Oodles of Noodles

Vivi requested spaghetti today for lunch. Well, I should say she asked for "homemade" spaghetti. So I secretly opened a jar and, voila! Spaghetti. (I don't know about any of you, but the closest I get to a homemade lunch is grilled cheese.) Anyway, there was an awful lot of slurping going on. My kiddos love spaghetti. I think they would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let them. (BTW, we had it last night for dinner.) The best was watching Preston load up his fork. He was really intent on what he was doing. It took him about two minutes to load each bite.
Here's the loading.

The funny thing is, after taking all of that time to load the fork, more than half of it would fall off on the way to his mouth.
Yumm! Yumm!

Ziggy

We had a visitor today! Meet Ziggy. Isn't he the cutest dog you have ever seen? I love his long floppy ears. He used to belong to us, but now resides in the home of Trent's younger brother, Sean. Our older boys are very allergic to the environment, and unfortunately Ziggy brought a little too much of the environment into our home while we had him. The boys would go to bed every night swollen from head to toe and itching like crazy. Well, Sean is out of town this week, so we are peeking in on Ziggy to make sure he has plenty of food and water and that he has been getting outside enough. Tonight when we stopped by, he was so excited to see all of us that we decided to bring him home for just a bit. The kids loved being able to play outside with him this afternoon. They miss their puppy. I'm so glad he just lives a few minutes away and they can still see him fairly often. The best was seeing Trent's face when he saw Ziggy! (I think out of all of us, he misses Ziggy the most.) He has had a very stressful few days, so I was glad that our spontaneous decision helped to brighten his day.

It's Great to Be 8!

Colson turned 8 today. What a wonderful age. He is looking forward to his baptism that is coming up on June 6th. He mentions it at least once a day. I am so grateful for this wonderful boy that entered our lives eight years ago. He is such a sweet and fabulous kid. He's the kind of kid that is really great to have around on those days you're not feeling so great about yourself. He always has such nice compliments, and is so sincere when he gives them. Colson has one of those smiles that lights up a room, and his laugh... oh, how I love his laugh. It is so infectious. It is hard to hear it and not laugh out loud yourself, even if you have no idea what he is laughing about. What a joy and blessing he has been in our lives. Love you kid.

Since today was the real day we celebrated every moment we could. The day started out with homemade whole wheat waffles (I found a recipe that is delish!) with homemade whipped cream. Yummmmmm! For lunch, Trent, Vivi, Preston and I met Colson at school with his favorite, a Big Daddy Bacon Burger from Good Times. What birthday would be complete without having some homemade chocolate chip cookies to share with classmates? Just before school ended, I took some cookies in for Colson's class. I don't think I have ever seen kids get so excited over cookies. They were like a bunch of baby birds, all gathered around me with their mouths hanging open. The cookies were a hit. After school, Grandma Stock and Grandma Guercio took Colson on a little date to use the gift cards they both gave him. After coming home with his spoils, he went straight upstairs to put them together. (Legos of course.) The grandmas stayed and had dinner with us. (Thanks for all the clean up help and for doing the dishes for Colson on his birthday!)
After dinner we headed up to the park to set free eight balloons (one for each year). Colson wrote a wish on his, and after the count down...
We set them free!
Of course, no birthday would be complete without cake and ice cream. Colson's fave... chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. Make a wish!
Happy birthday bud! Love ya!

Birthday Celebrations

We've had a great time the last few days celebrating Colson's birthday. The celebrations started Saturday night at PF Changs. (Colson loves crab cheese Wontons. He also loves chop sticks. Not for eating with though.)

Everyone else had to get in on the chop stick action too. They didn't want to feel left out ya know.
We are so blessed to live near family. Grandma and Grandpa Stock were there of course.
And aunt Sherril, uncle Roger, and cousin Derek. Thanks for coming and celebrating with us guys!
And of course uncle Dustin was there, dishing out whisker pies. (For some odd reason, Preston loves these! Ouch!!!!)
Preston was having a hard time staying in his chair, so grandpa thought he would try it out. Yeah, Preston didn't like that too much.
It is always great to get together with family, especially when there is some celebrating to do.
Happy birthday Colson!

Is My Mom Talented or What?

Here is yet another darling dress that my mom has made for Vivian. Vivi loves her new dress. She asked me earlier if she could "wear it every day to show her friends" if that is any indication of how much she loves it. My mom never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful dresses she whips up for Viv. She is quite the seamstress. She used to make some of my clothes when I was little. I think she has really enjoyed having another little girl around to sew for. Thanks mom!

Motherhood

Have I ever mentioned how much I love being a mother? I love mommyhood. So I thought I would list just a few things that I love the most about being a mom.

1. I get a good laugh in at least once a day (usually more).

2. My kids think I can actually dance. ("Whoa! Those are some good moves mom!")

3. I sing off key, and my kiddos don't care.

4. Every night at dinner, it is "the best meal" Colson has ever had.

5. There is always someone to snuggle with.

6. I hear "You're the best mom in the whole world!" at least once a day. (Wow, it's a good thing they don't know any better, or they would be really disappointed!)

7. I haven't had to do the dishes in quite some time.

8. Every day, I get to see my kids learn and grow.

9. I get to answer questions like, "Why do you love daddy so much?"

10. I have the opportunity to search through the whole house for my cell phone several times a week.

11. I get to hear the name "Mom" at leat 1,000 times a day. (That's my name! Don't wear it out!:)

12. While driving in the car, I get to hear a little voice call out "Da bus! Mom! Da bus! Yeah! Da bus!" every time we pass by a bus.

