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The Night That Started It All

2012-02-15T00:47:00.001-06:00

Fourteen years ago tonight (14!) I sat next to a guy who made my stomach twist with butterflies. He was tall, he was tan, he was young, and lovely. He was my childhood crush. Matt asked me to go to the symphony with him on Valentine's night 14 years ago. It was one of the most random dates because it was so unexpected. I was working at Magleby's in Provo, Utah. I had recently started and because I was new, I was the only person on the pay roll who was not working that night. Matt called me to see if I could go with him and his married friends (nice) to the symphony on Valentine's night. He claims that he was sure that I would have had plans. But I didn't. He held my hand all the way home. It seems like that would have felt weird on our first date. But it didn't. I thought it was just a fun night and that maybe by morning it would all be forgotten. But it wasn't.

Tonight we had to take Sam to his Jiu Jitsu class and so on the way there we all ate dinner at Wendy's. We laughed and ate french fries and frosty's. Later we could not believe our eyes when Kate (6 mo.) had a the biggest explosion of all time. Her entire back was covered...and we were out. While we were changing her on the floor of the car, in front of the Jui Jitsu place, she peed all over...sorry for the details but it was classic. We cleaned that mess up and headed home. We laughed about the different shape that our Valentine's Days have taken over the years. I went upstairs to take Ethan to the bathroom (it's about midnight), and while I was up there Matt was trying to get Kate to sleep. He coaxed her into Neverland, and then followed her there. When I walked into our room and saw the two of them zonked out on our bed my heart felt so tender for this man who I love so dearly, and who loves us. He is good. He is patient, kind, and so gentle with our children. He is strong, purposeful, wise, and disciplined. He is handsome, and polished, and he always makes me laugh. He is everything to me and I love him.

Sometimes we disagree, sometimes we annoy each other, sometimes we have a hard time seeing things the same way, but always, always, I love him and I know he loves me. So, this is to many more years of work together. No matter how the face of our life changes, the core is still the same. It may not seem very glamorous or romantic from the outside, but I like us. I like how we work together. I like how we have both learned where to give, and where to forgive. I like how I get to wake up next to him tomorrow morning and do it all again.

The First of Many Updates

2012-01-31T13:18:00.001-06:00

My white board is full. Time to empty it out.

When we go play in the front yard the boys ride their bikes or scooters, Mia runs along side them, her tiny little legs moving as fast as they can go. She is mini, but mighty. She has so much energy and zest for life, she is like a breath of fresh air for me. She LOVES the movie Tangled...we all do. The other day while we were outside she went running down the street singing at the top of her lungs a song from Tangled:
"I could go running, and racing, and dancing and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling, now's when my life begins!" She knows every single word. So funny.

Mia put some food in her mouth, chewed it up, looked at me and said in her matter of fact voice:
"It's kinda tasty!"

Cinderella is "Cinder-Brella." Kind of like Sam's version of restaurant when he was little: "Restrau-naut."

We always call her "Little Mims" or "Little Mimsy", so the other day Mia said "Hi little mom!"

We were in the car the other day and I leaned back to look at something from the front seat. Mia was looking at me upside down and said "Hey! You're upside down little mama!"

Mia also loves "The Little Mermaid". She and the boys have had such a fun time laughing about Ursula. Mia will sing all the songs, perfectly on tune, and loves to say "Body language! Ha!" It cracks me up.

Mia was sick for about 2 weeks and when she finally started feeling better I said: "Mia, I'm so glad you're feeling better! It's like a whole new world!
She said: "Sank you mom!" (Thank you mom)

One Sunday morning we were getting ready for church, Mia and Ethan kept climbing around on the kitchen table like monkeys. I told them several times to stop. Finally, Mia accidentally knocked a bowl of cereal on the ground. I was so frustrated. I said "Mia! Sit down, eat your breakfast, and STOP climbing around." She looked right at me and said "Mom! You're being way too bossy!"

When Kate woke up the other day I brought her out into the family room. When Mia saw her she gasped and said "Kitty Kat! You're awake! I'm glad."

One day before Christmas the boys were acting up, so we had a little talk about lumps of coal. A few hours later Sam said "Mom, have I been good this year?" I said, "Sam I think you know the answer to that better than I do." He said "Well, just in your opinion? Have I?" I just looked at him and shrugged. He said "I guess it's time to start revving up the engine on making good choices."

Ethan always calls the Pink Panther the Pink Cougar

I overheard Ethan telling Mia that she was a treasure. :)

Ethan love dinosaurs, so we weren't surprised when we heard him call a canker sore a "canker-sore-us"

I laughed when Ethan asked "Does this look awkward?"

Let Them Be Little

2011-12-07T23:06:00.004-06:00

Last year as I was decorating our living room I looked at tons of pillows on Etsy. One day I randomly came across one that said "Let Them Be Little". I thought it was such a cute phrase, and maybe I'm the only one late for the party, but I didn't know that there's a song by the same title. For the last few days Mia has been very "two". I am missing my sweet, joyful, smiley little ball of sunshine. I know she'll be back, but I always get a little sad when this happens. The funny thing is that with every one of my kids I've thought "OK, this one is going to be the one who doesn't go through the 'terrible' phases." :) Silly me. They have to, and I know it's part of the deal, but man it sure makes me sad when I have to start getting tough. I'm much better at loving and cuddling.

As I was out Christmas shopping today I saw so many moms dragging their kids around, and believe me, I've had to do my fair share of it too, but sometimes when I'm out and I hear how people talk to their kids, and how impatient we can be, how we talk to them like they even care about what color shirt they have, I think "let them be little". They don't care about half of the things we think they do. They are happiest when we do the simplest things. Painting together, playing with play dough, taking a walk and collecting acorns. Mia loves to play in the mud and dirt, and whenever she starts doing it, I usually steer her away. Tomorrow, we are having scheduled dirt time. She will only be little once, and if she wants to play in the dirt, why not? I know I sound like a broken record, but I really wish I could bottle up this time, and save some of it for later. So tomorrow, I'm going to be a little more conscious of letting people be little.

The girls and I took a walk a few weeks ago when it was still warm outside, we had such a great time. Mia calls acorns "haycorns". Kind of like hairplanes. I also love how she says blanklet. "Let's go get Kate's blanklet for her." Mia loves washing the dishes. Every time we're done eating she says "Can I wash my dishes?!" She will stand on that stool for hours if I let her. The first hour she gets her shirt and the rug and the floor drenched, the second hour we take her shirt off, and put down the beach towels. One of the things that I really love about Mia is that she always tells me thank you. For everything. It is adorable, and so satisfying. Being appreciated is worth so much. I love how she says it too..."Sank you mom!" or "Ohhh! Sanks!" I need sound bites. She loves to sing, and after I sing a song once or twice to her, she's got it down. She loves Edelweiss, which I distinctly remember my mom, standing in the doorway of my room, singing to me when I was little. She has also bought in to this whole "better watch out, better not cry, better not pout" thing too. Genius I tell you, genius.
Let Them Be Little

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand.
You felt so good in it; no bigger than a minute.
How it amazes me you're changin' with every blink.
Faster than a flower blooms, they grow up all too soon.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give 'em hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

I never felt so much in one little tender touch.
I live for those kisses, your prayers an' your wishes.
An' now you're teachin' me how only a child can see.
Tonight, while we're on our knees, all I ask is:

Please, let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

The so innocent, precious soul:
You turn around, an' it's time to let them go.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give 'em praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let them sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

Let them be little.

Our Two Favorite Little Elves

2011-12-05T08:45:00.011-06:00

Well, he managed to find us again. Our little elf, "Grinks" showed up at our house a few days ago and the magic of Christmas has begun! The boys love finding him every morning, and this year they are even more excited about teaching Mia all there is to know about elven magic! :) Have I mentioned how much I love this tradition? It is one of my favorite things of the year. The boys made him snowflakes yesterday and then they went and asked him if he could take a snowflake to Santa. I love it when people BELIEVE! It's part of the magic of life. Believing in others, believing in yourself, believing that good exists in the world. Believing that there is a God above who loves and knows each one of us, even though we can't see Him.

We have another little elf around our house this year, and she's pretty irresistable. From her funny old man hair and sweet blue eyes to her cute little mouth, we just can't get enough of our sweet Kate. She is so smiley lately and I love watching the older kids gush around her. Ethan is the resident nickname maker. Some of my favorites:
Juicy Little Mango
Sparkly Little Cupcake
I never call her any of these names, they are totally Ethan's creation. :) He is always talking to her and when she talks back he says "Is that right? What else do you have to say?", in the cutest little voice. Ahhh, I love these little people.

I Miss This Little Blog

2011-11-16T23:23:00.003-06:00

Every now and then when I've been away for a while, I really start to miss this blog. Consistency is tricky for me right now. Who am I kidding? Consistency has always been tricky for me. I'm sort of an all or nothing kind of girl. I'm either on or off. Up or down. That's why I married Consistency...sometimes he goes by Matt. I love looking back on our life, and I don't want to forget a minute of what's going on right now. So many satisfying days lately. Days filled with learning, laughing, lots of work, and most of all awe. I am seriously in awe every day when I wake up and look into the little faces that surround me. They are what make life worth living, and I feel profound gratitude that the Lord allowed me to be their mother.

I know I've talked about this before, but I feel it more and more as the years go by. Motherhood is teaching me so much more than I am teaching my children. We are all working together to become better. When I stay calm and in control of myself, everyone seems to follow suit. It's not always right away, but if I keep it together, everyone else comes around too. On the other hand, if I lose it, oh boy, watch out. Suddenly the mercury starts rising, and away we go. I have learned from two of the greatest women I know, my own mom, and Matt's mom, the power of staying calm. I know they'll laugh when they read this, and I know that everyone loses it sometimes, but boy, those ladies are sure a great example to me, and I think about them everyday. What a blessing to have women like them to model my life after. So Mom and KK, thank you! I love you both very dearly, and I am so thankful for you.

Another thing that I am always learning is not to overreact about a certain phase that a particular child may be going through. Sometimes it's easy to see a child acting a certain way and think "Oh no, what have I done? This person is going to be like this forever." Then a week or two passes, and we're back to normal. I really need to remember that.

The picture at the top has nothing to do with this, but I love the look on both of their faces. That pretty much sums up our summer. One day this summer we were floating around in the pool and Ethan said "Ahh, this is the lives." :) This really is the life, and we are squeezing out every last drop that it has to offer.

More Quotes From the Little People I Love

2011-11-03T20:52:00.003-05:00

The other morning Sam was coughing quite a bit when he woke up. He came downstairs and said "Oh No! My teacher hates mucus!" :) I laughed and asked him what made him think that. He told me she sent another boy to the nurse the other day when he was coughing.

Ethan randomly told me the other day:
"Mom, you should get some purple light saber earrings!"
He said it with such conviction that I may start looking.

Ethan deciding what he wanted for lunch:
"Macaroni and cheese and eggs? Is that a yummy option?"

On another night at dinner Ethan said:
"Pizza and rootbeer are a great combo!"
Agreed.

Whenever I start doing something in the kitchen, Mia cheerfully rushes to my side and says:
"Can I help with you?"
Her cute little voice always goes up at the end of each sentence, I love hearing her babbling away.

The other night Mia was sitting on my lap. She put her hand on my stomach and smooshed the excess flabby skin. Then she said:
"Do you have a big tummy? Aww, too bad. Do you have a babysitter?" I think she was thinking "do you have a baby in there?" No...not yet. Her expressions crack me up.

Ethan got hurt the other day and Mia walked up behind him, patted his back and said "Are you ok buddy?"

Mia put her arm around me the other day when we were sitting on a bench and said:
"You're my best friend, Mom." OK, if that's not enough to finish up the job, I don't know what is. She has got us all tightly wrapped around her cute little finger. A few days later I heard her whisper to Kate: "You're my best friend Kate."

Ethan was putting something on Mia the other day, a necklace or a bow or something, and when he was done he said "OK, now you're Mia, queen of the pretties." I hope someday these little girls know how much that brother of theirs adores them.

This was not my child's quote, but I have laughed about it for weeks so I have to write it down. A few weeks ago one of my friends was really sick and so her son spent the night here. The next morning we were all getting ready for school, it was about 6:30 a.m. and this little boy came downstairs, found me in the kitchen and the first thing he said was "So, just if you need to know...if you want me to have broccoli, I would prefer non-steamed." I laughed out loud, it was so random and funny, and really detailed and thoughtful all at the same time.

Children entertain me, what can I say. They are so easy in so many ways. They are funny, interesting, and so, so individual. I may keep having them just for the entertainment value. :)

Funny Ethan and Mia Quotes

2011-10-04T23:13:00.003-05:00

I have so much to write, and so many thoughts swirling around in this little head of mine, but tonight I'm going to go to bed. I wanted to get a couple of funny comments from the kids written down before I forget them.

The other day I was helping Ethan get ready for the day. I handed him a polo style shirt -- short sleeve, cotton, with a collar, nothing too fancy. He looked at it and said:
"No mom, I am NOT wearing that shirt. That is a handsome shirt and I HATE handsome!"

We were in the car the other day and I asked Ethan to see if Kate was awake. He said:
"Yep, she's awake, and she even has a twinkle in her eye!"

One day I asked Ethan to do something in the middle of one of his imaginary dress up sessions. He was a Super Hero or something like that. He replied, with a very serious face: "Ethan is no more."

One day after admiring Kate's tiny little toes Ethan said:
"I thought having a baby was going to be boring, but it's really, really fun!"
I said, "Oh good, I'm so glad you like it. What do you like best about Kate?"
He said "She has little stuff. She's so cute. I don't ever want her to grow up!"

Mia is always singing lately. She hums the music from Harry Potter (No, I have not shown my 2 year old the movie, she's just heard all of us humming it). She twirls all around the house, and is always talking about something. The other day she was singing the music from Tangled and she always says:
"I'll brush and brush and brush, and brush and brush Grandma's hair" or another favorite is the same thing with "brush Grandma's teeth" at the end. I have no idea where that came from, but we laugh every time she says it.

As we walked down the stairs on our way out the door the other day she sang to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star": "Let's go get in the car, how I wonder what you are."

She loves this song that my mom sings to her called "Rockabye My Dolly" and she sings it to her babies all the time. I love hearing her talk to her babies, and watching her take care of them. She is so gentle, and she loves Kate more than she knows how to handle.

Another funny thing that she does lately is talk to herself about what she should and shouldn't do. "Be careful Mia, don't fall." "Good job Mia!" "Nice work" Also in the third person, "Mia wants some milk Dad."

Mia was with me in a public bathroom today, after I got done she goes "Good job Mom!!"

Smoothies are "Schnoobies" -- I crack up every time she says this word. Hairplane is another one that I love. "MOM! Look at that BIG hairplane up in the sky!"

She must have seen this on a movie or something but we have a little pair of binoculars, she always comes up to me with the binoculars up to her eyes and says "Could I get your name?" I think she must have seen someone interviewing someone or something like that, but it cracks me up.

She is always so happy, and so energetic. The first words out of her mouth when I get her out of bed in the morning are "Where's Kate?!" She loves her sister. The other day I had them both lying on the floor on their blankets and I looked at them and said "Two girls!" Now every time they are lying side by side Mia looks at me and says "Two girls!"

Mia loves the show "Charlie and Lola" SHE LOVES IT! It is so funny, since they have British accents there are a few words that Mia now says with the same accent. Strah-bries (strawberries) is one of my favorites.

Mia stayed with my friend Sonja for a couple of hours today while I went to the Dr. When she got home I asked her if she had fun. She said "Yeah, I did!" I said "Do you like Sonja? She said "Yeah, she's so cute."

Perspective

2011-09-28T22:27:00.005-05:00

The last few months have been a good lesson in perspective for me. Being pregnant is always a little exhausting at the end. Being pregnant at the end of the hottest Summer on record with three little children at home is even more exhausting.

Having a new life placed in your care is awe inspiring. The miracle of it all will never be lost on me. Even if I did it a hundred more times. During this pregnancy I had a small blood clot in one of my legs. We got it checked out and it was fine. A few days after I got home from the hospital after having Kate I felt another one in my other leg. As we checked it out, the Dr. told me that he wanted to investigate it thoroughly. He didn't say this exactly, but the idea was that he wanted to make sure that it wasn't something that would prevent me from having more children. I sat there in his office and started sobbing. He said "We need you around to take care of the ones you already have." My Dr. is so thoughtful, and said this in the kindest way. But it had only been 4 days since I had Kate, so the hormones were alive and well. I'll tell the end of the story first, the clot was not a big deal, and I can have more kids if that's what we choose to do. But the thought of this being the end; the idea that I may have brought my last person into this world, was just more than my little heart could take at that moment. I know, we have been beyond blessed to have the four healthy children that we have, but I wasn't ready to have a Dr. make that decision for us.

The next few days were filled with lots of prayers, and lots of tender moments of reassurance. I saw my children in a whole different light. I realized that even if I couldn't have any more, I trusted the Lord, and I would be thankful for what I had. There was a time when, after three miscarriages, and several complications, I wasn't even sure if we could have kids at all.

My perspective changed. I realized (again) how grateful I am to be able to stay home with them every day, to watch them grow. They really are my favorite people to be with. So entertaining. So funny. All of the little things that had been driving me crazy flew out the window, and I started soaking it all in.

This past weekend was our annual women's conference at our church. Several of the talks were about charity. It was just what I needed to hear, for so many reasons. Charity is the pure love of Christ. Charity is something that I wish I had a lot more of, and that I hope to be developing every day. Charity is something that is essential as a mother. Heavenly Father puts these perfect, innocent little children in our care, and sometimes, with me, He probably wonders why I can't get it together.

