Friday, April 17, 2009

Happy Easter (2009)

The kids loved coloring Easter eggs

They watched the color tablets dissolving in the vinegar

Camden watched a little too closely. He said it popped right in his eye!





Checking all the eggs at the end.

The kids liked what the Easter Bunny brought them.


Alek helped himself to some Easter treats before breakfast. Who knew he could open those little eggs?

The Easter Bunny left treats at Grandma and Grandpa's house too.




Hope you all had a good Easter!


Monday, April 13, 2009

Manic Monday: Taste

I'm going to share a few of my favorite newly discovered websites.

Everything she makes looks fantastic. I just want a taste of every recipe she posts, especially these cookies. Mmmmmm!

Look how cute the cake pops are that she makes.

And now, to balance out the un-healthiness of those websites, I'll share this one. On this site you can put in your health goals and it will tell you what your caloric needs are. Then, you track what you eat during the day to see if you're on track. It's really easy to use.

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The "S" Word

Jace and I had the following conversation over lunch yesterday:

Jace: Mom, do you know the "S" word?
Me: (surprised) Um, is it a bad word?
Jace: Yes.
Me: Does it start with a sshh sound?
Jace: (confused) No?
Me: (very relieved) Oh...then I don't know. What is it?
Jace: (whispers) Stupid
Me: Oh yeah. That is a bad word.

And since we're on the subject of words, here's Camden's favorite new phrase: Holy moly what the macaroni cheese! It makes me laugh every time.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Manic Monday: Trip

I was watching something on tv today about motherhood and felt it was quite negative and discouraging. The women on the show discussing motherhood were doing so in an attempt to let moms everywhere know that being a mom isn't easy, and that's ok. Instead, I thought it made motherhood look difficult, miserable and unfulfilling.

But that's not how I feel about motherhood at all. I find joy in being a mom every day. Of course it isn't always easy, even a simple trip to the grocery store can be quite an undertaking with three kids. Just to make it out the door I have to find four matching pairs of shoes. And since I have a baby who likes to carry random things, like shoes, around the house, that's no easy task.

But even thinking of that makes me smile. Yes, at the time I might not find it very amusing, but after the fact, all I can think about is my cute baby walking around with shoes and putting them in laundry baskets and kitchen cabinets. It really is pretty cute to watch.

I feel so blessed every day to be a mom. I love my kids more than then will ever really understand and I love watching them learn and grow. Of course, sometimes, the way they learn may be frustrating. But when Camden asks me "why?" for the twentieth time in a row I try to remind myself that he won't learn something if he doesn't ask about it. So I try to humor him until I completely run out of answers or we get down to a cellular level in our discussion.

There's no rule book either which apparently makes some aspects of motherhood harder, not easier, as children grow. The more Jace is learning about the world and the way things work, the more he questions the rules or my reasoning behind them. But even his stubbornness doesn't make me hate being a mom. It really is what I've always wanted.

I feel so blessed to be able to spend my time with my kids. Watching them see or do something for the first time is magical. Their excitement is truly contagious. And that's just one tiny example of how incredible it is to spend a day with a child. For me, the benefits of motherhood far outweigh the less appealing aspects of it; allowing me to truly find joy in motherhood.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Finally Posting Birthday Pictures

I got a few good birthday pictures from my sister and I have a few more from the kids' actual birthdays.

Alek loved his duck birthday cake. (On the right you can see me taking some pictures with the camera missing a memory card.)









Camden wanted a football cake this year. He was so excited when he saw it.



On Camden's actual birthday we got some football cupcakes.









He loves unwrapping presents.



He got a Harley Davidson tricycle but he just calls it his motorcycle. He loves it!


Since I didn't get any good pictures of Alek tearing into his birthday cake, I decided to let him re-do it. He didn't seem to mind at all.









Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I Was Just Voted Most Photogenic!

APRIL FOOLS!

How is it that some people can look beautifully posed in every picture they're in. Even when they're in the background of a picture they don't know is being taken, they somehow have incredible beauty and grace. And how is it that I am SO not like that. I can't even manage to look good when I know a picture is being taken. Seriously, what's wrong with me?