Party of 5

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

In 7th Heaven!

Our sweet Halle turned 7 on April 2. To say that she was excited would be a bit of an understatement. The girl likes getting gifts more than anything in the entire world. To welcome Halle to a wonderful 7th year, we celebrated her birthday all weekend long.

We started with a small friend party at Color Me Mine. Halle LOVES to paint, and I HATE to clean up paint, so this was a perfect match. Halle & 5 of her besties painted little ceramic doodads. They had so much fun. And, me? Oh, I was a happy mama. I didn't have to do anything for the party! Hallelujah!

On Sunday, we had two parties for our cute girl. In between conference sessions we went to my parents house for a Easter egg hunt/birthday party, and later that evening, Sam's family came over to a little Halle party. I made an attempt at a Nothing Bundt Cakes cake for each party, and I think they turned out pretty cute.

Finally, the big day arrived on Monday. Halle was so thrilled to go to school and be the birthday girl. She walked around with a little extra bounce in her step!

We absolutely adore Halle. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is an amazing big sister. I depend on Halle so much during the day. WE LOVE THIS GIRL!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Facts of Life

Fact -- Some days, like today, I consider sprucing up my resume, and looking for a teaching job. I used to be under the impression that a stay-at-home moms had the easiest job ever. False. I am more exhausted now at the end of the day than when I worked long hours. But, they--whoever "they" are--say that I'm making a difference for my kids. We'll see...

Fact -- 13 days until Halle's 7th birthday. We've been counting down for some 50 days.

Fact -- When Halle was 3, we told her she could get a dog when she was 7. Uh oh! My genius husband though, has now decided that we can get a dog at any point within the 7th year. Probably. Maybe. We'll see.

Fact -- Going to church is exhausting. Chase is--by far--the loudest kid in the chapel. I wish our ward had more little kids to drown out the noise from our row.

Fact -- Sam turned 35 a week or so ago. I still remember when my parents were 35. Crazy.

Fact -- Kids, I think, are cold-blooded. Why else can they hang out in the backyard and turn on the water in 60 degree weather? Halle wanted to put on her swimsuit the other day. Ummmm... I'd say yes, but the neighbors would talk.

Fact -- Chase is over 3, and he finally sleeps in his own bed. Pathetic, I know.

Fact -- He thinks mommy and daddy should sleep in there with him. We don't. Mostly.

Fact -- Now Lizzie is in with us. Goodness, we need more bedrooms.

Fact -- When Lizzie plays peek-a-boo, she covers her ears instead of her eyes. I'd correct her, but it's adorable.

Fact -- I love blogging, but somehow, loading pictures & writing something genius seems like a lot of work.

Fact -- I'm going to do better.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

I Believe

I don't usually take the time to write my testimony down. I have a testimony, but with kids, and everyday life, putting it down on paper doesn't seem to happen. Thanks to Dawn, who did something similar on her blog, I am going to share my beliefs on my blog. Someday, if I ever remember to turn this blog into a book, I will be grateful that I did this.

All week I have been thinking about the Atonement. On Sunday, we were talking in Young Women's about the suffering that Christ did for each of us. For ME. For YOU. At some point during Chist's time in Gethsemane, He was thinking about me. I find that so amazing and overwhelming in this world of so many people. It's easy to feel lost in a sea of others, but we have someone in Christ who knows exactly what we feel, and can relate like no one else can.

Nearly two weeks ago, Sam's amazing grandmother, Pauline Pace, suddenly passed away. She lived 92 great years. Although a sad time, it was great to know of eternal families. It is wonderful to know that we will be able to be together forever if we choose to do the right things here on Earth.

Being a member of the church is the greatest blessing. I am so thankful that I have the knowledge of our Savior. Thanks to my faith in Christ, I am able to endure trials. I hope to live my life in such a way that pleases Him.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Wonderful Wednesdays

When many parents see their children's future, they may hope they grow up to become a doctor or lawyer or professional basketball player. At our house, however, we realize that Chase's dream is to grow up to become the garbage truck driver. There is absolutely nothing cooler than watching "Stinky" (the garbage truck) come to our house each Wednesday morning.

We wake up early & Chase rushes to the window to watch the garbage truck do his rounds. Usually, Chase is just in his undies pressed up against the window watching as Stinky goes from house to house. It is ultimate excitement.

As of late, Lizzie has gotten in on the excitement. Chase puts her stool by the window, just like a good big brother, and the two of them stare out the window until the garbage truck turns the corner.

It is moments like these, when I realize that kids have life figured out. Life is about simple moments, and watching the garbage truck is about as simple--and cool--as it gets.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

On my mind...

--Last Sunday, we made it through an entire sacrament meeting. Like, I'm talking the ENTIRE 70 minutes. Yes, we had a small yard sale of books, crayons, toys and snacks (and maybe some electronic devices--shh!) to entertain our three darlings, but no one had to leave. I don't know if I've ever been so proud. Unfortunately, I was still exhausted by the end of the hour, and I don't know what was said. Small steps, I guess...

--Eating out / heating up frozen food is WAY easier than actual cooking. Making a meal at our house takes forever, and by the time the entire process is over, Sam and I wonder why we even try. The kids just like french fries and chicken nuggets anyway. Plus, the clean-up is not fun. Let's face it, I'm not the world's best homemaker.

--I'm sick of speech therapy. It's expensive, and incredibly time consuming. I feel like all I do is correct Chase on his speech. I have this fear that Chase will look back on his childhood, and only remember his nagging mother in front of his face dragging out every syllable of every word. Apraxia isn't so fun. I have to keep reminding myself of all the progress we are seeing. One day we look back on this time of life, and realize it really wasn't that bad.

--I don't know how I lived life without my Kindle Fire. It's awesome!

--Cleaning the toy room is one of the world's most useless activities.

--I want a dog. A cute one.

--We cut our cable a month or so ago, and surprisingly, I haven't missed it as much as I thought I would. We are going to try to go without it for a few months, and so far, so good. We thought the kids would completely lose it without their 50 channels, but they don't care. It turns out, they actually have imaginations. Imagine that!

--I've been trying to lose the same 5 pounds for a year. Maybe I should try dieting and exercise. It turns out just wanting to lose 5 pounds doesn't actually make you lose weight. Too bad.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

It's so Fun to be ONE!

Our sweet Elizabeth turned 1 on January 12. We are completely in love with our little angel. She has a way to brighten any room with her big, bright smile. Because she is so stinkin' adorable, we decided to celebrate Lizzie all week. We started with a dinner with Sam's brother and sister, Michael & Hilary, on Sunday night (Sam's mom & dad are out of town--on a cruise, no less. No, not that cruise. Thank goodness.) Like all my kids, Lizzie loves hanging out with Aunt Hilly & Uncle Michael.

On Thursday, my parents, Bethany, Audrey & Kennedy came over to help us celebrate Lizzie's entrance into toddlerhood. She is so lucky to have so many people in her life that love her!

Lizzie loved every second of her party. She's quickly discovered that presents, new clothes, and cake are the keys to winning a girl's heart.

When cake time arrived, Lizzie was ready. Since our Lizzie is as "cute as a button," we felt a button cake was appropriate. She dove right into the frosting, and never looked back. That's my girl!