We all have our moments. We're impatient, critical, less loving than we should be etc. I hope that I can develop the attribute of charity as a mother, for my family. I hope that I can show charity here at home, even more than I do out in public, instead of the other way around. In Conference Sister Allred suggested that we pray daily for the gift of charity. I love this idea, and have been doing it since Saturday night. It's amazing how quickly the Lord wants to bless us with good things. I have felt an overwhelming amount of love and patience for the people around me. He has blessed me to be able to see people a little bit more the way He sees them.

Another point that I loved was from President Uchtdorf's talk. He talked about how we are oftentimes great at being kind, and compassionate to those around us, but sometimes have a hard time being kind to ourselves. It's easy for me (especially after I have a baby) to feel like I'm just not quite good enough. The house is a mess, none of my clothes fit, I've got a stack of papers up to the ceiling, I'm tired, and most mornings I look like I got hit by a train. But another blessing from Conference is that I have been able to see myself a little bit more like the Lord sees me. I am thankful that He loves me, even when I'm having a hard time loving everything about myself. Below is one of the quotes that I loved from President Uchtdorf's talk:

"Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!

He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name—you are the daughters of His kingdom. The Psalmist wrote:

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? …

“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."

God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes.

The love of God and the power of the restored gospel are redemptive and saving. If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow."

What a powerful message of hope. I am grateful for the perspective that I have gained over the last few weeks. I am so thankful to be a mother. It is truly the greatest joy of my life. It stretches me in ways that I never could have imagined. I know that as we walk hand in hand with the Lord, He can help us every day, in even the tiniest circumstances, to know how to handle our children in the right ways. He knows each of us, and loves us more than we can imagine.

p.s. I feel great, this is not a cry for help, I'm not trying to imply that my days are dark, or that I feel forgotten or overshadowed. Just feeling the regular feelings that come after a big change. :) Just fyi.

Mimsy Moo Turns Two

2011-09-14T23:31:00.004-05:00

It's hard for me to even imagine what my life was like before Mia. She brought a ray of hope and happiness into my life that is hard to put into words. Mia is a tiny little burst of joy. She's like the little blue peppermint pieces that you find in some types of gum. The gum is good, but when you bite into one of those pieces it's even better. That's how Mia makes our home. She's tiny, but so full of love, enthusiasm, and joy that when you get a little taste of her, you can't stop smiling.

Some of my favorite Mia-isms:
Gobbles=goggles
Shoop=suit (as in swimsuit)
"Mom, I get my shoop, my gobbles"
Anytime someone says they like something, Mia enthusiastically agrees: "Me too!"
The other night I made a shooby (smoothie) and Mia said "Mmmm! Good shooby Mom!"
One day I heard Mia YELLING from the laundry room, in a completely excited, I can't control myself kind of voice:
"I. Love. This. Cute. Box!" I went in to find her looking at a tiny pink target shoe box that her sandals came in.
Fooshuhsh (toothbrush)
Whenever Matt comes into the room Mia says "Daddy! Kiss? Hug?" He always obliges.
"Wow, I love it!"
When Matt comes home from work Mia yells out her most cheerleader-esque "Hi Dad!"
"Wow, mazing (amazing)"
"Perfect!"
Mia loves to color and write her name. Well, she loves it when I write her name. A few weeks ago Mia said "Let's go draw Mia...M.I. A."

Since Kate has joined our family Mia has been so grown up. She helps me change her diapers, and anytime she hears Kate cry she literally drops whatever she's doing and runs in to find her. Every morning when I get her out of her bed the first words out of her mouth are "Where's Kate?" She has been so sweet, and I love watching how fiercely Mia loves her.

The second day we were home from the hospital Mia and I were sitting on the couch with Kate. Mia kissed her on the head and said "She's tasty, she's good, she's perfect!"

Church

2011-09-08T20:30:00.002-05:00

On the way home from preschool today I had a hilarious conversation with Ethan. It went like this:

E:"Mom, what day is it tomorrow?"
M: "Friday."
E: "Then what?"
M: "Then Saturday, then Sunday."
E: (audible gasp) "SUNDAY?! Oh no, I hate Sunday. The car is always so hot when we come out of church (really, in his defense, the car is roastin' after three hours of afternoon Texas sun, and I hate getting in it too -- back to Ethan). Also, the air conditioning in the church doesn't work very well, and I'm always hot! The third thing I don't like is sitting still for so long. It feels like I'm in a time out."

Kate

2011-08-24T15:39:00.015-05:00

Now...

we know...

what...

was...

(Does this picture remind any of you of a certain SW sales manager? Where are the seersucker shorts and the penny loafers?)

in there!

A 4,017 POUND BABY!!!! Throughout this pregnancy, like never before, I got so many comments about how huge I was. I was actually sort of amazed at how bold some people were. I know I'm thin in real life, but still, feeling like a freak show every time I went out in public was getting a little old. The funniest thing that happened was one night, about a week before I had Kate, I went to Babies R Us. I walked in and a girl who worked there came up to me and asked if I had a friend with me. Puzzled, I looked at her and said "Um, No." She said "We have some wheelchairs up in front, would you like me to get you one?" I laughed out loud. I said "No, I think I'm ok, I know I look like I need a wheelchair, but I think I'll make it." I know she was just trying to be nice, but I could not stop laughing about it. I had at least 10 people ask me if I was having twins, and then another handful of people who walked up, rubbed my tummy, (why do people think it's ok to invade your personal space when another human has already taken up residence inside of you?) and said with a knowing look in their eye "It's a boy, isn't it?" Apparently some people carry their boys like I carry all of my babies. High and straight out in front. I loved saying, "Nope, it's a girl." So for the last few months I waddled around this hot city of ours, getting all sorts of attention. This summer was the hottest on record for a long time. We had something like 40 days of 100 degree plus heat. Not a raindrop in sight, and somehow I made it!

And this little lady was worth the hot, sweaty wait. She is perfect and beautiful, and kind of looks a little bit like a turtle. Sam had the same little turtle look and still does.

Sam and Ethan adoring our new little gift with Mama KK

Sam just kept hugging me the whole time they were at the hospital, it was really sweet.

Sam and KK with Kate

Matt with his mom

KK and Kate. KK's real name is Kathryn, and it was a total blessing to have her there to meet Kate just minutes after she was born.

Matt's parents and our little family of 6!

Kate's first bath. It's an acquired taste for some.

Kate sleeping away. She looks so peaceful.

My brother Nathan graduated from BYU the Saturday before I had Kate. My parents were up in Utah for that, and my mom got home on Tuesday night, and then drove up on Wednesday. We were so happy to have her here, and the kids are still enjoying the awesome a-frame tent she made out of a big box that we had here at the house. The kids loved playing with all of their grandparents, and Matt and I feel lucky that we get our parents while they're still young and agile!

Matt and Kate catching some zzz's, don't you wish you could sleep like that?

Mom with my family, man I wish we had a photographer that we could just pull out whenever we needed her. Kristen?

Mom and Kate. My mom's name is Amy.

Matt and Sam reading in the tent

Introducing: Kathryn Amy Ellis

2011-08-22T21:18:00.003-05:00

I have so many thoughts to share about Kate's birth, and the two wonderful women who she was named after, but for tonight, I will just post some pictures, since it's already been a whole week since she was born. Tomorrow, when I'm fresh, I'll write all of the emotional stuff that is going to make me cry. Night time is never a good time for that. It gives me really puffy eyes the next day.

Kate was born at 10:01 a.m. on Monday, August 15th. She weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces, an Ellis family record, and was 20 inches long. She also holds the record for the most, and the darkest hair. We love her more than words can describe, and her life has brought the most peaceful feeling into our home. Sam, Ethan, and Mia are over the moon about her, and one day she'll realize how lucky she was to be born into a family where there were 6 tiny arms just waiting to hold her.

Easter 2011

2011-08-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

This year we went to Houston for Easter weekend. It was fun spending time with my family and the nice thing about Houston is that Matt's brother and his wife live right around the corner from my parents right now, so we got to see them too. We had a delicious Easter dinner together at my parent's house.

I love Spring and the colors and smells that go with it. I am so thankful for the gift that Heavenly Father gave us, by being willing to sacrifice his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could repent and return to live with Him again someday. I am thankful for the resurrection, and the blessing that these truths have brought into my life.

Mia and Mother's Day

2011-08-07T10:14:00.004-05:00

I don't know how we made it through the entire day on Mother's Day without getting a picture of me with all three of my little ones, but we did get this one of me and Mia. I'm so glad to be their mom, and the older I get, the more I realize how much I appreciate my mom.

Mia found my makeup bag very early in her life, she loves my sha-sick (chap stick) and I love the lines of her cheeks and nose in this picture.

Crazy Hair Day and Cami's Prom

2011-07-31T20:35:00.004-05:00

One of the days during Sam's Spirit Week at school they had crazy hair day, he loved getting all spiked up for the day.

At the end of the school year the kids and I went down to Houston for Cami's Prom. My mom had spent weeks making this amazing dress that Cami found. My mom has made all of our formal dresses since I can remember. This was her last daughter's formal dance, and she really went out with a bang. The pictures look good, but the dress was even better in person. Cami looked so beautiful, and it was fun to see her so excited. I got a little teary as I watched her get ready. It's so sad to see my parents days of kids at home coming to an end. One of my favorite things about being the oldest is that I've gotten to see a lot of my siblings big events, I love them all so much, and I will really miss Cami when she goes off to school.

Mia the Muddy Ballerina

2011-07-29T22:22:00.002-05:00

These pictures are a classic illustration of Mia's little personality. She loves girly stuff, her little purse, her sunglasses, the pink ballerina swimsuit, but she also LOVES to dig in the dirt. She is braver than the boys ever were at this age and seems to be like a cat in the fact that she always lands on her feet. Her tiny little body is so agile, and she love to climb, slide, run, jump and play. In fact I think digging in the dirt was actually her fist, and preferred love, and it was only after I asked her not to dig, so many times, that she decide to move to dolls and purses. In the Spring, before I planted any flowers in the backyard beds, we had a nice pile of dirt for here to dig in, and these pictures were so funny to me. Every time we went out there she would say: "Hey! Doe-t(dirt)!
Po-fic(perfect)!" She seriously loves the stuff. And we love her.

Rachel and Conlon's Wedding

2011-07-22T21:50:00.012-05:00

At the end of May Matt and I took a much needed vacation up to Utah for Rachel and Conlon's wedding. Mom and Dad and Cami were nice enough to watch the kids for us while we went. I met my mom half way between Dallas and Houston for the swap, and the next morning we flew out. One funny glitch we had was that I switched my mom cars so that she could have our van for the week with the kids. She carefully took her house key off of her car key chain, which should have reminded me to do the same, but I was so busy making sure all the kids had their stuff that I drove off without my house key. Around 9:00 after I ran errands on my way home I realized that I was locked out. I called Matt who thought he was going to be home soon, but around 12:00 we finally got into the house. I hung out at Barnes and Noble until it closed at 11:00, and then I just waited in front of the house. I had all these plans to get stuff ready so that we could get a good night's rest before our trip, but those were obviously out the window. Anyway, we made it to the airport with minutes to spare the next morning, and made it to Utah safely.

Matt and I needed our own little getaway within the getaway so on Saturday afternoon when we got to SLC we stopped at one of our favorite places, Cafe Rio, fueled up, and then headed up to Park City. Matt needed some new clothes so we shopped for a few hours. Something he never gets a chance to do. It was really fun going around together, no where to be, no one needing us, no babysitter clock ticking. Ahhh, it was so relaxing. We stayed at the Stein Eriksen lodge in Park City, had a delicious dinner and watched the snow fall out our window. Quite the contrast to the 90 degree weather we left at home.

It is so great to have the chance to reconnect with each other. We need to do little trips like this at least once a year. Life just gets so busy, and I really miss just hanging out, away from home and all of our responsibilities, with Matt. He always makes me laugh, and I love how comfortable we've become with each other over the last 12 years! 12 years! Amazing, it's so nice to have some of those newlywed kinks worked out. Not that I felt like we've ever had a ton of kinks, but I just feel like over the years we've come to love and accept each other in so many different ways. I love that man with all my heart. He is good to the core, and I'm so lucky I caught him.

We stayed in Park City Saturday night and then got up early Sunday morning to head down the canyon to go to church with my grandparents. I felt a little silly walking to the car in my sandals, while trying to keep the snow out of my toes. Down in the valley it was just raining, but it was still a little chilly. We had dinner at my grandparents with most of my siblings and their spouses. It was so fun to see them all. Abby and Jakes baby is adorable. I am so proud of them, they are such sweet parents and it's fun to see my siblings have children.

Sunday night we stayed at Rich and Vanessa's new house. It is adorable, and decorated so perfectly. My brothers all married girls with such great taste. I wish we all lived by each other so we could go shopping together, and plan out our dream homes. Rich made us a delicious breakfast of waffles, sausage and berries, and we loved hanging with them in their new nest.

Me and my cute brother Rich

Abby and Henry
Rachel and her brothers

Tuesday was the big day. Matt's sister Rachel married Conlon Bonner in the Bountiful temple. What a fun family she married into. The Bonner family are all extremely talented musicians, and there wasn't a wallflower in the bunch. The combination of our two families was quite a sight. Lots of laughing, singing, talking, joking, and game playing. Rachel and Conlon are such a beautiful couple, and it was fun to see them so happy.

Rachel and Conlon with Matt's parents and siblings

In an uncanny twist of fate Darrell accidentally stepped on Christa's toe as we were all lining up on the temple steps for pictures. The funny part about this (not that there was anything all that funny about losing your entire big toe while pregnant with twins) is that just last Summer, Joy (Darrell's wife) was pregnant with Maurie, when Rob (Christa's husband) accidentally stepped on her toe and had to have the whole thing removed as well. The same trusty brother (Mark), who is in his residency to be a podiatrist was on the scene for both mishaps and was able to successfully remove said toenails.

Rachel and Conlon

Ellis and Bonner Brothers

This is out of order, but on Monday we had the chance to hang out with one of Matt's best friends from High School, Andy Speyer and his family. It was fun to catch up with them and their cute kids. I look like an Amazon woman next to Andy's wife. Seriously.

Abby and Rachel have been best friends since they were about 3 or 4 years old.

Me and Matt with some of my siblings and their spouses

Me and Abby

Me and Matt with my sweet Grandparents

Me with my Grandparents.
It was a great weekend, we saw tons of old friends from Houston who now live in Salt Lake and it was so fun to catch up with everyone, and also feel a little weird to see kids that I used to babysit who are now getting married. The circle of life continues. It was fun to be with Matt's family, and get caught up on everyone's lives. I feel lucky to have married into such a fun bunch. Wednesday morning we headed to the airport, and made it home all in one piece. It was a nice break, but I was happy to be safe at home with my little ones again. Matt had to fly to Connecticut for work, so we landed here at home, and he changed terminals and headed out again.

The End of Kindergarten For Sam

2011-07-21T14:55:00.003-05:00

Sam with his cute teacher.

Not sure how it happened, but Sam finished a whole year of school, and is now a 1st grader! Sam really blossomed this year. He loved everything about Kindergarten. He is reading like a maniac, and loves, loves, loves to learn. He has always been such a problem solver, wanting to know how things work etc., and he just ate Kindergarten up. He was one of two students selected from his elementary school to have his artwork displayed in a District art show. I was so proud of him. He also got to be on the Student Council at school, with another little girl in his class. He would come home with "notes" about their meetings, and the whole thing was so cute to me.

I just have to brag about Sam for a minute. This is for posterity right? So indulge me. Every time I went to the school to help out I would hear a million kids (in Sam's class and others who were not), calling his name. "Hi Sam!" "Hey Sam!" "Sam is that your mom?" etc., etc., his teachers comment was, "Everyone loves Sam. He is kind to everyone, and even the kids who don't seem to get along with anyone else, get along with Sam." As a mother, that was all I needed. I want him to do well in school and get good grades, but when it comes right down to it, what I really want is for him to be kind to other people, and treat others as he would like to be treated. I am so happy to see the growth and progress he made this year.

By the end of Kindergarten he was missing his top two, and bottom two teeth. More are loose now, and he is officially on his way to big kid ville, with the giant, jagged teeth to prove it. I always think those big teeth look so out of place in little people's mouths for the first few years. I will miss my sweet baby boy, my first love in the child department, but I am so excited to see all of the places this dynamite kid is going to go.

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My Last Roadtrip of the Summer

2011-07-21T14:35:00.002-05:00

At the very beginning of June my youngest sister, Cami, graduated from High School. Cami was born when I was a Freshman in High School. I remember it so perfectly. All of my friends thought it was so cool that I had a baby sister. Many of them were the youngest in their families, and only had one or two siblings at most, lots were only children, so having a baby sister when you were 14 was a real novelty. Cami was the funniest little girl, energetic, spunky, and totally adorable. She is now a beautiful, talented, charming, smart, funny, kind, adult, and I feel so proud to be her sister.

When Matt and I got married she was just 4 years old. Every time we'd come to the house she would run to the door like she hadn't seen us for years, yell out our names and give us a big hug. She always made us feel so welcome. She doesn't run and yell out our names anymore, but we know she still loves seeing us. ;)

Cami and my sister Abby (who's a few years older than Cam) went with my parents when they were called to serve a three year mission to Mexico for our church. She was a teenager, and made a big sacrifice leaving all of her friends. But, she did it, and now she's fluent in Spanish and so well rounded. She is a budding photographer, and such a talented musician. She's got this voice that just comes straight from her soul, so effortless, and beautiful, it gives me chills when I hear her sing. I love Cami's passion for life. She and I are both a little spunky, and take after our Dad when it comes to a few things. We love good food, music that moves us, and we love to laugh. It has been so fun over the last few years getting to know Cami as an adult. We shared a Twilight obsession for a while, and I always love how young Cami makes me feel. Sometimes when I'm feeling like a really uncool mom, I just have to hang out with Cami for a few days, get some new music on my ipod (courtesy of Cami's massive library of songs), and I'm good as new. It was fun going to her graduation, she looked so beautiful...don't ask me why I don't have any pictures of her on my camera. I think we took all of them on her camera because it's nicer. I will post those soon. The pictures in this post are from the couple of days we spent at my parent's house over graduation weekend. Mia and Ethan doing playdough, Sam and Ethan snuggling on the couch, and Mia with Matt.

