My 2 Little Graduates

Before I had kids old enough to go to school, I was totally in the camp of "too many celebrations, graduations, for everything!" Now that it's my kids, I'm so glad people are willing to make these "big" events for them so special. School is officially out for us and last week we had 2 graduation ceremonies. I couldn't believe how emotional I was at Jace's graduation. A first grader seems so much older than a Kindergartener and I can't believe he is already done. I would have been okay if his two AMAZING teachers hadn't started crying. They have been so great for him this year. I couldn't have imagined 2 sweeter, smart and perfect women to begin Jace's formal schooling experience.

**Warning: There will be a little bragging in this post, since it's for posterity and the only journal I really keep, so if you don't like that, just skip the words!***
The whole family came to the ceremony. Jace is really smart and motivated with school work. He got almost perfect report cards and was reading chapter books by the end of the year. He loves math and is great at memorizing. He never missed a spelling word (15 each week) or a phonogram (10 each week) and always had 100% on spelling sentences. He is motivated to do well all the time and catching on to things so quickly. It's awesome to watch his little brain work. Most importantly, his teachers loved him and said he was so kind to everyone, a leader and always tried his best. Now, he isn't perfect there were a few yellow cards here and there and I know my son, but overall, I was so proud of his progress this year!

This is Brooklyn, he loves her. The other day, he asked me if Brooklyn was going to go to BYU, and I said I didn't know, why? he replied, "Because after my mission, I'm going to BYU, and then I can get married. But, if Brooklyn isn't there, how can I marry her?" Cracks me up!

Ryan and Gattlin. Jace's 2 buddies.

Mrs. Whall and Mrs. Oliver, they are the greatest. In a teacher appreciation article I wrote, this is what I said about them and their kind hearts, "They have the uncanny ability to impart knowledge in a way that kids digest and hold onto it. They expect a lot from the kids and the kids deliver. They know when to be strict, when tot have fun, when to discipline, when to hug, and how to genuinely laugh at Kindergarten humor. I’ll be forever grateful that my son’s first experience with school was better than I could have imagined."

He loved his teacher!

This is a darling song they sang with sign language. The whole program was too sweet and they were so proud of themselves.

Jace led the pledge of allegiance.

Parker also had his preschool graduation. Now, he isn't graduating, he'll be back next year, but it was cute to watch the kids show what they learned this year. He has Miss Tiffany, like Jace did and she is so amazing. We've really lucked out with teachers. Parker is so curious and motivated to learn. He has a whole year left of preschool but already can read words with short vowel sounds and many sight words, he can write all his letters and numbers, can add and knows so so many things. He's the kind of kid that shocks you with everything he absorbs. He loves to learn and lately will work for hours on his little workbook. I'm so impressed with him.

Parker with his 2nd cousin Anthony (yes, Anthony really is 2 of Parker!)

Parker gave me a cute flower while he sang, "You are my sunshine" to me!

A poem

Parker's diploma

Miss Tiffany!!!!

My little Cowboy

I've mentioned before how much I love Parkie's preschool teacher Miss Tiffany, but here is another reason. Everything she does is so cute. He came out of school last week looking like my little cowboy! So fun and so nothing I'd ever do. I'm still trying to find my crafting bone!

While I'm posting about Parker, I must say that he constantly asks questions right now about everything! He is so smart and inquisitive. This was our last conversation while on a bike ride:

P: Mom, where is that dead bird that was on the sidewalk yesterday?

M: I don't know, maybe a cat ate it.

P: Oh, do we eat dead birds?

M: Not birds like that.

P: What do you think that bird would taste like if we did eat it?

M: (Seriously???) Umm, I don't know.

P: I bet it would kind of taste like chicken, just smaller.

M: You are probably right.

Everyday it's a new something, just like this! Love my boy!

Mimi and Papa Came Again!

Last Monday I got an email at 9am that said, "We're coming! Get ready to party!" from Mimi. Aside from the mad dash to scrub my house down, we were so excited, and party we did. They are so so good to us and I love how they make time to see the fun and important things that happen in my kiddos lives and they are always there for us too. I feel so blessed to have such great in-laws. I really do love them to pieces.

