Aunt Stacey

Hooray for Aunt Stacey! We ALWAYS love our visitors.

Aunt Stacey brings an enormous amount of energy with her when she comes. She also sent the kids on an Easter egg hunt. They absolutely LOVED it!

My favorite Aunt Stacey moment:

Naomi wasn't feeling great while Stacey was visiting. Naomi just wanted to be held. I was holding Naomi as she was crying and screaming. I needed to go pick up the pizza for dinner. I asked Naomi if she wanted to come with me or stay home with Aunt Stacey and the boys. Stacey jumped in.

"I'm sure she would rather go with you, but you can leave her here if you want and I can try to distract her."

I laughed. Naomi can surge energy fairly quickly. I carried my crying baby into the car and gave our poor visitor some needed peace.

We hope you soon recover from all of the Ford excitement and come back soon!

PRINCESS

Nomey's new name: Princey. I know, I know...lame.

But wait a minute.

Is this girl really my princess?

ABSOLUTELY! Just not what I expected...but, hey...are any of our kids what we expect?

Our princess wears me out...emotionally. I can't decide if I would rather chase boys down the driveway or listen to Naomis' daily wants screamed from the top of her lungs....

I always promised myself that if I had a girl, she wouldn't have that crazy/not done hair that little girls are often seen with. It just looks so unkept.

See picture.

She's got it...bad.

My Princess doesn't really do anything with grace and style and sophistication...

but she is usually really good at telling me what to do by pointing, yelling and crying...

those are Princess things, right?

My Princess has been up in her room crying for almost an hour. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a "let your child cry herself to sleep" kindof mom. I'm sorry. I'm just not.

But this little Princess is testing my limits...not anymore than the other two...but my limits are reached far sooner than in the past.

My Princess has the best pucker ever! I love her "kissing" lips, especially when covered by her gooey boogers that drip down her little Princess nose.

My Princess LOVES shoes,

and most importantly, my Princess LOVES me...in fact, I never get to eat without her on

my lap, go to the bathroom without her by my side or hide in my room without her seeking me out before I have enough time to rejuvinate my batteries.

This little Princess smiles when I return from the grocery store. And guess what?

I smile right back.

This little Princess makes it unbelievably impossible not to love her little Princess ways.

This is my little Princess.

Not a Cinderella (doesn't do much cleaning), not a Sleeping Beauty (not a big sleeper), and definitely not an Ariel in a two piece swimming suit (waaaay too modest for that)

Oh, no.

This little Princess is just so, so, so much better than that!

Do you have a little Princess?

Mooch = Five

Happy Birthday Moochmagooch

Star Wars Light Saber cake. A Blue Light Saber. Of course.

We opted out of a birthday party this year and we just invited some neighbors and friends over for cake and ice cream. This was the BEST UN-birthday party EVER!

Speaking of the best...this Star Wars Clone Trooper helmet that talks...given lovingly to jake from some of his neighbors. Perhaps Heavenly Father is watching out for us here in Ohio...we have the greatest neighbors EVER!He ran upstairs to change into his "whites" (white clothes) so he could match his helmet.

.

Here he is wearing his new Star Wars shirt from our other neighbor and friend! Wow!

Nothing but Chik-Fil-A for dinner. Sweet.

Our first present of the day...a lego shark Atlantis that arrived in the mail!

Anything is better in the mail.

Mooch cracks me up...mostly because in his "younger years" he was exhausting. Never slept, always sick, strong personality, strong personality, oh, and did I mention a strong personality?
Now, Mooch is the most calming influence in our little family. I savor the moments with just he and I. We can sit, cuddle, read, or watch t.v. for a very long time...just calm, loving, and completely content with life. Both of us.
I go to my Mooch to feel appreciated and loved. He always gives me a super, giant hug and makes me feel like the luckiest mom in the world.
We love you Jake! Thanks for making the last 5 years...better than all the rest.

My Day

I woke up to a crying baby who wanted nothing but to be held by an extremely tired mother. Unfortunately, her four year old brother wanted the exact same thing. "I can't hold you both," I sternly spoke as I weaved down the stairs having two crying children hanging from my different limbs. I knew it was going to be a long day. I was already losing my cool.

