog.
But why is it that when I'm fighting going to sleep (like when I'm laying on the dog) I almost go to sleep... yet when I say I'm going to take a nap during their nap, I can't go to sleep? It's like when you fight sleep you can fall asleep but if you try to go to sleep you can't. (That's just during the day for me though, thankfully at night I don't have that problem) I just need to start getting more sleep at night and then I won't feel like catching up during the day.
There's just so much to do all the time! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. I have to try to fit in time to spend with each one of my kids individually, and as a whole, I want to fit in time to teach them things and be with them, and then I need to find time to cook good healthy meals that take a lot of preparation, and to clean up those big meals, I have to find time to exercise, and read scriptures so that I can take care of myself inside and out, and then there's the endless list of chores... the laundry which seems never ending. I used to do laundry once a week, then it was twice a week, and now it literally feels like every day. I'll do two batches one day, two batches the next day, finish getting them all put away the next day, and maybe have one day break, but the day after there's already more to do. And the dishes and floors seem to be never ending as well. Lately I can run the dishwasher after the kids go to bed (yay! they're in bed, now onto the dishes) then the next morning, unload it after breakfast, load it after lunch, load it again after dinner, run it and do the pans after the kids go to bed. It's usually something like that. That's a lot of dishes, and if I skip a day then it's crazy the next day. Now the floors! Who would've thought I'd have to spend so much time to keep the floors clean. Who cares about the floor right? It's not that important... Yeah, right. If the WHOLE house is clean but I haven't done the floors in like 3 days it feels sooo messy. B/c those kids! I'll vacuum and mop one day (we have tile thru out) and by the end of the day the kitchen floor is a disaster with crumbs from meals and snacks. I can't wait till they learn how to be a little less messy. Oh, and Diapers, Diapers, Diapers. nuf said
And the list goes on and on w/ chores alone. Keeping up the house is a Full time job! And then taking care of 3 young kids is another FT job! Then taking care of myself (which I'm trying to do lately) is hard. It's so hard to find time for everything!
But that is the busy life of the Mom, right?
That's why I liked reading part of that book A Mother's Book of Secrets. It made me feel like I need to slow down and appreciate my kids more since they'll only be little once. But then... if I spend a whole day "appreciating things" how do I get the other things done that need to be done? There has to be a balance. And that's what I'm trying to find- the balance.
It feels like there's so many things to juggle, I have to prioritize and try to have somewhat of a schedule to follow every day to get seemingly basic things done. Now, if I had to add something else onto my plate (for instance Mommy and Me class, soccor practice, at home preschool) how am I supposed to do that?... and keep my sanity?
I'm sure I could add something else if I needed to. I am going to start doing preschool at home w/ Will 3 days a week. But... wow. Who would've thought life would get so hectic?

Will's thoughts on his Mom

Will has a great primary teacher, whom he loves. He talks about her at home, too. He'll color a picture and say he wants to show it to Sister Thompson. When I picked him up from his class today, he said "Here Mommy. This is for you." And he gave me a bag of salts. What a thoughtful gift. And it was so cute that he had a gift to give to me. He also gave me what I thought was a card. (And he said happy Mother's day. And later gave me a hug, told me he loved me and gave me a kiss. Melted my heart.) Anyway, it wasn't really a card. But it's a great keepsake.
What the primary kids and leaders did was a book of quotes. They interviewed all the kids with questions about their moms. Then they typed up the questions and answers and gave them to the parents. Such a great idea!
Will's answers don't quite make since, but they make me laugh and I had to write them down.


I like it when my mom... Plays with Pooh
My mom is the funniest when... She dances on a chair (I don't do that. haha)
I know my mom loves my dad when... She dances with my daddy (I think he was just on a dancing kick)
My mom's talent is... Playing (I guess I'm pretty good at that)
I know my mom loves me b/c... She tells me everyday.
My mom's favorite food is... Hamburgers
The best gift my mom could receive is... A pooh present. (hmmm..)

Pedicures!

