Measuring Friends

Colton would much rather play with measuring spoons and/or cups any day.
Forget the trucks and give this boy something to measure with.

Future cook or builder... what do you think?

When Colton had an absolute fit last night because he wanted to hold every single measuring spoon I own at the same time and his hands are simply not big enough, I knew it was time for some intervention.

I took the all the spoons away.
I know.
Bad Mom moment.


But hold on.
I am about to redeem myself.

After he screamed and screamed for his measuring utensils, I finally tucked him into his crib with a cold bottle of water and five million measuring cups. With a smile the size of Texas, he fell asleep to the sweet sounds of clanking plastic teaspoons and tablespoons.

I put the older boys to bed and pulled out my hot glue gun.

I'd like to introduce you to our measuring friends.





Don't they make you smile?

I also love that all of the measuring spoons attach to a ring. Now baby Colton can run around the house with a dozen measuring spoons attached to a simple ring. Life is so much easier now.

Home Tour

I keep thinking that I will post these pictures as soon as I find my photo-editing software, finish unpacking the basement, and my kitchen is clean.

Well, the photo-editing software is still missing.
The basement is still 40% boxes.
But my kitchen was clean!

So today I am going to introduce you to the main floor of the new all-boy-house.
Drum roll please.


When you walk into our house, you are greeted with this:



Have I mentioned how much I love our new family photos taken by my amazing brother-in-law-photographer? I love them.


I love the little half banister that is at the entrance,



the bay window,



and the banister that borders the kitchen.




The playground in the backyard with a sandbox is oh-so-little-boy-wonderful.




And we are so excited about the little basketball court in the backyard.




The kitchen is cute, with plenty of counter space for the bazillion bananas the boys like to eat.




And a cute lovely bar.
Can I say that I LOVE bar-stool eating?




The master bedroom is cute, and we love the four additional bedrooms the home offers. The basement has a very large open family room that has transformed into our projector-movie-theatre room and it still has plenty of room for all the little boy toys. The home has three bathrooms, one large storage room, and an awesome garage with tons of built-in-shelves.

I'm not going to share pictures of bedrooms or the outside of the house because I am one of those paranoid moms who worries about sharing too much information on my blog about where we live. But the house is cute and we love it.

I loved my first house so much. We really put a lot of time into painting, finishing a backyard, completing a basement, and upgrading some of the little things. I loved that house... and I never thought I would love another house as much as I did my first house.

But with every box that I unpack, picture that I hang, and memory that I create in this new house - I am falling in love all over again.

Turkey Pirates

Remember these fun Goldilocks and the Three Bears wooden spoon puppets?



And remember how baby Colton had a hard time crawling around with them?
But he loved them so much that he endured the hardship and somehow got around the house with wooden spoons in his hands?


Well.
I decided that we needed to make some thanksgiving turkeys.
So we made a couple.




And we love them.
Mostly.

Colton now runs around the house with wooden turkey sticks in both hands smacking them against anything and anyone he can reach with them. Wooden spoon play is now a when-Colton-is-asleeping-activity for the big boys.

But regardless, the older boys loved playing with their turkey sticks. While walking home from school today, Conner suggested that we transform his thanksgiving turkeys into pirate turkeys.

Now we are talking.
Pirates + Turkeys = Totally Awesome





When I asked Conner what it is that pirates turkeys eat, he told me that he did not know and that I should call my husband to get the answers to my questions.

I called Nate.
He did not know either.

I may not know what pirate turkeys eat, but I do know how pirates turkeys get around town.





They have ditched the pirate ship to ride around on top of batman's car.
Seriously.
Pirate turkey.
Life does not get cooler than this.


And you totally know that after I write this post, I am going to start writing a story about the pirate turkeys that save a certain holiday and bring peace, joy, and goodwill to all mankind... one "Gobble Gobble ARRRRR" at a time.

Twelve Year Punnishments

Conner likes to step in and play Mom.
Sometimes I intervene and sometimes I just listen.

Today when Caleb threw a pair of pants at Colton's head, I overheard Conner begin the discipline.

Caleb's so-called-consequence?
He had to give Colton a favorite toy for the next twelve years.


Yep. We are in for the long haul.

Conner's School Pictures

Conner has this habit of wiping his face with his shirt after he eats.
I don't know where he learned it, but it has got to stop!

Kindergarten picture day.
Conner eats his breakfast in his underwear.
I am determined to get a picture with a clean shirt.

On the way out the door, Conner must of grabbed a snack to eat because his kindergarten picture has a little wipe of food on his shirt.

