Girls Weekend

The weekend before my birthday I got to have a girls trip with some of my favorite ladies.  We had our first ever Atkin girls weekend.  Tom and Shari and their kids had been spending their Spring break with us, so when Friday came she and I drove up to the mountains together to meet our other sisters-in-law who came from Utah.  

It was such a wonderful weekend--mostly full of hanging out and talking.  I did introduce them to the Village Pizzeria:

Regina made sure we worked out a couple of times.  We all made sure we got some good ice cream for our April birthday celebration (3 of our birthday are in the beginning of April).  We sat in the hot tub, watched the snow come down all day on Saturday, and took a little walk in the sunshine Sunday morning:

It was wonderful!  I really did feel recharged on my drive home, looking at the beautiful surroundings and thinking of all the beautiful people in my life.  Thanks so much for making the trip out, everyone!  

One thing you can definitely say for Joe and his brothers is that they picked out pretty awesome wives. :)

Little Things

I wanted to catch up on some little things over the last few months...

Chalk art that Natalie made:

 

 

 

That LOL made me lol. (ha!)  I don't know where she learned that.

 Elizabeth put this helmet on Elijah and was pushing him around like this:

 We have huge pine trees that drop a ton of needles on our driveway and Nate is always so good to help me sweep.  He'll say--"Uh-oh, Mom.  We'd better sweep today."  He's pretty good at, too!

 Just hanging out in the car waiting to pick up the girls after school.  Nate calls this "facetiming" Eli.

 He loves it.

 Nate has started t-ball.  It is pretty darn adorable, I must say.

 I haven't gotten a good picture of him in his uniform yet but I will post one when I do.  It is so cute.  He seems to like it pretty well.  I think he is the youngest and one of the smallest on the team.  

I loved this note for the tooth fairy:

 We had some friends over on a pretty sunny day.  The kids decided that they wanted to go swimming!  Sure enough, they actually stayed in the water quite a bit.  This was the middle of March and that water was cold!

 

 Another early swim:

Practicing a bit on a beautiful sunny day:

 

Elijah pulled Nate's cup for t-ball out of his drawer and started using it as a phone:

 

I love that baby stage when everything's a phone.  

Nate was proud he climbed this tree by himself:

Last night we had a wonderful FHE.  We drove through the green hills by our house and saw deer, turkeys, and a coyote.   Then we found a beautiful spot and just had fun exploring around.  The kids were in heaven and were pretending it was their very own Terabithia (they read that book recently).

 I mean seriously--will you look at this?

 

 

On Turning 30

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about my upcoming birthday and I realized something--I got pregnant with Elizabeth only 3 months after my 20th birthday.   I did the math and I found out that I've been pregnant or nursing for 6 1/2 of the last 10 years.  That's 6 1/2 years where my body was not my own.  Except for a couple brief breaks, I've been changing diapers for almost 10 years.  I thought of the months and months spent potty training my kids. (shiver)

Of course I did some other things, too, during the last 10 years.  I finished college.  I helped Joe finish college and law school.  I read a whole lot of books.  I tutored a few people in math.  I tried to take time for myself and my own interests, but out of necessity that time was limited.  I had little people to take care of (and still do).  

I think some people would read that and feel sorry for me.  I have to be honest and admit that sometimes I feel sorry for me.  I have had this thought cross my mind--"I've given up my best years!  I've given up my 20 year-old body! Has it been worth it?"

The answer to that question is always a deep and resounding yes within my heart.  Thankfully, I know that life is not about achieving and maintaining the perfect body.  Unfortunately, many definitions of beauty that are given voice in our world are impossible to attain or maintain for long.  It is a sad fact of life that our bodies age and wear down.  Isn't it better to love our bodies for what they can do and to recognize that we and everyone around us are so much more than our bodies? 

The fact is that we were given our bodies to do something with them! To help other people.  To give love.  To work.  To learn.  Even to give life to others.  What a miraculous thing that is.  These are not things we do if we can squeeze the time in.  This is what God gave us time for. That applies not only to motherhood but to any act of service to God or one of his children.

