Drama at the Stadium of Fire....

I absolutely love the Fourth of July! I also know how unfun it is to have kids stay up late and be rocked off of their schedule, so it's been a good four years since we've stayed up to watch fireworks let alone go anywhere special to observe them. Well, this year, after talking to a neighbor who swore her two year old did great at the Stadium of Fire last year, I got brave and found last minute tickets on KSL.com to go see the exciting event a few days before the holiday. FIREWORKS + AMERICAN IDOL'S AlUMN, CARRIE UNDERWOOD....

Could it get any better?!

In my eyes, it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and Chris and I decided it was well worth chancing that our kids would actually sit still (a very rare thing) and behave well (huge risk given that the show didn't start until an hour past their 7:00 bedtime!).

The Hansens stake out a spot each year outside of the stadium. They have a picnic and watch the fireworks, so we stopped by on our way in to the big show. In case you can't tell, the kiddos are quite popular with the aunties and uncles (Top right: Chris' sisters Bethany and Sarah - Bottom Middle: Uncle Zach)

Then we were OFF to the stadium!...

BUT... not without an accident first. Little P tripped and fell just before reaching the gates and skinned his poor knee. The kid was HYSTERICAL all the way to our seats. Poor guy! I would have been too...I think the blood and the immediate swelled goose egg freaked him out all the more...

While Chris was off to find a bandaid, I, with my arms full of Emmie, purse and camera, my hand holding screaming P, scoot the 3 of us in through the crowded audience to the middle of our bench row.

Relieved to have made it, & feeling sorry for my little guy who was still in hysterics, I turned to comfort him when not thirty seconds after I sit down this nice lady:

{white shirt below)

whips around out of nowhere and very curtly says, "Will you get her FOOT OFF of me?!"

Whaaahut!?

I look down, and Emmie's (sitting on my lap) sandal is barely hanging over the back of her CLIP ON CHAIR, her toe lightly resting on the woman's back.

(The way that she said it you would have thought that we had just thrown up on her & believe me later in the night I was almost wishing one of my kids WOULD heave all over her crisp, white shirt...)

Uhhh.. Seriously?! I just sat down, lady -GIVE ME A BREAK!

Shocked, I muttered a "sorry" and that we were just getting situated....

Nevermind that I'm comforting my hysterical, bleeding three year old, and that we'd only been sitting there SERIOUSLY for 30 seconds when she freaked on me AND had she waited another minute or so for me to assess the fact that her clip on seats that they brought were cutting a good three inches (before they sat back in them) into my very little leg room to begin with!!!

UMMMM, I'm thinking you're the one guilty of invading MY space, woman!!

So for the next ten minutes that Chris was gone, she kept throwing me these nasty looks over her shoulder and huffing and puffing and rolling her eyes in sideways glances - to the point that it angered me so much I was fighting back tears. (we weren't even doing anything!)

I TOTALLY get being bugged by some kid kicking your seat or touching you for 5 or more minutes when you've paid money for something, but GIVE US A CHANCE! We had just sat down! I'm always that mom afraid that my kids are going to drive the people surrounding us crazy & that is why we never attempt things like this. & the one time we finally do, of course we had to have the wicked witch of the west in front of us.

I HATE RUDE PEOPLE!!!!

So for the entire show, I was on edge trying to make sure that no one touched Queenie's chair. I don't know why, I should have let them kick away! Seriously! They were the ones invading our leg space to begin with and were lucky that they had 5'1 ME sitting behind them opposed to my 6'1 husband who is twice my weight because HE wouldn't have fit behind their stupid egocentric chairs. I was sitting sideways and was completely squashed! I was afraid to relax my legs the entire time!

DEEP BREATHES

I am not normally a grudge carrying person at all or someone that takes things personally... I am pretty good at letting things just run off my back....but one thing I don't tolerate well are MEAN PEOPLE!!!

CAN YOU TELL!??! :)

Well, I wasn't going to let her completely ruin my one shot at Carrie Underwood LIVE and watching my kids enjoy fireworks for their first time (their ears stuffed with earplugs). So despite the reminder that some people are incredibly rude, insensitive and completely tactless, I did still manage to enjoy the show! Thank goodness. Carrie Underwood was amazing and tacked on an incredible rendition of 'How Great Thou Art' to the end of 'Jesus Take the Wheel'. Being such big American Idol fans made it all the more exciting for us to be there. WE LOVE her! (yes - even Chris who professes to hate every other female singer!)

