Fireman Parke

Hey there!

Yep, still kickin'

We've had a busy few weeks around here, a couple of weekend getaways {I'm still catching up on laundry~yuck!} and lots of fun in between. I will get to all of that good stuff later, but for now I must report on this littlest of mine. Parke had a field trip to the fire station with his preschool class. This little spunkster is wild and crazy... until you get him out of his comfort zone. This was no different~ as the rest of his class ran around answering questions and fully participating in the fire safety extravaganza, this one stayed mum!

It was all I could do to get him to stand near his classmates for a group picture... and forget about wearing that fireman hat! But isn't he adorable? I think I'll keep him;)Me and my troops~

When we left, I asked Parker why he was being so shy and his reply was, "Because I didn't know dat fireman guy." Silly stink. The fireman hat has since become a fan favorite and adopted into his repertoire of hero clothing;)
A few things that melt my heart lately...

~ Parker dressing like a super hero every.single.day. If we get him ready in the morning, you can guarantee if you turn your head for two seconds he is out of those clothes and into full hero gear. I don't know how he works so quick??

~ The way Kaden dotes on his baby brother, to which Parker usually tries to squirm away from his hugs and kisses but is secretly loving every second of it.

~ Rylie being the biggest 'daddy's girl'~ she sure does love that daddy one, and is always hanging on him... to which, he does not complain;)

~ The fact that my boys make me lay in their bed with them every night until they fall asleep. Sometimes I lay there thinking of all the things I could be getting done, but I quickly dismiss that crazy thinking and remember they will be grown boys before I even know it, and the last thing they will need is their momma snuggling them to sleep. I will take it!!

~ Any time I am in the kitchen, there is always someone jumping in and wanting to help with whatever is on the menu. Sometimes a little too much help, a few egg shells in the batter, but again... I'll take it!!

~ Rylie learning to read, and taking such pride in her school work. Oh! and cartwheels, the girl never stops cartwheeling around the house. A few injuries have been induced due to this new trick, but she has got them down~ even the one-hander! Go Ry!

~ My sweet hubby working so hard to provide for his growing family. Sometimes I wish we could all just be home all day every day together, playing and making memories. But alas, that is not reality, and I am so appreciative of all Nic does to make our world go round. He is most definitely my better half, and the best daddy to our kiddos.

And that is going to be all for now. I will get crack-a-lackin on these vacay photos and hope it's not another month before I get them posted~ sheesh!

Have a happy day!

~xo

Perfect~ What's that?!

A recent conversation with a sweet friend of mine got me to thinking about my blog here. Now this blog serves a few different purposes, but one of them is most definitely not to proclaim a life of perfection. Sure there are days that seem dang near perfect, but those days are few and far between. I guess I just figure everyone knows that, and spare you the nitty~gritty details of tantrums, overwhelming laundry piles, scrubbing toilets, and cleaning poop{!} off the carpet. {gotta love potty-training} Motherhood is not glamorous. I learned that early on in my career:) But I feel a little misunderstood, so just to clarify~ I cherish motherhood, and believe it is a gift. Does this mean I am a perfect mom, and never lose my patience~ i wish! Does it mean motherhood is easy? ha! quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. I think the things in life you work the hardest for, produce the greatest rewards. Motherhood is rewarding, it is fun, and a great blessing. Of all of the amazing happenings in my life, none are more amazing to me than my children. If ever I am having a hard day or running low on patience, I remind myself just how precious they are. Not only to me, but in the sight of God. For they are ultimately His. Children know pure and simple joy. We can be reminded to stop and find that joy in our busy 'adult' lives, through them. You know I love Pinterest:) One of the first things I ever pinned was this darling quote~

I love it so much. It is our natural tendency to look at everyone around us, and compare. We are our greatest critics, and can easily believe that we don't have enough, or do enough, or do it well enough. I think true happiness comes from knowing who you are. Knowing that we are all individual and unique, and that is such a great thing! How stale would life be if we were all the same, had the same talents, style, strengths, and interests? If our children were perfectly behaved, and never rocked the boat!? It would be lame~ for sure:) A little chaos does us all some good. Sometimes we have to dig reeeally deep, and find the strength we didn't even know we had, and use it! It is awesome. And you are all awesome!

And my kiddos are awesome! Can you believe this weather? ha! this was actually a few weeks ago, and it is snowing cats and dogs right now:)

Rylie mastered her Chinese splits~ she is pretty pumped about it.

Kaden is giving me the, 'okay, enough! mom' look...

See~ simple joy...

Rylie getting mad at Parker because he landed on her leg:)

Air~born baby boy...

silly kiddos~

So just because I like to focus on the positive and highlight our funnest in doings, certainly does not mean that I won't be refereeing a kid~fight in the next few minutes, or eating waaay too much chocolate {because the hubs is out of town and I'm flyin' solo}, and that is what gets me through:) I just figure, parenting is a one shot deal. There are no re~do's. I don't want to look back on these sweet moments with my kiddos and have regrets. I want to savor their smallness, their innocence, their joy. Even though that means enduring their tantrums, demands, and dependency. Always focus on the good, because there is always good to be found. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it;)

Our life is perfect, because it is imperfect. You know?

