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)

Lately

When the weather decides it really is Spring, we spend time outside at parks, playing with water, riding bikes, doing chalk, and petting neighbor's dogs.

A few weeks ago, we had a fun family morning taking the kids on a surprise adventure to see "The Croods".  Lydia enjoyed half the movie and spent the other half practicing her walking skills.  Actually she got a new record in the lobby of 39 steps so that was fun!  Roy got lots of cuddle and laugh time with Abby and Sam.

We spent a windy morning at the Eagle Festival, which was like a small town fair.  We did see a couple eagles waaaay up in the sky.  Abby's favorite bird is an eagle.  We also saw a really cool reptile show that Sam enjoys reenacting.

On this most recent weekend, we got to see this lady:

(Roy's sister, Alex, who was in town for a weekend Conference put on by BYU)

Thank goodness for iPhones!  Lydia let me sit and listen for 20 minutes.  Sure, I missed Alex's speech, but what I did hear was actually super interesting.  She and I got lost in NW DC instead...good thing streets are in alphabetical and numerical order :)

It is always so fun to see Alex and it was really fun to see her play with our kids!

LOVE

I love these faces!

Text-Worthy

I have this on-going list in my email inbox of funny kid moments that I text myself because they should be included on our blog.  This is one of those clean out my inbox and update the blog times!  Enjoy!

• Lydia's hair is long enough for wearing a little clip!  She won't keep it in for more than a minute, but it sure looks cute!  Her hair also goes crazy while sliding.

•  Sam was really missing Grandma and asked where she was.  I responded that she was at work.  His next very important question: "Is she getting money?"
• On a similar note, Abby was recently requesting a $40 Lego set.  We talked about how that is a lot of money so she would probably need to wait until Christmas or save her allowance to buy it herself.  She thought for only a few seconds before matter-of-factly saying, "I'll just ask Grandma and Baba.  They love to spoil me."
• A lot of times, the kids and I joke by calling two of their toys, vitamins, toothbrushes, blankets (or anything that will seem silly and make them laugh), "Best Friends!"  But that is exactly what I think when I see things like this.  

I may not have mentioned this in a previous post, but when the pediatrician asked Sam who his best friend was, he didn't hesitate to answer, "Abby!"  I almost cried with happiness.

• Last night Sam was running past Lydia and I sitting on the floor.  He tripped and fell.  Lydia started laughing really hard.  My first thought was that she is a true sibling, laughing at her brother falling.
• Lydia is really enjoying her Easter candy.  Can you see the remnants of blue egg?

• Sam has been really interested in super heroes lately, particularly in trying to figure out who belongs in the columns of Bad Guys vs. Good Guys.  He was recently dressed up in an odd assortment of costume pieces and said in a low, gravelly voice, "I am Captain Hook America!"
• Sam is really growing up fast and likes to be as independent as I will let him be.  It often results in moments when I have to hold back my laughter so he doesn't feel bad. :)  The other night he refused to put his pj shirt on and walked around with Steve Urkel style pants chanting "Savages, savages!"  (He watched "Pocahontas" a long time ago and was inspired by the men's lack of shirts).  

• The reason we took this picture is because the girls were in matching skirts and shirts.  Of course you can't tell this from the picture though. :)  I have been so excited for my girls to match (especially because I know the amount of time they will want to match will be short)!

Do you ever have those simple, yet overwhelming feelings of "Best Mom EVER!" because your kids are getting along really well, spontaneously give you a hug and kiss, get excited because you let them watch a show while they eat snack, plan a surprise adventure, or want to cuddle up to you and whisper how much they love you?  I love those moments.

Look at Lydia!

We are really excited about this new-found interest.  She is the cutest!