Easter

We never did Easter basket growing up so this was a first for me, but since my family and especially children are always in need of some practical things, I thought it would be a fun excuse to get them some little gifts, and enjoy surprising them. First and foremost though, we REALLY wanted our children to know the meaning of Easter and why it is such an important day. We thoroughly explained Easter and the story of the Savior and that just like Santa coming because it's Christ's birthday party, the Easter bunny came because he was celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. That being said; the Easter bunny pooped all over our house. He started outside the boys bedroom, went down the stairs, would around the house, and eventually made two trails for the boys to follow to find their baskets.

He had left them each a puzzle, marshmallow gun, toothbrush, bubbles, chocolate bunny (courtesy of the neighbor), silly straws, a few eggs with candy, one with money, and a piggy bank for Drake and ball for Carson.

Looks like I caught the Easter Bunny! Don't mind the handkerchief around my head - we had the Young Women's fundraiser on Saturday night (well; more like all day for those of us that were in charge) and I was going for the whole girls camp look.

*By the way, the rabbit poop was Raisinets. You should have seen Carson's expression when Dave and I started eating the "poop"...

Conference Weekend

We have lots of fun traditions to help gear the boys up for conference weekend. We want it to be something they look forward to. First off, we have a pizza party. Everyone gets to make a pizza exactly how they want it.
When the pizza party is over, we pull our beds into the from room and have a sleepover. This time the movie we rented was Adventures of Tin-Tin. Must've been good because Drake even watched it all the way through. I am standing right by the T.V. while taking this picture.

Lets not forget this cute kid. I didn't do the sleepover because I still have to wake up in the middle of the night to nurse said baby.

For FHE before conference, we wrote up a bunch of words we might hear at conference. Then, we scattered them all over the floor and the boys took turns trying to hit the cards with a ball. Ultimately, six words were chosen at random, and those are the key words the boys listen for during the talks. Each time a word was said, they boys got a treat that they had chosen for that word.
Spirit - Whoppers
General Conference - M&Ms
Family - Jelly Beans

Temple - Gum Drops
Jesus- Mini Marshmallows
Primary - Mints

This is the second time doing it, and it generally works pretty stinkin' well. It was pretty funny - when it was over, and the boys had collected their little piles, they would say things like, "I think I want to eat one spirit, and two primaries. " Drake even went so far as to blurt out, "I heard FAIF!!" (Faith) and promptly shove a candy in his mouth knowing full well it wasn't one of the "special words". (This happened a number of times...)
It was a wonderful weekend for us. It was a wonderful time for hope, renewal, and encouragement.

Because I want to remember how I felt

I read someone's blog recently that referred to journaling. It reminded me that I need to take the time to yet again put on paper (or a screen) what life feels like right now. Truth is, there aren't words for it, but I know on any given day I feel happy, tired, frustrated, motivated, excited, overwhelmed, and above all - love.
I get caught up in a whirlwind of emotions that come and go quickly. Right now for instance, I am laughing at the goofy sqwaks the baby is making and how much fun Carson is having playing cars, all the while battling the irritating fact that yet again Carson is bashing his cars together in a fierce way that will inevitably break them, even though I have asked him (many times) to stop. And now I smell poop.
*15 minutes later - I haven't yet changed the poopy diaper - Drake is not feeling well and I just spent the time snuggling him and stroking his soft hair and cheek. My heart is melted as he snuggles into my chest all the while worrying about what he might have; his breathing sounds funky.
I am overwhelmed because I haven't started dinner yet and its 4:46, but I haven't had a spare moment today and my body and soul ache for a moment to unwind, even for just 5 minutes. Nobody is fighting though; so really, all is well. Still smelling poop...
It's hard to not feel a little discouraged as I wake up to wild, angry screaming each morning. It's always something so important as who gets to turn the light switch on or off, or who makes it to the bottom step first. I want to be chipper, I want to be giddy, I wan to be spontaneous and fun. And mostly, I want my kids to know I love them.
This is hard. Really hard. But, it is truly my first choice. I realized the other day while making yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I wouldn't trade my life for any other. A scene crossed my mind of a pristine home. Floors were mopped and vacuumed, it was quiet and calm, there was money in the bank, the yard was perfect and neat, I was hard-bodied and put together, and yet while this image seemed perfect and desirable, the only thing I could feel was intense sadness. I was lonely. My image was missing my sweet children and is was SO NOT worth it.
I realized in that moment, I would rather have non-stop fighting, and disobedience than not be graced and blessed with these strong and sweet spirits in my home. Any life with them is preferable to any life without Carson, Drake, and Brooks.
My heart is full. The hardest things yield the greatest rewards, and I feel a portion of that each and every day. I feel warmth. I feel peace. I feel happy. I want to soak this feeling up. Is there anything better? I would argue there is not.
Now to remedy that poopy smell...

