Summer Weather

Finally- some sun and heat at the same time!  This past weekend was the hottest weekend of the year here, and we have been very anxiously awaiting it!  We got into the 90's on Saturday and 80's most of the other days.  We tried to take advantage of the beautiful weather by being outdoors as much as we could.

After Ben got home from work on Thursday, we all took a bike ride together.  Chloe has been riding in this trailer since we got it, but this is Mitchell's first season using it (he rode in for the first time last week).  The look on his face shows his apprehension.... "What have I gotten myself into??"

I made Ben ride the bike that pulled the trailer.... 60+ pounds of kids to haul sounded like a bit much for me.  

On Friday, the kids and I headed to the park.  Mitchell got to try out his first baby swing.  He wasn't sure what to think at first.

I let him sit in the swing for a minute, and when I started pushing him, he would lay back because the swinging took his breath away.  When he caught his breath, he would smile like this.  He loved it.

King of the Swings!

Chloe loves being outside on any day, but really loves it when it's warm.  She spent the weekend making sure the plants were watered.  I gave her the special assignment of watering the plant on the front porch, and she took her job seriously.  She fills up her little watering can, then goes and makes sure each leaf and actual flower is wet.  (I had to explain to her that it was the soil that needed the water).

And yes, she is in sweat pants.  She spent most of the day in shorts, but after running through the sprinklers out back, she put on sweats and didn't seem to mind them with the heat.  I guess we have been wearing sweats so often this cold winter and spring that it is just habit for her.

Chloe also took it upon herself to try and water the BIG plants out front.  Notice the size of the watering can to the flowers.... it kept her happy and entertained, though.

We loved having some very warm days, but the heat came on so fast that it kind of took it out of us!  Just a few days earlier it was in the 50's, and then in just 3 days it was 90 degrees.   It probably effected Mitchell the most- he didn't know quite what to do with such warm weather that he had never felt before.  He was very lethargic and sweaty and had a hard time napping.  He was wishing, as do I, that we had air conditioning!!  Some day.....  We tried to stay cool by making homemade ice cream in our cool new blender.  It, of course, was delicious! (Is ice cream ever NOT delicious?)

  On Saturday we worked on our front yard, which is currently under construction.  We are ripping out all of the landscaping (plants, big rocks/boulders, bark, and weeds of course) and putting in sod.  We hope to be done with all of it very soon and I will post before and after pics of it when it's all finished.

Hooray for the warm weather, and here's to hoping it comes back soon!

Spring Recap

Ok, so I have been a terrible blogger lately, I'll admit it.  We have had a busy Spring, with a lot going on and since I've gotten behind on posting, I'm just going to do a recap of our Spring events thus far.

We started off Spring with a snow shower.  Here is my back yard, my beautiful flowers snow covered.

But just 3 weeks later, it was close to 80 degrees.  Chloe had a blast running through the sprinklers in our back yard.  And yes, she does have a swimsuit on- it just happens to blend into her very white (and delightsome) legs.

At the end of March, Ben and I went to our first ever Seattle Supersonics basketball game.  We have lived here for almost 5 years and have went to numerous Mariners games, but never a Sonics game.  We thought we'd better do it this year, as it will probably be the last year the Sonics will play here in Seattle.  A move to Oklahoma City is still pending.

Seattle played the Charlotte Bobcats and lost by 3, but it was still a really fun game and we had great seats.  Too bad Seattle had such a lousy year.  (I knew we should have lived in Utah.... Go Jazz!!!)  Now our goal is to go to an NFL game in our lifetime.  Come on Monday or Thursday night games!

For Conference weekend, we went to Tri-Cities to visit Ben's parents and his sister's family.  We gave Ben's parents a chocolate fountain for Christmas and we broke it in while we were there.  We spent the whole weekend dipping EVERYTHING in sight in chocolate.  It was amazing.

And a little messy.....

The kids found a stray kitty and loved feeding it.

Mitchell and cousin Sam got reacquainted and had a great time together.

Mitchell also found Uncle Marcus' Nike headband and felt like a stud in it.  Here he is with his game face on.

The second week in April, my mom and older sister came up for a visit.  We had a wonderful visit with them and were so glad they came.  I can't tell who is cuter- the kids or the pups?

Chloe has just recently taken to playing the piano and loving it.  Of course, she prefers to play when Mitchell is napping, but she's getting better about it.  I will often come downstairs to hear her talking to a pretend class, teaching them a lesson through a song she is "playing" on the piano.

She only likes to play out of my Primary Children's hymn book and even knows what page her favorite songs are on.

On 4/24 I turned 24!  Chloe was almost more excited to celebrate my birthday than I was.  I've always wanted (dreamed of) having an ice cream cake for my birthday, and this year I got it!  If anyone knows me, they know I am obsessed (no, addicted) to ice cream.  So an ice cream cake was PERFECT for me.  I think we may have to make it a yearly tradition.....:) Thanks Ben!  (And thanks to Chloe- I gave her hints to tell Ben that I wanted one and she did exactly that.)

Chloe does not share my obsession for ice cream and will rarely eat it (I often question if she is really my child due to this fact.  But I guess it's good in some ways- I never have to sneak ice cream around her because she never wants it!)  But she found the whip cream on the cake and loved that.

Mitchell desperately wanted a bite and I teased him by offering him some, but not really letting him.  Next year, buddy! 

Ben's manly strength was put to the test when he went to cut the cake... It was extremely frozen and hard and took some effort.  Thank goodness our wedding cake wasn't that hard to cut... but having an ice cream cake would have been great!  (Why didn't I think of that then??)

Chloe is almost 3 1/2 and her hair is getting so long.  There are so many things we can do with it now and she is usually pretty excited to get all done up and "pretty."

I loved this picture of the kids gazing into each other's eyes.  These 2 little people love each other so much and I love watching them together.

Chloe is the best big sister, but even when she's being a little stinker, Mitchell will always save a smile for her and hangs on her every word and movement.  I'm sure he can't wait to start being mobile so he can keep up with her.

At the end of April, Mitchell started using a sippy cup.  Here is his first attempt at using one.

Almost got it.....

Ahh... got it!

He has also just recently started sitting up for his baths rather than lying down.  This was taken on our first attempt at sitting up in the tub.  He is acting cool about it, but is secretly very pleased with himself.

"I told you I could do it Mom."

Ben bought the kids matching pj's a few weeks ago and Chloe was so excited about it.

Mitchell loves it too.

So although it has been a busy Spring, it has been very fun too.  Now we are just waiting for it to warm up!  HURRY Summer, hurry!

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....