Under Pressure....

Under pressure - that's my definition of motherhood lately. A good friend who is a bit older and much wiser than I stopped me at church the other week and asked how life is going. At the time I was running around the building making sure all of our Primary teachers were there etc. I told her it just seemed like I couldn't catch my breath (metaphorically speaking)! We then proceeded to have an in depth conversation which she called "the truth about motherhood". She was saying that she wished when she had young kids (with a set of twins!) there was a forum entitled just that: "The Truth About Motherhood!" And we as mothers could just be open and honest about everything motherhood entails. How it's the best thing we could ever do with our lives, but it's the hardest and most challenging. Some days we think we are failing and going crazy and would run away on the first jet plane to Australia if we could! Yet, at the same time, we wouldn't enjoy a second of it because we would miss our babies and feel guilty and think that there isn't another single person on earth who could care for your child the way you do!

I don't know if it's having 4 kids, James's crazy 60+ hour work weeks this summer, or just life, but I can only sum it up as pressure. There is the pressure of making the right decisions about our family: are we teaching our kids all that they need to know spiritually, emotionally, academically? Are we providing them with the best opportunities possible? Are we making the most of the precious years we have with them? Are our priorities correct? Then there are the mundane daily tasks of making sure the laundry is done, grocery shopping, getting the best deals on clothing etc. (it's like a game for me) , preparing food (healthy food they sometimes whine about!), carpooling, play dates, assigning chores so the kids learn to work. I mean, the list is absolutely endless. When on thing on the list is done, there is another to add to it, and then that first thing has to be done again.

And there has got to be time to take it easy and relax and make some memories. Is that possible for a mother? Even to go to the lake up the street requires me to pack up 1/2 my house of towels, sand toys, beach umbrella, sun screen, hats, sunglasses, water, food, etc. etc. Every mother knows that getting kids ready for just about any outing is no time to relax! If there is someplace we are supposed to be, even a social event, I literally get a tightening feeling in my chest as I rush around trying to get there on time. I HATE being late for anything, and I just can't let my kids be an excuse for us being late.

The craziest part about all of this is that the majority of my "stress" is self induced. And... I think I'm addicted to it. I get some sort of "high" when I have checked off everything on my list for the day and have maximized my "productivity". I want to provide as many opportunities as I can for each of my kids and never use the excuse that they can't be involved in something because it's too hard on me. I really feel like I have limited time with my kids because they are growing up too fast. I have to make the most of it and not have any regrets. For me, I guess that's my way of measuring how well I am fulfilling my role right now. I want all of these feelings I have to be recorded in my blog book so I can reflect on them in the future and not forget how it was to raise my family. I also want Alanna to know that it's okay and it's normal as a mother to feel like a runaway headless chicken sometimes :) Don't we all, even though it might not appear to be the case looking from the outside?

Happy Birthday Jackson!!!!

Jackson turned 7 on July 15, and he wanted to have a "science" themed birthday party. His #1 request was that NO GIRLS be invited, even though girls have invited him to their parties this past year. I thought he came up with a great theme for his party, and when I looked online for ideas, I found that this happens to be a common interest for 7 year olds.

My kids better esteem me as a Super Mom, because putting on 2 kid birthday parties in two days is borderline insane! I got laughed at quite a few times as my friends figured out that the parties were back to back. That's what I get for having 2 kids in the same week (4 years apart). What were we thinking?

The party was fun for the boys though. What little boy doesn't love building, playing with gloop, or explosions? The first activity was a contest to see who could build the tallest free standing tower with 25 toothpicks and 1/3 c of mini marshmallows. Then we made some "oobleck", it's really strange stuff made from corn starch and water that constantly changes from a liquid to a solid state. We blew up a balloon attached to a water bottle filled with vinegar and lemon juice. Then each boy made a "lava lamp" in a water bottle filled with oil, water, and food coloring. If you put small pieces of Alka Seltzer in and shake it, it bubbles up like a real electric lava lamp. And then, of course, the favorite, Mentos in Diet Coke. Did you know that if you drop even 2 Mentos in a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke you can create quite an explosion? Everyone loved that one. We served mini pizzas, Doritos, Layered Drinks, Volcano cake, and ice cream. I don't think I got a picture of the layered drinks, but they are so cool. You pick 3 different drinks with varying sugar content and pour them in layers over ice. They stay seperated and very festive looking - perfect for a science party.

