The Lemonade Stand

In the eyes of a child, summers are full of fun, sun, water, bike rides, later bed times and.... LEMONADE STANDS!
Kaden participated in his very first business venture yesterday afternoon as he and our neighbor kids decided to have a lemonade stand. Everyday I am a little overwhelmed at the speed that he is growing up.
So here is how the scene played:
Kade comes running in asking me if we had any cups and lemonade because they were going to have a lemonade stand. I got him some cups and then started making the punch as he watched with excited anticipation. I couldn't get the water in the jug fast enough I guess because he told me he was going to run out and tell his friend that it was almost done!
I went out to help him get the punch on the stand and the other kids were bringing out some chairs. Kaden needed his own chair so he goes in his room and picks up his little chair. As we are going back to the sidewalk, he yells, "I'm almost there guys, don't start without me!" (Oh my gosh! How cute is he? I didn't have the heart to tell him he probably would be sitting there for the next hour or two with a full jug of punch and no takers)
So we got him and the other two kids situated and I went back in the house. Soon Kaden came running in the house to tell me they were waiting for "customers". WHAT??? Do you realize how cute it is to hear a 4 year old say customers? I decided to go out and give them some business. You can never get too much to drink on a summer day you know! As I went out, I realized that their little Lemonade Stand was on prime business property. We are right at the bottom of an area in our neighborhood that has a lot of construction. So many people came and stopped to buy a glass of punch or they just donated $1.00 to the cause. I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of others. It made their day to have people stop. They even had the garbage man stop in for a glass! I would normally just drive past without another glance, but to see the excitement on these little guys faces to sell their little glasses of punch is worth the 10 seconds of my time to make some other kids day when I happen to come across a lemonade stand.
Needless to say, they went through a whole gallon of punch in an hour or so. They made a good 5 bucks at least. And they had so much fun. So maybe this summer on a day where it's hot and you are out for a stroll... support your local small business beverage owners... the drinks may be a little watery, the quality not the best, the portion size smaller than you are used to and the prices pretty high.. but it's worth every penny to see the exictement of those little guys selling their product!

Memorial Day

Since Memorial Day is usually reserved for the first boating trip of the season (didn't happen this year) We visit graves on Sunday. This year we went to visit my grandpa's grave and Brian's grandparents grave. It's a neat thing for us to do each year mostly because it gives us a chance to talk to our kids about the neat people that they were. I was advised once that I should teach my children of my parents and grandparents because they will be a great influence in their lives. I hope that is true because my grandparents have played a HUGE part in my life. I am blessed to still have 3 of my four grandparents alive, but it's always a treasure to stop and look back on the awesome example my Grandpa Kieth was and still is after his death.
I never got to know Brian's grandparents, but I sure wish I could have. It's fun to listen to what he remembers about them and the things they went through in their lives.
I'm really grateful that we have families and have the opportunity to carry on their lives through stories and memories.

What do you say when something is in between ALOT and A LITTLE BIT??

Kaden made up a new work today that was so cute.
We've been having a little trouble lately with him paying attention in preschool so he needs to give me an update on how he did when I pick him up.
Today I asked him how he did in preschool. Here's our conversation:
Turia: "Kaden, how were in in preschool today?"
Kaden: "mom.. I kindof don't remember" (ya right!)
Turia: "Did you have to get moved alot or just a little bit?"
Kaden: (after thinking for a second).... "Just "ALOT-A-BIT"

So there you have it... if something is in-between "alot" and "a little bit" all you have to say is "ALOT- A- BIT".

Brighton's Growing Up

HERE WE GO.....

FIRST BITE.....

HMMMMM.... DO I LIKE THIS OR NOT?

THAT WAS YUMMY!!! GIVE ME MORE!!


Bright is now 4 months old and is by far my biggest baby so far. He's in the 60% in his weight (he's a tank).. he's still a shrimp like my other two kids though... he's only in the 1% in length. The doctor said he was ready for cereal.. WHAT???? He can't possibly be big enough to do that yet! He's growing up so fast. I can hardly believe it...
So here was our first attempt with cereal... He did very well

Creativity at it's Best

Since the weather here in Utah is never predictable (Last week it was in the 90's, now it's in the 60's) My kids got creative today. Since Avery was already in her suit from her photo shoot this morning, Kaden wanted in on the fun. Pretty soon I have both kids in swimming suits, Kaden's bed sheets (used as "water" for the swimming pool) and the backs of puzzles laying in my front room. I come in to check on my two giggling children to see them "swimming" , going on "waterslides" with their sleeping bags off the couch into the "water" and having a blast!! You would have thought they really believed they were swimming.
My favorite was when Kaden said, "Look Mom.... I'm surfing!!" What??? How does he even know what surfing is? All the same, it was so cute watching him slide around on a puzzle into his make believe water.

