The quiet hours of the night part 2

Attention: This post is strictly for the soul purpose to make a note to "future me" that parenting wasn't always a bed of roses. :)

you know the post I did last week?
Well... it's 4 am, I've been up with Brighton for 2 hours now.... ya..... not feelin the warm fuzzies tonight.

Harvest Fun

We took the kids to a fun little apple orchard this weekend where they had hay rides, fresh pressed apple cider, a pumpkin patch and loads of carmel apples, doughnuts and chocolate popcorn. We had a blast picking out our pumpkins for the year and watching the kids try to carry them. This is always such a fun time and one I LOVE to do with my kids. We have made it a tradition to go and pick our own pumpkins from a patch instead of the local grocery storefront and it's been a highlight of our fall each year.
The kids enjoyed a fun evening eating their doughnuts, sitting on hay bales and watching "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" that was projected on the side of their produce truck. (Wow.. are we country or what?) What could be more fun for a kid? Hanging out with cousins, eating treats, and watching movies? They had a blast and it was all worth it just to know they had a good time.

To Eat or Not to Eat

People LOVE sushi... I've never quite understood it. I mean it's absolutely gorgeous but the thought of raw fish and seaweed just doesn't excite me in the least bit. But this weekend, I ended up trying the so called "cuisine".
Brian loves the stuff, but me.... not so much. I tried to be brave and test it out, and lets just say it was kindof a disaster. I'm not positive, but our table was laughing so hard at my attempts that I think we disrupted the "zen" in the restaurant.

My experience with sushi went a little like this... (I so wish I had a picture to show this in all it's glory)

I grab the sushi with my chop sticks. I put it up to my mouth, open my mouth... oh I'm going to do it.... 'BLAH" (a little dry heave action) and I put it down closer to my plate.
OK.. here I go again... up, up, up.... "Blah"... back down to the plate.
I can do it this time..... "Blah" before I get it in my mouth. This time on it's way down to my plate I drop it in my teriyaki sauce. The raw salmon is falling off (which I'm not very disappointed in by the way) and the rest is drenched in sauce..Maybe it will make it more palatable??? Let's try it again!
Up, Up... almost there.... "Blah!" Back down to the plate
(Now the waitress is at our table watching and joining in on all the laughing..oh great, more people to watch me peuk)
It's getting a bit embarrassing now as well as the poor beautiful piece is getting utterly destroyed by all the handling. So I try it again... this time... I will not stop...
I shove my chopsticks to my mouth and voila it's in my mouth!!!!
Chew,...aaaahhhh!!!...another 1/2 chew..... I make a nasty worried look as if I'm going to blow a gasket and try to chew again... This time the dry heave is going to be a full on gag if I don't get it out as fast as possible... So in the napkin it goes! (Oh, I have such etiquette)
The best part was after the whole "sushi eating adventure", I continue to eat my own very delicious "non sushi meal" and go to pick up my napkin and proceed to wipe off my face... you guess it.... I PICKED UP THE SUSHI FILLED NAPKIN!!! AHHHHHH!! CHEWED UP NASTINESS NEAR MY MOUTH!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?? (K- I'm not ashamed to say I'm dry heaving a little as I'm reliving this experience)
That was some wasted cash/food (sushi and $$$ go hand in hand) that someone else could have enjoyed! I guess it's cheap entertainment though!! So, I think it's safe to say that I'm not one for sushi.. don't think I'll ever get used to it. Sorry Bri-- this is one dining experience you're gonna have to do with someone else.