I had such a great day today! I got to spend time w/ two of my favorite people in the world- my Mom and my sister. We had a girls day and got pedicures! It was so much fun! My mom and I had never gotten pedicures before, so the experience was new to us. Wow. So relaxing. I loved the feet in water/ back massage (that chair was cool) and then the lotion/ massage and hot towel felt so nice. I got a french manicure, and we all got the same matching flowers. I love love love having my feet look nice. I feel like they look nice for the first time in my life. I've had many moments of being embarrassed by my feet b/c I never did anything special to them, and now for the first time I keep looking down at my feet and smiling, and thinking "How Cute!"
Love you Mom and Summer! I had a great time!
Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there. If you can- go pamper yourself. It is worth it! I got home feeling so refreshed.



...Billy just came home with a beautiful bouquet of roses and a really nice card. What a great husband! I'm a lucky woman.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom! Yesterday was my Mom's birthday and we all fortunate enough to get together yesterday and see her, but I wanted to tell her yet again Happy Birthday. I hope you had a great day yesterday, Mom!
I wanted to tell you how much I love you! Being a Mom just makes me appreciate you so much more. Sometimes when I have hard days I remember that you went through this too, yet looking back I never ever remember you getting really mad, loosing your patience or temper. Maybe it occasionally happened but I don't remember it. I only remember looking up to you and wanting to be just like you someday. I still want that. What an amazing woman you are! I appreciate now all those diapers you changed, all those stories you read, the songs you sang to us, the lessons you taught us, the many meals you cooked for us with love, the hours and hours you have given in selfless service to us as your children. Thank you for being the best Mom we could ever ask for!

Now that I am grown I can really see how you are w/ young kids, and sometimes I remember glimpses of things you did w/ us when I see you with your grandchildren. I admire your creativity. Even when you are busy you think of a way to patiently involve the kids, like letting them help you cook or clean or pull weeds. Or coming up with a creative project for them to do. Your love is manifested in so many ways. Thank you for your example, I will still continue to strive to be a good mom just like you.

A Mother's Book of Secrets

I know I've already posted today, but I was checking my email and clicked on a link that my mom had sent me about this book. I read a sample from the book, and WOW! Made me want to cry, and treasure my kids more than ever. It was so great that I thought I'd put it on here. It's kind of long but definetly worth reading!



My favorite motherhood quote is by Anna Quindlen. It reads like this:

“Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach. T. Berry Brazelton. Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with ‘Goodnight Moon' and ‘Where the Wild Things Are,' they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.”

Then she goes on and talks about some of the mistakes she made while raising her babies .

“…the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make…I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”

I remember the moment it became my favorite. I was pregnant and had two young children only 14 months apart. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't keep up. Without fail our two “babies” seemed to need opposite things at exactly the same time. I found that as much as I was in love with these kids, I was chock full of “I can't wait ‘til…”s. I couldn't wait ‘til Max could just feed himself or until Elle could sit up and entertain herself for a second. It seemed to me it would be pure Heaven when I could sleep through a night uninterrupted until 7:00 in the morning.

I had been skimming through my Newsweek trying desperately to catch a glimpse into the real world…that world that had become foreign to me in many ways ever since I took on the title of “Mother.” Amongst the articles about politics and world affairs I came across Anna's article so articulately written about mothers.

As soon as I read the above paragraph tears were pouring down my cheeks. Yes, I'm sure some of my pregnancy hormones were involved in my outburst, but most of it was the pure realization that I wasn't living in the moment enough. Sure, the trenches of motherhood I was slogging through at that particular time in my life were deep. I couldn't see out. There was no light whatsoever at the end of the tunnel (at least not on that day). But when I came to that paragraph I was struck with the thought that I needed to find the light in my trench of motherhood. I needed to soak up my babies. Because if that poor Anna Quindlen was wishing she'd cherished the moment a little more, I was sure I'd be right there with her if I didn't get my act together and enjoy the “now” a little more. Her trenches were gone…nothing but a faded memory. Mine were still deep, and I was going to live it up in there.

