sweet cheeks

I love this baby!

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.

Mmmm, healthy and chocolate

granola bars
This was adapted from a recipe from a food blog connected to the pioneer woman blog.  I do that, I filter through random blogs and look at projects, recipes and file them away for another day never to be started let alone completed. However, I had all but one ingredient in my pantry and it looked too easy not to try.  The bars were yummy and under the category of "healthy", which to me, makes it even tastier.  Since buying wheat germ I've made it three times. I think I'm like my mom in that way, she use to get on a bit of recipe kick and bake it again and again....mini cheesecakes, dutch butter cake, scratch brownies...(highlights of a happy childhood for sure).

ingredients
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven 350. 
Line 9x13 with foil and then spray with Pam.
Mix dry ingredients
Mix wet ingredients
Pour wet into dry and stir.
Pat into pan.  Bake 15-20 minutes depending on your preference of chewy vs. crisp.
Cut in pan and then let them cool in the pan.
Enjoy! 
(no surprise---I cut out all the oil and replaced with applesauce and it really worked well. I also did it once with 1/4 cup oil 1/4 cup applesauce if you fear no oil.  You can also switch out the choco. and pb chips for whatever you like...craisins, white chocolate, or some yummy combo)

ode to my mom

I recognize I may be a little over zealous in my list making.  I find it's a way to get my feelings across concisely...kind of neccessity with three littles at my feet.

my mom

thoughtful
articulate
wise
lifelong learner
mary poppins...practically perfect in every way
could find a rhyme to anything
baker of "crisp" cookies
teacher to all
teacher by example
selfless
caregiver to many generations
well read
seeker of truth, light, and goodness
best editor, and typist around
refined without being stuffy
thrifty without being cheap
beautiful
(I've always longed for your tiny ankles, long neck, defined cheekbones, and olive skin tone
but I am grateful to share some of your same sensibilities.)
encouraging, and supportive for what ever we went for (starlite..um cheerleading..teach in tonga)
keeper to confidences
welcoming to strangers
giver of time
show'r of respect
can back up as well as she can drive forward
can drive anything...has driven more vehicles then most should ever have to
quick wit
builder of testimonies
makes raising six children look like fun
makes me want to be a better mom
magically instilled in me this desire to be good, without a bunch of rules
fierce snap, I'm working on my own
memory maker
storyteller
mentor
friend
my marme
 

She is one in a million

Laura has always told me I could put something in the blog if I ever wanted to - so this Mothers Day morning I'm using that privilege to say a little something nice about her.

Laurakate isa wonderful mother and I have to say that as long as I've known her I knew she would be.  For whatever reason we've been blessed with three of the most beautiful, thoughtful, funny, and at times...(ok maybe most of the time) challenging children in the whole entire world.  The beautiful, thoughtful and funnypart make the challenging times for me bearable (but I get to escape to the office for 8-10 hours a day)  To take on the all day (and currently all night) responsibility that she does is to me super-human. 

She is truly one in million and I'm grateful to have someone as amazing as her teach, care for, and guide our little ones.