May 31st?

These pictures look like scenes from the middle of winter but nope, they were taken this morning. It's been such a strange Spring, full of rain and snow. Utah hardly looks like the desert and we'll likely have snow in the mountains until July.

Noah wandered sleepily down the stairs this morning, found himself a blanket and a book, turned on the fire and cuddled up for some reading. Isaac quickly followed suit and pretty soon they were chattering over what they found in their books.

The sun is out now though and I was able to go for my morning walk in a t-shirt.

Happy end of May!

Saturday Evening

Luke turns seven!

I have a seven year old. I feel like I have entered a whole new era of parenting. He's right on the threshold of being a big kid. He'll get baptized in a year. His world has expanded far beyond the walls of our home-- something that scares me and excites me at the same time. I find myself surprised at how much I enjoy having an older child. He's still the same sweet, dependable kid. He's just bigger and more helpful every day. When I was getting ready for our visit from Doug and Barb at the beginning of April he followed me around all day completing tasks and asking me what he could do next.

My relationship to my firstborn is unique in so many ways. I am harder on him and expect a lot of him, and I always have. When I look back and think about what I expected from two year old Luke I chuckle at my new mom naivete. He was so verbal and capable (let's not forget intense too-- holy cow!) from so young that often lost sight of the fact that he was just a toddler. I feel like I have loosened up quite a bit but I am sure that I will look back at what I expect from seven year old Luke and laugh at myself. The other boys reap the benefits from what I have learned from him.

I also feel like he is the one that I understand the best. Those first couple of years with just him to focus on really defined the way that we interact. I can almost always predict his reaction to things, though lately he surprises me with his maturity. The closeness I feel to him is different than his brothers. And that's okay.

This guy defines the pace and practices of our family life. I often find myself offering silent prayers of gratitude he one was sent first. He's a treasure. He wants so badly to do what is right, has always been very spiritually inclined and confides in his parents. He sets the tone for his brothers who, for the most part, idolize him and follow suit.

He loves to learn and I love this about him. Taking him to museums and parks has always been such a pleasure. He is so interested in learning all there is to learn in the world around him. He almost never complains that something is boring because he's soaking up all the information he can. He has a mind for details the way that his dad does and some of the facts that he holds on to baffle me. I often ask him to recall things that have left my big-picture-only mind. Even a trip to the store with him is fun as he questions me about where the produce came from and what it can be used for.

I still marvel at the miracle of these little people coming into my life, one at a time to completely change the way I see reality. Luke made me a mother and I am better for it. I love this seven year old!

He got LEGOS, some clothing, a couple of bird feeders and a book about Utah birds and everything was "just what he wanted". He's finally to the point where he is polite about receiving clothing but any enthusiasm is forced. His mom, however, is grateful that Grandma Barb and Great-grandma Kay always include an outfit. He looked forward to checking the mail every day for cards and loved receiving ones from long distance family.

Happy Seventh, Luke!



(Luke turned seven a couple of weeks ago but the computer was in getting fixed at the time and while I love my iPhone, it's no fun to blog from it.)

Isaac at 30 months

I will start by saying that while I thought that Luke's infancy and toddlerhood passed in a hurry, it pales in comparison to the lightening speed at which Isaac's short life has flown by. He is two and a half. I swear I just birthed this little one. I remember Luke wearing this very same outfit as a two year old and it really was just yesterday.
Isaac made me fall in love with motherhood in a whole new way. I can remember having the same experience with him more than once, sitting in the glider rocking or nursing him as a little baby and asking Heavenly Father to send me six more just like him. He was, from the beginning, so sweet, inquisitive and full of life. Seeing the world through his smiling eyes has made my life so much richer. I think that it took me by surprise because when I found out he was another boy I felt a little like I had been there and done that and I didn't anticipate many new feelings or experiences. I couldn't have been more wrong. Isaac taught me that each child is so much more than his or her sex. It's a whole new person. Oh, I love this little man.
Each child also adds more layers to the family life. His interactions with and adoration for his brothers makes me love them more. I have loved watching Noah take on the role of big brother and best friend to Isaac. Luke is so nurturing and tender with him. Nat and I have both been able to just enjoy him as we have watched him change our family. I think that I am beginning to understand that the bad and the irritating things are stages that kids pass through in this clumsy process of growing up and the good things about a child are what last in their personalities. Kids grow out of tantrums but not out of tenderness.

