Boys

Zachary is such a boy!! He is obsessed with trucks and cars and footballs and bats and banging toys and dogs and Legos and throwing objects and sound effects and kissing him mama. :)

Little Quinners rolled over today!!  The poor girl never gets floor time because of Zachary. (He thinks its funny to tackle her!) so today I put her on the floor for the first time in weeks and she promptly rolled over and I tried again and she rolled again. She is officially a pro roller over now! You go girl! 

I needed this this week

This piece by Lisa-Jo Baker originally appeared on her blog, lisajobaker.com. I found it in Deseret news.

For the days we are running on empty. For the days we just don't think we have it in us to read one more story, play one more game of Uno, wash one more round of sheets. For the days when we think everyone else has it together. For the days we're sure anyone else would do this job better.

For those days. You know the ones.

Repeat after me:

1. I shall not judge my house, my kid's summer activities or my crafting skills by Pinterest's standards.

2. I shall not measure what I've accomplished today by the loads of unfolded laundry but by the assurance of deep love I've tickled into my kids.

3. I shall say yes to blanket forts and see past the chaos to the memories we're building.

4. I shall surprise my kids with trips to get ice cream when they're already in their pajamas.

5. I shall not compare myself to other mothers but find my identity in the God who trusted me with these kids in the first place.

6. I shall remember that a messy house at peace is better than an immaculate house tied up in knots.

7. I shall play music loudly and teach my kids the joy of wildly uncoordinated dance.

8. I shall remind myself that perfect is simply a street sign at the intersection of impossible and frustration in Never Never land.

9. I shall embrace the fact that in becoming a mom I traded perfect for a house full of real.

10. I shall promise to love this body that bore these three children out loud, especially in front of my daughter.

11. I shall give my other mother friends the gift of guilt-free friendship.

12. I shall do my best to admit to my people my unfine moments.13. I shall say sorry when sorry is necessary.

14. I pray God I shall never be too proud, angry or stubborn to ask for my children's forgiveness.

15. I shall make space in my grown-up world for goofball moments with my kids.

16. I shall love their father and make sure they know I love him.

17. I shall model kind words to kids and grown-ups alike.

18. I shall not be intimidated by the inside of my minivan this season of chip bags, goldfish crackers and discarded socks too shall pass.

19. I shall always make time to encourage new moms.

20. I shall not resent that last call for kisses and cups of water but remember instead that when I blink they'll all be in college.

... with love from one tired mother to another.

Apps

Zachary thinks its perfectly acceptable to take my phone out of my hands, push the home button, swipe until he sees the PBS app, scroll down through the different options, and then enjoy a show. Not acceptable!!!! But adorable and smart. How does a 1 year old know more than many adults do about technology?

So I really wish I could be posting a picture of my newly finished laundry room but its hardly done. We finally got the cabinets up. Wahoo. Poor Jon had to hear a bunch of nagging (so worth it) until he finally did it-- they only took him 2 weeks. A record for him and home improvement projects!! I love teasing him.
(Just like he teasing me about my never ending list of projects)

During all the waiting I developed a whole new hobby!! Gardening! I love it and I can't stop. It feels like christmas every time I go to a nursery. There is something about getting your hands all dirty, digging a hole, and creating something beautiful. Plus it's something productive to do outside while the kids are playing.

And now maybe I won't be in the running for ugliest yard in our neighborhood. Serious! It's that bad.

Any rate, none of that is important compared to this little sweetie...

Scared face

Quincy is scared of everything!! At least the impression we get from her facial expressions. This is what her face looks like most of the day....

Kung Fu Aspen!

Today Aspen had a field trip at Tae Kwon Do. To my surprise she loved it! I've never seen her so confident and eager to learn. Her energy level was off the charts and not an ounce of her shyness was present. It was a whole new Aspen. I enjoyed watching her and seeing my little girl grow up a little today. (She's been begging me to do ballet and I might break my "no organized activities until age 7" rule).

Aspen even broke a board in half.