find joy in the journey

Memorial Day Weekend

"This is my 'I hate homework' face."

Getting her puppy fix with our neighbor's sweet, older dog Libby.  "See dad, this is why we need a dog!"

Happy 13 1/2 Birthday!

Introducing Mecha-Droid, Destroyer of Worlds, and his side-kick Min-ut!

Also this weekend . . . . 

watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (love!) and Saints & Soldiers

attended a quadruple Eagle Court of Honor - Payton got to call the flag ceremony

BBQ at home - just the 5 of us - hamburgers, watermelon, jell-o, Hawaiian macaroni salad, chips & dip, yum

swimming on Memorial Day - 102 degrees - and the kids' newly invented game which includes "the bucket of shame"

outlet shopping for sandals and family picture clothes - we have 2 reunions this summer

old fashioned ice cream sodas, root beer floats, and a saturday morning donut run

surprise solo

What a handsome kid!  

It's the end of the school year which means concerts and award nights.  I feel like I am calendaring something everyday and trying to stay on top of it all (plus homework, house updates, errands, keeping the house clean, keeping people fed, and planning for summer trips).  But occasionally my brain gets fried and I totally mess up.

For some reason I thought the choir concert was on a Tuesday night (and to my defense, so did Conner).  The previous week Scott needed to schedule a work dinner and chose Wednesday because we didn't have any commitments.  Perfect.

Tuesday morning came -- as Scott and Conner left the house we ran through the schedule, "Choir concert tonight, 6:30pm.  Got it."

Then I popped onto Facebook and the Middle School posted the week's events:  Tuesday - Orchestra, Wednesday - Choir, Thursday - . . . . , etc.  Wait.  What?!  I double checked the school website and sure enough, the concert was on Wednesday.  Which meant our careful planning was all for naught and Scott wouldn't be able to make it.  Sigh.

Oh well, it would be okay.

Wednesday evening we got ready to go, sans Scott.  Love this photo of Conner straightening his bow tie.

I brought the video camera along and asked Conner which song I should record - I don't record the whole program, just one song.  He told me the second song would be the best.  Alright.

Conner left for the choir room and we headed towards the gym.  I grabbed a program and we made our way to our usual spot in the bleachers.  I opened the program and scanned through it.  

Intermediate Choir

California Dreamin'

Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Soloists Conner Brown and . . . . 

What?!  I read it over 3 times, completely puzzled.  My son has a solo tonight??  And this is the first time I'm hearing about it?

Oh that stinker!  I finally realized what he was doing -- he kept this little solo a secret so that it could be a surprise!

When the choir filed into the gym I could see Conner searching the crowd for me.  Finally our eyes met and gave him a super-surprised, what-is-going-on?, smiling/beaming look while pointing to the program.  He smiled big and nodded his head.  (Later, he told me that he hoped I wouldn't look at the program so it could be a complete surprise.)

Like I said, what a stinker.

He did a great job!  I have a short video clip of his performance HERE.

It was a shame that Scott couldn't be there.  If he had known that Conner was doing a solo he would have tried to re-arrange his plans.  But Conner kept us all in the dark.  :)

Anna likes to hug Conner and recently she asked me why he doesn't like it.  My answer, "He's 13."

I absolutely love this photo.  A proud brother and sister moment.

grow

Number 1 - Anna looks much too grown up in this photo than I would like to accept.

Number 2 - We took down this lovely jasmine vine yesterday, in preparation for painting that will (hopefully) start this week.

I have loved this jasmine vine and how it has added a beautiful wall of green to our front entry.  In the spring the blossoms smell absolutely amazing.  Even though we enter & exit the house through the garage 99% of the time, during the spring I always have to take a detour to the front porch to take a whiff of of this stuff.  I took care to trim the vines down so that they have a chance to grow back and fill this area again one day.

I was a little nervous though, wondering if I had pruned away too much or possibly clipped at the wrong places in the vine growth.  But, I quickly remembered that I have done this many times before to other perennials and they have always, always come back.

They want to grow.

Much like us, it is in our nature to push toward growth when we are clipped back.  First, there is a pause to grieve, question, feel sorrow or anger.  But if we let it happen, and accept the process, we can grow back into something beautiful and stronger than before.

"Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before.

Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are.

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger wind, the stronger trees.

The further sky, the greater length.

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

 

Thomas S. Monson, "I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee."

around here

Loving my new Naked 3 eyeshadow!  It was a Mother's Day gift and while I was intimated by the 9 shade pallette at first, so far every combination I have tried has totally worked and it looks great all day long.

Getting to know my dentist really well.  And his office staff.  At 3 hours and $850 per visit once a month for the past two months (with one more to go in June) they should just put my name on a plaque in the waiting room.

Cracking the whip with these last few school projects.  Conner has 3 major assignments in just one class with just 8 days of school left.  What?

Trying out new hairdo's with Anna.  We attempted sock curls one night while watching Once Upon a Time and it really worked!  Full, bouncy curls for school the next day.

Deciding what tv series we need to watch next.  Scott and I just finished all 5 seasons of Heroes because we missed it the first time around.  Friday Night Lights is on our list.  Any other suggestions?

Baking cookies and eating way too many of them myself.  

Admiring my new front door!  Yes, the brass is gone!  This exterior house update is still a process - hardware is on order, paint needs to happen, new light fixtures to be hung -- but I am pretty happy with any kind of progress.  When it's all finished (hopefully painting next week) I'll be sure to share some pictures.

Elated that I had the recent opportunity to meet up with my very best and longest online buddy Katie for a lunch date!  Katie and I have known each other for a long time.  Yearrrsss.  It all started on the message boards at Two Peas in a Bucket as we both had a love for scrapbooking.  She was in high school and I was a new mom -- both of us living in the Portland area about 2001-ish.  Soon we both started blogs and we have been following and supporting each other through all of life's events.  I've seen her through college, sorority life, living on her own, boyfriends, a photography career, faith journeys, and coming into her own.  I have always been impressed by her confidence and standards -- she knows what she wants out of life.

When this Minnesota girl happened to be in Vegas there was no way we could pass up an opportunity to meet.  Katie and her dear friend Lindsay & 2 year old daughter Kate made the long drive across the valley (this place is bigger than you think) and met me for lunch at one of my favorite places.  

In person Katie was just wonderful, easy to talk to, gracious, so sweet, and I really learned what a kind open-hearted woman she is.  I can't get over the fact that after all these years of seeing each other on a computer screen here we were - face to face!  Our lunch date was much too short so the next time she is in town we need to plan more time to chat it up.  Here's to making new (old) friends! 

Katie blogs over at Creole Wisdom

10 things right now // Anna

AGE: 8 years, 8 months
HEIGHT: 54 inches 
GRADE: 2nd

1.  You continue to talk - almost daily - about getting a dog.  Your current plan includes using the money that you get from your birthday (in September) to buy dog toys and then Santa is going to bring a puppy for Christmas.  You are sure and confident that Santa is going to bring you a puppy despite our reminders that Santa has to okay those kinds of gifts with mom & dad.  Relentless. 

2.  The spring soccer season just ended and you have loved every single moment of it.  For the most part, you played defender, but at the last game you had some good offense playing time. You are fast, aggressive, and get right in there to steal & stop the ball.  It was comical/heart-wrenching though when you came SO close to scoring a goal three separate times but missed it by just that much.  At the team party the coach's comment was that you always have the biggest smile on your face.  That is the truth.

3.  A lot of your friends at school are the boys.  I asked you why and you said that they are funny!  Brigham, Tyler, George . . . those are your buddies.  Apparently you and Brigham have choreographed a dance that you even demonstrated for the class.  One day he gave you a homemade calendar that schedules out when you two will play together each day -- lunch or break -- alternating each day.

4.  The other day you told me about all the plans you have for your future family & kids.  "I want to teach them to be smart and kind.  I'm going to have a playroom and there will be a chalkboard where I write the daily character trait and whoever does the best that day will get a prize from the treasure chest.  And I'm going to sit in a chair in the playroom and read them a book.  We will exercise everyday, something like 10 push-ups and I'll write it on the chalkboard.  I want to have 4 kids because even numbers are good."  I told her that she is going to be a great mom.

5.  This month you and dad went on a date:  dinner at Red Robin and walking around the mall.  You were elated when dad offered to buy the initial "A" mood necklace that you were admiring at Claire's.

