My Passion

Recently Phoebs and I rocked Scottsdale on a girls long, extended, whatever you want to call it, weekend.  The staff at the resort we stayed at are required to list their "passion" on their name badge.  We were fascinated by peoples' passions, my favorite being the friendly hostess at the restaurant who's passion was butterflies.  She wore butterfly hair clips, jewelry and even a butterfly belt.  One morning, Phoebe asked me what my passion was.  At that very moment, my passion was sitting by the pool, enjoying free drinks, sun soaking and spending time with the besty. Upon further reflection however, my passion is being a wife to Kel and a mother to my four children.  Being a mother is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I'm passionate about nurturing, caring for, entertaining, teaching, guiding and inspiring Lizzy, Rosie, Max and Drew. Being their Mom occupies my time, mind and energy. I can't think of a passion I'd rather have. Happy Mother's Day, especially to my sweet Mom, Mom-in-law and Grandmothers who have made my passion possible and have taught me so much about how to be a great Mom.

Who's The Man?

Yes, Baby Drew turned ONE! When he woke up that morning, he seemed to know it was his special day. At his birthday party, he wanted one thing, and one thing only: a ball, given to him by his cousin Emily. He cried when we made him stop chasing the ball around yard for the candle blow. Drew is a man who enjoys simple things in life: a ball, wrapping paper, grass and frosting. He did however appreciate the one year movie his father created for him, pointing and laughing at the television screen. What are his accomplishments to date you might ask? Simply put, Drew is our sunshine; his sweetness overwhelms us and we feel so blessed. This last year has been delightful with his presence. Never have we had such an easy baby! Happy Birthday to our Baby Drew, we "LOVE YOU SO BAD" (Rosie)!

GONE!

And now Drew, for exactly 45 minutes, twice a week, it's just you and me kid!

Names & Blessings

Last Sunday Baby Drew was blessed. What a wonderful day it was, one that has left me pondering this week as I reflected on my feelings of the day. A few recurring thoughts:

1- How names shape us. Looking back on each of our children, I'm confident we named them correctly. Elizabeth-kind, courteous, "Ms. Manners", Rosie- cheerful, happy, full of life, Max- strong, determined, charming. And now, our Baby Drew. How will his name define him? I love to say his name; I love the special meaning behind it. I think of the sweet boy he was named after and feel honored to raise Drew David's namesake. When I talk with Kelly's Mom Sylvia, it seems that Drew David was a very active, energetic mama's boy who accomplished the baby milestones in a hurray. Perhaps Baby Drew will be the same way?

2- How lucky Kelly and I are to live where we do, surrounded by our family. Many of my extended family not only came to Baby Drew's blessing but helped prepare for it. I feel buoyed up by them. Most of our siblings were there, it's so fun to raise our children together. Kelly blessed our baby to grow close to his siblings and family; I pray he does.

3- How much I really love our backyard!

4- How much I completely adore our Baby Drew. He was perfect the entire day, letting anyone hold him and kiss his chubby cheeks. The day was definitely baby bliss!

Getting to Know You

Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me.

Drew has very large feet for a newborn, and it's impossible

to keep any kind of socks or booties on them.

Our most alert baby ever, Drew is awake more than most newborns

and is so engaging with his bright possibly blue (but still early to tell) eyes.

PS- no, he is not laying on rough wood with chipping paint...its a mat!

Baby Drew loves his hands tucked up close to his face when he is falling

to sleep. In fact, his favorite position is to have one hand against his cheek and the

other holding on to mine......melts me every time.

Baby Drew is a mommy's boy through and through

and I couldn't be more pleased as I am a Drew's girl.

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?

Because of all the beautiful and new

Things I'm learning about you Day by day.

(The King And I)

And now to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions:

1- How are you feeling?

I feel really great, actually. I believe this has been my easiest recovery and I have been blessed with so much help (thank you thank you thank you), I have been able to rest way more than I originally anticipated. Although, I must admit that I haven't gotten into the full swing of housework, cooking, and caring for the 3 older children yet, so we'll see how I fair in the not so distant future.

2- How is Baby Drew doing? Is he a good baby?

Drew is a Dream. He truly is. He still has that sweet sweet spirit about him. He is patient with his adoring siblings but, lets us know when he needs some down time with Mommy. He loves his new stroller (and so do I, thanks to our Family) and being outside. He seems to be most content where we are, which works well since his siblings want to be constantly near him.

3- How are the other children doing adjusting, particularly Max?

They are doing so great, we couldn't be happier. The girls are in heaven, needless to say. Max is so proud and protective of Drew. He hasn't shown signs of jealously, but is wondering when we are going to be able to push Drew in the swing, send him down the water slide, feed him fruit snacks......you get the picture.

4- Were you surprised he was a Boy?

No and Yes. All along Kelly and I both felt like it was "probably a boy", but there were times that I talked myself out of those feelings and thought we were having a girl. But, for the most part, I would have been more surprised if we had had another daughter. We definitely feel lucky to have 2 boys and 2 girls, if feels perfect for our family.

5- Are you getting any sleep?

Drew is a great little sleeper! He usually eats and goes right back to sleep at night, so, no complaints here, but, I still feel so very tired, and at the same time, I'm happy to be near him and hold him during the night.

Special thanks to my new favorite photographer, Wendy Carter who was so kind and patient to Drew and I and got such amazing shots of our newborn.

