Write It Down...

4 years ago, I had a desire to start a little journal for my kids. I was pregnant with my second, and was unsure of what the future would hold for me. I wanted to have something the kids and my husband could read in the future... I wanted them to remember the things that I saw, felt, thought were funny, cried about.  Little things I wish I could ask my Momma about. These are a few of the things I've written over the years. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. xo
PS: Mullets are hilarious...

2007: I walked into the front room and saw Ella giving Jesus a drink from her sippy cup. (It was a ceramic figurine of him kneeling) It was so sweet, she said he was "thirsty".
2008: I asked Ella what she was looking at 2 different times, she said: "An angel and a dog". We think it was Andys brother that died of Leukemia when he was a kid, and their dog Buffy that had passed as well.
2009: I was reading a book about Jesus to Ella.  She said; "Mom, why does Jesus have marks on his hands and feet? I don't like bad guys all of the time." I started to cry, because of her pure heart, and the picture we were looking at did not have any marks that you could see on his feet or hands...
* One day I tapped Ella on her shoulder.  I asked her, "who tapped it?"  She said "Jesus"! I laughed aloud!
* Ella and her cousin Jackson were playing together, I heard her tell him; "You're my best friend!" They still are today.
* Today Ella said she wanted to wear "Brown" like "Nephi!"
* I asked Ella if she needed a napkin at dinner, she said: "I don't need a napkin, I have a long mouth like Daddy!"
2010: I'm so happy I have Noah to help me go to the bathroom...he is always there to flush it for me when I'm finished! What would I do without him?
* Today Ella told me I had a big bum, because I didn't need to hold onto the toilet with my hands!
* Noah loves Ellas hair! He pulls it every chance he can get, he is mesmerized by it! We don't know how to stop him...he loves teasing and irritating her!
* I was helping Ella get dressed, the shirt she was wearing was to long so I tucked it in. She looked at it and said: "I look like a Grandpa!", and un-tucked the shirt!
* Ella told me we should make a vegetable cake for my Birthday!
*  One day Bonnie and I were downstairs and we saw Noah holding onto the railing while walking down the stairs! We were both shocked! He never crawled down the stairs again, only walked. He is so eager, and quick to learn.
* Ella told me she wanted a pillow pet for Christmas. She said they were machine washable, and I could get them on pillowpets.com! Just like the commercial!
2011: The kids were playing in the pool, Noah kept splashing Ella. She kept saying: ETR, ETR! I finally figured out she was saying CTR!
* When getting ready to go outside and play in the snow, Noah kept asking me to put on his "glubs", for gloves! He still says it that way! I just can't correct him, it's to cute!
* Ella started asking when her Birthday would be...keep in mind this was the day after she had her Birthday party! She has asked me about a thousand times since then!
2012: Ella told us at breakfast one morning that she was on a "special" diet...a moment later she said: "I have cancer like Mommy." My heart broke...IamgettingbetterElla.I.Love.You.
* Noah's new saying to everything is: "Easy peazy lemon squeezy!"
* Noah told me he could still speak "baby anguage" (launguage).
* Ella wondered why she only got $1 from the tooth fairy, and not 5 nickels and a quarter like her cousin Jackson?
* Ella came up to me today and told me she had a special surprise to show me. She made my bed, her brothers, and hers! It was so sweet!

Worth it...

Tonight I was lucky...I had a house full of kids. Oh, they were wild, but were having so much fun. They played hard, running, jumping, skipping, riding bikes, trying to talk louder then the person talking at the time, imagining. At dinner, everyone wanted to say the prayer...I mean every kid. I picked a number and whispered it in Andys ear. Each kid took a guess, the number was picked, and he was SO happy to pray.  And, I was happy. After dinner and clean up, more play. Upstairs, downstairs, backyard, the garage, they were running past me. I really don't think kids walk very much...mine seem to run everywhere they go! So many places to be, and things to do. Tonight I had Bat Man at my house, Spider Man, Thor, and several Princesses. I watched sword fighting, monsters fighting, baby kittens meowing, and best friends playing. I witnessed sharing, trading of treats, bargaining of toys, yelling, occasional bickering, and then making up.  All of this was accompanied by the Scooby Doo music playing in the background, from a movie that seemed to be getting louder each moment. I wiped faces, gave out snacks, (even as early as 20 minutes after dinner!) held hands to go up stairs, kissed cheeks, held a sweet baby and rocked him in my arms, picked up toys, sang a lullaby...and, I was happy...and it was chaotic, and I was tired at the end of the night, but I was living, and I am so happy to do it. It's totally worth every second. I can't wait until next time...

Sweet Whispers

My sister always teases me about the way I put my kids to bed. She thinks it takes FOREVER! I on the other hand, LOVE our bed time routine. We get in our pj's (me included) and pick out an outfit for the next day. This helps the kids get dressed quicker in the morning. Brush our teeth, etc. We meet in my baby girls room...and we each take a turn telling each other our "favorite" part of the day.  It's so fun to hear what the kids come up with...seeing Daddy come home, playing with friends, being outside, being together. We get to share one thing, but it usually ends up being many, many things. Scriptures are read, prayers are said, and it's time to be tucked in. I take my baby boy into his room, and he snuggles up with his "baby". It is a little white lamb, named lambie (which is permanently gray, and has been washed a thousand times...to no avail)! I sing him a couple of lullabies, and rub his back. He holds my hand. I tell him I love him, give him many kisses, and say goodnight. I then walk into my baby girls room, she snuggles with her "baby", which ironically is a lamb as well, but is still the same color it was when we got it years ago! There are such big differences between boys and girls! We talk about her day, then she asks me to sing her lullabies. She tells me she just CAN'T go to sleep without her lullabies! I kiss her a thousand times and say goodnight till morning...They fall asleep.
During the next few hours, before I go to bed.  I check on them 5 or 6 times, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and peek in on them to! What am I doing? I kiss their sweet cheeks, cradle their faces..., put their heads back on their pillows, adjust their blankets, watch them dream. When I tip toe in I whisper in their ears "You are special, I love you, You are beautiful, You are my princess, You are my prince, Tomorrow will be a good day, You are a good boy, good girl, I love you, I'm so happy you're my baby, (My daughter asks me if she will still be my baby when she is old like me, I tell her yes, of course!)  I pray for them to have good dreams, and pray they will remember the things I'm telling them., because they are true! That they will know they are special, and adored...that their Momma loves them so much.  As I watch them sleep, I know that I am the luckiest Momma alive. xo