cleaning the church

I love taking my kids to help clean the church on Saturday mornings.  One of the most important things I hope to teach them, it that when there is an opportunity to serve, you take it.  Cleaning the church is perfect for this.  There is something they can all do, even little May.  They have gotten very good at emptying garbages, dusting chalkboards and railings, and holding doors for vacuums.  They have a great time seeing ward members, and getting a little play time in too.

And just to make sure it was a positive experience, we usually top off the morning with a Bill's doughnut!

mothers day

For me, Mother's Day is a time of reflection.  As I look at my life, and people in it, I often wonder why I have been so blessed.  My blessings far outweigh my worthiness for them.  The only thing that I can figure is that I need the sweet spirits the Lord has sent me, to drag me into heaven.  I need their examples.  I need to learn to from my struggles in teaching them.  And along the way, I get to feel the joy of it all with my sweetheart by side!  

This year when Chad made his traditional Mother's Day cake, he let the kids put the finishing touches on it!  It was a masterpiece! It was also a blast sharing this day with another mother who I love!

And of course, I wouldn't even get to enjoy this time in my life without the mothers that shaped me into the mom I am, and try to be.  Truly, I have it all!

soccer season

Last Spring we decided it was time to give our kiddos a chance to play some organized sports.  Since our next door neighbor is a soccer guru, it was the obvious choice.  She even hooked us up with all of the shin guards, balls and shorts all three kids would need.  With Mike having such a flexible schedule, he volunteered to be the coach for the boys team, and Chad was the assistant coach (when he could be there).  Porter, Pratt and Carter all got to be on the same team.  Aimee was in the age division above them.

It started out so cute!  Mike had done his homework on coaching soccer for little kids.  He also is one of the most patient people I know, so he was perfect.  He had them all running drills and smiling.  It was adorable!  

All three of the kids had practice on the same night, and games on Saturdays.  Being nice and pregnant, plus wrestling my almost almost two year old, plus which ever kid(s) that were waiting for their game or practice, it was a long season!  Chad often had to work, and I was mostly on my own.  I was so ready to be done by the end!

We learned several lessons from our first soccer season.  1.  Watching 3-5 year olds play soccer on a mini field is hilarious! 2.  Making sure everyone gets a turn being the goalie is essential to maintaining peace in the team.  3. Having two kids share the same pair of soccer cleats only works when they don't have games at the same time.  4. Porter is fast and has the best victory dance I've ever seen.  5.  Just because it is your first time playing soccer (Aimee) doesn't mean you can't be one of the best players on the team!

Next year I think the boys want to try out baseball.  Aimee wants to give soccer another go.  I am prepping myself to make it happen with an almost three year old and an infant.  Bring it on!