Spring and renewal of LIFE!

Spring time is so beautiful and everything feels fresh and new! Our weather lately has seemed like winter rather than pre-summer. We did some work in the backyard but still have BIG plans ahead. We want to get everything ready for playing in the water for summer. We have also been doing some stuff around the house and I am looking forward to time to do long-anticipated projects this summer. Only 4 school days left until the break and the craziness is already in full swing. We have been very busy after school as well with baseball and other things. Trenton is LOVING playing baseball and is pretty good at it. Big 5k is coming up...we will see how that goes...
Things are good for us right now. I wish for peace and comfort right now for those who need it...

Things to be grateful for...

I had an interesting talk with Daegon the other day. As we were driving, the song "Live Like You Are Dying" came on and Daegon told me it makes NO sense to him. My attempt to explain the idea of taking advantage of the moment hit me harder than it did him. With the emotional and physical challenges I am facing right now, I have really been thinking about what I want out of life and the steps I need to take to reach those goals. I have really tried to focus this week on taking care of myself and doing the things that make me happy.

Several years ago, Daegon and I survived a terrible car accident and I didn't think I would walk again. We have come so far in our lives since then and our lives could be SO different today. I am grateful for a supportive family and good friends who help me through the things I struggle with. I am grateful for 3 wonderful, active boys. I am grateful to have a house, clothing, food and a car. There are so many people without the basics and this time of year is a struggle for them. I am grateful for this time of year so I can be reminded of all the things I have in my life to be grateful for...

Halloween

The month of October is finally here. I can't believe how fast this year went. The boys are SO excited about Halloween and they have already had their costumes for a month. :) Trenton is going to be Buzz Lightyear (because Toy Story is the center of his universe right now) and Daegon is going to be Woody. We found a baby Alien costume for Jayden and I am going to be Jesse the cowgirl. We still don't know what Rob will be...maybe Mr. Potato Head. We have already started decorating the house and the neighbors are excited about seeing the finished product!

Summer Fun!

This summer seems to be speeding past us and I am already feeling nervous about my new teaching assignment in August. In the meantime, we are trying to stay busy. Daegon survived 2 weeks of summer camp-Critter Camp and then was joined by Trenton for Dino Diggers. They had a great time. They also both completed a level of swimming at Summit Athletic Club. Trenton didn't love it so much and only got in the water once. The rest of the time he sat on the steps, but even that was an improvement from his previous boundary of 20 feet from water. :) He did put his mouth in two
times and blow bubbles. Daegon swam like a fish! He improved SO much.
Jayden liked going to the pool and putting his feet in the water with mom.
Yesterday, we pulled out our creativity and made our own crayons out of leftover crayolas. Daegon had a lot of fun picking colors to mix together and they turned out really cool. We had to make 2 batches. Here is a photo of our first batch.
While we were in Salt Lake for Father's Day weekend, we went to Toys R Us and Daegon picked up a WII game called Raving Rabbids 2. It is the craziest, strangest thing I have seen. This rabbits tear things up and shoot plungers at each other. Daegon and Trenton play it all the time and is funny to watch. Trenton is surprisingly good at it. Of course, Daegon is good at any game he plays. He is upset when he gets second place out of all the people who have played it. Perfectionist?!?
We are really enjoying our free time and love being able to do whatever comes up. We have some fun things this upcoming week. It is Eric Dodge Night at the Roadrunners baseball game and we are excited to go to that. It will be our first "real" baseball game. We are also travelling north to hear Eric and Andy open for Carrie Underwood at Stadium of Fire. That will probably be one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for us...who knows! We are looking forward to it!
Rob is crazy busy with events this month and has hardly had time to come up for air...we are looking forward for some quality family time with him soon. :)

Good posting luck right now

So, I was able to post photos to two posts in a row. I kind of stopped blogging because it was so frustrating to post. I have so many photos to share. Here are a couple more...

More of the garden

Planting the Garden

There is something refreshing about the energy of the earth whether it is the life in the soil or the power of waves hitting the shore. We were able to help plant Grandma's garden today, a tradition the little boys are starting to love. I haven't had the opportunity to help plant, but every year I enjoy the fresh vegetables. Grandma puts SO much time and love into that garden every year just like Grandpa used to. She isn't able to do so much anymore, but everyone else stepped up and helped today. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I can't believe it is Mother's Day. As I reflect on back, I remember missing my very first Mother's Day as a new mother while baby Daegon was in the NICU in Las Vegas. I was so sad and I remember calling the hospital from my own bed just about every hour that day. I was given the greatest gift that year as I was able to hold him in my arms once again while on the path to recovery. Things could have been very different. Last year, I was sick with labor pains and high blood pressure with Baby Jayden and this year, I get to celebrate being the mother to three healthy, happy, and incredibly active young boys. I am truly blessed!