13. Life is never boring with four little beans around.

14. I love reading books with my kiddos before bed every night. There is nothing better than snuggling up together and reading some of our favorite books before the lights go out for the night.

15. I have others to remind me of those times when I'm not doing such a good job. (Mom, I don't think Heavenly Father would be very happy with you right now!)

16. I love hearing my boys play the piano each day and be able to listen to how they have progressed.

17. I love having a little shopping buddy in Vivian. She is my only child who never complains about going into a store. The only thing I hear her whine about is that we haven't done enough shopping.

18. The thing I love the most is being able to teach my children about the gospel. I love being able to share my testimony with them, and watch their testimonies and love for the Savior grow.

I am so grateful to be a mother. Whenever asked when I was younger what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always "A mom". I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting these sweet spirits to my care. My only prayer is that I will be able to live up to the task of helping His children to make it back to Him.

Iguana?

Did you ever, as a kid, sing the wrong lyrics to a song, and you totally thought you were singing it right? I remember doing that as a kid, to find out as I got older that I had been singing it wrong all those years. It is our habit just about every night to turn on some fun music and dance around the kitchen while I make dinner. One of the songs we listen to frequently is "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric. So, Colson was totally rockin' out in the shower tonight, and as I'm doing laundry, I hear him singing the chorus to this song over and over (his version). At the top of his lungs, he sang, "I'd go the whole wide world, I'd go the whole wide world, iguana!" Iguana!? The true version is, "I'd go the whole wide world, I'd go the whole wide world, to find her." I guess "iguana" and "to find her" sound a little similar? All I know is Trent and I got our belly laugh in for the day.

One Done... How Many More to Go?

Here are the pictures of the desk! I had done an earlier post, but then erased it because I had taken the pictures of it at night, and the color in the picture just didn't look like the original. So here are new photos (taken during the day) for those of you that haven't seen it yet.

I was so excited to finally be able to use my plaster and stencils on something! I've had the stuff forever, and haven't had anything to use it on, until this desk. It was super easy to do, and it added just that little bit of extra that I love. Now I just need to finish Vivi's bed, my bookshelves, maybe my bed...

In Loving Memory

Today would have been my dad's 50th birthday. He passed away a little over seven years ago at the young age of 42. While those seven years have seemed like a lifetime, I know that compared to eternity, it is but a blink. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the atonement, and for the knowledge I have that I will be able to see my dad again. I can't imagine having to go through this life without that knowledge. My testimony of the gospel is the only thing that brought me peace and comfort during the difficult time of my dad's passing, and on those days when I miss my dad so much it hurts, it is what continues to bring me that peace. I rejoice in the knowledge that I will see my dad again. I rejoice in the fact that I can be with my family forever through the blessings of the temple.
My parents were sealed in the temple when I was about 12. It is a day I will always remember. I remember the difference I felt in our home after that. Things were always pretty great for me growing up. I always knew that I was loved, and my needs were always taken care of, but there just seemed to be a different feeling in our home after my parents went to the temple. Things that were already great became better. We just seemed to become more connected as a family. My parent's relationship changed as well. The love they felt for each other grew and deepened. Even I, as a 12-13 year old at the time noticed a difference in them. I am so grateful for the changes my parents made in their lives and for the steps that they took so that our family could be sealed together for time and all eternity. I am grateful for their example to me, and because of that example, I too have been to the temple and sealed to my husband and children.

I miss my dad for so many reasons, but one of the things I miss the most is watching him be a grandpa. When Trent and I told our parents that we were expecting our first baby, my dad was in such denial. In his mind he was nowhere near old enough to be a grandpa. Well, by the time my pregnancy was nearing it's end, my dad just couldn't wait for that baby to come. He kept telling everyone at work, "I'm out of here as soon as I get that phone call, I don't care what's going on around here." After Trenton was born, my dad became known as "The Baby Hog". If my dad was around, he always had the baby, and he was never very willing to let anyone else have a turn. Reflecting back on it now, I'm so glad that he was such a baby hog with Trenton and Colson because he got to spend so little time with them here on this earth. I remember at his funeral, in the closing prayer my uncle Larry gave, he prayed that Trenton would be able to remember his grandpa so that he could tell his little brother about him. To this day Trenton will every now and then, out of the blue, say something he remembers that he and grandpa used to do together. Which to me is amazing because Trenton was only 2 1/2 when my dad died. I have always been so grateful for that prayer.

While life without my dad is really tough at times, especially knowing how lonely my mom is without him, I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again. I just think of him as our guardian angel, watching over us in ways that he wouldn't be able to if he were still here on this earth. I love you dad, take care... until we meet again.

Projects

I came into an old hand-me down desk recently ( I love hand-me downs!) and have been working away this last week turning it into something more my style. It was a cherry wood color before with brassy/gold handles. Well, after a week of hard work and many trips to Home Depot, it has a little more pizazz. Well, at least I think it does. We'll see what Trent has to say when he gets home. He is pretty quiet about my projects. He is never quite sure what to think. Unlike me, he is a little conservative when it comes to decorating and color. Me, I love color. The more the better! And I like putting all sorts of colors together, (which anyone who has seen my bags would know). So he hasn't seen said desk since I was halfway through painting. By the look on his face, I think he was a little... I don't know what the best word would be to describe the look on his face. So I asked him what he thought, and he replied, "Well, that color is a little wild for me, but I'll just have to wait and see the end result. I usually like it by the time you're done." He knows how I am. Usually there are many layers to my projects. I can't make it easy for myself and just go with one solid color or stain. Well, Trent will be home momentarily, so we'll see what he has to say about the finished product. I'll post some pictures soon.