Vacation

Yesterday, we got home from a week-and-a-half in Virginia visiting Mitchell's family. The main reason we went up was so Mitchell could attend his grandfather's funeral with his mom. We ended up staying longer than we originally planned and enjoyed some nice time relaxing and hanging out with family. The kids and I stayed with Mitchell's brother, Sam, and his family, while Mitchell, his mom, and his brother, Grant, were in Indiana for the funeral. Joseph and Annabelle got to meet and spend time with all of their Ellis cousins for the first time ever. And they loved it! Joseph loved playing with Sam's two boys, who are both older than him. And Annabelle enjoyed playing girly things with her only girl Ellis cousin, Celina, who is only 2 months younger than her. Mitchell and I took advantage of the time to relax, enjoy ourselves, and not worry about the future too much. We were able to go to Busch Gardens and watch the show London Rocks, which Mitchell's brother, Ross, is the lead guitarist in. I also rode a roller coaster for the first time in about 7 years. I was so anxious right before getting on, but I loved it just as much as I used to. I'm really grateful that we had that time to rejuvenate before getting into the stress of trying to figure out what's going to happen next. 

         From left to right: Back Row - Mitchell, Ross, Grant, Eden, Joseph. 

Front Row - Zeke, Annabelle, Charlie, Julian, Celena, Ben.

Annabelle, Celina, and Charlie playing with Disney Princess Little People!

Charlie playing in the hose with Grammy.

Father's Day

Ah! I can't believe I missed a whole week!

The Obstacle:

I had 3 migraines this week, including one today. The first two were on Monday and Tuesday. They an be pretty debilitating. Thankfully, I don't throw up when I have migraines.

The Blessing:

When the migraine started coming on today, I started to apply my oils. I put the Deep Blue Rub across my forehead, down my temples, and under my eye on the cheekbone. I followed that with Frankincense, and then Serenity. I made sure to massage it into my temples really well. Then I got a wet washcloth and put it over my eyes. I also had it on the back of my neck for a bit, and then on my forehead. I went and layed down on my bed with the washcloth on my forehead and my sunglasses on. I remembered my mom telling me how my Popi would listen to classical music when he had a migraine, and when I was really little I loved being with him. So I put a classical music station on my Pandora and just listened. After about 30 minutes, the kids were starving and couldn't stand me being in my room any longer, so I came out and started dinner with my sunglasses still on, but I was soon able to take them off because I felt so much better. And I've had hardly any hangover symptoms or anything.

The Celebrating:

Happy Father's Day! Mitchell spoke in church today, and everyone enjoyed his talk. Charlie especially loved seeing his "Dah" up on the stand. At lunch, we gave Mitchell his Father's Day present. Then we had a relaxing, low-key evening. I had the kids do interviews again this year. 

Mitchell's cards and gift, a rubber chicken. The Superman card plays the theme song when you open it; Joseph is obsessed with cards that have music and would not rest until we found a cool one for Dad, thankfully it only took about 15 minutes. When you open the other card, Tramp scootches closer to Lady so they're kissing; it was just too cute to pass up. And the rubber chicken is basically a 6-year, running joke in our family.

The Square

So we live about half a mile from downtown Marietta, which is called The Square. There's a big park in the middle and it's surrounded by little shops and restaurants. It's such an awesome place! 

The kids and I walked there yesterday afternoon to play and look around. There is a little playground with a train and little ticket house. The kids love playing there. 

I love Joseph in this one; he looks like Superman about to take off in flight

(which is what he was pretending).

I love her smile in this one!

This one just cracks me up.

Isn't he beautiful?! He learned how to climb up and go down the slide all by himself. He would turn around at the top so he could slide feet-first on his belly. Because it's a metal slide, it's pretty fast; so he'd always get a little shock at the bottom, but he'd just stand up with a huge smile and clap his hands.

We had so much fun playing at the Train Park, and I'm excited that we live so close to it.

Annabelle's Princess Party - Arrival and First Presents

When the kids arrived, they each had a crown to decorate. With the help of one of the moms the night before, we made a Sleeping Beauty crown for each girl. Joseph and the other little boy had crowns to decorate that I got at Dollar Tree.

Here she is modeling the crown her crown after decorating it. Doesn't she look so happy? ;) She was so distracted by everything going on.

