Old news...

My little sister Julie came back in March.  she was here in February (from NY) as well as my other sister Sara.  we had such a great time together and it is always hard to see them go... Always!  I love my sisters, they are my best friends!  although hard to see them go I knew that Julie would be returning in just a few weeks (she was here the end of March) and I knew that Sara had a move and a new house to get to and we were all excited for her.  Julie's husband who is a doctor in his residency had a week off of work and so they decided to come to Utah and spend some time with family and friends and to bless their new baby Frances.

While they were here we had a great time.  I love being able to load my 'littles' into the car first thing in the morning still in their pajamas and head over to my mom's house, getting in as many minutes with each other as possible.  Gabe and Ruby are the best of friends and it is so nice for them to have a play mate! For me there is not much better than having a permanent friend to run errands with, sip a diet coke with, shop with, stay up late talking with... I have only had a few friends who I've had "the total connection" with-- like a sister... it's hard to find.  I know there are lots of sisters who are not close like we are... and I really just feel for sisters who struggle... and I count myself very lucky!.... blah blah blah.... rambling, I know!  So anyway  here are some of the things that we did while they were here

Eli and I went down to Ogden to pick up his new glasses... that's right, he is wearing glasses!  Looks like so far my boys have inherited my poor vision!  Eli's glasses are very cool (one pair is orange and blue-funky and the other pair is more serious and preppy) He looks very handsome in them and his teeth are finally starting to grow in after many months of having no teeth it will be fun to see his new grown up- permanent tooth grin!    While we were in Ogden we met Julie and family and brought them to Logan with us for the weekend with plans for them to return to Heber for the first part of the following week.  They came to Logan for a quick trip over the weekend to see our cousin Tate.  Tate left to be a missionary in the West Indies on Wednesday March 24th.  He gave a great talk the Sunday before he left.  It was about service.  We were all able to go listen to him and and it was nice to hear his testimony

I really appreciate his example to all of my future missionaries :)  He will be a great missionary!  My mom hosted a a little open house for him after sacrament meeting (brunch) at her house. 

Towards the end of the week (Wednesday evening) Julie returned and we took the kids to see the babies at IFA the next morning... Baby bunnies, chicks and ducks. Who says you need to pay 50 dollars to attend baby animal day at the Western Heritage Farm- We figured we'd go to IFA for free!  Well, truth be told- it was pretty gross.  All these baby chicks were crammed into these warm metal boxes with lids.  Try as I might, I just DO NOT love animals what kind of a person doesn't like animals??  seriously... I like to think that I have a pretty big heart but there is not much  room in it for animals....I just can't make myself!  Usually baby animals soften my heart but these babies were oh. so. STINKY!  and the lid contained it all but as we lifted the lids to see them the smell hit like a million wet diapers mixed with sawdust, decaying vegetables and death.  The kind of stink that hits you like a ton of bricks and makes you give yourself whip lash.... ok maybe I am exaggerating a little, but the thing that topped it off was that as we looked a little more closely... Yes, we did look closely because hello... we had children with us who were SO excited and who LOVE baby animals and so although I hated to open my mouth for fear of inhaling the toxic smell... I whispered "oh look how cute."  (They were sort of cute and cuddly ... it was just the smell...) and I held Gabe up to see etc... and as we looked more closely we noticed that a few of the chicks were half dead ... just laying there while all the others went about doing normal chick stuff and I can't stand to see something suffering... mouth breathing, eyes glazed... it was just gross and sad. (see I do have a big heart) ... sorry about all the gore... hopefully the picture below makes up for it... cute and cuddly with no accompanying smell...

The bunnies and the ducks however were not as stinky and they are so adorable... my stomach was doing flip flops so I didn't enjoy them fully and least none of them were half dead.... yet

I was pretty freaked out by the chick encounter and so was Julie so we made grandpa catch a duck to show Ruby and Gabe...

All in all... the kids LOVED seeing the baby animals... pretty sure we won't do it again though...unless we are equipt with gas masks... baby animal day we're heading your way next year!

We had plans to have our annual Family Easter party... bon fire and egg hunt that night and then the weather took a turn for the worse and we considered re scheduling but decided to make it work.  The original plan was to have the party outside but with inclement weather I had to do a quick scramble to to get my house clean and move things indoors.  About an hour before we were going to start the party the clouds broke and the wind stopped.  It was cold but we were able to have a fire and Easter egg hunt outside... It was perfect!

My grandpa was not feeling very well and he gets cold so easily. (side effect of chemo)  But he didn't want  to miss out so he and my grandma came and parked their car in front of the barn, out by the fire pit.  We all took turns sitting in the backseat and visiting with them.   They stayed cozy in the car, were able to watch the kids on the hunt and didn't miss out on the fun!  It worked out perfectly!