The kids were sooo good & P said of the fireworks that he liked them, but that they were too long and too loud...he was really tired and told me several times that he just wanted to go to bed. But all in all he was a trooper. Even the NICE lady behind us kept commenting on how good the kids were. We need more people like that in the world! What a contrast to the woman in front of me!

What I learned in all of this was just to trust my mommy instincts. Events like that are too stressful with tiny kids. We won't be doing it again next year. But for Carrie Underwood, this year it was worth it even with the worse possible person sitting in front of us! :)

HaPpY fOuRtH!!!

10 Year Anniversary

Chris & I celebrated our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY on June 24th! Trust me when I say that I can't believe it either! It floors me to think about it!

We had such a wonderful day. Probably my favorite annniversary yet! After playing with our kids at the splash park during the day, we got a babysitter ( a rarety) and went to dinner at the ROOF at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake with a view overlooking our wedding place, the Salt Lake Temple (note the picture above). We had our wedding luncheon and reception in this building (JS Building) so it is definitely sentimental to us. We also went to The Roof for our one year anniversary, so it was fun to visit again 9 years later!

....We went and peeked in the same room that our reception was held in during the exact same hour - just ten years earlier. It was occupied by a wedding dinner...darn! We were tempted to crash it but restrained ourselves...It was truly surreal to think that we were there celebrating our own wedding 10 years earlier to the hour in that same exact place! It was really neat to be there. These pictures were taken on the Mezzanine floor which is where we had a large portion of our wedding pics taken.

Off to the beautiful temple grounds....

The cute sister missionaries that took this picture above for us guessed that we were celebrating our FIRST anniversary. Haha! You can imagine how their jaws dropped when we told them it was #10! No, I didn't get married when I was 13 (almost 21), I am just cursed to look like a perpetual teenager. With wrinkles. :) Although I think we are getting a little less dorky looking as we age (maybe?), so that is a good thing... :)

What a wonderful journey it has been! Click here for a stroll down memory lane, a wedding pic, and the mushy stuff....

and for the record,

these two are definitely our greatest thrills in life:

My patriarchal blessing talks about how 'great joy will come into our lives as we bring into this world some of our Heavenly Father's chosen spirits'....That is truer than I ever could have dreamed! We are so grateful for our two little ones and the way they have enriched our lives!

What a blessing to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and to be an eternal family!

Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Check marks

We've had some exciting, long-awaited changes take place around here in the last couple of weeks....

Emmie, who is quickly approaching 2 years old coming up in August, has been riding around town in her baby car seat.... up until about 2 weeks ago that is. That's right... Same rear facing baby seat that she came home from the hospital in. (Hey - the weight limit is 35 lbs and E is barely over 20...) It was high time for her to graduate and move onto a big girl seat, so - well overdue, I marched our little fam to Babies R Us and told the stressed husband that we weren't leaving without a new seat for Emmie. It's never easy for him to spend money - even on necessities such as this. (Understandably - is it ever fun to drop $300+ on a car seat?)If I had left it to him, I'm pretty sure she would have been stuffed in that baby seat until Kindergarten. Love ya honey. But you know it's very well true. :)

THE PROUD PASSENGER:

Needless to say, Little E has been thrilled ever since & loves her new ride.

New carseat for Emmie: CHECK!

NEXT UP:

THE P-MAN

This little guy, who is rapidly approaching the big 4 next month, had still been sleeping in his toddler bed - up until 2 weeks ago that is. Same drill as above....forced a family shopping outing on the hubby and told him that our little guy was growing and that he no longer qualifies as a toddler, therefore his "toddler bed" was no longer acceptable.

Above is the before...

Beige blah walls and itty bitty bed (that was made that day by P himself btw), transforms into:

{DRUMROLL PLEASE}

{...& Hallelujah chorus sets in}

A big boy bed!

HOORAY!!!

and how about that? even got rid of the icky wall color in trade of a serene blue.

THIS much needed transition makes me so so so happy! WHY?! I don't cringe with guilt at having my growing little guy stuffed into a tiny bed every time I walk through his door anymore. & absent are the feelings of being a bad mom due to never having painted his room a fun color due to the chaos that collapsed on us soon after we moved here (my brother's unexpected death followed by a stressful & difficult pregnancy (heart issues at 20 weeks followed by preterm labor and bedrest)).... Sounds silly, but I am breathing easier these days as a result of these simple but overdue changes. Pictures still need to be hung but I am truly content with it for now! YAY! :)

BIG BOY BED FOR P: CHECK!

