tuesday tidbits

:: corbin ::

1. Corbin is coming to the end of 6th grade. He is almost done with testing and then it's pretty much a party at school everyday.
2. He has been helping our cute next door neighbor with yard work. He planted Petunia's yesterday with his good friend Mikaila.
3. Pajamas are his most favorite thing to wear...obviously.

:: taylor ::

1. Taylor loves reading Harry Potter. When it's time to go to bed he is always the first one to go, because that's when he can climb into bed and have an amazing reading adventure.
2. Piano recital time is just around the corner and this kid has been working so hard on his song.
3. Lately Rudger constantly says that Tay is his best buddy. Taylor is so good to him.

:: levi ::

1. Levi loves Mario. The good old fashion Super Mario. He is the one that passes all the really hard levels.
2. One of his good friends at school is the cutest little girl from the Philippians. They got to play on Friday and seriously, she is adorable.
3. To say that he is obsessed with Adeline is a huge understatement.

:: rudger ::

1. Rudger thinks its the greatest to use markers. On his face, on the wall, on his arm, and all over the bathtub. I really hope this phase passes really fast.
2. This boy lives for milk. He loves it in a sippy cup and warmed up 39 seconds. Yes, that is the exact amount. Few seconds more or less and it is not right...and he can tell by the touch and then refuses to drink it if it's not right. I know.... 
3. But when he smiles and his eyes twinkle like they do...I am putty in his hands.

 :: adeline ::

1. Adeline is sitting up so well now. She can go a good minute before she tips over :)
2. Biggest mama's girl there ever was.
3. She loves to reach the top of her head and then slide her hands down towards her face bringing the headbands with her. I continue to put the headband right back on her head. I am so mean.

mother's day

Today I feel so grateful for these five kids that call me mom. I feel so grateful that I get to be a mother. I feel grateful that the dreams I had as a young girl have come true. I have had really, really good mom days and really, really bad mom days, and then every other kind of day in between. And honestly, I am grateful for each one of those days. Those bitter days sure make those sweet days incredible.  

Yesterday was definitely one of those sweet days! With Justin's help, the youngest three emailed a special Mother's day surprise.

This is my first Mother's Day with our sweet Adeline. It has been over six months and I sometimes still can't believe she is here. I find myself often squealing with delight knowing she is in this family of ours! Her gift to me is wanting me...all. the. time...and I love that gift.

When I opened the email from Rudger the words "I love you with my biggest smile and as much cuteness as I can muster!!!" were attached to this picture. I died. He knows just how to steal my heart.

A couple of days before Sunday, Levi came home with a surprise in his backpack, but he ran to his room to make certain it was well hidden. After being sad for a little bit in the morning, he came quietly into the family room and handed me his gift. I love it dearly. And this picture cracks me up with the mustache he drew on his face :) Levi is FULL of personality and that makes my heart happy! And his message... "I love you so much Mom! It's my day to give you lots of hugs and kisses"...love!

Taylor gives the best hugs and that's what I wanted most from him. So to read on his card that I make him feel good when I give him a hug made me cry happy tears. I loved the cards and the adorable gift he gave to me! 

Corbin has a very kind heart, and has shown a great amount of that kindness these past few months. I believe this boy knows my love language is service. There have been multiple acts of service he has done for me recently that have made my heart swell!

And of course, I believe it all begins with the dad. Justin continues to show gratitude towards me. He is completely patient with me as I fail time and time again. He never gives up on me and continues to encourage me to be my best. It is no wonder the children are following in his footsteps. I am so grateful to be partners with him on this parenting journey.

Spring break - Friday

At the beginning of Spring break, I was sooo hoping we could just drop everything and drive to California to see the beach, feel the warmth, and enjoy a change of scenery. I was just slightly devastated that the weather was suppose to be cold and rainy here and I wanted out. I survived not heading west and on Friday I got my dose of each of those things I was craving. We enjoyed going to Antelope Island and letting the boys explore to their hearts content, which was a close second.

This is the very first time in my thirty-three years of living that I have been this close to the Great Salt Lake. It's quite beautiful. My favorite is seeing all the mountains in the background. And we only scratched the surface on what can be explored on this big island. We'll go back for sure.