6.  Every Friday one of the Special Ed classes combines with yours and you do projects together.  You have been assigned as a buddy to one of the students and your job is to help him out with activities.  To say that you love Fridays is a vast understatement.  You always look forward to this time and have a special knack for helping your buddy out and sharing friendship.  I recently ran into this Special Ed teacher and she could do nothing but gush about how much she loves you and what a bright, happy, helpful, special girl you are.  

7.  You have taken up gardening in a big way.  We have 3 pots/cups on our dining table that you are taking care of.  You even planted a few seeds outside, taking great care to water them twice a day and they grew!

8.  About once a month you go into crazy-cleaning mode and spend an entire day doing a deep clean and de-cluttering of your bedroom all on your own.  Your rearrange the furniture, set-up little vignettes & themed areas for various purposes, and take time to arrange things on your shelves just so.  Everytime you end up with a big sack of trash! Nice job, girl.  Here is a small peek at your room right now.

9. Two months ago the second grade classes combined to put on a play, "Bugz" or something like that.  There were opportunities for speaking parts but you said you were too shy to try out.  Wrong!  I told you that you are not too shy and you should have volunteered to do one of the parts - it would be a lot of fun.  A few days later you came home from school and said, "guess what? I have a part in the play!  Someone with a part can't be there for the play and they needed someone new.  So I raised my hand because I knew you would want me to."  Aww, that made me feel so proud!  

You had the part of the horsefly and your line was:  "I'm a horsefly and I hurt anyone who with me tangles!"  You did a great job and ended up loving the experience.  Here you are in your caterpillar/butterfly costume for the group song:

10.  Here are a few pictures of you today - May 21st.  Researching Mars for a school project.  Curly hair thanks to the sock curlers we put in last night.

 

the eiffel tower restaurant

No, we didn't go to Paris.  Someday!

But we do have our own version of Paris right here in Vegas.  The Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris hotel has to be one of my favorite sights on the strip.  Right next to the Bellagio fountains and how convenient . . . they are just across the street from each other!  

My parents and Denver & Bree came to town and they wanted to take us out to a nice dinner so we made our way to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.

(I traveled light so it's iPhone pictures in low-lighting from here on out)

You take a special elevator to get to the restaurant and when the doors open the first thing you see is the kitchen.  Very cool to see all the cooks busy at work, stovetops steaming, and entrees lined up for serving.

The restaurant itself was really nice with a beautiful night-time view.  We could also catch a glimpse of the tops of the Bellagio fountains from time to time.

If you really want a stunning view you need to go as a party of 2, get reservations for 5pm, and they will seat you at one of these little tables situated right next to the glass.  It looked like a very romantic setting.

Not sure if I should feel embarrassed taking pictures of my food at a fancy restaurant . . .  But I figured, hey - we're in Vegas, everyone is a tourist, and they are all doing it too.

Scott and I shared the scallops and I ordered veal something-or-other with potato croquettes.  Everything was delicious.  But I was really looking forward to dessert!

I had dreams of a layered crepe cake, but the creme brulee worked just fine.

Scott ordered the White Chocolate Banana Elysee - how cool is that sugar half-dome?!

I think this picture is so cute of my dad wearing his reading glasses and swiping a bite of my mom's apple strudel.

Denver & Bree both went for the souffle -- pistachio and chocolate.  Denver let me have a bite and it was delicious!  Go for the souffle!

They even brought out a special dessert for Scott - his birthday was the following day.  Very fun. 

What a fun meal!  I always enjoy a reason to get dressed up and go out on the town.  Thanks mom & dad for having us!

After dinner we exited the hotel to venture across the street to the fountains.  Let me tell you . . . . the strip on a friday night is wild.  Holy moly.  Our innocent eyes got a little burning in our short time out there.  And inside the casino wasn't much better.  Yikes!  Note to self: do not go out on the strip (the street) on weekend nights! 

story sunday // crowslanding chapel

Last month when I had a chance to travel to California with Anna for my niece's baptism, I also got to attend church with my parents in the building that I grew up in.  Shortly after I was married my parents moved, and then moved again.  Both moves kept them in the same general area but different wards and stakes. The last time I attended my "home ward" was in 1999.