Jackson had a big surprise for his party. His best friend, Preston, came all the way from Redmond, UT to help him celebrate! We were so excited to see the Palmers! His Uncle Caleb, Aunt Lauren, Grandma Ce-Ce, and Poppy all showed up for the after party! They had a water fight and ate In and Out for dinner. I hope that Jackson felt very loved! As I am writing this, Jackson said "I wish we had done a pinata for my party like Alanna did!" SPOILED! I'm afraid Jackson may be entering the "tweener" stage a little early! It is getting more difficult to find everything he does "cute" and "endearing" as we did in his earlier years. We still love Jackson for several reasons though:

• He takes care of Alanna and Blaze really well and always makes them laugh and have fun
• He is a good friend to others
• He is a hard worker in school and loves to do chores around the house
• He is a very creative artist and loves to color, draw, and paint, and build with Legos
• He can read for hours trying to get through a good book
• When we look in the car rear view mirror we can see Jackson dancing in his booster seat
• He sleeps in the weirdest positions - just like his Uncle Luke

Giddy-up Cowgirl !!!!

Giddy is the perfect word to describe Alanna as her family and friends were "rounded-up" to celebrate her 3rd birthday. We passed out her invitations a week before hand, and everyday leading up to her party she just couldn't wait for the big day to transpire. She has been planning a cowgirl party for about the past 6 months, and has kept asking me to make her some PINK cowgirl chaps. I finally got around to it the day before the party, and she was ecstatic about her outfit, and equally so about posing for pictures on a stuffed horse.

We kept the activities pretty simple, because for many of the girls, it was their very first friend birthday party, and being only 2-3, they are very easily entertained. They all got pink cowgirl hats on arrival, and then made a simple cowgirl necklace. Then we had each girl pose on the horse as well - with an Australian herding whip from James's mission (one he brought back as a souvenir, he did not herd sheep on his mission - not literally anyway :)) We played a game of "Cow, cow, Giddy-up horsie", and the girls had to ride a stick horse around when they were it. I just changed the words to "duck, duck, goose", but the girls loved it and it was so much fun to watch them ride that stick horse!

I then made the mistake of breaking open the horse pinata during the mid part of the party. Of course they LOVED getting the candy, but then that's all they cared about the rest of the time! I've never hosted an all girl party before (for little girls anyway), and they are soooo different from having a group of all boys over. They were so quiet and timid. After Alanna would open a gift, the gift giving girl would come over and hug her! It was just precious. Although kids parties can be a lot of work, the experience (in my opinion) is absolutely priceless!

Camp Willifun!!!

Last week we got to go to the Williamson Family Reunion held in Ely, NV. This year, James's Aunt Maurine and her family, the Fishers, hosted the reunion. It was so awesome because they put so much time and preparation into each activity and really thought about everyone who was going to participate. There was shooting for kids and adults, as well as archery. The dads and older boys took a little crawdading trip at the lake, and then the moms and girls got a 3 hour spa treatment while the dads watched the younger kids. The meals were incredible and pretty much all prepared before hand. There was a theme each day and the lodge was decked out American, Hawaiian, or Mexican style each day with coordinating meals. I think one of the funnest parts was when we did "skits in a bag". We were randomly divided up into groups and given a trash bag full of random objects, then we had to quickly come up with a skit to perform for everyone. It's always fun to see people loosen up and act a little silly! Paul and Jackson are still talking about getting to perform in their skit and getting to play one of the Seven Dwarf's. On the last morning, there was a memorial ceremony for James's grandparents, Lyle and Glenna Williamson. Pictures were shared in a slide show, and memories were shared from select grandchildren. It was a great way for the great-grandchildren and in-laws to get to know Lyle and Glenna better. All and all our family had a blast. I think Jackson was ready to join James's cousin's family of 5 boys! He ran around with them the entire time and was sad to leave his new friends! We are already looking forward to the next reunion in two years :)

Happy #3 Alanna!!!!