So I did an experiment with my two small children. One day I just slowed down. I changed my gears. Instead of trying to fit in a million different errands and social things, I stayed home with my kids for a day. We read books, popped popcorn, sang songs, put together puzzles, and just delighted in being with each other. And I noticed so much more. Elle spilled her drink all over her beloved “blankie” and started to cry when I told her I had to wash it (taking away those blankies for long enough to wash them was always a trick). Max leaned over to her and told her in the sweetest voice that it was ok and that he would share his blankie with her while her's was in the washing machine. I noticed Elle's sweet dimple when she smiled is about the cutest thing in the world. I complimented Max on so many things he did well that day and watched him beam. I was so in love with being a mom I could hardly contain myself.

Well, of course the next day was different. I had to catch up on things I had neglected the day before and life still goes on. Max and Elle were teasing each other constantly and Elle drew all over the couch with a ball-point pen. But for some reason it didn't really bother me as much. Sure I was frustrated, but I realized even the catastrophes are “moments” that will fade and will most likely bring on a melancholy, missing smile in the future. I still appreciated my children more than I ever had before. My mind had made a shift. Of course I have to keep remembering to keep that shift in focus, but that's half the battle.

It's true that as a mother there is always a never-ending list of things to “get done.” Pay the bills. Check. Do the dishes. Check. Make dinner. Check. Do the shopping. Check. But are we successful if we didn't notice the look on our child's face as he just learned to “pump” on the swing by himself? Is it success if we get lunch done and the kids asleep for naps in fifteen minutes so we can finish catching up on “important projects” if we forgot to help the kids finish the puzzle we promised we would? Sometimes success is when we don't get through the “to do” list. Instead, we stop long enough to notice the little things. To savor moments. Not only to notice the delight in our children's eyes, but to help create that delight.

Another favorite quote I have is one written by Iris Krasnow. It's in a book called, “Surrendering to Motherhood.” “If I had any advice for mothers it would be to ‘Be There.' I know I am fortunate to be in a profession and marriage that allows me to spend most of each day near my children. But Being There isn't about money or even about staying home full-time. It's about an emotional and spiritual shift, of succumbing to Being Where You Are When You Are , and Being There as much as possible. Its about crouching on the floor and getting delirious over the praying mantis your son just caught instead of perusing a fax or filling the dishwasher while he is yelling for your attention and you distractedly say over your shoulder: “Oh , honey, isn't that a pretty bug.” It's about being attuned enough to notice when your kid's eyes shine so you can make your eyes shine back.”

I want my kids to see my eyes shine when I play with them. I want to enjoy their play as much as they do. I want to “crouch down on the floor and get delirious” over the seemingly simple things that delight them. I want to look at the world through their eyes. I want to be theirs while I can.

I know that no matter how much I write about the funny things I want to remember, no matter how many pictures I take and stash in photo albums, no matter how much I will time to slow down and beg my kids to quit growing so darn fast, this time with young children will still slip away. But the joy that I let myself feel while I'm in the moment with my kids will not fade with the years like the pictures and the memories, it will become part of me. It will become part of my children.

Of course I must realize that no matter how many good intentions I have, I'll still have days of frustration where I'm too tired to pull out the paints AGAIN and let the kids mess up my freshly cleaned kitchen AGAIN. It will still be frustrating to find Tide laundry detergent spread all over the laundry room floor and filling up the bottom of the dryer. It will always take time to get everyone out the door with hair brushed and shoes on. But before I know it I won't have those things to make my life crazy anymore. And believe it or not, I'm gonna miss them! The secret is that savoring the crazy day to day moments, whether they be sentimental, sweet moments or moments of pure mayhem, makes motherhood rich and rewarding.

Adalynn's first "Kids Say..."

Daddy- "Adalynn you have blue eyes."
Adalynn- touching her eyes "Eyes"
Daddy- "Your eyes are blue."
Adalynn- "No, Daddy."
Daddy- "Yes, you have blue eyes."
Adalynn- "No thanks, Daddy."

