Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I need your opinion...

I am trying to take pictures for above our mantle. I love black and whtes...but maybe I should just wait for Spring. I'm not sure. Anyway, if you had to choose...











Nine Months Old












Amazing. Astonishing. Babies grow all too fast. Thanks Scout for a wonderful, joyous, inspiring nine months. I wait for you to wake me up each morning to put a smile on my face with a simple, priceless hug. I love you.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Mommy Moments



Some of my favorites:
1. When potty-training my now three year old, there were a number a days when I would clean up feces off the floor up to three to fours times a day. I think my record was going through a whole bottle of "Kids and Pets" in one week. That was the week when he actually stepped in it and walked through the whole house.
2. My neighbor in Iowa had a little boy who loved coming over to get action with the Ford boys. After a while, she started running in before her son could see what was going on. She hurriedly scoured through my whole house picking up all of the baseball bats. She would repeatedly tell me that with my boys, baseball bats are a real hazard.
3. I was at a McDonald's play land the other day. A mom walked in and we started talking. We realized that we had kids in preschool and kindergarten together. Then she noticed Jakey. She said, "Is he yours?" I responded positively. "You're Spidey's mom?" (note: He was not in his Spiderman costume this day. She recognized him from the playground) Everybody in Willaim's Elemenatary school knows Spidey. I think she was shocked that some kind of, even a little normal person would let their child out of the house like that. She seemed a little confused.
4. I went to a mid-week meeting at our Church. The cute young women were so excited to see me come and pick up my kids from the nursery. They told me that my boys found a chair, pushed it over to the window, and tried to escape.
5. My valentine from William this year said, "I love my mom because she gives me money when I'm good."
6. "Mom, why is Grandpa Geoff rich?" Me: "Becasue he went to school for a long time and works really hard."
"Well, my dad goes to school for a long time and works really hard and we're not rich."
7. I remember when Jakey started running into the street. I repeatedly told him to stop and he wouldn't. I went over to him, got down to his level, and very firmly told him that if he went into the street again, he would have to go inside. He finally understood. I walked back to my spot on the grass and sat down. My little boy slowly walked toward the street. I saw him look at me. He stepped onto the curb and looked at me again. He then continued to walk on the curb...as close to the street as he possibly could. I realized then that it was going to be a long rest of his life.
8. I sent William to time-out in the bathroom. Apparently, some people say to send them some place where there is nothing for them to do, like the bathroom. A few minutes later I heard a crash. I went in to see what had happened. William got bored and decided to try to lift the toilet cover off to see what was underneath. It was too heavy. It fell. And broke. Sweet. Thanks for the advice.
9. The first time they ever brought William to me in the hospital.
10. The first time they ever brought Jake to me in the hospital.
11. The first time they ever brought Naomi to me in the hospital.
12. The first time I lay in bed with each of my children and realized that my life would never be the same again. Never. Never. Never be the same.
13. And I wouldn't change a thing.

Monday, February 16, 2009

We Love You Grandma Cheryl


James' mom flew in for a week to visit the Ohio Ford's. We had a GREAT time. She left yesterday and we already miss her. Poor grandma, she will probably be in bed for a whole week trying to recover from the chaotic Ford household.

For Valentine's Day, she doorbell ditched us and left awesome presents for the kids.

We were all excited. Scout got a little ahead of herself.


She bought William some maps. William is obsessed with our country. He made me tape this map to his wall and we learn a new state each night. We love it.

Grandma bought me a wheat grinder. I was officailly a Mormon when I got baptized at age 8, but now I am officially a grown-up Mormon. I have learned that you are not really converted unless you have some way to grind wheat. Yes...I am official.

Grandma was able to be here for William's Grandparents Day at his school. It was so nice to have her be here for Will's special day. Thanks Grandma Cheryl.


Jake with Grandma outside of William's school


Scout with Grandma


Anyone who comes to visit...is put to work. She had to buy new rainboots just for this occasion.



Jake's new web shooter from Grandma Cheryl. Wow! Or, is that Spiderman?

We Love you Grandma Cheryl!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Confessions


Scout's First Oreo

Three sleepy boys on the Story Chair

These are my confessions for the month

1. The boys didn't have any clean underwear. I had already told myself that I was never going to do another load of laundry in my life. I sorted through the hamper and found two pair that seemed to be decent. I told them they were clean.

2. I must say wierd things when I am upset with my children. As we were walking home from school today, Will and I kept yelling at Jakey to follow us. He was playing in the mud puddles. William yelled across the playground in a very upset, angry tone, "Jakey...I am losing my patience with you."

3. Apparently Naomi doesn't like me. The boys rub it in my face every day that the only thing she knows how to say is, "da da."

