April 27, 2011

Dear Andrew,

I am tired.  I am worn out.  I am at my wits end sometimes.  What do we do?  I hope this is just a stage we are going through.  I love your sweet smile and sometimes you can be just the nicest boy in the world, but lately, all you have done is begged, cried and just screamed at me.  You are very one track minded and that is fine at times but son, oh my son, you have got to let up alittle bit.  You don't stop until you get what you are after and I love that determination in you.  I could use that at time myself.
You love your brothers and you also torture them.  Maybe this is how it is suppose to be.  Does Motherhood really cause you to loose your mind and sanity?  I feel like I am getting to that point sometimes.  I wish I could just wave a magic wand over everything and make it the way I see things, but then again that would be too easy wouldn't it?  How would we learn and grow?
I just want you to know Andrew, that I love you! I love your sweet spirit and the little rotten things you do now and then.  I sometimes sit back and just laugh at the strange things you do and say.  I am constantly amazed at the great amount of love our Father in Heaven must have for you and each and every one of His children.
Let's have a good day today!!!!

April 24, 2011

Easter Day

This year was alittle different.  We had Stake Conference on Easter Sunday.  It was a very nice session.  We had a broadcast from Salt Lake City and it was a very sweet meeting.  I learned a great deal on what I need to do to be a better parent and a better person overall.  I have a lot to work ahead of me.
Owen woke up feeling kind of yucky.  He was good enough for Stake Conference and then when we came home we started running a fever and just feeling kind of sluggish.  It is never any fun when children are sick.  It is never any fun with children are sick on holidays!  This year it was Owen's turn.  At least he is young enough that he didn't know what he was going to miss out on.
Lance was very generous to stay home with him while the boys and I went to my parents for some Easter fun and dinner.  We had a large crowd this year. It was nice to be all together.  We had great food and fun company.




This year instead of putting candy in the eggs and then letting your children get sicker than sick due to all the junk that they eat, they bought a pinata and filled it full of fun little toys and a few little treats thrown in.  The kids LOVED it! The parents LOVED it!  Great idea mom and dad!!!  It was hit.  My children were very spoiled this year.  The Easter bunny was very kind to them. They had a lot of fun.
While we were out having fun, Lance was holding down the fort with a pretty sick little guy. 
Now all the boys are sound asleep and we are keeping our fingers crossed that Owen will sleep all night.
Happy Easter everyone!  We are so thankful for all the many things we have been blessed with.  The Lord has been very kind to our family. My in-laws sent me a text with a picture of them at our little baby's burial site in Mesa. It is so sweet to know that she is thought of.  We are reminded especially this time of year the importance of the resurrection.  I am so thankful for the knowledge that we will live again and be with her.  The Lord is in charge and I have learned not to question his motives.  I just go with it and trust that he knows what is best for me and my family.  I have felt peace and love through it all.  I am so blessed.

Easter Egg Hunt

Every year our good friends the Palmers have some type of Holiday get together at their little plantation they have behind my parents home.  Every year we go there for Halloween.  Batman and Spiderman parachute down into the party and my kids don't consider it Halloween until they have been to the Palmer's for the fun.  So it is with Easter.  Every year the "creepy bunny" comes to visit the kids.

 They serve you breakfast and have a ton of fun activities for families.  It is definetly a very fun tradition we have started with our kids.
This year the weather was beautiful.  It was somewhat warm and there were lots of fun friends and family around to enjoy it with.




We had a great time.  Owen found a tractor and that was all he really wanted to see and do.  So it was time well spent.
Thanks Palmer's for another fun time. 

April 21, 2011

owen turns 2

Owen is offically 2 years old.  I still can't believe it!  Time has really flown by with this child.  We didn't have a huge party.  I prefer to have it small and simple while they are still young because they have no idea what is going on.  So we had family over for a BBQ and cupcakes and ice cream.  I think he had a good time.  Keaton and Andrew gave him a push lawn mower that blows bubbles while you push it. I think that was the biggest hit of all. He hasn't stopped pushing it since he opened it last night.  I think money was well spent on that gift.
Thanks everyone for coming. We had such a nice time with all of you.
Happy Birthday Owen! We love you and we are so thankful that you are in our family!!!!!


