Gratitude

I always knew that having children would change my life. There would be extra mouths to feed, poopy diapers to change, scraped knees to kiss, more clothes to wash, and toys to buy. But I knew I could handle all that -- how hard is it to buy an extra gallon of milk or fold one more load of towels?? The change that I wasn't prepared for was the influence that these small young babies would have on me.

E (3 weeks old)

I always wanted to be a mother. I watched my mom as she would bring home new babies and I just remember loving them. I loved their tiny features and sweet spirits. So I was ecstatic when Jared and I brought home our baby E. I felt lucky to have a hard-working husband, which allowed me to stay home and raise this baby. I remember "ooohing" and "ahhhing" over every little thing he did, feeling so  blessed to be in that moment. I remember times where I would cuddle with him and watch as he stared at the ceiling, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was glimpsing into heaven. The thickness of the Spirit in the room was overwhelming. We had been entrusted with this baby; to raise him and love him and help him. What a daunting, yet fulfilling task we had ahead! Now he is almost 3, and I can't believe how fast time goes.

K (1 week old)

And now as I sit here typing, I stare into the sleepy eyes of our newest addition. Thinking back on all those moments with E, I am now experiencing them all over again -- the "ooohs" and "ahhhs", the gratitude I feel for being a mother, and the occasional glimpses into heaven. Tears stream down my cheeks as I thank my Father in Heaven for these 2 precious boys and pray that I can only grow to be the mother that they need. And while MOST days with an almost-three year old can be taxing and some days I look back on the day and think, "That was a TOTAL fail" -- I am grateful to have these moments to remember and when I sneak in at night and watch my sweet babies sleeping, I am filled with an increased desire to do better, to try harder, and to LOVE MORE.

Quoting Ethan

Ever since Ethan was born, some of my favorite things to read on other blogs are the funny things little kids say. They always give me a good laugh. And as I would read I always wondered when Ethan would start doing the same thing. He's always been a really entertaining kid but over the last few months, he has just exploded into a barrel of laughs. So as a little update to this blog I will share some of my favorites with you.

*Three weeks ago, Ethan learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. I came outside to watch him ride around a little bit with Jared while waiting for a phone call. They were headed to the park at the end of our street when Ethan turned around and said:

E: "Mom, get your bike and ride with us."
Me: "Bud, I'm just going to walk. I'm waiting for a phone call."
E: "Oh okay, well just go make dinner then."

Jared and I both got a good laugh. I've been afraid with this pregnancy that I haven't done the best at cooking dinner, but I guess if Ethan knows my job is to make dinner then maybe I haven't failed as much as I had thought.

*Last weekend we were in Rexburg to celebrate my grandma's birthday. We went to my mom's ward and took Ethan to nursery. He does really well in our ward nursery now so we thought he would do okay. Turns out he had a hard time with leaders and kids he wasn't comfortable with. He cried a few times and they came to get us. Jared went back with him and while he was there, they went on a nature walk outside. While out there, the kids kept saying "Look, there's a pinecone" or "I see the grass". All the sudden Ethan said, "Let's find an animal that starts with the letter D". Jared said he couldn't stop laughing. We have been working on his letter sounds and what things start with different letters. He now walks around the house saying "Ball starts with B" or "Watermelon starts with W".

*Ethan: "Mom, what should we make for dinner tonight? Oh, I know. ANIMAL PANCAKES. Is that a deal? I want a horse."

Is A Nice Day Out, Mom!

Ethan got swim goggles in his Easter basket from GiGi. 

Ethan is obsessed with his muscles, especially since he has bigger muscles than a spider! (That was the only way Jared could convince him not to be scared of them.)

A semi-normal Easter photo

So the above pictures have nothing to do with what I'm posting about, but I figured a post without pictures would be boring! 

We have had some incredibly nice weather here lately and we have really been enjoying it. I have tried to get Ethan outside as much as I can. We have tried to go to a different park every day or go on a long walk. And no fail, every morning, Ethan wakes up and says "Is a nice day out, Mom."  I love it!

It's weather like this that really makes me forget about everything I have to do here at the house, which can be good and bad. I normally have a routine that I like to get done every day but the last few weeks, I have been a little less than motivated. So the other night when a glass 9x13 pan EXPLODED all over our house, I figured that was a sign I needed to start cleaning again. 

It took about 3 hours to clean up all the glass from the kitchen and the living room, but when I was done the kitchen was sparkling! And it even gave me a little more motivation the rest of the week! I guess sometimes I just need a little kick in the pants!