Deal of the Month

We had a little photo shoot this morning as we tried on the new swimming suits I got for Avery... if you can believe it... each one of these suits were only $1.00. You can't get much better than that! The only problem was she didn't want to take the suit off. All morning long Avery stayed in her "simming shoot" which led to Kaden wanting to be in his (see blog entry below for details). It was a fun morning.

Fun in the Sun

The kids took advantage of the warm weather today and grabbed their suits and played out in the sprinklers for several hours with the neighbor kids.

GNO

We had a great time this past weekend. My mom, sister and sister in laws and I all took my mom out for a Girls Night Out for mothers day. We ate dinner and then headed over to get pedicures. I have the greatest family in the world. I feel so grateful that I have such a great relationship my mom and sister as well as all my brothers wives. They are some of my greatest friends.
It was so nice to get a little relaxation away from kids for a couple hours!

Deep Thoughts by My Dad

My dad is so cute. He never remembers to read my blog, so I have it automatically set up to email him whenever I make a new post. He always emails me with sweet comments about what was written.

Anyway, he emailed me his comments on "Avery's Artwork" and what he said made me thing a little deeper than what he intended it to mean, I'm sure.
He wrote:
You have a wonderful daughter with budding talent. SHE IS BOUND TO DEVELOP HER TALENTS IN WONDERFUL WAYS... THE CHALLENGE WILL BE IN THE JOURNEY ALONG THE WAY.
I am glad that you never lose sight of who she really is. What a wonderful gift this little girl is to our family and to the rest of the world.

I know he was talking about her "poop art", but I actually thought of it in a different light. I just loved how he said:
"she is bound to develop her talents, the challenge will be in the journey along the way... "
Isn't that right about all of us? I think about my life and the things I've accomplished and still want to accomplish in my life. There have been many challenges that have come with defining my talents. We are all so talented in different ways and when we look back on how we've gotten to where we are today, what has our journey been like? (hmmmmm, it's a thinker isn't it?)

Then my dad said, "I'm glad you never lose sight of who she really is"... That is the real challenge in life I think... remember who we are and not straying from the true "you" as you change and grow into the new talented you. I hope that I as a mom can NEVER, EVER, EVER lose sight of who my kids really are. I want to be there to give them the freedoms to make their own choices and be proud of whatever they decide to do in their lives. It's going to be tricky, but it's part of the journey!

So THANK YOU dad for a small little comment that somehow turned into something very meaningful to me! I learned a great lesson today.

The Artist Has Created Again

I will spare you all the details on Avery's last "Masterpiece"..... but here's what happened.
She was her room having a "nap" (or so I thought). She'd been in there about 1 1/2 hours and I could hear her just playing in there. I figured she wasn't going to go to sleep so she could get up. I was actually laying in my bed during naptime
(note to self... don't take a nap if your kids could for ANY reason still be awake)
So I was laying in my bed and I called for her to come in my room.. I hear her say.. OK mommy in her cute little voice, then one of my "favorite things about being a mom" moments was about to happen... you know, when she opens my door with wide open arms and says "hi mommy!"... This time is was not so much a favorite moment.
She opens my door and says "what mommy?" as cute as she possibly could. I look at her and see she had taken her pants off, and then I noticed the "Artwork... Series 1"... She had POOP, yes POOP all over her arms and legs. I jumped out of bed to go to her room to the pleasant aroma that was sure to be there. I couldn't see any poop anywhere, but I knew better than that. I said, "Avery, is there any poop in your room?" She points to her wall by her flower box and says, "wall mommy". Sure enough, there it was in all it's glory... "Artwork.. Series 2". As gross as it was, how can you get mad? She was so cute and completely naive that what she just did was about the most disgusting thing imaginable. So, I just gave her a rag and had her help me clean it up. When the wall was all clean and she was sortof washed off, I said, "Avery, do you want to get in the tub?" In her sweet little voice, she said, "K mommy" and ran to my room ready for tub time. In the tub, I was trying to see if she understood what had happened, and all she could say was, "Avee do it".
So, Yes, once again... "Avee do it" is yet another fun post to add to my blog!