Summer Field Trip

2011-07-20T22:00:00.003-05:00

I am laughing as I look back on this, but at the beginning of the Summer I had all of these lofty goals. We were going to do a field trip every week. The first week of the Summer we went to the Children's Museum down in Dallas. Then I got really big, and really uncomfortable, and then we started staying home. :) But it was fun while it lasted.

The museum is really close to Matt's office, so often times when we go we stop by his office and have lunch. It was fun to take all the kids up to his office and they think it's so cool to go to Daddy's building. It's a really cool building downtown, and they have all kinds of soda in Matt's office that the kids think is a total treat.

Lifesaver

2011-07-20T21:35:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago my Dad was going to be out of town all week on business and my youngest sister was going to Girl's Camp for church. My mom and I had talked about the possibility of her coming up to visit, but there was also a lot she was trying to get done before they started remodeling their house. I wanted her to come (desperately, since Matt had been really busy at work), but I didn't want to make her feel like I couldn't handle my life, I am an adult, right? I should be able to handle things. But it's just so fun to have someone like her around, I'd take her anytime. So I just told her to do what she thought was best for her etc. etc., trying to be very brave and non emotional about it all.

She decided to stay home and get stuff done, we'd been together recently, and she needed to take advantage of that time without anyone at home to take care of. Tuesday afternoon she called me, I had been trying not to call her too much because I didn't want her to think I was calling to see if she'd changed her mind and decided to come up. :) I answered, and she just started laughing. I knew right then that she'd gotten enough done to satisfy her "get stuff done" urge, and now she was coming to Dallas!!! I was so excited. We both had a good laugh, she "packed her little bag" as she said (she is literally the lightest traveler I know -- it's awesome) and headed North.

By 8:00 we were all jumping up and down as she pulled up in front of the house. So happy to have her here. We had a great week. We swam, shopped, ate out, watched movies, talked about life and motherhood, and families, and did all the things you should do when your mom is in town. It was great. I love my mom, she is one of my best friends, and has been for so long. I hope I look as great as she does after I have 6 kids! I know she's going to get mad at me for posting a picture of her in her swimsuit, but she looked so great! Way to go mom, you've still got "it". Me and the boys.
Mia doing her favorite pastime, playdough. One night I went up to get the boys down, Mia had taken a late nap so she got to stay up a little later with Grandma. I came down to find her new rubber duck all "ducked out" with a pacifier, a blanket, and a hat. I was laughing so hard, my mom loves playdough as much as Mia, and it's fun to see them playing together. Thanks for coming Mom! I love you.

Long Live Summer!

2011-07-20T11:12:00.008-05:00

This Summer has been so great. When it first began I wasn't sure how I was going to survive. I am ginormous, four weeks away from adding baby #4 to our family, and three busy little people at home full time. I love having everyone around, but it is a lot of work, physically, and my body doesn't do it's normal thing right now. Add to that the fact that we have had record breaking temperatures here this Summer, and you have one, hot, tired, mama. So, the first week of Summer, I took myself off the hook. I decided it was ok if we ate grilled peanut butter sandwiches a few times a week for dinner, and we have. I decided it was ok if things were a little laid back, and the house was a little bit of a cluttered, art project, lego, playdough mess, and it is. I decided it was ok if we watched a few more movies than usual, and we are...Cinderella currently. It's been nice.

If we have to run errands we do it before 11 am, and then we're home for the afternoon. Our pool has been my best friend. Every day when we're all done playing in the house we head out for an afternoon of splashing and playing. Ethan took swim lessons, and after a rough first day, he caught on to the concept and is swimming around our entire pool like a shark. It's been awesome to have both Sam and Ethan be independent in the water this year.

Mia, oh Mia. She thinks she's 13. She dives into the water and if you take your eyes off of her for one second she's "swimming" out to you. She and Ethan put their goggles on and look at each other under the water. They both crack up laughing at the same time so a huge bubble of air emerges and then they both pop their heads up and laugh and laugh. It is one of my favorite little interactions at our house right now. The other one is how Sam picks her up off the steps of the pool, hugs her, and says "Who's my favorite girl? That's right, it's you." and then they laugh, and rub noses, so sweet.
Mia's swimsuit is also a current favorite of mine. Her funny little body looks so grown up sometimes. She always walks on her tip toes, and arches her back. She's just so confident and sure of herself. She is constantly entertaining all of us with her comments on life. She talks all the time.
And boy does she love her dad. And I mean, really, what's not to love about the guy? She also loves, no LOVES the movie Tangled. We all do. It's been on repeat for several months. We love to dance to the songs and quote the lines, and talk about the funny parts. Mia loves the part when Rapunzel (Mia thinks her name is Tan-gin -- Tangled) and Ryder kiss. She always wants me and Matt to kiss for her. It's hilarious.
A classic Mia face.

Love this cute back view of her.

Goggles have changed Ethan's whole perspective of the pool. He hated getting his eyes wet, and then when we finally convinced him to try goggles we can hardly get him out of the pool.

Sam is our master cannon baller. He is also doing flips off the slide and all sorts of jumps and tricks. He and Ethan took a gymnastics camp together and loved running, jumping, climbing and bouncing. In our next house we're going to build a room that is padded, and has a big foam pit, trampolines etc., everyone can run in there and get all of their wiggles out. I can dream right?

Mia also loves to play with playdough. She loves making snakes and stars, and loves singing Twinkle, Twinkle little star while she plays. I love her concentrated faces, and the way her eyebrows tell you everything she's got on her mind.

Those blue eyes get me every time.
One day we went to the library, after we pulled in the garage, I took our stack of books in the house. When I came back out everyone was engrossed in their books. Even Mia, I ran back in to get the camera because it was so cute, so this shot was a few minutes later, Mia had started looking at the Sam and Ethan's books.
As I said before we LOVE Tangled at our house. Ethan and Sam always do "the smolder" that Ryder does, Ethan's just cracks me up. He's always doing it, and his eyes, and chin, and everything about him makes me happy.

Then one day I asked him if he wanted a Clementine. The Clementines we usually get are called "Cuties" so Ethan calls them Cuties, not Clementines. I asked him if he wanted one and he said "Does the bag have a little guy on it who looks like this?": (see picture above and below).

Everyone enjoying popsicles in the pool. Mia's smile makes me laugh. I love these 4 people so much, we can't wait to add to our joy in a few weeks. Long Live Summer!

Rosy Cheeked Mia

2011-07-20T10:59:00.003-05:00

Mia hiding in our blue tunnel. She gets such a kick out of hiding in this thing. I love those little teeth.

Matt took the kids on a walk the other day while I was at the store, I couldn't get over how sweet Mia looked when they got home, her round little cheeks flushed by the summer heat. Her blue eyes jumping out. I hope I always remember these days, and the soft, chubby warmth of her skin.

Mia loves her brothers. She loves to snuggle up by Sam to watch a movie, and I love how protective and sweet they are to her.

Rainstorm Romp

2011-07-20T10:46:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago we went down to Houston for Cami's graduation. When we pulled into Dallas a huge rainstorm was also pulling in. As we unloaded the car the kids all wanted to stretch their legs and take a bike/scooter ride, so we headed down the alley (in Dallas the garages are in the back of a lot of houses, and so the driveways lead into an alley system...not my favorite setup, but it's what we've got).

After a few minutes the sky broke open and it started to pour. We started splashing, and before long we even convinced Dad to join us. It was the most fun we've had in a long time. It was so impromptu, and so out of the ordinary (it hasn't rained here in weeks), that the kids were dizzy with glee. They loved that we were all there together, doing something a little crazy. Ethan's face in the picture at the top says it all. Total joy. I love the blurry shots of the kids running as fast as their little legs could carry them.

A Hot and Sweaty 4th of July Part II

2011-07-13T17:49:00.011-05:00

After the breakfast and flag raising at church we came home and got a bunch of food ready for a BBQ and swimming party with our friends the Christensen's and the DePardo's. I guess we had so much fun at that party that I didn't get any pictures. I got some video, but you'll just have to take my word that it was fun. We ate and swam, and did some greased watermelon relays in the pool. It was a fun afternoon.

When that was over some of us napped (Moi, Ethan, and Mia), Matt went for a 4th of July workout at the gym, and Sam read and played on the computer. We had a good late afternoon nap, so everyone was ready for a late night of partying.

Around 6 we headed downtown to my friend Jenn's house. Jenn was my first friend here in Dallas. Her family was in our ward in the apartment we lived in when we first moved here. On the first Sunday at church she invited a very homesick me to come have a playdate the next day. She was like a ray of hope in my sad, rainy, Dallas world that February. Now I love Dallas, but those first few months were definitely hard. The Stanworth's live right by a country club where they have a great firework show, so we had dinner at their house, the kids had a blast on the bounce house, and we all got nice and sweaty. When it got dark, around 9:30 or so, we all walked across the street to watch the fireworks. The kids loved it. I love the expressions on their faces. Matt keeps getting better looking the older we get. I love him, he still takes my breath away.

Me and Jenn

Remember how loud the fireworks sounded when you were little? Sam was off with the "big boys", he loves being big lately. I love seeing his newfound sense of independence.

I know this sounds silly, but I want to remember it, I just love Matt's cute chin. Both of the boys have a dimple in their chins just like Matt, and I think it's so handsome. My superhero -- you know how they always have a dimple in their chin?

Mia's cheesy "Cheese"

These two sweet brothers, I hope they'll always be friends.

Two sweaty boys, trying to cool off.

Little Miss 4th of July

Funny Quotes

2011-07-13T16:37:00.003-05:00

I'm cleaning out the study right now, coming across little scraps of paper where I've scribbled funny quotes from the kids, man I'm so organized.

One day while baking cookies Ethan said to me, in a very definite manner:
"I am NOT going to college. I want to stay home with you and make stuff. I will be in this same house!"

Sam:
"Mom, Does Luke ever die in Star Wars?"
Mom:
"No I don't think so."
Sam:
"Well he has to. Like at the very end when he's like 39 or something like really old."

Ethan was in the bathroom one day doing his business. I went in to check on him and he said:
"It's like rocks falling out of a big bucket!"

When we were on a road trip Sam was reading the side of a pizza box, and in a very choppy, definite voice read:
"Some. Like. It. Hot."

Right as we pulled out of our driveway to head up to Utah this past Christmas (a 20 hour drive) Ethan said:
"Are we there now?"

At Christmas we have a little elf that sits on our shelf and moves around the house to make sure everyone is being nice. One day we had some Christmas music on and Sam said, very sincerely:
"I bet Grinks (our elf) really likes this music because he's used to it at home."

Ethan always says:
"Mom, you draw the outline (draw a picture) and I'll draw the inline (color in the picture.)"

One day around Christmas time again I sang a jazzed up version of Rudolph for the boys, I was in a silly mood, and when I get like that I sing opera, or make up a musical out of putting dishes away, or sing like a lounge singer, it's so great to have my own captive audience. Well after my stirring rendition of Rudolph Sam goes:
"Well...that was dramatic."

Mia spilled a bunch of mandarin oranges on the floor one day. As I cleaned them up Sam goes:
"This is like a farm."

I love how Sam says Cornucopia: "Corny Coopia"

Fourth of July Part I

2011-07-12T07:48:00.002-05:00

Have I ever told you how much I love the Fourth of July? Well I do, it's right up there with Christmas and Halloween for me. I remember as a little girl lying on a blanket with my family at Kiwanis Park in Provo, Utah, watching the fireworks fall out of the night sky and wondering if they were going to come right down and land on us. I remember plugging my ears at the parade when the soldiers shot off their guns. I also remember my cute mom crying whenever the BYU Cloggers danced by. I remember going to a carnival one year with my grandparents, parents and cousins and having more fun than I had ever had. I love this country, I love seeing flags flying, and I love patriotic songs. I love fireworks and it's probably one of the only nights of the year that it doesn't even phase me that my kids are up until midnight!

I want them to get tears in their eyes when they hear "America the Beautiful", or "My Country 'tis of Thee". I want them to have respect and honor for our flag, and for all of the men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can live the way we do.

Monday morning we went to a breakfast and flag raising at our church. We had our picture taken with a real, live sailor. Phil Mancil is one of my favorite people, he always wears his vintage, authentic sailor hat to the 4th of July breakfast, and I love it. He told a cute story, that brought both me and Matt to tears. He grew up with two brothers and the one was always picking on the other. One morning the older brother was picking on the younger one as they walked through town. A man across the street saw what was going on and yelled out to the older brother "Hey, you leave that boy alone!" The younger brother shot back "He's my brother, and he can do whatever he wants to me!" Sam is usually pretty sweet to Ethan, but every now and then we laugh at how fiercely Ethan defends Sam, even when Sam's getting in trouble for something. What does this have to do with the 4th? Phil said this the attitude we should have about our country. We don't have to like it all the time, and we may not agree with the President or local leaders, but it's our country, and we shouldn't let outsiders talk badly about it. We should defend it with everything we have, and try to make it better. It was a cute story, told by a cute sailor! :)

After the breakfast we took pictures in this great tree that I've been dying to get a family picture in. When I'm not 8 months pregnant we'll all be up there sitting on the branches. :) Do you like how it's impossible to get everyone looking, and smiling at the same time? How about that belly? Have you seen Tangled? "Plus I'll admit, gettin' kinda chubby." Happy Fourth, more to come.

A Few Things I Thought You Should Know

2011-07-11T00:21:00.000-05:00

Originally written two months ago. Second picture courtesy of Mimi Porter.

Dear Mia, there are a few things I think you should know. You're only 20 months old, but in some ways, you are the center of the little universe that we call our family. Every morning, you are usually the last one to wake, I walk into your room to find you lounging in the corner of your crib, pacifier in your mouth, shaa-shaa in your hand (the was you say "softah" -- our families name for the little silky/fuzzy blankets that you have all had). Right as I walk in you say "Boo!", and then laugh. I pluck you from your bed and snuggle your sweet little face against mine. You weigh 20 pounds, soaking wet. A pound for each month you've been alive.

Next I take you downstairs, the boys and dad are all at the table where we're eating breakfast and reading scriptures before Sam goes to school. Everyone stops what they're doing to adore you for a minute. You say everyone's name. "Eeesan, Sayyam, Daddeee!" Ethan immediately leaves his plate and comes over to pull and poke, and tickle and kiss every part of you that he can get his hands on before I tell him to be gentle. He says "MEEEEE-AAAAAAA", in a stratospheric tone. His love for you is unmistakable. Seriously, every single time he sees you after an extended absence, this is the scene. You then ask for kuukk -- milk, and usually a pacake. You eat, sometimes you inhale three pancakes, sometimes you eat two pieces of Life cereal and then you're done. I hope that the three pancake days make up for the 2 pieces days. We pray and then Dad and Ethan take Sam to school. You do the cutest little Miss America wave with your hand. It looks like you're turning a light bulb, "Bye-ee" you tell Sam.

You're the best little shopping buddy around. Running errands with me on the days that both of the boys have school. We walk through the grocery store and you repeat everything you hear, and name everything you see. "Broccoli!" "Mmmm, yummy milk!" Your sweet little voice makes me happy every time I hear it. You say hello and goodbye to everyone you see, until someone gets too close, and then you give them the Grandma Hazel eyebrows and they back off very quickly. You are a thinker. Always putting all of the pieces together in your mind. You are a chatter box, and always have something funny to say. More tomorrow, but for now, I'll just say, I love you with every piece of myself. You have brought something to life inside of me that I didn't know was there. Each one of you, Matt, Sam, and Ethan have opened up a new part of my heart. A part that has always been there, waiting to hold you inside of it. Thank you for making our life so beautiful. We all adore you. Sweet little Mimsy.

A Moment Frozen In Time

2011-07-08T21:12:00.002-05:00

I always wish I could capture the little things that I love every day about being a mom and a homemaker. Obviously there are things that I don't love about my job, but for the most part, it's a pretty perfect occupation for me. I love making a home, I love having these three little friends who follow me around all day, and my one best friend who makes it all possible by working so hard for us every day.

I am also pretty fortunate to have another best friend, one that I've had since I was 14, who is now a professional photographer. Kristen Duke, "THE" Kristen Duke came to our house a few weekends ago. She was doing a photography workshop here in Dallas, and we got to go out to dinner on Friday night and then she spent the night here at our house. Kris and I helped each other make it through high school. She's a friend that's always really been more like a sister than anything else. We did EVERYTHING together in High School, and even though the miles have separated us we've always remained friends. In a few weeks we'll even have the exact same birth order for our children, boy, boy, girl, girl. :)

Kristen's interest in others is so genuine, she really wants to know what makes people tick, and I love that about her. She has been carrying around her camera ever since I can remember, and now she's got some serious skills to go along with it. If you're in Austin give her a call, she works wonders with my kids, and somehow gets everyone to smile at the same time. Now that is amazing. She posted some pictures on her blog of our little session here at our house. There's even some vintage Nat and Kris from Kristen's 16th birthday when she and I went out on the town. Early 90's hair and clothes included. Check it out and give her a call if you want to see her work her magic with your family.

http://kristendukephotography.com/?p=4596
http://kristendukephotography.com/?p=4620

Too Funny to Forget

2011-05-17T00:06:00.004-05:00

I feel like there is a constant stream of funny shenanigans that goes on around our house. I used to think it was so sad when moms were too busy to write them all down, but now that I am that mom, I think it's even more sad. I used to be so great at recording all of them. Now, there are three people to keep up with, and I forget sometimes. But there have been a few funny things lately that I had to write down.