Mele Kalikimaka

Yes, we did have Christmas. Santa was good to us this year: Rosie a new changing table and accessories for her "Bitty Baby", Lizzy a tea party table, chairs and serving set for her American Girl and Max, little Max and his new Truck from Santa. Elizabeth summed it up with this conversation on Christmas Day:

Lizzy- "Mommy, Santa is SO NICE"

Mommy- "Yes, he really is Lizzy"

Lizzy- "Yea, cause you guys would NEVER buy a real car you can drive for us, and Santa just brought one to Max, he is so NICE"

Mommy- "Yes, Lizzy, he really is so nice"

As for Kelly and I, we were still on cloud 9 after our trip to Kauai, so everything seemed swell. It was a simpler Christmas for me. Knowing that I would be gone the first week of December, I simplified. I took less time decorating, baking, wrapping, shopping and stressing and more time enjoying. It was quite amazing how I much I didn't miss all the fuss and I think I'll make it a habit from here on out (Kauai and all......I wish!). Regardless, Christmas 2009 was "Merry and Bright" as it hopefully always will be.

Sands Through an Hourglass, part 1-

PART 1-

"Rosie, do you know what you would you like to be when you grow up?"

"Yes!", "What?"

"A FANCY LADY!!"

"Like Sands Through an Hour Glass,
So are the Days of our Life"

(Who didn't watch Days in their teens?)

I must confess, the days of my life have been pretty sweet over the past 9 months of school. How did they go so fast? We celebrated with Rosie as she and her preschool classmates entertained us with song and poem at her preschool promotion. Rosie knew every song, preformed every move with incredible stage presence. We were so proud of our little Rose. She enjoyed it and I could tell really loved her classmates and her dear teachers. She will now advance to another year of preschool, but will it be the same?

Both Rosie and Lizzy attended Ms. Lorie's preschool. The same preschool my younger siblings went to, in my home town. I love Ms. Lorie's curriculum and educational philosophies. Rosie attended preschool with my two good friends' children, promising to marry one...."DABE" (Gabe). Seems perfect. I spent those Tuesday and Thursday afternoons spending time with my close friends. Sometimes the park, sometimes the mall, sometimes McDonald's, many times Target. We shared a year together. I cherished those days. I looked forward to those times with just Max. What a different boy he was as a 'singleton'. I learned so much about my son, I learned so much about myself.

Now, Rosie will go to a new preschool near our home, for the convenience of her Mother. I look forward to carpooling with my favorite carpool buddy. But, I can't help but wonder if I'm making the right call. I love Ms. Lorie and Mr. Avery (her father). I love Rosie's friends, which are my friends' children. I'm sure the new preschool will be fine, but will it ever be great?

Cami expressed the feelings of remebering the moment so beautifully in a poem written for my birthday. I don't normally share this sort of thing, but it seems to be the perfect ending for this post and so, I shall:

REMEMBER WHEN

“Remember when” That’s what we will say,

That is what we say

We eat salads
The sun on your face

The freckles on your nose

The “theme” for the day.

Your eyes like chocolate

From one mother to another

A gift only given in a space

Created, nurtured

By the power to relate

A space forever occupied

You with your perfect-ness

I forgive you for that

Me Not so much.

You forgive me for that

We apply sun-block

We wipe noses

Lizzy and Monet

With their missing teeth

Gabe and Rosie

With their hidden kisses

Max with his Trains

Tea with her thighs

“Remember when” we’ll say“Remember when”

Yay for May!

Two of my favorite things in life are to (1) preform a kind gesture, or (2) to receive one from someone else. On May Day, we were the recipients, and it was so grand. A favorite friend of Lizzy's along with her loving grandmother surprised us with these:

A B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L bouquet of spring blossoms picked from a very well-nurtured yard. They came bundled in a cheery home-made vase (of sorts) and delivered to our door, with a note welcoming the long awaited month of MAY. I love May, as it is the month of my birth, I feel particularly fond of one of the most lovely months of the year. The girls proudly placed the bouquet in their room. Now, the aroma of spring blossoms fill the entire 2nd floor of our home, and their kindness to us fills a sometimes empty pail to the brim.

Happy May Day!

I'm RICH!

Inspiration lead our Primary to create Family Temple Time Capsules.
What is this you may ask? A time capsule made out of a food storage can filled with family photos, special mementos, letters, fact forms, current event lists, etc. These cans were filled and sealed on March 10th, not to be opened for 10 years. Our capsule has been placed high on a food storage shelf, waiting to be re-discovered (I know time will fly).

One requirement of each family was to collect letters from older relatives (grandparents, great-grandparents) to be read in ten years. Our children have 5 living great-grandparents, of whom I received letters from. Looking at the letters, I realized one very important thing: I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A RICH HERITAGE. Growing up, I was closely nurtured and taught by 2 sets of loving Grandparents. My beautiful Grandmothers (Rosie & Louise) trained me in the ways of being a Lady. At the same time, my Grandfathers (Paul & Stan) loved to have fun and graced us with their wisdom in most things. Kelly was also blessed with loving Grandparents, all but one have passed from this life. When I received each precious letter, I knew great wisdom would be imparted to my children and I felt their abundant love seeping from the sealed envelopes.

Warm tears streamed down my face as I drove to this activity. The knowledge of their mortality has never been more clear. The guilt of taking these precious times granted, immense. I promised myself to enjoy the twilight of their lives more fully. I'm very lucky to have these wise spirits pave the way for me. My children are beyond blessed to have come to love, and be loved by so many 'GREATS'!