On Friday we had our ward Talent Show... Yes, we are still doing activities for our ward.  It is a little much since I am in the primary presidency (seriously) but luckily Glen is... well you know... he is amazing and pretty much pulled off the entire thing with the help of a few people on our committee.  The party was a huge success... lots of variety in talents.  Kids, adults and teens... did performances and had talents on display.  The one big hit was a concession stand all decked out with a sign and bulb lights.  We had the people working in the concessions wear red hats and aprons and they were giving out licorice, bags of popcorn and root beer.  it looked amazing and in my opinion "made the night." I am telling you, these things are all about the atmosphere!  doing a little extra makes all the difference. Glen was a great organizer and MC too!  oh and my mom saved us by keeping the littles, feeding them, bathing them... and she had Julie's two girls too-

she is the best!

Saturday the 27th we met at the church around noon for the blessing of Frances Susan Williams.

  It was such a special day!  Francie looked like a little china doll... all dressed up in a big fancy dress.  She is a beautiful baby girl!  dark red hair, bright blue eyes... tiny little features, one of those pretty babies!

After her blessing Julie invited everyone to stay and celebrate Frances' new little life.  We had a delicious lunch and enjoyed just being together.

My super talented (and beautiful, kind, funny... pretty much perfect) friend Marcie made her signature 'baby kakes" for me to surprise Julie with!

She made these cake ball babies to resemble Francie and they were hilarious and adorable at the same time.  Almost too cute to eat and then when you sink your teeth in... they are like a little piece of heaven...

To. Die. For. moist, fluffy little morsels... and you should see her other yummies... cakes and desserts that should be on the food network... I can't get a link to work to her site for some reason but contact me if your interested and check her out- she does photography too... I tell you this girl is deluxe!  Thanks Marcie!

Richie left that night to fly back out to New York but Julie stayed until Wednesday.

Monday night we threw together a little last minute dinner with the big extended Fam and then 

dyed Easter Eggs at our place.  

It was so perfect to have Julie and her little family here.  My life goes on hold and we are in vacation mode when family is in town.  they go home and reality hits hard... back to real life... cleaning my house, meetings, making dinner, easter to plan etc...

 We were able to pull off our tradition of "A Christ centered Easter" week and we had a wonderful, relaxing Easter Sunday that I will post about oh... before the end of the year hopefully!

One year older

this handsome boy turned THREE on Tuesday...

He had a very HAPPY Birthday....

Soon I will share all the details of his day and remind you why I am so in love with Gabriel...

believe me, it's not hard at all - to be in love with him...

Mother's Day

I am so grateful to be the mother of these four precious boys...

“As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. In the premortal world, when our Father described our role, I wonder if we didn’t stand in wide-eyed wonder that He would bless us with a sacred trust so central to His plan and that He would endow us with gifts so vital to the loving and leading of His children. I wonder if we shouted for joy at least in part because of the ennobling stature He gave us in His kingdom. The world won’t tell you that, but the Spirit will.” -Sheri L. Dew

A secret weapon... I like the sound of that!.  I love the picture that I get in my head when I read the quote above.  Think about it .... It is empowering and humbling and I am honored to have such a divine role, that of being a mother.

On Mother's day I woke to a clean house and a giant banner hung across the kitchen, wishing me a "happy mothers day!"  Glen sneaked downstairs after we had gone to bed and worked into the wee hours of the morning, washing dishes, cleaning... and then painting and decorating the banner.  I feel so bad that I didn't even get a picture of it... the words were painted in pink and green and there were pictures of flowers with stems all around the bottom.  And the kitchen sparkled...Seriously, how did I ever get him?  I was completely surprised and wow in love with his thoughtfulness....I am so lucky!   Even though I'm sure he was exhausted, he let me sleep in and he got up early with Oliver and the boys.  Later, just as I was coming downstairs Glen was starting to make breakfast and was a bit disappointed that he was too late to serve me breakfast in bed!  I told him I'd take a rain check ;)  Glen wrote me a love note full of compliments and romance.  Evan and Eli were excited to give me their notes and cards and things that they had made for me.  I love receiving cards from my boys-I love their handwriting, their simple expressions of love, their artwork and I can just imagine their little fingers curled around a crayon as they are deep in concentration thinking of me! 

Pretty cute that Eli wrote that he would be my "slave" for the day- made me laugh!.  He did a great job in doing whatever I asked with no complaining and he was eager to help and constantly asking what he could do for me!  He made a few cards at school and at scouts during the week too...

Evan made a little coupon booklet for me that included coupons for one time doing the dishes, doing the laundry, a back massage, a pedicure plus 3 free clean up's of anything that I want- a mother's dream come true!  Some help without him trying to get out of it plus a little TLC- it was perfect!  

I already cashed in the back massage and it was great!  

Evan also made sure to help his brothers with the card below from all three of them....

