40 Degrees and Sunny

After being deprived of sunny skies and warm{er} weather for many months, we took full opportunity of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and dressed appropriately. Shorts, short sleeved shirts, flip flops by a couple of us, and of course Super Hero costumes!  

Too bad this only lasted for a few hours and now we are back in the midst of Winter with snow, gray skies, and cooler temperatures.  

Maddie has decided she is going to learn how to skateboard this year.....which means already scraped up knees and elbows

M has been trying to a toe stretch for quite some time and is still upset that she can't do it without holding onto something.  I love her concentration face in this picture

Love Day

This year I feel extremely loved on Valentines Day.  I have three amazing children who are constantly giving me hugs and kisses, and tell me how much they love me, and love to make me homemade presents.  I am constantly reminded at work how precious life is, and come home more grateful than before for healthy, happy children.  They are my light and joy in life.  They make the hard days worth it and they great days even more fantastic.  It's amazing how much life changes when you have children.  You become so much more selfless when it comes to them.  I feel like I was pretty self absorbed until I became a mother.  Instantly the good of your child comes before all else.  My wants are nearly always surpassed by what my children need.  Yet in providing for my children, I am happy.  

I am also grateful for a hardworking, confident, loving husband.  I am so proud of how much effort and determination he puts into his schoolwork.  He is also such a giving man.  This winter he decided to be the volunteer 8th grade Hanover Basketball coach and has put in hours and hours of time with these young men teaching them how to be better athletes.  He truly dedicated his heart to that position and you can tell all of the boys really look up to him.

This year for V-Day I had most of the day to spend with Mr E, now that M and R both attend school all day.  We put together Valentines Day cards and went to the "Tiny Tuckie" Valentines Day feast/party.  We had a great time visiting our friends and exchanging treats.  My older kids had a great time making their own Valentines this year as well.  Because their school essentially banned candy at school, we substituted "take apart erasers" that Miss M has been obsessed with all year to give to each of their classmates, for candy.  I know their Valentines didn't look quite as fancy as some of the store bought ones, but I love that each year my kids put their own personal stamp on their Valentines. 

 Eli is such a goof ball, and it took probably 30 pictures to get one smiling picture of him and he's not even looking at the camera. Oh well, I love to remember him this way.  I love looking at his goofy poses and big cheesy grins.  He is such a happy, spirited little boy and we are thankful for the enthusiasm he brings into our house.  He seems to know what to do or say to bring a smile to our faces.

Love this little Valentine of mine <3 p="">

And just because I am a total rebel, I had to give my kids PLENTY of candy since they weren't allowed to really have any at school. 

TOTALLY LAME

Here is my Facebook post take on the lame Fruit Salad Party Maddie's class had instead of a traditional Party with treats and candy: 

Dear Miss xxxxxx,

Really? A "Fruit Salad Party"? I mean, I'm all about healthy choices when it comes to food and all. But don't you think that Valentines Day is a special circumstance. I'm not sure banning candy from school for the Holiday is going to reinforce a lifelong of healthy eating. Teaching moderation in all things is a much healthier approach to life in general, rather than teaching a no tolerance for such things.

Sincerely,
Unimpressed Parent

Maddie was pretty frustrated when she first heard the news of her fruit salad party and came home and told me about it.  At first I didn't believe and without thinking said "Maddie of course you're not going to do that....that would be just plain weird".  I am so glad I have a child with a great memory; of course she went to school the next day and announced that to her teacher.

When I questioned the whole non-candy thing, this is what I was told: "in the interest in promoting healthy eating at our school, we just feel like having the kids bring candy wouldn't serve that purpose."

Double Lame.
This is one thing I will definitely NOT miss about this quaint little town.

Mommy Eli Date

Eli and I have had the pleasure of going on several ski dates together while the "biggies" are at school.  I love having one on one time with Eli and I love skiing, so it's been a win win situation.  I am so proud of him as well.  He has improved so much over the past month or two. The best part is to ski down with him while he yells "wheee, this is fuuuun!"  He then adds "let's do it aGAIN" as we approach the bottom.  

