we're going a little crazy....

We are going a little nuts around here with packing, moving, scout camp, kids home from school, company, a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's, a garage sale, switching over utilities, cleaning, etc. etc. etc. Because of all this...we are taking a break from the blogging world til things get a little bit more settled. We hope to be back in action in a few weeks! I'm sure we'll have plenty to blog about when we come back!

Enjoy your summer breaks everyone....

School's out for summer....

We survived another school year!

I think I was more excited than the kids to be done for the year.

Jack's Kindergarten 'Graduation' program! I am SOO proud of this little guy making it thru this school year!

And while the boys were in school, Olivia loved to hang out with these cute little ladies. We were so lucky to find such a fun group of girls all the same age with brothers all in the same kindergarten class! Made for fun weekly play dates and our running/walking mornings to have so many little girls around!

My sister Nicole and I crashed the 2nd grade lunch table and spent the lunch hour with Keaton and all his little buddies. I know he loved having us there, even if he did get a tad embarrassed at certain points!

After the last day of school, some friends from Jack's class all met at the park for some celebrating!

KJ chose to go bowling with his friend Reece after school was out! We had a fun and busy afternoon!

Now it's time to relax and enjoy our summer break....wait...nevermind. Now it's time to pack and move! Shoot. We will get to relax in a few weeks! Congrats to my cute boys for finishing up another successful school year!

blue skies and red rocks.

What's the best way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon? Enjoying the outdoors!! It was a perfect Saturday.

The perfect walking trail. (with a pit stop along the way for Jack!)

The perfect tree for climbing.

The perfect rocks for climbing.

The perfect afternoon with my favorite people.

Rudy's BBQ...the perfect ending.

Good-bye my love...

Very sad post for our family. We had to say good-bye to our beloved dog because we will be moving in a few weeks and our new rental is a 'no-dogs-allowed' house. We said our good-byes and he went to a very good home. He'll still have kids to play with (which he loves), and hikes to go on almost every morning, a big backyard, and so we know he will be happy at his new home. We will miss our Mikey. He was such a cuddly little thing.

can you say competitive???

I'm not quite sure what to think about my daughter's competitive nature. She is by far the most competitive one in our family. She HATES to lose at anything...the game of Life, race to get the car seats buckled, race to get jammies on before bed (you get the point)...she can NOT stand to lose to her brothers. I don't know if this is a good thing or will cause trouble when she's older. Jack learned to ride his bike without training wheels a few weeks ago and ever since that day Olivia has wanted to catch up with him and learn to ride her 2 wheels. I told her that when she turned 5 years old, I'd let her take them off. Well, after a couple of weeks of begging, I finally gave in thinking that she'd get frustrated and want them back on. I was wrong. She hopped on, and rode. She didn't even need my help. What the heck??? It was the easiest thing ever. When that girl sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her. I have a feeling I'm not going to like that during the pre-teen/teen years. After we came inside she asked, "are you proud of me now like you were proud of Jack when he learned?" Of course I am! I'm also not sure whether I like the fact that there are no more training wheels in our house. That means my kids are growing up too fast!

Here's my little dare-devil princess with her 2-wheel debut.

you are worth it all...

Last night (Mother's Day) after the kids were sound asleep in bed and I had some quiet time I started thinking about just how crazy each day of motherhood is for me personally.

Yesterday the kids were all chasing each other around with foam swords and they kept running behind my 'rear-end' as if it was a giant shield of protection. That is never a good sign. It's also never good when your daughter pinches the loose skin on your tummy and says, "squishy, squishy" (this actually happened today while we were in line at the Post Office). Nice. Some parts of my body will never be the same after motherhood. There are many parts that I'd like to get tucked and tightened, but that's just not practical when I'm running around all day just wishing that I had been blessed with a 3rd arm.

Here are some other things that seem to keep my life pretty crazy....I'm sure most mom's out there can relate :