When Ethan's arm was broken he was really mad that Sam hadn't broken his arm. Not that he wanted them to have broken arms together, he just thought it was really unfair that his was broken, and Sam's wasn't. "How come everything bad happens to me?" he asked me one day. That broke my heart. We had a long, informative talk about how everyone has different challenges etc., but when you're four (and your mom is an idiot and thinks that you care about "challenges" at this phase of life), it just doesn't seem fair. So, I laughed really hard one day when, in his anger, Ethan told me that he was going to push Sam down the stairs so he would break his arm! It was funny for several reasons, one because of the sweet little heart of gold that I know is beating inside his body, the other is his utter adoration of Sam. Luckily Sam has escaped unscathed, the cast has now been removed, and we are on to better days!

Last weekend we went to Houston. My dad took the boys to the beach one day, and later as everyone recounted the fun times they had had, Sam told me that he dropped a Twizzler in the sand, but luckily it didn't get too sandy, so he was still able to eat it. Phew. Not to be outdone, Ethan quickly chimed in:
"Oh yeah, well gehtthh what happened to me? I dwopped mine Oh-ee-oh (oreo) in the sand and while no one wath wooking I dutht popped it back into my mouth."
Me: "Hmmm, how was that?"
Ethan: "It was good, just a widdle bit cwunthy (crunchy)."

Today while Ethan and I were playing a game Mia came up and dumped out all the pieces. Ethan was annoyed and growled "Mia!" A few minutes later Mia had picked up all the pieces and then dumped them out again, then she said "Mia!" Dawnit!" (Darnit). She did it twice and I was rolling on the ground. So funny how they interpret everything around them. I think the process of learning a language is so fascinating.

Later we went to get some flowers to plant in the yard. Mia heard a hispanic guy say something to someone else. He first said "Manuel" then paused until Manuel turned around. After Manuel turned around he proceeded to tell him more. When they were done talking Mia immediately...and I don't know how to type this...said: "Blu, blu, (Manuel)....blu, blu, blu, blu, blublu (I need 6 flats of begonias, and a burrito)" imitating this new language that she wasn't quite sure how to process. I know I say this a lot because I am easily amused, but really, one of the funniest things I have ever seen one of my kids do. Perfectly copying the intonation of the guy. People who choose not to have kids are really missing out, that's all I can say. It's free entertainment, 24/7. Ok, not 24, but at least 12/7. :)

Random Spring Happenings

2011-04-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

This little lady really loves her dad. She gets so excited every day when he gets home from work. I love watching them together.

A close second to her dad is the movie "Tangled", I put it on one day while I was making dinner and I went in to check on her a while later, I found her lying on the ground just like this, happy as a bug in a rug.

Rosy cheeked Mia after running some errands.

I loved how much Ethan looked like Matt in this picture. The crossed legs cracked me up.

Sam's second tooth was about to fall out, literally hanging by a thread, so he liked to show it off by sticking it out like this. My sweet boy losing all of his beautiful, perfect little baby teeth. I will admit, it makes me a little sad to see them go.

The Mud Run

2011-04-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

Matt found out about a Mud Run here in Fort Worth and decided he wanted to get dirty. He called Rob and asked him if he'd like to join in the fun, so Rob and Christa drove up on Friday night and Saturday we headed over to Ft. Worth. Christa and I set up shop under a nice shady tree and tried to keep the kids happy for an hour or so until Matt and Rob came by. They were filthy, and looked like they were having so much fun. It was fun to cheer them on to the finish line. Next Spring, Christa and I may join them!

The Zoo

2011-04-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

One day in the Spring I got to go with Sam's Kindergarten class to the zoo. It was so fun to ride the bus down there with them. Sam was so excited that I got to go, and I was so glad that he still thinks it's cool to have his mom hang out with him, I know it probably won't always be like that, and I am soaking it all in, and taking advantage of every minute that I can. Sam was very proud to show all of his friends the building that Matt works in as we passed it going downtown to the zoo.

If Only...

2011-04-05T23:34:00.002-05:00

Today when Ethan got home from preschool I was folding laundry and had my favorite Italian, Giada de Laurentiis, making something yummy for me on my TV. Ethan walked in, surprised to see the TV on during the day, and me watching, and said excitedly, "Hey! What is this?"

N:"It's my favorite cooking show, this girl is a great cook and makes yummy food!"
E:"I wish we were good cooks."

Hahahaha, I had a good laugh about this. I make dinner every night. No one ever likes what I make. Except the adults in the house. Maybe someday I'll be a good cook.

All a Blur

2011-04-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

Do you ever worry that when your children are grown and gone, it will all just feel like a blur? That you won't be able to remember how they smelled, how their soft, chubby little hands felt in yours? How their cute little voices sounded when they called "Mama!", or how their warm bodies felt as they crawled up in bed by you in the middle of the night?

I do. I really actually worry about this. I feel like there's no way I can ever really capture all of the sensory pieces that I will need to fully remember this part of my life.

I rarely get pictures of me with my kids...can I please have someone here full time documenting my life? No, just the good parts. There are plenty of parts that I do not need anyone judging me on. But if someone could be here for the good parts that would be really great. But I think that's God's gift, well one of them, to Mothers. No one else really gets to see a child like a mother does. No one else sees all the tiny little beautiful parts of a person from the minute he or she comes into the world from the same angle as a mom.

I love these little people. They are absolutely fascinating to me, and most of the time, there's no one more entertaining to me. Believe me, we have our fair share of days, or really just moments in the day, when I am wondering how many more minutes we have until bedtime, but for the most part, I really enjoy these little people. I hope they know that. I hope they will look back on these pictures and remember how much fun we all had together. We have a normal family, with problems just like everyone else, but the love we share with one another is extraordinary, and I am so thankful for it.

Thanks to Matt for snapping these pictures. It's not him, it's our camera, getting a little old, and sometimes blurry. Oh and the fact that no one can hold still for longer than half a second probably helps a little too!

I Saw That All Going a Little Differently

2011-04-02T22:40:00.002-05:00

So...here's what was supposed to happen last weekend:

Friday afternoon I meet my mom half way between Houston and Dallas and tearfully send my sweet baby off with someone who I knew would love her as much (almost) as I do, but I was still going to miss her.

I drive back to Dallas, finish packing for my trip to Idaho to visit my sister, Abby, who just had her first baby.

I leave on Saturday morning and fly to Idaho.

I go all by myself.

I never go anywhere all by myself.

I take three books I've been dying to read, and I read uninterrupted for the whole plane ride. Unless there's a really nice person sitting next to me, in that case, let's be honest, I'd probably visit for some of the time too.

Matt took three days off of work to be here with the boys.

I spend Saturday-Wednesday with my sister. We talk, we laugh, we cry, we watch Runaway Bride, and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, I paint her toes, I cuddle her little baby who doesn't know how to talk back yet, I smell his head and give him a bath or two, we laugh some more, we eat good food, I clean her house and do her laundry. I laugh at her funny husband (in the good way). We talk about this monumental task called motherhood, we reminisce over funny things from our past. I hold her baby some more. Then I hug her and say goodbye until next time.

I fly home...another uninterrupted chunk of time to read (or visit if the right person comes along). I reflect on how much I love my little ones, and my busy life, that is hectic and a little stressful right now. I commit to be a little more patient. I think of ways that I can be a better wife and mother. I get to step off of the stage, and really analyze my part in the whole play. I come home a better actress.

Happy music and birds chirping comes to a screeching halt.....o.k. ready for what really happened?

Monday-Wednesday I am feeling awful. I rest in hopes that I will be better by Saturday. I try to get everything ready to go...while "resting". I have some kind of crazy sinus infection that I don't yet know about. Thursday it becomes apparent that I will not be going anywhere.

Friday is worse.

I call Matt Friday night to come home and help me. I have to sleep. He (sweetly) comes home, and takes all the kids to the park. Ethan is still in his pajamas. Nice. I lie down and doze off. Twenty minutes later Sam is at my bedside with this happy news:

"Mom, we think Ethan broke his arm."

I quickly scan my internal calendar to remember if it's April 1st. Nope. That lovely holiday is a whole week away.

I run out to the car to find a sweaty and very sad little boy. My heart breaks for him, and I take Mia, fighting back tears of sympathy for Ethan and sheer exhaustion and frustration for myself. Selfish, I know. But that's where I was at.

Matt takes Ethan to the ER, he's there until midnight. Our wonderful home teacher goes to the hospital and helps Matt give Ethan a priesthood blessing.

I put a tired Mia in bed, and then Sam and I have a surprisingly great night together talking and laughing. I love it when I get to spend one on one time with my kids. It's a completely different dynamic.

We talk to Ethan a few times. Other than an IV nightmare, he is as pleased as punch that he gets to stay up late watching movies at the hospital while his older brother is most assuredly going to bed. :)

Sam and I make it until about 10:30, but then we both crash. Matt calls me when he gets home around midnight. Ethan is all smiles, tired smiles, but smiles, as he tells me that he got to stay up until midNIGHT (he always emphasizes the last syllable of this word, and I love it) watching Ice Age. He also shows me the two coloring books, and new box of crayons he got at the ER. I hug him and kiss him and tell him how proud I am of him. His arm is fractured in two places, he has a soft cast on, and he goes back Monday for a hard cast.

Matt takes him up to bed and he zonks.

I go to bed thankful that he's ok, but feeling like I got hit by a truck. Congestion, chills, aches etc. I know tomorrow is going to be a nightmare.

Saturday morning Matt wakes up sick. Nice.

My mom calls. She tells me she's coming up, and I cry. A lot. She is an angel. I really don't know what I would do without her.

Matt takes the kids to our Stake Primary Activity that I'm supposed to be helping at, I rest a little. My mom gets here, and everything gets better from here on out. Several angel friends bring food for our family, and a few toys for Ethan. My mom takes care of everything and lets me and Matt rest, the kids have fun. By Monday morning I am on an antibiotic and healing. The sun is starting to peek through those dark clouds.

Deep sigh. Wow, it's now Saturday. A week away from all of that. That is the longest I've ever been sick. While it was a total nightmare, I am thankful for the humility that being sick brings you. I am so thankful for my usually healthy body. This experience has helped me be more conscious of what other people need when they're sick. SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR KIDS AND FEED THEIR FAMILIES. It also makes me feel like there should be a hard and fast law against mothers getting sick. It just shouldn't happen. Ever. I will post some pics of Ethan's cast, and everything else, but tonight I'm going to bed. Glad to be out of that storm.

Ethan's Broken Arm

2011-04-02T20:55:00.002-05:00

Ethan fell off the slide one night and broke a little part of his elbow. He was a good sport, and endured 6 weeks of a cast. That thing was so smelly when he got it off, and I think I was as relieved as he was to see it go into the garbage can.

My Secret Admirer

2011-03-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

"Look under pillow"

March and April were tough months for me. I was pregnant sick, and then on top of that I got a sinus infection which made me REALLY sick. After weeks of not being able to be the normal mom that I am, I found these sweet notes on my pillow one night. A certain "secret inier" left me some get well notes. Stuff like this really melts my heart. It makes me realize and remember what sweet little hearts are in these busy bodies.

After a little research I found out that this secret admirers name is Sam.

It's A Girl!

2011-03-19T20:23:00.002-05:00

At 13 weeks I visited my perinatologist who made an educated guess that we'd be adding another sister to our family. He was right at 13 weeks with Mia, but I just wanted to be sure before I announced it!

Yesterday I went in and I am now 17 weeks, it's still a girl, and this time we feel like it's pretty official. We are so excited to be welcoming another little sister into our family. We feel blessed that the Lord is willing to trust us to raise another one of His sweet children. Now, if we can just make it through another hot Texas summer. I will be marinating in the pool most of this summer, trying to keep our newest little daredevil, Mia, alive in the water. She is a kamikaze and is definitely going to keep us on our toes.

Late Night Compliment

2011-03-09T01:09:00.002-06:00

I'm too tired to catch up tonight, but I had to write down this funny thing that happened last night. Sam had a bad dream and came down to our bed around 4:30. I let him snuggle up next to me for a minute, I always like Matt to hold me for a while after a bad dream, until I can fully become aware that it was just a dream.

So after about 5 or 10 minutes I said "Ok bud, it's time to go back up to your own bed." He said ok, and we both stood up to head upstairs. When I stood up he saw the red "Boston" tshirt that I was wearing, and said, bleary eyed, "I like your shirt, mom." It was too funny. Glad I could be so well dressed at 4:30 a.m. I try, really I do.

Sam's First Lost Tooth

2011-03-07T23:33:00.002-06:00

We have had a smiley boy around our house lately. And who wouldn't be smiling after officially entering the world of big kids? As Ethan said: "Sam lost his baby tooth, and now one of his big dad toofs is going to grow in!"

This may be a rite of passage for Sam, but I also consider it one for me. I have to admit a got tears in my eyes the day her showed me that his tooth was loose. "The beginning of the end" was all I could think. My babies are growing more and more every day. Each day is one day closer to the day that they leave our home and venture out to the world on their own. Sniff, sniff.

Sam's Art Award

2011-02-22T23:40:00.000-06:00

Sam was selected as one of two students at his elementary school to have his artwork displayed at a district wide art show. His teacher chose his work and a 4th grader's work to be displayed. It was fun to see him so proud to have his name called and be recognized for his hard work. I love seeing my kid's creativity come to life.

The Tablecloth

2011-02-22T00:33:00.002-06:00

I love traditions. I think they are one of the most important ways that we can bind our families together. They give everyone in a family a sense of belonging, a feeling of safety. I try to make traditions and rituals in our every day life. I think they're so important that we shouldn't wait until Christmas or Easter to use them.

One of our traditions is having a nice Sunday dinner. I always put the tablecloth on, and we light some candles just to make it fun. There have been several times, after long, busy days at church that I've wondered if all the work was worth it, but this past Sunday I was reminded why I do what I do.

This Sunday was crazy. I had been sick all week, and was feeling a little behind. Right now I am in charge of all of the children at our church between the ages of 4 and 12. Sundays are busy for me. I often feel exhausted when I get home. I love it, but it's still busy. Well, by the time I finally got dinner ready, everyone was starving, Mia was done, and we were all tired. I decided, in a moment of laziness, to just skip the formalities, set the table and eat so we could all get to bed. As he was putting the forks on, Sam said "Hey wait! Where's the tablecloth?" He ran into my room and got it, marched it back out, and put it on the table. It meant a lot to me. He noticed. It was a part of Sunday that he would miss if it wasn't there. So, I'm just reminding myself that it's all worth it. Every little drop we put in their buckets fills them up and makes them happy, healthy, whole individuals. I love my family, and I love serving them. I hope I can always show them how much they mean to me, by the time and effort I put into our daily lives. It matters.

The Winter of My Discontent

2011-02-18T21:41:00.004-06:00

Today while talking to a friend, she asked me how I was doing. I've had a terrible cough, and some allergies that have made this last week a little foggy. I told my friend that I feel like this has been the longest winter of my life. Then a line from Shakespeare came to mind. "Now is the winter of our discontent" I'm totally kidding, I am anything but discontent, but I thought it would make a good title for this post. So melodramatic.

I happily found a mix of approved medicines to take while I'm pregnant that are finally helping my cough. My abs were so sore this morning that I felt like I had been doing pilates. No pilates when I'm pregnant, but I have been participating in one of my favorite pregnancy approved activities: eating pizza. Mmmmm. I love pizza, and when I'm pregnant, I really love pizza. We made a really thin whole wheat crust the other night and it was delectable.

Today was 78 degrees outside! I wore my favorite denim skirt and a t-shirt. Yes, just one shirt. No jacket, no cardigan, one piece of clothing. I even wore flip flops. Ahhh, no wonder I'm feeling better tonight.

Last Sunday Mia decided it was time to walk. She walked all over the house. She does this cute little thing where she walks into my open arms and has a huge smile on her face. I scoop her up and tell her all kinds of reasons why I could eat her up, and she is bursting at the seams. I love that little girl. She also discovered that she likes to chew gum. I gave her a tiny piece the other day, and she chewed it for over an hour. I had to pry her little mouth open to get it out before I put her down for a nap. Funny little monkey. She is talking up a storm. And her hair is finally growing in. She identifies babies everywhere we go. "Bay-bee!" I think she is going to love being a big sister.

So, that's why I've been absent the last few days, I've been trying to get better. I really hope this is the last round before Spring.

Oh yeah, and p.s. tonight at a birthday party, a little girl in Sam's class came up behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. ??? I just stared at her. What in the world? I am not ready to enter that world. Not for a long, long time. And by the way, if you are a girl dating one of my sons...you and I will sit down and have a long talk about what is and is not appropriate for a girl to be doing. Just so you know. I don't ever want to be unclear. We're going for crystal at our house.

Dear Boys

2011-02-11T21:37:00.004-06:00

photo courtesy of Cami

Dear Sam and Ethan,

I'm writing you this tonight, in the hopes that someday, you'll be able to look back and remember what sweet brothers you were to one another. I hope you'll always be best friends. You are each so unique. So different from the other one, but you have a bond that makes my eyes sting, and gives me a lump in my throat.