Potty Training Methods

Alright dear friends, you've asked what I did with Drake:

I pulled out our little potty and had it visible and ready to be used. It sat in common places, and on occasion we would ask Drake if he needed to go potty, or sit him on it and encourage him to use it. Really, we were just testing the water and seeing how receptive he was to the process. When he seemed ready (more interested, in the potty, less resistant to sitting on it, we stripped him from the waist down. As long as he was naked, there were no accidents. He seemed to recognize, there was nothing to catch the mess and he had to go in the potty. We would try to take him potty every half hour or more. We only had one accident and it was the second day when I put underwear on him which confused him, and he peed in them. After a couple more days of baring it all, we tried pull-ups. He stayed dry, and then we moved on to underwear. Of course there were treats, incentives, celebrations, etc. Really, I don't presume to know much about potty training, I'm just thrilled I don't have to change Drake anymore :)

Do YOU know what a missionary does?

Dave: "Carson, do you know what missionaries do?
Carson: "They go on missions."
Dave: "Well what do they do on their missions?
Carson: "They eat dinner."

--No one can accuse me of not feeding the missionaries :)

Steak Patricks Day

Friday afternoon Dave pointed out that the boys and I were all (by chance) wearing green.
"Looks like you guys are ready for Saint Patrick's Day" he exclaimed.
Immediately Carson's interest was piqued. After all, he is the holiday chair at our house. "What is that?" he asked.
After a brief explanation, Carson was fixated. His last words as he went to bed that night were, "I am so excited for Steak Patrick's Day tomorrow."
With no other choice but to enjoy the day with my enthused little leprechauns, we celebrated as best we could:

First off, some nasty little leprechaun took a most unflattering picture of each of us.

Then we had a breakfast of:
Green Eggs
Green pancakes
and Green Applesauce

Lunch was:
Ants on a log
Green Grapes
Broccoli

Dinner was:
Split Pea Soup
Roasted Asparagus
Kiwi
I thought we got a picture of it, but it turns out I was wrong - bless my dear little brain for remembering to snap two out of the three meals!

I am a good person

I have come to the conclusion that I am a good person. Like most people, I am my own worst critic and can be harder on myself than I should be. Lately though, I have come to realize that I am surrounded by incredible people which means, I can't be all that bad.
My Husband:
My husband is the best person I know - seriously. So while I might have fooled him a bit, and he got the short end of the stick, we are still VERY happily married which means something. If I was a total troll, there is no way we would be this ooey gooey head-over-heels- one of a kind in love and utterly happy.
My Friends:
I have the kind of friends that are always helping other people out. Kind to everyone. Committed to the church, their families, and good causes. They are truly wonderful people. I have a few really close friends, and while I don't live by all of them anymore, they still affect me. I couldn't dream up better friends. I want to be around my friends because I am drawn to their goodness. Bad people don't want to hang out with good people and vice versa - right?
My kids:
My three boys are really special little spirits. It's a testament Heavenly Father must really love me.
My parents:
You will never meet two people who try harder to be superb parents. I grew up in a wonderful home full of the spirit. My parents undoubtedly loved me, each other, and most importantly, the Lord. They taught me well. Through their example, and parenting they instilled goodness in me.

As big and bad as I like to say I am - it's hard to question the quality of people I am surrounded by. Thank you, dear friends and family.

Drake is potty trained!

And these are his first official "big boy underwear".

A walk down memory lane

A couple of weekends back, a good friend and former teammate of mine came into town to coach her team in a big volleyball tournament. Jillian and I played together for quite a few seasons. Walking into the convention center to see hundreds upon hundreds of teams playing the sport I love and DEARLY miss flooded me with a wide variety of deep emotions. Maybe someday I will write in detail about my knee. Some of you know what I am talking about others don't. Suffice it to say, it has shaped who I am as much as any other event in my life; marriage and kids included. 'Nuff about that.
I stole this picture from Jillians blog - I am so glad she snapped a picture!
Besides getting to hang out with Jills, one of the highlights of the tournament was the woman that took a liking to Drake during one of the matches we (me and my little men) were watching. Drake and Carson were wild little animals by this point and despite the lunch I packed decided the food from the floor, random duffel bags, and complete strangers was preferable.
"You want some?" I hear a voice say. And before I know it, I snap my head around to find a gruff, yet friendly woman feeding my child Philly Cheese Steak from her very own fork, glistening with animal fat. I was immediately freaked out but it was too late, the germy exchange had already been made. The match went on as well as the feeding frenzy at the zoo.
"What a great little guy he is; can I take him home with me?" she joked at the end of the match.
"You bet!" Was my response, and at that point - I was mostly serious.
"Oh good!" she exclaimed turning to Drake, "my wife would just LOVE you!"
At that point, I decided to take him home with me :).
*I wanted to share this funny story, but don't want to risk sounding judgmental or self-righteous. The woman was truly a kind, kind soul and really helped me out in a couple of tight spots while I was trying to feed the baby and the boys were going crazy. She was a delight to talk to and was very thoughtful. I just know the importance of a mother and a father :).

Mana from Heaven?

Today, I was standing at our back door talking to Carson, who was a few feet away on the deck. We were having a great father and son moment. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a pizza crust slams onto the deck right in between Carson and I. Befuddled, Carson picks it up and we both look around for the source. "Where did it come from?" I ask. Carson shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know, maybe one of the birds dropped it." I look up to see three seagulls flying away. "Here," Carson says, handing me the crust, "that's gross."