Mother’s Day & Hubbies B-day

Every once in awhile, Paul’s birthday lands on Mother’s Day.  We get to share our special day! (now I know how our girls and other twins feel on their b-day).  I admit, it took a little getting used to earlier in our marriage, since we both wanted some pampering that day, but now I love it.  It’s double the celebration, and what a great Mother’s Day gift Paul was to his mom being born on Mother’s Day. 

Nothing better then homemade cards from your kids! 

Not sure who was teasing who here, but love their smiles and sense of humor!

Trevor gave me a great card and an “IOU”.  He surprised me with a beautiful designer bowl he made in his ceramics class (waiting to be fired).  So pretty and a great keepsake! I use it to hold my jewelry each night.  Thanks Trevor for the very thoughtful gift!

Sophie and Sage got me a Sippy Cup.  Yup, my very own Mommy’s Sippy Cup.  I use it all the time.

 

They know what I like… homemade cards and chocolate.  We encouraged the kids to keep the gifts simple, since our main gifts were nice quality mountain bikes for the family.  Trevor made the school’s Mountain Biking Team (yahoo!) and with all the great trails around, we decided to do it as a family.  A great family activity while getting your workout in, that’s my kind of exercise!

Happy Birthday Dad!  Hmmm… wonder if Sage was thinking about Dad’s pancakes when she chose a spatula?

 

Sophie knows her dad is the Grilling King, so her gift was a knife to cut the meat.  Trevor got him some of his favorite treats (love the wrapping blanket ;) 

Happy Birthday Dad, You’re the Best!!!

Nice surprise, beautiful Lillie's delivered on Saturday!  Totally brightened my kitchen and made my day, thanks for still dating me baby!

It was a delightful day going to my parents for dinner.  One of those rare occasions we had them to ourselves, such nice visits.  We made a yummy Pork Loin and they did the sides and dessert, even made a cake for Paul!  Then an enjoyable visit with Paul’s mom and Uncle Mike.  (wish I took a few pictures)  

Hoping everyone had a good Mother’s Day!  I know it’s not always a favorite holiday (as a mom, I get that and feel that at times), but best wishes for the wonderful mom’s in our lives and celebrating the best job ever- Motherhood! 

Paul’s B-day and Mother’s Day

Yup, have to combine posts to keep up, not easy to find blog time lately.  This is one of the busier months with Josh graduating, mission around the corner, girls soccer tournaments, end of year programs/activities, a few birthdays (haven’t even finished my cruise posts yet, coming)...  Can’t complain though, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Paul’s Birthday landed on the day before Mother’s Day this year (Yay, we don’t have to share our pampering!)

Saturday morning he was able to sneak away to watch the girls soccer game downtown, luckily near his work.  I’ll post later about the amazing game (someone got a hat trick, any guesses?), but he was so glad he got to see it, since he usually has to work during their games.

 

That evening we stole him from work and enjoyed a nice dinner at a favorite Chinese Restaurant.  The girls enjoyed a Pizza, Movie night with Grandma (thanks mom)

Then a treat for my honey, off to Abravenal Hall to enjoy a great concert from “ThePianoGuys” with John Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson.   We kept it a surprise, Paul didn’t know until we were seated what we were seeing.  It was fabulous!  We thoroughly enjoyed their talent, humor, and beautiful music.  Alex Boye joined and sang his famous Coldplay Peponi song.  If you haven’t heard it, you must here.  It was a great night out with my boys and their awesome dad, Happy Birthday Pauly!

Nothing better then breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day.  I even enjoyed the crunchy egg and extra thick smoothie, all made with love.  They’re the best!

 

Happy Mother’s Day VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Homemade cards, decorated towels with coupons (girls), hand carved butterfly, beads (Josh), and a necklace (Trevor) that looked vaguely familiar, from my jewelry stash when I had my jewelry business, hee, he.  It was perfect.  Thanks family for making this day so special.  So sweet to hear my girls sing in church today with their Activity Day group (I Often, Go Walking)! 

 

Then off to see Paul’s mom, she liked the beautiful picture of Christ hugging her mother, Mary.  I bought it during Women’s Conference so the artist signed it.