And that is exactly what it is supposed to be.

~xo

There's Nothing Better Than...

{It was a long day, and I was feeling unappreciated. I was beginning to give in to the idea that I was having a bad day, when I realized I wasn't having a bad day. I was actually having a great day-I just had a bad attitude. As I was putting Parker to bed tonight I was thinking about all of the little things that had made my day so special. So here's to looking at the bright side of my day.}

- Waking up to fresh Rosehill Dairy milk in our milk box.

- Missing my appointment with my visiting teachers while ironically driving back to work to get my "appointment" book to see what I had on the agenda today. Whoops!! Sorry Jenni and Becky. Thank you for loving me regardless of my shortcomings- you guys are the best!! - Teaching the kids how to blow bubbles with "gubble bum" as Ry-bug calls it, with the gum balls my VT's left in my milk box. Haven't blown bubbles like that in years. Good times!! Again, thanks Jenni.

- Being caught up on my laundry(never lasts longer than a few hours, but hey! I'll take it!).

- Discovering that there really is no price difference in having 'Your Valet' come pick up my dry-cleaning, and bring it back to me- than me driving it clear into Ogden all while towing 3 littles with me. You should have seen the smile on my face as I stuffed that huge green bag, and sent it on it's way. All while in the comfort of my own home, and Parker in the comfort of his own crib.

- Kicking a ball around the house with Rylie while Parker is perched upon my left hip (his favorite spot), and listening to all three of my kids laughing hysterically at the way it is bouncing off of walls, furniture, and faces. There were a couple of times I had to stop so Parker could catch his breath. So darling.

- Talking to my Mom on the phone numerous times today about everything, and nothing, all at the same time.

- Seeing that Smaller Scholar Registration form on my kitchen counter. Translation: Rylie gets to go to Miss Bonnie next year! We are ALL excited for her!!

- Listening to Kaden & Rylie play lego's, laugh, run, jump, and be silly together all day long.

- Watching Rylie out of the blue walk up to Kaden, grab him by the cheeks, give him a big old smooch on the lips, and say "Love you, Kade."

- Chatting with one of my best friends Erica about what she should wear on her date tomorrow night- as if I really have a clue what is in style.

- Having the opportunity to take a family in our neighborhood dinner & thinking of all the meals that have so graciously been brought to our family over the years. Yes, I remember them all.
- Waffles for dinner- complete with flax seed, berries, & fresh whipping cream, and Nic telling me, "You can't get waffles this good at a five star restaurant." Thanks honey. I sure love you.

- That last wipe-down of the kitchen counter, knowing the feeding frenzy can rest until breakfast the next morning. Love when the kitchen shuts down.
- Nursing Parker to sleep till he's comatose in my arms and then nuzzling into the crevice in his neck as I burp him. Oh... he smells so good.

- Watching the sense of accomplishment on your 5 year old's face as he sounds out letters, which make words, as he is learning to read. Wow, he is precious!

- Adult conversation with Nicholas, without interruption.

- A hot bubble bath, followed by cozy warm jammies and bed.

Enjoying the simple things, and doing so with a grateful heart.

We Survived!!

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments and sympathy as Nic was away. I just had to sulk for a bit, but rest assured that we are all fine and dandy. We missed Nic a lot, but had a fun week. We jump started the week with a pizza party, and Kung Fu Panda! Nic is usually in charge of the movie rental department, and as a rookie I made a mistake and rented "The Furious Five" which we learned is not the actual movie. Whoops!! We found Curious George the movie on TV, and I redeemed myself the next day with the real deal.

No that is not blood. We stuck our foot in Mrs. Ceasars pizza sauce. Whoops!

I toughed it out one night at home alone and thought that was enough. So we packed up and headed up to my parents for a little comfort and protection. We were received with open arms, and cozy beds.

Mario Kart, Mario Kart, and more Mario Kart. Until Kaden's eyes were bloodshot, and I had to force him to stop.
Oh, Parker. Why are you so cute?

Is this not a scream? We looked in to see Rylie reading Gracie a story. Those two are the bestest of buddies. Two peas in a pod, and adorable to boot.

Wednesday we welcomed our newest nephew/cousin, Bode. He weighed in at a whoppin' 9 lbs. 3 oz. He is healthy and beautiful. Congratulations to Ty and Steph!!

