While Mom's away the Kids Will Play...

Sometimes I wonder why I even attempt to clean my house.  Kids have an uncanny way of undoing all your efforts almost before you are even finished.  I know there are times that my hunny may think I do nothing all day yet in reality I have cleaned up numerous messes along the way.  After today he may think a little differently.

Tonight was 'curriculum night' at the kids school.  Anna, a friend of mine, also wanted to attend, but her husband would not be home in time.  I volunteered my husband to watch her kids so that she could go.  Anna has five kids, but they are all pretty much aligned in ages with my 4, and they all get along great.

Dallin is the same age as Thomas.  Since they were 2 they have LOVED playing together.  I have never had a child bond a friendship at such a young age.  They are so fun to watch together.  Along with the fun they have...brings alot of mischief.  Today was one of those mischievous days. 

When the kids got dropped off, Shawn put on 'Hop' for the kids to watch.  He figured they would enjoy it, and stay out of trouble.  The boys had gone upstairs to 'play'...or so he thought.  A little while later he found them in the downstairs bathroom and thought it was 'cute', and taped them. 

After he filmed this he sent the boys outside to jump on the trampoline in order to dry off. Minutes after they went outside, he heard water dripping....from the light fixture in the DINING ROOM.

Apparently before the boys got into the bathtub, they were in the upstairs bathroom (instead of playing with the toys in their bedroom like Shawn had thought).  They had plugged both sinks and left the water running!!!  Shawn went upstairs to find water everywhere (all over the counter, floors, cabinets, it even seeped into every drawer)!  Of course he went to work trying to clean up that mess.  

Minutes later he went back downstairs to bring some of the soaked towels out to dry only to find that the boys had thrown all the pool toys, our barbecue tools, and all of our recycle trash over the fence into the pool!!!!  (I so wish he would have taken a picture!!) 

Luckily the damage was minimal, and despite Shawn's initial frustration, he was able to laugh the whole situation off.  Anna's oldest, Austin, jumped into the pool and emptied it of its unwanted contents.  Then later in the evening Anna came by with a few bags of fruit so Shawn could make his much loved smoothies.  We also have a great story to tell them when they get older!

Don't let those cute smiles fool you...Those two little rascals sure know how to get into trouble. 

Sydney's Style 2010

When I found out I was pregnant with Sydney, I was so excited.  Girls bring so much fun.  It is literally like having your own little doll to play with.  You get to dress them, and do their hair however you want for the first part of their life.

Then they get bigger.  More independent. My little Sydney did just that.  I was looking at some old files of pictures.  I noticed in the year 2010 she showed alot of her 'independence' in the way she dressed.  I figure there has to be give and take while parenting...apparently that year I decided that it wasn't worth the fight to get her to wear what I wanted.  So instead of getting mad and making her change her outfit....I just took a picture.

Now I have a small collection of her 'awesome' outfits. Makes me wish I took more pictures because I am sure she had much more than just these beautiful ensembles! She has grown out of this phase for now, and does a pretty good job at matching....we will see if it re-emerges in the future!

Random tiredness

I am tired.

I think it is this darn heat. 

It just seems to drain all of my energy.

Because of this, my brain does not want to work....thus making it hard to come up with thoughts for a post.

Well...actually I have alot of things on my mind, but to actually write them all out tonight is more than my brain can handle! :o)

So tonight I am just going to jot down some things I want to write about in the future.

*some hobbies/skills that I want to acquire.
*my thoughts about my backyard
*my love for the color YELLOW
*my extended family
*my aging children (next month Caden is turning 8!!  Such a magical number for my religion)
*dating my spouse
*catching up on my travels
*Grayson's milestones

Really there is so much more, but it will have to wait for another day.  Hopefully I can get my posts done during the day instead of right before I go to bed.  It helps when you can actually think! 

Night, night!

Temples

Next week our ward is going to be having a 'temple week'.  We are going to be having something every night that will focus on temples and the blessings that they bring into our lives.  I am really excited about it.  I think it will be a great opportunity to help my little ones learn more about the temple and how sacred it is. 

The church is in the process of building a new temple near our home.  It has been so fun to drive by and see the progress.  I can't wait until it is finished.  It is going to be so beautiful. 

I am so thankful for my membership in the church.  It has provided me with such a strength throughout my life.  I hope that I can teach my children to love the gospel as much as I do.

Tasting Life

The other day I read a marvelous post written by Daring Young Mom titled 'Taste your Nerds'

It is such a simple little post, but it has been on my mind ever since.  I think about how many times in my life I just go through the motions.  Many times I am in survival mode, and just want the day to get done. 

I picture myself as her little Magoo being 'okay' with not actually tasting his candy but still wanting to down it all.  I look back and see alot of times where I have gave up opportunities to really 'taste my life.' 

I love how Kathryn says "If you’re gonna eat something yummy, eat it. If you’re gonna watch a show, watch it. If you’re gonna spend time with your kids, be present. Make sure you at least taste the candy on its way down."

It is so important to get out of our imaginary cloud, and be present in everything we do...not just with our kids, but EVERYTHING.  I have been trying to be better, and this was just a great reminder at how important that is.  Take life seriously.  Everything we do matters.  Make memories, and be more proactive.  

So join me and make more effort to 'Taste your Nerds!'  I think we will all be better for it!