 

Mother, Daughter VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

So blessed with a wonderful mother that has taught me much in life and is always there for me!

Josh tuned Grandma’s Ukulele, pretending we’re in Hawaii

Motherhood matters!  There is nothing more important then what we do with our children here and now.

Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day, including those who mentor and love others children (we have many of those in our lives)

Happy Mother’s Day

To all the great mother’s out there.  Most the blogs I visit seem like fabulous moms! 

And to my beautiful mom- compassionate, fun-loving mother.  One who sacrificed and worked hard as a single mom, who took the time to play with us, to teach us, raised us in the gospel, who never gossiped or openly judged others and taught us to do the same.  I like you (interrupted by Sage, she snuck that I like you in while I walked away for a minute, thought I’d keep it :)

It was a nice mother’s day.  Sophie, my morning girl, snuck in early while I was in the shower and asked if she could make some popcorn for her and Sage (who was still sleeping).  I said, aren’t you supposed to make me breakfast in bed?  She got this serious look on her face and guiltily said, “I’m not used to that yet.”  I grinned and said it’s really ok.  The next thing I knew I was surprised with this interesting breakfast.  Her and Trevor put some thought in this, choosing some of my favorite foods/snacks arranged into a sun shape, then they decided it’s a flower.  It made my morning.

We rushed off to church and enjoyed some great talks on Mother’s, young Camry gave a sweet tribute to her mom.  It was my first week teaching Relief Society, and although I’m not a fan of public speaking, it seemed to have gone well,  many nice comments.  I prepared like crazy, felt good about it, overcame my nerves, relied on the Lord, received great input from the women, a few tears from some, and the spirit was strong.  I’m thankful for this calling to teach and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.     

a little attitude from the girls

Fun with Josh

Paul asked what I wanted for dinner, BBQ’d baby back ribs, and he delivered.  Delicious!  Thanks baby, the greatest BBQ’r and awesome husband!

My neighbor friend brought this adorable apron over and wished me a Happy Mother’s Day.  Thanks Jen!

Then off to Grandma’s…

Glad she has a sense of humor my girls and their rabbit ears :).  She’s a great Grandma with our big crew, always relaxed, loving,  and welcoming, a part of each of their lives.  They sure love their Grandma’s!  both  (Sorry Nick, I wasn’t looking through the view finder for that pic, my bad, you didn’t really need that right ear though)

The plaque says “Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is Pure Love.”  We also got her a nice CD she’ll enjoy.

My mom also does so much.  Always planning and preparing family get togethers full of food and fun, the life of the party.  Compassionate and always sacrificing for others.  We’re thankful for our wonderful moms!   

I love the goings on of raising a family.  The teaching, the training, and all I learn from them.  Helping them succeed in school and church, and seeing their joy when they do.  My children, and their dad, bring me so much joy.  Thanks for a great Mother’s Day!   

Two of my favorite quotes this year…

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.”  ~Lin Yutang

“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”  ~Oprah Windfrey

Hope your Mother’s Day was great!

One Lucky Mom!

Keepsake card from Sophie, her nice primary teachers took the picture! 

 

Love the necklace Trevor gave me, it looks very familiar.  Trevor took over my jewelry business now that I’m working elsewhere :).  He’s quite the salesman and entrepreneur, he’s sold to half his class at school (during recess) & his neighbor friends for Mothers Day.  He’s saving up for his 5th grade Washington DC trip this summer.

The earrings may be big and hideous, but I wore them proudly- thanks Trevor!

It was a delightful Mothers Day.  At first I had to force myself to make it great…  After a busy week I woke up with a headache (don’t get those often), and still had a lot to do before church- updating our Primary for our new presidency and helping Sage finalize the talk she was giving (Trevor gave one too), then finishing up on Grandma’s gifts.  It didn’t take long before it really was a great day, seeing all the cute things my kids were doing for me, how could it not be?  It started last night while tucking the girls in Sophie excitedly asked- “are you excited?”  “Of course”.  They get more excited to pamper mom then getting pampered themselves.  They got up early and with Dad overseeing, made my favorite multi-grain pancakes with Blue Agave.  They did a quick but thorough clean up so I can enjoy a clutter free beautiful breakfast.  We got everything done, then off to church.  The highlight was the Primary kids singing, it was darling.  Sophie and Sage actually sang this time, and this is Trevor’s last time before he moves on to Young Men’s.  So cute how they all look at me with their big smiles while singing, singing just to mom :).   Trevor and Sage gave talks in primary, brought tears to my eyes.   They did great!

