Mother's Day 2013

I love being a Mom.

I always wanted to be a Mom and it's one of my greatest joys in life.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to mother these sweet children whom I was entrusted with.  Each of them challenges me & blesses me in a different way.  I love each of them uniquely & completely.  God gave me the perfect kids.  They aren't perfect.  But they're perfect for me.  I often just look at them and say a prayer of thanks for them.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ .

Our Mother's Day this year was very low key.

 

Dan was away with Matthew for a K2 Live retreat.  I took Andrew and Kaitlin and we went to Richland to do Mom's community garage sale. 

The kids did a lemonade stand and also spent time with Grammie/Grandpa.  So it worked great.  We had Dan's mom & Dad over in the evening for dinner & S'More's and to celebrate mother's day with them.



Winnie always has lots of pretty, potted colorful plantings so we bought her a plant in a colorful pot (that Kaitlin picked out).



 

First S'Mores of the season! The kids loooove to do this.

 

 

They had baths and then went back out to sit by the fire again.

 

Kaitlin and Andrew wanted to sleep on the floor together.  When I went  in to check on them they were so cute.  Love how Andrew is clutching his bunny, Henry.

On Mother's Day morning, Andrew and Kaitlin brought us muffins in bed on napkins.  It was precious.

We gave Nana her cards & a gift....

 



Which was a little flower charm for her bracelet.  Because Nana likes jewelry.  And flowers.  And Nana doesn't really need anything, and so we gave her a bracelet that we could buy charms for a while back so that we'd have gift ideas for her!  We're crafty like that.  She loved it, so it works out great.



Mom surprised me with a Vera Bradley tote and wallet that I loved.

We snapped a couple of quick pictures and then we headed out for breakfast before leaving town.



 

We headed home.  Dan prepared a nice dinner for me, and we just had a quiet day at home.  I think one of the sweetest moments was when I went to read to Matthew on my bed that evening.  He was laying with his head on me while I was reading and I noticed his breathing had changed...he had fallen asleep.

 

Dan walked by as I was sitting and just watching Matthew's sweet face.  I asked him to take a photo.  It was hard to wake him and take him to bed (Dan actually picked him up and carried him)...it isn't often that this happens anymore and it was just a sweet way to end the day.

April in a Nutshell

Thank you for the support after the last post on Andrew.  I appreciate having friends/family who care enough to read them.  It's always a hard decision thinking over what to share...what not to share.  But these posts help me keep track of some parts of this process and I do think it's important that those closest to Andrew understand him.  I won't always do these posts as Andrew gets older but for now, it feels okay to share and it's easiest for me to do it this way as people as after him regularly. We are plugging along...I had a meeting with the school today to review Andrew's testing which really helped to clarify things for me.  He's on his new medicine ~ he's not thrilled about taking 4 pills each day, but he's adjusting.  Jury is still out on the effectiveness.  We have 2 appointments with his psychiatrist in the next two weeks...so we're just in a period of transition.   I'll wait for things to settle down/filter out and do a little catch up in the future.

On a lighter note, in an attempt to do some speedy blog catch up, the rest of our April fun is going to be in one post.



Library and movie day!  And this is the problem with being behind on the blog.  I have no idea what movie we went to....but Jeannie, the basket you gave Kitti has become the 'library book basket."  We were heading out to do some returns and head to the movie with Easter candy for movie treats.  Oh, and a little something for me!

I often drink tea in the evenings and Matthew wanted to join me one evening as we were reading The Hobbit together.



We love our reading time.  We've finished The Hobbit and now Dan, Andrew, Matthew and I are all reading "The Lord of the Rings" together.



Matthew loooooves Origami.  At any given time there is a piece of folded paper close by.  There are 5 little ones on the ottoman as I type this.



He made a bunch of Star Wars finger puppets.  These were the beginning of around 6 that he made.





The beginning of Han Solo.  I didn't tell him I thought it was a referee.



Andrew attended Carter's birthday bash.  Which was an Oregon Duck party.  Katie was very brave hosting all of these little boys in her house and did a fantastic job putting together this amazing party for Carter.



