My cup overflows...

This is my princess. I could talk for days about the joy and blessing she is and what she means to me. I won’t, but I could. She is growing and maturing so much, so quickly. There is no “baby” left in her. And though that saddens me, I love watching her grow and learn. She’s helpful. She takes care of Cale, she likes to help me with chores. She loves t-shirts and shopping. She’s opinionated and head strong. She has a thought about everything and talks all day. I mean all day. Sometimes at night, while she’s still talking my brain simply checks out and she goes, “Mom, hey mom! Are you listening to me!” It wears me out, literally. I think she’s beautiful and not just because she’s mine. Sometimes when I look at her it takes my breath away and I can’t believe that someone that looks like that came from me…she’s angelic. She has an attitude, she talks back. That should be fun in about 10 years. She loves the Lord. She understands things about her Heavenly father that I didn’t grasp until I was a teenager. She’s smart. She’s precious. While we were outside today she said, “Momma, God made today perfect. Sometimes, it’s hot and sometimes it’s cold. But today He did good.” She makes my heart swell. She doesn’t miss a thing. She sees more detail in things I don’t even notice. She asks questions all the time, all day. We have left the “why” stage and she now wants to know things that require me to think, explain or even google. Most days I feel like I’m on repeat with “I don’t know .” Some of the things I don’t know are: Why didn’t God make mermaids real? Do ducks have ears? Do cats and dogs cry? What happened to all the animals in the sea when God sent the flood? (Obviously, they weren’t negatively affected.) Why do we have storms? Do snakes eat bugs? Do all bees sting? Are bees afraid of snakes? Basically, anything to do with animals. Why do people pierce their lips? Does God like that? How does a tattoo never come off? I could go on. She will tell you something and will repeat it until she gets a response. You could be looking directly at her, but if you don't acknowledge her with actual sound she just repeats it. She still dresses up. She is obsessed with belts and high-heeled boots. She loves to sing. She loves to dance. It’s too early to tell if either of those will be her God-given gifts. Though I cry whenever she does either of those, but then again I am mom. She starts kindergarten in the fall, I’m going to miss her terribly…I’m not ready to talk about that yet. She keeps me in line, she doesn’t forget anything, except picking up her clothes and shoes. She’s messy. She’s full of compassion and passionate. Dramatic, she is very dramatic. And, a band-aid still fixes about anything. She likes taking care of people and telling them what to do. I thank the Lord for her several times a day.

This is my prince. We went outside today. As we were walking down the stairs he stopped, looked at me, held up his hand. I grabbed it and he said, “I got you mom.” I knew he did. You know, I’m the mom, I’m the adult. And, I don’t know what it was about my baby saying the he’s “got me” that gave me such comfort. But, it did. I always heard that the relationship between a mother and a son was very special. Before I had one of my own I didn’t understand that. And in the spirit of honesty and transparency I’m going to say that I thought it was weird. People would always tell me, “boys really love their mommas.” Ok. Girls really love their mommas too. Ella "really"  loves me. I’m almost 30 and I still need my mom so what does that mean. I never really said anything…sometimes the good Lord gives us the good sense not to say every dumb thought that comes to our mind and those would be the times that I would exercise that gift. But, I get it now. I can’t explain it, but I understand. And, I’m going to jump on the “boys love their mommas” train. And, I’m thankful for it! The Lord has AWESOME ways of teaching and showing us the things we don’t understand. Cale is humble. He is quick to apologize and say he is sorry. He won’t go to bed mad or let you be mad. When he gets in trouble he says “I’m sorry” quicker than anybody I’ve ever known. He gets that from Matt. I’m not afraid to admit it and I’m glad he’s that way. He is very loving. He cuddles and plays with my hair and says, “I likey hair.” It melts my heart. The very next second he’s throwing something at Ella or pinching her. He has a mean streak. He’s passionate and determinated, but not too proud to ask for help when he needs it. My prayer is that we can fuel his passions for His glory. The guy from DirecTV was here the other day. He looked at Cale then looked back at me and said, "He looks like he could get in some trouble." He has no idea. Cale loves food, all food. That should also be fun in about 10 years. When he eats he gives you hugs and pats you the whole time. Meals are a very friendly time at our house. He loves t-shirts too and changing clothes…I thank Ella for that one. He loves Cars and Toy Story…all things Cars and Toy Story. When he sees something in a store that he likes he hugs it and says, “I yub him.” He’ll sit and watch an entire movie. He loves outside. He only sits to watch a movie otherwise he's perpetual motion. He attracts dirt like a magnet, but does not want it on his hands. He’s afraid of bugs…for now. He likes to dress up in Ella’s heels and carry his Hot Wheels in her fur purse, which he calls a "puhs." It sounds British. He likes boots like daddy’s. He’s tough, but tender and a pack of fruit snacks will fix about anything. He touches EVERYTHING. He puts everything in his mouth. He eats dirt, touches toilets and ironically is the least sick of all of us. He is Matt from head to toe. They are built the same, walk the same, stand the same, like the same things. He has no interest in potty training. I’m not seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. He flat out does not want to use the potty other than to swirl things around in it or flush it. I love when he says, “I yub boo, mom.” I hope I never forget what that sounds like.

