Simple Pleasures...

Today Jackson had a field trip to the zoo, and he got to bring a sack lunch to eat there. This was a special occasion since he is only in Kindergarten and doesn't usually get to eat a sack lunch with his school friends. He couldn't wait to get up this morning to see what I packed in his lunch: PB&J, an orange, bottled water, and... a Reese's peanut butter egg from Easter. He ran over with a huge smile on his face and said "Sarah, thank you so much for the peanut butter egg!" It just made me smile that he was so thrilled about his little lunch. I had also stuck a napkin in the bag that said "Jackson I love you!" When I picked him up from his field trip, he had the napkin in hand and excitedly told me how much he loved it and that he was going to save it! That just made my day! How often we show how much we love someone by simple little acts that take very little effort :)

Time Flies...

This past Friday we got to celebrate my sis-in-law's graduation from BYU, and this Friday, my sis-in-law Lauren will also be graduating. We are soooo proud of them for their huge accomplishment, and although the learning process is never over, I hope they feel some relief from the realization of that goal.

I can't help but think about how that was me, 10 years ago - graduating from BYU! It was such a great time feeling as though the world was at my feet since I had no obligations, just a huge open book to fill with whatever I wanted to do. It was also a time of confusion of so many choices since my life had no commitments or obligations. So much has changed in these 10 years! The idea of easily doing anything I want to do is so foreign these days. I can't just go on a spontaneous date with James, plan a trip to backpack through Europe, or spend a Saturday hiking through the mountains. James and I usually take our kids with us everywhere, unless we can leave them with a family member, (I'm one of those paranoid moms who doesn't leave my kids with babysitters!), our vacation this year will consist of Disneyland, Legoland, and whatever else our kids dream of, and Saturdays are often spent at soccer games and doing yard work. I wouldn't trade it for anything though!

I love all of my responsibilities, and the love from my children and watching their accomplishments is more valuable than any pay check I've ever earned. It is, of course, the hardest job I could ever undertake, but I can't imagine anything else being more important in this world than what I am doing right now. I am hoping that the next 10 years don't fly by as quickly as the last. Inevitably they will, but I wish they will be as joyful and memorable as the past 10 years have been!

Garbage and Intoxication...

Yesterday we were headed down the hill to the park and were almost there when I stopped to talk to a friend who had just arrived home from her vacation. I watched the two boys head up to the park, and I got there shortly after they did. At the park, I started talking to another friend there, and her friend whom I had just met said: "Those boys are at it again, digging through the garbage can and eating candy. I don't know where their mom is or where they came from - they just ran right for the garbage can." To my horror, I turned around, and guess whose boys were eating candy out of the park garbage can???? I had to confess that I was the mother of these disgusting boys, and then the new friend apologized for tattling on them! I'm so glad she told me what they were doing! I scolded them, and then they moved on to eating Cheetos off of the pavilion floor. Gross! They eat garbage, but they won't eat good things for dinner like lazana or enchiladas!

Then, last night, Alanna tried to intoxicate herself with a good shot from a bottle of hotel sized mouthwash she found in the bathroom somewhere! She smelled so badly of alcohol, and when I ran into the bathroom to see what she had done there was a puddle of mouthwash on the floor too. James immediately called Poison Control, and the nurse told us Alanna would be okay, it was just as if she drank a shot of whiskey! We had to keep her awake for the next hour and make sure she could walk straight and was acting normally. She ended up being just fine, although she wanted to go to sleep right away. We had to bribe her to stay up and walking around by getting out a box of Nerds candy. I think that may have been enforcing naughty behavior - oops!

Spring is Visiting...

I say Spring is visiting, for a few days, because we never know how quickly the weather here in UT is going to change. We are supposed to get some storms and cold weather again this coming week. But, for now, this weekend has been glorious! We started off with the boy's soccer clinic at 9am, and it was so sunny and warm - just perfect. The kids took the opportunity to play on the equipment there at the soccer fields, and we were very entertained with Alanna's monkey like physical abilities! This past Thursday, we had a huge picnic with friends at the park (some friends we haven't seen all winter), and it was an equally perfect day of playing outside and enjoying summertime foods. The only downer is that we spent the rest of this afternoon weeding our grass out back that we are growing from scratch. It's not been too bad, but we are very excited to have the backyard completely done. Then we can move on to finishing the basement!

Easter Festivities...

First day of SPRING BREAK!!!

Days like this make me wonder....Why do we live in UT????

Wanna be a Cow Girl...

Alanna loves to put on Paul's cowboy boots and ride on her "bubble", as she calls it. She has seen her brothers ride on the bouncy ball enough to figure out how to ride it herself. It is one of the cutest things she does, she just looks too small to be able to ride it! It's one of Alanna's talents, and she really gets this ball bouncing. Sometimes she even gets on it when she is throwing a tempter tantrum, which is most entertaining. For some reason, this outfit is J-dog's favorite for Alanna, even though it is a 12 month outfit. That is why it is appearing in so many pictures.

Fun with Uncles...

Funny Kids...