Memories, not messes

Today I learned a great lesson as a mother. Peter is gone all week to a medical conference in Chicago and I was busy trying to get dinner on the table, clean up the house a bit, take care of Colin, and keep Megan happy. We went outside to play while dinner finished cooking and I turned on the sprinkler to water a brown patch of lawn. Despite my repeated requests to stay away from the water since dinner was close and I didn't want to have to change her clothes, Megan just couldn't resist. As I struggled to curb my frustration and impatience, I had a great moment of clarity.

I envisioned Megan as a young woman and then as a young mother facing the challenges of life. It made me want to savor every moment with my children and not worry so much about dinner and cleaning and what is on the calendar for tomorrow. It also gave me a great desire to give my children happy memories. I want them to look back at their childhood with a big smile on their faces. I want to teach them to laugh and love life and embrace all that is good and lovely.

I remembered a story in the Ensign written by a mother who decided not to worry anymore about the hassle and time it takes to create fun memories with your children. The value of memories is greater than the time it takes to scrub dirty clothes or dirty faces. Her motto was that their family didn't make messes; they made memories.

So, I let Megan play in the sprinkler and she had a grand time! We splashed each other for a while and then I let her keep playing while I sat with Colin in the grass and just watched his face as he explored the world around him. I watched his eyes light up each time he heard a new sound. I watched him get excited every time he managed to pull a fistful of grass. And I laughed as I watched his repeated attempts to eat a leaf and the grimace he pulled when he actually tasted it.


These moments are what being a mother, being a parent are all about. Life goes by so quickly. I can't stop it or even slow it down. But I can enjoy every moment and teach my children to do the same.

Yes, I had to change Megan's clothes and clean up the water trail she left behind and dinner was a little cold, but what a small price to pay for such a great memory with my children.

6 months old

It's hard to believe that Colin is already 6 months old. His checkup at the pediatrician went great. He now weighs 17 lbs. 11 oz. and measures 27 inches. He is still such an easy going and good natured baby. His favorite things are reading books, playing with Megan, being tickled by Daddy, and listening to music.

With 6 months of age come a few rites of passage. Colin tried peas for the first time and loved them. He has now added applesauce to his menu and it too was a hit. Since eating is what Colin likes best in all the world, I guess we could assume that he will like anything and everything we put in his mouth.

Colin is also old enough for Megan's old activity center. He quickly learned how to spin himself around in it and loves having access to so many chewable toys.

Trip to Iowa

We spent a three day weekend in Iowa visiting Peter's family. Peter made good use of the trip by taking a trip to the dentist....thanks Jerad!! We had so much fun hanging out with everyone and Megan enjoyed playing with her cousins.

I had to include this picture because I just love my niece Marianna's face! You can't get any cuter than that!!

Friday evening we enjoyed a yummy BBQ outside. We had delicious porkchops and the kids were pretty excited about their brownies and ice cream.

The kids weren't the only ones excited about dessert!

Colin had plenty of snuggling time and loved every minute of it!

We spent Saturday evening picnicking at the park. The kids got even messier than the previous night, but everyone had a great time!

Peter with his sisters Melissa and Stephanie

New Calling

The Bishop told me last Sunday I was going to be released from my calling (what we call an assignment/responsibility in the LDS church) as the CTR 5 teacher in the Primary and I cried all afternoon. I love my kids and I am going to miss them so much! They are eager and bright and so sensitive to the spirit even at their young age.

So today I received a new calling. Compassionate Service Leader in the Relief Society. I was a little surprised because I haven't actually attended Relief Society in about 3 years. I've always been in the Primary or Young Women. The only Relief Society calling I've ever held, besides a short stint as a Visiting Teaching Coordinator in a Singles Ward a decade ago, was as the pianist.

I'm excited about my calling and to find out exactly what I will be doing. Other than arranging meals when there are new babies or funerals, I'm not exactly sure what my calling will entail. From all the comments I received today from other women, I am fairly certain it will require a substantial time commitment, but change is good and I look forward to new opportunities and new challenges.

New Friends

Megan has made a new friend! Jamison and his family moved into the ward a few months ago and these two are in the nursery together. In fact, their birthdays are only two days apart! Megan gets so excited whenever she sees Jamison or even when we just mention his name. They are so cute laughing and playing together. Don't worry - their playdates are always closely supervised by parents!