They made it just in time for Jace's last baseball game (he played like an all star!)

They gave me a break from cooking and took us to dinner at Joe's!

Papa took Parker on his preschool field trip to Rockin' R Ranch. It worked out great...Papa loved it (he has to keep busy on vacay), Parker felt crazy special, and Marci, James and I spent some quality time at Target and baking a cake! Just the way we like things on vacation!

The trip to Target Parker felt needed to happen after the field trip.

The Lunch after lunch. I guess my peanut butter sandwich wasn't good enough for them.

We celebrated Papa's birthday! It was so fun to be with him on his special day. The boys gave him tennis balls and water guns and we all had a water fight before we left for dinner. Papa is so much fun abd not one bit old!

We sang happy birthday to him a million times!

Papa's Birthday is on Cinco De Mayo, so we headed to a fabulous Mexican restaurant to celebrate. We were all so stuffed, we wished they could roll us out. And, gotta love being with grandparents, they'll pay for kids to get fun balloons and do it with a smile!

And, they even saw Jace's awesome Patriotic music program. They were so cute, and even musical Marci was impressed with his sweet school that I just love!

We love you both so much and are so grateful for our relationships with you. We're so glad you live close enough that we can see each other often...which is still not enough!

It was a Super Great Mother's Day!

I LOVE Mother's Day. Mike is always so amazing about making the day extraordinarily special, and because of him, my boys have learned well. It started as he got all the boys to go back to sleep after they decided to wake up at 5:15. I then slept until 8:15, when they brought up homemade waffles and fruit, and gave me their super cute handmade presents which I loved, plus a bag of pencils, raisins, and other random things.

All of Mike's Sunday meetings were cancelled, which may have been the best present of the day. He spent all morning with us just hanging out together, ironed all the clothes, and helped get everyone ready. At church he took care of everything while I enjoyed our meetings.

After church he prepared the entire dinner (which he rarely does) and it was really good, and he even made dessert. Then we took a family bike ride, played a little baseball at the park and then he bathed them all, got them all ready for bed and put them to sleep.

All day long he and all my boys told me to "relax," "sit down," "take a rest." It was so cute and they were so serious about it. They too will be such great husbands. It was a relaxing, fun, together day and I loved every minute of it. Here are a few cute things my boys said in their notes:

Parker: My mom is as pretty as a flower, her hair is the color of an umbrella, she teaches me the scriptures, she's as old as an elephant, she helps me make my bed, the funniest thing she ever did was go to bed when it was light, she cooks good food for me.

Jace: My mom is as pretty as a rockstar, she teaches me to read, she helps me clean, she cooks good cakes, she is bewtiful, she loves me beacuse she makes me breakfast.

James: All day he sang me 2 songs from High School Musical 3 and Pink's "Rockstar." He is so funny and just a joy.

They are the cutest! All 4 of them made me feel so special. I really LOVE being a mom.

On another note, I must say thanks to all the amazing women and mothers in my life. I feel overly blessed by the amount of women who love and care for me and my kids. I look up to all of you and am constantly grateful for your kindness and example. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Little Lambs

This morning James was looking at our church magazine, and I hear him singing, "Jesus had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb." Funny how poignant it was for me. He has lots of little lambs and He is our shepherd. Though many times I wish I were more like a lamb and could always hear his voice in my life, I'm trying and that's all we can do. I'm grateful to have Him in my life and for little boys who remind me daily that He watches over us.

How Old is He?

A little backgroud...we live in a really young area. In our ward, we are pretty much middle-aged, and I'm not joking. So today, a family was blessing their baby and the baby's great-grandpa was there. He really did look ancient. So Jace turns to me and says, "Mom, that is the oldest person I've ever seen. How old is he, like 2003?
LOVE kids.

Making the most of our time

This is a recent article I wrote for our paper. There was a great response. I must say that I'm not perfect at this, but I do at least try to hang up the phone and really enjoy my kids--life just goes too fast.

Growing up, there were a few places you could always find me. One was on our trampoline; I felt free and strong all at the same time. Another spot was on the heating vent in our living room. No matter how cold it was outside, I could curl up over the vent with a blanket on top of me and read until I’d escaped our long, dreary winter. But, my very favorite place was in my parents’ cars.