Tonight I went upstairs to check on you, and there you were Sam, reading Ethan's Toy Story Book to him. Ethan you were quietly lying on the pillow, your head right next to Sam's. You each have your own bed, but you'd rather sleep with each other. Yesterday at the school book fair Sam carefully wrote down the title, location, and price of a book he saw that he knew you would like, Ethan.

Ethan, if Sam says it, it's the law. You idolize him, and most of the time, following Sam will keep you safe. He is a good big brother to you. At the same time I know how much it means to Sam that you think he's so great. He feels confident in himself because of the way you look to him for direction. He knows you're watching and wants to make sure that he does the right things.

Sam when you're at school and Ethan and I are doing something fun, Ethan will often say, "But what if Sam finds out?" He doesn't want you to miss a thing. He asks me all the time when he'll get to go to school with you.

I know that the two of you have had, and will continue to have your differences, but I hope, that in spite of it all, you will always remember the bond you shared as children. The dynamic duo that you are. I hope you'll take care of each other, and the rest of our family. Someday, when Dad and I are gone, I hope the two of you will carry on the legacy of love and commitment to one another that we've tried to teach you. I love you sweet, wild, wiggly, sometimes exasperating, creative, funny, energetic, talkative, crazy, sensitive, nurturing, beautiful little boys more than you'll ever know. And even when you're bigger than I am, you'll always be my babies.

With all my love,
Mom

I'm Drawing The Line

2011-02-10T22:52:00.002-06:00

I think there's one thing we've learned this Winter and that is: "We are never moving up North" and by "up North" I mean anything North of Dallas. I have been cold for 2 months. With the wind chill, it was 8 degrees at one point yesterday. INSANE. For all of you Northerners, I salute you, I really do. But I will not be joining you. I hope. What am I doing? I always have to eat my words. Will I have to eat my types as well? Only time will tell. Please no, please no, please no.

I am going to dive (I use that term loosely since I can't really dive) under my nice warm covers and try to warm up my chilly bones.

No, I really can't dive. I know, pathetic. My 6 year old can, and I can't. I'm scared of breaking my neck.

#4

2011-02-09T22:33:00.002-06:00

So, a few weeks before Christmas we got a special package. We found out that we are going to be having baby #4!!!

I am due at the beginning of August, so this baby and Mia will be almost exactly 2 years apart. We are grateful and humbled by this gift. We would appreciate all of your prayers for the safe arrival of this little person. We know that the Lord is in control, and feel safe in His hands.

As luck would have it my dear, dear friend (who became my friend the night she was on duty as a labor and delivery nurse and helped deliver the baby we lost at 20 weeks) is also pregnant. Just a few weeks ahead of me. She lost a baby in a similar situation, and to say that she and I have had a special bond since the first time we met is an understatement. She was an angel that the Lord put there just for me that awful night. She was my sister and my friend through one of the hardest things I've been through. Our chance meeting at Kroger a year later, and just a few days before she lost her baby, was nothing short of providential. We are hoping to write a Reader's Digest type of story about the whole thing (picture the two of us holding our new little babies -- Kris will you photograph?). So, lots of happy things happening in Plano these days.

Hooray for new life.

They Just Come With It

2011-02-07T21:52:00.003-06:00

I have never before seen one of our children do what Mia did tonight. After dinner I took her shirt off because she got strawberry juice all over it. Can I just say that if you live in Plano, you should go to the Target on Park and the Tollway and buy yourself as many strawberries as you can, because they are seriously the juiciest, sweetest strawberries I have ever eaten. Just in time for Valentine's day. Anyway, I took off her shirt so she just had her onesie on. She LOVES taking baths, so when I took her clothes off she immediately said, in her urgent little voice: "Baaa, baaa!!" We just took a bath last night (I'm tired, we do baths every other day around here lately...unless someone is really dirty) so I said "I know you love baths, but we just took one, let's take one tomorrow." It's things like what happened next that make me wish I had a little chip in my eye that could record, and then download what I see and hear. Little, tiny, barely 20 pound, 17 month old Mia, got up on her knees and put her hands together like you would if you were begging and said "PEEEEES!" The look on her face almost made me start the tub, but instead I just laughed and hugged that little elf until she squirmed out of my arms. Hilarious. Is this a girl thing? Wow.

Point Taken

2011-02-06T23:08:00.002-06:00

My good friend Jen just made a great point on her blog about comments. She and I keep blogs for the same reason, a family record. I am totally guilty of skipping from blog to blog, catching up on my friends and family, and sometimes skipping on. Part of the reason I was opposed to blogs in the first place was b/c I thought it was crazy when I called someone and asked them about their trip, bday etc. and they'd say, "I wrote all about it on my blog, go check it." I didn't want to lose the connection. Well, I have gone the way of the world, and now have a blog. I am sometimes not as good as I used to be about staying connected. But I'm going to do better. I would really love to hear from you if you visit us here. I will comment when I visit you. Promise. :) So...if you come here, let me know!

The Right Tools for the Job

2011-02-06T22:48:00.002-06:00

We have had the same knives since we got married. Almost 13 years ago! They are the worst knives ever made. You literally have to saw stuff. Why haven't I bought new ones? I really don't know. It's not something I think about when I'm out. It's just something I think about at 5 o'clock when I'm trying to mince my darn onions.

Well, for Christmas, my parents got us some really nice CUTCO knives. My mom has had the unfortunate opportunity to use my knives, and saw what needed to happen. Thanks Mom.

Now, for my analogy. My new knives make cutting a joy. They cut through meat like butter. No, better...buttah. :) So, I was thinking today, while cutting, that when we have the right tools to do the jobs we're doing, it makes life so much easier. As a mom, I CAN go through the day without praying or reading my scriptures, but I don't have the Spirit with me as keenly as I need it. When I have the Spirit, everything is easier, sharper. That's the tool I need every day. I can do the job with my dull self, but it's harder, more time consuming, and it's a lot easier to get hurt. So, here's to sharp knives, and using the right tools for whatever job you're doing.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!

2011-02-04T23:47:00.005-06:00

Ethan wondering why he wanted to go out in the cold. Look at those sweet little eyes.
I can just hear the voice that goes along with this little face. "Ugh, mom, stop taking my picture!"
Our cute friend/neighbor Paige, Sam, and Ethan
Sam, Ethan and I had a rousing game of "ship" on my bed. Complete with a fishing excursion, and an attack from another ship. I love pretending with them. Do you like Ethan's goggles? You never know when you might fall overboard.

Ethan zonked out after playing outside.

One of the huge icicles that was hanging from our roof
Ethan using his icicle as a light saber
Ethan, Hayden, Paige, and Sam
Ethan sampling the newly fallen treat
May the force be with you!

We had one of the coldest winters on record here in Dallas this year. It was miserably cold for a few weeks, and the kids had four straight days off of school, and then the next week they had two more. The first day was really fun, the second day, still pretty fun, but I have to admit, by day three we were all going a little stir crazy. The weird thing about this storm was the ice. It made it very dangerous to drive around, and it was so cold outside that on a few of the days the kids didn't even want to go out because it was so bone chilling. I am writing this in September, after a record breaking summer, and I'm hoping that this year we could just temper things a bit more, and have Summer and Winter get together and balance things out a bit. We'll see what happens.

1 Snow Day

2011-02-03T22:24:00.002-06:00

1 Snow Day...YAHOOO!!!
2 Snow Days...Fun
3 Snow Days...Getting a little stir crazy
4 Snow Days...Seriously? We live in Texas for a reason! We are hunkering down for a long weekend in doors. Luckily my boys are not affected by the cold and think it's perfectly fine to play outside when it's 19 degrees! Yes 19, in Dallas! We have sheets of snow covering the roads, and it is freezing here.

We have crafted, baked, sipped (hot cocoa), read, watched (movies), snuggled, laughed, argued, cleaned up, messed up, changed two wet beds (too much hot cocoa), cried (an accidental black eye courtesy of a doorknob, a flying puppet that knocked someone's head and left a goose egg, several other small goose eggs from other flying objects), organized, laundered, listened to Mia's new vocabulary that is expanding daily, and made Valentines.

I have had, on several occasions the polar opposite thoughts that come from 3 days at home with little ones. "There's no where else I'd rather be. This is heaven" and the unfortunate "Get me out of this house, I'm going to lose my mind." Luckily, the first thought always wins.

I Love...

2011-02-02T23:05:00.003-06:00

I love that Sam goes around spelling everything lately. Like tonight when he came walking up the stairs in his towel after a shower and said "h. i.!" :) I love the look on Sam's face while we're reading Harry Potter (he and Matt finished book 3 yesterday). I love that he picked Mia up off the floor tonight and gave her a huge bear hug. I love how responsible, and mature he is becoming. I love that he started to clear his plate from the table the other night and then turned around, sat back down and said, "Oh sorry, I forgot something, may I please be excused?" :) I love that yesterday after an awful nightmare during an afternoon nap, as he listened to me tell Matt about it, he ran into the kitchen and got me a glass of water with ice in it. "Here mom, this should help", he said.

I love that Ethan couldn't wait to get his snow clothes on and get outside to play with Sam and the neighbor kids, (We've been stuck at home in a huge ice storm for the last 2 days. The high today was 21 degrees.) but when he heard that Mia was waking up he said "But, what if she wants me?!" Matt and I told him that she probably would so he ran upstairs and greeted her with his usual enthusiasm. He loves that little girl. I loved snuggling up with Ethan today for a warm winter's nap. I loved pulling our white duvet cover, like a big fluffy cloud up over his chuggy little chin. And I loved how he let me hold him until we both fell asleep. I love how he tells me all the time that "Only bayth (boys) are allowed to do that! Not girls." I love how tough he wants to be, but how completely soft I know that little heart of his is. I've seen him with Mia, he can't fool me.

I love that as I got the boys to sleep tonight Matt did ALL of the dishes, and cleaned up the whole kitchen. I love that he braved the winter storm and went out to get us toilet paper, milk, and come Chuy's salsa to go with the enchiladas that I made. I love that he rubs my back when I'm tired, and that he always makes me laugh.

I love that Mia is talking to everyone. I loved watching her as she watched the boys out the window and said "Hi!" in her tiny little pipsqueak voice. I love that last night she let me snuggle her for 30 minutes before lying her down for the night. I love that she liked my eskimo and butterfly kisses, and I love that I have a daughter. I love that she lies still on my bed for song after song, just looking at me with those little blueberry eyes. I love that she's almost 18 months old and still only weighs about 20 lbs. soaking wet. I love that she calls my necklaces, earrings, and headbands "pittys", and that this morning she pointed to the bandaid on my finger and said "pi-ty". I love that when I say "O.K. who's ready to pray?" she is literally up on her knees folding her arms by the time I say ready. She is so proud of her tiny little self.

I love these people, even though we did experience a little cabin fever today around lunchtime, when I was rude and grouchy to everyone for not picking up after themselves. But let's be honest, I'm the biggest offender sometimes. Sheesh, what is wrong with me? There really is no place I'd rather be, I just like it even better when it's clean.

A Pat On The Back

2011-01-30T22:45:00.002-06:00

Tonight Ethan was in the bathroom and called Matt to come "check on him" (wipe him). I love when Matt's name is called in this situation and not mine. Especially since my kids always have to go to the bathroom during dinner.

Anyway, Matt told him to hold on, and he kept calling and calling. When Matt went in he said "Ethan you know how you want us to come right when you call us, that's what Mom and I want you and Sam to do when we call you, or ask you to do something." Sam who was sitting in the corner playing with legos chimed in and said "That was a good example."

Matt and I laughed. It's nice to be validated every now and then. :)

Today

2011-01-26T22:53:00.003-06:00

Today was a day. It was a good day, but nothing really witty is striking me right now. No analogies, well there is one, but it's personal, and it's about one of my weaknesses, and I'm not ready to share it here, now.

My friends threw me a birthday party lunch today. It was fun. Women need each other. We need to know, maybe more than men do, that we are normal. That we are not the only ones who feel the way we do. The cool thing about being a woman is that you can, if you let yourself, relate in some way with almost every other woman in the world in some way.

As I sat and looked at my friends today I thought about how different we all are. We have all had our share of triumphs and defeats. We come from very different backgrounds, and we have diverse stories. But we all feel deeply, we all want to help lift other's burdens, we all want to make our little corner of the world better in our own way. I love being a woman, I love the strength that I can gather from other women who are trying to serve the Lord, and be good mothers even when they're tired, or sick, or even just sick and tired.

I am tired right now, so I am going to bed. Tonight I will fall asleep feeling thankful for good friends.

A Few Thoughts

2011-01-25T22:04:00.003-06:00

I've discovered that the best way to get my kids "out of my hair" is to tell them that it's time to clean up. It's amazing. Somehow, everyone who has needed me all day long is suddenly, quietly, occupied in their rooms. Their hearing goes, and they don't need a thing. Note to self: Next time I really need them busy (and not actually helping with chores) tell them it's time to clean up.

Ethan is our resident expert. He currently knows everything, and I know nothing. And if Sam says it: "So let it be written, so let it be done."

Yesterday they both went up and got their pajamas on without me asking. This was after one of those classic lectures I swore I'd never give "All I really want for my birthday is for everyone to be kind to each other, and pick up after themselves." I think Sam got the picture and recruited Ethan to go get ready for bed. I thanked them both, but when I thanked Ethan I said "Ethan, thank you so much for getting ready without even being asked." He quickly replied "I was asked. By Sam." Every time I tell him something he says "How do you know." It's really funny when it's stuff like
E: "Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
N:"Chicken Enchiladas"
E: "How do you know?" The YOU is said with emphasis. Like how could you possibly know that, mom?
N:"Because I'm making them!"

We sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" last night for Family Night. On the line that is the same as the title, Ethan looked at me and said: "No...we can go to friends houses sometimes." True, we don't have to be together, forever, all the time. I laughed out loud. So funny.

But my heart melts when he says things like he did today "I love you to the back of the moon and the front of the moon." I think this is a variation on "I love you to the moon and back."

Sam is so grown up. So independent. He is reading, and in so many ways so much like Matt. The other night he asked me to wash some sweat pants for him. I didn't have time that night, and so the next morning, without a word, he just brought the laundry basket down and set it in the laundry room. No complaints about what I hadn't done, just putting it there so it could get done that day. He has his moments too, don't get me wrong, but like I've said before, I think they lie in bed at night and decide who's week it is to test my patience.

Mia, she's a whole story in and of her tiny, little self. The boys had a friend over today and she goes "Man, she is tiny, but she is sure loud!" :) She is getting about 6 teeth right now, and has not been very happy, obviously. She is proudly saying "Hi" and "Bye" to everyone she meets. She is independent, and strong, and tough. She loves to get Sam's LEGO guys and take their heads off and then put them back on. Yes, the little tiny ones. When the boys try to take the guys from her she shrieks "MIIIIYYYNE" Oh boy, she may give us a run for our money. The funniest part is how quiet and calm she's always been. She is definitely ready to start talking, and feels frustrated that she can't communicate everything that is going on in that little head. She also points out babies wherever we go. Even kids that are older than her are "Bay-bies" I love how she accents the first syllable, and separates the two. We love her.

I am feeling a little better today. I admit, January has been a hard month. January has crawled by. Getting home from vacation, the reality check that always comes after that, people (including myself) being sick and teething, the cold weather, the fact that other than using her for the mood she sets for the holidays, winter and I really don't get along very well, the house that I can't quite keep up with lately, and the piles of things that I need to do, along with the insatiable urge to not really do much at all, have made this month a little, well, blah. Most of it has been my own fault. But, I am moving on. I am not one to sit around a mope. I will triumph!

February will be one for the books. I feel a change coming. February will be my January. My fresh start. Today is the first full day of my 32nd year, and I'm feeling good. So...deep breath, 32 here I come. I am starting this new year (32, not 2011) with a sparkling clean kitchen. For whatever reason, the state of my house, and particularly my kitchen, is in direct correlation with how well I am able to deal with my life. Clean=Happy...Messy=Frustrated. Such a simple formula. I never was very good at math. :)

Happy Birthday Nat

2011-01-24T21:29:00.002-06:00

[Matt here:] Today is Natalie's birthday! I won't tell you her age...so if you don't know it you'll have to call her and ask. (And no giving the answer in the comments!) I feel tremendous gratitude to Natalie's parents for having and raising such a wonderful woman. Thank you, Rich and Amy.

Everything she is amazes me. I knew I loved her when we got married, but as time marches on I realize that she is so much more than I ever imagined. And I love all of it.

We have been blessed with a wonderful family. Sam, Ethan and Mia keep us very busy these days. I love how Natalie takes the time to show her love for each child in a very individual way. Her patience and kindness seem limitless.

I love you Nat! And I look forward to growing old with you.

Back From the Dead

2011-01-23T20:56:00.003-06:00

No, I'm not *that* pathetic at keeping a resolution. I got sick at the end of last week, and it took a while to get up and running again. Last Thursday night I started feeling awful. Sore throat, chills, body aches etc. Friday morning when I woke up, I thought I was going to die. I don't remember the last time I felt so awful. My parents and Cami were supposed to come up so we could celebrate Sam's bday, but I had to call and cancel, I was sick. Luckily, Matt was able to stay home from work on Friday. He jumped in like a champ and took over. I was so thankful for the patient way he dealt with everyone all weekend. He is always there for me, and I'm so glad to have him around!

I hate to even write it, for fear it might end, but it seems we've moved into a new season around here. Matt's been around so much, and we are all so much happier when he's here. It just feels complete. Last Saturday we went and got bikes for the boys, they were so excited, and it was just so fun to hang out together as a family. We went to the pet store on the way home, and the kids all had fun looking at the dogs, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. Ethan asked again and again why we couldn't have a dog. Sam wanted to know why we couldn't have a hamster. :)

This week was busy, but productive. Mark stayed with us for a while, while he interviewed for his residencies, and John also came to visit for a night while he was here for some interviewing for school (both Matt's brothers). We love when people come to visit. It's nice to get one on one time with our family members. Matt and I both feel so lucky to have such great families. There are a lot of us, 35 people in Matt's immediate family (parents, siblings/spouses, and neices/nephews) and 16 in my family, and that number is growing every year!