Jamison's little brother Landon is about the same age as Colin and I have a feeling that these two are going to become great friends as well.

Cute kids

I can't think of any more satisfying feeling as a parent than hearing your children laughing together simply because they love being together!

Clark and Columbus, OH

Two weeks ago, the kids and I drove to Columbus to be with my sister Melissa and her newborn baby Clark for a week while her husband Kevin went to an academic conference in Boston. It was a six-hour drive each way but the kids were great. I probably never would have attempted such a long trip by myself if I didn't already know that they were great car travelers.

So, here is baby Clark...isn't he adorable?

There were so many cute pictures of Colin and Clark together that it was impossible to choose only one. Even though Clark is a lot smaller than Colin now, he will catch up fast. The funny thing is that to me, Clark has a very adult-looking face and in that way
looks older than Colin.

Once Megan realized that Clark was a real baby, she went nuts. It's a good thing we have her trained pretty well to be gentle with Colin because she was all over that baby.

I took Megan to the pool at their apartment complex several times and though she is afraid of big pools in general, she had a great time with these fountains. I had to drag her away kicking and screaming every time it was time to leave. I even managed to convince her to get in the pool with me the last time we went and though she held me in a death grip, there was no screaming.

Megan and Colin are checking out their newest cousin.

I had so much fun hanging out with Melissa and of course, snuggling with little Clark. I even got to feed him his bottle several times as well as read him books and sing some fun songs. I think my efforts have earned me status as the "Favorite Auntie." It's a good thing we're going back for his baby blessing next month so I can maintain this coveted position.

(You can also see how short my hair is now. I chopped it off last month and I think I'm going to keep it short for awhile).

My new toys

I have always thought having a home laminator would be so convenient for all of my scrapbooking, Primary lessons, and crafts/projects for Megan. But all the ones I have seen have been so expensive. Then I found this one at Walmart for $23. I was so delighted when it worked like a charm and laminated my Family Home Evening cutouts perfectly. It is even the hard lamination that will last against almost anything a two year old can do to it (unless it involves scissors!).

My other new toy is an Ipod nano. I wasn't planning on getting one this soon (let's just say Peter talked me into it) but I absolutely love it. I use it mainly for running. I got a workout armband with it and the Ipod is so light I can barely tell that I'm wearing it! I also took it with me on my recent trip to Columbus and it saved me from listening to cooky country radio stations (they seemed to be the only stations available in the rural areas of Ohio). I absolutely love it and I'm having so much fun with it!

Recycling

Last month I was feeling a bit discouraged after reading the news headlines about gas prices and oil shortages. I decided that even though I couldn't fix the world's environmental and energy problems by myself, I could do something to help. I discovered that I could start recycling for only $3.25 a month, and I wouldn't have to sort anything! When I saw the bin they dropped off, I thought it would take us forever to fill it up. Here is what it looked like after one week.

Our little family of four was creating much more garbage than I realized. Now we only have to drag one trash can to the curb each week instead of two. And I have a little twinge of satisfaction every time I throw something into the bin because I feel like I am doing something to help.

Naptime

So, Megan likes to sift through the bathroom drawers and then she carries around the most random stuff in her purses. One day last week she was obsessed with the floss. So much so that she wanted to hold it while taking her nap. I didn't see anything wrong with it so I let her.

About 15 minutes later I heard her laughing hysterically in her crib and went to check on her. This is what I found.

A box of floss: 89 cents. Laughing so hard I cried: priceless.

Dress-up

Megan is definitely a girly girl and loves to play dress up, try on my shoes, and even put on make up. She got some new dress up clothes from Grandma the day she got her cast taken off (did I ever mention she got it off a few weeks ago??) and wears them constantly, especially the boa. What a cutie!

Quick Update

I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long!! I took a week long trip to Columbus to help my sister with her first baby while her husband was out of town. I probably have 7 or 8 posts dating back several weeks that I want to get up including some video and pictures. Now that I have finished Breaking Dawn, the last book in the Twilight series (I read it last night and today while kids were asleep), perhaps I will find some time tomorrow to put up some new posts before Peter's parents come on Friday.