one fine day

7:30-woke up, got kids ready for school.

8:25-leave to drop off kids at bus stop
8:30-ate breakfast while checking email etc., kids played pirates and wrote all over their faces with marker (washable) to look like blood

9:00-cleaned up house from busy weekend

10:00-laundry while listening to Jenna and Sam play with their piggy banks

11:00-math box with Sam

12:00-snack-not lunch because these two little ones don't like lunch

12:20-drop off Jenna at Evans house, pick up car pool kids for afternoon Kindergarten

12:35-1:10-sat in car in school parking lot eating chocolate I got for Mother's Day while reading The Long Walk

1:10-2:10-reading with the cutest kids-Sam's Kindergarten class!

2:30-ate left overs for lunch, noticed Jenna had cut her hair!

3:40-pick up kids at bus stop, listened to four kids talking about their day and tried to sound enthusiastic

4:00-5:30-piano practice, homework, snack, snack, snack, fooling around, more homework, play outside...Jenna sports a tu tu and rain boots while riding like a "pro" on a scooter...picking flowers from Kim's yard and sucking the nectar out...

5:30-Noah and Kelly leave for Noah's baseball game in West Bountiful

6:30-Heather grabs some "healthy" chicken nuggets and carrots for the kids dinner and races off to Layton to help plant a garden

8:00-garden DONE! Beans, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cabbage, spinach...

8:30-drive up to house with sun setting. Kids jump out of car and want to walk home but see some sunflowers to pick...

8:45-arrive home same time as Kel and Noah. More homework, reading, washing up, Me and Kelly have Caprisi for dinner

9:30-most kids in bed

10:15-all kids in bed (Bailey is always lingering, reading etc.)

10:30-clean up, vacuum, squeeze in a little palates, read till midnight, then start all over again!

P.S. I had many opportunities to laugh, sigh, work, listen, and smile today. Here is an assortment of photos showing our day from start to finish. Wish I had it all!

Being a mom

Today is a beautiful, bright, warm day. A perfect day. Made more perfect by my four adorable children. I woke up to "happy mother's day!", cards, homemade gifts, poetry, flowers, a wonderful breakfast... I am one lucky girl! Kelly has been so helpful and kind making my day peaceful and enjoyable. I can't wait to hear my children sing at church...Mother I love you Mother I do...It is a special day. I love being a mom!!!! I love it for all it requires and for all it's many returns. I love the times that take my breath away and for the times of shear joy and contentment. I love motherhood for all it has taught me about myself, my abilities, and my spirituality, it has helped me to grow, to stretch, to see the bigger picture, to marvel, to witness innocence and pure love, to see through "their eyes", to be an example. I love it all and wouldn't dare wish for anything else. Family is everything. I'm filled to the brim today!

a day in the country

I grew up in the country so naturally I have a love for rural spaces, John Denver's County Roads, and exploring! Children thrive in the country! Today my kids got the chance to get away and have some fun exploring with their cousins. My sister's children and mine are all about the same ages so it is always fun to visit them. It was a treat for all of us to visit my brother-in-law's grandfather's dairy in West Haven. I made this trip into my very first PHOTO SHOOT!!!! Highlights: feeding the calves, playing in dry grain, and seeing the yak. Sam's fav-riding in the cow manure truck while uncle Ryan drove it alone spraying cow manure all over the field! He was in heaven! BTW, I grew up not far from a dairy so I am very familiar with the scent that permeates from such an establishment. It really doesn't bother me because of all those years watching and smelling the cow manure sprinkler in the hills!!

Thanks Erika and Ryan! We love you guys!

diary of a worm

May 7th:

Mom always says that sometimes bad things happen to good worms. Well, I conscider myself a pretty good worm but something really bad happened to me. Today I was just minding my own business, digging deep, first class tunnels, when suddenly the earth started to shake all around me and before I knew it, I was lifted up and out of the ground! Into the air I went only to see that there was a kid starring right at me! He had me in his huge HANDS! YUCK! I squirmed and squirmed but I just couldn't get away! Then there came a loud shriek, "Mommy, I found a worm!!!!" I think I made his day but all I could think of was my nice, QUIET, dark, SAFE dirt world and how I'd get back! That boy even had the nerve to ask his mom if he cut off my bottom, would it grow back!!! What kind of creatures are these "humans" anyway! Sick! Then I was transferred to a bowl with some dirt, three rollie pollies and a friendly spider and carried around until the mom told the boy to put me back in the ground because I was good for the earth. Nice mom. So I'm back but that was sure a close call! I bragged to all my friends about how I almost died but then I was saved by the nice mom. They all think I'm a hero now. Pretty cool. Word of warning, if the ground starts to shake, cover your head and squirm under the nearest rock! Or...it could be YOU next! BTW, I now have reoccurring nightmares about that little girl who was with the shaggy boy. She comes up to me with her big, beautiful blue eyes and wrinkles her nose up all funny, then she tells her mom that she wants me for her pet and that she'll name me "Squishy"!!!! I always wake up in a cold sweat! My mom says I should see Dr. Compost but I'm really not CRAZY! Really!

It's that time of year...

Spring is FINALLY here!!!!! Hip hip hooray! And with Spring comes soccer and baseball for my little guys! They were ecstatic about starting their sports again! I was ecstatic when the weather permitted games to actually be played not cancelled and warm enough to enjoy the long days with sunshine and not freezing temps and rain! Sam and Noah are definitely having a blast! Noah plays both baseball and soccer. He is learning the game of baseball and has hit his first home run! It is machine pitch this year for him and that can be a little tough. He is the only "lefty" on the team! He plays a good short stop and first base. Sam just loves to run around and get treats after the game! I do give the boys incentive to score by giving them a "token" that they can cash in for a prize. Tonight we had a blast at Noah's soccer game. I arrived first after Kelly tried to race me there through rush hour traffic. I got there, looked around, and no Kelly! He had driven to baseball instead! (Both in West Bountiful) I had to laugh because it does get tricky remembering the schedule with different practices and fields. So, Kelly got there and I wandered off and took pictures. Jenna, Sam and Bailey went on a hunt for dandelions to make their wishes upon. We found a friendly horse to feed too! Bailey stepped on a bee and that's when the fun ended. So, we were all entertained and Noah had a great time as usual. Tomorrow night...2 more games!