I am looking forward to many more years of skiing with this cute family of mine.  I am also silently half-praying we end up somewhere cool with skiing nearby {the other half of me says that this nonsense is crazy and that all we need is a beach and warm weather}

*gross little side note: Eli has this really bad habit of chewing the top of his coat.  Not really sure why, but his coat is in pristine condition other than the gnawed piece right above the zipper.  He is once again chewing his jacket in this photo

Laundry Day

In case you ever wondered how much laundry a five person family goes through in one week, here it is. I sort of couldn't believe how large the pile was prior to sorting loads.  

No wonder I never seemed to be caught up with anything around this place.

-I seriously don't know how larger families cope with the overwhelming volume of laundry.  This is one of my chores that I constantly put off doing because I despise it so much. 

 *thank goodness I have this bright little boy amidst all this chaos, otherwise I might totally lose it

IT'S A.................

That's right... another bundle of boy! We are so excited to start brainstorming boy names and further preparations to welcome our precious little buddy into our home. I am so thrilled that Robby will have a little brother to grow up with as well!

And then there were THREE.....

As most of you already know I am pregnant with number 3! I am 14 weeks prego right now and we are so excited to have another little one in our home. We are due January 5th, so when the baby comes Maddie will be a little over three years old and Robby will be almost two years old. We find out on August 7th what we are having, and I cannot wait! I am such a planner that I like to know what I am having, so I can get everything ready for the arrival. Since I already have one of each (boy and girl), it will be really fun to see what we will get this time around. If you ask Maddie what is in Mommy's belly, she almost always will say "a sister" or "a Maddie", so we will see if she is right. I haven't been too sick this time, other than nausea and feeling extremely tired ALL THE TIME. I am hoping in the next few weeks to have a little more energy.

I know that my life is only going to get more crazy with three children to nurture and love, but I am so grateful for all the blessings I have received thus far in my life. Even though the last few months have been really hard on me in many ways, I can see the Lord's tender mercies in my life. When I feel like everything is falling apart, I try to take a minute to reflect upon all the wonderful things I have been given; and then my perspective changes & things don't look so bad. I guess it's the truth that if you focus on the positive in your life, it helps diminish the magnitude of your trials, or at least gives you the ability to deal with them better.

I am so grateful to have been blessed with an AMAZING husband who is constantly helping me around the house (and normally doesn't receive any recognition for this). He is always willing to run errands for me or with me, and when I am in a "pregnant mood" he deals with me and even tries to cheer me up! I have loving parents and an awesome mom who is one of the most selfless people I know. She is constantly helping out us kids, whether through sewing projects, mending, babysitting, phone calls, you name it! I am grateful for my in-laws who are always so excited to spend time with my two kids. They dote on them, play hide and seek with Maddie and Robby, feed the horses with them, etc. They even bought an adorable play pool so that they can go swimming in their backyard! They are truly such loving people and I couldn't be more grateful to have them in my life! I am so grateful for a roof over my head, food in the cupboards, a job, and beautiful kids that constantly give me slobbery kisses & hugs. I am grateful for amazing visiting teachers that come visit me EVERY month and bring me a beautiful, uplifting message, and for the fabulous support system of women in my neighborhood: it is truly one of a kind!

But one of things I am most grateful for is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When trials come, it is the knowledge of the plan of Happiness that pulls me through. I know that if I live my life to the best of my ability, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven of my trespasses. I am grateful for my eternal family that I belong to. I love my kids and husband so much and I love knowing that no matter what happens, we have the ability to live together after this life. I am grateful to know that this life is not just about all the worldy concepts of making money, instant gratitude, spending and acquiring possessions, but about proving myself to be a worthy daughter of God.

I guess as I prepare to add another special soul into our family, it makes me reflect upon my own life and make a commitment to try harder to be a better mother, wife, daughter, nurse, and friend to those around me and the special spirits that have yet to come into our home.