A Really Weird Occurrence and Mima's Birthday!

The strangest thing happened to us this week.  I was playing with the kids in the backyard until about five o'clock.  At that time I brought them in the house to eat.  I put Millie in her high chair, gave her some Cherrios and went to the sink to wash out her sippy cup.  While at the sink I looked out the window and could not believe my eyes: the trampoline had disappeared from it's corner of the yard.  I truly blinked, opened my eyes wider and stretched my neck forward as if that would help me see it.  Nothing.  I scanned the yard- nope- not in the yard at all- and all of our other toys were strewn about in strange places.  Then I noticed the polls from the enclosure sticking up on the other side of the fence.  Somehow a wind lifted the trampoline and flipped it over the fence and out of our yard, without doing any damage to the fence or the tree nearby.  (Unless it was some punk kids which I have never seen in our neighborhood and who would have had to work extremely fast at five o'clock in the afternoon.)  Anyway, very bizarre and sad.  We are not sure the extent of the damage.  At best we just have to buy one poll for the enclosure which we know is badly damaged, at worst we have to buy a whole new trampoline and enclosure which Joe assures me will not be any time soon!  Argh! We loved that thing!

This weekend we also had the pleasure of celebrating Mima's 60th Birthday!  We spent Friday night attending a Rotary Dinner and auction at the Sweetwater Inn and eating delicious cake, and Saturday sharing sandwiches and salads from the Flour Pot.  She is so much fun and does such a good job at keeping her family together.  We love you Mima!

Millie's First Birthday!!!

I went for it and posted a lot of pictures so beware! Really it was so fun, even for the host and hostess. It was such a delight to have great friends and family members here to make this occasion such a special and memorable one and I guess more than anything I have learned two things: First that I wish we had done this for Joseph's first birthday. And second, there is nothing wrong with throwing a party for a baby that wont remember it.  She had a a blast and so did we.  We will remember and show her the pictures! 

When I went to BYU one of my roommates taught me an important lesson. I was bummed out and overwhelmed with LIFE as I knew it (fighting to make the grade and make money etc.)  Debbie chuckled as if to say, Silly Lacy- and then said, "Stress and grades and multiple jobs- that is not your life.  Your LIFE is the relationships that you form while you are here. Those other things just help make it possible to maintain those relationships."  So much wisdom from a then 20 year old girl.  And it is so true. It is so easy to get caught up in those other things but what really matters and what really brings us joy in life are our relationships, and the love we share with others.  As a mom I was so grateful to have such a fun event to share with my kids, friends and family.  Not all of my favorite people could be here but I am so grateful that so many of you could.
The hats were so fun- and we actually wore them! They were a lot of work but well worth it.
The cupcakes were a hit! I doubled the recipe but I should have tripled it! I know I could have eaten more and I am always worrying that my guests don't get enough to eat! Can food be a love language?
I made some flag banners as well, which I loved.  If I make them again I will use more double sided tape to keep them from sliding into each other.
Millie had SO MUCH fun in the water and on the trampoline!
So much that she (and I) did not realize that she was hungry. When I picked her up to bring her inside to get ready for the cupcakes she grabbed my sandwich and began devouring it! Turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato and mustard. My little one year old eating her first turkey sandwich! 
She ate her whole cupcake! It was so cute!
This is our great friend and "nanny" Chelsea.  Too bad for us she plans to become a surgeon and is off to college this fall. What will we do without you?
Mima modeling the beloved party hats!  I think Joseph is on his second cupcake- he was so good and had so much fun with his cousins and best buds.
Some of the guys- yes that is Joe with the beard and I love it! He keeps saying he's going to shave it though.
Most of the girls/moms.  It would have been fun to get a group shot but with 13 kids running wet and wild that was pretty much impossible! 

