I Might Have Cried When They Sang at Church Today

Daisy, I love when you are sucking your thumb and you smile, because you have to smile around your thumb and it is just cute.



Robyn, you find all the cool games on the computer and I love when June has to ask you how to get there, because it reminds me that we second-borns know what's up too.



June, you are just a little me walking around. This is especially obvious when I hear you say things like, "Will you two knock it off!" when Ivory and Robyn are fighting. I hope you pick up my good traits along with my bad ones.



Ivory, someone told me tonight that you look just like me, and it made my day.

My Mom

Roses are Red
Violets are blue
If I had your talent
Then this would rhyme

This Mother's Day, I would like to highlight something about my mother that I LOVE. She is incredibly blessed with the ability to write anything and everything. It could be a story, song, or poem; it all sounds great. When they talk about God-given talents, I know that the Lord gave her this one and she has NOT disappointed him by hiding it away. My whole life she was quick to think up fun little rhymes. Then as I got older, she made songs and longer poems. Now she has even written her own play and short stories. Why she hasn't written a novel is beyond me. I admire her ability beyond words (ha ha). I told her I want a copy of all the stuff she has written to show my children someday (I still want that Mom...you are not off the hook yet).

You are a great mom, but I just wanted you to know that one of my favorite things about you is your gift with words.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
No one gives life
To words like you

Unconditional Love

What would the world be like if we all loved like children do? They seem to look past faults and forgive quickly.

Ivory was lying on my lap the other morning and we were watching cartoons. Her head was across my legs, pillowed on my fluffy bathrobe. She paused a moment and I could tell something wasn't right. She pushed aside my plush bathrobe and put her head on my dry, scaly, hairy legs and let out a sigh of contentment. Then during the show, she paused every now and then to run her finger over my callused toes. She sat there and loved me without ever passing a judgment.

In tens years I can hear my girls more likely say things like:

"Mom, don't you ever shave your legs anymore, ew!"

"Looks like it's time for another pedicure."

or

"I know we live in a desert, but there is lotion for that alligator skin."

But for now, I will accept the sweet love of a child and try to remember to model my own love after hers.

My Date Last Night

My friend Tricia bought us tickets to see Thoroughly Modern Millie and then she got sick. Well, I guess she remained sick, since she was sick before. Either way...huge bummer. So, she told me to take someone else. I was going to take Tyler, but that involved calling a babysitter, so instead, I took Robyn.

It was a bit long for a five year old, but she loved parts of it; especially the part where I bought her candy at intermission. She was really good and sat still through the whole thing and only asked about nine times if it was over. Afterward she claimed to LOVE it, but I think part of that was just the smugness of me taking her instead of June.

She makes me laugh though. She is at that age where she repeats random things she hears and sometimes they fit in the scenario and sometimes not. Last night as were leaving the house , we had this moment.

Me: Are you all ready to go see the play?

Robyn: Duty calls.

_____________

Then as we were crossing the parking lot to go inside, she was doing her usual.

Robyn: Step on a crack, and you'll fall and break your back.

Step on a line and you'll fall and break your spine.

Step on a rock and you'll fall and break your Spock (She must feel that I am ready to see the new movie).

Step on the grass and you'll fall and break...

Me: Uh...Robyn...

Robyn: ...your mass.

Me: Phew.

Good Old Fashioned Picnic

Saturday it rained all morning and I was thinking that perhaps it wasn't the best day to schedule a ward picnic. However, by 5:30, it was chipper outside and ended up being perfect weather for the gathering. The previous weather brought the numbers down a bit, but our family had a blast regardless.

June picked me every weed flower she could find, as usual.



I think she single handedly could clean a yard of dandylions (I will rent her out for $10 an hour—sorry, she doesn't get them at the roots).

There was a three-legged race. This brought back great memories from my childhood. I was the three-legged race champion with Jamie Johnson (I finally remembered her name...it took me a while). The girls had fun.



Tyler and I were taken out by another couple (read: knocked over on purpose). This wouldn't have mattered except that our legs were taped together and we ripped right through it. We were naturally the couple to beat so the others resorted to drastic measures. I'm kidding, of course. Not about our competitive nature...that is fine and healthy, but I don't think anyone feels threatened by us.

The weather did catch us off guard at one point. Turns out it was raining babies.



Tyler took care of it though.

While I was off taking pictures, Robyn won the ball toss. I didn't realize until later that I caught her win on film (can I say film when it is all digital?)



It was a pleasant evening overall. Too bad they never played football. We could have sent in our star quarterback.

Can't You Hear Me S.O.S?

I need HELP!

Rynell and Cindy tagged me on Facebook with a note, "15 books." I liked reading their picks but I realized that I hadn't read many of them. I profess to be a reader and yet there is MUCH out there that I have yet to read (okay, I am taking into account the fact that there are billions of books out there and I can never read them all—I just mean there are more I could be reading than I am right now).

Add to that, that I am reading Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. It is a book about real (meaning they each have character development) women who get together each month in a book club.

I love it!

I need a book club.

I need women like you, Rynell and Cindy, who choose great inspiring books for me to read. And I need the motivation to get them done by a certain time because with kids, cooking, Wii, crosstitching, sleeping, cleaning, blogging, etc., I sometimes don't pick up a book for a while.

I need to read.

I love to read.

So here is my S.O.S. going out. I want intelligent women (meaning you all), but women who love to read as well. It doesn't have to be once a month, but it could be. We could get together once every two months; I know schedules are busy. But I realize how much I miss reading a good book and then discussing it with multiple opinions. You know you need this too (some of you). So let's do something about it.

Promises

The promise of apples



The promise of growing up



The promise of walking



The promise of friendships



The promise of continued trials



The promise of art and creativity



The promise of seeing life through different eyes