WHY I LOVE BEING A MOM

As you read in my last post, my mom hated mothers day growing up... I am not to that point in my life with my kids just yet (Thank Goodness... I am DREADING the day I realize my kids are no longer those cute, innocent little sweethearts they are now)

So, since I am very optimistic that my mothers day will be pretty darn good (knock on wood), I want to write down some of the reasons I love being a mom in 2008.
#1- Those awesome people in the picture above!
#2- Avery coming in every morning with out stretched arms saying "mommy!!!!!"
#3- Brighton's smile
#4- Kaden's never ending compassion
#5- Staying home to be with my kids and watch them learn
#6- (Brian allowing me to do so)
#7- Sitting in bed at night at staring our conversations with.., "you'll never believe what the kids did/said today"
#8- Their innocence
#9- Their Spirits
#10- The funny things they say
#11- How Kaden and Avery play hide and seek
#12- How they get excited when Brighton wakes up from his nap or how they run to tell me he's crying
#13- Avery's laugh and huge smile
#14- Kadens amazing eyes
#15- Brighton's funny cough when he is trying to let out a fake cry
#16- How excited they get when they see their grandparents
#17- When Brian comes home and Avery says, "DADDY'S HOME!"
#18- Because I have an incredible husband to share this time with... who's even a better dad
#19- Cuddle Time
#20- Watching the kids conduct FHE
#21- Avery's Mischief (yes... I really just said that!)
#22- Kaden's obsessions to all things "boy" (rockets,trains,cars)
#23- That I have girlfriends that are going through all this with me
#24-The spontaneous hugs, kisses, and I love you's from my kids
#25- Every day I get to wake up and know I will learn something from them that will make me see life just a little bit better.

Happy Mothers Day Mom

Growing up my mom HATED mothers day. She always went to church with 6 roudy kids just to listen to speakers talk about how wonderful their lives were as mothers. In the mean time, my poor mother was trying desperatly to keep us from fighting, pinching, pulling hair, screaming or laughing too hard at our ward chorister (who was always made us laugh for some reason). All while my dad was up on the stand trying not to look down at us because he would get the "look of death" from my mom having to deal with all our "perfectness" by herself. Mothers day was no vacation - just another day to be a mom.
Now that all 6 of those kids are grown, I hope my mom finally gets a chance to sit and listen to the Mothers Day talks and do a few things:
1) Sit back and smile a little when it's other mom's children causing irreverance (ya... those would be my kids)
2) Still sitting alone... (dad's on the stand as always) but I hope she can listen to the thoughts being shared
3) Most importantly, I hope she can see that all those years of hard work, struggle, elastic flips, and snaps that took away our dessert for bad behavior has molded her children BECAUSE SHE IS A GREAT MOM! I hope she listens to the speakers and can say... "you know what? Being a mom is awesome! I did the best I could and I am proud of who my kids have become".

I hope she says that because she played a HUGE part in how each one of my siblings and myself became who we are today. I don't think she gets the credit she deserves for the hard work she has done and continues to do each day to try and keep our family close as friends, as well as continue to strive to continue to grow and be better individuals. She is the most determined, focused individual I have ever met! She works hard, she touches so many lives and she always is doing something to better herself and bring her closer to the Savior.
There's never a holiday, birthday, anniversary that she doesn't forget. We still get Lucky Charms on our door step on St. Patricks Day because that was one of the only sugar cereals we got growing up because it was a holiday. She worries and prays for us, hugs her grand children, and is ALWAYS there to serve. Even when I don't ask, she's at my door with open arms. She is my best friend, my mentor, my example.
If I am any kind of a good mom it's because of her. I hope that I can be even 1/2 the mom she's been to me.
Happy Mothers Day Mom... I love you.

Concerned Big Brother

So, I had a little surgery this week... nothing serious, but it still was no fun all the same. I had 3 kidney stones removed. For some dumb reason, my body keeps producing these things. I tell you what.. I'd SO MUCH rather give birth than pass stones. They hurt really bad.
Anyway, so I went in for surgery on Tuesday and they told me I couldn't breast feed for a few sessions because of the anesthesia. So, I got up yesterday and I was giving Brighton a bottle. Kaden came in and said, "Mom, why aren't you feeding Brighton from your boob?". I proceeded to tell him that I had some medicine in me that Brighton would drink if I fed him (from my boob). He was happy with that answer. Then later on, I was nursing Bright and Kaden came in and looked frantic.. he said, (almost yelling), "Mom.... what about the medicine???" He was so concerned that Brighton was going to drink it.
Then later last night, I was taking some pain pills and I had them on the counter. Kaden once again saw the pills and said, "mom... what are those?" I told him, and he got a worried look and said, "but mom, if you take the medicine, Brighton won't be able to eat from your boob"!
Oh my gosh! It was so cute how concerned he was for his brother and at the same time hilarious that he kept saying "your boob". Kids are too sweet! I just love them to death!

Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon

It's amazing how much you can learn in church when you actually listen! My usual Sunday is filled with chasing children down the hall, hushing them while in class, or in the mothers room nursing my baby. Unfortunatly, it's usually far from spiritual and uplifting. But today, I got a break.
I was in Sunday School and we were talking about King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon. King Benjamin was an incredible king who served his people faithfully and righteously. In the book of Mosiah, King Benjamin is teaching his sons about the God, religion and prophesies that had been given.
Anyway, our Sunday School Teacher (the best one I've ever had by the way), started talking about the importance of being parents. How we need to raise our children and teach them the words of Christ. Then he read a passage of scripture that gave me one of those "ah ha" moments. He read in Mosiah Chapter 1 vs. 3

"And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they "MIGHT BECOME MEN OF UNDERSTANDING"; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which delivered them by the hand of the Lord"....

So anyway, the teacher then asked how we as parents could raise our children to become men/women of understanding. Answers followed such as the teaching by example, honesty, love of others, humility, to love the Savior (and so forth)
As we read this scripture and I listened to the suggestions people were giving, I looked deeply into my own life. Am I teaching my children to become men/women of understanding? How am I accomplising this? Am I doing enough? Am I, myself becoming a women of understanding?
(So many questions and thoughts- and then the light clicked on in my head)

I think the reason this verse hit me so hard is because my VERY FAVORITE verse of scripture in the Book of Mormon is in
Alma 17:2-3
Part of it reads: "Now the sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, that they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they WERE MEN OF A SOUND UNDERSTANDING, and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

Years ago after returning from my mission, I made that verse of scripture my life long goal. By the time I leave this earth, I want to have the SOUND UNDERSTANDING that these men have. I've tried hard in my life to continue to learn and do good so that I can have this perfect understanding of the gospel and our purposes on earth. At times (especially now as a mom with 3 little guys) I haven't taken as much time and thought into studying and focusing on the Lord as much as I should, and I get frustrated.
But today, I had a sense of energy. A desire to work harder... not just for myself, but for my family. (Here's the ah ha moment of this long story)
So it hit me as we had just read the scripture of King Benjamin wanting to teach his sons so that they "MIGHT become men of understanding"... Benjamin... as a father, wanted to teach his sons so they had a path to follow. So that they would love and serve the Lord. That is exactly what we are trying to do everyday with our own children. We are teaching them so they "MIGHT become men/women of understanding". In order to teach them, we need to be living in such a way that we too "MIGHT have sound understanding.
Then it hit me.. my favorite verse reads, "for they WERE men of sound understanding"! OH MY GOSH!!! A light bulb went off in my head. The teachings of King Benjamin to his sons (Mosiah in particular) had paid off. Mosiah had become an amazing prophet, and his son had served the Lord as one of the greatest missionaries in the book of mormon. It was no longer the word "MIGHT have understanding" but now is "they WERE men of sound understanding"! All of this because of the righteous teachings of a loving dad who knew how to teach his children in the way of the Lord.
I was so touched by this little bit of insight today. Something that I needed to hear to remind me of my own personal goal and to remember that I have an incredible responsibility to teach my children about our Savior and the life He lead in order for us to return to Him someday as a family. I have been so blessed in my life to have parents who have "sound understanding". They have always and continue to work to teach us. They live their lives in a way that make me and my siblings want to be better... even in adulthood. Because of their teachings, I believe we are all striving for "sound understanding" and in return, are teaching our own children what is right. I am blown away and humbled by the power I have as a parent to teach my kids what is right. It is by my own understanding that they will be taught. What a challenge and blessing it is to be a mom. I realize how much I still have to do for myself to be the good example I want to be for my kids so that they will become men/women of sound understanding.
Ahhh!! I love this life! I love "ah ha" moments that make me want to be better. I hope that I can be that great example I want to be for my amazing kids even when they have families of their own.

The Best Medicine is Great Girlfriends

Last weekend I went down to St. George with a few girlfriends. What a blast we had!! I've never been one to take time out for myself and head out of town with just the girls, but Oh my Gosh!! It is just what the doctor ordered!!

It was so nice just to lay out by the pool for 3 days, read (well sortof), shop, laugh, and laugh some more, eat out, and smile when we heard kids crying and got to joyfully lay back in our chairs knowing they weren't our kids! There were moments I felt as if I was a crazy high school girl again, and then there were moments that I was so happy to be who I am at this time in my life and the experiences I've had that have gotten me this far. It's amazing how a bunch of friends can bring out the best, the wildest, the crazy and fun sides out in you as well as help you remember who you are as a mother, wife, church member, and friend.

I am SO GRATEFUL for my girlfriends. Not very many times in my life have I felt such a NEED for them. As I get older and am in the heart of raising my kids, I realize how much I VALUE my friends, how much I LOVE them, and how GRATEFUL I am for their wisdom and life experiences. I hope in 30 years from now, we will still have the opportunity to laugh, act like high school girls, lay out by the pool and spend a little time away... just the girls.