Happy Birthday, Mr. B!

Photos taken by Leisha Kelsey Photography

Happy Birthday Bryson!

My cute boy.

Yesterday I said, "I can't believe my baby is going to be turning 4 years old tomorrow."

Bryson quickly responded by saying, "I'm not a baby!"

It made me laugh.

And a little sad at the same time.

He's right.

He's not a baby. At least not to anyone else.

But as any mom will attest, he'll always be my baby.

Happy New Year's Eve!

10 years ago tonight, Scott and I were with some friends celebrating New Year's Eve. After several years of trying, we still didn't have any children. The toast that night went something like this:

"To baby 2000! Yes, to baby 2000!"

That phrase became a kind of mantra to me. Any time I felt sad or discouraged I would think, "baby 2000." It was in June of 2000 that Gracie was born. It was the most wonderful event, ever. The absolute answer to so many, countless really, prayers. And now, 10 years later, Heavenly Father has blessed us with the family I wondered if we would ever have. We are so truly blessed. I am so thankful for the plan Heavenly Father had in store for us. At the time, I didn't understand how wonderful, how perfect for us, it would be. I am grateful He sustained us through those difficult times and I feel so much gratitude for all the tremendous blessings He has poured out upon us since then. "Baby 2000" is still a mantra to me. It reminds me to have hope and faith in the future. It reminds me that Heavenly Father is aware of me and that He loves me. It reminds me how blessed I am.

December 30, 2009

Today was a lot of fun.

I must admit, when I think of getting 4 kids in snow clothes, boots, mittens...you know the drill...it makes me want to reconsider. But we told the kids we were going sledding and once you make a declaration like that to 4 kids there's no turning back! I'm so glad we went. Although we were there for just over an hour, we had a blast together. It makes my heart so happy to see my kids with such huge, genuine smiles on their faces. Racing down a hill on a sled with my kiddos made me laugh harder than I have in a long time. We only had one wipeout with minimal consequences.

It was a great afternoon.

I love days like this!

So I'm really going to try.

No, I mean really.

I have not been good at keeping my blog, but I've recommitted to doing it better. It's so funny how so many days have the same routines in them. Like school, homework, dinner, reading, bath time, bed time. Day after day without much deviation. It's hard to see the time passing or things changing while I'm in the middle of those days. Then I'll see a picture of us, or bump into a friend who hasn't seen us for a while, and it becomes all too clear how fast time is going by. Today I cleaned out the boy's drawers to make room for the new clothes they got for Christmas. I ended up with a HUGE bag full of clothes that were too small, even for Bryson. If I let myself think about it I can get a little emotional. It's a reminder to

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

(Or something like that. I think that's close!)

I've been thinking about beginning a new year and some things that I'd like to do better. Keeping a record of our family and my feelings is one of them.

So here I am.

Beginning.

Again.

This time I'm really going to try harder.

I really mean it.

Snowmobiling in January!

Wow! January has gone by in a blurr! (Well, mostly!) The kids have been off-track since Christmas, so they've been out of school for 5 weeks. They start back on Wednesday. The past couple of weeks have been hard to keep them busy. To break things up a bit, we went to Idaho to my parents cabin. It was so beautiful. There was nobody around, and the snowmobiling was wonderful. It was the first time that all the kiddos were old enough to ride with us, and we had a great time. We even pulled a sled behind the snowmobile, and the kids loved that, too! We're so blessed to have such a wonderful place to go as a family and have such fun! Thanks mom and dad! This week we built a snowman and made sugar cookies. They are a lot of work! (Even with, I mean ESPECIALLY with, 4 helpers! But they sure taste great! Looking forward to a couple more lazy days, then back to our regular routine.

Merry Christmas and Happy Scrapping!

Christmas in our home was a fun and happy day. Everybody seemed happy with the gifts they received (even the clothes!). We got around 12-18 inches of snow and with the wind blowing as hard as it was, there were places we had to shovel with over 2 feet of snow! Thank goodness for our kind neighbors with snow blowers and four wheelers with plows. They definitely help us out all winter. We are so lucky. Scott and I got a laptop with photoshop elements and I have been happily learning all kinds of new skills to begin scrapbooking in digital. Part of my first assignment is to upload my first digital page to the web, so here it is. I'm quite proud of myself and very excited to be learning something new. It's a little addicting! I'm going to have to pace myself so that things continue to happen around the house, like laundry!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Oh what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is . . . HOT! Hot, Hot, Hot! This summer more than ever before, the kids have loved being outside in the backyard with any kind of water toy they can get their hands on. Sprinklers, slip n slides, balls ... you name it, they love it. Popsicles must be included, of course! If I'm being honest, I have also loved this spring and summer, actually having a backyard to enjoy. I just don't find myself dripping wet as often as the kids do!

The Graduate!

Tuesday night Garrett graduated... from preschool, that is! He turned 5 years old last month and now he's a preschool graduate! WOW! All he can talk about is when Kindergarten is going to start! He is so happy and excited to go. I'm working up to it. I'm a little nervous about having him ride the school bus and get to his class by himself. I'm nervous to have him out of my care every day. I'm kind of sad that my time with him at home with me is quickly coming to an end. On the other hand, I'm very excited for him to make new friends. I'm happy for him to gain some more independence. I'm grateful that he won't be bored and that he will continue to learn new things every day. I'm so appreciative of his cute preschool teacher, Miss Wendi, who made school so much fun. Garrett loves her and always felt so happy and safe when he was with her. She has made school such a fun experience and is largely responsible for Garrett's excitement and positive feelings about school next year! Thanks, Miss Wendi! What would we do without you?