So, I am hopefully back to my daily goal of posting. Wish me luck. :)

The picture above is from last Spring at the Dallas Arboretum, I just found it tonight. Sweet little Mia, she's gotten so big. She's walking, talking, and definitely making her opinion known. In other exciting news, she finally has enough hair on her tiny little head that I can finally sneak a bow/flower in there! Hooray. She makes funny faces at people all day long, and I can't wait to see who she grows up to be.

Several months ago we were in Houston and my dad sang "The Eensy, Weensy Spider" to her. The other day she kept saying Papa (she always says this when she sees a picture of my dad, or Matt's). I said "Yeah, do you want to call Papa?" And then she started doing the hand motions to the spider song and saying "pah-dah" (spider). Their little memories amaze me.

Tater Tater Alligator

2011-01-12T21:05:00.003-06:00

Sam (my Little Man Tate) turned 6 today! SIX! I used to think moms with 6 year olds were old, but now I see they're really not. :) I love this boy. I know I say that a lot, about all of these little people, but on January 12th, 2005 my passport into the land of motherhood was officially stamped! I feel like I have become, and am becoming, the person I was always meant to be, as a mother. I feel like everything up until having children, was just preparation. Then on 1/12/05 the game began.

Sam is an amazing little man. He's always felt like an old soul to me. Even before he was born, I could feel his little turtle faced wisdom swimming around in my womb. He is so quick to help me, rubbing my feet or back when he can see it's been a long day. Playing with Mia so I can eat dinner. Explaining things to Ethan. Listening to Ethan. He somehow senses (usually) the great trust that has been put in him to be the oldest in this family. To be the big brother that Ethan adores. To treat Ethan the way a big brother who is adored, would treat a little brother who adores. I love watching them together. They're as different as night and day, but I hope they can see each others strengths throughout their lives, and continue to love one another as individuals.

We had a great birthday breakfast of crepes and fruit. Then we sent Mr. Sam off to school. We took him lunch and had a fun time seeing his school and friends. My parents and Cami are coming into town on Friday so we'll have his birthday cake and party that night, but he loved the surprise packages (thank you everyone), and phone calls today. We watched a movie tonight, and ate popcorn, a nice cozy night at home. I love these people, there's really no where else I'd rather be than here with Matt and the kids. We also watched some old family movies from when the boys were tiny, and laughed at how much everyone has grown. Looking back makes me want to treasure every minute. I wished I could just squeeze Ethan's chubby little two year old body that is now growing tall, and go back and hold my little Sam, when he was just a baby. It's a whirlwind, and then, it's over. Enjoy it. All of it.

Sam's 6th Birthday

2011-01-12T00:09:00.000-06:00

Flashback from January 2011. I'm almost all caught up for 2011! Yay for me.

Six years ago today the Dr. laid this boy on my chest, and I knew my life was permanently changing. When I saw that little face, it was like seeing an old friend. I knew him, I knew Sam a long time ago, and we knew that we would be here on earth together, helping each other get back.

I remember waking up in the night when I was pregnant with Sam and having a very distinct thought in my head. It was so distinct that I wrote it down. The thought was this: "Instead of you teaching him, he'll be the one teaching you."

I suppose this is true for all of us as mothers, but there is a point in time when you realize that you are the one growing. You are the one learning, you are the one changing. If we let it, I think Motherhood can be one of the most refining experiences on earth. It requires patience, sacrifice, more patience, hard work, a good, and working sense of humor and perspective. All of which I am currently developing.

Some days I'm better at it than others, some days I wonder why on earth I got so lucky to get to be the mother of these children. Some days I want to crawl back in bed. Other days I wish everyone else would crawl back in bed, at least until 8:00 or so. But most days, I'm just trying to figure it all out. Most days I'm trying to make sense of how I can feel so deeply for everyone at my house. How I can feel, simultaneously, so frustrated, and so completely overwhelmed with gratitude and love for these little people. They really are miracles, and I feel so blessed that God lets me and Matt be a part of their lives. I'm sure there were easier ways of sending people to earth, but God lets us take part in his beautiful plan, and I'm pretty sure it's the best thing I've ever been a part of.

So Sam, if you ever wonder, don't. We love you more than you'll know, until you have your own children. When we're hard on you it's because we know how much you have to give, and what a mighty man is in that 6 year old body. We know what a righteous example and force for good you will be in this world, and we know that if you let it, your heart and your mind will take you all the places you need to go. Even to the moon my sweet boy. I love you. Don't forget, you promised me a moon rock.

Harry Potter was all the rage at our house this year. Sam, our resident LEGO master whipped this baby out in about an hour. His LEGO skills amaze me. I love watching him put stuff together, it's like second nature for him, and he is so happy while he's doing it.

The first Happy Birthday call of the morning from Grandma and Grandpa. Sam got the call before his "6" pancake even made it onto his plate.
The Harry Potter Quidditch Cake.
Grandma, Grandpa, and Cami came up for Sam's bday. We had a Harry Potter dinner, and had such fun together. We love that they live so close!

About Feeling Alone

2011-01-11T21:53:00.002-06:00

Last year Sam played soccer with a team of boys who didn't live in our neighborhood. Because no one really lived by us, we never arranged a car pool with anyone. He recently started playing basketball with a bunch of boys from his school. I love that we now have this whole neighborhood of kids that I didn't even know lived by us! It's magic, all these little 6 year old boys suddenly just came out of the woodwork that is our neighborhood! :)

Well for the first few weeks of basketball I kept thinking: (as I dragged all three kids out into the cold to bball practice at 6 pm -- possibly the worst time of day) "Why am I doing this?" It was a total pain. Everyone was tired, and ready to be in for the night, including me. Then, we organized a car pool. Now I only have to take kids two more times for the whole season!

Yesterday as I went to pick up the other little boy who we were taking to practice I was giddy with excitement. I know, that's a little dramatic, but really, I felt so happy. I wasn't alone. There were other mom's on my team now! Other moms with 3 and 4 kids just like me. We could all help each other.

It got me thinking about all of the people in the world who are alone. They feel alone in the challenges they are facing every day. Challenges that may be as simple as taking three little kids to bball practice on Tuesday nights. It made me want to find ways to make people's lives easier. To connect. To relieve. There is something so miraculous about feeling validated, feeling like you're not the only one in your boat. So...random as it is, today I am thankful for the mom who created this genius carpool schedule. I don't even have to sit there in that noisy gym and wrestle with Mia for an hour because we're also taking turns doing that! So. Here's to teamwork!

p.s I did begin this post yesterday and then Matt and I started talking in bed, and I fell asleep before I was done. So, I'm still on track for my once a day.

Blessings of 2010/Family Goals 2011

2011-01-11T17:05:00.002-06:00

Sam:
Obaye Mom and Dad
Saye prsunl prers
Going a extra mile evry day

Ethan:
Morning and evening prayers
Learn how to write my own name
Obey Quickly

Matt's Blessings of 2010:
2 trips to Utah (Abby's wedding and Ellis Family Christmas at Springhaven)
Healthy Family
Teaching Seminary (completing the 4 year cycle)
Expecting baby #4
Trip to Brazil
Financial savings and planning
Rising Star 2010/2011 (Legal publication that recognizes up and coming attorneys)

Personal Goals for 2011:
Improve/maintain fitness by exercising at least 2 times/week, preferably 3-4.
Find out what I should be doing professionally
Daily reading of the Book of Mormon (in addition to Seminary prep)
Hone my negotiating skills/explanations at work

Family:
Read Book of Mormon to Alma 31 (the halfway point)
Foster a love of music in our children
Game time
Have one on one time with each of the kids on a monthly basis

Natalie's Blessings of 2010:
Mia
Good Health
Slow holiday work season for Matt
Abby's wedding
Financial security
2 fun trips to Utah
Great counselors/friends in Primary
Good Friends in our neighborhood -- Rachelle Christensen, Sonja Zaugg, Shannon Sherr, Mubeen Heaton
Good relationship with Matt
New furniture/kitchen
Baby #4 on it's way

Goals for 2011:
AM/PM Prayers
Daily Scripture Study
Start a Mom's Group
Guitar (?)
Read/Listen to Good Books
Become More Computer Savvy
Food Storage and Use -- Making Bread
Better Friend/Sister/Daughter/Granddaughter/Daughter in Law
More Organized Meals/Grocery Shopping
Attend the Temple at least once a month

Family Goals:
Memorize "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"
Memorize the Articles of Faith
List of skills that each child needs to master this year
Work Chart
More focused and planned out Family Home Evenings
Dates with Dad (or Mom) -- more one on one time with each child
Game time
More Music Education

Couple Goals:
Date Nights/once a week
Lunch dates
Scripture/Prayer
Temple once a month

Day One (or 10)

2011-01-10T22:39:00.002-06:00

I'd really like to post every day. I won't have pictures every day, it's just not going to happen, but I want to look back on 2011 and remember the little things. The longer I live the more I realize that it's really all the little daily decisions and attitudes that make our lives what they are. It's not the family vacations, the birthdays, the awards or graduations. It's how we talk to each other, it's the time we spend listening. It's the time we spend working together. It's what we build together. I want to look back and remember the blood, sweat, tears, laughter, and joy that went into building 2011. Cause I have a feeling this is going to be one for the record books.

So instead of stressing out on what I've already missed (like the last several months of 2010...they're coming), I'm starting with today. This random Monday, January 10th, 2011. Today was good. It snowed yesterday. It made everything so beautiful and peaceful. The boys built a snowman with Matt last night while I was at a Scout meeting at church. I told them it was more of a snow toddler. Tiny little guy. This is Dallas after all.

Matt. Now there's somewhere to start. He took care of everyone basically all day yesterday. I had meetings/church obligations almost all day, and without complaining one ounce, he just does it. With a smile. The kids love him, and miraculously he's been a little less busy at work lately. There is a definite feeling of relief for all of us when he's home at regular hours.

Ethan and I went to Ikea and returned a dresser that we got for the guest room. It was supposed to be white, it was black. Ethan is my little joker. Always teasing me. Telling me he's 25. "No Mom! Fuh wah! (for real), I am!" Asking if he can have an ipod???? I just got a nano for Christmas, so I have no idea how he even knows what an ipod is. I barely know what they are. :) I know, pathetic, one of my New Year's goals is to become more technologically savvy. p.s I do know what an ipod is.

Tonight as the boys were setting the table for dinner Sam took things to a new level. We walked over to the table to find him wrapping each fork in a napkin. When dinner was over he walked up behind me and whispered in my ear "May I clear your plate?" I'd like to say I taught him this, but I didn't. I have no idea where it came from, but it was so nice.

This was after we had a 20 minute "discussion" about Sam and Ethan making their bed, that they forgot to do before school. They were mad, stomping around like elephants. But, they finally got it done. Just keeping it real. It's not all children clearing the table, and making fancy place settings. We have our fair share of arguing, complaining etc.

Mia walked all around the house today pushing her little walker. She is developing some serious vocal chords. She is tiny, but mighty. She definitely has an agenda, and she is going to find a way to get what she wants. Ethan and Sam love playing with her, and she feels so happy and proud of herself when she can motor around with them.

Tonight for family night we started memorizing "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". We decided to make a mural with each part represented. Tonight we cut out pictures of the prophet and 12 apostles. The boys loved looking through the Ensigns and Friends to find pictures of each person. We also had a good discussion about Adam and Eve. They ask such good questions. I love hearing their wheels turn. They want to know about everything, sometimes I wish we had more time to just pour information into their little brains and hearts. They're so open right now.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T22:35:00.001-06:00

On December 16th we embarked on our Christmas road trip to Utah. The trip there was filled with fun. Singing, talking, laughing, movie watching, and lots of snacks to make the time pass a little faster. We arrived at Grandpa Cy and Grandma Neva's house on the 18th and snow covered the ground. The boys were so excited they could hardly wait to get their snow clothes on and get outside. Matt and the boys had a snowball fight to start the trip off right.

Mia's First Haircut

2010-12-14T22:29:00.002-06:00

The girl had an aggressive mullet forming, so we decided it was time to give her a cute little stack in the back. She didn't love it, but the result made me feel much better. Nothing like a fresh new style.

Gingerbread Men

2010-12-13T22:19:00.001-06:00

Sam and Ethan and I made our traditional gingerbread men again this year. I'm not a huge fan of sugar cookies, I don't know why, but they've just never been something that tempts me, gingerbread, I love. So...we make gingerbread men. The boys had fun making everyone in our family. Sam made a circle cookie into dad, and when I asked him why he said "Because he's the "head" of our home." I love that he gets puns. It makes me smile.

The Best Surprise

2010-12-10T20:14:00.003-06:00

In December we were planning to go to Utah for Christmas. We switch off years between my family and Matt's and this year was with the Ellis's. It was the off year for all of my siblings, which meant that my parents and Cami would be alone for Christmas. I had to get down there to see them once before the holidays came, so one weekend we decided at the last minute to head down to Houston for a surprise attack on my mom. I think it's the best surprise I've ever pulled off. My dad knew, but mom and Cami didn't. We took the clothes on our backs, some toothbrushes, and one change of clothes, and we headed down.

I got a huge box and put the kids on the porch in the box. After a few seconds Mia sneaked out of the box, so she was standing there on the porch when my mom opened the door. Mom was so confused about what was going on. It was hilarious. I jumped out of the bushes where I had been hiding, and then dad kept telling her to open the box. She said she felt something warm breathing in there, and thought there was a dog or something (thinking that I had left the boys with Matt and just come down with Mia). When she finally opened the box she screamed so loudly, it was so funny. I wish I could have gotten the whole thing recorded.

We had a great time making gingerbread houses, playing games, Grandpa sang the now famous Insy, Weensy Spider to Mia, and we all had such a great time together. It was a short trip, but I'm so glad I took it.

The Circle of Life

2010-12-03T01:06:00.005-06:00

Picture courtesy of my talented sister, Cami.

I know there are millions of milestone posts that are missing, Mia's birthday (in August!), Ethan's birthday (in November), Thanksgiving with our wonderful cousins, and a hundred other monumental occasions, but I had to take a few minutes tonight and write something so I will hopefully remember it, and let it sink deep into my brain and heart, and then live it, tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

Over Thanksgiving, while the Park's were here, and I watched Warren who is 13, I looked into his face and saw Sam and Ethan. Just a blink away from being that age themselves, and the thought came, again and again. Don't waste a minute. Don't waste a minute being selfish, being grouchy, being too busy to play, to talk, to read, to just be...together. Because just like that, it's gone. I know these days get long sometimes, but these day, these long, tiring, busy days are what everyone looks back on and wishes they could go back to. These days, I can't even write about right now because the tears are streaming down my face, are what make life worth living. These days are the reason that I saw faces light up tonight as we caroled at a local nursing home. Their eyes twinkled with the memory of their own little families, 50 years ago, when they were younger, quicker, prettier, stronger, and thought they knew so much. Before life taught them all they know now, before life made them wise.

On more than one occasion over the last 4 years I have talked to older people who say, "Enjoy every minute of this!", as they look at my cart full of children and groceries at the store, or as they helped me herd my little brood through the hardware store. "Enjoy every minute of this."

Tonight this sweet couple, who had been married for 61 years both told me the same thing again. "Enjoy this. I know you're tired because they get you up early, and you just wish you could sleep in, but this will all be gone in the blink of an eye." Translation: "And then you'll be in a nursing home, where you have all the time in the world, and if you could have your wish, you'd be 32 again, with a house full of life, and a messy table, and a sink full of dishes, and a load of laundry on the couch waiting to be folded, and little ones all needing you at the same time." For a split second I saw myself sitting there, as an 80 year old. My eyes stung with tears, and that familiar lump that comes whenever I think about my babies leaving me, swelled up in my throat. I hope I'm as lucky as this cute lady was, and that I'll be in the nursing home with Matt. Her husband was so cute, he told us they were on a date.

I hope that tomorrow I can remember to enjoy every minute of this, even the long ones. I hope that I can look back on this time as the time of my life. I think I will.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T10:28:00.000-06:00

The Park's came from Austin this November to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We had such a great time. The boys all love playing together. Darrell is a master turkey fryer. It was awesome because Darrell and Matt made the turkey, and Joy and I worked on the other food. We had quite the feast. After dinner we watched Scrooge, a tradition that Matt's family started long ago. We had a great time with them, and we're so thankful to have family close by.

Our family after Thanksgiving dinner. I'll give you money if you can come and get everyone in my family to look the same way, and smile at the same time!

Sam sneaking under the table to tickle my hobbit feet.

Mia pulling one of her funny faces.

Ethan was not in the mood for my picture taking.

Jared and Ethan

I loved seeing all these little boys sitting at our table eating their cereal.

Every year after Thanksgiving dinner we watch Scrooge to help ring in the Christmas Season. Matt's family did this growing up, and I have always loved the message of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". We had fun watching it with our cousins. Sam and Cameron looked so cute lying there together.

Our little family...it's so weird to see us with three kids. When did that all happen?

Our Thanksgiving spread.

Warren, Cameron, and Sam

Nolan, Warren, Cameron, Sam, Jared, and Ethan

Mia loves sneaking in the closet to get Sam's lego guys. She takes the heads off and then puts them back on. It's so funny to see her tiny fingers working away.

Darrell and Maurie

Sam, Warren, Cameron and Ethan.