She says the name of the person she's talking to in almost every sentence. "Thank you, Mommy." "Here you go, Tessa." "Hi, Will." "All Done, Daddy."

I love hearing her say "hank you, Mommy." After I do something for her. It makes me feel so good that she has learned to be so sweet. Even when I help her w/ a puzzle or put her up on my lap she says Thank you.

Almost everything she says is in a complete sentences now, so I just need to remember more of what she's saying to write things down, b/c she is about the cutest thing I've ever seen or heard. She's talking so well for her age. I wish I had a video camera w/ me through out the day to capture everything she says, but maybe sometime I'll get it out.

Tessa LOVES waving now!! She waves at us throughout the day and sometimes she tries to say hi w/ the wave. She waves to us when she wakes up from a nap, and when she's eating in her high chair, and any other time she feels like communicating. She thinks she's big stuff b/c she always gets a response. The other day I was vacumming the kids room and she was just sitting on the floor watching it go back and forth and then when I went into the hall I saw her looking at me smiling SO big and waving to me. It was so funny.

I'm going to post a video of Will soon. I just need Billy to make it smaller so it can go on the web- I don't know how to do that.

sharing

They have their sweet moments.

Will's Birthday

Well, I know it's Easter weekend, but it was also Will's birthday this last weekend. My little boy turned 4 on Friday! I can't believe he is so big. He sang for the first time with the primary in church today, and I had to move right next to Billy to tell him how excited I was to see Will. We both had huge smiles on our faces to see him up there for the first time. And then he started singing, and silly me, I got all emotional and started crying b/c I'm so proud of him and I couldn't believe how big he is. He did SO good up there! He looked so cute and he just sang w/ the rest of the kids. My heart was just so full. I am proud of him.

Well, here's the recap of his bday. The first half of his bday was kinda like any other day except that I told him it was his birthday in the morning and first thing he said was "And I get my tigger today?" He has asked for two things for his birthday: a wagon and a tigger. I tried to make the day special for him by making anything he wanted for meals that day. He picked eggs for breakfast and out of all things when I asked him what he wanted for lunch he said Pizza. So we went ahead w/ that, and that was his big meal pick for the day. After nap time was when we were all able to get together for presents. We saved the big present for his birthday: the wagon. But we gave him some games, a puzzle, and a little microphone like Sid the Science Kid has. He was excited about all his presents and loved them. We went to ColdStone for his free ice cream that night.
Saturday was the day of the big party. I wanted to have it at the park, but with the weather we had to move it to our house. Our house is small but it worked. I made ice cream cone cupcakes for the party. You just get an ice cream cone, and put a cupcake upside down into the cone then a mini muffin on top and frost it to make it look like an ice cream cone. I was so excited to have finally done something creative for a party! (I can't take credit for the idea, but at least I pulled it off, so I was happy)
Will got tons of great gifts from everyone! There was a good variety too- from watercolors, to a dragon that talks and walks (Adalynn and Tessa like that one too), to his Tigger!(yay!), to a sticker book that kept his attention really well at church today... anyway I'm leaving out some things, but point is he loved everything and I'm so happy that he has so many new toys today.
We saved the wagon for the last. The kids were so excited to see the wagon! And all of them played w/ it for a long time afterward. Everyone wanted to ride in it! It took a little while for everyone to get that they needed to take turns, but once they were ok w/ that, they all had so much fun! So we let them play w/ the wagon for awhile! then we did duck, duck, goose and pin the tail on the donkey.
We all had a lot of fun! Although, I have to admit- I was glad when it was over and just our family again though. I love everyone so much and we had a great time, but parties get hectic and it seemed so calm once it was all over.
Today Will and I played Candyland and Chutes and Ladders during naptime, and I was so proud of him that he got the hang of both games right away. We had a great time playing and he won every time! I wasn't even letting him win either- he was just lucky! haha.
They changed Candyland- I think it used to have dice when we were growing up but now they draw cards and it has colors. You move to the next color, so it's really easy for someone Will's age to get. I love that we can finally play board games together!
My little boy is growing up!