  My sister Rachel, her newest Olivia and my mother

Owen and all the kids waiting to blow out the candle
 Uncle Justin with all the kids
Uncle Justin who just came back from a 10 day vacation in Hawaii all nice and tan



April 18, 2011

Easter afternoon

This afternoon we went to my parents house for some early Easter festivities for the kids.  Since my dad and my brother have been in Hawaii for the past 10 days my mom has been left solita at her home. We have been over alittle more to keep her company this past week.  My sister Rachel brang her two girls over for some egg dying and some picture frame making.  The kids had a great time.
It is so fun to watch my children get excited about the holidays.  We have been doing some more decorating around our home. Each year we collect alittle more and then that makes for a great next year.  This year we had a fun mantel decorate for Easter.  I have loved the tradition that my mother-in-law has of decorating her mantel each and every holiday.  It makes it more fun and exciting with little kids around.  So I have taken on that tradition myself.  Owen slept through pretty much our afternoon of fun, which was sad for him but good for me. It gave me more freedom to concentrate on Keaton and Andrew.  Sorry Owen, we didn't get any pictures of you today. There will be more to come.
Thanks mom and Rachel for a fun afternoon! It was so nice being with you this afternoon!  Bring on the Easter traditions.  Here's what our afternoon looked like.....
My Andrew with his eggs.
 All the grandkids with their colored eggs.
 My sweet Keaton with his eggs. He was so proud of them.


My cute little niece Ava can be so sweet and then something will set her off and this is the innocent face we get.  She was much happier afterwards. 


April 15, 2011

A wedding reception

Lance's cousin Kimberly got married today.  We went to the wedding reception this evening with our children believing that they would be on their best behavior.  For the most part they did.  They had their little treats, checked out all the little kids that were there and wanted to play.  Lance comes from a very large family and so when his family has a get together, they really have a get together.  It was an amazing reception.  We love Kimberly.  She has found a great guy and she looked so happy.  We are so happy for them.
The reception was a very nice Country Club house.  It was very nicely decorated and there was a lot of very delicate things inside.
My boys thought it would be fun to take off their shoes and socks and crawl under the table.  Owen was in his pajamas and he was already barefoot and so my other boys decided to follow suit.  I tried to get them to stop but I was not very successful.  Lance was off visiting with families so it was hard to hold down the fort by myself. So after awhile we took them outside even though it was raining ligthly.  Owen was in heaven running around with all the younger kids.  I was sitting and visiting with aunts and uncles when I noticed my children with sand in their hands. I knew there was no sand around so I was pretty curious as to where they were finding this so called "sand."  Come to find out, they were pulling all the ashes out of the cigarrette canister.  Isn't that lovely?  I was so proud of my boys! Playing around in old cigarette ashes.  So we had to keep a very close eye on them after that.  Needless to say it was getting late and our kids were going crazy so we packed up and headed home.
It was fun to get out and see family we haven't seen for quite a while.  It is nice to catch up with everyone and see them.  Everyone's families are getting so big in age and numbers.  I am so glad I married into a great family.  They are some of the greatest people you will ever meet on this earth.
Now I am sitting at this computer writing this all down while I have a child crying from his bed "Mommy, my tummy is starving."  Yep, that would be Andrew.  My son who never seems full and always wants a treat.  I don't know if he likes to eat because he gets bored, or if there is a worm in his little tummy that never seems satisfied.  Oh the joys of motherhood.  Most say that one day I will miss it. I am not convinced of that yet.  I hope this is just a phase.  Goodnight!!!!!

April 14, 2011

Olivia's baby blessing

My sister Rachel had her second baby almost 10 weeks ago and last Sunday they blessed her.  I love baby blessings! I love seeing them all dressed up in white. Although I never got a picture of her in her blessing dress, she was an absolute angel.  My boys love her.  Owen loves her! He loves being as close to her as he can get.  I took very few pictures and this happened to be one of them.  I thought it was really sweet.  I hope he is this sweet with our new little one that will be here soon as he is with Olivia. 