I feel good about how I've spent the last ten years.  I've brought 4 beautiful people into this world.  I've fed them until they have learned to feed themselves.  I've taken care of them when they've been too sick to care for themselves.  I've kept them clean until they can learn to keep themselves clean (still waiting for the fruits of those labors :).  I've taught them how to treat other people.  How to apologize.  How to pray.  How to work.  How to read.  How to count.  I've taught them about the world around them.  I am so thankful for Joe who has not only sacrificed a lot so I can stay at home with the kids, but who loves to teach our kids all he can during his time with them.  He supports me in everything I want to accomplish.  

All I ever wanted to be was a mother.  Or a mathematician....

I wrote that when I was 9.

My kids help me to remember how "worth it" this all has been.  They have given me card after card, weeks before my birthday came.  The picture above is one Nate taped to my mirror. They give me hugs and kisses and tell me what a great mom I am, even when I've hidden in my room the night before because I just couldn't handle it anymore (happened last night--again, thank goodness for Joe!).  They love me and they forgive me.  I sure love them and I thank God for them in my prayers every day.  All I want is to be the mother they need me to be.

It feels like a time of transition for me.  My years of having babies and changing diapers might be coming to a close.  It makes me really sad but I also feel hopeful about the future and what it holds for us.  There will be more poop and more potty-training, and a whole lot more teaching.  There will also be a whole lot more letting my kids make their own decisions and mistakes.  That part is going to be hard for me.  

My 20's have been good to me.  Sure, my body isn't the same and I often feel like I've lost half my brain cells. But, I've got four little pairs of arms reaching out for hugs every night.  

I wouldn't change a thing.

A Decade

One important event that I have yet to record is that Joe and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at the end of the year.  The day itself was pretty uneventful. Joe and I have a private joke where we round-up or exaggerate how long we've been married so it kind of felt like--"Ah, finally it's actually true! 10 years!"  Joe got to go on another fun golfing trip to Pebble Beach with my dad and brothers.  He always talks about how beautiful it is and since I'd only ever driven through we decided to stay there. It had been 5 years since our last night away from the kids and it was definitely time.  We splurged on a really nice hotel for two nights and then spent the last night at an Econo-lodge.  The contrast was pretty funny.  It was a wonderful trip and we were SO grateful to Marsha for watching the kids for us.  She is a saint! She even took them to church by herself.  No small feat, believe me, especially with a pre-nursery toddler.

It was wonderful to sleep in, eat amazing food, and wander along the coast.  Joe knows how to make me happy :).  It's funny because I've always thought of myself as the ocean-lover in the relationship but I think Joe definitely rivals me in his love for the sea.

He especially loves looking at tide pools.

He found a hermit crab:

Here we are at the golf course at sunset:

It really was so beautiful.

We saw some sea otters in this cove:

We had a sunny day, too:

That's Crazy Joe in the ocean when it was freezing out! 

I sure love that guy.  I'm pretty proud of reaching 10 years together.  And of the fact that our relationship is better than ever.  We've been through a lot together.

Just married...

I have to laugh saying that, though.  I was just reading through my journal recently (I only have one journal that I started while we were engaged and I still haven't finished it--I'm not the best journal-writer...).  Anyway, Joe pointed out a funny entry only like 6 weeks after we were married when I said basically the same thing--"we've been through a lot together."  So, when I say that, I recognize that there is a whole heck of a lot more to come, I'm sure.  Who knows what the future holds for us?  Still, this time right now for us is pretty good.  I do want to remember that.

I'm so grateful to have such an amazing guy by my side.  He is not perfect but he is good.  He is genuinely kind and considerate of my needs.  He is a wonderful listener and he nevers fails to make me laugh.  On our trip, we walked around the golf course listening to this bagpiper that plays every day at sunset.  Suddenly, Joe started belting out "Danny Boy" in his Irish accent.  Such a Joe thing to do and I loved it.  It embarrasses our kids to no end but I think someday they'll admit they secretly love it, too. :)  He's my best friend and I love living life with him.  Here's to 6 or 7 more decades together!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

My oldest girl turned 9 last week.  It was another tough one to take, especially when I realized she is now half-way to adulthood.  You'll have to excuse some more nostalgia...

What happened to this smiley 3 year-old?

It doesn't feel like it was that long ago.

Now I have this tall, long-legged, beautiful 9 year old.

Seriously--she's already almost grown out of pants I bought her last fall!