When we pulled up to the Crowslanding chapel a flood of memories came back.  But first, I was shocked by how small it looked!  In my memories that front grassy area was HUGE!  And today it looked so small to my grown-up eyes.  I laughed when I realized the shift in perspective.

Today, I wanted to jot down a few memories of attending the Crowslanding Ward, on Crowslanding Road, in the tiny town of Crowslanding, California.  Population 355.

Our ward took in several small towns in the area -- Crowslanding, Gustine (where I grew up), Newman, and Patterson.  Today, that same area is split into 1 ward and 2 branches that all meet in this building.

Before we had this chapel, the Crowslanding Branch met in a community building.  My dad often tells the story of Fast Sunday (the first Sunday of the month when we fast for 2 meals).  On that Sunday the Lions Club also used the basement of the building to cook up their monthly pancake breakfast.  Having to smell the pancakes and syrup during their church meetings was torture!

My grandpa Rene was the first Branch President.

I was the last baby to be blessed in the branch as they attended in that community building.

The following year, I believe, this chapel was built.  It included just what you see here in the front - chapel (on the left), a hallway of 6ish classrooms/offices & baptismal font, and a multipurpose room at the end.

It was dedicated by LeGrand Richards, an apostle of the church.

True to the agricultural community that I grew up in the building is bordered by walnut orchards to the left and back, and an almond orchard across the street.  To the right was Ben's house.

We drove 15 minutes (10 miles) to church each week.  Many times we took two cars to church when my dad had early meetings.  For the drive home we would split up between mom & dad's cars and they would "race" home.  One time I was driving with dad and mom was in the lead.  We followed closely behind on Highway 33, trying to find a way to pass her when she unexpectedly pulled off to the shoulder of the road.  My dad followed, thinking that something was wrong.  As soon as we got off the road she gunned it and sped back onto the highway, solidifying her lead and leaving us into the dust!  (At least that's the way I remember it -- the roles may have been reversed.)

For a while my dad was in charge of maintaining the grounds.  I remember riding my tricycle around the parking lot while he mowed or trimmed the hedges.  One day, and I have no idea why, I took off my white socks with lace trim and stuffed them into a drainage pipe at the edge of the sidewalk.  So weird that I even remember that.

Notable events that were held in this building: my baptism, my grandma Margaret's mission farewell, and both of my grandparent's funerals (1983 and 1999).

When I started taking piano lessons at age 5 from Kim (age 16), we would meet here in the Primary room.  Her family lived far up in the hills and this was a good meeting point. 

When we grew in numbers and eventually became a ward, my dad was the first bishop.

Sometime around age 10 we got approval for construction of "phase 2" -- this included a gym, kitchen, and many more classrooms on the back of the building.  It was such a blessing!

This steeple.  This is where the kids would hang out at the end of the church block on Sundays, waiting for our parents to come out and gather us home.  I just had to get a picture of Anna on the pedestal.

During my freshman year, I attended early morning seminary here.  Everyday.  The following year they decided to split the class in two and to attend in the instructor's homes on either ends of the ward boundaries, providing a much shorter drive.

There was that one time I ran over Sam's foot/ankle in the parking lot.  

And the time that Denver pulled the fire alarm.

And we can't forget when Denver walked back into sacrament meeting (after going to the bathroom on his own - dad was bishop and mom was wrangling 5 children) with no pants on and made all the old ladies on the back row giggle.  He was 3 or 4.

The upholstery on the pews and the carpet have changed from orange to mauve-y pink to purple. 

My dad and I attended ward choir practice after church in the Relief Society Room.  It was pretty great because each week someone was in charge of bringing snack & treats.

* * * * *

When I attended church here last month I recognized next to no one.  So much has changed since I moved.  But it was heart-warming still to see this building that I grew up in and remember it all -- primary classes, young women activities, ward chili cookouts and talent shows, shaking hands with Brother Leatham in the foyer, and always sitting in our family's spot - the back 2 rows on the left.

 

In conjunction with Story Sunday I plan to share one idea, resource, or bit of inspiration to assist others with sharing & recording their story.

I really enjoyed the following video.  There are no words, just animation & music and yet it powerfully teaches the importance or keeping and sharing our family stories.  Every family has a story. 

jean philippe patisserie

One thing you should know about me is that I am always in the mood for a crepe.

