TO ME!!!

Dear Steph,

This is a letter that you are to post on your blog.  

 

You are the daughter I always dreamed of!!  Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you are truely beautiful on the inside as well.   We love you so much!!   We love that you love learning and are constantly trying new things.   We love that you aren't afraid to experiment with cooking or sewing or driving to new places or living in new places, etc.   You are an adventurer at heart!!!    We love that you are such a wonderful mother!   Every time we see you teaching your children, loving them, comforting them, sharing the gospel with them, singing with them.......it makes us very happy.   They are blessed to have a mother who cares so deeply and sacrifices so much.   We love that you are supportive of Chip in both his work and his church callings.   We know it is not always easy to be home alone, but we see how much he loves you and provides for your every need and we love that you help him.   We love that you like to exercise and play and be healthy.   We love that you have so much faith and trust in the Lord.   We love that you love reading.   In fact, we just love you!!!!   We are so grateful for your goodness, for your strength, and for how kind you are to us!   We hope that this birthday, 32nd, is wonderful.   We hope you can take the whole day to play with those darling kids of yours and cherish that you are able to be with them.

 

We plan on celebrating your birthday with you when you get to Utah!!!!   

 

All our love, Mom and Dad

Thank you so much mom and dad - for making me feel special even if I am a million miles away!!! 

I have loved reading all the texts, talking to you guys, and truly have felt loved and special by you!

xoxooxoxox

ps this is the first time someone has posted a post for me and is the best present ever!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Yesterday was a great day!  It was a great day because I got to celebrate being a mom, the hardest and most challenging role I have ever had to take on, and yet the most rewarding and one that I will never give up loving and cherishing.  I am SOOOOOO grateful for my own mom, who was a much better example to me than I ever realized while growing up - and who still is the greatest example of selflessness and a great great mom!  I love her more now than ever and rely on her so much!  Thanks so much mom for teaching me and being the best example of a great mom I could ask for!

I am also grateful for my mother-in-law for raising up the very best man in this world for me!  She deserves credit for one super duper awesome guy and I get to keep him for forever!  Also she is super talented and a great example to me too!

And for my 3 little kiddos who made me a mom and who I have the chance to spend every day with I feel truly blessed.  They are all so different, and yet all so sweet and lovable and have been given to me for reasons I might never know but I feel SO EXTREMELY blessed and honored to be their mommy!

They teach me each day and probably always will more than I will ever teach them!

Happy Mother's Day 2013 to all those out there who have been a mom to me, a friend and example, and who I look up to and admire!  What a great day to celebrate mommies!!!

Ivy was SOOO tired that she crashed on the way home from church but I wanted pics still with the boys so here are a few!  Loving their bow ties!

Loving my handsome boys!!!  Can't believe how big they are getting already!

Squeeze!

Cash is telling me something important - and so typical of Griff man!

Trying to give me a kiss!

Got me!

And now a few of each boy!

Cutest Griffin!

My favorite!

 So handsome!

 Sweet sweet boy!

He didn't want to be in the tree - but I had to post it for future laughs!

 My favorite Cash man!  He was happy to show Griffin how being in the tree was fun!

Sweetest boy out there!

 The only pics I got were a couple I had to snap of her during RS!  She was so set on having the Ipad and the hymn book at once!

Love her so much too!

 Some gifts are worth more than gold and this year these from Cash were like that for me - priceless!!!  These melted my heart - and Cash has been SOOOOO excited to give them to me all week - which made them even better!  He made them at pre-school and they made my day!  Love them!

Happy Mothers Day 2013!!!

Another First At Our House.....but NOT a Good One!!!

I also knew this day would come.  And in the scheme of things it really wasn't a big deal, but on May 2nd, for a small second my little heart was crushed.  It was the day that Cash told me his first lie.  Now some might not believe this, as he is almost 5 and I know a ton of little ones who tell innocent lies to avoid trouble, or half-truths, or stories.  It is part of growing up some might say.  But my little sweet Cash is different.  Or I as his mom just am ignorantly thinking that.  You see, he has such a tender heart, has a HUGE conscience, and up to this point has never told me anything that wasn't true.  When I ask him if he has done something that I wouldn't approve of if he has he always just ducks his head and doesn't really answer, so I know my answer - whereas if he didn't do it he will defend himself and make sure he doesn't take the blame to the point of argument.  So I have always known.  It is always written all over his face whether or not he did it anyways so has been easy to see.  This is one of the reasons I love him most.  He really is a VERY INNATELY GOOD KID.  And he still is.  Maybe that is why my heart felt heavy and the disappointment was greater on this day.