Sam and Mom at Sam's Thanksgiving Feast. He was so excited to have me see his school and all his friends.

Sam enjoying his feast

Eureka and Sam Takes It Like a Man

2010-11-27T20:39:00.002-06:00

Tonight we were reading and the character in the book said "Eureka!" Ethan stopped me and asked "Wait, wait, wait. Who's reka?" I tried to explain that it wasn't "your reka" it was just one word "Eureka!" :)

One thing I love about Sam is that he takes his punishments like a man. He lost his treats for the day today, and I had forgotten about it (aren't I a great mom?). When I asked him what kind of pie he wanted, he leaned over and whispered in my ear "Mom, remember I can't have treats." What honesty! It makes me want to give in, but I held strong.

Ethan Boy Turns 4!

2010-11-09T20:15:00.000-06:00

When I look back on the last four years since our little Ethan boy made his way into the world one November day, I am filled with gratitude for the lessons that this one little person has taught me. I am amazed at the miles and miles that he has come.

There was a while when Ethan did not make a sound. He had to get tubes in his ears around 18 months, and because he couldn't hear very well, he never really talked to us either. I am happy, and sometimes quite exhausted, to report that that situation has been remedied, and the boy has made up for lost time like a true son of mine. Really, from sun up to sun down, Ethan talks. He tells me everything. As Matthew in Anne of Green Gables says about Anne: "He could talk the hind leg off of a mule."

A few months ago as I went off on one of my long, and probably completely exhausting, monologues to my own mother, it hit me: I am Ethan. Ethan is me. We love to talk, and we love to express how we feel. Not only do we love it, we NEED it. I have an actual physical need to express what I'm feeling. Good or bad. Luckily, I have a mom who doesn't talk a whole lot, but knows how to listen like a therapist. I call her my own personal priest. Too bad I'm not Catholic. ;) I hope that I can listen like my mom always has to me. I hope I can learn to squelch my own need to express, and develop the true talent of listening, to this sweet little boy of mine. I love him, more than I know how to put into words sometimes.

Ethan has more energy in his little toe than I have in my whole body. He runs everywhere, hops onto and off of anything he can, spins, kicks, tickles, hugs, pats, smothers, and otherwise oozes energy and excitement on everyone he knows. He sings all the time. Even the way Ethan talks has a little lilt to it, everything is a song. He is captivated by classical music, and it is one of the only things that keeps him still for long. He went through a Fantasia phase for a while. He would sit and watch the whole thing, even the weird, sort of boring part at the beginning. Fascinated. His memory astounds me. He is methodical. He loves to color and wants to know exactly what color things should be.

E: "What color is this dinosaur mom?"
N: "Well, it could be blue, green, whatever you like Eth."
E: "No, but what color is it?"

He is precise, he wants to know the right way to do things. He is funny. He makes us laugh all the time. He is loving. He has almost loved Mia out of her own skin a couple of times. He is brave. He loves all animals, and never wants me to kill spiders that we find in our house. "Can we please just take it outside?" He is one of the reasons my heart now walks around outside of my body. And now he's four. I love him. Happy Birthday Ethan Boy.

This picture of Ethan when he was two is funny to me, he's changed so much, but in so many ways is still my same little Chugs.

The pictures below are of Mia systematically destroying the kitchen in less than 10 seconds.

Brother Day

2010-11-08T08:33:00.002-06:00

This morning at breakfast Sam said "I wish they had Brother Day at school, where you could bring your brother with you, and he could sit by you, and put his stuff in your locker! That would be so cool!" Ethan of course agreed.

(November) Houston Trip For Ethan's Bday and Family Pictures

2010-11-07T15:26:00.000-06:00

We went to Houston the weekend before Ethan's birthday and had fun celebrating with my mom and dad and Cami. Joy and Darrell were also in town to go to the Houston temple, so we got to have them join us for Ethan's party at my mom's house too. Ethan was so excited to see everyone and loved his dinosaur cake that Grandma made. Cami was nice enough to take some family pictures for us. Everyone was tired, and it was a little chilly, but I love all of these people so much. I'm glad we got to capture this moment in time.

Making a Splash and a Snake

2010-11-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

These little monkeys love splashing together in the tub. It's a mess afterwards, but they have so much fun doing it. Every now and then I just let them go crazy. It's just water, right?

We've been reading Harry Potter, and after finishing the first book I told Sam we could watch the movie. We had a Harry Potter dinner that night, complete with a snake that we made out of Pillsbury rolls, with ham and cheese inside. We had fun painting the snake with egg whites that we colored with food coloring.

It's Time!

2010-11-02T17:00:00.002-05:00

The temperature dropped a good 20 degrees from yesterday! It's raining, cozy, and at our house, it's time for Christmas music. Let the merry making begin!

Mia Ballerina

2010-10-31T23:35:00.005-05:00

When I was little, my Grandma Hogan invited me to come stay with her for the weekend. We went and saw Swan Lake at the ballet. I was smitten. Everyone was so beautiful and they all moved so effortlessly across the stage. I took ballet, but it just wasn't happening, let's face it, I'm not the most coordinated person around. There's a reason I ran track and cross country...I can put one foot in front of the other. Aerobics? Forget about it. While I was at BYU my friend Sarah and I tried to go to an early morning aerobics class together, after 5 minutes we were both laughing so hard at our failed attempts to move our right leg with our left arm that we took off and ran around Provo for our early morning work out...thank you very much!

So, when my petite little daughter arrived, and started standing on her tip toes, I thought: "This is it! I can live through her. I'll be one of those overly driven show moms, she'll be in every dance class we can find!" Just kidding, I will never do that, but she is pretty cute up on this stool. And if she wants to be a famous ballerina, I guess that'd be ok with me.

I was making something the other day, I walked over to the fridge to get some eggs, and when I came back, ten seconds later, there was my little climber, on point! Lovely little Lolli.

Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:17:00.007-05:00

This was my costume. Matt went as "Facebook" -- ha ha, a joke we saw on the TV show The Office. It worked.

Sam, Jenson Zaugg, Ethan, and Soffia Zaugg

Sam and Jenson

Sam invited his friends from school, twin brothers Pierce and Drake.

Ethan enjoying his candy.

Mubeen as Wenda (Waldo's sister) and Nat

Ethan and Soffia

Mia loved digging in to her candy. It was so funny to see her face as she had her first taste of a sucker.

Ok, I know, I've posted more pictures of Halloween than I did of any other event this year, but we squeezed every last drop out of this spooky holiday. Since Halloween was on a Sunday we had a big carnival at our church on Saturday night. I have to admit, when it was all finished, I was pretty proud of my Fortune Teller costume. It will definitely get some play over the next few years. It was really fun to dress up. My boys kept asking what I was going to be, and things were so busy, that I hadn't gotten anything together. They were so set on me being something, that I finally found this idea on Martha Stewart.com, it was so fun to make, and super easy. Mubeen let me borrow some of her gold, and I was ready to go!

Have I?

2010-10-30T21:26:00.004-05:00

Dear Matt,

We just got the kids in bed after a long weekend of Halloween festivities. You had to leave to go down to work for an hour or two (or 6).

Have I told you how cute you look in your baseball hat? Especially when it's turned around backwards. Have I told you how I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think about our first kiss? Have I told you how funny I think you are? Have I told you how much I appreciate that you did the dishes the other night while I was at the grocery store? Have I told you how great it was that you just saw that the closet light was out, in Mia's room, so you went out to the garage, got the new bulbs, and replaced the light? Did I tell you that about 10 minutes before that I thought "Man, I've gotta fix that darn light!" Have I told you how thankful I am that you never get mad at me when I have to run in "for one more thing" when we're getting ready to go somewhere? Or how glad I am that you never get mad at me for being a little organizationally challenged? Have I told you how it really does melt my heart when I see Mia's little face light up at the mention of your name, or how Ethan wanted to ride home with you last night from the work party, or how Sam wants to wait up every night for you to get home before he goes to sleep?

Have I told you that even though these last 4 years have been crazier than I would have ever believed possible, there's no one else I'd rather do crazy with than you? And have I told you that even though these days get long with laundry, dishes, papers, grocery shopping, cleaning, stories, more dishes, more laundry, another messy kitchen table to clear, that I never lose sight of how this all started...?

With me and you. Our unexpected "reacquaintance" that night in Provo, and our fateful trip to see Titanic with ALL 9 of our siblings! Including the 4 year olds. Ha! Can you imagine taking Ethan to that movie? Do you remember that I was wearing overalls and a velour shirt that night? I was, and I swear, in 1997, that was cool. What about our summer selling books in what I thought, at the time, was the hottest place on the earth? Columbia, South Carolina. Have I told you how I couldn't wait to see you every week at our meetings? And how that day you told me you loved me, (after you...barfed -- nervous stomach) the only words I could hear all day, as I walked around that blazing hot city, were yours. "I love you". They got me through that summer. Have I told you that the day we got married, after we walked out of the temple, and we were taking pictures on the temple grounds, I honestly don't remember anyone else being around us, it was like we were in another world. All I could see was you.

Have I told you that no matter what happens, I'm here. To stay. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how crazy things get, and no matter what comes our way, one thing you will always be able to count on, is me. Because if there's one thing I know I can always count on, it's you. Have I told you?

It Was All a Blur!

2010-10-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

It seems like our Halloween festivities this year went on and on. We had such a fun Halloween. I know it's kind of a random, nonsensical holiday, but when you have little kids, I think it is so much fun. There's no pressure, no real expectations, just lots of excitement, and way too much candy. Matt's office always has a fun party for families. The boys think it's so cool to go all the way downtown, and go to Dad's office. They have pizza, tons of candy, face painting, games, prizes etc.

Sam was Harry Potter, Ethan was a Ninja Turtle, and Mia was the cutest little orange and green fairy I've ever seen. That girl has got the rhythm deep down in her soul. They had music and dancing and she could not sit still. She was so happy to be dancing around, and as you can see from the pictures, the party was kind of a blur to her! Her cute little poofy orange skirt was bouncing all around. We had a blast. My costume was unfortunately still being made, so I had to come as plain old mom, but you will see, it was worth the wait.

Pre-Halloween

2010-10-30T13:07:00.001-05:00

Mia wanted to try on Ethan's Super Why mask. We all thought she looked pretty cute.

I loved finding Ethan reading to all of his stuffed animals one day. He had them all snuggled up in a blanket, enjoying a good book.

The weekend before Halloween my parents and sister came up to Dallas for a visit. We had a Halloween dinner that was such a blast. The menu included mummy hot dogs, bloody hand punch (I put some red water in a latex glove and froze it). After the hand was frozen we put it in a bowl of cherry 7up, with gummy bugs, worms, and brains. It was a hit. The boys thought it was so fun. We also had eyeballs, made of banana slices with blueberries on top, and slime soup (zucchini soup). The whole dinner was a hit, and I found some cute Halloween plates on sale and used my clearance spider web place mats from last year. It was seriously one of the best dinners we've had for a long time...as far as the fun factor was concerned.

After dinner the boys got to make graveyard cake. I make a big pumpkin sheet cake and then cut them each a big square, then they got to decorate it with green sprinkles, and stick mint milano cookies in to look like headstones. We also had gummy worms, spiders etc., to make things extra spooky. This will definitely be a new Halloween tradition in our house. It was so fun. I think I enjoyed it as much as the boys! :)

Samuel Potter and Some Thoughts on Motherhood

2010-10-28T01:23:00.004-05:00

We just finished the 2nd Harry Potter book. Sam, Ethan and I have been a little into this whole world lately. Yes, I know, I'm the last person on the planet to read this fascinating story. I have loved reading this with them. It's something we all look forward to every night. Ethan of course misses quite a bit of it, but Sam? He remembers more of it than I do. He reminds me about details of things that happened in the 1st book, and then I'll go back and see that he is totally right. Both of these boys' minds are just so beautiful to me. So sharp. So clear. I really hope I can keep them growing and learning. They are just so eager about it all right now. Sam and I got up at 6 this morning in hopes that we could finish the book before school, but we had to read a few pages when he got home. We're hooked.

In other Samuel news:

His first tooth is loose! I got tears in my eyes the other day when I realized that it really was coming out. I don't know why, I didn't let him see, but when I realized it was loose he'd only been in Kindergarten for about two weeks, and everything just seemed to be changing so quickly in our little world. A loose tooth was just too much for me to handle. But I got over it, and now I'm just being an excited, supportive mom since he thinks it's the coolest thing in the world. It's just that his little baby teeth are perfect. They always have been. Little white pearls, all in a row. Those big permanent teeth are just so jagged and blech looking for a while. Sigh...I know, such a silly concern. But, he's my baby.

After a couple weeks of school Sam came home telling me about a 2nd grader who was being mean to him and some of his friends at recess. We talked through all the good responses to the situation, and then we talked about how Jesus loved his enemies, and told us that we should pray for them etc. We prayed for him that night, and then a few days later Sam came home, with a big smile on his face and said "Hey mom, remember that boy who was being mean at recess? He's my friend now!" :)

Today we were cleaning up the toy room and Ethan wasn't really "in the mood" -- they decide at night, while they're lying in bed, who's day it is to be "off" next. Sam grabbed one of our toy microphones and said in his best newscaster voice:
"Ethan, tell us why you don't want to clean up the toy room?" We all took turns interviewing Ethan about why he didn't want to help and his responses were pretty funny. "I just don't want to obey right now!" he said, with his huge grin across his face. We all had a good laugh, and I got a clean toy room without any tears. Hooray!

I had a parent teacher conference the other day with Sam's teacher and he seems to be doing really well in Kindergarten. I was happy to hear such a great report from his teacher. He's reading, and doing math, he adores art and computer time, and loved playing "Survivor" in P.E.

Sometimes being a mother can seem so isolated, it seems as if no one will ever know about all the work you did, all the hours of love and concern that you put in. Especially when your kids are little and you're really just kind of in your own little world.

Then you start school, people start judging, essentially, what you've done. What your child can do. It's a little scary, where will they come out in the "race". I guess I've just realized how precious those first 5 years are. I know it's cliche, but really, once they start school, it's the beginning of the end. It's a wonderful transition, a necessary one, and I'm not lamenting it, just realizing that IT'S ALL WORTH IT! Every book you read, every batch of cookies you let those little hands dig in, every tickle fight, walk to the park, lazy afternoon when you feel like bedtime will never come, they all add up. They all add up to make a happy child. A loved spirit. And a loved spirit can make it through a lot of things. We need to teach, guide and sometimes discipline, but we need to be a safe place for them to fall. The world is so critical, I want our home to be their favorite place to be, and I think that can happen when they feel safe. When it's a place that mistakes can be made, and fun can be had. A place where boundaries are clear, consequences are steady, and love is doled out in heaping portions.

I remember a few years ago having the realization that I didn't really remember anything from under 5 years of age. It hit me on one of my hard days, and I remember thinking, "Why am I trying so hard? They're not even going to remember this?" "Why don't I just stick on a movie and take a nap." (Not that I never do that...don't get me wrong -- a good movie has been my best friend on many a long afternoon), but I guess I just realize that all those little things stack up to something you can't buy with all the money in the world. It's made me realize how much I want to relish these last two years before Ethan starts Kindergarten, and how much I want to make every day of these sweet little people's lives, count. What a gift to be handed these little spirits to nurture and adore. What a responsibility to make ourselves equal to that task.

Today, Yesterday, and the Day Before

2010-10-28T00:51:00.003-05:00

Ethan, and his little three year old self, just never cease to be entertaining to me.

One day after church when Mark and Aup were here we were trying to get Ethan upstairs for a nap. Right after we said we were going up Mark got a pear pie out of the fridge and brought it over to the table. Ethan said:
"See, this is why I'm not taking a rest, because look, Mark just brought dinner over."

One day I dropped something or whatever, and I said "Oh, crap!" Ethan said "What's so crap?"

Ethan loves to play in the sand box at preschool. I joke that if anyone wants to go to the beach they can just jump in one of Ethan's shoes after school. One day he came home with some in his hair...ok not some, a lot. I told him we needed to wash it out. After a few minutes of protesting he said "Sorry, my head is closed" and put his hands on top of his head.

Around 5:45 one morning our little early bird strolled into my room. We had the usual early morning conversation:
Me: "Ethan, it's still night time, go back upstairs."
Ethan: "No, my stomach is so hungry that it's about to bust open...I need a drink of cold milk in a cup with a straw, etc. etc.

Finally he said:
"How about this? You come, get me some cereal and a drink of cold milk in a cup with a straw (he says that EVERY SINGLE TIME he asks for a drink) and then we say prayer, and then you can just zoom back in here and go back to sleep." (Glad he thinks I "zoom" in the morning)

This past weekend my Mom and Dad and Cami came up. My mom made these cute little Halloween bags with treats in them for the boys, Ethan pulled a pack of Smarties out and exclaimed:
"Woah! I have been wanting theeth fah yaahs" (I have been wanting these for years!)

Sam is going to play bball with a few friends from Kindergarten. Ethan really wants to play too, so I was explaining that he needed to wait until he was in Kindergarten. He said "Why? I can just get the ball and scoop it in the hoop!"

Me: "Ethan, it's time to clean up, please get your toys and take them upstairs."
Ethan: "No, I ran out of that kind of gas."

OK, these next ones are a little bathroom-ish, but they were so funny, and innocent, that I had to remember them for later. Ethan will love me when he's 16.

Ethan, sitting on the floor in the bathroom, naked, getting ready to take a bath. He's feeling his "area" and he looks up at me with shock and surprise and yells:
"Hey! There are balls rolling around in my body. Why are there balls in my body?"

The other night while he was going number 2 he said:
"Yeah, sometimes it really hurts when I go to the bathroom because I just have a little tiny-crack bum."

