my birthday surprise

Josh made it home from Panama a day before my birthday, yet managed to plan my biggest one yet.  He did a great job of down playing the day and I found myself giving him ideas to make it more special.  Little did I know the magical mayhem to come.  It reminds me of my engagement story where one part would have been more then enough but then it keeps going and going.  We did great family activities in the morning and then Liss came over around 2pm.  I totally thought she was there to babysit (for us to go to ice cream or something) but instead she was my partner in an amazing race adventure. (at each stop I got an envelope after completing a task...eat a cupcake at the sweet tooth fairy, buy jeans and shirt at anthropology, he had exact amounts of cash in each packet etc.)  I took the tasks quite seriously...post baby jean shopping can take awhile...liss did her best to try to move me along but I made it difficult on her. We had a few tasks left when she needed to head home.  She made this great story up about having a date already planned with Mark that she had to get back for and that Josh or she could finish up on Memorial Day.  So when we pulled into my (empty) driveway I insisted she stayed in the car so the kids wouldn't delay her for her date.  I walked into the house and first thing I saw was this double stroller that I had wanted and then a split second later I noticed a room full of family and friends.  TOTAL SHOCK! I was completely surprised.  Darcie made a BEAUTIFUL cake. It was amazing. How he was able to mow that huge lawn, clean the house, go to two stores, pick up stuff at Liss/Mark's house with Noah and Clara , in three hours is unbelievable.  Everyone slept pretty soundly that night. I drifted off feeling loved and grateful, thank you!

chasing waves...chasing children

Josh, his brothers, and friend took an amazing surf vacation to Panama.  Josh got the opportunity to do a loan in exchange for a weeks stay at his clients surf camp for four people.  Since the travel accommodations weren't ideal for a family of with a toddler and newborn I took one for the team and stayed home with the littles. I was really trying to have Josh write the post because the stories were so fun and crazy.  I went ahead with posting it  so I can begin to catch up with this months blogs.  I picked out a few pictures that I thought highlighted the trip...surfing, nature, friendship. I was so grateful to have my mom come out and help for a lot of the time Josh was a way.  It made his time away bearable and enjoyable....but I still get dibs on the next adventure.

We did a few of our own adventures around town and to visit the animals at Thanksgiving Point.

Mother's Day 2010

Here we are, all still smiling at church (on the way in).  This day inparticular was a bit of a humdinger.  An elderly man gave a very thoughtful opening prayer, when he finally finished Noah in full voice says, "Oh that was sure a good prayer, it was sooo long!"  The whole overflow area we were sitting chuckled.  After feeding Rowan with Clara in tow, we come back into the meeting to poor Josh hosting a play group in our pew, two other little boys and a little girl liked the looks of what Noah had in his "quiet" bag and had come to play. This is not typically allowed (for me) but its mother's day and I trying to just "go with the flow" managing six littles from being to distracting to the speakers thinking "where are your parents?".  With all the snacks eaten, one toy turning into the favorite, the noise escalating, I start stressing.  Finally the moment I've been waiting (for all my life) to have my own child sing the mother's day song with the primary.  Last year Noah was to afraid to even leave his seat but this year he skipped right to the front as just as the music starts I hear him saying something and then start walking out of the group down the stairs shaking his head saying "I'm too scared"  the whole way back to where we are sitting.  Later a woman in the ward told me how sweet it was to hear him say on the stand,"I'm scared, I need my mom"  and then I thought, how appropriate.  That was my Mother's day moment that captures motherhood for me right now.  Throw out my expectations, roll with punches (tantrums, power struggles), and take joy in the moments.