The Things This Boy Says!

Ethan finished his dinner the other night and exclaimed, " I'm fuller than a chicken in a barrel ". All Ryan and I could do was laugh! We asked him where on earth he got that one from and he just look at both of us confused and said he had just made it up. Look out world we have another Dan Rather on our hands!

The Men in My Life

Today is a very special day. Not only is it Father's Day but 13 years ago today I married the man that would become my best friend. We got off to a ruff start but it has only gotten better with time. We have grown together in so many ways and he has taught me how to be a better person. I've learned how to bite my tongue and to take the higher ground. To laugh at myself and at life. To stand firm on the things that really matter and to let go of the things that don't. He makes me what to become a better wife, mother, and friend. So thank you Ryan for your patients and love. I know the Lord loves and cares for me because he sent me you. A man that completes me and that He knew I would need to help me to become all that I could be. Happy Anniversary, honey, I love you forever!

It is also Father's Day and I want to just say that I have been blessed with a great Dad, Don. He and my Mom divorced when I was just 2 and so I never got the chance to have him around much while I was growing up but right around the time that I got married I got a second gift. The opportunity to get to know him better and have him in my life. Although we are still in the process of getting to know each other, this is what I've have found and admire about my Dad. He is easy to laugh, very kind and soft spoken. He is giving and loving and is a very hard worker. Too hard at times. He knows how to have fun and look at the good things in life. He has helped me in that respect. To look at the good when you are surrounded by the bad. I hope my brothers know just how lucky they are to have had him right there as they were growing up and that they appreciate all that he does for them now.

Love you Dad and I love having you in my life and that my children can have the opportunity to know and learn from you.

Last but not least is my Grandpa Cameron. He is the wise one who was and is a positive father figure in my life. He teaches by example in everything that he does. Works hard at honest work. Serves others and enjoys the wonders of nature all around us. Respects and learns the lessons of those that have gone on before. And most of all to have faith while in darkness, because there is always a light somewhere. I hope that I can be the kind of mother as he has been a father/grandfather.

I love all of the great men and I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. I hope that they all know how much they mean to me.

Just a quick post to share Holly's latest...

While making the most dramatic sick face she could muster and bending half over she says, "Mom my body hurts....I didn't eat enough vegetables"

So remember to eat those vegetables!

Choosing to Be Happy

I came across a quote by Jillian Michaels of all people that really kind of hit me. "Happiness is a choice. Life will not always be easy. You won't always be happy. Things will go wrong that are unfair & totally out of your control, but...YOU have a choice. You can choose to become a victim of these unfortunate events or you can choose to learn from them and grow."

I've heard the old adage that you need to choose to be happy but I guess the word "victim" is what really hit me. I never looked at it as letting yourself be a victim and if there is one thing I have never thought of myself as is a victim. That empowered me to take a look at my life and how I react to it. So the last few days although I've been really tired and overwhelmed at times I have made a choice to not so much be happy but to NOT be a victim of the situations and people around me. I think that I've been happier the last couple of days because of it.

I've also tried to figure out how to be better organize my days, especially with the kids home for the summer. We also have the blessing of having Patrick over this summer. For those who don't know Patrick is the 7 year old that lives across the street and has become good friends with Ethan and Holly. Patrick's Mom Holly (yes another Holly) is a single mom and we try to help her out whenever we can and so we said that we would watch Patrick this summer.

Anyway, in the attempt to get better organized I came across this great website/blog on Ryan's cousin Raimi's blog. http://www.simplemom.net/, thanks Raimi!

It is great so check it out. It has great idea's to get your crap together and for anyone who really knows me I can't live without lists. I have "to do" lists everywhere and simple mom has a form called the "daily docket" that helps to organize your day. Score! I used it yesterday and I loved it. It not only helped me get organized it gave me inspiration and a place to write down the funny things my kids say that I want to remember. Then I can take them to my computer and record them in, you guessed it, my blog.

So here are the things my kids said to make me smile...

Ethan - "When I woke up I was crabby, but then I shook my head and now I'm fine."

Holly - singing the primary song "Wise Man & Foolish Man" changed the words a little..."The wise man build his house upon the rock and the rain blew the trampoline down". She sings almost constantly which I love too but I really get a laugh when she changes the words. I just can't let her see I'm having a chuckle because she gets very upset that I'm laughing at her. So take note.