Today is my sweet baby girl's birthday. I can't believe that she is three years old! It seems like yesterday that we found out that we were expecting a girl, and James was very leary of the prospect of that! I was thrilled to know we would have a girl joining our family. I was really afraid that I wouldn't end up having any girl babies. She has changed our family for the better, in ways that I never imagined. I always say this, but she really has softened up her dad's heart like no one else could, and I LOVE that! They will always have such a special relationship. We can't get enough of her, and we all regard her as our beautiful Lanna girl (although she sometimes prefers to be called Lanna Monkey!) Some things we LOVE about Alanna are

• She will randomly say "I love you Mommy (or Daddy) several times a day
• She is so athletic and coordinated and adventurous. She keeps up with her brothers so well
• She is sooo protective of Blaze and refers to him as "her baby"
• She is always the first to volunteer to pray in our family, and her prayers are so sweet and sincere - she really gets the meaning of praying
• She is such a girl. She loves dolls, painted nails, dresses, and purses.
• She still has to snuggle next to someone when she sleeps. Right now it's either Paul or Jackson!
• She loves nursery and also has her nursery teachers wrapped around her finger. She gives them hugs and kisses and doesn't want to leave them when we go to pick her up.
• She loves her grandpas. She is always asking Poppy or Grandpa Joe to hold her.
• She is soooo smart and has a great vocabulary for her age. Like all kids, she says the funniest things and we wonder where she gets them from!
• She loves to "run laps" with her brothers after school to get their energy out!

Those are just a few of our favorite things about Alanna! We will be having a cowgirl party for her on Thursday to celebrate with her little friends.

4th of July!!!!

We had a wonderful 4th of July, especially since James has been working so much and got to enjoy the day off with us. We started with a local fireworks show on Saturday night, and the highlight of that for the kids was when the sprinklers turned on and soaked us right when the show was over! They have made fireworks under 150 ft. legal in UT now, so I think everyone went crazy with their own home shows this year. We enjoyed many nights on our deck watching the valley celebrate the holiday. On the 4th, we went out to lunch, and then to see Cars 2. I LOVED it! I remember being in awe of the first Cars movie and the incredible animation, and this one rivaled it. They tour around the world and the scenery is just amazing. The story line was such that it kept kids and adults enthralled. I'm glad we saw it on the big screen. We spent the evening at a family b-bque, and our family ambushed everyone else with water balloons. It was my idea, and it was a hit! (the Williamson's were surprised that it was my idea, they still don't know me very well :) Someone got out the water hose, and Grandpa Joe was dumping out water coolers on his sons. Needless to say, the guys were soaked! It didn't really matter though since it was also raining. It was a nice change from the usual blistering hot 4th of July days we usually endure in UT. We came home and watched more fireworks from the deck with James's brother Steven and his family and enjoyed some homemade 4th of July Jello pops. I love summer so much, especially when I'm not pregnant!

Jackson's Last Week...

Jackson was got to do some pretty fun activities his last two weeks of 1st grade. I'm talking a party every day of the last two weeks! I think it was smart of his teacher to keep the kids interested in school and break up the day with fun activities. They had a Pirate day with a treasure hunt, a birthday party, water activities, camping day, field trips etc. The parents were invited to see a series of short plays that the kids put on in their class room. Jackson got to be Frankenstein in one of the two plays he performed in. I don't know who wrote the plays, but they were pretty clever - they kept the adults laughing. I thought it was great to give them the opportunity to memorize lines and speak in front of an audience. Jackson's teacher has been amazing, and we are really going to miss her. She really went the extra mile with her students, and I can tell she really does love them. Jackson got an award for missing only one homework assignment, and also an award for progressing the most in his reading levels. The crazy thing is that he starts 2nd grade in 3 more weeks!