Baseball...

We survived another baseball season!  I am getting really good at packing strollers, blankets, umbrellas, snacks, drinks and entertainment while we enjoy our afternoons/evenings at the ballpark.  There are days I finally put everything down on the grass while sweating my guts out and wonder, "what am I doing?" .  And then I remember.  I am being a mom and I think I am a pretty good one.  What I AM doing is supporting my kids and teaching them to support each other.  They are all involved in something that requires a little sacrifice from the entire family...and hopefully they will look back and remember these as great experiences together.  It isn't easy.  There is often whining and fighting and frustrations.  I took this picture on a crisp morning in Logan at one of the recent tournaments...it was the perfect baseball weekend.  Grandparents and cousins there, perfect weather, endless hours on the playground an on the bleachers, and this little team played their heart out and won the tournament.  Totally worth the sacrifice. 

Emma

I need to document that this sweet child exists.  I have posted nothing about her since her birth which is sad.  She has earned the nickname, "tumor", because her and I are attached and she is kind of a pain but I pain that I love.  She is still nursing.  Yes, you heard that right, nursing at 8 (almost 9) months and it is killing me.  Emma does not like to sleep. Ever. which means we spend a lot of time together...nursing. She likes to be cuddled at night so that is what we do.  I am in pure survival mode with this little one.  She is busy like Summer was.  Crawling happened at about 6 months and she is now in the stage of pulling herself up on everything and walking along furniture.  Before I know it she will be walking.  Crazy how quickly time passes and they grow up.  We love her and I seriously can't get enough of her which is good because like I said, we are attached at the hip!

Finally...The First Day...

Yes, I understand it has been way too long since I lasted posted.  School let out, Summer turned three, and the rest is history.  From here on out the blog posts will be completely out of order but at least life over the last little while can be documented...kind of.

Little Miss Summer started pre-school this year and though we got off to a rocky start (total separation anxiety) it only took her a few days to adjust.  She is THRIVING and doing better than I ever expected.  Her teacher, "Mrs. Delicious", is fantastic.  Energetic and fun - she has Summer wrapped around her little finger.  I am grateful because quite frankly, this sweetie makes me tired!  She is loving having "friends" and wishes pre-school was every single day.

I have another Kindergartner and it feels weird.  I cried his first day...just as I did with the previous two.  He struggled to adjust in the few weeks - his little brain was on overload and his class is huge which makes it easy to get lost in the shuffle.  He has since totally adjusted and loves it.  For some reason I worry about him more than the older two but he is proving me wrong (as always) and is rocking it with Mrs. Taylor!

 Waving goodbye...seriously broke my heart but look at that happy face! 

 Yes, I forced them to smile with their arms around one another.  Someday they will remember that they really do love each other.  All smiles on the first day.  Kylee's teacher is fresh out of college, young and innocent, which I have decided you have to be to want to teach 5th grade.  Ms. Black is darling (wish she would marry my brother) and Kylee is continuing to grow up right before my eyes.  Seriously depressing that I have a child this old!

Kylee and her cute friends.  Love these girls but mostly grateful that the cute blonde in the middle is mine.  How lucky am I do call her mine? 

 Nick, Nick, Nick - I convinced him to wear purple and he obliged.  Amazing!  I guess living in Lehi makes the color purple ok. :)  His teacher totally gets him.  Mrs. Howard has four boys of her own and understands the way boys brains work.  She has been wonderful.  So, so, so wonderful.  He has made lots of new friends and is seriously a mother's dream when it comes to school work.  Such a great kid! 

Phew.  I documented the first day of school 2012.  Today is Halloween which is a long time after the actual first day of school but we do what we can!  

Summer is THREE!

I could not love this little blue-eyed sweetie any more.  There is never a dull moment with Summer around!  She is busy and stubborn but when she looks at me with her crystal clear blue eyes I kind of melt.  I am so incredibly grateful to be her mom.  

Summer's favorites at THREE:

* She loves to play with cars - she could do it all day long and our collection is huge!