NEXT UP:

Alright so this one did not fall into the "necessity" category but it sure has boosted my sanity levels!

Last Fall we brought inside our little outdoor picnic table to use for Joyschool. It was never intended to stay in our kitchen... but it became such a practical convenience that it ended up staying put. Practicality seems to be something that we succumb to when our lives revolve around little ones.... even when it's a huge eyesore. Which is fine, & I'm all for it...it's how we have to roll sometimes, but inside I longed for something a little bit cuter. & a little bit smaller. Something that actually didn't overtake our kitchen as a bulky bright red and blue blob that matched nothing but the crayons used on it....Having said that I do love the picnic table - such a great purchase - just not as the focal point of my main living area...

Then I saw it. At Downeast Home. A highly discounted Thomas Table originally from Pottery Barn. And red chairs. That matched my great room. PeRfEcT. I really wanted it. Oh how I wanted it. I'm not an impulse buyer. I am a frugal, careful shopper. I don't covet many things. I went home and pondered it. Told the husband about it. Told him why I really must have it. It would make me so happy. So so happy. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Blessed Husb gave the green light to get it.

WHAT?!

{Hallelujah chorus repeat}

Bless him. I love it. Absolutely love it. It makes me happy. Ridiculously happy. & the picnic table is happier to be outside. Where it belongs. With popsicles and melted mac and cheese on hot summer days.

And these two? They love it too. Maybe not as much as me, but they like it alright.

& as you can see, they love P's new bed, too. At night time, they climb in together squealing and laughing, Emmie telling me "Night night", followed by her yelling for me to, "Go!".

It almost hurts my feelings. :)

No, they don't sleep in the same room. They just find it highly hysterical to pretend that they do....

....& that's the excitement of our crazy month. Three big things (wait - FOUR - definitely 4 with that check mark next to girls camp) checked off my list, making JUNE a highly productive month in my book! :) YAY!

Father's Day 2010

My kids are lucky to have such a great dad! Emmie adores her "Da" as she calls him, & Parker is always asking when Dad is going to be home.

Chris unfortunately had to work on Father's Day, but got home just in time for a Father's Day Partay at our house with my Dad & that side of the fam. It was a bit of a crazy day trying to pull off late church & getting food ready for the festivities without Chris around to help keep a tiny bit of order to everything with the little munchkins (or should I say "Terrors") running around, but in the end we pulled it off. It was fun to have everyone over!

We missed Steven and Kylie but don't feel bad for them living the high life in New York...my little bro got picked up in a limo this week for an event he is helping with in Times Square...I don't think humdrum Utah is going to satisfy them when it's time to return post his internship in a few months....

I made it :)

I'm alive!

I survived Girls Camp last week.

Yep.

In the Uintas.

In a tent.

With the bears.

All the while battling a nasty cold that pretty much made me miserable - especially that first night.

HOWEVER.

Despite all that, I admit, I still managed to have a good time!

I love being in the mountains (just not sleeping there) & it was definitely a beautiful place (Camp Camelot - Fruitland, UT).

See for yourselves:

A few of the highlights:

• A 3 mile hike to the top of that big ridge
• Tubing down the river was so much fun despite the icy water
• The food! That is a lot for me to say because I am picky but one of the girl's dads was our cook and he was amazing! Best scones ever, homemade hot krispy kreme doughnuts, hawaiian haystacks....the food was super delish!
• Night time devotionals. There is something about being in the mountains, sitting under the stars & listening to a wonderful speaker bear witness of the truthfulness of the gospel that makes the entire week worth the trip. Such an amazing feeling.
• Spending quality time with the girls! I love getting to know each of them better, as well as the other leaders.

All in all - success!

Especially maybe because I had to leave a day early to get back to my orphaned children....(Thanks Hansens for watching them!)

{Can you find me? }

What's cool: Hanging out with 12-18 year old girls. Not Cool?: Having everyone think you are one of the 12-18 year old girls...

3 words: STORY OF MY LIFE! :) LOL I'm THIRTY, people!!!

Off to camp I go...

Well, it's here.

I'm off to Girl's Camp this week.

I'm stoked.

Er that's what I'm telling myself anyways.

The lovely head cold, constant run of the nose and bad sore throat I picked up from Em the other day that are hitting extra hard this a.m. aren't helping my enthusiasm for this excursion.

Nevertheless I am off.

The crazy things we do for the church I tell ya. :) {slight sarcasm here}

Like sleep in a tent. With no showers. {shudder}

Have a good week everyone!