Each of the girls also had a paper "berry basket" with jewelry, tattoos, and a princess toy in it. We kept the tattoos out of reach for the party, but they were able to get dressed in their jewelry.

 I didn't have a basked for Joseph, but he had a sword and shield instead. He was very precise in decorating his crown and only put jewels in the obvious jewel spots at the top.

He was so excited to be a prince.

Before we could start the tea party, Annabelle needed to open two of her presents. We had bought her a tea and dinner set from IKEA.

Isn't she so pretty?! And I love the Sleeping Beauty dress she picked out at Kid-to-Kid.

I was so worried about her dropping the tea set on the ground.

She was better at letting me support the dinner set.

Annabelle's Princess Party - The Decorations & Food

Annabelle's 3rd birthday was the 22nd of October and I threw her a Sleeping Beauty Princess Tea Party. I stayed up too late too many nights making decorations for her party, but it looked so great!

I made the Happy Birthday out of glitter foam sheets and her name out of felt. When she woke up in the morning, one of the first things she pointed out was this and she said, "Look, Mom! It says "Happy Birthday, Annabelle!"

I wanted the house to look like a castle and I came up with a fun idea to hang the streamers like a roof. I just loved the way it looked.

Also in the upper left corner, you can sort of see her Birthday balloons. One was a foil Princess Crown and then two pink balloons. She was so excited when I brought them to her and she played with them until they couldn't say up on their own anymore.

We used Mitchell's art desk as the food table. I made the stained glass window hanging over it. 

We had Hot Chocolate with toppings, pink lemonade, strawberry cupcakes, tea cakes (pound cake with icing), cucumber sandwiches and cream cheese & jelly sandwiches cut into crowns, lemon cookies, dipped pretzel rods, dipped marshmallows, and berries.

One of the moms brought fresh roses from her garden, and they were so beautiful!

Making Friends

Joseph and Annabelle have finally made friends in the neighborhood. It took longer here than at Wymount; probably because we never went outside when we first moved here because I was uncomfortably pregnant,and then it was winter. Now, the kids beg to go outside as soon as they wake up. I think it's because they think their friends will be out there all the time, or something like that. So we go outside a lot, and, when their friends actually are out there, they get so excited. Today, when Joseph saw his friend, Daniel, he ran up to him saying, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" 

Last week, Joseph And Annabelle had a play date with their friends at the new splash pad. They had so much fun playing, and it was great for me to get a chance to hang out with other moms.

From left to right: Annabelle, Oliver, Joseph, Leah, Daniel, and Aislin. 

We were really trying to get some cute photos, but my camera is just too slow at taking pictures and the kids were too restless. It's hilarious that Joseph looks so bored, too. They are such a fun bunch of kids, and I'm excited for the fun they will have together this summer.

6 Month Chuck

Charlie turned 6 months old yesterday! He's just the sweetest, most awesome baby in the whole world. He's basically always happy, unless he's hungry or tired. He's hungry a lot, but he's so patient and usually let's us know he's hungry with a little "stage cough" before he gets angry or upset. He's so social and just loves everyone. We are frequently told that he's the "smiley-est baby" people have seen. He absolutely adores Joseph, who can almost always make him laugh. I love having him as a part of our family, and he's a great reminder to me of why I like being a mom.

I wanted to take pictures yesterday, but we had too much going on already. So today I took pictures. I wanted to do a fancy little shoot of him at one of our favorite parks, but we just didn't have time. I'm trying to remember not to over-schedule our days or put too many expectations on myself. Instead, I just took some pictures of him at home laying on the beautiful blanket that his grandma made for him. These are the ones that I think turned out alright. What do you think?

Splash Pad

We went to the new splash pad at Pioneer Park this evening. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30, but we had to go find Annabelle's hat that we'd left at another park earlier in the day, so we didn't go to that part. By the time we got the hat, it was dinnertime, then Mitchell had to go to work, so the kids and I walked to the park by ourselves. It was a bit after 7 when we got there. Joseph and Annabelle were so excited to get into the water. Joseph thought it was awesome, but he's sort of afraid of water, so he mostly stayed around the perimeter. 

 Annabelle wasn't afraid at all and got completely soaked almost immediately. She was running around and screaming; sometimes she'd slip because it was so wet and slippery, but she didn't care because she was having so much fun.

