Shaving With Daddy

I saw this cute idea in a magazine and now my kids think they need to shave every time David does. (I used to love it when my dad put shaving cream on my face.)

Easy Rider

We do not have smart phones and David's phone is even dumber than mine, so these are not the greatest videos. We wanted to capture Jalen pedaling away like mad on his Harley hot wheel. It's amazing how quickly he can get those legs going! He can't reach the pedals yet, so he just walks while he rides. He used to run over himself, but he's got it all figured out now.

And we were seriously impressed when he picked up his bike and carried it up the stairs all by himself.

High Flying Zoo Day

We go to the zoo a lot, but it's a rare treat when Daddy gets to go with us. The zoo was CRAZY today because some schools are still on spring break. We're used to having the zoo almost to ourselves, so waiting in lines was a new experience. 

Baylie climbed up the rock wall. 

And Jalen climbed the jungle gym.

Jalen was FINALLY tall enough to ride the ponies (may have been the hiking boots). He was super excited...until he got on. Then he was a little unsure, but he loved it and did great.

The kids did the usual stuff - rode the train...

...fed the goats...

...and fed the giraffes.

But today was super exciting because Baylie finally got to do the Sky-High Safari - a 44-foot-high vertical ropes challenge. She's been wanting to do it for a long time, but I'm afraid of heights - and there's no way I could go with her and Jalen at the same time (nor would I want to!).

 

 

 

 

On some parts she went all by herself.

Sometimes she needed a little help.

And sometimes she needed a lot (her daddy's the best).

She wasn't scared much and I was so impressed by how adventurous and brave she was. Way braver than her mom!

Jalen waited patiently for her to finish.

 All in all, it was a great day at the zoo!

I Love "Not Working"

There's been a lot in the news lately about mothers who stay at home with their children "not working a day in their life." I'm glad to see that the backlash has been strong in support of stay-at-home moms and surprised to see that many of the comment boards seem to slam women who stay at home, or assume that only wealthy families can afford to have moms make that choice. I am not making a political statement. I also don't second guess women who work, regardless of why they have made that choice. I only know my story.

I worked as an assistant editor (actually a glorified title) of a business publication; was the groups and conventions manager of a resort on the beach in Los Cabos, Mexico; traveled the world as an international training manager of a major airline and benefited from the perks of working in marketing for the same airline. Most of the time, I enjoyed working. I like to multitask and I like to feel my brain is being stretched. I liked the interaction with other people. I loved the travel. I liked being taken out to nice restaurants. I liked yearly interviews where I was told I was doing a good job and got a pay raise. I loved a regular paycheck that covered the bills with a little left over for savings.

Even when I was working, I always knew the job I really wanted was to be a stay at home mom. I think my supervisors and co-workers always knew that as well. I worked hard and I think I did a good job, but I never wanted to climb the corporate ladder. I just wanted to be a mother. It took much longer than I thought it would.

When we moved back to Utah, I downgraded and when Baylie was about 16 months old, I took early retirement with flight benefits. I have never regretted that choice. I love being with my kids all day. It is exhausting. It is hard. Many times it is thankless. But I have a 4-year-old girl that tells me she loves me several times a day. I get knee-high hugs from a two year old that almost knocks me over several times a day. No amount of money could be better pay than that.

We are not wealthy. In fact, we are dirt poor. We live off school loans, receive WIC vouchers, use Medicaid and shop with coupons. Many people question the wisdom of my decision in light of our financial situation. They think that it is irresponsible. I don't care. I can always go back to work, but my kids will only be little once.

There are so many little things I would miss if I weren't here. It's not so much the big milestones, but the little things they do and say every day. I'm so grateful not to miss any of them. There are studies that show what stay at home moms are really worth. To be honest, that's not why I stay home. I stay home for selfish reasons. I stay home because I don't want anyone else to witness these little moments but me.

Family Home Evening

In our church, Monday night is set aside as a night for family; we call it Family Home Evening. Normally it's a night where we have a song, prayer, gospel lesson and - of course - a treat. It's a time for the family to connect and spend time together. This is a time for families to study the gospel together and to do other activities that strengthen the family spiritually, create family memories, and increase unity and love (from lds.org). Sometimes we just have a fun activity. Tonight we decided to go strawberry picking.

 

 

 

 

  

 

We had a lot of fun. I've already put up freezer jam and made a strawberry pie. Yum!

For a peek at a more traditional home evening, you can check out the video below.

Easter Photos

This is what happens when you ask your husband to get a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits while you finish getting ready for church.

Wish I had double checked this yesterday!

Easter Fun

For a variety of reasons, we decided to celebrate Easter today instead of tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to focus on the spiritual side of Easter.

We decided to decorate eggs out on the deck. It was a good thing, because there was egg dye everywhere. Both the kids had it on their faces, especially around their mouths.

Jalen managed to not just crack most of the eggs he dyed, but to completely destroy them.

Baylie didn't soak her eggs, she dunked them over and over, usuallly with her hand.

We didn't end up with very many vibrant eggs since most of the eggs spent very little time in the dye. Or rather, most of the eggs didn't spend much time in any one color.

 

The three I managed to decorate.

Stealing an idea from my friend Kellie's blog, we adopted a new tradition to put baking soda in a pie tin and use droppers to put the vinegar and dye in the soda. It would fizz up in the bright colors and make cool designs. The kids loved it. We'll definitely keep doing this. 

Then we had our feast. I can't remember the last time we had a holiday dinner with just our little family. Baylie was really excited because she got to use a fancy glass and a glass plate.

I forgot to include the centerpiece we made from the Friend magazine - Easter Lilys made from the kid's hand prints. (I didn't have white construction paper, so ours were orange.)

Later we went to a baptism, and when we came home, the Easter bunny had come!

We had an indoor egg hunt.

Jalen LOVED the chocolate!

I made these little cake pops for the Young Women in our ward. They won't win a prize in the country fair, but for my first time, I was pretty proud of my lopsided chicks. I just won't compare them to the originals.

I wasn't quote as proud of these ones that looked like a cross between Spud on Bob the Builder and the bad guy from Batman Begins.

As my dad says, "They'll do to eat once."