Millie loved climbing all over her presents and even opened one all by herself!
Adorable dress times three!  Three different friends thought of Millie when they saw this dress and gave it to us! We just might keep all three!
Millie got to wear a new dress to church today and Joseph is looking as handsome as ever!
My little one year old!  Where did the year go!  I'm happy and sad to see my little girl growing up, and just so grateful that Heavenly Father sent her to our family!

Progress- I think.

Okay- one more detail to add ( and a few more hats to make!). Overall, a good experience BUT it is kind of an absurd amount of work for such a fragile little thing. Oh well!

Because it's the journey that counts.. right?

I am planning a fun little party for Millie's big 1st birthday. I was slightly ambitious prior to entering Michael's due to a talk I had with my sister as I sat in my car. She assured me my ideas were good but that if I got the nerve I should do something cute and creative with stripes or polka dots... So here I am.. trying to follow a Martha Stewart: Crafts brochure. Hopefully by Saturday my hats will look more like Martha's. In the meantime I'm sure Joe will continue to urge me to "just go buy some decorations!"

Joseph at 2 Years and 9 months

My little boy is growing up. We have seen this change in him lately and maybe some of you have seen it, too. He has this renewed confidence and assurance in himself that probably has something to do with increasing ability to understand and be understood. He is just as energetic as always but is a little easier to reason with and convince why we can't do/have/eat something right now. Instead of screaming and flipping out when he doesn't get his way, he will sometimes look at me and giggle like he knows he was pushing it. Don't get me wrong he still does some of the flipping out but I can see that he is learning and that is progress. He loves to cuddle and give and receive physical affection and he sings his ABC's everywhere we go as loud as he can (Yeah, he's moved on from "Bah, Bah, Black Sheep" but I believe it is the same notes). We are still working on the volume thing! He has started eating more fruits and veggies again and that is a huge relief. AND he plays very well on his own. He loves to run around the trampoline and pretends to shoot something out of his hands and I hear his pretend scenarios that he sets up with whatever he has in front of him (a wash cloth, for example). He loves cuddling with Millie in our rocker in her room after she gets up in the morning or from a nap. He is such an inspiring little guy and has adjusted brilliantly to having a younger sibling. I love you Joseph!

Pictures

Hmm...

We fill our days with story time at the library, trips to the park and the museum, errands, play dates, play groups, crafts, books, toys, backyard fun with the trampoline and the kiddy pool and the bikes. But somehow, as a mother, so much of our time is isolated from everyone and everything else... There must be something to learn from that- maybe that helps to forge the incredibly strong bond between mother and child- just a complete reliance on each other for company and laughter and fun. Or maybe it is to learn how to prioritize because a little child makes it known that they must be top priority. In any case, being Joseph and Millie's mom is by far the most difficult, most fun and coolest thing that I have ever done. I am so grateful for them and Joe too, of course!

(P.S. Thanks to Alicia for the awesome photos and to Alicia and Kira for a very fun day in Cedar Key!)

This one's for you Ross

Last night we returned from our long awaited trip to Canada. In reality over a year of planning is not that long but it seemed much longer due to the excitement over the trip! We traveled from Orlando Florida to Calgary and then Golden Canada to enjoy 3 fun filled days skiing and 3 more doing more crazy freezing weather activities. I already said skiing, falling, eating, hot tubbing, tramping in the snow with the kids, laughing, playing games, calming screaming children, ice fishing, running from the snow, roman candle warring, quading, playing with dogs and horses and looking at mountains. Needless to say, it was amazing and we are so grateful that we were exposed to so many new and truly breathtaking things (thanks Justin and Kira!). In the face of "man-cations" everywhere I say it can be done and with far more meaning, love, and enjoyment when you do it with the one's that matter most... Not without tantrums, blowouts, and bickering- but it can be done. More Canada posts to come!

(Picture: We were standing on a frozen lake, Lake Louise about 3 hours west of Calgary. It was beautiful and terrifying to be in such extreme cold that the lake freezes easily 3 feet thick. Irene and Walmir were first to take their very glamorous kissing picture and then Justin and Kira a very clear contender for "sexiest ice kiss". With Millie in the bjorn and Joseph in the background we can't really compete but we sure love our little family!)