April 6, 2011

Flowers

I love Spring! I love the newness it brings.  After a harsh winter everything proves that it has survived. It doesn't seem to matter what harsh conditions they endured or what happened to them, they always seem to find their way to the surface and bloom the most beautiful flower they have in them. 
 The grass is a deep green, the flowers are in full bloom and they are beautiful.  The other day while we were at my parents house I cut a few of my mother's flowers to put in my home.  This is what sits atop my kitchen table.
I think they add so much to a house. I wish I could have fresh flowers every day.  Wouldn't that just make your day?  I would like to think it would.  It does for me.  I just smile everytime I see them.  They are bright and remind me to be happy.  Now we are just waiting for the tulips to come out.

April 1, 2011

Spring Break

Remember when Spring Break was a big deal growing up? Everyone had the best vacation planned and it seemed like it was the week to plan big?  I do.  At least I think I did growing up.  It meant no school for an enitre week.  Going to bed late, sleeping in, etc was the thing to do.  Now Spring Break for me not so much that.  As a mom with young children still at home and only one in Kindergarden we don't really understand how fun Spring Break could be.  Well this week was kind of that way.  We had some really fun things planned, but for the most part it was a hang out and chill kind of week.  I think my boys were ok with it too.  One night we took the boys to the YMCA to go swimming. It was a huge hit.  We all had a blast and our boys just loved the water.  Now that they are alittle older and learning to swim alittle better we ventured out into the big pool where they could still touch in 3 ft. water. Owen loved just swimming around and floating.  It makes for a very peaceful sleep.  Swimming will do that to you.  I wish we could swim every evening just before bed to guarantee a good nights rest.  Heaven only knows we could use that around here.
We took the boys out to buy new shoes, go out to eat lunch with dad.  One afternoon we even went to McDonald's for a happy meal and then met up with dad again at a fun park. 
Out of this entire week, there were only two days that gave us glorious weather, yesterday and today.  We enjoyed near 70 degree weather.  The sun came out, we got sun burnt and just played as long as we could outside.  We love the outdoors and my boys just are in heaven when they are outside.  I am ready to live outdoors again.  That way the T.V is shut off and there is no time for movies.  It is good for the boys.


Today we went over to my parents house.  The weather was beautiful and the boys just wanted room to run and play.  My parents have a perfect house for that. They can run and play and do all they want. It is a little kids paradise over there. Since my mom was working we decided to do a little extra yard work around their home.  I was put to work on the riding lawn mower.  I didn't mind it at all. It was quite nice actually.  Growing up I always enjoyed doing that and I still enjoy it.  My boys played nicely and my aunt was over at my grandmother's house, who happens to live right next door.  They live on about 3 acres of just yard, gardens and fields. I have always loved going home.  There is something about that place that always calls us back.  We love it!
I am not sure why I never got a picture of Andrew this week.  Sorry Andrew! Momma still loves you.  You just don't enjoy the camera as much as your other brothers do.  Better luck next time. Maybe this one from last week will do.  You are just so darn cute, I don't want to miss out on your cute smile.

I am not sure where Owen gained his love for cats?  He definetly didn't get it from his parents. We are not animal lovers in the least.  He must have inherited it from his Grandma Quinn.  He loves trying to find her cats and just love them. 
Once Owen woke up from his nap and she saw me mowing the lawn the was all game for helping me out.  Right now his infatuation is riding lawn mowers and tractors.  He LOVES them!!!  He can't get enough of them so today was his lucky day.  We mowed from about noon to 4 p.m.  There is that much to mow and in between mows I would take a break to come and play with my other boys.  They enjoyed picnics on great-grandma's covered patio, puzzles with Aunt Sheryl and some serious worm hunting.  They had a great time.  It was so nice to watch them play so nicely with each other.  It makes me happy.
So it is a quater after 9 p.m. and kids are all alseep.  It is almost time to put this momma to bed too. 
Here's to another year of Spring Break.  The best way to end it is General Conference.  Enjoy it!