Saturday, January 28, 2012

Saturday Chores


We spent most of the day in the backyard raking, mowing, sweeping and bagging leaves. We have definitely neglected our backyard (just like our blog) over the last few months. It was a first Saturday in a while that the weather was perfect and we didn't have anything planned, so we definitely took advantage of the situation. We have two orange trees and a banana tree that add to the yard work so it took most of the morning...I'm getting distracted...

...The reason for this post was not to talk about our yard but to post about a moment that I know I'll forget if I dont write it down.

So Benson has be on a wild streak for the last few weeks and is finally coming off it. The last few days he has been as sweet as little boys can be. Last night we let him stay up late with us because we were having so much fun together, he also was so sweet that I let him in our bed with us to go to sleep. When I asked Scott who he wanted to say the prayer- Benson piped up and said he wanted to

Me: Benson, you wanna say the prayer?

Benson: yah

Me: okay, do you want me to help you? (I've always helped him)

Benson: No....Dear Heavenly Father..

he continued to say the entire prayer all by himself. I know this sounds like nothing special- many kids his age can say a pray but it was Benson's first time and when he spoke there was something so tender and sincere in his voice that it just melted my heart.

What else does that have to do with the yard work?

He has continued his sweet attitude through out today while we were working in the yard. He had his boots and rope with him the whole time. He helped sweep and pick up handfuls of leaves and put them into the bags. He even helped put all the old banana leaves into the back of the truck. I was proud of him.

It was worth the last few weeks where there were more tears than laughter, more stares than smiles from strangers at the store and more time outs than diaper changes.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Happy Kings Day


Today is Kings Day in the big easy. It is 12 days after Christmas and the beginning of the Mardi Gras season. They take Mardi Gras pretty seriously down here. Most people start getting Kings Cake to begin the celebration and I thought I would join in on the festivities and get one for tonight.

I went to a recommended bakery that does ONLY king cakes, it was around 330 and they only had MASSIVE ones shaped in LSU (they are serious about LSU down here too) and there was only 4 left..despite the massive price tag it came with, I was very excited to purchase my very first Kings Cake. In each Cake there is a little plastic baby and whoever gets the baby throws the next party. I dropped off part of the cake to two different friends since each of the letters took up an entire cookie sheet- we didnt need that much cake. It should be fun to see who gets the baby!



And since it has been so long since we've posted anything on here- I'll give you a little piece of my Christmas present...how awesome did these pictures turn out!!







Thursday, July 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Benson

Yesterday Benson turned 2. I can't believe I have a 2 year old. I dont think he grasped the concept of his birthday quite yet. We kept things simple and got him some ballons and a banner to wake up to in the morning. We also had playgroup at our house- the kids played in the kiddy pool and we decorated cupcakes and then sang Happy Birthday to him. His favorite thing was the plastic fireman hat we got him which i'll post later.
Just a few days old

one year birthday







Play Time

Benson and Henry are starting to notice each other more and more which for the most part is adorable and warms my heart. Other times it makes me feel like my heart is going to stop beating- like the time Benson tried to pick up Henry, or hit him with his toy or kicked him on accident. Good thing little boys are tough.


Henry's picked up my love of reading and Scott's love of nice cars


Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mothers Day

Me and Scott pretty much have the greatest mothers out there and so we wanted to remind them how great they are and send our love to them both. Happy Mothers day to everyone!!



So I am totally stealing this from another blog that I read (Thanks Hinckleys! and sorry I didnt ask to use it before I posted this!) and I have been thinking of this story all day today.

The Invisible Mother


It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'


In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'


I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder, one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.


As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Family Time














Weve had quite a few vistors over the last two months, hence the lack of posts. We've also been busy getting into the swing of a summer schedule and adjusting to two children. Just a few highlights from the last few weeks:

My mom came out the day Henry was born (great timing Mom!)

Then Scott's mom came out a week after my mom left and helped out so much! She even took Henry for two nights for me so I could get some sleep. (our moms are pretty much amazing). She was here over Easter as well.



We celebrated our 4 years of Marriage...Love, Love, Love this man!
Then a few weeks after that my Dad came to visit and we ventured downtown with the boys to ride the ferry, visit the french quarter and ride the trolley down St.Charles Ave. My Dad got Benson and early present- his first Tricycle!

and then a few weeks after that my sister Maddie came to visit. My parents were going out of town for 10 days and she didnt want to jump around house to house so she came and stayed with us. Don't be deceived by her mature beauty, shes only 14...apparently everyone thought that Henry was her child.


Thursday, April 28, 2011

Dedicated


This post is dedicated to Scott...Happy Anniversary!

Four years ago today we got married and I can't believe how fast its gone by. Here's to the last four years of being married to an amazing man and to the next fifty as well. I am so lucky to be a part of his life and he is a wonderful father and husband.



"What is love? This may be hollywoods version and the interpretation of those who write love songs and love fiction. true love is not wrapped in such flimsy material. one might become immediately attracted to another individual, but love is far more than physical attraction. it is deep, inclusive, and comprehensive. physical attraction is only one of the many elements; there must be faith and confidence and understanding and partnership. there must be common ideas and standards. there must be a great devotion and companionship. love is cleanliness and progress, and sacrifice and selflessness. this kind of love never tires or wanes, but live through sickness, and sorrow, poverty or privation, accomplishment and disappointment, time and eternity"
Spencer W. Kimball