After running around and playing for a while, Annabelle realized she was super cold and she started crying. I had to wrap her in her towel and Charlie's blanket to warm her up. I was going to take her home because I was a little worried about hypothermia, but she was ready to go back and play after a few quiet minutes in my lap.

I finally convinced them it was time to go home just before 8 when they were both drenched and shivering. We started walking home, but Joseph's little feet hurt because we did A LOT of walking yesterday and he was too cold to move quickly. So I carried Charlie and let Joseph ride. Pushing the stroller one-handed is really difficult, especially with the two heavier kids in it. I have a tendency to complain and get annoyed about things, but I wanted to be a good mom, so I let my little boy ride. He had to get out and walk right before the tracks because I couldn't push the stroller one-handed over them, but he got to ride most of the way. My arms were dead tired when I got home, but it was worth it to take care of my babies. Sometimes I forget that Joseph and Annabelle are my babies, too, and I think they are bigger/older than they really are. It's good for me to remember and let them be babies, though.

Desiring Motherhood

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation." D&C 11:8

It's taken me a little while to think about this as well as find the time to post. When I first read this verse, I knew it applied to how I have been feeling. I know that I need to have a desire to be a good mother. I also know that if I have the desire, I will be blessed to do much good in this world. My patriarchal blessing tells me that some of the greatest work I will do in my life will be done as I am striving to be a mother in Zion. Sometimes it's hard to find the desire, but when I do find it, I feel great about the things I do and the way I feel.

Today, Mitchell and I took the kids to the park and we had a really good talk. I was expressing frustration with knowing how to schedule my day and make time for all the things I feel I need to do. Through that talk, Mitchell helped me realize that all of the side goals and projects that I've been giving myself aren't important when compared with my role of motherhood. He told me that I need to give the kids my time and that will help me become a better mother, not completing tons of projects.

The hardest thing for me is waking up in the morning and remembering that I'm trying to be a mother, not a perfect housekeeper with perfect children. And it's hard remember why I want to be a mother when I'm woken by 3 kids clamoring for my attention. Instead of getting frustrated in that moment, I want to remember these faces and my desire to be the best mother that THEY need.

Prospering as a Family

"Do this thing which I have commanded you, and you shall prosper." D&C 9:13

With Mitchell in college, we are always struggling with money, especially since he hasn't been able to have a steady job since we moved to Utah. Financial problems are so stressful and difficult to handle. Sometimes, it's hard because I feel like most of my dreams and desires are pushed aside because we can't afford to do extra things. I keep wishing for the day when we will really have our own place and we can afford to buy the clothes and things that we need for the kids and ourselves. And, frequently, I get caught up in that wishing and I forget to focus on the present.

I've been studying my scriptures with the purpose of finding help and guidance in being a better mother. As I read that verse in Doctrine and Covenants, I felt it applied to me. I need to stop wishing for all the things that we don't have right now. I need to focus on my kids, on enjoying them, on teaching them, on loving them. If I can do that, if I can keep the Lord's commandment to be a nurturing, righteous mother, He will give us what we need to live happily.

Today we were able to go to Farm Country for our last day with Grammy Ellen. We were able to use some money given to us by family to pay for riding the FrontRunner to Lehi and visiting Farm Country. It was such an exciting experience for the kids to ride the train and they loved Farm Country just as much fun as they always have. They loved seeing the animals and riding the ponies. We were able to ride in a horse-drawn buggy this time, which was really cool and the kids' favorite part. It was a fun day and I'm so glad that I was able to spend it with my family.

New Blog Direction

"Therefore this is thy gift: apply unto it..." D&C 8:4

I've decided to take this blog in a more focused direction. One of my biggest struggles is feeling like I have purpose and knowing where to go with my life. During one of my therapy sessions, my therapist asked me what my ultimate goal was. I took my time to think about the question because it's such a big one, but I still knew it was the first thing that came to my mind: to be the best mom. My whole life, I wanted to be a wife and a mother. Now I am, but I take these blessings for granted too often. My therapist recommended that I keep this ultimate goal in mind when I am trying to figure out what to do with myself or I am getting stuck in the minute details of life. So I've decided to make this blog a way to chronicle my journey towards becoming  a better mother.

 These children are a gift from God and I want to cherish this gift.

Happy Birthday, Annabelle!