* She loves going to the store - each morning starts with "are we going to Costco, or Walmart, or the Dollar Store"? She knows how to drive to each so if she thinks we need to go to Target and I don't drive that direction she throws a fit.  

*She loves water!  At three in the afternoon when I am done chasing her I turn on the shower or bath, give her cars, and leave her there.  She could play in the water forever!  

* She loves to say "I hate you" to get a reaction (I don't think she knows what it means)  It is usually followed by a giggle and then a sweet "I love you".

* When she is hurt or upset she cries for big sister Kylee.

* She loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the Disney Channel.  

* She has an obsession with airplanes and helicopters.  She can always hear them first and then searches the sky until she finds them.

* She loves to ride the wiggle bike down the hill in and around the corner of our house.  She has no fear of speed.  It makes anyone watching nervous but she hasn't crashed yet!

* She loves the color purple.

* She loves to be "matching" with Kylee.  I think Kylee cooperates right now and it makes Summer happy!

* She loves her friends Chole and Eden.  She begs all day every day to play with "her friends".

* She loves to dance to "Break Your Heart" knows most of the words.

* She has a literal obsession with drinking fountains, flushing toilets and washing her hands.  She will not potty train but likes to act like she is so that she can flush the toilet and wash her hands.

* She loves LIFE cereal, bananas, yogurt, string cheese and peanut butter sandwiches.  When making her sandwiches we have to make sure she is allowed to put the honey on or she won't eat it.

Happy Birthday to my favorite THREE year old!  

The Greats!

I cannot tell you how much I love these pictures and how much I love these people!  Our kids refer to them as "Grandpa & Grandma Great" and to me they are just that....GREAT.  I am so blessed to have both my dad's parents still alive and loving their new grandbabies.  Someday I will get a chance to tell little Emma all about her Great Grandparents and how wonderful they were.  My mom's parents have both passed but I find that the kids ask questions often and love to hear me talk about them.  I think it is important to understand where they come from.  I have great memories of visiting both sets of Grandparents in Oregon each year, playing in the rain in their backyard, swimming in the pool, making a trip to the beach, playing with cousins...the list goes on.  I have a great extended family and feel lucky to have such wonderful grandparents to look to as an example of how to live!  Another priceless picture...thanks mom!   

Cousin Love!

Emma met 6 day old cousin Mays yesterday!  He is adorable and so tiny compared to Emma.  I am sure these two will be best friends and will surely get into plenty of trouble together.  We love having cousins so close in age!

More Blessing...

In the craziness of Emma's blessing day we only took a few blessing pictures...so, while on babysitting duty my mom decided to take a few more.  I love Emma's dress and love that my mom took pictures in great grandma's old fashioned buggy.  I also love that Aunt Aleena made the headband with old fashioned buttons that once belonged to my Grandma.  To me these pictures are absolutely priceless!

Saturday's...

While at my parent's house for dinner tonight my sister's and I talked about the good old days as kids when we lived at the ball park.  I remember taking whatever change I could find or was given by my parents and purchasing the big Laffy Taffy's at the snack shack at the Orem City baseball fields.  We lived on fast food and loved it.  We were frequenters at any place that could provide a quick and cheap meal on our way to watch my brother's games.  I don't remember ever hating it.  I learned to keep score and loved watching their games.  Now I am my mom.  Years have passed and suddenly I am finding myself running my older kids to lessons and practices and stopping to get them dinner on the way.  I love it.  Saturday's at our house are especially busy.  With double headers for Nick and soccer games for Kylee, we are pretty much gone all day.  I have become a pro at packing whatever is necessary to keep the little ones warm, fed, hydrated, and protected from whatever weather mother nature throws at us.  There are days that I finally make it to the games sweating as I haul everyone and everything but at the end of the day it is worth it.  It feels good to be a "soccer mom".  My parents hardly every missed a game.  They always sacrificed to be on the sidelines cheering us on and I want the same for my kids.  Pretty soon all my kids will be grown and involved in their own things and I am loving the fact that I am the well prepared mom there to apply sunscreen and feed them in between games!  I wouldn't have it any other way.