They test my patience and frustrate me to the core. But, they give me more joy and fill my heart with gladness. My cup overflows...daily.

Happy Easter, He is Risen!!

"Was it a morning like this,

When my Lord looked out On Jerusalem?

He is risen, alleluia, alleluia."

We had a wonderful Easter. Rick Burgess delivered an amazing sermon at our church, I couldn't put into appropriate words how beautiful the weather was the entire day and we had some very special friends come over and spend the day with us. The kids had a great time, as did we, and after such a productive day we all slept very well!



These are terrible pictures, but the content is good! Ella and Cale wake up so happy, EVERY morning...I'm not a morning person, but waking up to this is nothing short of joyful!!

Easter surprises!

Ella loving her cat purse:)

Cale looking through his goodies...

She is getting so big and I am so thankful for her and all she is:)

Ella and Cale before church on Resurrection Sunday!!

My sweetest blessings...

Thank you Lord for my family, we are blessed!

Cale, Ella, Grayson and Hayes

Ella and Grayson....they are SUCH. SWEET. FRIENDS!! He is such the gentleman with her:)

My handsome men!

The Easter egg hunt!

Kids after they hunted eggs!

They spent the rest (most) of the afternoon fishing...

When all else fails and the fish don't bite from the dock...try the boat!?!

I couldn't end this post without mentioning a pretty major milestone...as of this Easter Ella no longer believes in the Easter bunny. Matt and I have been back and forth about the issue for some time and this morning it was just inevitably going to come out. Ella has this thing about "lying." For example, one time she asked me if we could go outside. I told her after they got up from their nap we would. Well, when they woke up it was POURING down rain and we obviously couldn't go. So, she told me I lied. I tried to explain to her that I didn't lie, but that I just didn't know that it was going to rain. Had I known, I wouldn't have told her we would go. My dilemma was that I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't want her to be disappointed that the "bunny" wasn't real. My fear was that if she thought I lied about the Easter bunny she would think we lied about Jesus and that I couldn't handle. So, after some discussion with Matt and of course prayer the opportunity presented itself. There were some items in her basket that apparently according to her only I would have known to get her. So, when she asked if I got them, we told her the truth. She handled it well, I was proud of her. We explained to her that there were still a lot of kids that did believe in the Easter bunny and it was their mommy and daddy's job to tell them the truth, so she didn't need to go to church or school and announce that information to all of them. When I picked her up from her Sunday school class her teacher looked at me with a grin, leaned in closely and said, "Your daughter is so cute. She told me this morning that 'my mommy is the Easter bunny'." So, I'm happy to announce that it didn't ruin her! She will continue to get a basket and we can keep the focus on the fact that our Savior rose....It's a win-win!

Wrapping up 2011...fashionably late

Last time I took such a long hiatus from blogging I was pregnant with Cale...that's not the case here. Time just got away from me so we'll play catch-up as quickly as I can.

The Christmas Angel came to our house this year. Some friends of ours created this product to help families restore the "true" meaning of Christmas.