A Good Day

We woke up. Ate breakfast. Did some chores. Went to the park. Took naps. Worked on my calling and made a hair appointment. Answered some email. Made some phones calls. Cooked the chicken for fajitas for dinner. Did more chores. Played with Joseph. Learned about farm animals. Played the ukulele. Went for a walk to collect rocks. Learned about farm animals again and matching and taping and sticking to the wall. More dinner prep and help from Joseph. Daddy came home. Went to the gym. Kids sweetly off to bed. Daddy to gym. Dinner. Watched American Idol. A great day.

Something I am learning about myself as a mother is that I need stuff. Toys, workbooks, props... help at entertaining and teaching my children. A month or so ago a friend (thanks Lauren) recommended the Brighter Vision Learning Adventures as a good resource for "teaching" small children. I looked it up and requested a trial packet to see if it would help get the wheels turning in his head. (Not that he needs help thinking or learning, he is very bright. Just that he is happier with a task or project- something that engages him. Adults are the same- you get the picture.) Some moms I see and compare myself to seem to have a hang on creating games, projects, and crafts for their kids. They print off pictures, color and laminate them and viola... a quiet book for church! Can't I just buy one of those?! Don't get me wrong, I do see the value in creating something with your own hands but when do these moms have time to do it all? No, what I need right now is the good old fashioned dollar so I can buy what somebody else has put in so much time to create. I have strayed... So anyway, today after nap-time we opened our trial packet. The theme was Farm Animals and even though he already knows all his barnyard animals and their noises there were some fun activities that gave him a chance to practice fine motor skills like putting together puzzle pieces and placing stickers in a very precise spot. He seemed to really enjoy it and what might be even more important is that I enjoyed it. I felt like a good mother trying her best to teach. My mind was engaged with the little tasks that I had to do like cutting things out and asking him questions about simple barnyard scenes. The energy and excitement in our toy room was so much higher than other days when I sit on the floor and take hold of some toys with great intentions, but find myself nodding off and wishing that I could go and do all the chores waiting to be done. Obviously Brighter Vision is not going to solve all of my problems but, for now, it seems to be just what my little guy needs. That said, if any one is reading and has other suggestions for materials that would help to teach and entertain a 2 1/2 year old let me know.



(Baby Evan did not want to pose for his picture or bend at the hips for that matter.)

Forever Family

I am sure most of you know how hard it is to get a picture with the whole family dressed and looking semi-decent. Well, Joseph's sweaty hair notwithstanding, this is it for us! Every year I have a hard time with the Christmas card/picture because I want it to be perfect but it never is. So, this photo was taken at the beginning of February when we were at the Temple for Justin and Kira's sealing to their adopted baby boy Evan. It was a beautiful sealing as most are but was especially sweet due to the very real display of love between Justin and Kira and Evan, Kira's parents and Kira, Justin and Kira and the birth grandmother, and the birth grandmother and baby Evan. The relationship between J and K and the birth mother has been so astounding and impressive. I have not known another couple to adopt so I am not sure what the "norm" is. But I suspect that most people do not pursue much of a relationship with the birthmother of their baby. J and K have been the opposite. If they are ever in her neighborhood on the way to play in a fresh water spring they will call her and invite her to come and see Evan. They overlap activities in the church so she can see Evan, they correspond by email and phone calls and highly value their relationship with her. Recently they purchased and new car and GAVE her their old one. It is so amazing to me because it is such a pure Christlike thing to do. I feel like I've seen the gospel come full circle and so many lives have been blessed by people seeking the guidance of the spirit and then following it. That said, I am pretty sure the birth mother never intended to get pregnant and give the baby up for adoption- BUT the fact that once that occurred she was strong and decisive in her choice to give the baby to a family that could provide her with a loving and safe environment with a mother and father and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the Temple and the blessings that we receive from going there.