Life as of Late

Here is a completely random post of pictures that will give you a good idea of what life has been like lately!

We have been spending lots of time at the park, soaking up these end of summer/beginning of fall days. The weather has been beautiful.

Nathan loves to make Thomas laugh. He works hard to find what will spark a giggle from his little brother, then does it over and over and over again. With Ellie gone in the afternoons at school, Nathan has really taken over the "oldest" role.

On Mondays and Wednesdays we have 35 minutes between dropping Ellie off at school and picking up Nathan at preschool, and Jonah and Thomas take advantage of being the only two home by playing so sweetly together. I almost forget what it's like when my older kids bicker... Almost.

Of course we take lots of trips to the grocery store. I love this picture because it is a pretty accurate representation of what it's like to shop with all four kids.

Thomas likes to "help" the kids get their laundry ready to take to the laundry room.

As a family we went to the BYU-I orchard and picked a few apples.... I made tons of apple sauce and dehydrated even more. It took me a few days to get through this laundry basket, and Thomas loved to play with the apples and say, "ball."

I absolutely loved this picture I saw on instagram from ldsliving. The representation of our Heavenly Parents and all of their children is so beautiful.

And I laughed SO HARD at this picture. I'm not sure why... Maybe because it's pretty comparable to bed time at our house? That couldn't possibly be why....

Ellie loves to wear my shirts to bed recently. The other night I sent her in to pick out a shirt to wear, and she came out wearing this shirt and some heels. I thought it was funny how she had to puff her chest out like that to keep the V-neck from going nearly down to her belly button. She loves to wear my high heels all over the place lately.

Snot + Grass = Yuck! (but kinda cute)

Someone got a little bit sleepy! He was practicing his letters while I worked on homework... I guess the letter A is boring!

We have a neighbor that often brings over hand-me-downs, and Nathan was beyond ecstatic to get these ninja turtle pjs. He wears them pretty much every night. I have to sneak them out of his room to wash them.

I don't love this picture of myself, but hey, this is real life! Me in my granny night gown and Christmas socks in September, reading a book to my little guy who is only in a diaper. That book is "The Wheels on the Bus," and Thomas loves it. He dances along when I sing it to him by shaking his head back and forth and jumping up and down.

Before Jonah's haircut on Sunday we put it in a ponytail. It's the cutest little "man bun" that I have ever seen! Though it's much better now that it's short! (Ignore the hand towel hanging all weird on the oven...)

"Look Mom, take a picture of me crossing my fingers!"

Nathan's love language is definitely "Quality Time." He revels in the one-on-one time he gets with either Sam or me! Yesterday afternoon while the other two boys were sleeping and Ellie was at school he and I sat out on the back porch for awhile and he got his very own whole piece of gum! Pretty exciting stuff.

I don't know how to flip this picture, but this is Jonah trying to feed Sam some chicken over FaceTime on a stick he found. Delicious.

And a little video of my bathroom-cleaning helper singing "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me." I missed the first part, but it still captured the cuteness of his little voice!

I love being a mom to these four cute kiddos!

Keeping it Real

Candid photo of me helping Nathan and Jonah clean their room. Sweet.

(Photography by Nathan, who was supposed to be cleaning. Also note that Jonah is nowhere to be seen.)

It's amazing how messy two little boys can get their room in one day. Good thing I love those little mess makers!

Shining Moments

I wanted to post a few pictures from moments I have loved being a mom this week:

Watching a movie and having popcorn in the middle of the day, "just because." It's amazing how much this meant to my kids. We weren't doing an amazing activity - my kids just enjoyed having me close to them.

On Wednesday Ellie went to a friend's house for a water party, and the boys wanted to head to the splash park so they could have a water party of their own. While we were there Nathan and Jonah would play for awhile, then run back to me and tell me whatever their little hearts desired, then run back to play. On one of these little runs back to me Jonah started growling at me like a bear, then when he would get close to my face he would pucker up and give me a kiss on the lips. He did that several times, then just ran back to play. The next time they came back Jonah started tickling me, and pretty soon all three of us were in a big tickle fight on the bench at the splash park.

This morning Jonah was following me around the house talking to me, so I decided to just sit down with him and talk. It was one of the highlights of me week to hear his sweet little voice chattering away.

I was reminded of this quote:

"...Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction." - L. Tom Perry

That is what these moments were to me - shining moments of joy and satisfaction. And this will hopefully serve as a reminder for me to purposely create moments like this with my kids, rather than getting so caught up in housework or whatever else I may be doing at the moment. 

