Little Mama

Ehlana is obsessed with babies. The other day she saw my friend at church (who was very pregnant) and with a twinkle in her eye and a little smile she said, "Ummm, wwwhhat is in your tummy?"
She completely believes that Jakob is her baby. The other day we were driving in the car and she said, "Mommy, you could have a baby for everyone in the family and then we would all have our own baby!" I said, "You know what? When you are a Mommy you can have as many babies as you'd like and then I will be the Grandma!" "I can?!" She said.
Yesterday she said, "Mommy, when Jakob gets bigger and you have another baby in your tummy what will you name it?" I said, "Well, if it's a girl than Daddy loves the name Keira." "Keira?" "Yes. But if it's a boy baby then I don't know what we will name him. But, Jakob is still a baby so that won't happen for a long time. When you have a baby what will you name it?" "Ummm, if it's a boy baby then I will name it, Coaten." "Coaten??" "Yep! Coaten." "What if you have a girl baby?" Ehlana throws her hands in the air and shouts, "Sparkles!"

Mother's Day 2012

Another Mother's Day has come and gone. Usually I think of all the things I want to do (or not do) on Mother's Day and plead with my family to make sure it is a pleasant and stress free day for me. After all don't I deserve it? Isn't that the point of Mother's Day? Just one day where I don't have to hear whining, crying or fighting children. A day where I can sit and listen to my church meetings without being interrupted. A day where I get a well deserved nap. A day that I don't have to cook, clean or do dishes. That is usually what I want on Mother's Day. Do I ever get that? No. Usually Mother's Day comes and goes with a sense of frustration and a little disappointment. It never seems to be a day all about me. This year I had a little epiphany. What do I really want for Mother's Day? A day for myself or a day to enjoy my family? This year I decided to enjoy my family and change my attitude about Mother's Day. I asked Steve for a few specific things such as getting the Jakob a bottle if he wakes up before 7am, taking Jakob out in the hall for sacrament meeting and making breakfast if he wanted something other than left over waffles. The most amazing thing happened. I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks to Jakob falling back to sleep with a bottle we all slept in until 8am then I was woken up by my kids crawling into our bed. (One of my favorite things in the morning.) Steve made breakfast and we tag teamed getting the kids fed and ready for church. I opened a few thoughtful gifts. I enjoyed my church meetings with my kids on my lap. We skyped with my brother, Carl, who is serving a mission in Brazil. We ate dinner at my parents house and I indulged in a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I had made. It was a lovely day. Not because I had endless amounts of pampering and "me time" but because I spend the day with my favorite people in the world. After all, it is because of them that I am a Mother.

Last week Ehlana had a Mother's Day program at preschool. It was adorable.

Oh and here is the cutest video you have ever seen.

Jaxson's Circus Performance

Jaxson's school puts on a kindergarten Circus each year. They pick their parts and practice for months. I help in Jaxson's classroom every other week so I got a to help them practice their acts one day. It was really fun. For the performance they dressed up in adorable costumes and had their faces painted. Jaxson was a Tumbler.

 He did a great job!

Jaxson had just as much fun watching the circus as he did performing in it.

Here is his three years of gymnastics paying off. 

You can't put a price on this kind of talent. :) 

Proud to hold the name of Mother

With Mother's Day approaching this weekend I wanted to share a few videos of women who make me proud to be a Mother. 
Their stories of faith are incredible. 

Ani Taylor and her adorable family. Her blog is here.

Stephanie Nielsen and her new miracle baby, Charlotte. Her blog is here.

Here's a sweet video from my wonderful friend, Heidi. Her inspiring story is here.

Pink Princess Party

Yesterday we celebrated Ehlana's 4th Birthday with a pink princess party! We had 10 princesses over to our house for crown decorating, presents and cake. They had the most fun playing with the balloons and the presents they gave Ehlana. 

Let's party!

Time for presents

Ehlana's #1 request was a princess barbie cake with a pink dress. Luckily it was pretty simple. You can buy the cake pan and the doll insert at Joann Fabric but I borrowed mine from a friend. Thanks, Heidi!

While the girls played I assembled the party favors. The candies were marshmallow pops, circus animal cookies and pink whoppers. I found the cute printable 'thank-you for coming to my princess party' tags here. 

Our 8th Anniversary

Yesterday was our 8th wedding anniversary. Marrying Steve was the best decision I have ever made.  The longer we are married the more I understand how lucky I am. We have accomplished a lot in the last 8 years. Here are some things we have done together:

Moved 5 times

Lived in 3 different States (Utah, Washington and Virginia)

Traveled to many different places

(Oregon, Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, DC)

Finished a Bachelors degree and Masters degree

Had several job changes

Had several church callings

Had numerous hair colors and styles

Nursed each other through 4 surgeries

Had 3 trips to the ER

Been in 1 car accident

Bought 2 cars

Bought 1 house 

Raised 1 cat (who hasn't turned out so well)

Been on 1,000+ dates

Shared 1,000+ kisses

Survived 3 pregnancies 

Gave life to 3 beautiful children

It's crazy to think that since the day we met the longest we have been apart is 2 weeks. (It.was.torture.) We have said "I love you" to each other everyday. We have been through so many wonderful (and stressful) things together. We have made a home together, built a career together and created a family together. I kinda hate the phrase "you complete me" but I would not be the woman I am today without such a wonderful husband.