Picture of Nathan before a church dance

Melting A Heart

So, a few days ago, Joshua and I were sitting together and he said, "I'm so happy!" I replied, "What are you happy about?" and he pointed his finger at me. I said, "Me?" and he nodded his head and replied, "mmm-hmm" It melts my heart every time I think of it.

It Must Be a Boy Thing

Joshua has learned how to make himself burp. Last week sometime he had a big belch, and it triggered some kind of knowledge about how to manufacture one. So now, he thinks it's funny to do it. As I write this he is practicing burping - one must perfect the art, you know.

Heavenly Chocolate - Can you even breathe?

Leah's Yummy Cupcakes

Leah and I were watching the Food Network and Giada was on making her delicious food - as usual. We always feel inspired by watching the Food Network, but Leah was particularly taken with the yumminess of these. She was so excited to bake something, so we bought the ingredients, and the next day, we baked them. They look just like Giada's! We were so impressed with ourselves that we had to take a picture! Don't they look fantastic?! They're cupcakes that you make from a brownie mix with some extra special ingredients. They were really like brownies in cupcake form, but were still super yummy! We also learned a new frosting recipe - and I love to learn to make new frostings.

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

Today is Joshua's 4th birthday! We love his happy disposition, squeezy hugs, and so much more. Over the past two weeks, he has decided he loves to sing, and lately you can hear him singing the Star Wars theme song pretty much every where he goes. He has always loved to adopt different identities for dramatic play. His most recent character is Luke Skywalker. It's amazing that, after all these years, little boys are still pretending to be Luke and saving the universe.

Here is a picture of the birthday cake we had for him on Monday, and some of his presents. It's a long story, but we celebrated his birthday on Monday instead of today, because Wednesdays are so incredibly busy & he was having a hard time dealing with the fact that there were presents in the house that he would have to wait 2 days to have. Bottom line... it isn't worth the hyperness and upset that is a small child on his birthday. And I didn't want everyone to have to endure two days of upset just so he could have his material belongings on a certain day. I figured that his birthday is about celebrating him as a person, not about getting presents & this was a perfect opportunity to teach that. He might not have learned that lesson, but our older kids did.

Today, we'll have Auntie Suzanne over for lunch and have some ice cream -keeping it low key.

Jensen Family Visit

Tonight we spent time with old friends. Joe Jensen and his family came to visit us while they were on their way to Santa Cruz. We had so much fun! It was great to see all of the kids get to know each other and create friendships. I was happy to finally get to know his wife Celinda. (We had met only once before at their wedding - a long time ago.) We enjoyed the company, and the whole thing felt like a wonderful family get together! We have always thought of Joe as family, and it was so nice to be able to include Celinda and their children in that feeling too.

Here we are - the whole, happy crew!

Cranky on Mother’s Day

I've thought about this for the last few years (it usually hits me at the end of the day on Mother’s Day)... 

On past Mother's Days, I have ended up being cranky about having to do things for my family that I would usually do without any thought or complaint.  Mother's Day is wonderful - don't get me wrong - I like to be appreciated, and I think our families do and should show us appreciation on that day especially.  But, I also think we moms set ourselves up for disappointment because we want to take the day off and do away with our responsibilities, and maybe have come to expect Mother's Day to be a relaxing, no-cares, kind of day.  Due to the nature of motherhood, we can’t take 100% of the day off.  In fact, it always seems that on Mother's Day we moms find ourselves in situations where extra mothering is needed.  Let’s face it, when Mom is home and not doing her regular, everyday things, the kids’ day gets a bit disoriented, and they get upset and might quarrel a more than usual.  

Now that my kids are getting older, and as Nathan gets closer to moving-out age, I have started to realize that, on Mother's Day, instead of getting upset that I didn't get the day off, I want to appreciate that I get to be a mother and do all of these little things for my family, like combing hair, finding socks, ironing clothes, hurrying people out the door.

As Mother’s Day began on Sunday, I wasn’t thinking about this.  My family had made me cards and given them to me the day before.  Nathan decided he and Dad were going to make hash browns for everyone in the morning, as a gift to me.  After breakfast, as we were getting ready for church, I started to have to do more of the work, and I began to get a little resentful.  Not much, but a little.  This probably would have continued to build throughout the day, as I fixed lunch for everyone, etc. if it weren’t for a lovely reminder that I received at church.

I was out in the hall with Joshua when I saw a mom and her child.  The child was looking like she had been misbehaving a bit and that wonderful mom looked like she had been pushed to her limits already.  I imagined that this was not what she had had in mind for her special day.  When she was supposed to be appreciated for all efforts and love, she was being asked to problem solve and discipline. She looked harried - worn out.  But what I also saw was the beauty of motherhood!  Here was a mom, mothering her child.  And I thought to myself, “Isn’t this moment exactly what Mother’s Day is all about?”  This little child needed her mommy.  And I smiled.  

Whether in good times or bad times, we get to mother our children.  What a blessing!  When they have been rotten and we would like to have it easy, it’s still a blessing.  Instead of trying to push mothering away from us on Mother’s Day, we can embrace it and appreciate it.  We can find joy in the things that we have to do each day.  And we can say to ourselves, “I get to _______ for my children today, what a perfect thing to do on a day like today.”

After church, I came home and kids started asking, “What can I have for lunch?”,  “Is there anything else I can have?”,  “Will you make it for me?”, and I started to feel that grumpy feeling emerge.  My first thought was, “Hey, your supposed to be making lunch for me.  Or at least not asking me to make your lunch.”  Then my mind went back to earlier, and that scene  with the mom and her child.  And I had this great swell of love and appreciation for what Mother’s all over the world do everyday.  I appreciate that you take care of and love your children.  That you teach them and help them grow up to be kind, responsible adults.  Mom’s are awesome!  You are awesome!