Or frozen yogurt.

Always.

I have heard amazing crepe reviews from from friends who have visited the Jean Philippe Patisserie in the Bellagio and finally decided that we needed to go.  I put the kids in the car, we picked up Scott from work, and made it happen.

But first.  Before you order you need to take a few minutes to admire - and gawk at - the amazing floor to ceiling, glass-encased chocolate fountain.  Certified by Guiness to be the largest chocolate fountain in the world, in fact.  

That's the ceiling

and that's the floor

Isn't that amazing?  Chocolate pools down to chocolate waterfalls to even more chocolate pools.

 

We ordered two crepes:  nutella & banana foster.  And really we should have just ordered two nutella crepes because we know that is everyone's favorite.  This is a place where you come to share a crepe -- they are rather big and a bit spendy ($10.50 for one)

And let me tell you they are delicious.  Mmm!

Anna enjoyed playing with the custom cake touch screen.  She was pretty amused at the fact that you can order an Elvis cake!

I thought that the dessert case looked pretty amazing.  So tempting, but we were here for one purpose only . . . crepes!

Well, we were also there to see the spring conservatory gardens - which were beautiful.  So two purposes really.  Flowers.  Crepes.

Oh, and not to be missed is the beautiful lobby ceiling covered in Chilhuly glass sculptures.  I think the Bellagio is my favorite place on the strip.

pre-mother's day party

Recently I had the opportunity to throw a small book launch party for Motherhood Realized.  The timing was perfect, just a few days before Mother's Day!  It gave us a chance to gather and reflect on motherhood.

And enjoy some Italian Sodas.  Mmmm.  The ladies who attended were so wonderful and brought snacks to share as well.

Every time I gather with a group of women and have the chance to get down to the meat of motherhood, womanhood, and really just listen and learn from each other . . . . I always feel so refreshed.

And then I wonder why we don't do it more often!  It can be difficult sometimes to move past the park/playgroup small talk, but when we do (with others who are tender towards & understanding of our hearts) it can be so enriching.

We need each other.  (I love this podcast on this very topic).

So I loved having this opportunity to meet with a few friends, peel back the layers a little more, realize that we have the same concerns/conversations/hopes for our kids, and just enjoy being together for an evening.

We watched several video clips of Motherhood Realized authors reading excerpts from their essays.  And we discussed what stood out to us, what we learned.

Here is one VIDEO if you'd like to take a peek!  Topics include really listening to your children in an effort to  build trust & communication lines, getting through our personal tunnels and finding light, and redefining what is a "good mom."

Before the party I sent everyone a copy of one chapter from the book (you can also get it HERE) so that we could read it ahead of time and be ready to discuss.  The essay was a good reminder that your children want you!  We don't need to compare ourselves against someone else, or try to be the unrealistic supermom that is born from everything that we see on Pinterest.  Our kids could really care less - they just want a mom who loves them and who is happy.

I love this quote from the cover of the book.  It sums it all up:

"Motherhood is rarely what we think it will be.  But when we gather with other deliberate mothers and share our most powerful perspectives -- like the ones in this book -- our mothering experiences can become even better than we hoped."  -Linda Eyre, New York Times bestselling author

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I was thrilled to find these cute printables that really pulled things together and made my party a breeze!

Italian Soda printables : Our Best Bites

Mother's Day party printables : One Charming Party

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Power of Moms has a program that can help you put together a monthly gathering just like this - Learning Circles.  It is part book group, support group, and girls' night out.  For more information on starting your own click on the button below:

screen free week

This past week was Screen-Free Week and I'd like to say that my absence from blogging last week stemmed from my participation in it.  What a responsible, deliberate mom!  But that would be a lie.  My unintentional "screen free week" was a result of just too much life going on!

Which is a good thing, right?  I don't need to be tied to this computer all the time.  But I am happy to have a few spare moments now to sit down and record some of it.  Through iPhone photos, of course.

A week ago Friday the boys went on a father & son campout so Anna and I had the sister missionaries over for dinner.  As soon as they left we got to work painting Anna's bathroom!

