Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What a year

Today was Will's last day of kindergarten.  We took a picture before he went to school this morning, and I was comparing it with his picture from the first day. 


And here is today's picture


He looks so grown up now.  It's amazing how much can change in a year.  I asked Will what some of his favorite things about kindergarten were.

-Learning how to rollerskate for P.E.
-Playing with friends at recess
-Having snacktime
-Watching chicks hatch in his classroom
-Singing songs to remember how to spell words

He's had a really fun year and we are so proud of all the progress he has made with writing and reading, as well as all the fun and interesting things he learned about math, science, and many other subjects.  1st grade here we come!

Monday, May 28, 2012

A Cookie Story

Yesterday Will and Kayla helped me make cookies while Bill was home teaching.  An incident happened that prompted Will to write a short story.


Translation: Once there was two people (Will and Kayla) eating different sugar.  One was eating brown sugar, one was eating white sugar. Then their mother said stop eating sugar. 

And a (very bad) picture of the cookie helpers


Saturday, May 26, 2012

And the answer is...

Here are the answers to the quiz in case people were interested

Picture 1 - The inside of our computer tower (I think)
Picture 2 - The trunk window of our car
Picture 3 - Part of the wheel on my wheelchair

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

What is it?

Will and Kayla enjoy playing with the camera as much as we will let them.  And every once in a while they come up with a picture that makes us go "What is it?"  So I thought I'd have a little fun on our blog.  See if you can guess what they were trying to take a picture of.




Small and simple things

Today Kayla and I had a tea party.  Nothing big, just water and cracker sandwiches.  But seeing the smile on Kayla's face when I joined her was wonderful.




Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A wonderful time

I feel I should preface this post by saying that I have the most amazing and wonderful husband ever.  The reasons why are certainly plentiful, but for the sake of this post he's amazing and wonderful because he let me go on a vacation completely by myself.  Again.  A couple of years ago I got to go to Utah and this time I got to go to Washington D.C.  One of my best friends got married a couple of weeks ago and I was able to be there.  It was definitely an experience that I will always remember.  Since I could probably go on and on about all the fun and crazy experiences I had, instead I'll highlight some of my favorite parts.  And unfortunately I didn't take that many pictures (and those I did take didn't turn out so well) so you'll have to use your imagination.

-Flying into DC and seeing the Washington Monument from the plane window
-Spending time with old friends and their adorable kids
-Having dinner with my sister-in-law, her husband, and my father-in-law
-Riding the Metro
-Getting lost at least twice - the getting lost part wasn't so fun, but I definitely got plenty of exercise with all that walking
-Seeing all the amazing sites.  We went to the Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and walked by numerous other places that I would love to go back and see.
-Meeting new friends
-Getting a manicure with my friend the morning of her wedding
-Being inside the beautiful Washington D.C. temple
-Seeing my friend start her new life with her wonderful new husband

 I definitely missed Bill and the kids at times, but it was so much fun to be able to relax for a few days and not have any responsibilities.  Thanks to all those who helped us out with babysitting, rides, accommodations, and numerous other things.  And of course a huge thank you to Bill for playing Mr. Mom while I got to have fun.  You're the best honey!   

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Motherhood Is...

Recently I entered an essay contest about motherhood.  I didn't win, but I feel this essay sums up pretty well how I feel about motherhood, so I thought I'd share it with you.

MOTHERHOOD IS

Motherhood is an interesting word to try and define. It reminds me of the beginning line in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. For me the best of times include getting a spontaneous hug from my 3-year-old or seeing my 6-year-old make his bed without being asked. It is seeing my children playing nicely together or making special presents for their grandparents. It is throwing a successful birthday party or listening to them describe a fun day at school or a friend's house. Motherhood is the best when I can put my children to bed at the end of the day and feel good about the choices they made, which is often a reflection of how I've raised them. At those times I think to myself “I love being a mother. I am so thankful that God has granted me these two beautiful angels for me to love and raise.” During the best of times I think of myself as “Supermom”; able to do 10 loads of laundry in one day, or make a delicious, healthy snack for my kids that will make them say “Wow Mom, we love you!” These are the times when I can do no wrong and I have the world at my feet.  And then there are the worst of times. Temper tantrums, throwing up, sibling rivalry, messy rooms, etc. These are the days when I feel like letting my husband take care of the kids and escaping to some far off place all by myself. These are the days that I am forced to separate my kids before World War III breaks out. I have been a mother for almost 7 years, and while there are plenty of times when I might toy with the idea of going back to work or getting a full-time nanny, all I have to do is look at my daughter's beautiful face or hear my son tell me a funny story and I remember why I chose to make motherhood my full-time job. Because motherhood is frustrating, hard, exasperating, beautiful, fun, and the most wonderful thing I could be doing with my life.

I love being a mother to Will and Kayla.  They teach me so much every day about love, friendship, service, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and so many other things.  They are active, crazy, silly, creative, amazing children.  Yes I have bad days, yes I want to throw in the towel and quit sometimes, but at the end of the day I don't think I would trade motherhood for anything else.