"Just Take it Already"

So I had this CRAZY idea...all 8 grand kids on my side of the family (yes I have half of them) would be here for Mother's Day.  I thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of all of them for Mother's Day for my mom and Father's Day for my dad.  Since Chelsey lives in Texas and doesn't make it to Utah very often I thought it would be a good idea.  It might have been a good idea but it was a little crazy.  There are 8 kids under the age of 6.  They all did really good until the big group picture.  We brought out the little chairs and it went downhill from there.  Trevin didn't want to share his chair and then everyone wanted to sit in the chair.  Chase just wanted to crawl around, Emma and Ellie wanted to jump.  So I went in and got everyone a sucker.  I thought maybe it would be cute if they all had a sucker it was kind of but I think my mom and dad will appreciate the fact that we tried.  It was so funny.  Kynlee the whole time was smiling and looking at the camera and all the adults where trying to get their kids to look at the camera.  Finally she got so frustrated that she just said "Just take it already" we all just started laughing.  Katie had been taking pictures the whole time.  She actually took about 67 of the group so we could find the best ones.  After that we decided to be done. 

I wish...

that I didn't feel guilty when I hold Braylund because my house is a mess

that I didn't feel guilty when I clean my house that I am not holding Braylund

I had a clean house

all my laundry was washed and FOLDED

that I was more patient

that my dinner menu was done

that my grocery list was made

that I would not sweat the small stuff

that I would slow down and enjoy things more

So that is my goal.  I just need to slow down and not sweat the small stuff.  It's okay if I take some time to hold my sweet little boy other than to feed him.  It's okay if I hold him while he is sleeping and smother him with kisses.  I need to stop telling the kids to get of Braylund's face, it's their way of showing their love for him.  I need to stop worrying about bed time with Kynlee and Krayden and not just go through the routine but embrace the routine.  It's not about how fast we can say family prayer and have the songs sung it's about that they know how much I love them and how much joy they bring to me.  They need to know that I LOVE being their mom.  I got a Mother's Day card from my Nana and it's fits perfectly with what I am trying to work one on the front it has a bowl of cheerios with some spilled milk and the card reads "It's Mother's Day. No sense of crying over spilled milk."  Then you open the card and it says "We'll have time enough for that when the spills leave home.  Enjoy the MIRACLE of God's blessing of Motherhood."  How perfect is that?  I really do love being a mom.  I love that it is my divine calling and that God has entrusted me with such great kids to raise up in His kingdom.  I just need to remember to SLOW down.  This has always been really hard for me.  I do everything fast.  I talk fast, I drive fast, I always want to be first and in order to do that I have to be fast, I eat fast, I drink fast.  Jon always teases me that I am Jack from the series 24 because he is always "running out of time" and I am always telling the kids to hurry, no matter if we have twenty minutes before we have to leave or two hours.  ( I have been working on that one, not telling the kids to hurry). 

My Nana could not have chosen a better card for me as I am trying to enjoy every moment with my kids because they are growing up way to fast for my liking and soon they won't need me as much.  So the laundry can wait so can the dusting and the dishes and the grocery list.  I have homework to help with, a coloring page to color, a puzzle to do, a book to read with kids on my lap and a little man in the swing that could use some more kisses.

So really I guess my only wish is to keep everything the way that it is and enjoy the MOMENT!!

Things My Kids Say

Kynlee:  "Mom did you know Dad is stronger than you and he doesn't even workout like you do?"

Krayden while spinning around and around: "Mom help me!! I'm getting super busy!"

Kynlee:  "Mom we are so out numbered."

Krayden: "Bonus" everytime he gets to do what he wants to do

Krayden:  "Mom you are the rudest" everytime I tell him no

Trevin:  "Bone in my sippy?  Pretty Pretty Please"  (Bone means milk)  And a funny note my niece that is 6 months younger than Trevin was here for a visit and she started calling her milk bone too!!

Trevin:  "Rock a bye with my gigi (blanket)

Krayden:  "Why does the baby just eat, sleep, and poop all day long?"

Krayden: "The baby has a mouth, but he can't talk, huh mom?"

Trevin: "Piece of dis (this)" while putting up his fist to fight

Easter

We had a little get together for Easter this year at my house.  I love having everyone over and spending time with family.

Coloring Easter Eggs.  Nana was a great help while I was feeding Braylund.

Chloe liked to put her egg dunker in the colorful water and drink it.
Yum Yum

Chelsey brought some eggs from McAllen TX that had confetti in them and when you find them you break them over someones head

Everyone got in on the action

(I don't know if you can tell but Chloe's hands are green from coloring her eggs)

The Easter Egg Hunt

Nana and Braylund hunting for eggs

Gotta love Utah weather the end of April and it is FREEZING

Kynlee was a little excited!!!  She was supposed to find around 12 eggs.  Look at her basket!!!