The kids were ecstatic when she finally came...they had been waiting. She was such a blessing to our family this year and really helped shape their hearts for giving and doing for others. Matt and I were extremely pleased!

She would visit randomly at night and leave us messages of what she wanted us to do. She told us to do things like, make Christmas cards for some special people, bake cookies for your neighbor or fire dept., share with your brother, pray for someone else and my personal favorite, give some toys to those in need!

Ella was in the Christmas parade this year with her dance studio. The rest of us were as well, but solely for "moral" support! The kids LOVED it:)
Ella and mommy before the parade:)

Our small group at church had a "Tacky" Formal Christmas Party this year...these are the girls!
The "tacky king" and his court. Matt got 1st runner-up. Not gonna lie, he was disappointed, but he didn't let it ruin the night;) Obviously, we had a great time!!

Aren't we lovely???

MeMe, PaPa and Uncle Josh visited us the week before Christmas! We always enjoy spending time with them. Let me introduce you to Cowboy Woody and Hello Dolly!!

Santa came!

Ella and Cale opening presents on Christmas morning!

The kiddos before church on our Savior's birthday before leaving to go to Honey and Boppas.
Uncle John came home with us from Honey and Boppas and stayed a few days after Christmas till he had to fly back to Utah. We love when we get to visit with him and don't get to nearly enough since he moved out there a year ago.

So, that wraps up the last of 2011 in a nutshell!! It was a great year and so far 2012 has been a blast...but, who could ever be bored with those precious faces!?! I'll try to do better at keeping up with what is going on in our lives...though I'm NOT promising! Stay tuned on some of our February events:)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Today is a very special day, our daddy's birthday!! We are so thankful for this day and we are so thankful for our daddy! Thank you, Matt for being a shining example of what it looks like to be a Godly man and father to me and our children! Happy Birthday, we love you today!

"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

7 years yesterday...

Yesterday, Matt and I celebrated our 7-year anniversary! I can't believe it's been 7 years, but at the same time I can't remember a time with out him either. I told him yesterday I guess we've clearly passed the "newly wed" stage...frankly, we probably drove passed that exit about 5 years and 2 kids ago, but I never really thought about it. I think as a married couple we are "seasoned"! We've grown so much, mostly spiritually. Now, obviously, he has the ability to make me more mad than anybody ever should and more happy than anybody else ever could. As a father, he is attentive, caring, loving, concerned, stern and fun. As a husband, he is considerate, thoughtful, decisive, mature, loving, humble and kind. As a provider and spiritual leader he is successful! I thank God for him and to be his wife everyday. I'm thankful to share my life with him! I prayed for someone like Matt for a long time. The Lord not only answered that prayer, but gave me much more than I even asked for. If you had asked me 7 years ago what life would look like...well, I only hoped it would look like this! Looking forward to many more anniversaries, arguments, prayers, trials, happinesses, laughs and dreams!!

Fall festival...

We were traveling on Halloween, but the night before we went to the Fall Festival at MeMe and PaPa's church. Here are my fancy kitten and precious puppy!!

Riding the miniature horses...this was both of their favorites!!

The bouncy house!!

Peek-a-boo, puppy!!

Right before our eyes...

Ella is 5!!!!!!! I. Am. SO. Behind!! My baby girl turned 5 on October 29th and it is way passed that, but in my defense we were in South Carolina for her birthday and I didn't have access to blog. I may never forgive myself for my lateness, but let me assure it has NOTHING to do with how much I love her...it's just been a whirl wind around here and it takes a small lifetime to upload pictures on this thing. However, enough of my excuses and here are some pics of her very special day:)

And, we broke down...she got a Justin Bieber ring!
She was UBER excited about her pink, fringe mocassin boots...can you tell!?!

The AWESOME cake that Diaunt made...Ella was ecstatic!!

Momma and the birthday girl! I must say, parties are MUCH less stressful when you are not the one planning it;)

Precious family and sweet friends that helped us celebrate the day!

Coloring after a very special day!!






A HUGE thank you to MeMe and PaPa for hosting such a wonderful party for such a special little girl! We were so thankful to spend it with family and friends in South Carolina!! It was a success:)