The quiet hours of the night

It's nearly 2 am and I've just finished a wedding cake. This is pretty standard for me as it's so hard to work and be creative when you've got 3 kids and the craziness of life that takes up the rest of the day.
As I was cleaning up, I hear little Brighton talking in his room. I go in to see him on his tummy, rocking back and forth practicing his "crawl" that he hasn't quite figured out yet. As he saw me, a big smile shines across his face as he rolls over and starts moving his wrists back and forth as a sign for me to pick him up. As I do so, he immediately goes into cuddle position.. thumb in his mouth, the other fingers grabbed onto my nose and his other hand holding the back of my hair. I love this simple bit of affection I get from my little 9 month old on a daily basis.
I walk into the family room with the little guy in my arms, sit on the couch and there we sit. My cheek resting on the top of his head, his little fingers squeezing my nose as he slowly drifts to sleep. As I sat there, I realized the power of a mothers touch. That simple cradle in my arms calmed him gently to sleep. The need he had of me was a simple one... he needed the comfort of someone who loved him.
As I thought about this special little moment, I began to think of my other two kids and the power of a mothers touch in their lives. Kaden, at 5 years old still comes in my bed every morning to cuddle before I get up. With sleepy eyes I often blink to find him staring at me with a big smile on his face. I want to hold him closer as I realize the love I have for him.
Then I thought about Avery. My independent, strong willed beautiful daughter who sometimes shows me she needs her mothers touch. These moments are often found when I return home and I'm welcomed by opened arms running to me, or when she wakes up from her nap and she wants to sit and cuddle while watching Curious George. These moment are priceless to me. They are moments that I know they need me just because I'm their mom. What a better tribute could you get for the endless hours of housework, screaming, struggling with getting them to eat, etc, etc, etc... that comes with the daily job requirements of being a mom.
You know.. these tender moments will be over before I can even blink and I will only have my memories of the sweet "cuddle" moments I get from my children. I thought about it a lot as I was holding little Bright tonight. Will they still need me as much as they do now in a few years? Will the power of a mothers touch still be a magical tool of my love to them? Will I be able to have my love for them evolve in a way that is keeping up with their changing personalities and needs? I sure hope so..... I believe so.
My kids will always be my kids. I'm sure I'll look at Brighton someday as he's riding his skateboard down the street and think back on when he used to pull at my nose as he sucked his thumb. Maybe I'll think of Kaden cuddling up to me in the mornings as I watch him leave on his mission. I might even feel Avery's arms wrapped around me as we cuddle in her "sleep bag" the day she tells me she's getting married. Who knows? I hope moments like these will be imprinted in my memory to always treasure.
Wow... with all that said and done... I think I'm going to go to bed! That was a lot of thought for a simple cuddle with my baby. :)

We Love Fall

I have to say that fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Since my life doesn't revolve around laying out and getting a tan as much as it did in the summers of my youth, I think that fall might be tied to my favorite season.
Brian and I try to get the kids out as much as possible to enjoy hiking in our beautiful mountains here in Utah. We love to see the leaves, hike in the cooler weather and most of all, spent time with each other and our kids. I don't know what it is about nature, but it has a positive influence on us as a family. When we are out walking trails or watching the kids look in ponds for fish, we tend to slow down and appreciate one another. Every moment in priceless and there is no rush to go and get other things done. It's amazing how therapeutic a walk in the autumn leaves can do for you.
I love fall. I love our family hikes, I love my kids, and I love that I have a hubby who has shown me how to love and appreciate nature and the little things in life.

Tis The Season

If you see us on a regular basis, you may have noticed Brian's extra facial hair..
Yup... it's time to pay tribute to the snow gods in hopes for great powder.

For those of you that have followed my blog for the past year, many of you will remember my post about my husbands love for skiing.
He can't just be happy to ski when it begins to snow... that would far too normal. He has to prepare clear in August for this "sacred season". I am more of a summer girl myself, but Brian is all winter!!

So here we are again... beard in full swing since opening weekend of sniagrab (labor day)
and it's not coming off until that fresh powder sticks to his face.
All I can say is........ BOYS!!!

Good thing he's cute. I sure love him... even with his long tickley beard! He's the greatest over obsessed skiier I know. So for Brian's sake....
Snow Gods.. if you are listening... Come soon and give us a good year!