She was a good girl and shared all her candy.

Forget looking at the camera they all had candy to eat. 

Cute Kynlee posed for every attempt of getting them all to look.

Getting ready for bed they taped Krayden's face

The Easter Bunny came. 

Say hi to Chocolate the HUGE bear

The BEST pillow EVER

I am so thankful for the Easter season and what it means.  I am so grateful for the atonement and that it allows me to be the me that I am while striving to be the best me that I can possibly be.  And for the teachings of the Resurrection and the knowledge that we all will be.  That we will be able to live with those that we love most for eternity.  There is no greater blessing.

Time needs to STOP

Because you are ONE MONTH ALREADY!!!

In your first month you have done a lot of sleeping

 You were the only one that could wear a new born oneise

 You showed me that Trevin is a BIG boy

 You survived Kynlee having strep throat

 You quadrupled the diaper changing around here

 You reinforced that I still have a lot to learn about photography
but that's ok becasue we had fun. 

 You are the most loved baby

 by EVERYONE

 You are awake and not very happy from 7:30-midnight. (Everyone says that you are a normal baby.  That might be the case but you are not normal for us. We have never had a baby that fussed)  We love you any way and I love the time I get to hold you when the other kids are asleep

 You tricked me into thinking you liked your binky

 You sleep from midnight until 8:30am

 When you are awake you love the swing. (I love how only your toes and hand are showing)

You love to be wrapped up tight and your face covered.  (Don't worry I pull it your blanket off your face about twenty times a day but some how you manage to cover it back it up)

 Did I mention that you sleep from midnight unitl 8:30am

 You hate tub time!!!

But most important you stole my heart!!!

Mother of the Year 2011....NOT even close!!!

I have a feeling I will never be nominated for the Mother of the Year Award.  I won't follow the great example that Jon's grandma was as being the Mother of the Year in 1993.  I will never have the license plate that proclaims I won the prestigious award, I won't give any fancy speech and I won't have a plaque to display and here's why.

It all started as any other Thursday.  Well not quite I guess it was only my second Thursday with having a newborn.  My mom was here helping me (please read my mom was here doing everything for me).  All I have to do is wake up and hold my sweet little boy, and remember what activities my children have on certain days and that is where I failed on this particular Thursday afternoon.

I thought I was so on top of things.  I write the directions to get Krayden to preschool.  Feeling pretty good about myself for remembering all the names of the streets that my mom will have to turn on. ( I swear there are about thirty:))  My mom goes and drops him off and comes home and we are sitting on the couch just chatting when I am hit with a thought, not a very good thought I might add.  I hurry and jump up and run to the computer and check my email.  Yep sure enough at the bottom of an email from Krayden's teacher it says that there will be preschool on March 31st.  Seriously?  Yep, the date was March 31st.  He had been at the preschool for an hour and half before I realized that he didn't have school.  I start freaking out my mom hurries to the car to go get him and I call Jon crying thinking I have lost our son and he would be out wandering the streets the Herriman.  He hurries home mean while my mom calls and says that she had picked him up in front of the school.  He was sitting all alone on the curb in front of the gate just waiting for us.  He was a little sad and a lot mad for taking so long to come and get him:)  ( A little history to this story.  So when my mom drops him off she realizes the gate is closed but another mom drops off her little girl and opens the gate for both kids to go through.  The other mom leaves so my mom does too.)  Mean while I am crying and I do some more crying as I keep thinking that he had been sitting there for an hour and half all by himself.  I guess the other little girl lives close so she and Krayden start walking but he realizes that that is not the way to his house so he turns around and goes back to the preschool.  He said that he cried for a little bit but then stopped and was just waiting and that we took forever to come and pick him up.  He was right about that.  I can't even imagine how slow the time was moving for him.  He was so brave and so SMART!!  I really thought we would be out searching the streets for him because he would try to walk home.  When my mom got home with him she had him come over and tell me that we was ok and give me a hug because I was crying so hard.  It was funny I should have been the one hugging him and giving him comfort but that was not the case.  But in my defense I still don't get out much and really don't know the date yet.  I know what day of the week it is but not the date.  Just the other day I was talking to someone and I was like what is today the 9th?  Oh no, I was not even close it was the 16th.  I guess I need to get out more!!  I blame it on the weather:)

So there you have it.  I will never be awarded the Mother of the Year.  Maybe if they had the award the Mother of the Minute I could achieve that status.  But until then I will just keep checking the preschool calendar to make sure that Kray Boy really does have school.