First off, I have to share this cute video of Adam playing with the kids after our picnic on the temple grounds.
Whew! We have had a whirlwind couple of weeks. But oh how I am so grateful for the life I live.
In our house we do birthdays a little different. Instead of one or two days doing big celebrations we do two weeks of small but fun activities and only buy just a few presents for our kids.
The Saturday before Miss #ClaraBelle’s birthday, we went to the zoo and got ice cream. And ended the day with dancing with daddy.
On her birthday we just had a low key day at home doing all of her favorite activities; which mainly consisted of coloring, reading all the library books five times and snuggling up to some of our favorite cartoons (currently she is obsessing over Frozen and Emperor’s New Groove).
Friday night we had pizza for dinner (her favorite) and went camping.
And on Sunday we had a low key birthday dinner with some of our favorite friends and family that live close.
For birthdays we always do 2-3 books and 1-2 outfits (generally one is a play outfit and one is a nicer outfit). This is partially our way to control the toy buildup; but it's also because we want to focus on experiences and celebrating the joy that family member brings to our lives rather than be commercial by focusing on presents and big parties.
Now while all this has been so fun, it’s a little crazy, and I’ve just been so wrapped up in pulling together some small homemade decorations for the birthday dinner, coordinating dinners and making cakes, preparing for fun days out and camping, on top of all the usual chaos (my laundry pile is way out of control). But there were these small moments that I just had to share, because they were just seriously TOO GOOD!
So I’m a little Fall obsessed (I mean, who isn’t?), which means the decor came out Aug 28th (because I just couldn't wait any longer), and we have been watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown just about every morning during breakfast for the past three weeks. Last Thursday during nap time, I was doing some lite cleaning while letting some paint dry on a project. When I walked back in the craft room she was sitting at her little art table “writing a list”, and here was a sweet little conversation (seriously toooooo good):
Me: What are you doing #LivyLu?
Livy: No I’m Linus. Say, what are you doing Linus?
Me: Ok, what are you doing Linus?
Livy: I’m writing to the Great Pun-kin, he brings presents to all the little girls.
Me: What about the boys?
Livy: If he is a fake, don’t tell me…. You want to sit with me in a pun-kin patch on Halloween night mommy? Pleeeeease!
Me: But it will be dark and cold.
Livy: I’ll bring my R2-D2 blanket and you bring a flashlight.
Me: Well that’s a good idea, but don’t you want to go trick-or-treating?
Livy: The Great Pun-Kin will bring me presents and then we can go trick-or-treating. And I’ll be real sincere.
Me: You’re real cute.
Livy: No, I’m Linus
Seriously, how do you get better than that!!!! (‘And i’ll be real sincere’ bahahahaha) She then finished up her letter, made me address an envelope to The Great Pumpkin and she licked it herself. Like, this girl can be real sassy some time, but these are the moments I never want to forget. These are the moments my heart just melts and I just want to squeeze those chunky cheeks and never let go.
Then skip to the next day which was a horrible hectic day. The kids woke up screaming and that didn't stop till nap time, I had a mountain of a list to complete and the kids seemed to have a completely different plan for me (like scrubbing crayon off the floor and walls, refereeing the non stop fights, and being a human horse); there was some miscommunication with the plumber who had come to work on some apartments we manage, and basically nothing went well. BUT I was determined that we were still going camping. We had planned it to be really easy. We brought up pizza, all we had to cook was breakfast, and we would only be there one night. But because of the whole day I had just endured, we started off with me feeling like a big grump.
And well... things didn't really get easier, yet we still had the best time. The kids refused to eat pizza, all they wanted was to COVER themselves with and eat dirt. Then we went for a dip in the river (it’s called Warm River, but that ain’t a warm river, trust me!). The girls lasted about 5 minutes before they found themselves content sitting on the grass; whereas #OBoy surprised us all by actually loving it (he hates cold water, and generally doesn’t care much for water play). We went for a drive to hopefully wear out the kids, it didn’t work. As soon as we got back to the tent they were WIRED! It took the girls about 2 hours to fall asleep.
Adam, #OBoy and I sat outside the tent under the light of the stars just talking, and reminding the girls every 5 minutes to lay back down, to stop touching the lamp, to stop running around, to not climb on each other, and, ya know, remind them it was bedtime.
Adam wrapped #OBoy up in a blanket and then we got lost in a conversation and gazing up at the stars. And then before we knew it #OBoy was asleep. Something you need to know is that he likes to just curl up in his own bed with a bottle and drift off to sleep on his own. It is very rare he will fall asleep (and stay asleep) in our arms. But to just sit under the stars and watch your chunky babe drift off and cling to you for warmth is possibly the most relaxing thing and just the absolute best!
The kids slept well till about 3 a.m. I don’t remember who woke up first but before long the whole tent was awake and stayed awake till 5:30 when a thunder, lightning and heavy rainstorm started. And while keeping kids quiet in the wee morning hours so as to not disturb the whole (full) campground, there is quite possibly nothing more heavenly than snuggling up close to the whole family and drifting off to sleep to the sound of rain.
The next morning the camp stove wouldn't light so we had coconut rice krispies and cheese sticks for breakfast. (No shame.)
Basically the whole camping experience did not go as planned but it was just the very thing I needed. And I actually came home a lot more energized and relaxed than I ever would have imagined (something about sweet family bonding experiences does that).
On Sunday we did a “DINO-mite” themed birthday for #ClaraBelle. I was so worried that things wouldn't go right, that amid all the people there #ClaraBelle might not feel comfortable, or have fun, or feel overwhelmed (I’m a worrier, what can I say). Oh, and what you dont see in these pictures, is the cake that I spent an hour piping ruffles on, the frosting slid off the entire backside of the cake.... But the whole night she kept climbing up into laps to read books, laying down in the middle of the floor, oblivious to everything else to color, and running up to everyone to give hugs. There is just something about sitting back and seeing an ear to ear smile on your daughters face, seeing her run around from person to person knowing that everyone there loves her, and knowing that that sweet little tender heart girl is yours to keep forever.
(We had a really cute "dinosaur egg hunt")
I usually get super emotional around my kiddos birthdays, but this time I have just felt so blessed (#blessedbeyondmeasure). I just feel so blessed that I get to watch this sweet girl grow up, I get to be smothered in her snot kisses (why are kids noses always runny), I get to tackle her into bed five and six and seven and eight (you get the point) times every night, and the whole time she is either laughing or pointing and shouting ‘You you you you you” (we do this thing where I say ‘I love you’ and then she says ‘you you you you’ and I know she is really saying ‘I love you’ back). I get to be distracted from doing chores and cooking to rub and squish her chunky thighs during diaper changes. I get to rethink my motivated plans to do “ALL THE THINGS” when she brings me a pile of books, grabs my finger and pulls me over to the art table to color, or brings me the dress-up tote and wants to play princess and witch (I always play the witch, and I must say I do a good job at it).
I just feel so blessed that I get to be her mom. That I get to be all my kids' mom. Because even when days are hectic, when I get lost in trying to make plans run smoothly and give my daughter the perfect two-week long birthday celebration, there are still special moments, sweet tender moments, moments that my heart melts and I just can’t hold my kiddos long enough.
Something I have come to love is that my life is not grand, I have to work really hard for what I have, and I have a lot of fall-into-bed-at-the-end-of-the-day too exhausted to form proper sentences (poor Adam lol) days, but it’s all worth it for these little munchkins that I call mine.
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