I was in the family room looking at the floor and couldn't figure out what all this white stuff was by the sliding door.  I had seen something on the ceiling the night before but couldn't figure out what it was and not wanting to turn on the lights at the time never investigated it.  Well, this time I was standing underneath it and so looked up and saw a quarter sized hole jabbed into the ceiling!  What?!  That wasn't there a few days ago!  How did that happen?!  Cash was in the room with me and so I said - "Cash, do you know what happened here?"  He looked over and without so much of a blink said "Yeah mom, Griffin did it - it was with the broomstick!"  I looked back at the hole in disbelief, thinking little Griffin had done it, and yet then upon looking back again at it started in my head thinking - Griffin is too short, he couldn't hit it that hard, how could he jab it up like that.  So I asked Cash again - how could Griffin reach it?  Cash replied "well, he was standing on the ottoman I think and just pushed it like this!" (showing me)  Well, it still didn't quite resonate with me and upon really looking at Cash I started to think this wasn't quite the honest truth - so I then asked him "Cash did Griffin really do this or did you do this?"  He then looked over, shame totally covering his whole face and he said, "maybe I did it....I am not so sure, but maybe it was actually me!"  Well this launched us into me going on about why would he lie, how disappointed I was that he told me something not true, how this ruined my trust for him, how I wouldn't be mad at what happened (or maybe I would for a few) but I am more mad that he didn't tell me the truth......to which my little son who really is so sweet burst into tears, ran over, threw his arms around my neck sobbing that he was so sorry.  He was afraid I would be mad, and he hadn't meant to but was just playing Quidditch with Griffin and somehow the broom went up like this (showing me).......I told him maybe the broom was bewitched ;) and then we had a little talk about how important it was to tell the truth.  Later on that day it came time for another thing to come out and at first he started to say it for sure wasn't him, then as if recalling the thing he tried to take the blame and said he was so sorry, and then we came to the conclusion together and he said he really didn't do it and I actually think it was Ivy who had spilled the water.  He listens, he understands, and he tries really hard to do what is right.  I trust him and know he is trying to do what is right.  I know that this is a part of growing up too, so was happy to have a little chance to talk to him about it and see his understanding.

Yesterday we went to Costco - just him and me.  We had a lunch date and were talking and I asked him if he knew how much his little brother Griffin looks up to him.  Then I asked him what that meant and he responded with "it means if I do good he will, and I shouldn't do anything bad or he will do bad too!"  His level of understanding and thought process through it was amazing to me.  I told him he was Griffin's hero and Griffin wanted to be just like him.  He said he better act like a hero, and that most of the times he does act like a superhero, but sometimes he doesn't.  We had a good little chat and I am grateful he is such a good example to his little brother.  I then asked him if he liked having a little brother and sister, or if he thought it would be more fun to just have a mom and dad and get to do more stuff.  He paused, then stated:  "well, it would be fun to do more stuff and sometimes it is hard with the kids, mostly Ivy to do stuff......but I would rather have our whole family cuz our whole family is more fun!"  I couldn't have been prouder.  I am so glad he loves having his little siblings and how much he cares for them.  I love him to pieces, and sometimes wish I could freeze time and not let him grow up anymore!  Stay little and sweet and innocent forever!!!

The Day Finally Came....

Yesterday marked a huge moment in my life.  It finally happened.  The time I embarrassed my child at school.  I will say I knew this day would probably come, although it came sooner than expected, about something totally unexpected, and actually makes me laugh every time I think of it.

So yesterday Cash had pre-school.  When I dropped him off I was wearing my workout clothes, yes - I was STILL in them from the previous day after having sweated it out on Monday and then never getting the chance for a shower, too exhausted to care Monday night with Chip out of town and sick kids and so went to bed in my gross clothes, and then knowing I was working out as soon as I dropped him off I figured 'what the heck' and decided it really wasn't worth changing to ruin another pair - afterall that only makes more laundry for me right?  Anyhow, so off we went, and I tried to mask my stench with a little perfume on the sweatshirt, hair pulled back all greasy and gross, matted to my head pretty much from my prior sweat and bed head (nope I didn't even comb it), only pretended to mask it by putting on sunglasses, and off we went.  He was happy and said nothing of the sort.

I dropped him off, went and worked out with my friend Jenny, came home and hopped in a MUCH NEEDED shower and put on regular clothes - FINALLY!!!  However, once I got out of the shower and got dressed I realized it was already time to pick him up and so combed my wet hair, stuck my shades on, and set off to get him.  I thought I was good and actually felt so fresh and clean and smelling much better.  I walked into Cash's classroom and was watching them sing their goodbye song when it happened!

Cash looked over at me and our friend Katie (Reese's mom) and exclaimed (loudly, yes in front of the whole class) "Mom, what is up with your hair? Why does it look weird like that?"  Hmmmm, I thought - as my friend Katie said "it's just wet!"  Cash then looks at it, rolls his eyes super big and obvious and said "mom, you didn't even use a blow dryer did you?!"  Nope, son, sorry I didn't have time cuz I had to come get you...... Then, looking right at me he said "mom, you are embarrassing me so much!"

WHAT!!!!!??????

I thought for sure I was much more embarrassing earlier when I was all gross in my day old clothes - didn't know my hair could be so embarrasing and that being dressed in normal clothes and smelling good wasn't good enough for Cash! My friend was laughing so hard at this point that she could hardly contain herself, and so I just joined in too and got a good chuckle.  I am sorry son for being such an embarrassment to you with my clean wet hair.  I will try to pull it back next time.

On a side note my friend sent me these pics below from our ward luau on Saturday night and I told Cash that his faces are sort of crazy and maybe a little embarrassing to me!!! ;)  ok just kidding I love them! 

Happy Day!