Women's Conference

I had the chance to go to BYU Women's Conference this year with my mom and two of my sisters. John stayed home with our kids so I could go. We went to some great classes and learned a lot. It was so fun to spend the day chatting and hanging out with my sisters and mom--without kids. No offence to any of our cute kids. I always love walking around BYU campus and remembering the college days. I loved seeing my mom's first encounter with the dreaded RB steps! I came home totally exhausted from what I thought would be my relaxing "girl" day, but it was totally worth it!

Little Librarian

We have church at 1:00 in the afternoon this year and I have to admit that I totally love it. I love having the whole morning with nothing to do but hang out together and relax. It is the most family time we get all week. My girls a love the lazy morning and are really content to play together and make up new games. Kelsie's latest was to set up a library. She organized the books and invited us all to come and check out books. She made signs to let us know when the library was open. Eventually, she added a reading corner and story time to her library. It was so fun to see her so engaged. She kept the library running for several days and we all had a good time with it. I loved watching her. It was like having flashbacks of my favorite memories from my own childhood--playing school, setting up restaurants and offices, building hideaways, etc...

Interview about Mom

These are questions I asked my girls about me. I saw this post on a friends blog and wanted to see my girls answers, so here they are. It was interesting to hear their answers and a few of them made me think...

What is something your mom always says to you?
K- NO (nice, huh?)
E- Let's go somewhere!

What makes your mom happy?
K- When we clean our room.
E- When we're nice.

What makes your mom sad?
K- When the nicest grandpa in the whole world dies.
E- When someone dies.

What does your mom do to make you laugh?
K- tickle torture
E- tickle you

What was your mom like as a child?
K- A very good child. That's what I believe.
E- She was nice.

How tall is your mom?
K- 5 inches
E- 4 inches

What is your mom's favorite thing to do?
K- Play with Carter.
E- Paint (Kelsie gave her a weird look meaning "what are you talking about? Emily countered back with "She painted a whole rainbow last night.) I'm glad my 4 year old was impressed by my watercolor rainbow!

What does your mom do when your not around?
K- Go to the store.
E- Go somewhere.

If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
K- singing
E- being a mom

What is your mom really good at?
K- tying shoes
E- art

What does your mom do for a job?
K- nothing
E- clean

What is your mom's favorite food?
K- Sandwiches from Quiznos
E- A sandwich

What makes you proud of your mom?
K- She takes care of us.
E- Playing with me

What do you and your mom do together?
K- Go to Justice. (we've been there one time)
E- Play games.

How are you and your mom the same?
K- We both have brown hair.
E- We both like cats.

How are you and your mom different?
K- Mom has glasses
E- green eyes (I am the only person in our fam without blue eyes, and I hear about it A Lot!)

How do you know your mom loves you?
K- She hugs and kisses us.
E- She loves us.

What does your mom like most about your dad?
K- He's funny... I wish I was you.
E- When he gets his hair cut. And when he's nice.

Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
K- Old Navy
E- Target

Happy Easter

Egg Hunt

Easter Fun

We went to the Thanksgiving Point Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. It was a little pricey to get in so I wasn't too excited about it. But, it ended up being totally worth it because there was so much to do and entrance into Farm Country was free. (We love Farm Country and I realized that John had never gone with us there before. The farm boy in him wasn't near as impressed by the sheep and ponies in pens as I am...but that's okay!) We spent half the day there and the kids had fun going on the egg hunts, visiting farm country, riding in a horse drawn carriage, getting balloon animals, having their faces painted like butterflies, and riding a cow train. At the end of the event, we were interviewed by Fox news and John and Emily even made it onto the evening newscast. We are feeling really famous now!

Yummy

This kid REALLY loves food and gets a lot of joy out of his meals. This was his first experience with a fast food hamburger...and he hoovered it down. The second clip shows what he does every time he takes a drink now. Cracks us up.

Moms

I've become really aware lately of how much I rely on my mom, for help, for advice, for everything. The last few months my mom hasn't really been around because of lots of family catastrophes. I mean I've seen her in passing in ICU waiting rooms and at funeral luncheons...but it's really not the same. It's made me realize that our job as mom certainly doesn't stop at 18 or even 30, it goes on and on. I know that my children as adults will still need a mom to turn to for advice and help during hard times...and I hope they want to turn to me. I am so grateful for my strong mom who keeps on going through all the hard times and makes the best of things. Today, I think my mom is just amazing and here's why...

In December my 35 year old sister had a heart attack. It was a huge shock since my sister is healthy, has no risk factors, and just had a baby. The months that have followed have been full of hospital visits and complications. My mom practically moved in to my sisters to care for her four young children so her husband could work and she could recover. In the midst of all of that, my grandpa passed away. My mom headed to Idaho to be with her family, plan her dad's funeral, and be the executor of the will. When things seemed to be calming down a little, she headed home to recuperate. But, my grandma caught pneomonia at the funeral and was hospitalized. My mom went back to care for Grandma when she came home from the hospital. My mom recently came home and was just exhausted from the last few months. This is why it meant so much to me when my mom showed up on my doorstep with dinner while I had the flu. She brought dinner, watched my kids, and managed to clean all my bathrooms too. Pretty impressive--I seriously can't get all my bathrooms cleaned in a single day :). I am so grateful for my mom who is always willing to help. She has always been a great example to me of serving others, no matter how much you've already done or how tired you are. And I really hope things will calm down a little, and my poor mom will get a rest.