The Gift of Sight

Sophie is going to have an exciting summer. Today she joined the glasses club, and in the next month she'll get to wear a patch for a while before Kindergarten begins. For now, she's going to get used to her new spectacles.

Sophie was excited to show the other kids her glasses. They all responded positively. Phoebe whisked Sophie upstairs for costume and hair. She dressed Sophie as a teacher to go along with the glasses, messy bun and all. When I asked Phoebe what she was doing she said, "I've been waiting for this my whole life... dressing up my little sister!"

Worth the Wait

Sometimes I think about how long it took us to get Topher. I mean a few different things by that. He joined our family nearly seventeen years after Bryan and I were married. That's a lot of years to wait to meet someone.

But I'm also talking about the span of time between getting that overwhelming and direct impression that there was another child waiting to come to our family. It was two and a half years from that divine prompting until his birth.

And then I think about what would have happened if I had ignored that message from the Holy Ghost? Would it have kept coming? Or would we have missed out on this incredibly precious little boy?

Then, no matter which of these thoughts is in my head at the moment, I snuggle him close, breathe in his 12-month-old sweetness, and say a prayer of thanks that he's here.

Matched

My brother Jordan and his wife Leah came to visit for the long weekend. We loved having them here. They played board games with the kids, watched movies with us, and stayed up way too late talking. It was wonderful.

Jordan and Peter unintentionally matched on their first day here.

A highlight for the kids was getting avocado face masks that Leah brought.

Thanks for visiting guys!

Picking Up the Tab

Topher, Sophie, and I went grocery shopping last week. While we were waiting in line to pay, Topher was at the perfect height to push the buttons of the payment terminal keypad. In an attempt to distract him, I pulled out my wallet and opened it in front of him. That did the trick. He turned away from the buttons.

I shifted my gaze to Sophie to check on her behind me. When I turned back to Topher, I saw that he had pulled my library card out of my wallet and was doing his best to slide it into the chip reader.

I'm pretty sure he's a genius.

A Show of Colors

Phoebe's school puts on a Memorial Day concert at the end of every school year. She's been walking around the house singing patriotic songs for weeks. Last Friday she wore red, white, and blue and sang for the Veterans that came to see them.  Her favorite song was You're a Grand Old Flag.

Have a good Memorial Day.

Winner, Winner

Remember the story that Phoebe wrote for the Reflections competition at her school? Well, she won first place for Primary Literature for her school! The award ceremony was last month.

Her story was then submitted to the regional contest and she won third place there! That ceremony was on Monday night at a local university.

 

Great job Phoebe!

The Questioner

Sophie had her last day of our preschool co-op today. Technically, the last day of academics was on Tuesday. Today was a final lunch/play date/chance for the moms to visit. One of the dads made these cute certificates for the kids. My job was to drop in the pictures from the first day of preschool and then from a day last week and print them. As you can see, Sophie was awarded Ms. Inquisitive. Apparently she was known for asking lots and lots of questions. 

Preschool was a good experience, for Sophie and for me. I had fun teaching and I'm glad that Sophie had the opportunity to learn to follow someone else's rules. And now I'm glad that preschool is done. Sophie isn't though. As much as she's looking forward to kindergarten, she's going to miss seeing her friends more often than just Sundays.

I'm Here for the Food

Somebody discovered the magic of Costco samples today.

Quick Thoughts

This is a quick note to say this:

I'm tired. Mentally, physically, emotionally tired. We're all tired. But that's okay, because it's almost summer break and we can push through to the end.

Sophie is now officially registered for Kindergarten. She's so excited. I'm kind of melancholy.

Our house should have a room just for displaying art projects the kids have made out of paper and cardboard and string because the flat surfaces in my house are getting crowded.

Topher has his first sunburn. I feel terrible about it. I'm usually so good about putting a hat on him, but today a quick stop outside ended up being much longer than planned. Sophie has a little burn too.

Today, while my children were all in school or napping, I cleaned a pretty messy room in only twenty minutes. I kind of wish the kids had been home to see 1) that I actually do things to help at home other than tell them to do their chores and 2) that that particular room shouldn't take an hour (or longer) to clean, though it usually does when it's their job.

That is all.

Look Up

I listened to 1 Nephi chapter 17 while I prepped dinner today. Verse 41 stood out to me. This is Nephi speaking about Moses and the children of Israel.

41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

I often think about the power of this verse. The Israelites were dying because of those snake bites, but looking at Moses' staff was just too easy, so they didn't do it. How many of us are in pain and we refuse to take even small steps to relieve it, because it's too simple? Because it won't be enough? 

I've been introspective about this throughout the day. What are my snake bites? Or taking it back a step, is my heart hard in any way that might lead to my own metaphorical snake bites? Am I willing to look up? To look to Heavenly Father for help? To the Savior and the power of the Atonement? Am I willing to set aside pride to get help?

I think deep thoughts while cooking chicken.

Family Homework

Phoebe is working on a school project that requires her to interview her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She's discovered a love of texting, particularly using emojis, and she's had fun texting and calling family. Her Aunt Melody grabbed some screen shots of their video chat and shared them. All the kids enjoyed the virtual visit with Aunt Melody and cousin Harmony.

Recital Preview

The girls had picture day at dance this week. We're just a few weeks away from the recital, so this was a nice trial run to get out the costumes and work on hair and makeup. We practiced using gel to get their hair slicked back. That's Phoebe's costume in the background.