The boys were (more than) a little crazy.  They most definitely had fun!



A pinata is always a hit!



It's rare that I bake for leisure these days.  I love to bake.  But this particular day I made maple scones.  Baking is such a comfort for me.  I will never be gluten free (the horror!) I will never give up refined sugar.  I will never give up white flour.  I know this is the "thing" to do right now for healthy eating (I realize some people have sensitivities that require dietary restrictions).  I have no idea how people do it.  I'll keep my treats in moderation thankyouverymuch.



We had sunshine one day when I brought the kids home from school one afternoon and we seized the moment and went on the bike ride.  It's foolish to let a sunny day pass by unused in these parts during spring.  The kitty helmet kills me.



I toured these four little ones which felt like 10 little ones around the World Forestry center for Andrew's first grade field trip.  I had a raging headache by the time I got home and was exhausted from coralling children and running around looking for one little girl's coat that she couldn't keep track of, which was currently missing at the time of this photo, and totally gave up on the educational form I was supposed to guide the kids through and just tried to make it out of the museum with all the kids I was looking after had a fun time.  (I really do love the sweet kids in Andrew's class.)



Woe to the person who tries to bake or clean a bathroom without this little one's "help."



We have been living at the ball park the last couple of months. I'm not going to lie.  I have not had a very good attitude about it.  Little League is a big commitment as far as sports go, and with the busyness at the end of the school year it just felt like a lot.  I did enjoy it once I got there, but there were just waaaaay too many games this season between the two boys (27 to be exact).  I'm sure everyone is glad that baseball is over simply because I'll stop complaining about it now.  I think it would have been different if my boys really loved it.  But they didn't.  Despite having great coaches, Andrew said he didn't want to play next year (too slow for him, I think).  And despite having to drag Matthew out for games, etc. he said he wants to play again.  I actually think I'd miss it if both boys decided not to play.  Just having Matthew involved next year will be much more manageable.

By the way, look at andrew's great stance.  Just looking so much more coordinated.  Yay!



Andrew spent a lot of time climbing this tree while Matthew played.



Kaitlin had a BALL during baseball playing with all her little friends.  That was the great thing about it.  Playmates on both teams!



And I have to say, this is pretty darn cute.



Love andrew's sock half way down in this one.  So Andrew.

The highlight for April was really Winnie's oldest sister Pat coming to town.  She is just such a neat person and we loved having her come and visit.  She lives in North Dakota and so we don't get to see her near enough.  She is just lovely.



I just love this next photo.



The flowers on the table were for Dan.  He lead Matthew's "K2 Live" Youth group this past year, every Wed.  It was a fantastic experience for Matthew and I was so happy that Dan did this with him.  I think it was special for the two of them and Dan has such a great personality for things like this.

Anyway, I loved this of Carl and Kaitlin.  The bug in her cheerleader outfit and the bonnet eating breakfast side by side.  Just so cute.  (And note the random origami on the table?  You can always tell where Matthew has been!) :)

And that wraps up April! 

Kaitlin's Tea Party

Because the boys aren't that interested in tea parties, the men took the boys and the nephews to Big Al's for some bowling.  Dan posed for a quick photo on his way out the door.

 

And one with Grammie and Grandpa!



Nana too!

One of the fun things about this party was Kaitlin's excitement over it.  She loved all the details and decorations.  This was her expression when she saw the table the morning of her party.  My camera was acting up and the flash didn't go off, so the photo didn't turn out but I loved her expression.



The activities that we did at the party were all things that Kaitlin loves to do, or things she requested. 
As the girls arrived they worked on coloring pages (probably the number one way Kaitlin spends her time.  She LOVES to color).



While they were doing this we played Kaitlin's video from the first year of her life...per her request. We showed it at her first birthday.  It was actually fun to look back and remember her so small...and we hadn't yet met most of our friends who were attending the party so it was fun to share as well.



The girls then gathered around and dressed up, choosing from boas, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, crowns & hats.



SO happy!!  She had been counting the days to her party and was SO excited for her spcial day.



Cutie pie!