Nic and the kids spoiled me, and got me a Nikon D60 for my birthday. I just had to throw a small tantrum to get it. Ha ha... just kiddin'. (a little) I am now obsessed! Not that I wasn't already obsessed with taking pictures, but my obsession has grown into a problem. I don't know how I am going to possibly have time to blog all of these pictures I have taken. I have captured some pretty cute pictures this past week (mind you I am still not a professional YET!) I plan to read the owner's manual front to back in hopes of becoming MORE professional. A little preview for your enjoyment:
The kids helped Papa put up the big snowman. So fun!! Nic made it home just in time for presents and birthday cake. Rylie wasn't so sure she was going to forgive and forget that he just abandoned her for a whole week. Eventually she caved, and gave him a big old smooch!!

Heavy, heavy, hang-over... my poor head was right!! Kaden got me good!

That's a lot of candles... Eeek! I'm getting old!!
I love that Parker is grabbing for the cake!! And my whole fam is helping blow out all 29 of those birthday candles. Thanks guys!!
We survived. Hopefully our daddy won't be leaving us again anytime soon. We spent some quality time with Mimi & Papa, and I had a great birthday!!

The End.

Costco Gone Bad

For those of you who know me very well you might know that I absolutely LOVE Costco. It is like Disneyland to me, just puts a smile right on my face the minute I walk in the door. The oversized shopping carts, the shiny floors, the sample tables(we can graze for hours), the unbelievable fresh produce, the amazing variety of high quality merchandise, and don't forget when it's all said and done, you get pizza, hotdogs, and churros at the end!! It's fun for the whole family!! I have a Sams Club right down the street, but my love for Costco runs too deep... it's worth the drive to Bountiful.

Well today I woke up, changed Parker's bum, and proceeded to put him in the last diaper I had. Any of you ever been there? Trust me, I searched desperately through the house-hoping to find a few stashed somewhere to get me through the day. There was none to be found, and the realization that I was going to have to go to Costco all by myself was setting in. Nic was at work, and I knew it was a matter of moments before Parker filled that diaper up again. So yup, me and the troops, all three, were off to Costco. I was like, "I can do this!!" How bad can it be-right? WRONG!! First of all, I load up the kids in the car, and the whining starts. "Mom-I'm hungry, I didn't need to go potty at home-but I have to go potty now! When are we going to get there, this is taking FOREVER!!" So I start to cringe, but continue on my way in hopes that things will get better. I get there, load the kids into my oversized cart, and suddenly it doesn't look so oversized anymore. I thought to myself, "where am I going to put all the stuff?" I had a pretty extensive list, and the things I needed were not small. I was quite impressed the way I cramed items in every nook and crany of that cart. I had boxes of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towells, gatorade, not to mention all of the little things. You couldn't even see Parker down in there, and I had built a pretty tall tower of boxes that I could barely see over. I carefully steered my way through, stopping at each sample table to get the kids(and me) a tasty treat, most of which was either too hot, "Mom-blow on it!!" or "I don't like it!!" I don't think Kaden ever stopped whining and crying through the whole store, "Mom, I'm huuunnnggry..." Aaahhhh!! We finally made it somehow to the checkout line and paid. I thought, oh good, they can finally eat, and maybe Kade will stop crying.

I ordered up, they had pizza & hotdogs. I ran back and forth, grabbing napkins, filling drinks, cutting pizza, splitting hotdogs, getting ketchup, blowing on food so as to not burn tongues, and finally sat down to take a bite. Things seemed to be looking up for a moment, we were enjoying our food, and each others company. When the kids finished they hopped down and made their way over to the vending machines, (blast those dang vending machines-thanks Costco) and began asking for money to get a treat(as if the churro and frozen yogurt I got them wasn't enough). I began to clear our table when all of a sudden, Rylie came running over and I don't even know what happened, but before I knew it Rylie and I were covered from head to toe in frozen yogurt and ketchup. The yogurt had landed on the floor and was oozing out of the cup. I rushed over to grab more napkins and cleaned Rylie up the best I could. At this point, Parker was awake and beginning to fuss. I thought to myself, I better get out of here-and fast!! I went to load them in the cart and Kaden throws the biggest tantrum I've seen in a long time. He was kicking me and screaming at the top of his lungs because I wouldn't buy him a treat, then Rylie began screaming because she still wanted her yogurt, and Parker joined in and let loose. There I was in the middle of lunch time, the day before a holiday weekend(busy busy), and everyone is looking at me waiting for a reaction. I calmly finished cleaning up and pretended that I couldn't feel everyone's eyes on me as I began walking out...my flip flops sticking to my feet with every step from the frozen yogurt...all three kids screaming in my jam-packed cart...and I looked down and saw a napkin stuck in the wheel of our cart(I felt like I had just walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe), it really was quite a sight!! It was so bad I had cute little old ladies coming up to me, reassuring me that my kids are darling and saying, "You really handled yourself well there." Aarrgghh....

Needless to say I will not be returning to "The Costco" (as Kade used to call it) any time soon. My once joyous outing has suddenly turned into quite a feat. I will now only go when I am ALL alone, or wait until Nic can join me and help man the troops. Sorry for the long story, but it was quite traumatizing.