Camping Kickoff

We had our first summertime camping trip and it was GREAT! We went up in Pine Valley to Dean Martin Campground and it was amazing. We didn't know what to expect but it is one of our favorites!
The boys delight at getting to take the tent trailer was contagious.

I would seriously love to talk about all of the details, but I'm exhausted. Seriously, camping is not for the faint-hearted Mom. Its hard at night with Becks being so little and wanting to be sure he is warm and not letting him fuss since we are in a tent and others around us are sleeping...needless to say we didn't get a lot of sleep. Not to mention that I had to go potty all night but I will not go alone and so I hold it.

I do want to remember how much peace I felt there with my boys. Just a huge feeling of contentment and joy at being with my family. I love each of them so much and being out with them and watching them play and get dirty was so delightful. No distractions - just taking care of their most basic of needs in our simplified home away from home.

It was wonderful!

Summer Activity Days

I am super excited about the Summer Break and super nervous. When Caleb gets bored he acts up. I have given it a lot of thought since we don't have a lot of spare money as to how we can keep busy. I decided I was going to pick 5 activities that we would have each week. One on each day. It wont always be on the same day but at least this way we have an outline of how we are going to keep busy. Here are the activities:

• Lunch with Daddy Day
• Friend play day
• Swim or splash pad day
• Cooking class and movie day
• Dixie activity and/or dollar craft day

We have 2 Dixie Direct cards and there are A LOT of free things we can do. 2 museums, jumping jacks, bumper boats...We always "save" them and then the end of the year comes and they haven't been used. I'm hoping this will help us get out and use them! I also love that Michaels has a huge $1 section for crafts. We will be hitting that up this summer for sure.

I'm really excited and we are going to have to much fun.
I just have to stay organized and on top of things!

The Graduate

Words fail me today. I was completely unprepared for what I felt.

joy - sadness - pride - fear - anticipation
I felt it all.

I think I cried for most of the ceremony as they sang their songs and watched him realizing how much he has grown this year. Both in the good and in the bad, what I would have liked to protect him from but can not anymore.




Even my love for his has changed this year as it has grown so much stronger.

I love you so much Caleb! You are a joy to me.
You challenge me and humble me.

You can see all gazillion pictures here. I couldn't stand to throw any away!
Yes, I was the Mom bawling and taking 3 pictures a second.

These pants and these shoes

When John and I were pregnant with Caleb we were POOR - like really POOR. We were about to leave Seattle and go to BYU and we went to a consignment shop by our apt in Mill Creek just to browse. We saw these perfect little blue vans.

We loved them.

We felt guilty about the expense but we couldn't pass them up.

We also as a gift got a pair of Carters jeans. I don't remember who gave them to us but they were new and perfect and cute in every way. They made Caleb look goooood. When it was Davis' turn to wear them, I loved them even more. He also looked amazing in these jeans.


Beckham wears them now. The jeans just got a hole in the knee this week. I wanted to cry because I love them so much. I love them even more because all three of our boys have romped around in them.

They are about to retire for good.
Its probably a good thing - they are starting to look like they need it!

Time to get my buns in gear...

Literally.
Today was my first day back off sweets and soda.

I keep telling myself I'm going to get back on the bandwagon of health and with all of the work I have been doing and a few other stressors it just hasn't happened.

There really is no excuse. I can say I'm too busy but really its just a matter of prioritizing.

Its only 25 pounds to get where I want to be. When you think Ive lost 51 pounds already - 25 should be easy :)

Each week on Monday I will post an updated ticker.



Nothing like a little accountability to help get the ball rolling!
Pretty sure Marci will help too. Check out her blog if you haven't. She inspires me.

Completed

There have been so many projects that I have been working on. I am happy to say that as of tonight I am done and caught up!

First I have been loading products onto Janey Macs website. Its not quite up and running but you can see it here.

Yep, I loaded them all on there. I have at the same time been changing all of the etsy listings to be updated. I also have watermarked all the images, assigned each product a product number and then compiled a master sheet of product numbers along with the new watermarked jpeg files all being organized by product number and the section they belong to on the website. Whew!