Sweet little girls.  :)



After the girls were dressed up, it was time for the tea party! The girls sat so nicely around the table.  I am still not really used to little "girl" parties.  The energy level is remarkably different from those of our boys!  :)



I served "tea"  (warm strawberry milk topped with whipped cream and sprinkles)....



While the other Moms helped serve treats from the dessert table.  There was no healthy food.  It was all about the sweets.




The teacups were all eclectic...My grandmother's mismatched collection....



And some of my Aunt Linda's pattern worked in.  We used her china for Kaitlin's first birthday brunch, so these pieces are making memories!



I have found if you save things "for good" or for company you never use them.

Kaitlin sipping "tea" from her great-Grandmother's tea cup...

 

 

Kitti loves marshmallows.  I see two straws in her hands and one on the table next to her.  She clearly had more than her share that day!



The chocolate covered strawberries were a hit and most of the girls' faces were covered in chocolate.  This was the "healthy" portion of the tea. :)



Kaitlin loves Gracie's big sisters and asked if Hannah could sit next to her because she taught them ballet at her last party.  She's a pretty neat "big girl."



Little Claire has always looked like an angel to me with her white curls, big blue eyes and sweet cheeks.  She has the best cheeks.



Lovely Audrey has 3 fun brothers and so a dainty tea party is a change of pace for her!  She seemed to enjoy herself.



Kennedy sipping her "tea."  Kennedy is one of our carpool kids to pre-school so she and Kaitlin get to see one another frequently.  They have had many pretend tea parties in their time together so it was special for them to share a fancy one!

 

And of course we couldn't have a party without Gracie Lu as she's known in our house. Uncle Dan took the liberty of re-naming her that and it just seems to fit.  :)  She shed her preferred sweats and simple t shirts for a fancy dress just for Kaitlin's party.  She was so cute and so proud of her outfit.  She's beautiful no matter what she wears.



I wanted a photo of the moms because these are definitely my closest friends here locally.  A really wonderful group of ladies.

And then, in case the kids hadn't eaten enough sugar...it was time for cake!



My camera wasn't working during the candles and so we ended up doing it twice. :) 

Then it was time for gifts...

 

Love this one.  Such sweet friends.  Notice Gracie is already missing teeth?

The little girls were so cute.  They were so excited about their cards, and the gifts that they were giving.  



Love Claire's fluffy dress. :)



Cheese!



Kennedy was excited about the Tangled doll she gave Kaitlin and wanted to share about it.



Grace was so cute about her gift as well ~ She gave Kaitlin a barbie and an outfit.  (Amy, if you're reading this...Kaitlin brought Barbie on a walk and ran into Fitz & Laurel.  She showed them her new doll and they remarked that it looked like Barbie needed to come to church!  I thought that was so funny). :)



Grace all smiles,  posing with her fan and card for Kaitlin.



My little lady.  Getting so big.



Every time we go to Win-Co or Walmart Kitti asks if she can have a pinata for her birthday.  While they have cuter ones at other places, we snagged this one inexpensively in the Win-Co aisle.  She was thrilled.

Truth be told, I'm not a pinata fan.  I'm not big on the kids wielding a bat while other little ones are standing anxiously by ready to pounce for candy.  I'm always worried someone is going to jump too early and get hurt (notice we opted for pulling the string).  Though the boys love hitting them with the bat.  Not to mention scenes like this always stressed me out as a child...




Though they might have missed the party,  Matthew and Andrew had a fun time destroying the pinata after the party was over.  (Matthew just asked me to record that detail).

After the party was over we took a few more photos.  Kaitlin wanted a silly one with Aunt Michelle.  She was happy to oblige.



And a sweet one too....

 

I actually think Kaitlin looks like she could belong to Michelle in this photo.

One with Nana....



And a sweet one with Grammie!



And with Mama too!



I do so love my girl.



You can definitely see her spirit in this photo.  That's my girl.  She's going to be a strong woman some day.  I can definitely see her growing up to embody the term a "Steel Magnolia"....a feminine lady on the outside but with great strength inside.

It really was a wonderful afternoon with friends and family celebrating our big 5 year old girl.