It was a beautiful sunny day on Mother's Day and the boys were so anxious to walk home from church.  It is kind of a long walk from the church to our house and I have never let Gabe join the brigade of " walkers" but the sun was calling to him and to his brothers and I couldn't resist their pleadings and promises that they would  carry him if he grew tired and their insistence that they would  keep him safe.  I knew that I could count on them so I told them to start heading for home and that I would pick Gabe up as I drove by.  When I did drive by they waved me forward, smiling and giving a thumbs up that all was well... so reluctantly I headed home with an empty car (Glen had Oliver with him in his car...) After we had been home for some time I could not push thoughts of my boys away and I decided that I would get back in the car and go and check on them... once again I was waved away... this time I could see that something was slowing them down and they were sheepishly hiding it behind their backs.  I headed for home now and once I got there Glen, Oliver and I sat in the sun on our front porch waiting for the other boys to get home.  I could hear their chatter as they rounded the corner of our street and pretty soon... There they were, looking so handsome and full of responsibility.  As they neared our house they each pulled a bouquet of dandelions and wild flowers out from behind their backs for me... they were so proud and my heart melted.  Such little gentlemen!

"The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”  ..."However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.” Julie B. Beck

I am a mother and I do the best that I can.. When times get tough, when the weight of the world is bearing down, and being a mother feels overwhelming and hard-I am so grateful to know who I am and how special these boys are...that I have guidance from above.  I am also so lucky because there is not a day that goes by that I do it alone.  OK, Glen has been out of town before of course- but even then I am not alone... He helps and is concerned and deals with things that arise even if he's thousands of miles away.  I think that to other people I probably seem like an OK mom, trying my best... you know?  But I must confess, I am only a good mom because Glen is  behind me, by my side... he is everywhere... doing and helping, stepping in, making arrangements, appointments, etc...supporting me one hundred percent.  Usually the mother takes and deserves most of the credit for raising the children, sorry dads- it is true!  But there is an acception and that is me... I am a better mom because our boys have the best Dad. 

I love these boys of mine more than I ever thought possible... they are part of me. They are such a precious responsibility.  I know who they are and what they can become.  I am honored and blessed to be their mom.

Superbowl Sunday

old news, I know... just wait though ... a Christmas post is still coming people and its May... I am going to get caught up one of these days... (although I'm pretty sure I've given up on last summer that I didn't write a thing about)  until then... here's one to check off the list- Super bowl Sunday.  I cannot wait until my blog gets back to some talk... not just events... I miss thinking and writing and not just trying to get it done.  On well...I'm not sure my mind has a lot of thinking in it right now anyway... this one is just for the record

Here's all of my BOYS ready to cheer on their team for the big game...


When everyone (my brother and his family and my parents) arrived we asked them to place their bet.  no cash was thrown into the pot- only candy prizes were allowed... It was Sunday afterall.

 This doesn't look like much of a spread... not sure why I took this picture- believe me, there was a lot more food than this involved.  Wouldn't be Superbowl Sunday without a smorgasbord.  We ate dinner and snacks and dessert and more snacks, more dinner and more dessert.   oh ya, ....and we watched the game.

It was a pretty rowdy bunch, as you can see but no real riots broke out, thank heaven!

I have no idea how little Elsie fell asleep through it all but she sure missed out on one good party!

On the day that you were born...

On the day that you were born
I wondered how I could hold FOUR little boys in my heart all at once...
I wondered how life would change for all of us as we welcomed your new sweet life into ours.

I hoped that you would be healthy and perfect
I hoped that I would be able to see the many things you were sent here to become

On The day that you were born I already loved you
I loved you even more when I felt your skin on mine, your tiny breath on my neck...
I loved your brothers more deeply as they counted your toes and whispered in your ear telling you all the things that they were going to teach you
I loved your daddy with thoughts that I cannot put into words, he is my everything.
Babies are magical that way... they bring those deep feelings from the bottom of your heart up to the surface  They are a reminder of everything good and tender and with them, they bring a piece of heaven

On the day that you were born I was part of a little miracle...YOU
On the day that you were born my life changed forever, already a mother... but now YOUR mother

One year ago today... on the day that you were born
I couldn't imagine the happiness, the intensity of  love and pure joy that is now ours, because we have YOU.

Happy Birthday to my ONE year old boy...

For Oliver's birthday we sang Happy Birthday to him every chance we got.  He grinned every time! I couldn't keep from kissing my birthday boy practically every minute of the day, if only those kisses could slow time.  We also celebrated by going to soccer games all night and eating dinner on the run.  It was sort of a crazy day and I felt guilty because I had nothing special planned until next week.  Just before bed time we frosted a cupcake (made earlier in the day for Evan's class party at school) we added some sprinkles and lit the candle as we sang for the last time "Happy birthday to you"  Oliver is no stranger to goodies and the fire only kept him mesmerized for a few seconds. He was grunting and reaching and couldn't wait to get his hands on the cake.  We cheered for him as he ate all of the frosting and them crumbled the cake into a million pieces.

 A pretty perfect ending to a birthday in his opinion, I'm sure

Next week we will have a real celebration...a birthday bash for both of my littles who were born just a week apart this month...


... Happy birthday sweet  Oliver!