Merry May

This May we sang songs. Lots of songs. Songs about the sun and the flowers and the winter being behind us. Adelle had a program at school and just belted the songs she had worked so hard to memorize. She shone so bright. I love my little sunshine.

The kids sang songs on Mother’s Day at church. The three biggest got up and sang so sweetly with their primary, filling the chapel with their sweet, innocent spirits.

This May we broke the law and lived on the edge by driving all the way down to Vancouver to visit my sister’s family for a quick, weekend trip. Jeff and I double buckled, just like a happy little couple, all the way down south, half his cheek supported by the cooler the whole time.

We had so much fun traveling with my parents and visiting Lesha and the family. We swam and hot tubed and had lots of cousin time.

This May we took field trips. Braxton got to go back to Pioneer Park and I marveled at the changes he has gone through since last spring. It’s almost as if my oldest grew up this May. Eight and a half is a whole new world for both of us and we are getting used to it.

This May we got dirty. Really, really, dirty. We played in dirt, jumped into dirt, planted in the dirt and every once in a while we showered off the dirt. I love this picture of these cute dirt-lovin kids.

Jeff and I spent many of our evenings this May outside in our garden. In the beginning of the month it was so hot that we would wait until the kids were asleep and the sun had gone down a bit to go crazy weeding our garden to get it ready to plant. The middle of the month brought nightly trips out to water, together, so we could talk about the day while the seeds drank. Now the nights are spent checking on our little sprouts and sprinkling eggs shells around each individual one to prevent the pesky caterpillars and snails from munching up our soon to be fresh veggies.

This May we ate cantaloupe outside on blanket with just our spoons. This was no pinterest find people, just the momma, continually trying to make the simple, freshest,  foods fun and exciting. It totally worked! The kids were so thrilled to get to dig out the melon by themselves. They made a huge mess and the cantaloupe lasted twice as long as it would have, had I simply cut it up and fed it to them on a platter.

This May we ran. We ran hard. The kids had their walk-a-jog-a-thon at school.  Talk about opposite kids!! Adelle simply participated in the event and Braxton practiced hard and competed in the event.

Adelle invited me to run with her. She would run a lap. Stop. Take a water break. Talk. Run another lap. Smile the whole time. That morning when Adelle was getting ready for school her dad recommended wearing pants since it was the walk-a-jog-a-thon day. Her response was, “I can run in a dress!” and she did!

Braxton spent the morning before school running around the backyard with Gage chasing him. When the event started he ran his hardest and pushed it the whole way barely noticing anything else around him he ran for the whole 1/2 hour, minus a couple quick stops for fluid. Mid-way through the run I decided I would do a lap with him, just to pick him up a little and encourage him. I got ready and when he came across the start line I merged in and smiled. He didn’t return my smile. I cheerily said something like, “Hey bud! You’re doing great! Mom’s gonna do a lap with ya…” The look he gave me, coupled with his unexpected remark, broke my mommy heart. “No mom! I don’t want you running with me!” caused me to merge myself back off the track and continue my cheering from the sidelines. Remember how I mentioned he grew up this May. He did get the 2nd place award again, for the 3rd year in a row! He was the 2nd fastest 2nd grader at Skyline!

I ran my second 5k this month too and set a 8:09 average mile record for myself. When I got home and was telling my family how it went and how I did Braxton misunderstood me when I said that I was first out of the group I ran with and he thought I was first out of all the participants. When my mom called that day he proudly told her that his mom had won the race! So, so, cute and flattering for me.  I will take what I can get from him these days.

                      

This May we paraded and played lots with friends. We had play dates in the backyard.  We picnicked at parks and were hosted by friends where we rode motorbikes and played lots of soccer in their lawn.

Our cousins came to visit and we played games and outside and had a girlie slumber party. Umpa and Bama had all the kids out for a slumber party and beach play. Adelle and Braxton took turns all month riding with Umpa on his motorcycle to baseball games and different events.

This May we played baseball. Lots and lots of baseball. Braxton had a great pitching machine season. It was his first time playing and he showed so much improvement over the season. Last week he hit a homerun which was so awesome. His hitting went from being a little hesitant and to just letting it rip by the end of the season and honestly I don’t think I have ever seen him smile like he did when he was running the bases after his homerun. It was so sweet. Also sweet that after he ran across home plate he ran straight over to me and I wrapped my arms around him in a big hug. That made up for him not letting me run with him, big time.

Emmett is also a great hitter and we spent many a May hour outside, me or Jeff pitching balls to him over and over and over.  He and Gage wanted so bad to be on that team with Braxton.

 

And to sum it all up, because I am getting tired, it’s been a long, busy month. I got to teach Adelle’s class art. I taught them a lesson on Leonardo DaVinci and Adelle loved that I got to be the teacher for an hour. She also loved her observation journal that we made and for the next couple days after school she would sit outside and observe nature while sketching. It was super cute.