They loved searching for the Bison. We found a fun hike that had so many places to explore and have quite an adventure on. Then we made the long trek across the sandy beach to finally touch the Salt Lake and skip rocks. It was pure happiness.

 :: Levi was feeling a bit sad and did not want to continue on the hike and of course his amazing daddy finds a way to cheer him right up. They played a game of only walking on the rocks all the way to the top :) ::

 :: Goodness gracious I love these boys!! ::

 :: They were just exhausted by the end of the day ::

As we came to the end of spring break we asked each of the boys what was their favorite. Justin and I were thrilled to hear that they each loved something different. Corbin loved going to The Classic Fun Center, Taylor loved Antelope Island, Levi loved going swimming, and Rudger loved having his boysies with him for all of our adventures. And I'm pretty certain Adeline loved being held by mommy a majority of the time :) I would have to say that made for a very successful Spring Break Staycation!

Spring Break - Thursday

We didn't get a ton of pictures from this day, but that's probably because we were having too much fun. We... of course...slept in, ate at In and Out, and went swimming. Not much, but we created happy memories.

The boys thought it was great because we got shakes with our hamburgers. We got plenty of swimming in, but towards the end, Rudger was tired and decided the pool was much too loud. On the way home, we finished reading the second book in our Peter series. (seriously loving this series so far!) Then we went home, kicked back on the couch and watched another movie :)

Spring Break - Wednesday

 The goal for spring break was to sleep in, stay up late, and not have me cook. Sounds like perfection...it was. 

Wednesday we went out to eat at one of Corbin and Justin's favorite places...not mine...but it's never as bad as I think it is going to be :)  Then I dropped off all the boys at the Classic Fun Center, while Adeline and I picked up movies at the library and donuts at Krispy Kreme then we went back to watch all those boysies play to their hearts content. It was so fun to see them laughing and playing together. They spent nearly five hours there. We were THE last people to leave that place.

Then we went home and watched Home Alone because our boys have never seen that show and that seemed like a terrible thing. It is a Christmas show, but we didn't worry about that :)

spring break - day 1 and 2 (really day 4 and 5)

Spring break really started the Friday before since it was a teacher prep day. Friday was spent just sleeping in and playing.

Saturday we headed outside to help our much neglected yard, then we went on our Saturday adventure. This time we went on another bike ride and on our way back the boys gave us the official tour of their beloved play area, 'The Hill Place'. They have spent hours upon hours playing here. They have created games based off of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Each day is a new episode to their game. (and they have been known to end their day with a cliff hanger). So many times we have dropped them off or picked them up here, but I have never explored it. I can now see why they love it there! I know they will look back on their childhood and this will be a big part of it. It's amazing what some big piles of dirt with weeds and plants growing on it can do to a child and their imagination. I was so happy I could see through their eyes the joy of this place.

Sunday was a lovely Easter day.

Monday we had a lego building day and played with friends. Very chill.

Tuesday night we kicked off our official spring break (daddy had Wed-Fri off). We met Grandma at Temple Square, where she took the four younger kids back home to play, and Corbin and I met daddy at the Temple to do Baptisms. It was so very tender. That night we were all cuddled together anticipating the coming days. The boys were giving suggestions and writing out schedules and getting incredibly excited for the Stay-Cation!!

:: It kind of stinks that we were wearing coats on our spring break. ::

back to real life

Spring break is over. {insert the tears}

With a week of staying up late and sleeping in, I was very impressed with how well the boys did at getting up and out the door for school yesterday morning. I was dreading it, and luckily they were not. I think they were excited to see their friends again! (and I am certain to get back to learning)

I plan on posting what we did this week, but first, we bought some new shoes over the break. We were really at the shoe store to buy mom a pair of running shoes, but as we looked down at our boys feet, we cringed at what we saw. We couldn't believe we were sending the boys to school in those shoes! They did last 7 months though :)  It was a tough decision, but here is what they ended up with...black was the winner (And Levi quickly learned how to tie his own shoes!)

Now we are back to real life. Yesterday, I felt super motivated to get LOTS done. I did manage to exercise and get grocery shopping in and then a major headache set in. So, we were lazy instead. (I do feel so grateful that no one was sick over the break!) Today I feel a million times better and so Rudger, Adeline, and I are getting our home back in order and then it's back to nagging to get homework done. Thank goodness we only have 2 months left!