Ethan loves playing stuffed animal sleepover right now. He gets all of his animals lined up and covers them up just so. Then he puts a book by each one of them, and we try to read all 25 of them before the day is through. He is very particular about where each guy goes, and it's so cute because he often puts them in families. All the dogs together etc. Today he was telling me all about each one's personality. "That one's a little bit wild." "That one is feeling sad." etc.

"Hey mom, can we go get a dog from the pet store for our family night game?" Ha! This one has had me laughing all day.

The other night we were asking him about preschool. We found a list of all the kids in his class. We asked him a name and then he sat there and told us a few sentences about every single person in his class. It was so cute. Preschool has been really good for him, he loves it, and it's the perfect balance to our week.

One thing I love right now is how sweet Ethan is to me. When I lie down with him at night he will often run his hand all the way from my wrist to my shoulder and then up my neck, then he'll play with my hair for a minute. It is the sweetest thing to see those big hands of his be so gentle. He also walks his pointer finger and his middle finger up my arm slowly when I read to him. The other night when Matt and I got in bed I was telling Matt how funny it was that Ethan did that, assuming that Ethan did the same thing to Matt. Matt just looked at me and smiled. "Ethan doesn't do that to me." I had to smile about my sweet little boy blue.

Hush Little Baby Courtesy of Easy E

2010-10-18T22:56:00.002-05:00

This was too funny. Ethan told me this was "mad" Hush Little Baby.

Fall Festivities

2010-10-18T01:20:00.006-05:00

One of our favorite things to do right now is meet Sam for lunch at Hightower. On this day I left Mia with a friend. Ethan thought it was pretty cool to go all by himself. It was cute to see all the kids at his school "Hi, Sam's mom!" I love being Sam's mom.

Matt and Mia

"Mom, will you read me all of these books" Ethan loves to read, and one day I went upstairs and he had selected a few titles for us.

The boys made a pattern block masterpiece one Sunday while I was at a meeting.

Matt and I went to the BYU/TCU game early in the Fall. BYU lost but it was fun to pretend like we were in college again. Although looking around at all of the college girls reassured me that I do NOT want to be in college again. We also got to see Matt's dad that night who happened to be in town on church business.

The kids and I went to the zoo one day when Sam had a day off. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time. We were all exhausted by the end, but it was a fun day. I love the pictures of my little birds in their nests.

Mia loved getting into the candy corn dish at Halloween. She was just tall enough to reach.

Smelly Markers

2010-10-14T23:16:00.003-05:00

The last few days when I picked Ethan up from preschool he has had marker on the tip of his nose. I kept trying to figure out why it's always there, and no where else. Today, when he got home, I said:

"Ethan, did you have fun coloring today?"
"Yeah, with smelly markers. Miss Kami said that the black one is black licorice."

Suddenly it was all so clear, I've been chuckling about it to myself all night.

Mia is suddenly starting to talk. She just seems too small. She is still wearing some 6 month clothing. But she can say shoe, Dada, Mama, woof, woof, doggy, Jesus and a form of "all done". Sometimes I can't imagine what it will be like here in a few months when I have three little people talking to me all at the same time. There is a lot of information swirling around this place. I love it.

Mark, Aup and Teairsa in Dallas

2010-09-30T22:00:00.010-05:00

This was Sam's idea for a family home evening lesson one night. He came home after school all excited and asked if he could do the lesson. He prepared every last bit all by himself, and then told us the legend of the man who had a bundle of sticks, he could break one by itself, but he couldn't break them if they were all together. The moral of the story is that as a family, if we all stick together, we are stronger than if we are by ourselves. I love Sam. He is such a joy to have in our family. He was so proud of himself, and did a great job.

The next picture is of Mark reading "Twilight" to Matt, mocking it, of course. This shot was not staged, I laughed so hard when I walked in the room. Look at Matt's face.

When did everyone in our family get so big that all three of them could be up at the table together? Look at Ethan's face. Seriously telling Sam something.

During the month of September we had the blessing of having Matt's brother Mark, his too good to be true wife, Aupreielle, and their sweet little daughter Teairsa stay with us while Mark did a rotation at a hospital here in Ft. Worth. He is going to be the family podiatrist pretty soon!

We had so much fun with them, and our kids loved having Teairsa around. We learned some sign language, since Teairsa is a huge "Signing Time" fan. The adults all got hooked on some of the great signing time songs as well. "I Found a Box of Crayons" is a personal favorite. Many hours of good laughs.

One of the best days was when we went to the Dallas Arboretum. They have stuff for kids on Mondays, so there is a petting zoo, face painting, crafts, music time etc. Ethan has been on a Battle Cat kick ever since Abby's wedding when Matt pulled out the vintage He Man cartoons on You Tube. So, when the talented face painter said she thought she could do a green cat, we took her up on it. This will seriously be one of my favorite memories of Ethan. The look on Ethan's face when he saw himself in the mirror was priceless. He was so proud of himself, and walked around on cloud nine for the rest of the day. He even got to wear his face paint to "Art Night" at Sam's school. We confused all the other kids who were looking for the face painting booth. Ooops.

The Arboretum is so beautiful in the Fall. I love Fall, the weather, the cozy feeling that comes in the crisp morning air, and all the beautiful colors. What a perfect day.

Ethan and Teairsa were often found watching "Signing Time" together, so we had to get a picture of that. Mia loved Teairsa's little hair bows, and always tried to pull them out. Teairsa was a good sport. The pictures where Mia is looking down at her shoes are of the first time we ever put shoes on her. She loved them, and smiled every time we pulled them out.

Mark and Aup are amazing. They have been all over the county this year, and Aup is even pregnant with numero dos, which makes her even more amazing. Mark worked hard all week, usually sleeping at the hospital to avoid the early morning commute, and we think that if they can make it through this, they can make it through anything! I learned a lot from being with them. Aup is so organized, and seriously, my kitchen has never functioned so efficiently. Aup is a make things happen kind of girl, and I love her. Mark is always fun to have around, always making us laugh, and helping my kids eat their food. He always has a funny story, or song to sing, and is great at distracting finicky eaters! We were so sad to have them go.

Where To Begin?

2010-09-05T13:10:00.003-05:00

I have about 6 months of catching up to do. So, I will begin with the latest funny comments from this busy (when I say busy I mean talkative) little house.

Ethan:

"Hey! One of my big Dad toofs (tooths) are in!"

"Mom, can we celebrate today?"
"What do you want to celebrate?"
"Pizza!"

"Mom I love you a hundred ninety eight."

As he watches me crack the eggs one morning for french toast:
"Mmmm, yum! I'm going to marry the inside of an egg someday!"

At 8:20 on the first day of Sam's Kindergarten adventure (about 20 minutes after we got home from dropping him off) Ethan said:
"Can we call Sam?" He misses his buddy.

"I like aivy (every) thinguh (single) fing (thing) in the whole wide wuhd (world), INCEPT (except...with much emphasis added) Darth Vader, and hamburgers." (Does hamburger know he's is such bad company?)

Today I am home from church because Ethan and Mia are sick. Ethan accidentally bumped Mia, I told him to be careful around her, especially today because she doesn't feel well. He felt bad and then put his head down and said:
"This is a bad Sunday for me!"

"Whoever invented Scooby Doo, Santa, salami, and Silly Bands had a good iduh (idea)."

A few weeks ago we were at a water park. I told Ethan that he could go down the slide 5 more times, and then we had to go. I then watched him climb the steps and slide down. The first time he reached the bottom of the slide he carefully looked at his chuggy little fist, and put up one finger. He then went down the slide four more times, putting another finger up each time. When he got to five he walked over to me, ready to go. Such an exact little guy. I love him.

Sam:

A while ago we had some chocolate mousse at a restaurant or something. A few days later Sam said "I wish we could have some of that chocolate deer again!"
Confused I asked him to tell me more about what he was referring to. As he started to explain it, I realized he wanted chocolate MOOSE! :) HA!

I made something the other night, Sam took one bite, and said:
"Mom, this tastes really awkward." I laughed all night long.

A few weeks ago we were at my parent's house for Cami's bday. Sterling and Adrienne's kids were over playing with my kids, and little Sterling (3) accidentally hit his sister Elle in the head with a plastic egg. She started crying and said she had a headache. Sam, immediately said:
"No, you have a head egg" (bu dum chu!) :) I'm afraid he has inherited the love of puns from his mom and grandpa.

Sam got to go to a baseball game in Austin with all the boy cousins, Papa Stan, Matt and his uncles. They sat where the foul balls go (?? I'm sure there's a name for it ??). Anyway, Stan caught one of the balls and handed it to Sam. Naturally Sam thought they needed it back so he chucked it back down onto the field. I wish I had been there to see the whole thing, but Matt said it was hilarious. The look on Sam's face I can picture almost exactly. Luckily, one of the players saw what happened, and they threw a ball back to Sam. I'm so glad Sam didn't knock someone's block off! :) Funny.

Ethan

2010-09-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

Back porch picnic with mom, a black bean and cheese quesadilla is one of Ethan's favorite treats.

"Honey, we need to review our budget for this month."
"I think we're right on track dear."

"Great! Let's make pizza."

Ethan's first day of preschool

This boy, I love him. A few months ago we found out that he has psoriosis on his scalp, not the worst problem you could have, but the little guy has really had his share. His skin cells produce and slough (I hate that word) off more quickly than normal, so he always has little dandruff looking flakes on his head. He is such a beautiful little boy, and I pray that all his little problems will make him stronger. I know he has a mission here on this earth, and I can't wait to see what a strong, righteous man he becomes. Ethan means "steadfast", and anyone who's been around Ethan knows that he won't budge once he sets his mind on something. My job: to channel that little will to serve God, love others, and make a difference in this world. Am I up for it? I pray every day that I can be.

We have to put this oil (or ale as Ethan pronounces it) on his scalp for a few hours each day, and put this little shower cap on. After a few days, his scalp clears up. I told him it's his pizza hat, he loves pizza so I told him it's like the one pizza chefs wear when they're making their masterpieces! Ethan's friend Soffia came over a while ago, and wanted a hat too. They were so funny mixing up their pretend pizza dough and then reviewing their finances on the computer. We're so thankful for good friends.

Mia Girl Turns One

2010-08-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

Mia's birthday really started out with a bang. Or should I say a barf. Ethan, Mia and I were at the mall because Ethan wanted to play at the play area. I honestly don't remember the last time we played at the mall. We ate some chick-fil-a, and made it a date. A few seconds after I forced Ethan to eat the chicken nugget that he told me he was too full to eat, he barfed all. over. the food court. I got a fair dousing too. So there I was, holding Mia in one arm, luckily far enough away that she didn't get a birthday spray, Ethan is crying, for good reason, he and I are covered in barf, and there is a mess in the middle of the mall. It was like everything stopped for a minute. Then these nice ladies who worked at a department store in the mall, and were all dressed up in the latest fashions, walked up and offered to help. "We're moms, what can we do?" said one of them. It was so sweet. She took Mia, and held her on her lap while I took Ethan, crying, to the nearest bathroom. As I walked away, leaving my little birthday girl, sitting on some strangers lap I thought "What am I doing?" The lady was so nice, and I had to trust her. Luckily we got Mia back, and got Ethan home all in one, smelly piece. Throw up, August, and Texas...not the best combination for my hound dog nose.

That funny face. Mia's is pretty funny too. :) That is Mia's hippo face, as Cami calls it. Those cute little teeth, the crinkles on her nose, all signature Mimsy. My ears are getting bigger. Ugh.

My Dad and Matt were in the kitchen talking and I caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of my eye. They looked so well coordinated, and in two of my favorite colors, accented with white to top it all off! Then I realized I picked out both of those shirts. Handsome boys.

It took her a minute, but once she got a taste of that cake, she was sold.

Dad, Sam, and Ethan helping her open her presents.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Mia. Rob and Christa also came through town just in time for the celebration.

The colorful cupcakes.

August 27th, 2009 changed our hearts forever. This perfect little gift, delivered right into our arms. The night Mia was born was the first night my heart had slept in almost two years. Matt and I both breathed a sigh of relief. After losing a baby at 20 weeks, there were definitely times when I wondered if we'd ever get to have another, so when this little 5 pound 6 oz. lady arrived, we were more than grateful.

We were both overcome with the mercy and love that our Father in Heaven has for us. He hears our prayers, He answers them in His own time, and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us through the times when the answers to those prayers take a different shape than we thought they might. I know I've said this before, but I have to say it again. Losing that baby, in July of 2008, was a turning point in my life. It refined me, and showed me in a deeply personal way, the love that the Savior has for each of us. He took my sadness and sorrow, and turned them into peace. He took my emptiness and confusion and turned them into faith. And if you're reading this right now, and wondering if he can do the same for you, I have to tell you, He already has. He already paid the price for all of us. For our sins, our sorrows, our heartaches. All you have to do is ask, and He will be there to help you through.

If there were a smell, or a color, or a song, or a taste, or a word that was sweet enough to describe her I'd use it right now, but none of them do. She has been an angel almost every day of her life. She is such an easy little person. She rarely cries, unless she's sick, which has only happened twice! Twice in 15 months. Bless her. She is tiny but mighty. She climbs all over this house. The other day I came into the kitchen to find that she had moved our little toy drum over to the bench, climbed onto the drum, and then used that as a step stool to get on the bench. She is coordinated, I hate to even write this, because I don't want our luck to change, but she never falls. She scoots her cute little toosh all around this house, up and down the stairs, weaves in and out of cupboards that she has completely destroyed, with never a bump or a bruise. It helps that at her 15 month check up she weighed a whopping 17 pounds! 17. She's still in her rear facing infant car seat, with room to grow. I love that I can just tote her around and not even notice.

She makes the funniest faces. She's our little pioneer. No frills, no nonsense. I have tried to put bows or flowers in her hair, and even when she was little and didn't notice they were there, they just didn't fit her. She's much too sensible. She cracks us all up. She loves her daddy. Every time he calls she says "DA!", when she hears the garage door open she does the same. She has the funniest little teeth. Her front teeth are pretty big, with a nice big space between them, we can't wait to see who she is. She is also, despite my best attempts, growing a pretty aggressive mullet. I have trimmed her hair twice now, but the front just will not grow, so the back keeps going, and we have got to get something done about it, pronto. Her little brow is always furrowed, and we have offended more than one nice old lady at the store, with Mia's little "size you up" face that she gives to everyone when she first meets them. People always say, "What's wrong, don't you like me?" But she's just thinking, taking it all in.

She loves Sam's legos. If you can't find Mia, find the legos, she will be sitting there, with a lego man body in one hand and a lego man head in the other. If you watch long enough you'll see her trick. She assembles them! Hilarious. Her tiny little hands, and her long fingers are so funny to watch. She furrows her brow, and sticks her bottom lip out in concentration. She is constant entertainment.

One of our favorite things lately, is when it's time for family prayer. Matt or I will say, "OK, everyone kneel down and fold their arms." Mia is the first one down. Her proud little face looking at everyone, making sure we all notice her tiny, folded arms. She is good enough to eat.

She has also started saying several words in the last few weeks. Diaper, Papa (for grandpa), Jesus, dog, poo-poo when she's ready to be changed (nice, I know), kah-kah for cracker, go-gur for yogurt, a strange sound that I don't know how to type, for milk. After all the Ethanese I've typed, you'd think I could type anything, but this one is weird.

When she was tiny, I started singing the 50's song "Lollipop" to her. It just stuck, and so we call her Lolli all the time. She loves to dance whenever I start singing, and we love the little groove she's got going on.

The other thing I love is how she flops her little body down on any pillow in sight. She just falls back and then looks up at the sky with a big smile on her face. Or she lies down on her side, and snuggles up. We love her, love her, love her.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Lift Off -- August 2010

2010-08-24T23:08:00.000-05:00

Sam and Mom on Sam's first day of school!

Ethan and Sam standing in front of the Hightower Elementary marquee.

For the first 5 years that you raise your child, there is very little outside judgment. There's always the occasional bad behavior at play group, or church, that makes you wonder what you're doing wrong, and if you're doing anything right, but for the most part, life is lived in this little bubble called our home. Things are happy, mostly, people's needs are easily met. You can monitor the effect that the world has on your little one with relative ease. Then, they start Kindergarten. And for us, that means all day. I don't agree with all day Kindergarten. I don't think it's necessary, but that's what they do here, so we're doing it.

So at the end of August, 2010, after almost 6 years of caring for and loving every ounce of juice out of this little boy, I sent him out into the world to spread his wings and fly. I took a deep breath, and put on a brave face for my little man who was so excited to be big. Days 1-6 were great. No tears, happy reports after school, he was excited each morning to head out. Although having to be somewhere by 7:30 is crazy. Crazy I tell you.

Then Tuesday came. The second Tuesday of his schooling career. He came down the stairs with a sad look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked him. "I want to stay home with you, and Ethan and Mia" he said through sobs. After a few tears of my own, I have to admit I was relieved. He walked into class the first day and hardly even looked back. I was a little worried that he wasn't missing us at all. Selfish, I know. Long story short, we worked through it all, he made the transition and is doing beautifully. His teacher selected Sam and a little girl to be the student council representatives for their class. They get to go to meetings every now and then and make posters, and then come back and tell the class about different events etc. I was so proud. :)

He's reading, and doing math, and loving his teacher, and typing up stories on the computer about how he's going to be an astronaut when he grows up. I miss him every day. He was sick today, and it was so fun to be back together, just like old times. We played games, watched movies, and just talked. I love that little man. He's always been a little man, so mature, so smart, so decisive, so observant. So smalla. My Little Man Tate.

The world is waiting Sam. Give it all you've got. Oh yeah, and don't forget to bring me a rock back from the moon. I love you.

Mom