Be thinking of me in the wilderness with all the bugs and wild animals. :)

Oh and if you see Chris lugging around the kiddos, please stop and help him do Little Emmie's hair... that's his biggest fear this week....

Summer Fun....

SWINGS!

Our dinky little swingset we bought last year has proven to be such a great purchase!

It is just the right size for these two monkeys and they have spent endless hours in the last few weeks swinging away....we've also spent lots of time recently at parks. It has been great to finally be able to spend time outside!

BUBBLES! Who knew a little soap and water could keep these little ones so entertained. Emmie especially loves them.

ITTY BITTY SOCCOR & GYMNASTICS

June is such a crazy month for us. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I signed Parker up for soccor this month and both kiddos up for gymnastics on top of all the other crazy activities/events that June is filled with, but I did. It's totally fun but we are constantly go-go-go around here!

Creative entertainment.... they had to find something exciting to do while I cleaned all afternoon....highlighters to the face (Emmie) and decorating their bodies with stickers did the trick...

THE LIBRARY

My kids love to read and I love to read to them, so we finally hit up the library for the first time last week.

It was a quick trip -

Emmie was deshelving the books faster than I could pick them back up so we had to grab a few and dash, but we were lucky to have randomly chosen a really really cute one out of the four and another pretty good one.

As for me, besides taking care of these cutie patooties, my life has pretty much been hijacked by my calling in Young Womens for the last several months....love it but it sure keeps me busy & away from my kids more than I've ever been (& I'm only an advisor!).

On a cute and somewhat humorous note, Parker started hysterically crying when I told him I was going to Girls Camp in the mountains saying how he didn't want me to leave him and that he was afraid I'd be eaten by a mountain lion. His words. It didn't help that he had caught part of Homeward Bound earlier that day where a ferocious mountain lion was chasing after Chance and his crew....okay and so it probably also doesn't help that I'm a little (who am I kidding - a LOT) fearful of being ravaged by a wild animal myself....deep breaths.... :)

MOVING ON....

Chris bless his heart, :) has been doing a little painting for me (more on that later), has been playing soccor dad (his schedule has allowed him to go to P's classes), and work work WORKING away! It is great that he has the opportunity to pick up overtime hours here and there. Sometimes that great extra pay is hard to pass up!

This picture pretty much sums up this month at our house.... a bit CrAzY but we're holding on tight with our eyes half open & are trying to make the most of it. We're definitely enjoying the ride though! :)

Let freedom ring

Who is: Little short guy, on his post, barking orders....

Napoleon?

Nope...

That would be our Parker ....

Little P is strong enough this year to open our ultra heavy back sliding door all by himself. Quite exciting for a 3-year-old as all our other doors have handle locks on them prohibiting his break away. With this has come great freedom for him... and some added stress for myself....

Everytime I turn around the little guy has escaped into the backyard & his mini accomplice - aka Emmie, is right behind him, regardless of what I have just told him about staying inside. Obedience is not his strong suit these days - it's tough when such autonomy is within his own capablities...

So what is he so eager to get outside and do?

Up the slide, to his favorite post this social little butterfly goes....

where from he screams high-pitched summons over the fences to all the neighbor kids to come over and play with him.

And come they do!

This is great- we love to play. But if my plans don't quite align with his & it's NOT a great time to play with friends, huge fits ensue. Not so great.

You can bet that this little girl loves every minute of her big brother's new found independence. She loves the outdoors every bit - if not more than him - & walks around saying "side, side! ". Naturally, as P's sidekick, the more liberty he steals when mom has her back turned, the more she gets as well. What a perfect position to be in as the little sister.

Those little stinks.

(To explain - the only reason I object to them being out in our fenced yard without me closeby is because our cute neighbor girl taught Parker how to open the gate (which would have happened soon anyways) to get to the front yard which could result in catastrophic devastation if E were to follow P out ...you know - streets, cars, kidnappers... you get the picture...)

Having said all that, we mostly do just get laughs out of Parker & the way he thinks he can run the neighborhood from his post on the slide. & I think it's time to figure out a lock for the back gate.

I'm just so glad that it's finally getting nice enough to spend the majority of our days outdoors...

it's about time, Utah weather!

BRING ON THE FRIENDS, we're excited to play! ;) Maybe just not 24/7...

American Idol, Baby

AMERICAN IDOL...

What can I say? This show just makes me so happy. Every year I look forward to January for some high quality television - aka - American Idol!

(Bless my beloved DVR for making it possible to watch!)

I was BOUNCING off the couch with elation last night as my man Lee Dewyze was announced as this season's winner.

