Memo to Mommy

My good friend, Stephanie put this on her blog and since it has definitely been one of those days, I thought I'd share it with you. It's nice to have the reminder!

Memo to Mommy
You have a lot to teach your little one, but he has a few words of wisdom for you too.

* Stop freaking out about the mess! There's always time to clean--but how often do we get to make mud pies?

*Love me, even when I'm naughty. I'll only be this age once.

*Be patient. I do everything for a reason, but I don't know enough words yet to give you an explanation.

*Let me do it. I know you can do it faster and better, but sometimes experience is the best teacher.

*Don't expect too much of me. I want to do what you ask and make you happy, but I'm still little.

*Don't try to reason with me when I'm having a tantrum. Trust me-I can't hear you over my own screaming.

*Keep your promises. It's all about trust. When I'm a teenager, you'll understand why it's so important.

*Don't keep asking me if I've been good. I'm not even sure what that means, but if I was bad I'd never admit it!

*Don't let me think that you're perfect. I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes.

*Set limits. I can't actually eat a whole box of cookies-I just want to see if I'd get away with it.

Dustin Goes to Kindergarten

This picture pretty much says it all. Dustin was so ready to go to school! Mom, however was not as ready for him to go. He spent all morning pacing around the house waiting for lunchtime (he is in afternoon kindergarten). When the time finally came to go to the bus stop he sprinted to the corner of our street only to wait a little more. As soon as the bus drove up he walked up to it with his hand in mine, got to the top step, turned around, let go of my hand and winked at me. He is such a cutie. Good luck, buddy. I hope you have a great first day of school!!!

A Pathetic Triumph

Today I did something so seemingly insignificant and yet it gave me a sense of accomplishment all day long. My laundry room now stands clean and organized. It seems to be the room where everything gets stashed away until it finds a place of it's own, including toys that find a temporary resting place there because of the kids lack of motivation to walk up the stairs and put them in their rooms (which would still end up short of being "put away") but that's a story for another day. As the day wore on I found myself pausing to look through the doorway into that room, the only clean room in my house. And the magical wonder of it all was that it was somehow staying clean, not like every other space in the house that is spotless for a mere 5 minutes before it's covered with toys, fingerprints, etc. As a busy mother it's so nice to have actual, physical proof that during the course of a day you do make a difference and today mine was my laundry room. Have any of you ever felt that way?

Back to School!

This morning, Rachael left for her first day of 2nd grade! I wasn't able to watch her get on the bus because Dustin had his Kindergarten assessment at the same time her bus picked her up. Oh, well! Daddy, Claire and Hillary sent her off. This is the first of 3 kids going to school this year. We get to have 3 first days of school over the next 3 weeks. So next Monday I'll post about Dustin. Growing up my mom always put a note in our lunch the first day of school and I started that tradition with Rachael last year. Hopefully it will be a nice reminder to her that Mom loves her and is thinking about her today!

Happy 7th Birthday, Rachael!

Seven years ago this morning I was handed one of the biggest if not THE BIGGEST surprise of my life. My first baby was born 5 weeks early, little Racha-Frecha. We were so not ready, had no diapers in the house, clothes were not washed, and had only days before finished our childbirth class. At 10:00 the night before Keith had come home from Scofield to find me already in bed (no big surprise) and since I was awake I figured it would be a good time to use the bathroom. I stood up and felt a gush between my legs and the first thought that came to my mind was "Have I lost complete control of my bladder?" Nope. We got to the hospital about 1:30 am and 8:02 am I met my daughter, the skinniest most gangly thing I had ever seen. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of dark, curly hair she had (where did it go?) But most of all I was amazed at how instantly the love you have for this new little one completely washes over you and fills you until you are about to burst.
I don't know where the last 7 years have gone. I have learned so much from you and consider it an honor to have you call me mom. I hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetheart!

Here are 7 of the things I love about Rachael.

1-She is the best helper in the world. She is like the 2nd mother in our house and never complains when I call on her to help with a task.

2-She loves music, singing and playing the piano. (Don't know where she got that from :))

3-She is an excellent student and enjoys learning new things. She can't wait for school to start on Monday.

4-Rachael wears her heart on her sleeve and is so sensitive to those around her. I appreciate how she knows when I need a hug and a kiss.

5-She is the best big sister you could find. Whether she admits it or not, she loves to play with her little sisters and wrestle with Dustin.

6-I love that Rachael is so like me. On the outside she may look like her dad, but I'd say she has more of me in her.

7-I'm grateful that she chose us to be her family.

I'm Pooped

One more busy week has passed and I feel like I might pass out! Thanks to Keith's work we received a week long pass for our family to visit each of the attractions at Thanksgiving Point. On Wednesday I came down with a bug that seems to be traveling through the Braithwaite side of the family and I still don't feel great. To top off the week, Keith took Thursday and Friday as vacation days so we decided to do our first official camping trip as a family. It went well, and we have acquired some knowledge as to what we should and shouldn't do next time. I hope you all enjoy the pics, I'm off to get some rest!

Before Much More Happens....

....and it will, I wanted to thank my niece, Beka for spending this past week with us. The kids enjoyed her so much. She always had some fun game or idea for them to play. They built a "house" under the stairs, rode bikes around the block, did the slip-n-slide, not to mention the help she was to me babysitting when I needed it.

The Church History Museum

While Beka was in town, we decided it would be a good idea to head up to SLC and see the "I am a Child of God" exhibit at the Church History Museum. It was nice to have an extra set of eyes and hands to keep track of the kids. We had a ball and I would encourage those of you who can to make an effort to visit. The display was so interactive and the kids had so much to do. My brother TJ also came to join us. Then we had fun walking around Temple Square.
I just wanted to take this chance to say how grateful I am for my wonderful kids and husband and how much it means to me for us to be an eternal family, one that started at the Salt Lake Temple, almost 9 years ago.

Darci's Baptism

Yesterday, our niece, Darci was baptized. It was such a special occasion with all the family that came to support her (barring the huge accident on I-15 that took 40 minutes to get through). I was especially touched when Darci called and asked Rachael to sing a solo during the program. She did such a good job singing "When I am Baptized" but what made it most special was for her to do it for her favorite cousin. Congratulation's Darci, we love you very much and are so proud of you!

Super Summer Shin-Dig!

We booked it home from Darci's baptism to make it to Omniture's summer party. Considering that Keith's previous job had no family parties, not even one where a spouse was invited, I was unsure what to expect. OH---MY---GOODNESS, what a blast!!!! It was held at Electric Park at Thanksgiving Point. I'm not sure what the kids loved most, the rides (a ferris wheel and something called the Tornado), the face painting, the games, the blow up slides and climbing wall or the endless supply of free drinks, sno-cones, cotton candy, popcorn, churros....Holy Cow, need I go on?!?!?!? There was also entertainment, and a spectacular firework show, the best I have ever seen! Needless to say, we can't wait until next year. Here's some pics of all the fun we had!