4. Did you know that I am the "meanest, rudest, not fairest mom in the whole world?"

5. I bought the kids a wooden castle for Christmas and paid $60. It started coming apart. I cleaned it up and took it back to T.J. Maxx. They hesitantly took it back with the few snarls and bad looks thrown in. I then drove to a different T.J. Maxx and found another one on Clearance for $20. I bought myself a new winter coat with my earnings.


I think I will try to post some confessions regurally. It helps to keep me honest.

Monday, February 9, 2009

I've Been Thinking




Our first apartment in Des Moines, Iowa. My first time I had ever lived outside of my home state of Utah. I was scared. Alone. Afraid. I found out soon that I had great neighbors. One of them being, Sarah.

Sarah and I were two of the most opposite people in the world...according to our lifestyles. She loved "clubbing it", working it with different guys, and a myraid of different things that I didn't even know existed.

We became great friends. I still miss her and think of her often.
There is one thing we never agreed on. It drove her crazy that I hated being away from my kids. She would frequently get frustrated with me and ask in exhaustion, "What if something happens to you and you can't take care of your kids anymore?" "Your kids aren't going to know anybody else if you are the only one that ever takes care of them!"

Yes, Sarah. You are exactly right. It didn't matter. She never did persuade me to her way of thinking.
My response.
That is exactly the point. If anything ever happens to me, I want my kids to know that I spent every possible moment with them. I want them to know my kisses as well as they know their name. I want them to know my smell. The way I roll out cookie dough. The way I wipe their bum and the way I sing them to sleep. I want them to remember that no matter what happens in this life, their mother loved them more than anything in this world...and that nothing...nothing, would come between my children knowing that their mother loved them. I want them to know my laugh. Especailly when they do something naughty. I want them to remember that I loved their dad. I want them to know my cry. I want them to know that some of those tears were shed for them.
I want to be the one they come to when they get their feelings hurt. I want to be the one who sees their smiles and their tears, even if I am the cause. I want to take them to their doctor appointments and hold them down for their shots. I want to be the first person they see after school and ask them what they learned...and if of course, they missed me as much as I missed them. I want to be the one to smile when they come down the stairs dressed for school in their swimming trunks in the middle of winter.
We never did concede to each others way of thinking. And sometimes, those are the greatest friendships of all. To disagree, agreeably.

Methuzaday February 2009











A couple months ago, the kids and I decided to create our own special Ford Family Holiday. We decided that it would be semi-annually. Its' name: Methuzaday. (I just made it up...pretty good, huh?"




Well, we are supposed to go to a swimming pool every Methuzaday. I was on the internet and phone all day last Friday trying to find a pool for us to go to. The only one available would have been $40. I was irate. This has been one bad thing about Akron. Our kids love swimming, and there is NOT ONE public swimming pool in the area. I am not joking. There are absolutely NO public swimming pools. I have never heard of such a thing. Every where you go, you have to be a member. And even then, the pools aren't that great. Anyway, we decided to spend this Methuzaday at the Cleveland Zoo. It was free. And fun. Maybe next Methuzaday in August we will be in Utah where people actually let you in theri pools. Suffice it to say, we had fun.




The Stranger


When James walks thorugh the door each night, Naomi kicks her legs and throws herself from my arms into the open arms of her daddy.
Last night...things changed.
James walked through the door and Scout kicked her little legs like usual. But, instead of thrusting herself to her dad, she quickly plunged to grab my neck and wouldn't let go of me.
Jessie: I'm sorry, honey. Just in the last few days she has really started developing stranger anxiety.
James: Are you saying that I am a stranger in my own home?
Jessie: Uh...well...kindof.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

COUSINS


William and Josh getting ready for Story Time


Ty and Naomi look like twins...and cuties


..and this one. The reason for the title of my post. And the reason for my post in the first place.

My brother Dave and his wife Kristine live within three hours of us. This is the closest we have been to family in over four years.
As a result of our not being able to go back to Utah in December and see ALL of our cousins...Dave and Kristine's visit in January was that much more sweet.
I realized again...and again, just how important cousins can be in our lives. I have been thinking about my family and the relationships that I share with each and all of my cousins...on both sides of my family.
This was not something that came easily. My parents, along with all of my aunts and uncles, made our family and cousin relationships a priority. It took sacrifice, work, money and planning to seal the bonds that we now share today.
I look at this picture of Jake and Maddie. I remember how much fun they had together. I remember the smiles, laughter and overwhelming love that they share for each other.
To sum it up...I love cousins. I love my cousins. I pray every day that my children will love and cherish the relationships that come only through the bonds of cousinhood that make them lift each other, love each other, and most importantly, watch out for each other every step of the journey.