YAY LEE!!!

(Did I call it or what? :))

He is so humble, so talented, so good, so cute...so -- I might have a tiny crush. No big deal.

Chris is well aware. :)

If you missed his Hallelujah performance last week, check it out HERE. It's AMAZING - probably my favorite song all season. Just watching it will make you a fan too if you aren't already.

Or I dare say there might be something wrong with you... :)

....& I just have to add that the finale was GREAT! Besides Lee winning, my favorite moment was seeing all the old Idol winners and runner ups singing together.

LOVED IT!!

Let's admit it, next year just isn't going to be the same without Simon Cowell. You either love him or hate him and I love. (not that I love it when he's rude...hate rudeness he somehow gets away with it...) Honestly, I was tearing up when they were doing his little tribute. As big of an Idol fan as I am, I just don't know that I'll be watching in the years to come without him!

Oh well.

Anyways, here's to a great ending to American Idol 2010!

GO LEE! :) :)

I don't sound at all over-the-top obsessive in this post - do I?? ;)

New Yorkers

My awesome little brother scored an amazing internship at Times Square in New York City this summer! He and his cute wife leave tomorrow for their 3 month adventure of living in the Big Apple.

HOW LUCKY ARE THEY???

We got together for a little farewell party last night at our sweet Grandma's house - who recently was able to return home after months of being in the hospital and then rehab center. We are so happy to have her back home!

We will sure miss Kylie and Steven for the next several months but are so excited for them and this incredible opportunity!

If you have any New Yorker advice for the new Big City explorers, please share!

GOOD LUCK Kylie & Steven!

We'll miss you!

Careful of the terrorists, please. :)

Super fabulous homemade pizza

I realize that most people love their Saturdays. Well, honestly, I don't. I pretty much dread them. The explanation is that Chris works all but one Saturday a month. (Before you go pitying me, he does have Mondays off which is so nice.) The hours that he is gone (8:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.) on that day of the week seem like an eternity. I guess that this is a pretty normal work day for most, but we love his weekday schedule of either 8-4 or 2-10, which leaves us a nice chunk of the day together as a family either in the morning or the evening.

So when Saturday rolls around we are left with very little time together as a fam as Chris makes his appearance during bathtime which is just prior to bedtime. This translates into ME being at my wits end by day's end & the last thing I have time and patience for on top of a crazy day is making some great dinner with little munchkins whining and screaming at my feet. So lately I've been trying to find ways to simplify,(not an easy task for my complicated little brain) and this I did by finding the perfect solution for dinners on my dreaded Saturdays...and a tradition Parker looks forward to.

Well, a few months back after a little research, I found the greatest homemade pizza recipes. Not just kinda good -- REALLY GOOD! So I started the Saturday ritual of giving the kiddos early baths and then having homemade pizzas ready to pop into the oven just as Chris is getting home. The kids absolutely love decorating their own pizzas, they love eating the pizzas, and they love the little bit of time they get to spend with their Dad on Saturday nights just before going to bed.

I love that I don't have to think about what I am making for dinner that day, LOVE that they are SUPER EASY, super cheap, & I love that they are all homemade. & don't tell anyone but I especially love that I don't have to deal with any raw meat... you could say it's definitely NOT one of my favorite pasttimes.... ughh. But that's another story...

And did I mention that I. LOVE. THIS PIZZA!?

This is some of the tastiest homemade pizza I've ever had. Seriously - SO YUMMY! I love it so much that I wanted to share these great discoveries with the three people who may be lucky enough to have made it this far into my post without falling asleep.

Really - these recipes are worth the boring post - I promise!

Here they are:

(super duper easy!)

PIZZA DOUGH

(courtesy of Martha's website, but Wolfgang Puck's recipe)

One 1/4-ounce active dry yeast

1 tsp honey

1 cup warm water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp coarse salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and salt. Add oil, yeast mixture, and remaining 3/4 cup warm water; mix on low speed until dough pulls away from the sides fo the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.

2. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface, and knead by hand until dough is smooth and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer dough to a large bowl, and cover witha clean, damp kitchen towel. Place bowl in a warm spot, and let rise for 30 minutes.

3. Divide dough into four balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of each ball; repeat 4 or 5 times. On a clean, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining balls; cover witha damp towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare as needed and arrange desired toppings; balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

(Makes four 8-inch pizzas - or one large)

*Note: I like to bake the rolled out dough for 4 or 5 minutes before I put any sauce or toppings on - then cook with toppings for additional 10 minutes or so at 400 degrees. But then again, we like crispy crust around here...