Adelle also cracked me up the other day. I ran into drop something off at a friends and she and Gage stayed in the car. I came back to the car and she goes, “Mom! The people on the radio are crazy!!” When I asked her why they were crazy she said, “Because, they said you could find a fresh nutritious meal at McDonalds!” Ha. Even a 5 year old knows better I guess :)

Emmett still loves his word searches and can be find at all hours of the day working on them in his own quiet space. He is so good at them it’s really impressive. Sometimes he needs a break from Gage and Colton (the boy I watch) so his word search is like his little escape. He continues to make us laugh so hard.

time

Braxton workin on his derby car in the garage.

The whole gang’s littles (who are all not really littles anymore)

Our four being what they be best, … together.

Braxton at his first Pinewood Derby.

Brent and Jess at Graduation this last week.

My little girl and her little girl. Being friends. Like mommy like daughter.

My baby, looking like a little boy.

Emmett, minus the glasses. My son who knows more than I do and is patiently teaching me.

 

Jeff left me a note on the table today when I got home. It said “I heart you” but instead of the word heart, he drew the heart. So what it said was, “I love you.” It was written on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of computer paper in big letters. Just a simple phrase. The perfect note to come home to. It made me reflect for a bit, that’s what I do. I remembered when we first got married and how impressed he was by the hearts I could draw. He would concentrate so hard to try and draw the perfect heart, only to notice that one side was bigger or flatter or whatever. I would out of habit make  a heart without even thinking about it and he would ew and ah. So funny. Where did the time go.

He’s gone tonight, which is why I am blogging and why I will not post this until the morning. I still am a bit of a scardy cat and no stranger needs to know when my husbands not home.  Camping with the boy scouts he is which leaves me home to man the fort, solo style.

These pictures capture some of my recent thoughts on time. The treasure that it is. The picture of Braxton with with fellow scouts at the derby blows my mind. Jeff and I were the cub scout leaders when I got pregnant with Braxton. Those boys now are 19 years old! We found out we were expecting on a Wednesday and after we called our parents we went straight up to scouts. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for anything that night and our cover was blown by one in particular. Happy Days. I still remember that day exactly, what I was wearing, my blonde highlights, swollen eyes from happy tears.

We had friends over tonight and all the kids had a dinner picnic on the back lawn. I smiled privately when I brought out the plate of burritos and Braxton said, “no guys wait, ladies first” as the little boys were digging in. Happy mommy moment.

All the kids in the picture on the stairs have been besties since before they were born. Now they are turning 5 and 4 and 7 and 9… I remember my friends’ trying to get pregnant, discussing when and if and on and on. Some of us tried for a while, some had surprises. Each was welcomed with love. I love all these kids and their parents. One big happy family of friends we all are. Sharing each others lives, the good and the bad. Sharing each others kids, their triumphs and firsts.

The picture of our 4 on the chairs was Easter Sunday. We had woken early to search for eggs. Jeff had made breakfast, we’d eaten, and Jeff had gone to church for morning meetings. I sent the kids out to play and get some wiggles out, only to find them setting up chairs and hanging out. I went to get ready in the bathroom and opened the window to hear them. I heard funny things like, “okay well I am 18 and so you are 16 and you are….” They probably will be 18 before I know it.

My brother and his dear wife at Graduation this past week. I wish I could have been there to celebrate them on their special day. It was baby Emmett and I who drove Brent to Utah to go to BYU 3 years ago.  Emmett was the best traveler ever and I remember Brent commenting on how expensive everything was when we went shopping at ShopKo for essentials. Shampoo, hangers, razors, bread and milk. Someone was a little naïve, lets just say. Crazy how fast that went. I wonder if he still makes comments like that at the store?

The next picture is my cherished friend Jama’s daughter and mine. Her and Adelle are friends and it warms my heart. I have so many good memories with Jama in highschool and I feel so blessed that we are still so close and our little girls can grow up together. Makes me feel old and anxious about what highschool will hold for these sweet girls. Glad they have each other.

And Gagey. Getting so big and handsome. The little brother who thinks he is a big kid, but still loves his mommy’s lap. My little athlete. The boy is so naturally athletic and is always eating. He is my slimmest kid but always putting food away. Can’t believe how big he is getting.

Emmett. My boy who is wiser in years than I am and more patient than I probably ever will be. The boy who thinks instead of speaking and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. The one who idolizes his big brother and defends his baby brother. A few months ago Emmett started having accidents. Random potty in his underwear for no reason except to drive me insane. Not the pee or the mess but the concept. My mind was like, “why is he doing this? Is he sad, is he anxious, is he too busy, does he have an infection…” oh the unknown, how I hate it! I took him to the doctor, I evaluated everything about his life. I tried being nice, being a nag, being mean… nothing worked or helped or made any difference. I was beyond myself. Things like this shouldn’t happen to mom’s who know everything about 4 year old kids. After all, this wasn’t my practice child.  I felt consumed. I felt defeated, helpless. Who was in charge here. I remember thinking it was never going to end. Well. To end this time post I just want to say, it ended. He hasn’t done it in 3 weeks and I am relieved. I completely backed off. I decided that if he wanted to wear wet underwear, so be it. I wasn’t going to worry about it. I wasn’t going to remind him to go. I wasn’t going to stress out that there was some underlying meaning. I prayed and then, I let go. It worked. He’s in charge and knows what he’s doing.