Isaac at 30 months:

• is the most independent child I have had. One morning he had created havoc all over the house with spills and messes. I looked back and realized that each mess had been in an effort to take care of himself. He spilled the cereal as he tried to get himself more, pulled all his clothes out as he got ready for the day, and peed all over the floor in the bathroom because he didn't ask for help going to the bathroom. If I take a deep breath and see the big picture I can deal with the messes a little bit better.
  
• loves to dress himself and change his clothes. He can get himself competely dressed and undressed. If left unattended he will usually go in and find a different outfit to try out. He also loves to go in and start himself a bath.
  
• is still a terrific sleeper. Noah has him beat in the sleeping in department but I can count on him going down for naps and bedtime very cheerfully. While in San Diego I was fussing over him and cuddling him before bedtime. He looked up at me and said, "Mom, I just want to go to bed now." He often cuts me off in the middle of a lullaby with a request to be put down.
  
• is the most outgoing of all the boys. He waves to passing cars and people and warms up to people much more quickly than the other boys ever did.
  
• has mad fine and gross motor skills. He can find a way to accomplish whatever mischief comes into his mind.
  
• loves his mom.
  
• chatters away constantly.
  
• thinks he is one of the big boys.
  
• loves books.
  
• has my iPhone all figured out.
  
• has a love/hate relationship with the dog. I think that he enjoys having someone to boss around but doesn't like that his face is just at Jem's licking height.
  
• loves to eat. He loves meat especially.
  
• is far more interested in the potty than I am interested in potty training him. I keep telling myself that we will get serious about it this summer when and if it ever warms up.
  
• spills water all the time. He loves to get himself something to drink, fills his cup all the way full and then dumps whatever water is left in there once he's done drinking.
  
• has fantastic pretend play. I love to hear his little imagination go.
  
• sings a lot.
• loves his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Most of them are included in his prayers.
• wants to say the prayer all the time.
  
• has boundless energy.
  
• is still as full of smiles as he was as an infant.
  

San Diego: Zoo

We had never been to the San Diego Zoo and thought that, given all the hype, we'd better do it this time around. We had a nice time and the foliage and grounds were beautiful. We also enjoyed the animals, of course. (I'll say this though, I didn't think that it is worth the hype. It seemed pretty comparable to the National Zoo in D.C. or even Brookfield or Milwaukee. The National Zoo is free and Brookfield not nearly as expensive. If I were planning a San Diego vacation I would skip the zoo. I actually even think the Hogle Zoo here in Salt Lake is just as fun for kids. So if you live near a decent zoo, save yourself the $40 per person admission and go to Sea World instead. Or LEGOLAND.)

San Diego: Tide Pools

Almost every visit to San Diego has included a trip to the tide pools. It's the perfect little glimpse into the ocean ecosystem. The kids love the hike down and then the exploration that follows. Isaac was pretty nervous when we first got down there but he warmed up and allow the ocean to touch his toes and enjoyed looking at the rocks. I wish that I'd take more rock pictures. I am amazed at the colors and it's fun to see how different rocks look when they are wet.

I should note that I decided at the last minute to see if Jakob and Eliza wanted to go with us. I am so glad they did. We didn't tell Mom and Dad they were coming and they were surprised when two extra grandkids tumbled out of the van when we got there. My dear Whitney also accompanied us. I have some really good family and friends in my life. What a blessing.

Back from San Diego

We have just returned from what will likely be our last trip to the San Diego mission home. It's the end of an era for all of us as my parents complete their three years of service. I will miss the mission home and having such a good reason to travel to San Diego. I will, however, be happy to reclaim my parents and have them near. I kind of can't believe that we live in Utah now and will get to live so close to them. It's going to be good.

Hints of Summer

After a long and wet Spring we're trading daffodils in for flowering plums and pants and sweaters for shorts (looks like we are holding onto our Spring boots, though). I could write an entire post about those faithful daffodils that poked through the snow to promise that Spring and sunshine would eventually come. We've enjoyed several days of sun and warmer temperatures. This, along with a whole week without puking, has filled me with hope for the days to come. I'll reclaim my Luke and we'll spend lots of time reading, eating popsicles and enjoying the freedom of our own schedule. I am looking forward to it.

Morning Sunshine

Noah is always the last one out of bed. He often sleeps until Luke has already left for school and Nat has been gone to work for hours. One of my favorite things is the way he slinks out of his room and peers over the railing at the rest of us. He will stand and stare at what is going on with bleary eyes while he decides whether or not to make his way downstairs or to wander back into his room for a little more shut eye. Oh, to be four...