It feel so good to be done!

I have been working hard on a new project that I haven't talked about here yet. My cousin Kelly wrote a children's book. In fact its a whole series that will help children learn about finances and making good choices in regards to money. I am excited that I get to be a part of it - not only as the photographer for her big launch event - but as the Marketing Director. Want to see my bio...look here (its in the "about" section. I am really excited to be a part of this and have been contacting all sorts of blogs and finding good places to get reviews done. Yesterday I packed them all up cute...


I will mail them off tomorrow!

To top it off I am completely for the moment caught up on my photography!
I just finished up the Roger's pics and I love this brothers pic!


I mail those off tomorrow too. I have 2 photo shoots this week and am so excited for them!

Wow - it feels good to have a little room to breathe.
It will probably only last a day, but I will take it!

More Sisterly Bragging...

I know Ive talked or bragged about my bro's before. Well, I'm at it again. I am so impressed by both of my brothers and the great men they are. My bro Mark (the one who builds the MARS rover, you ask?) - Yep, that one. He is also amazing at making videos. He was the one who totally helped John out on learning how to edit - he shares his talents like that.

Anyway I wanted to share this video that he made of Mormon Helping Hands Day. In CA they had a day where members of our church gave service to the parks. I heard this year it really helped CA out because of all the budget problems they have been having. It makes me proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The video also makes me proud of Mark.

Powerful

"Mothers should be selective about their own activities and involvement to conserve their limited strength in order to maximize their influence where it matters most."

-Julie B Beck

This hit me very powerfully.

I feel pulled in so many directions sometimes but here in our home is where I'm needed the most.

I am blessed to be the center and heart of our home.

Joy School Party

Yesterday was Davis' last day of Joy school. We had a party at the splash pad. Joy school was a fabulous experience this year for both Davis and I. I loved being able to teach him and help him learn and have fun.


I also loved watching him go out and explore and become more independent. By the end of this year he would run himself to school if it was at Jackson's house about a block from ours. He was so proud to be able to do that by himself.

He will probably be the only one of my boys that I get to do joy school with and I will miss being his teacher and how excited he was when it was my turn to teach. I love that to him, I am super cool.


Next year he will be going to preschool over with Mrs Morris. I'm am so excited for him to make that next step. We still don't know if we will hold him or send him to KG when he is 5 and a lot will depend on how he does this next year at Preschool.

In all honesty I know he will be ready, I'm just not sure I will be.

I dont know what it is.

It might be the new haircut.

Or the huge molars in the back of your mouth.
Or the fact that you are running and it doesn't look funny anymore.

Maybe its that you feed yourself.
Or that you understand what I am saying to you.
Or that you can scale anything in the house now. Couches, chairs, beds are all within your reach.

It very well could be the assertion of your independence lately.

Or the fact that both of your brothers are afraid of you.

Whatever it is - its whispering that my days with a baby are quickly coming to an end.

Primary Talk

Today was Davis' first talk in Primary. He didn't have any worries about being up in front of everyone. He was so excited and when we practiced before church he repeated each word so carefully.I love that Primary gives them a chance to work on public speaking while they are still so little that they don't even know to be nervous.

I have the hardest time not laughing while whispering the words into my kiddos ears when they are giving talks. Something about the cute little way they slobber on the microphone from talking so close and from they way they say words like: atonement and repentance, when they can hardly pronounce them.

These pictures sum him up perfectly - even the sour cream face. Buddy, you make my heart melt.

! ? ! ? !

Ive got a hundred thoughts swirling.

Its been a cRaZy week! Its not easy working from home. This week especially has been a little bit crazy as two of my jobs have some big projects I'm working on. I'm excited to share both of them in the next few weeks. John has really listened as I have tried to explain how he needs to help more around the house. Hes been a champ.

Our garden is starting to thrive while other parts are still struggling. John found this fence (with a gate!) on a demo site and brought it home. I love it! It will keep the rabbits out and naughty little boys and their soccer balls out too.