 

The only thing that would make this day better would be adding more hours t0 the day, especially if you don’t get out of church until 4pm, sorry moms.  It was nice seeing everyone and wishing our Moms a Happy Mothers Day.  My mom loved her new designer bag & scarf, and cute personalized mug from the kids.  Mom B. liked her mug and flowers, and we brought over a yummy peach homemade pie w/ vanilla bean ice-cream to enjoy with them.  Fun times, the kids sure love their Grandma’s and Uncle Mike!   

I’m thankful for my teenage boys also today- jumping up to help out with whatever they saw was needed, taking over so I can relax (what’s that? relax?), and opening the door for me, etc.  The thoughtful little things mean so much, especially from big teenage boys. 

Here’s a part of Trevor’s talk, hope it’s always deserved!

His talk was on gratitude…  One thing I am grateful for is mothers.  That is a good topic today because today is Mother’s Day.  Mothers do and give us many things.  We would not even be here if it weren’t for our mothers.  Mothers teach us, care for us, play with us and most of all love us.  In my opinion, my mother is one of the great ones.  She is a very talented and patient woman, you can tell because she has 5 kids, a job as a designer, takes care of our new dog, helps us with our homework, cooks our meals, and still makes time to play with us.  That is why I think she’s the best.   

 Then he went on and talked about Heavenly Father and Jesus, I’d like to add it because he shared his testimony….   My second example is Heavenly Father and Jesus.  It was Heavenly Father’s plan that allowed us to come to earth, get our bodies, learn and grow, and return to Him.  Jesus, our older brother, is the one who made it possible for us to be resurrected and able to return to our Heavenly Father.  The gospel teaches us all we need to know to make this happen.  He gave us prophets, scriptures, and teachers to help us learn as we grow.  I am grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus because all that we have comes from them.   

OK, give me a tissue.  It made my day, all of it did.  I was definitely counting my blessings, all six of them.  Hope all the mothers & women had a wonderful Mother’s Day surrounded by loved ones. 

Happy Mother's Day...

"Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life." ~Sophocles

Sophie and her new potato bug pet, for a few minutes anyway :)

Stop and smell the tulips, wish they were fragrant

"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Trev being goofy

I Love You Mom.

Uncle Mike enjoying his neices, they think he's very cool!

They made my day today!

Trevor and the girls had it all planned and scheduled, on paper- Breakfast in bed my choice, gifts, church, visit G & G's, & play mom's favorite game. It all happened but the favorite game. I had important directions to stay in bed this morning until they came... oh ya, I could get used to this! It was so sweet, he had things set out the night before with a note saying "don't touch", my favorite was the bowl full of fresh fruit.

They couldn't wait to give me the cards & gifts they made and hid until this morning. The homemade pop-up cards were charming, the painted rock paper weight is a keepsake from Trevor, and my heart melted when I read "You are my best friend" on the card Sage made me. Josh gave a talk today in church about "what my mother has taught me", it brought tears to my eyes, he's such a good kid and I'm grateful for the compliments on his behalf. They (my kids) always make me want to be better. Then he and Nick took over Sharing Time in Primary so the ladies could attend a special Relief Society Meeting for Mother's Day put on by the young women. It was very nice, the perfect ending of my afternoon. Thanks for the pampering.

Then off to see both Grandma's. Things can get a little crazy at Grandma's, I had to be the mean mom and say no more sugar! We all had a good time and they are so great with our kids. I have great mothers in my life (my mom & MIL) and I hope to possess the qualities I see in both of them. I'm so blessed to be a mom! My heart is full, I love my children dearly, and of course their wonderful dad.

Happy Mother's Day to all, whether you're a mom or not, we can all mother children. A big hug to those striving to have children, or know they can't bear their own. And to those waiting in the unpredictable adoption process, Mother's Day can be difficult. You're big day will come and you'll never want to look back.

"No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother's love."
~Edwin Hubble Chapin