Sophie was so excited to wear makeup. I knew her eyelashes were long, but because they're blonde, I didn't realize just how long.

Both girls were excited to show Bryan their fancy new looks. He asked Phoebe if she felt beautiful. Her response? "Oh, I always feel beautiful." Good answer, Phoebe.

Brace Yourself

Peter got a new smile this week. After having an expander for the last six months he thought he was prepared for the soreness of braces. He was not. He's getting by with the help of ibuprofen and soft foods.

Sophie, Topher, and I tagged along to the orthodontist. The office has a TV where they show episodes of Tom and Jerry, so Sophie was excited to go and get some screen time. However, with the way she remembered the show, it took me a minute to figure out what she meant.

Sophie: Oh, we're going to the orthodontist? Good! That means I get to watch Bob and Joe.

Run Away

I have a rule that I don't look at Facebook while my kids are awake/around. And I usually stick to that rule. But on Saturday evening I felt like I should check it before bedtime. I pulled out the laptop (because I took Facebook off my phone), lifted the screen, and selected the right browser tab. I got some important and timely information that I would have otherwise missed, so I believe I was prompted to check it.

Before I closed the computer I saw a post from a friend from college. She had shared a picture of herself and a handful of friends in running clothes and wrapped in blankets. She wrote about doing a half-marathon that day and how sore she would be the next day.

Sophie came over and looked at the screen.

Sophie: What are they (pointing to the screen) doing?

Me: (wondering how much of an explanation to give, opting for something simple) They're running.

Sophie: (pausing to consider) From what?

Mom's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.

I got to sleep in, shower, and get ready for church without pausing to break up fights or calm an unhappy baby.

Bryan made a delicious breakfast of light and fluffy Belgium waffles, eggs, and bacon, then made a wonderful dinner of homemade chicken cordon bleu, multi-colored carrots, wild rice, and watermelon.

Peter, Cooper, Phoebe, and Sophie hugged me and kissed me and wished me a happy Mother's Day whenever they saw me.

Cooper, Phoebe, and Sophie sang beautifully with the Primary during Sacrament Meeting.

Bryan and the kids presented me with thoughtful (and useful) gifts and cards.

I sent and received Mother's Day greetings to and from many of the amazing mothers that I know and love.

I got to video chat with two of those mothers, my Mom and my Grandma.

I ended the day snuggling with Topher. I do this every night, but I still count it as a highlight.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Life of Mom: The Words

A few years ago I noticed several blog posts and Facebook updates encouraging moms to "get in the picture." I think about that campaign sometimes as I'm taking pictures of my kids and their accomplishments or shenanigans. I realize that I'm not in very many pictures these days because I'm often the one behind the camera.

On Sunday night I found the picture that Phoebe took that I posted on Monday. Looking at that picture inspired me. I wondered if I could find enough pictures with me in them to post for the whole week before Mother's Day, pictures that would chronicle, at least in part, my job as a mom. I came close with four out of five days and decided to save Friday for words.

This job of mine, it's hard work. There are no days off, no lunch breaks, no substitutes to cover for me. Bryan is wonderful and goes out of his way to support me and give me a breather now and then, but I still feel like I'm always on duty. Today I literally woke up tired and ready for a nap.

Does it sound like I'm complaining? Don't worry, I'm not, just painting a picture. Because the thing about this insanely hard job is that I love it. Love, love, love, love, love it. I love these little (and not so little) humans that I get to teach and watch grow and learn. I love that I made the choice to be with them at home. There are times when I feel judged or looked down on for my choice to stay home. Sometimes that judgement comes from my own brain. But when I can get outside my own insecurities I can see that this is the right choice for our family.

This last year has been exhausting, physically and mentally and emotionally. One thing I've done to treat that has been to focus on the love and gratitude I have for my family. In my morning and evening prayers I talk about how much I love them. Then I tell them each day that I love them. And the more I talk about it, the more I feel it. That keeps me moving forward.

Happy Mother's Day!

Life of Mom: Am I Shrinking?

Life of Mom: Say Yes to Books, Always

Life of Mom: Sometimes Silly

Life of Mom: Snuggles and Laundry

Photo credit: Phoebe

The Tip

When I picked Peter up from volleyball practice on Wednesday he told me that most of the A team was in Alabama for an engineering competition. That meant that he would be playing much more than usual during his game on Thursday, an away game that we hadn't planned to attend. At his request that we come, I quickly rearranged our Thursday schedule so we could be there to support him.

He did a great job! He played in three out of the four games, had several strong serves, and tipped the ball over the net for the first time. This is a screenshot Peter pulled from a movie I took, capturing that tip.

I'm so glad we were there.

Communication Skills

Wedding Wishes

Topher and I attended a bridal shower last night for a young woman in our ward who is home from college for a short time before her wedding. Each guest had the opportunity to give advice to the new couple. We were given a half sheet of paper with five prompts, each starting with a different word or phrase. During the party I was stumped, I couldn't think of what to write for more than half of them. I've been thinking about it all day and I think I've finally come up with what I should have written. The prompts are underlined and in bold.

• Always say I love you everyday.
• Never assume you know what your spouse is thinking/feeling/planning, ask questions instead.
• Sometimes you have to be reminded of the covenants you made, so go to the Temple often.
• Don't worry about what anyone other than you, your spouse, and Heavenly Father think about your choices, your votes matter the most.
• My wish for you is joy!