Mothers

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day 2008 with the 2 angels that make this day possible!

This is my 4th Mother's Day, which seems like a lot to me in years, but in no way makes me a pro at motherhood. But I have definitely learned a lot by being a mother and have definitely learned from the best. I'm sure many people claim this, but my mom really is the best! She was and still is the best example to me of a wonderful mother. Here are just a few things I have learned from her over the years:

*She taught me that family is the most important thing- growing up, she always encouraged me and my siblings to be each other's biggest fans and supporters. We always spent time together and we always had family home evening each week, with rare exceptions. I now treasure my siblings as wonderful friends and would rather spend time with them than almost anyone else.

*She taught me that it was important to always be honest, no matter what. I know I was not as perfect with honesty growing up as I would have liked to be, but my mom was always the perfect example of being honest, even when it wasn't convenient or always popular. Honesty to me now is of the utmost importance and I always think of my mom when I think of honesty.

*She taught me that education is one of the most important things that I can obtain. I always knew, no doubt, that I would graduate from high school and college, no matter what my circumstances were, and I did, because of my mom.

*I learned forgiveness from my mom. When things would go wrong between us, she was always the first to apologize, even if it wasn't her fault and no matter how rotten I had been. I have tried to be like that with my family as well.

*I learned how to keep a journal and the importance of journal keeping from my mom. Every Sunday, without fail, for as long as I can remember, my mom would write in her journal for the entire past week. She always made time for it and I grew to love journal writing from her wonderful example. She must have thousands of pages written and typed by now and what a wonderful personal history she will leave for her posterity someday.

*I learned to love to read from my mom. For as long as I can remember, we read and read and read together. My mom would buy us kids books and she would read our individual books with us separately each night until the book was finished. She reads book upon book upon book herself and is so well read and well rounded because of it. She has knowledge, big and small, on I think almost every subject you could think of. I have read not even a fraction of what she has, but I owe my love of reading to my mom. I love to read to my kids because of it, and my mom loves reading with my kids as well. She never misses an opportunity to read them to sleep if she is visiting or if we are visiting her. Even when Chloe begs for 1 more books, mom keeps reading.

*I have learned patience from my mom. She was far more patient with me growing up than I probably deserved, and her patience with my kids now is amazing. She is far more patient with them than I can ever dream of being. The things that drive me crazy (the whining, the tantrums, the loudness, etc) do not even seem to phase my mom and she just loves them all the more. In situations where I would want to give up and lock the kids in the closet :), my mom instead takes them aside, loves them all the more, never yells, never gets upset and rarely gets flustered. Chloe is obsessed with my mom, always wanting grandma to do EVERYTHING for her, which often leads to demands and craziness from Chloe, but my mom, always sweet and loving, does it. It is a little bit of spoiling, but a lot of love and patience. She is my example of a patient, kind and loving mother who is now the most patient, kind and loving grandmother. I strive to be like her the most in this area.

These are just a small few of the things I have learned from my mom- I could go on and on. She has the strongest, unwavering testimony and is a living example of all that she believes in. She is the best cook I have ever met, the best listener I know and the best friend. I love you mom! Thank you for everything. Happy Mother's Day!

And now just a few things that I have learned from being a mother:

*Children love is unconditional, and children are the perfect example of forgiveness. The other night, Mitchell woke up in the middle of the night and I let him cry it out, which took more than 2 1/2 hours. I felt horrible and couldn't sleep the entire 2 1/2 hours he cried. The next morning I went in to get him to find his face all blotchy and totally swollen from his crying marathon- he looked like he had been stung by a swarm of bees. But when he saw me, there was no resentment towards me, no anger. He wanted to eat first, but as soon as he was done, he looked into my eyes and gave me the biggest, sweetest smile ever. He had forgiven me, forgotten it and held no grudge. Chloe is the same way- we can have a bad day between the two of us, but as soon as the struggle or disagreement is over with, she never brings up the past or holds grudges. I guess that is why the scriptures tell us to become like little children- their love is unconditional and they have perfect forgiveness.

*A clean diaper makes a baby want to poop. I don't know how many poopy diapers I have changed right after having put a fresh one on, but definitely too many.

*Sleep is a privilege, not a right.