Good-bye chocolate brown!  You can bet that we started with a good coat of primer.  Anna was in charge of rolling while I did all the cutting in.  In this little bathroom there was A LOT of cutting in to do.  Good thing I've got some skills in that department.

Anna was just loving this mother-daughter time (me too!) and kept saying things like, "this is so much fun.  We should do this more often."  When we finished the primer we hopped in the van for a 9pm run to Yogurtland as a reward.  

Anna loves it when Scott is away -- well, she doesn't love the fact that he is away -- but she does love that she gets to sleep with me.  She told the missionaries at dinner, "I love sleeping with mom because the bed smells like her and I love the way she smells!"

Once we climbed into bed I promptly fell asleep while Anna watched a movie.

The next morning I woke up and painted the bathroom ceiling.  Like my painting pants?

And later I painted the walls (Muslin by Dunn Edwards) and the baseboards & door trim while Scott took the kids to Anna's soccer game in the 97 degree heat.

Cleaned myself up for a hot date.  Sushi and cherry-dipped cones.  (Love playing around with the Studio Design app)

I've been making this protein shake lately and it is super yum.

Anna has been persistent in asking for a puppy. We found this under Scott's pillow one night

There has been homework

And a lot of time spent memorizing the Gettysburg Address.  Oh my goodness, we were down to the wire but Payton managed to pull it off on the very last day!

Soccer practice and laundry are ever present

One evening I hosted a small book launch party for Motherhood Realized.  I'll share more details later.

It was Teacher Appreciation week and the PTA assigns a theme for each day of the week: Monday - bring a book for the classroom, Tuesday - bring a flower, Wednesday - bring a  treat, Thursday - bring a note, Friday - bring a giftcard.  So on "treat" day, I thought that rather than contribute to the mound of cookies & cake & candy the teachers would be receiving, we would instead bring in some healthy snacks. (I know for a fact that Anna's teacher is trying to be health conscious).

Smart water, dried apricots, PopChips, graham crackers & a packet of almond butter, Breakfast on the go! packs, Kashi bars, and inside that little canvas bag I did include a small supply of Hershey Bliss chocolate.

More subtle puppy notes.  On a mini banana cake - Scott's favorite.

Soccer pictures.  She loved this pose.

After a quick wardrobe change we were off to the Activity Days Mother-Daughter Activity.  It was SO cute!  We are lucky to have some amazing leaders. Stephanie, Jessica, Kenzy, Peggy, and Deb - thank you!

There was a photobooth, we mod-podged fabric on a flower pot, everyone brought a favorite recipe to share, and we played "That's My Mom!" (someone read off random/interesting life facts about the moms and their daughter had to yell, "that's my mom!")

Anna modeled every accessory available in the photobooth

We've had some pretty great morning walks around here

Love Anna's creativity.  She made this entirely out of washi tape.

Payton had his Instrument Ensemble spring concert.  I am always amazed at what his music teacher is able to do with an all percussion ensemble!  So very cool.  They performed with the choir and the program included a little play.  Payton played the part of "dad" and did a fantastic job.  He loves being in the spotlight.  One of my favorite numbers was the Cup Song.  The choir sang and the instrument ensemble played the cups.  Loved it!  The next day I had Payton teach me how to do it too.

My parents, brother Denver, and my sister-in-law Bree came to town for the weekend.  We met up with them for dinner on Friday night at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.  It's always so fun to get dressed up for a night on the town.  

Scott and I ordered some new doors for our house -- front doors, french doors (to replace the back slider), and two other exterior doors.  This also meant picking out some hardware which was kind of daunting, but fun.  We are scheduled for install the end of next weekend then . . . .wait for it . . . wait for it . . . the house will be painted!!

We celebrated Scott's 38th birthday with more banana cake . . .

and Star Wars toys.  I have to laugh everytime I see this photo.  His face cracks me up!

Never too old for a new Star Wars toy!  (And I loved his brother, Kevin's comment:  Sith Lord Barbie!)  You can find it here: Star Wars Anakin to Darth Vader Figure

And then it was Mother's Day and I had a most wonderful day of relaxing, breakfast in bed, cards & love from my kids, a little something from my wishlist, a game of Battleship with Anna, watching an episode of Once Upon a Time with the kids, and no cooking or dishes whatsoever!