Today was Annabelle's 2nd birthday. I can't believe that she was born 2 years ago. In many ways, it seems like she has been with us much longer than that, but it also seems like the time has gone too quickly. She is such a joy in our family and I can't imagine what things would be like without her. She and Joseph are best friends and do everything together. And she has her daddy under her complete control; yesterday, she got 5 cinnamon bears from him because she just kept asking him with such cute faces that he couldn't resist.

We had her birthday party on Saturday so that a lot of family could come. Jason had been staying with us for a couple weeks, my mom drove down, and Samantha and Athena were there. My cousin Emily and her fiancee, Josh, came. Aunt Marianne and Annemarie were able to make it. And we were really excited because Popi and Doreen came up for the party. It was so wonderful to have so many family members with us. 

Jason, Joseph, Popi, Annabelle, Doreen, Samantha, and Athena

It took her a few tries, but she was able to blow out her candles all by herself.

 Opening presents this morning. She was so excited to open everything.

We went to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, where she got a free birthday meal. This red balloon was just floating by one of the tables across the way when we got there. It eventually floated right over to us all on it's own, and it became her birthday balloon.

Eating her birthday brownie. The whipped cream was her favorite part.

Even though she had some very cranky 2-year-old moments, she had a good birthday. We are all so grateful that she is a part of our family. 

Labor Day

We had a good Labor Day weekend. We did a few fun things today since Mitchell didn't have to go to work. The kids let us sleep in pretty late, which was nice since we usually have early mornings with Mitchell working and going to school. We went and browsed around the mall for a bit and had some lunch in the food court there. We went to a park in the afternoon. The kids had fun playing while Mitchell drew for some assignments and I worked out homeschool lesson plans. We had a nice quiet time and I read a Sherlock Holmes story in my book. We were excited about getting some awesome new Star Wars shirts from Baby Gap with a 30% off code we had, but after not getting the code to apply, we realized that line is excluded from coupons. :(  Later, we took the kids to another park and they had fun playing there. We also did a mini photo shoot to get some pictures for the invitations I want to make for Annabelle's birthday party. That was pretty fun. The kids are so hard to get pictures of because they are either moving around like crazy or they are making really stupid smiley faces. It doesn't help that our camera is TERRIBLE at taking pictures. I was surprised at how many I got. We ended the day by watching new episodes of 2 of our favorites shows, which happen to be cartoons on Cartoon Network. They are Adventure Time and Regular Show; we love watching them together.

Here are a few photos that I really liked:

Our New Apartment

On Saturday, after a good week of looking at apartments (we saw around 15 different places), we signed the lease for a new apartment. We are really excited! It's over 850 square feet and has an awesome living room. It's also cheaper than we would be paying if we had moved over to a 3 bedroom in Wymount, but it's SO much nicer! Our official move-in day is August 1st, but our landlord gave us permission to start moving some of our stuff over. Today we took a few loads of boxes that I had already packed. The kids loved playing around in all of the space and it's exciting for me to see our stuff going in. I took some pictures of it empty and I'll try to show the process of us moving in.

This is the first part of our living room (the lighting did not work for me). The sliding door leads to a wooden balcony/deck. Joseph is doing a little happy dance because he loves being there. 

 This is probably what would normally be the dining room portion of the living area, but we will be setting it up more like an office area. The white to the left is the fridge.

 This is my cute little kitchen. It's not large, but it's U-Shaped and is very functional. It has a dishwasher and the fridge is the side-by-side type with a water/ice dispenser. It's also red and that's the color I've always wanted my kitchen to be! And aren't the cabinets so cute?

 This is our bathroom. The bathtub is actually jetted and there is a timer on the wall for setting the jets when you want to use them. It's WAY deeper than any tub I've ever had in my life and I'm excited to take a bath in it.

This is going to be the "master" bedroom. It has the biggest closet and I like that it has a full length mirror, which we haven't had in about 3 years.

 And this will be the kids' room. In the closet, there is access to the attic where we will have tons of space to store things. 

I like that the apartment came with the cute curtains in all the rooms and it had a brand new A/C unit put in to replace the old swamp cooler. We also have a closet in the hallway with a full-size washer and dryer! Everything about this place is so great and it seems almost too good to be true that we will be living there for the next 9 months (at least). I can't wait to actually move in and start living there.