*I could never be the mother I am without the husband I have. Bad days don't seem quite as bad when daddy gets home. He truly is my better half.

*Having more kids makes motherhood harder, but even more rewarding.

*Cherish every moment, even if it doesn't seem like a moment worth cherishing. Kids grow too fast to waste any moments.

*Chocolate melts faster, and better, in the heating duct than the microwave.

*A snack pack pudding WILL burst if microwaved with the lid on and mysteriously explode all over the counter and floor as well.

*There is no greater bond then between 2 siblings, and nothing more precious than watching my kids play and love each other.

*Although motherhood brings out the worst in me, it has definitely brought out the best in me too. My kids make me want to be a better person.

*Children's laughter is the most amazing sound.

*A baindaid can heal ANY owie, and in record time, too.

*Love never stops growing and can never diminish with motherhood. Even bad days do not lessen the love that I have for my kids, even when I feel like running away and hiding for a few days.

*The simple things in life are best. Children show us this in all they do- when they prefer a cardboard box to a fancy toy, macaroni and cheese to a fancy meal, a few minutes of our time over a television show.

*Being a mother is the hardest thing I've ever done, but the best thing I'll ever do.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there, and all you mothers to be.

6 Months Old

Our little man is 6 months old today! I can't believe how fast time has flown- it seems like just yesterday that he was a newborn. Maybe it seems like just yesterday because the weather is as cold now as it was 6 months ago in October........ (Are we sure it's Spring??)

He is growing like a weed and is sitting like a pro. Here he is today all dressed up in his jammies, ready for bed. The smile tells it all- He loves going to bed!

I don't take him to the doctor until Monday, so I will post his stats then.

Below are his 5 month pictures we took at the end of March. We just got them printed this week.

We stole this idea of having him hold a letter for his initial ("M") from a friend- thanks Holly! I thought it was too cute and had to do it too.

Happy 6 month birthday, Mitch! We sure love him and have loved every minute of the last 6 months. If only he could stay this little forever....

Go Yankees!!

It's opening day for Major League Baseball (except for the one game played last night), so I thought I'd give a shout out to our family favorite team- the New York Yankees! My family grew up Yankee fans, thanks to our Dad, a die-hard fan all of his life. He grew up idolizing Mickey Mantle and could name all of his stats and anything about him. Dad can name all the past Yankee greats, current Yankee greats, and never misses a year watching them on TV! My older sister was born during the World Series of '81, when the Yankees played the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dad (and the doctor) were so engrossed in the game playing on the TV in the hospital that he almost missed my sister being born! In 2002, our family vacation was to New York where we, of course, went to a Yankee game at historic Yankee Stadium. This is the Yanks last year at that stadium (the House that Ruth built), as they are building a new stadium right across the road to be done for the 2009 season. Dad has passed his love of baseball and the Yanks on to all of his kids, and now I am to mine (much to Ben's dismay...). It's a fun family tradition that I will never forget, or ever give up. Here's a post dedicated to my Dad and our family tradition of Yankee Baseball!

Proud (and happy!) to be a Yankee Fan!

Should I bunt, or swing away??

Last year, Chloe and I had the opportunity to go to Tampa, Florida with my parents and little sister- home of Yankee Spring Training! Here is Legends Field, the Yanks spring training stadium.

A tradition of excellence!

Our original plan was to attend a spring training game at Legends Field, but by the time we got around to buying tickets, they were all sold out. Lucky for us, the Yanks played the Cincinnati Reds in a nearby town, not far from Tampa, so we got to watch them play there. Here is Chloe and I in front of the day's starting lineups.

There's our favorite player- Derek Jeter (#2).

Chloe thoroughly enjoyed the game.....

She was awake for a few minutes of the game, at least long enough for us to point out Derek Jeter to her and teach her, "What does Jeter do?" And she would always reply, "Hit the ball!" Ever since that trip, she can now easily identify the Yankee logo, recognizes and asks about Jeter, and has taken a liking to baseball! That's my girl....