 

And that's it.  A peek into the last week of our lives.  I keep thinking that things are going to slow down the next week, but then I look at the calendar and realize nope!  Not until school gets out.  Just over 3 weeks to go!

 

it was mom

 1981 - I'm almost 2 and mom is pregnant with Sam

It was mom who taught me to wash the dishes

sing I am a Child of God

tie my shoes

say thank you when someone pays you a compliment

speak up and say hello when I saw classmates in public (I was shy)

do my hair

shave my legs

sweep and clean up the yard until it "looks like Disneyland"

how to throw a party or put on a kids' summer camp on my own (at age 11)

sort & wash my own laundry (with trial and error - there was one pair of pink jeans)

cook a meal

always look nice when going out in public

appreciate a clean home

serve and magnify my callings

try new things

look for examples of successful mothers around me and learn from them

be a light to others

put that last 3% into everything you do

live with faith

and so much more.

Happy Mother's Day, mom!

 

To everyone, enjoy this little video.  A Mother's Day Tribute to Moms:

baptism weekend for Carlee

Aside from Anna getting her puppy fix, the real reason for our trip to California last weekend was to attend my niece, Carlee's baptism!  She is just 7 months younger than Anna and they are cute little friends so I thought it would be a special treat for Anna and I to attend her baptism.  (Carlee also made the trip here for Anna's baptism in October).

Carlee was adorable.  The baptism wasn't until 3pm, so the kids had spent all morning playing and running around in the backyard, and doing chores (Carlee even had to clean up the dog poop).  But when she put on her white baptism dress she radiated this sweet & tender spirit, prepared for the big choice she was making that day.

It was also a treat to see my brother, Sam, baptize his oldest child.  Definitely a big milestone!  Sam is 2 years younger than me, with the rest of our brothers coming after a 4 year gap, so we have always been paired together as "the oldest".  He is an incredibly hard worker, currently a counselor in the bishopric in his ward, cross fit junkie (he is strong), he inherited the handyman gene from my dad (he just installed concrete countertops in his kitchen), a great father & husband, and he devotes a lot of careful thought/effort into raising his family right.  He's a great guy and I'm glad to call him my brother.

It was just so great to spend the weekend hanging out with Sam's family.  Heidi is just awesome.  She had her house full of family for this big weekend, including my daughter one night for a cousin sleepover, planning lots of food, while pulling things together for being out of town herself on Monday and she was just cool as a cucumber.

And their kids are "totes adorbs".  Seriously.  I don't use those words lightly!  I've long told Sam & Heidi that if they ever die I get Audrey.  She is absolutely precious -- ohhh, but she's also a spitfire!  Preston was a bit sad over the weekend because there were no boys for him to play with.  Poor guy.

I made a short video on my phone, while talking to Audrey.  When Preston saw it he wanted me to make one of him as well.  Audrey is 3 and Preston is 6.

And little Cole.  He and I hung out in the hall for much of the baptism, but I was MORE than happy to fill that role now that I don't have any squirmy kids of my own to worry about!  He recently turned 1 and is such a little sweetheart.

I also got a chance to visit Mason & Jessica and see their brand new baby Alene -- just 5 days old!  What perfect timing!

Denver and Bree were there too, but I didn't snag a photo.

Anna and I stayed at my parent's house (The Mill House).  It's so cozy and perfect for stopping in for a weekend visit.  In the little down time we had Anna was a little perplexed because there wasn't as much entertainment at the house (no kids, no treehouse, no garden, no swings, and no big yard like the Catheys Valley house).  But she did okay.  I need to teach that girl the value of doing absolutely nothing!

If all else fails, you can always tango in the kitchen.

It was a great visit and I'm so glad that we went so that we could see everyone and be a part of Carlee's special day.  And it was fun to be able to say, "see you in a few weeks!"  We have a family reunion coming up as soon as school gets out and everyone will be there!  22 people, 3 days, and one 7,000 sq.ft. ocean-view home on 5 acres.  Should be pretty fantastic!

happy may day

"A flower doesn't worry about being better than the flower next to it, it just blooms . . . . even if it is only a weed."

Bellagio Spring Gardens - April 2014

Flower wisdom from @wendys_hat.  Loved it.