Shirts.
They are the new napkins.

Finding Me

I searched the alleyways, corners, and dead ends of my soul. Desperately looking for a golden ticket, prized answer, and a magical solution that would define who I am as an individual and what my purpose in life is.

I knew the basics.

My name is Angie.

I am a wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, etc.

I am known and loved by a God in Heaven who knows me by name, answers my prayers, and earnestly wants me to do the best I can.

But I did not know much more than that.

For years I searched for myself.

Am I a writer? A photographer? A sewer? A cook? A crocheter?

Amongst all the kitchen experiments, photos, fabric adventures, and yarn - I learned a lot.

But despite the abilities to prepare gluten-free food and adjust my photographic aperture, I always felt empty handed and incomplete.

Out of pure exhaustion and frustration, I gave up on myself and I started searching for my God. I tried to pray, study, and meditate. Once again I felt empty, confused, and frustrated.

Finally, I put myself aside. I looked into the little eyes of my children and began to focus on their little needs. My personal worries about who-I-am-as-an-individual transformed into trying to be the best I could be for them. I started praying that I might be a happier, stronger, more grounded mother.

I looked to my family, neighbors, and friends. I prayed that I might be better, more reliable, and charitable to them.

And something amazing happened. Letting go of myself helped me find myself. Praying for assistance to be more, do more, and serve more opened the windows of Heaven and my soul.... and I am happier than I have been in a long time.

It is when you live your life for others that you truly transcend into happiness, connection with deity, and completeness.

I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see.
I sought my God, but my God eluded me.
I sought my brother, and found all three.
(author unknown)

New Traditions

I thought I had fully unpacked.


I may be missing the screws to my piano, my photo-editing software, and my glass pyrex pans... but I thought I was done with the whole unpacking and organizing aspect of moving into a new house.


We cleaned out the garage on Saturday and my entire house is once again filled with boxes to unpack and items to organize... maybe now I will finally find those energy efficient light bulbs and the rechargeable batteries that we packed somewhat near them.


Moving with three young kids and a drastic career change for Nate has been very life altering - in a good way. While I desperately miss my Colorado friends, home, and kid-hang-out-places, I am falling in love with our new little location. Our new home is very lovely, proximity to our siblings is amazing, and our neighbors are beyond fantastic.



Adjusting to a new pace of life pace has altered our family traditions, patterns, and habits.... and it has been a blast reinventing ourselves.


Our newest favorite tradition is Monday Lunch with Dad. On Mondays, the boys and I pack up our lunches and trek to campus to eat with Dad. We wander around the Wilkerson building, hold doors for people, push elevator buttons, and wander until we find an empty table. We eat lunch and then talk to other students. We are loving it.


A couple weeks ago, the boys dressed up in their Halloween costume and wandered around campus handing out leftover trick-or-treat candy. They danced to live Jazz Music and did their best monkey impressions. So cool.


When we first talked about the possibility of PhD school, I was nervous. A lot of college campuses are not very family friendly and kid appropriate. I love that Nate is at Brigham Young University and that we can visit as often as we would like to. I love that the campus is a clean environment and one that motivates my children to go to college one day when they are grown.


My life is drastically different than what it was six months ago, but I am loving the new pace. I know without a doubt that God moved us here for our progression and growth. I am grateful for the ways in which Orem has blessed, changed, and altered my life.


And I am loving the new traditions it is creating.

Being A Mom

For a long time I thought that self discovery was found in some form of amazing rock-the-world talent.


I spent a lot of time wondering if I was a seamstress, a writer, a photographer, etc.


I spent a lot of time (out of fear) wondering what it was that I could do to better the world, provide an income, and still be a focused mom.


And I spent a lot of time comparing myself to others and the amazing things they were able to accomplish on a daily basis.



Moving into a new home, meeting new neighbors, and establishing a new schedule has granted me many opportunities to introduce myself to new exciting people. And along with these fun introductions, numerous individuals have questioned me as to what I enjoy doing in my free time.


And at first I did not know what to say.

What do I like to do?


With three little boys, I like to shower and take a nap.
That is about all I have time for right now.



And I did not like the way that made me feel to be undefined. It felt so unfulfilled, unaccomplished, and worthless.



A couple days ago, I met this cute elderly lady named Hazel.
When I asked Hazel what it is that she liked to do she replied with a "I love to do whatever it is that I am doing in the moment."

When I asked Hazel about her favorite movies, places to live, or foods to eat she replied with similar answers. She loves whatever she is doing in the moment.