We had a smaller chicken wire fence up but Beckham would just lay on it so it would fall over and he could walk over it. Nice. That sums Becks up right there.

Our first strawberries!


My favorite time of the day is going out in the morning and watering and checking on my little plants. A garden sure is a lot of work but that's the kind of work I like.

Speaking of work. I finally found out whats wrong with our dishwasher. Hopefully we can get it fixed for cheap or do it ourselves. Me without a dishwasher right now is not a pretty pic in the kitchen.

We are reaching new levels of Independence here. Beckham is now feeding himself with a spoon.


It makes mealtimes when I'm in a rush so much easier. He is also saying "Doggie" non stop. 7 more weeks until he can go to the Nursery at church. I'm not sure Ive ever looked forward to it as much.

Davis is finally able to put his seat belt on all by himself on a consistent basis which makes it so much easier to get out and go. Its amazing how such a small thing can make the biggest difference to me.

This weekend was the Father/Son campout. The boys had fun and I loaded them up with all kinds of treats I normally say "no" to.


It was just me and Becks here. We went for a bike ride, played chase, cuddled, read books - all undisturbed. Sometimes I feel sad for the third child. That was everyday with Caleb and its rare that I get to do it with him. I guess he gets his turn at the end when he has all my attention when hes 16. Poor kid.

Its time for me to get going and finish what I started with losing my baby weight. I went on a hiatus at the Holidays and haven't been serious since then. I'm going to go in and make sure that the Dr thinks I'm a-okay on the hormones dept. I had to find a new Dr and that's always hard.

Did I ever mention that the boys last blood draws came back in the perfectly normal range!!! I had put them on a normal diet for the 3 days before too. So now we are doing 2 weeks on a normal diet and then doing them again. Speaking of which I need to start recording their diet for the next 3 days so we can do the test. Should have started that on Friday. Its super exciting to think we might be able to go back on a normal diet. Although last night we had brussel sprouts, corn, steamed carrots, and rolls for dinner and it seemed normal.

Speaking if which I need to put that Brussels sprout recipe on my cooking blog. It was good.

There it is. My life. My mind.

Beautifully Chaotic.

Mothers Day weekend

My parents came for Mothers Day and by the time they left my kids looked like
they had taken a beating.

By a series of accidents poor Becks looked like he had been in a bar fight.

We went to the pool and I just so happened to catch this moment.

So cute right?

Riiight...it led to this:

2 boys full speed + neither looking = first aid room.
You can see the kid coming in the first pic.

Despite the fact that it looks like a very painful weekend - It was a BLAST!

Motherhoods lessons learned

Today is Mothers Day. I am privileged to be these amazing boys mother. I am in awe today as I think of each of them and how special they are. Once again, I sit here thinking about how much I have learned this year as a mother and how much more I still have to learn.

I think the biggest lesson that I have learned this year is to enjoy the moments with my kiddos more. To play and have fun and sometimes have a special moment rather than stick to all of the rules. I have learned to respect my kids more. To talk a little kinder. They are their own people and they want to feel respected and valued just as much as I do. To give them the space they need to be their own person while trying to teach them right from wrong is a very fine line. I have learned to find that balance more this year.

I listen more. I play more. There is more love and respect in our home.

We are also very lucky to have my Mom here for Mothers Day. I don't think we have had that chance in a long time.


She has been having a blast with the kiddos and we have enjoyed just being together. She and Beckham really have quite the connection. My boys adore Grandma and get so excited when she is around.

I am grateful that she taught me to work, to be responsible, and to do what it takes.
I get my tenacity from her.

She is a wonderful woman and I'm so glad she is here with us today.

Happy Mothers Day!

Trouble - Chapter 3

A little bit of summer love...

(Always the gentleman he asked her Dads permission to take her to the park)

Gymnastics Graduate!

Davis has done great in Neighborhood Gymnastics this session!

He loves the new balance beam that Ms Melanie made.

He especially loves to do sweet moves on his dismount!

10 for sTyLe!

Great job buddy!
Mommy is so proud of how big you are getting!