Naomi never really stopped crying. Ever. She wanted this, that, this, this. I guess sometimes it wasn't crying, it was more like whining...or screaming.

We got through the day. I even took the kids to the library to check out some books. Wow! What a great mom! You would think.

We came home and I tried to hide myself on the couch while I turned on the T.V. and hoped that Naomi wouldn't bother me by pulling at my hair or crying. It worked...for about ten minutes. Hey, I'll take it.

I ripped off the wrappers of three lunchables and placed them on the table. "Dinner's ready," I called out. Wow! What a NOT great mom!

I told William to go do his homework. He yelled at me. Then he told me that he hates my choices. He wonders, as he is yelling why I have to always win. Why he always has to do what I say...among other things.

I told him I couldn't wait until he became a dad so his son could be as mean to him as he was being to me. (I had lost it, can you tell?") He was sent to his room to finish his homework.

I thought I might need to exercise.

I slying went down in the basement and turned on an episode of the Office while I pedaled out my frustration. It lasted a few minutes. Before I knew it, I had three kids hanging off of me as I was pedaling. Fine, I thought. Just be that way. Oh, Naomi actually wanted to be held. So I picked her up because I couldn't handle the whining for one more minute and continued to peddle. William was literally strangling me by hanging on my back with his hands around my neck. Jake was blocking my view of the show by hanging off the front. I kept telling myself, "I'm just living the dream."

I talked to my sister. She told me to start spraying water in Naomi's face every time she screamed. Should I? Then I talked to my brother. I told him what my kids were doing. He had one piece of advice. (oh, this brother does not have kids yet...his wife is due any day...I can't wait) He told me that maybe I should try discipline. I almost hung up the phone before I told him I loved him. But I didn't.

"I'm just living the dream" "I'm just living the dream"

The irony.

I really am, unequivocally, "Living the Dream.'

P.S. Did I mention James isn't coming home tonight?

Forever

I almost didn't take my camera to the park today. I was a little stressed. The last thing I needed to remember...was the camera. I actually drove out of the driveway without it, let out a huge sigh and gave in to my motherly instincts. I drove back up the paved, semi still covered with snow driveway and ran inside with my keys, and back outside with my camera.
One day, these faces, these memories will no longer be recalled in the archives of my memory. Thanks to the divine invention of the camera, I will have these faces with me always...FOREVER.


















did you notice? classic jessie style. i got the camera, but forgot scout's shoes. she didn't mind. i didn't either. how do you worry about ruined tights on a beautiful day like today?

The NEW James

James and some other doctors at the hospital decided to have a beard growing contest. And lo and behold...you are looking at the WINNER!
When I asked what his prize was, his simple reply was "my manliness"
WoW!


I know he looks kindof greasy and gross (he had been working for 24 hours and had just gotten home when he took this picture.) But, honestly, really, I thought he looked SOOO HOT! I love facial hair. Every year on my birthday he grows out his scruff. It gets me every time.

He thought this was funny...but this really was gross. It looks like his mug shot.

He told me this is his Blue Steele. Whatever that is. I don't even know, but he thought it was really funny. Go figure.

Naomi loved her dad's beard. There was a friend magazine lying around the house and Naomi kept pointing to the picture of Moses with his long beard and kept saying, dada, dada.

But, alas. The beard is gone. He had to go do some fellowship interviews and the beard couldn't go with him. It was fun while it lasted.

Two Moments of my Life

Today I was in charge of Sharing Time.

I teach William's class.

Each of the 7 kids in my class has a family member also in Primary.

I called each of the siblings up to stand by their brother/sister in my class to talk about how lucky we are that families are forever.

As I am bearing my testimony/teaching the lesson, Jake and William start beating each other up in front of the whole Primary.

Three teachers had to step in to pull them apart.

Families ARE forever.

Now to the picture above.

I stepped on the scale this week and realized that this long winter has gotten to my hips.

My weight was up.

My spirits down.

What is a girl to do?

I went to the store and bought three different flavors of ice cream.

We had a family Ice Cream party.

What else do you do? Cry?

Except, I only got one scoop.

The kids got three. Or four.

The scoops were in a pattern of flavors.

Of course.