In the front seat of my dad’s car I cried on his shoulder when I didn’t get a good part in the dance recital; he held me, told me he loved me and really meant it. It was there I learned I loved Cat Stevens and that my dad was cooler than any other dad because he sang AC/DC at the top of his lungs. It was where he would ask me about my life and where I felt like it was okay to tell him as we finished a greasy bag of Crazy Bread together before we got home for dinner.

In back seat of my mom’s car was where I was introduced to the Boxcar Children on long rides to California. It was where she quizzed me on spelling words as she rushed me to dance class. It was where she attempted to talk to me about sex. It was where she told me how disappointed she was that I would lie to her and sneak out of the house and put myself in danger. It was where I felt like a grown-up as we chatted about girls, boys, school, work, and the future. In her front seat was where I changed from being her little girl to her friend.

In the back seat of my minivan is where my boys have sung my favorite songs from childhood, where they have learned their ABC’s, where they have mastered addition and the color of stoplights. It’s where they ask me questions about God, about the world and nature, it’s where they listen to really cheesy made up stories that they can’t get enough of. It’s where they learn to share their space and time with each other.

As I drive the everyday routine of carpools and baseball practice, almost every car I see has a mom on the phone, a dad with a blackberry, kids playing Nintendo DS, 5 separate iPods or a TV with neon colored cartoons. The whole family is together but separate, each in a trance.

Because of our obsession with being entertained and occupied all the time, I wonder how many tears have been missed, how many conversations never happened, how many joys have gone unshared because everyone is always so busy doing the unimportant.

Families should bicker about what song to listen to; families should be a little bored together every now and then; parents should still have to sing to their kids or tell them a story to pass the time; siblings should be forced to talk about what is going on every once in awhile. Life is not always about getting what you want all the time, for parents or children. The path of least resistance rarely yields unforgettable moments.

In the car, a family is held hostage. Kids have to talk to their parents. Without intrusive technology there is no escape from togetherness, and in a day when it seems no one is ever going the same direction and everyone feels alone, parents should hold on to this one last sanctuary for as long as they can.

April 20th is National Unplug your Television week, but a better challenge is to unplug yourselves, at least while you are in the car. You may be surprised by the little people you get to know who have been riding in your backseat all these years.

How thrifty are we??

I'm all of a sudden becoming a pioneer woman. We learned how to make our own laundry soap (thanks Alyson) the other night and it actually works really well. It's crazy cheap, we made all those bottles for about $8. They should last us all a good long time. It's kind of exciting and empowering learning how to do things for yourself. If you are intersted, here is the recipe. We added Lemon Grass essential oil to ours, and I love the way it smells.

Homemade Laundry Soap

One batch (about $2) equals 180 loads for top loading machine or 640 loads for front loading high efficiency machines:
You'll need:
4 cups hot water
1 bar of Fels-Naptha bar soap ( I found it in the laundry isle @ Fry's & Safeway)
1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (can find it in the laundry isle @ Fry's) ** Looks like baking soda box but read the label carefully as you want the washing soda **
1/2 cup Borax (I use the brand 20 Mule Team)
1) Grate bar of soap in water. Stir on med-low heat continually until dissolved & melted .
2) Fill 5 gal bucket 1/2 full of water. Add melted soap, washing soda & borax. Fill bucket to the top with more water. Stir until all powder is dissolved. Put a lid on it & let it sit overnight. to thicken. If you like a scent to your soap use apprx 30 drops of essential oil. I use lavender.
3) Once mixture is thick, stir again & fill a clean laundry soap dispenser (I use my used Tide one which has a spout).
3) Fill fill dispenser 1/2 full with soap mixture & the rest with water. Shake well before each use. Mixture will gel into laundry soap consistency.
I put a lid on left overs and store it in a closet in my laundry room. You may want to cut the recipe in 1/2 if you don't want or have the room to store left overs. One batch goes a long, long way.
Top loaders: Use 5/8 c per load (for a total of 180 loads)
Front loading high efficiency machine: 1/4 c per load (for a total of 640 loads)