She has learned to enjoy the moment.


So as I sit here and contemplate on the words of Hazel, I am filled with contentment, self-fulfillment, and joy. Because truth be known, I love being a mother. I love cleaning house, folding laundry, and creating a home that is conducive to the love of God. I love holding little hands, putting together puzzles, and singing silly songs.

I love being a mother.

And just being a mother is more than enough for me. I am so grateful to God and His love towards me. I am grateful for the little feet, the kisses, and the smiles of my children that sing a melody of His matchless love, grace, and mercy.

Allergies

A couple weeks ago, Conner came to me with a big concern. He was worried that it was not okay to like girls.... which is a big problem for him because he likes girls a lot.

We had a long talk about having the confidence to like whatever you want... regardless of what others may think. I reassured him that it was good to like girls, the color pink, and anything else that he wanted to like. Conner should be whoever and whatever he wants to be.



Conner had his first big boy field trip today.
He boarded a big, yellow school bus and smiled the entire ride to the local High School where Cars 2 was played in the auditorium for the elementary kids. So fun.


I sat on the bus and watched as he interacted with all of the girls, held their hands, and ignored any and all boys. I am not exaggerating when I state that multiple girls were fighting over who got to sit next to my Conner. He is quite the girl-star.


When I asked Conner about the boys that he likes to play with, he told me that he does not like boys. In fact, he states that he is allergic to boys. Boys, according to Conner are not beautiful - thus he is allergic to them. He then proceeded to tell me about each girl in his kindergarten class and how beautiful they are. He loves their long hair, their beautiful faces, and their smiles. Girls are simply the best...


There was one girl he talked about in particular tonight. A girl that he has been begging to have over to our house. A girl that was crying today when she could not sit next to Conner. A girl that he spent the majority of the morning holding onto her hand.

Kindergarten crushes.
So cute.
So... I don't know... am I really to this stage of motherhood already??

Hands, Hair, and Motherhood

Conner proudly declared that my left hand is "his hand" last night.
No one is allowed to hold it, look at it, or think about touching it.
The left hand is HIS hand.


Shortly after Conner's declaration, Caleb staked his claim upon my right hand. My right hand now belongs to Caleb.


Meanwhile, Colton with his best cave-man-communicating-grunts and defensive-tugs-upon-my-hair noted that my hair is now his property.


Motherhood - the act of giving everything you are and everything you have - is beautiful. I love that my hands belong to my kids, that my heart beats in four places at once, and that a little piece of me resides in each one of their smiling faces.

Connerisms

Twisting my wedding ring one night, Conner asks:

"Mom, when will I get a ring like this?"

"When you grow up and get married" I say

"But mom, I want to marry you."

"umm... Okay" I say

"But does that mean we have to kiss? Because I don't want to kiss."

Small Things

“Not all of us can do great things.
But we can do small things with great love.”
― Mother Teresa

It is the carrots from a neighbor's garden.
It is small garden flowers in a vase that state welcome.
It is someone remembering your name and calling it from a distance at Costco... just to say hello.

It is small bags of apples, homemade scripture bags for my kids, and helping hands that move heavy boxes.

It is a friend that vacuumed my empty house with a baby on her hip.
It is spending an entire day with a good friend.
It is a friend that maintained our yard after our initial move before our house had sold.


It is a friend who helped with kids - when you need it the most.
It is a friend who sold our house quickly.


It is the love and support from friends far away.
It is the love and support from family and friends that are near by.


Small things... really are not that small. Small things are large, life changing, and wonderful. I am grateful for all of the small ways people have loved me and my family. Your "small things" are monuments in my eyes.

Thank you.

Halloween Parade

Kindergarten is seriously the best. Conner is loving his teacher, his classroom, and his new friends. I am loving the moments to observe him in his kindergarten element. He writes love notes to his teacher nightly and invites all his friends to his house everyday.

We are loving it.
One of the best things about kindergarten is the Halloween parade.
What a blast.

His teacher and classmates looked simply amazing.














As I sat and watched my big boy parade around as a monkey - I marveled at how fast the little years pass. I want to enjoy these moments a little more.

Reflections

Conner completed his first Reflections project for the annual school art competition.

So. Much. Fun.
I had no idea how much fun this project would be.

Diversity means beauty.
Just like the coloring changing leaves on an autumn tree,
diversity provides beauty.

Adult Hangers?

Conner's clothes now hang their best on an adult hanger.

When did he grow up so fast???