Time. The treasure. The healer. The moment snatcher. The memory’s best friend.

the important stuff

Life is so full and today I was thinking about all the little things that are happening right now that I never want to forget. Little, simple things but important none the less.

Emmett is officially over Gage. The other day he told me that he wishes Gage was a little tiny baby again when, “he just laid there.” It was so honest and sweet. Emmett is so good to Gage and Gage is a little stinker and I think Emmett is getting tired of it. He told me liked baby Corbin better than Gage too. Emmett sure did love that baby Corbin and the trip he got to take down with Bama to Vancouver.

Emmett is also into the card game UNO. That’s the understatement of the century. When he and Braxton wake up they play the game until breakfast (so, for like an hour). Emmett and I then play mid-day while he has his patch on and then later on into the day he is continually asking who wants to play UNO with him. He is really good at it and beat the babysitter numerous times the other day. She was shocked.

Also Emmett is Braxton’s dirty work doer. Not really but Braxton sends Emmett out each morning when they wake up to see if it’s 7:00am yet because that means they can get out of bed. It’s fun to watch Emmett run out, look at the clock, and run back to tell Braxton. Good Brothers.

Times like this make me seriously consider homeschooling my kids. Numbers, time telling equals real, everyday math.

Braxton has been busy practicing his trampoline flips in his spare time, which he doesn’t seem to have much of these days. He is playing baseball (pitching machine) which is 2-3 days a week and he still is doing scouts one night. Also our chickens are producing enough eggs now that Braxton has started selling eggs. That’s been really fun for him and he is taking it really serious. He feeds the chickens, waters them, and now he also has the added responsibility of washing and carting the eggs and charting how many eggs we get a day and how many dozen he sells to track his income. Pretty big stuff. Braxton thrives on responsibility and leadership.

Adelle is quite the busy bee too. She continues to love school and is doing really well. She is also doing dance lessons and this week she started taking piano lessons from a high school friend.  Adelle is so musical so you can usually find her spinning and twirling while singing.  Always in a dress as long as they aren’t all in the wash. The other day I introduced myself to another mom that I recognized from the kids’ school. I told her who my daughter was and she said, “oh, the one who likes to wear all the fancy dresses to school.” Yes. That is Adelle.

Adelle dresses herself and usually does her own hair. She has always been my most independent child and some days it’s great and other days I wish she would just let me help her. She is such a happy, confident, girl and is always keeping me on my toes.

Adelle is super helpful lately. She daily asks me what she can do to help me and it’s so nice to know that she is thinking of others.

Tonight while Adelle and Emmett were coloring after dinner they were talking about when they are 18 and who is going to be bigger and who will be older. So funny to overhear their serious and contemplative discussions.

 

Gage is a baller. This little boy is so athletic it’s really unreal. He throws far. He can swing a bat and hit the ball off the tee. He kicks soccer balls, shoots basketballs, throws footballs… He is so funny too because his stance is right on. He first takes position and then you better be ready.

Gage runs everywhere. I can hear his feet running down our hall looking for whoever is in the bedrooms to play with and then running back when he can’t find anyone. He is currently loving reading books (favorite is Brown Bear), singing songs (favorite is Wheels on the Bus), jumping on the trampoline, chasing the chickens, and throwing whatever he has in his hand (most often balls, food, laundry, his sippy cup).

Gage really likes Braxton’s team hat and Braxton is so good to let Gage wear it.

 

Sunday nights at the Bay with my mom and dad are amazing. There is something so serene about the calm of the bay and being surrounded by people who love you and beautiful nature. I love that my kids will have these memories.

 

These are the good times. Warm, windy, spring nights at the ball fields. Lots of family and friends cheering on kids. Little siblings getting to run the bases after the games over. Umpa treating everyone to Dairy Queen after the game.

(And as a side note Braxton did awesome hitting 3 for 3 and playing pitcher and right field during his first game. (pitching machine)

Grandma’s, Aunties and Great Gramy taking care of my little boys so that I can volunteer in the kids’ classes. Auntie Mel loading up her car with cereal and granola bars from her work and making a special delivery to our house to share. Making my kids’ morning and mine and I was contemplating what to make for breakfast.

Meeting up with friends outside and stretching our picnics as long as we can so we don’t have to go home and face reality and laundry.

Letting the boys jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler, already!