Well now you can see the route my posts will be taking in the future. Hope you like it and you could always give some feedback. I love comments...hint, hint. ;)

Things That Made Me Smile

This week there have been some great things that have made me smile that I wanted to share.

First, Holly...she just makes me smile so much, especially this week. I was on the computer, which is down in a nook off of the play room and Holly and Mason were down there with me. Holly and Ethan are in charge of keeping the play room clean and had done a very good job cleaning it the night before. Mason proceeded to dump balls all over the floor, which he often does when Holly let out a sigh and said, "Oh, Mason we just cleaned the play room! Mom I don't like having a baby brother anymore can we take him back to the baby store, Please!" That made my day. Mason is a handful and very tenacious. We love him but sometimes feel the same way.

Second, Ryan has the blessing (yes blessing Ryan) of having a job where he can pretty much make his own hours because other than store visits and a few meetings, he works completely from his blackberry and laptop. So he often stays home a little late, until 8:30 am or so and has the kids all come and climb into bed with us when they get up. He asks them how they slept, about any dreams they may have had and what their plans are for the day. They kids love it! Ryan also always has his i*touch close by and sometimes pulls it out once he has had a chance to talk to each of them. So I walked into our room the other morning to find this....

The kids love to watch Dad use his i*touch! It doesn't matter what he is doing they just love the thing. Like Father like Son/Daughter. I just had to smile.

Also notice Holly's hair in the morning and that smile on Masons face. How can that not bring a smile to your face?

Then if you have ever watched Yo Gabba Gabba they have something called "cool cool tricks". Holly loves to figure out new ones she can do all the time. This morning she was so proud to show me this one....curling her tongue.
Then she was even more happy that Mom could do it too. Which made me smile.

Finally Ethan's last day of Kindergarten was today. He was having a hard time last night because he thought that he would never see his teacher Mrs. Larabee again. I explained to him that he would see her next year around the school, the only thing that would change was that she wouldn't be his teacher any more because he would have a new one. We also got up this morning and wrote Mrs. Larabee a thank you note telling her what a great teacher she was and how much we appreciated her. Ethan was so excited to give it to her. When I picked him up from school he got a really big hug from her as he said goodbye and came home with his Kindergarten diploma. He said that she really liked her note and that made him feel better about the school year ending. He has such a big heart and loves learning. He made me smile for just being the great boy he is.

So that is the fun stuff that has made me smile this week and I hope it brought a smile to your face too.

Birthday Recap

The week is finally over and Holly has enjoyed 3 birthday parties with cake and ice cream for all 3. I think I've gained 5 lbs with all that cake and my body is acting like Elaine's, needing a 3 o'clock sugar rush. (you know from Seinfeld..)

On Wednesday, her actual birthday, we had just a little party with just us. She got her big present from Mom and Dad, a new 2 wheel bike with training wheels.

Ethan and Mason got her a helmet to go along with her bike. She LOVES it! She rides it everyday and said to me, "now I'm a big girl now that I have a big girl bike". It's so funny what kids think of as a right of passage.

Then on Saturday she had her Fairy Princess Party. Five little girls all dressed up like fairies or princesses or both.

Don't they look cute...

Holly for some reason was embarrassed to have everyone sing her Happy Birthday that day. I don't know why but she got over it when I had all her friends help her blow out the candles.
Our good friends the Jessops came down from North Ogden and we got to visit them for awhile. They lived next door to us in our condo and Ethan and their son Karson are only 3 months apart and were "best buddies" while we lived next to them. They haven't had a chance to play together for a year so it was really nice to have them over. We also had my brother Rayn and his family over. They live so close but we never seem to be able to get together that much. They stayed for dinner and they kids had a blast playing together.

They on Sunday we had Ryan's family up and our good friends the Ropers over. Ropers have all boys so we didn't think they would want to dress up like fairy's so we had them over with Ryan's family. More cake and ice cream and lots of fun.

Holly loved having all her friends and family over to help celebrate her birthday. She tells me everyday now that she is 4 now and only 1 year till she is in Kindergarten. She is so excited to grown up, I have to keep reminding her that she needs to just have fun being 4 because all too soon she will be as old as me, to which I receive the dirty look of "your crazy mom". Ah, childhood.