With a new head coach this year and the last year in their historic stadium, it will prove to be an exciting season! Mitch was born during the playoffs last year, and sadly, the Yanks got out in the first round. We hope they turn things around this year and make it to the World Series. October, being baseball playoff month, is an exciting month for us, filled with baseball and pomegranates (another tradition started by Dad). If we do not answer our phone or come to the door during that month, please know that it is because we are watching baseball (because the Yanks always make the playoffs!) We will happily return your calls and begin accepting visitors again in November...

The All-Star game this year, in July, is even at Yankee Stadium and Dad and I were talking last night that it would be a dream come true to go to that. The price to get into that All-Star game is currently $1500 for 2 tickets, so we are now accepting donations for the "Get Me to the All-Star Game" fund.

And what more can Mitch say than, "Go Yankees!"

All Things Easter

We had a very eventful Easter weekend! We have been so excited that Chloe is old enough now to participate in and enjoy holiday traditions and games. She loved the Easter Egg hunt that Ben and I did for her last year, and this year, not to be out done, she had 5 of them! The first one was Saturday morning, put on by our community. There was tons of kids participating and she was very timid for that one. She only got a few eggs, and that was only accomplished by lots and lots of coaxing by us to be aggressive and pick up the eggs! The second hunt was on accident- we were at Wal-Mart running some errands later that afternoon and we entered the store through the Garden Section right as they were about to start an egg hunt there. With only a handful of kids, Chloe had a lot more fun and found lots of eggs. We loved this hunt because not only was there candy in the eggs, but money too! Chloe had $2.50 worth of quarters after that hunt- way to go Wal-Mart! (She was excited about the money and equally as excited to get to choose what to spend it on- a Little Critter book!) Later that evening, Ben hid eggs around our backyard and Chloe had a wonderful time finding the eggs there. Saturday night, after she was in bed, Ben and I hid eggs in our living room for her to find when she woke up Sunday morning. The last egg hunt happened when we went to our friends Josh and Erin's house for dinner Sunday afternoon. They had hidden eggs around their family room and Chloe, not at all tired of Easter egg hunts, excitedly ran around the room to find the eggs. Of course, the best part about these hunts was opening the eggs and discovering the candy!!

Here she is out our community Easter Egg Hunt. If you can see behind her, it's not really a hunt- all of the eggs are just laid out on the grass and when the lady says go, it's a mad rush of kids (and parents), thus why Chloe was timid. It was kind of over-whelming.

But she did get a few eggs....

She loved dying Easter eggs and wanted to do everything herself.

Her own, personalized egg!

Not to be outdone by his sister.....

Here she is, Easter morning, wasting no time after the morning Easter Egg Hunt to devour her candy. 8:00 a.m. and time for chocolate.

Chloe has been telling me for months that she wants an umbrella. Finally, a few weeks ago, I told her she should wait and maybe the Easter Bunny would bring her one. Lucky for us, he did! :) She was so excited and wanted to try it out right away. And what do you know- it was raining Easter morning and she was able to put it to the test immediately! The umbrella, of course, is Disney Princesses.

Our Mitchell Man got just what he wanted for Easter too- a high chair! Here he is, sitting on his throne, enjoying his Easter basket and eggs. We told him next year that his eggs will have candy in them too.

Here he is with what I call his "Engineer Face." He does it fairly often. He can't help but want to be like his dad. These sports eggs are clearly perplexing and he's working hard at whatever problem there seems to be with them.....

After all the hunts and endless candy, the kids sure did clean up nice. We bought Chloe's Easter dress weeks ago and she's been so excited to wear her "beautiful dress" as she calls it.

I made Mitchell stand up for his picture, and his face shows the effort he is putting in to balance himself. Our handsome little man does a sweater vest proud.

I couldn't get a decent picture of the kids together on Easter morning, so here is the picture I took earlier in the month that we sent to family. Sadly, we didn't get an Easter family picture either- we had so much going on before church, and then Mitchell was asleep after church and I couldn't bear to wake him (he's a little behind on sleep). But the kids are much cuter than Ben and I anyway. Hope everyone had a great Easter filled with fun, family, love and, of course, Chocolate!

And thanks to Nana and Papa and Grandma and Papa for the wonderful Easter gifts you sent for the kids. Chloe loved everything and Mitchell was fascinated with the noise making animals you both sent! :)

A fun drill...

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