My kids

I thought I would write a little about my kids today. Not in order obviously.

Gabe

Gabriel is quite the addition to our family. We waited for him for five years. I know why we were supposed to wait. He is very sensitive and he tests my patience every day. He is a goofy boy and he always makes us laugh. He likes to tell jokes, and he is always asking about the gospel. He likes to do the right thing however right now he is learning about free agency and how HE chooses right from wrong. He is a good boy though and a great brother. He likes to help me in the kitchen and help his dad around the house and in the yard. He is very happy if he can just be our companion and constantly helping which can be good or bad. We love our Gabrielkatelyn

Katie is our sweet baby. She is learning so much so fast. Although, she is #4 so she is taking her sweet little time walking. With Gabe and Ashlee around to cart her everywhere she probably does not feel the need to get on her own to feet. She is a smart baby and is always happy. She has recently learned that she can scream at the top of her lungs. I am so much more laid back now that I almost have a hard time not laughing when she decides to do this in church. Bad I know, but I just realize they are only so little for so long and I just find it more funny than embarrassing now. We very much enjoy the sweet little sounds and formations of words she has and will surely miss that about having a baby when she outgrows it. We love our baby Katie.

Ashlee

Ashlee is my major helper. She is learning the hard way that I am not so much her friend as I am her mother. She is my savior most of the time and I know why she graced us with her presence. She is a very talented young lady and is growing into a young woman way too fast. We sit up and watch movies sometimes or just talk about things and it is so fun to have a her around. For those of you who do not know, Ashlee is a beautiful singer. We have recently put her in voice lessons where she meets with kids who are 16. She has the best strong voice and is constantly recieving compliments on it. This session of her lessons she is working on opera. I am so excited for her recital. She isn't but it is so neat watching her perform. We love Ashlee. Everyone who has met her loves her too. She is sweet and considerate.

Brayden

Brady is such a sweet boy. We did not expect to have two boys and I feel so lucky to. He likes to please his mommy and snuggle. He is great to help out. Most of the time if I am trying to get the older two to do something to help out Brayden will jump right in and say "I'll do it mommy!" He is very creative and is his brothers' best friend. My boys get along great. Where one goes the other follows. Every once in a while he gets a little carried away with a marker or pen which surprises me because it seems so out of character for him and then I am reminded he is still just my recently turned four year old boy.

All four of our children are so unique and sweet. We feel so fortunate to have all of them. Andy said after we had Gabe we didn't need any more. We had the perfect family of four. A boy and a girl. Now I think about that and to me we have our perfect family of six. Two boys and bookend girls. For us it is just right and I am so happy that we are all able to be sealed as an eternal family. I love my family. Sometimes there is a lot of noise in our house, a lot of a mess, and contention. But I realize a lot of this is for our growth. Not just theirs but mine as well and I love that HF sent them to me. They are definitely choice spirits that we cherish so much.

Mother's Day miracles

My husband is working like a maniac. Really. He is on a schedule of 6 days on 1 day off. He goes to work at 1:15 pm and is supposed to get home at 1:15 am but not usually until about 2:30am. He gets Tuesdays off which usually are consisting of running errands, rest and yard work. Needless to say, I was not so excited for this Mother's Day. Andy got up on Sunday morning and showered so he could make it to 9am Sacrament meeting (our ward meets at 1pm). My children were quiet and getting along and my baby was still asleep so I decided to stay in bed and study some more on my Sunday school lesson. My children came and surprised me with breakfast in bed. Cereal, blueberries and two pieces of toast. With points friendly spray butter even! That was just the beginning. Ashlee got Katie up and fed her and took care of her until Andy came home. Then surprisingly, all of my children got along for the most part of the day and were even great at church! I was so greatful for them cooperating so much on this Mother's Day even though Dad wasn't around. Ashlee and the boys played after church so I even got an afternoon nap and then Ashlee helped me prepare dinner and the boys and baby were in bed by 7:30. Andy switched days off and is planning on taking me out on Wednesday so he didn't buy me the usual flowers but tonight a friend of ours brought me tulips. She said she thought I deserved it for Mother's Day! How nice right? She is a mother too so I feel like they should be hers but I accepted. I love tulips! Anyway, this Mother's Day I thought about how fortunate I am for such great mothers in my life. My mother is such a great example to me. The strength she has in the gospel, the examples she has set for me in nurturing others and serving in her callings. I am so grateful to call her my mother. Then there is my mother in law. Without her knowledge, sweet spirit and wisdom I would not have such a fantastic husband. I am so grateful to her for all of her examples and all of the nice things she has done to help mold my husband into the man he is. Then there are the grandmothers. Without their sweet spirits I wouldn't have my mothers. But another thing I thought about was all of my friends who are mothers. I have so many great friends who are great mothers and who's wisdom help influence me. Thank you. I love the things you share. Your experiences and knowledge have sometimes really helped me in thinking how I can better be a mother. I feel so fortunate for such fantastic examples in my life.