• The middle of the night nightmares that require cuddle time and patience when I'm extra tired. Or the middle of the night sheet change that is sometimes required.
• All the Saturday mornings that are no longer 'sleeping-in' days. Actually make that every morning. I miss sleeping in.
• I keep wishing I had my pre-baby skin back. I'm tired of the stretch-marks that tend to make certain areas look more like a road map!
• I miss my car being clean without cheez-it's or goldfish smashed in the carpet and all the creases of the car seats.
• I get discouraged when I see the mountain of laundry calling my name and chuckle a bit when I see rocks or 'treasures' in the bottom of the washing machine.
• I miss the times when I could actually have a peaceful phone conversation. There seems to be something imbedded in my children that when I get on the phone, fighting and crying immediately break out. I usually find myself talking in the bathroom or pantry or any other small place that can drown out their noise!
• There are times when I just need to find a quiet place to get 5 minutes of peace.
• I miss grocery shopping with a list and having time to actually look down each aisle. I usually get half-way done with shopping when someone has to use the potty .... NOW!
• I usually have a very sticky or dirty phone because the kids love games and I cave because sometimes I just need a sanity moment.
• I miss being able to check-out at the store without my children begging for a treat at the register. (Whoever came up with the idea of marketing candy and treats at check-out must have not had children of their own!)
• I miss watching Ellen or Dr. Phil...now I'm nagging the kids to get their homework done.
• I'm tired of asking: You're doing a potty dance...do you need to go potty? Did you flush the toilet? Did you wash your hands? DID YOU ACTUALLY GET ANY OF THE PEE 'IN' THE TOILET?!?
• I'm tired of telling them they have to finish all of their dinner and then eventually setting the timer for 5 minutes.
• I don't know how many times a day I have to say, "tell them you're sorry". No more hitting.
• We sing the ABC's countless amounts of times, we listen to kids movies or kids music all the time. I miss my grown-up music.

And all of this is just in one day, and will have to be done all over again tomorrow.

Yet, no matter how tired and worn out I am, the GOOD-NIGHT kisses at night seem to make it all worth it.

My only hope this Mother's Day is that my kids will grow up and know that no matter what, their mom loves them. Not only loves them, but ADORES them. Being a mom is the the hardest yet greatest thing I've ever accomplished in my life. So today (the day after Mother's Day) I want to thank them for giving me the gift of being their mom.

I had a great day yesterday and was completely spoiled. It was so nice to have breakfast in bed, homemade gifts, a nice long foot rub, a simple and delicious dinner without dishes, and lots and lots of "I LOVE YOU's".

I also can't go without sending a BIG thank you to all the 'mom's' in my life. No words can express the gratitude I have for all of you. For what you've done to make our lives so great, and the love that you continue to show for us unconditionally. You exemplify what Mother's are supposed to be. Your examples have been such an impact on the way we live our lives.

"A Mother is the truest friend we have." - Washington Irving.

Happy Mother's Day!

This necklace is my new treasure. Olivia made this all on her own, and it literally took her hours. She was so proud of it and I am so in love with it. I will treasure it always. Her little fingers beading away was so cute. She is one determined little girl.

Tea for two...and two for tea...

*This post is in honor of the recent Royal Wedding*

What's more fun than a tea party with your cute little 4 year old daughter??

Nothing.

She makes me so happy.

We also had to throw in a fun photo shoot!

This little girl loves the camera spotlight and has an attitude to go with it!

Rarrrrrrr.....

2-wheels for Jack...

I know I just posted last night about Easter, but I wanted to share Jack's latest accomplishment before it gets brushed under the rug. Jack learned how to ride his bike WITHOUT the training wheels last Saturday!!! GO JACK! He was so proud of himself. We thought this would be a stressful process, but he got it within 10 minutes. Never fell down once. I think he's been ready, we just didn't get around to taking his wheels off early enough. Now, all he wants to do is ride around...only problem is that it's been cold and wet ever since. Here's hoping for warmer weather and no skinned knees.

I think Jack is getting too big for this bike, but it works for now!

Beautiful Easter Sunday...

Although we woke up to a layer of white snow (which didn't make me very happy) our Easter Sunday ended up being a perfectly beautiful day. We had an Easter breakfast, talked to the kids about the real reason for this Easter Holiday while they snacked on all the goodies from the Easter Bunny. Then we went to church which really was my favorite highlight of the day! I can't imagine the holiday passing without being spiritually fed and showing my gratitude to the Savior. Refilling my spiritual tank was exactly what I needed today. The children and youth sang, and we heard some beautiful talks. I feel like my life would have so much less meaning and depth if I didn't have the gospel to rely on, as my strength...my rock. Coley and Jason both came with us today. It's such a great gift to have them there with my family. ALL 3 kids fought over who got to sit on their laps. They obviously love having them come too! I am grateful for the Savior, His life, His example, the Atonement and most of all the Resurrection. What an amazing event in History. What an amazing gift.

We came home and had a fabulous Easter feast!! We dyed eggs, had an Easter Egg hunt and as usual just enjoyed each other's company!

These are the four people I love more than anything else in the world!!

I read this quote tonight and loved it. I just thought I'd share.

“Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

“But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

“No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, in this life or the next, Sunday will come.”

~Joseph B. Wirthlin

Hope you all had a great Easter as well and I especially hope you all had the opportunity to be with those you love.