My Path to Motherhood: Thomas

This post is a continuation of a series I started after Jonah was born:

I thought it would be fun to take the time to share the story of how we decided to have each of our kids, starting with our first little blessing, Ellie. In sharing each of these stories, I hope to share my belief that when to have children and how many to have is a personal decision between a husband, wife, and the Lord. I have a very real testimony that the Lord does have a unique plan for each of His children, and often the Lord's plan for us is not what we may have imagined. And, most likely, His plan for you is not the same as His plan for me. And that's ok.

PART 1 HERE, PART 2 HERE, PART 3 HERE

Starting when Jonah was about two months old, every so often the thought would pop into my mind: "Someone is missing." I didn't bring those thoughts up to Sam, though, until Jonah was 4 months old. When I brought it up he told me that when Jonah was only two weeks old he had the feeling that our next baby was ready to come to our family soon, but of course two weeks postpartum wasn't the right time to share the news. That settled it. My recovery after having Jonah had been the easiest and fastest of any of my kids so far, and I was feeling great physically and emotionally. We looked forward to another pregnancy, and especially getting to meet our next little blessing.

On May 1, 2015 - when Jonah was 13 months old - I found out I was pregnant again. Sam was out working in the yard with the kids, and when I showed him the pregnancy test he picked me up and spun me around. We were so excited!

Around 9 weeks I started to have some spotting, which scared me and had me emotionally preparing for the worst, but at the first ultrasound we heard the happy sound of a tiny heart beating and saw a healthy little baby growing. What a relief.    

At this point we shared the news with friends and family. I had already started to show, so it was getting too obvious to wait any longer!

It was new for me to not be in school or working during this pregnancy, and I enjoyed being home - though I think the lack of the strict daily schedule I had during college made it a little harder because I wasn't so easily distracted from my morning sickness. I always forget between pregnancies how hard morning sickness is, not just on me, but on the entire family - especially Sam. He picks up most of what I normally do on top of his already packed days. He's amazing.

In August we found out we were having a little boy. Ellie was disappointed at first because she really wanted a sister - she prayed daily asking for a sister, actually - but she quickly became excited about the whole thing.

Ellie started preschool in the fall, and we enjoyed the holidays as they came and went, anticipating the new baby boy that would join our family after Christmas. 

My due date of January 1 passed by with no baby, but our little Thomas was born on January 3, 2016.

This little boy is so loved.

What a blessing it is to have these four sweet children in our family, even though it is physically and mentally exhausting. It is amazing to see how our hearts have expanded to love each of our children individually and completely. I have always wanted a large family, but I never thought I could feel as much joy as I do in my role as a wife and mother to Sam and our four beautiful children. 

I am grateful every day for the blessings God has given me in the form of my five favorite people.

Reading in the Fort

Today we decided to make a fort and read books inside. Why is it so much more fun to read books inside a fort than on the boring old couch? Funny how that works.

(We will excuse Ellie, who couldn't be distracted from painting at the table for long enough to join us for pictures. But she did come over when she realized it would be her turn to choose the next story!)

We all gathered around the books and took turns picking which book to read next. (Please ignore the weird selfie arm... I just wanted to document the moment!)

Nathan especially enjoyed it.

And he really wanted me to keep taking pictures of us making silly faces...

We had a great time reading, laughing and asking/answering questions... That is until Nathan and Jonah decided to start wrestling on the couch, which pulled on the sheet, which knocked the books that were holding up the fort onto the ground, narrowly missing Thomas's head. That was a pretty abrupt end to the fun.

All in all, I am trying to enjoy every moment I have at home with my kids since Ellie will start kindergarten in the fall, and we will never have these slow, schedule-less days all at home back again. (Yes, I know there will be weekends and school breaks, but still. It will never be quite like this again and I'm a little sad about it!)

Quiet Time with Nathan

Today Nathan woke up first from his nap (which is unusual), and he wanted to sit and tell me "all about my dream." For some reason Ellie and Nathan love making up stories and calling them dreams. So for about 15 minutes we sat in a quiet house, and I got to rock my oldest boy while he chattered away. It was really sweet because quiet moments like that don't happen very often.

And yesterday, he followed me around while I did housework and made bread, and just talked and talked to me. It was so fun to listen to him talk about what was on his mind. I love watching my kids learn new things, but I also don't want them to grow up!  They are in such fun stages. 

Parenting is hard, and most days I feel inadequate, overwhelmed and stretched to my limits, but being a mom to my four cute kids is my greatest blessing.

Shopping According to "Kid Time"

     Lately I have been a little impatient in my parenting - especially when I am in "go-mode." I usually get into "go-mode" when I am trying to get the kids out the door to run an errand, or when I have lots to get done around the house. To get away from that a little bit I decided that I would go according to the kids' time, rather than mine, when we went on our grocery run today. We didn't have anywhere to go after the grocery store, so I let the kids look at whatever they wanted, and I didn't hurry them along from thing to thing. And you know what? It was kind of fun!