MOVING ON TO THE SAUCE....

The super fabulous sauce recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs - Our Best Bites. Click here to never ever want to use the jar marinara sauce ever again. Who ever liked that stuff anyways?! This is super easy and super tasty! I love it.

Don't be intimidated by the fact that one of it's ingredients is some of their homemade garlic bread seasoning. Yes, you'll have to make that too to make the recipe work but trust me it is fast and easy... the only strange ingredient are the marjoram leaves (well at least to me that is) but I found them with no problem in the seasoning isle at Smith's and they were even under $2.

Here I go rambling - what else is new??...

Just try out these recipes! You'll love 'em! Er you can call me crazy. :)

HAPPY PIZZA MAKING!!!

More cuteness

HOW CUTE IS THAT?

There is something I just love about 17 little 3-5 year old boys chasing balls around a gym! What a site! Besides the fact that it's pretty stinkin' cute, I love that they are constructively putting their spastic little hyper active bodies to beneficial use by aquiring new skills, gaining coordination, and learning to take turns, all the while spewing out some of that endless energy they all seem to have bottled up in them!

Itty Bitty All-Ball was a huge success this week! SCORE! Once I peeled Parker off my arm on Monday(bribery courtesy of Cold Stone worked like a charm for later that day) he kept up with the best of them playing soccor and he even made a goal. That-a-boy. :) More importantly, he had a great time. I was worried today that he would revert back to his clinginess - which he did for the first 5 minutes but then he jumped right in to play basketball and once again had a great time! Yay! So---yes. I bribed him. Again. This time with a trip to Target for popcorn - but hey, bribery works and sometimes whatever works is the best option in my book. :) Especially when it's to get over an initial hesitancy about something...

Parker's words about class today: "That was so so SO way totally fun, Mom!".

This session is all over for his team but we are gearing up to start Itty Bitty ALL Soccor next month with several more friends & we're excited!

...& this little girl....we don't want to leave her out. I snapped this picture on our way out the door this morning. I might be a teensy bit biased but seriously how could you not adore that little face?! I just love her.

Mother's Day...

All I can say is that MAY has been one CrAzY month.

There has been so much I have wanted to post but I am still catching my breath just trying to keep up with everything...& the month is still running....FAST. But here is a start...

Better late than never right? Let's start off with Mother's Day....

I am one lucky Mama! I love these kids!!!

*(Notice hair obsessed Parker's fistfuls of my hair - the kid never lets go - I swear!)*

It was such a great day!... P & E were still getting over their sicknesses (but on the upswing) so Chris and I had to tag team church. Chris cooked us all breakfast, and the kiddos gave me some pieces of art they had colored with attached gift cards for my favorite smoothies, to do a little shopping & get a pedicure!

What more could a girl want???

Sacrament meeting was actually quite rejuvinating because I got to sit in peace and actually hear what the speakers had to say since Chris was home with the kids.

Sometimes I forget that that was once possible in my former life....Ahhh. It was nice. :)

After church we sanitized our germy kids the best we could and headed over to the Hansens for a big Mother's Day partay. To our surprise, it turned out to be a Mexican Fiesta with the boys cooking YUMMY authentic Mexican food (Zach served a spanish speaking mission in NC & cousin Lara's husband is Mexican). Chris' Dad Lance is great at putting on a shindig and a shindig it was, complete with gameshow games & even a pinata. It was also Chris' littlest sister - Sarah's (youngest of 6 kids) 19th birthday and courtesy of Mexican tradition she received an extra special birthday treat by having her birthday pie slapped all over her lovely face. Nice. Happy Birthday, Sare!

My favorite moment of the night however had to be Chris' precious 93 year old Grandma Lonczyna beating the pinata (pictured above).

Love that girl. She makes me smile! :)

YAY for Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day

This woman is such an inspiration!

Stephanie (aka Nie Nie)....She is the survivor of a plane accident that happened in 2008. You may have heard about her on the news, watched her on Oprah, or you may be one the hundreds of thousands who follow her blog...what an incredible perspective she has on her second chance at life & what a wake up call it is for the rest of us to stop sweating the small stuff & to be GRATEFUL for our many blessings.

She offers so many heartfelt messages...Motherhood truly is a divine privilege & and I hope I never take it for granted. I also love how she says, "I am not my body...." How true that is and such a reminder that we are all so much more than the packages we come in...a hard thing to keep in perspective as a woman!

Take a few minutes to watch - it will touch your heart!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!