It was a fun birthday with all the usual.  Decorating the house early with Natalie.  German pancakes for breakfast.  Brownies for her class at school.  Popcorn for her friends in our park day group.  She requested beef stew and cornbread for her birthday dinner, followed by cake and ice cream for dessert.  So basically, junk food all day.  What else are birthdays for? ;)

Her cake was a team effort this time.  I frosted it with red frosting (her favorite color) and wrote the lettering:

I'm actually quite proud of free-handing that from a picture off the internet.  

It's supposed to be a Harry Potter font.

Then she went to town decorating the rest:

It's got hearts, flowers, books, a rainbow, and a wand.

She got some fun gifts, too...

Nate was so excited to give her this horse puzzle:

Natalie got her a chocolate frog:

Checking out the wizard trading card:

One thing she asked for this year was a quilt.  I decided that we could make one together, with Grandma's help, and that we'd just give her a cozy blanket she could snuggle up in.

She also got the snow cone maker she was hoping for from Grandma and Grandpa Allen:

We've already been enjoying that one.

And some shoes....

And books from the Utah Allens.

She's loved them! 

Natalie hamming it up with the snow cone syrup:

Cake time!

One of her birthdays requests was going ice skating.  We did that two days later.  

Nate was not a fan:

He lasted about 2 minutes.

Natalie was shaky but she got better.  She lasted for a little while.

Elizabeth was out on the ice basically the whole time.  I was so impressed with her stamina and how much she improved while she was out there.  She loved it.

Elizabeth continues to amaze and impress me.  Just last Sunday, she gave her first talk in Primary that she had written herself.  It was on God's plan for his children.  I helped only slightly with finding scriptures but she wrote everything out.  Not only that, but she paused twice during her talk to look up and speak from her heart.  I was sitting there watching her and feeling that she really is growing up.  I'm so proud of the person she's becoming.  

We do have our struggles, she and I.  She's been known to whine, talk back and argue things to death.  I try hard not to engage in her arguing or we spiral down, down, down to no place good.  It's a hard balance to strike sometimes--explaining the reasoning for things but not allowing her to question and question and never obey.  

One funny thing happened months ago back before we moved and I've been wanting to post about it ever since.  I started this new job jar when I saw the idea on the internet here and then followed the link to here. (I guess she charges for the complete list, now?)  I liked the idea of a slightly more light-hearted job jar.  It really does seem to work when we use it, which is rarely, sadly. 

Anyway, Elizabeth drew this out of the jar one day

This time she wasn't feeling so light-hearted and she angrily handed me this:

I just laughed and laughed.

The other day we got a much nicer note from her taped to our wall:

I don't know if you can read that but basically she gave us a free nap!  It was the first time where I thought: Wow--she is so thoughtful and mature!  She gets that we don't want her to destroy the house making an art project for us to show that she loves us. We just want her to help out.  We responded so enthusiastically about this that she changed it to one nap per week.  We've already enjoyed our first nap on a Sunday afternoon.  Of course I was having scary daydreams/dreams about Elijah somehow getting outside and falling in the pool so I bolted upright and the nap was over.  But, everything was fine.  She did great.  I'm getting excited for when we can let her babysit for real someday.  

Elizabeth still loves Harry Potter with all of her heart.  We finished off her birthday by watching the first movie again.  She loves to read anything and everything.  Her reading level is crazy high so I try to get books that will challenge her a little more.  Mostly I just wander around the library looking for Newberry award winners.  We've found a lot of goods ones this way.  She's doing great in school but really detests doing homework.  She doesn't think it's fair that Natalie doesn't have nearly as much homework.  She has struggled a bit learning her multiplication facts and that has been frustrating.  Still, she always does great on her actual tests and worksheets.   

She still loves arts and crafts, too.  She made this really creative shadow puppet nativity with a flashlight attached to it all on her own for Grandma Lorna and Grandpa Tom for Christmas.  She always has great ideas.  The trouble is actually finishing the projects she starts.  I suppose she gets that from me. She's doing great in piano.  Her hands are getting stronger.  She had a hard time with a difficult chord recently but just said to me that it's not so hard anymore.  She loves the pogo stick she got for Christmas and can now do 80 jumps in a row!

Elizabeth is bright, bubbly, excitable, kind, soft-hearted, thoughtful, smart, funny, a questioner, a learner, and such a wonderful daughter.  We are so blessed to have her.  We love you, Lizzy!