Little Bit of Lydia

Can you see what get to enjoy every day?  Life is so good with Lydia!

 A classic messy face shot.

I love that she will still curl up and fall asleep on me.  Happiness!

My girl has transformed from baby to girl recently.  The stroller joining us on our walk was not just her idea, it was her at her insistence that we added it to the list of things that came out the door with us.

Busch Gardens Trip

We went down to Williamsburg and Busch Gardens for part of this weekend.  We used a training Roy had for work and grandparents in Williamsburg as the excuse to play at the park for a day.  We love Busch Gardens and always have the greatest time when we go.  This time, Lydia went on some rides and Sam was tall enough to go on most of the rides he has been eyeballing for a while.  And besides the little hiccup we had with the log ride being terrifying for Abby (my fault and now she claims she's never going again...oops), we had the greatest time going on rides and seeing the shows.

Entering the park

The Grover roller coaster

Ernie & Bert boat ride

I have to just interject a funny story that may embarrass Roy (but those are the best kind, right?).  The ride operator came by and pushed down on the silver bars to make sure the passengers were secure.  This ride is obviously made for kids so when she walked by and checked Roy's seat, she was eye-level with him.  He looked away, she pushed and moved on.  I was laughing at him so he explained the reason he looked away, "It's like at the doctor where you turn and cough.  Just turn your head and get it over with."  The nearby dads who heard his comment had mixed reactions of laughing out loud and being embarrassed that they were laughing out loud.

Abby and I got to ride the swings together.  It was so fun to hear her whooping and hollering!  And, by the way, look how grown up she looks!  Sam and Roy rode together for his first time ever...he was so happy to be tall enough.  He's been waiting for more than a year to be big enough for the swings!

I always feel bad when we do super fun activities and Lydia is just a side note in our photographic evidence. But look!  Here she is having fun watching "Pirates 4-D".  I promise she had a pretty awesome time too!

 Two pictures in a row!  Look at my big girl on the swings with Sam!

Splash pad in Sesame Street 

Yee-haw!   

Here I am attempting to earn back my trust with Abby after her tearful, screaming time on the log ride.  Luckily, Le Catapult helped me win back some points. 

The whole family got to ride the Carousel!

Grandma came and met us for dinner, a show, and a couple rides.  Sam even got Grandma to do the Battering Ram with him and scream the whole time (and I really do mean from when the attendant pushed the button and the ride barely jiggled until Grandma attempted to silence the kid screaming in delight by covering his mouth.  There was only a brief silence.) 

The end of the day.  We were there from open until close.  So fun!

Temple Trip

We went up to the DC Temple last Sunday.  It was a beautiful day and we were some of the only people there.  It was so nice to spend a quiet few hours with our family, enjoying talking about the temple, the church, and the gorgeous flowers and trees.

Abby was so excited to see the Christus statue when we walked into the Visitors Center and just had to have a picture.  There were lots of new areas to explore inside.  It was so fun to see the things our kids got interested in and had questions about.  

For those of our friends who are not LDS (aka Mormon), here's a brief video about why we build temples.  Anyone can go into our church buildings, but only worthy members of the church can go inside the temple (but anyone is welcome to visit the grounds and the Visitors Center).  I love going to the temple, even just the outside, because of the peace that is there.  You know the places you go where you instantly feel safe and at home?  Temples and temple grounds always feel like that to me: unhurried, calm, beautiful, and at home.

Happy Mother's Day!

I've been reflecting on all the mom figures I have had in my life: church leaders, teachers, my parent's friends, my aunts, grandmas, my mother-in-law, and mostly my mom.  I'm so grateful for all the guidance, hard work, persistence, example, teaching, and love I have received from these special ladies.  I'm grateful that Heavenly Father put so many people in my life to help me be happy and grow.

Just like life didn't come with a manual, mothering doesn't have one either.  It's hard, happy work to be a mom!  But I have learned so much from family and friends, strangers and acquaintances about being a mother.  These people are my manual.  I'm grateful for the ideas on how to solve problems, to have good friends for my kids, to be reminded of how much to enjoy the time I get to cuddle my little ones, to learn how to explain things hard things to inquiring minds.  I am grateful that I can partner with Roy and our Heavenly Father to raise these marvelous, hilarious, intelligent, sometimes frustrating, fun-loving, affectionate children.  I'm grateful I can be their mother.

My quote of the week from the prophet.  I love it because it reminds me that I am part of an unbeatable team!

"May each of us remember this truth; 'one cannot forget mother and remember God.  One cannot remember mother and forget God.'  Why?  Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one."  (Thomas S. Monson, Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)