     They stopped at EVERYTHING. Seriously, everything. They had to take something from a tray full of tortilla samples, they stopped to look at each fruit and vegetable, they asked for everything at eye level "for my birthday", they turned and turned and TURNED the make-up display, and of course they stopped to play with every toy they could find. I was surprised at how much they enjoyed it - and how much I enjoyed it. The trip wasn't full of me nagging them to stay by me, I just had to say "the train is leaving, you don't want to be left behind!" and they would hop on. And wouldn't you know it, we got everything we needed.

I think I may be trying this approach more often!

Laundry Day

Image found here.

Now off to fold a pile MUCH bigger than the one Ellie and Jonah are sitting in.

Around the House

I love finding funny things that the kids have left around the house:

Animals on the window sill,

A used potty in the closet,

And a baby in my boot. 

I told Sam that this is one of the things I will miss when my kids grow up!

Mommy's Little Helper

Someone wanted to help unload the dishwasher... or something.

He was NOT happy when I got him down.

The More I Add, the More Joyful it Becomes

     This morning as I was doing some cleaning, Jonah started fussing. I picked him up and played with him for awhile, but then I needed to get back to cleaning while the other two kids were occupied so I grabbed the baby carrier and put the little guy on my back. As I was getting the straps adjusted and ready to go, he just snuggled right up to my back as happy as could be. For some reason it was one of those moments where I thought "I'm going to miss this some day." So I snapped a picture.

     And even though it is a less than flattering picture of me, I think it is one of my favorites. My little baby is quickly outgrowing "baby" stage and it is making me sad.

     This post from lovingmylot.com pretty much sums it up:

"The first time a kind stranger peeked at my newborn baby and gushed, “Oh honey, treasure every second!” I almost burst into tears.  Not because I was so touched, but because I was so tired...Two weeks ago I gave birth to baby number three...This time, if a kindly stranger tells me to treasure every second, I think I will burst into tears.  Not because of my lost figure or freedom, but because I so ardently understand that the seconds truly are numbered.  They are grains of sand slipping through the hourglass, never to be returned.  That’s the funny thing about motherhood.  You start off with so little on your plate, and it feels like you’re absolutely drowning.  And yet the more you add, the more joyful it becomes.  Because somewhere in between adding more babies, and more diapers, and more laundry, you also add more perspective.  You realize there are worse things than a long night, and challenges really do pass, and tiny toes don’t stay tiny forever.  You know cribs turn into beds, and strollers turn into bikes, and the chubby cheeks making fish faces today will be wearing your makeup tomorrow."

I don't pretend to know all there is to learn about motherhood, but lately I have marveled at how much my kids are learning and growing. They aren't going to be little forever. Though I am overwhelmed more often than I would like to admit with my three little ones, it has definitely gotten easier. And I have had more time to enjoy the every day moments of having young kids. I really do love being a mom. It's the hardest thing I have ever done, but I absolutely love it.

Now off to make sure there are no monsters in Ellie's room... or Nathan's room... or my room... or the family room... or the basement...

Moments of Motherhood: Sewing with Ellie

I usually sew when my kids are sleeping because... well... for obvious reasons. Today, however, I was still working on the kids' stockings when Ellie woke up from her nap. Usually I would have finished up and put things away, but today she pulled up a chair and asked me if I could keep sewing so she could watch. I of course gave her the "don't touch" spiel, and I kept sewing. She asked me questions, and I answered, and we both enjoyed ourselves. We got into a rhythm of her handing me pins when I needed them and then she would put them back into the pin cushion when I was through with them. She warned me to "be careful so you don't hurt your fingers," and I talked to her about each step, explaining in 3-year-old terms why I was doing what. She was quite proud of the fact that she was my "special helper." After about 20 minutes she said "Mom, we're having girl time. I love staying up late (staying up late is the best privilege EVER for her right now) and having girl time with you. Nathan's not awake, Jonah's not awake, just us. And you're teaching me how to sew for when I'm a big girl and I can do it all by myself."

For the next hour she and I sat together sewing and pinning, with her telling me several times how much she loved sewing with me and reminding me over and over again that I would teach her how to do it by herself when she was big.

I am so grateful for times like this afternoon when I get to just listen to my little girl tell me what's on her mind, and her and I get to bond and share in something that we enjoy. It reminds me that I could do better to slow down and revel in these sweet moments of motherhood, because my little princess is growing up right before my eyes.

(The neighbors brought by some hand-me-downs yesterday, and Ellie could not be more thrilled with her new Rapunzel nightgown. It was quite the task to get her to take it off this morning so she could get dressed.)

Moments of Motherhood

"The joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

- M. Russell Ballard, Daughters of God

(The whole talk is wonderful. Read it here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/daughters-of-god?lang=eng)