Mom's birthday... and other random pictures!

Mom's birthday was the week after Mother's Day.  She requested Blancmange instead of cake... it's a family favorite.  And it was so good with fresh berries!  We had dinner and then jumped on the tramp.  Well, we mostly just watched Jack and Connor jump on the tramp.  Matt and Amy were out of town for the month, and it was so weird to feel like an only child.  

Even Jack loves this pudding... he couldn't keep from tasting it until after the picture.  haha.

5/9/11: Colt's fuzzy little head cracks me up.  And that dimple makes me just want to kiss his little face.

5/22/11: Griff can make Colt smile and giggle anytime.  It is so cute watching them.

5/30/11: Griff reading Jack a story.  In the middle of the book, Jack suddenly thought it would be funny to cover Griff's mouth with his hand.  Two year old humor...

6/1/11: Playing at the park in Cedar Hills.  Jack was being so funny that day.  He was talking and running around a mile a minute.  He played on the playground, explored the stream, ran away from me and circled the park (I got my workout in for sure), and then ran through a puddle in the trail about 300 times.  I don't think the other mom's appreciated my letting Jack run through the puddle.  Invariably, when the other kids saw Jack splashing through the puddle they would make a beeline for it and get swooped up or shooed away at the last minute.  But he was having so much fun, and he is a two year old boy... I mean, aren't they supposed to play and get wet and dirty?  Ok, and I admit it was nice for me to be able to sit in one spot for a minute. :)

6/5/11: The great thing about having my Mom and Dad live a couple miles away is that they will come to dinner a lot... and we love it!  Of course, we crash their house a lot, too.  Our stream (AKA a rather pretty irrigation water ditch) has been running all summer.  We love it!  They didn't run it at all last year, and we were SO disappointed.  We've tried to take advantage of the sunny weather to eat in the backyard a lot.

6/6/11:  My sleeping baby boy.  There is nothing special about this picture, but I just love looking at my sleeping babies.  So I wanted to take a picture so I'd remember...

6/9/11: Jack and Griff eating cookies on the front step.  Love love love summer time!

Mother's Day 2011

We kick started Mother's Day weekend by doing the Race for the Cure, which was the perfect way to prepare for Mother's Day.  The little boys and I finished Saturday off by picking daddy up at the airport (he'd been in Detroit for the week on business - I know, I was so sad I couldn't go and hang with Erin...).  Then we headed out to Tooele to spend the night and have a yummy Mom's Day breakfast with Cindy.  Griff made us Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast which just happens to be one of my favorites.  

After breakfast, we went to Sacrament meeting with my in-laws.  Randy gave the best talk.  It was so fun to be there to hear him.  We had to hurry back after Sunday School, because I was teaching in Relief Society.  This is the second year in a row I taught on Mother's Day.  It wasn't nearly as stressful as last year... I still get pretty nervous when I teach, but nothing like when I first started. :)

Cindy is the best mother-in-law.  She is super supportive and loves us for us.  I never get the feeling that she thinks we should be anything different than what we are.  It is refreshing and makes being around her so comfortable.  Plus, I have never met anyone who works so hard to make sure everyone around her is happy and has what they want.  She is very very unselfish.  And of course, she raised a pretty darn good son. :)  I love that woman.

After church and naps, we headed over to the Sterzers for dinner with my mom.  We love my mom.  She is dynamic, hardworking, and a positively powerful force for good in this world.  I think of her as superwoman, my personal glue (you know, that keeps my life from falling apart), and my dear, cherished friend all rolled into one.  I want to be just like her.  :)

It was super weird to be the only child of five at dinner on such a special occasion.  Josh and his then fiance, Natalie, came which helped bulk out our numbers. :)  The boys made us a super good dinner... roast, corn on the cob, sinful bread, and Lindt Truffle Chocolate Cupcakes.  The girls just got to lounge around and enjoy the kiddos. So fun.

Griff sporting the apron... definitely a picture worth keeping.  Haha!

I wasn't expecting much for mother's day with a husband out of town and not arriving until late the night before.... and let's face it, he's a "Christmas Eve" kind of shopper.  So imagine my surprise when I got home from the Race for the Cure and found these beautiful, amazing roses waiting for me on the doorstep.  I waited until the roses were all blown before I took a picture.  I just love blown roses.  The buds are beautiful, serene, and proper.  But blown roses are joyous, full of life, and speak the language of my soul!  That husband of mine is a definite keeper.  I love that man.