Thank you

I don't know how many people still read this little blog of mine, but I just wanted to use it to say thanks to a few people, without whom I couldn't have survived these last 4 months.

Jill C. - thank you so much for taking my kids home. For always laughing at my lame jokes and for being there for me. Whenever.

Kahea - for always offering your help. And for checking in on me :).

Jill L. - thank you for always saying "yes" whenever I asked. I'm so lucky to have you as a vt and as a friend.

Kim - thank you for being my last minute babysitter many times. You're the best!

Trina - thank you for taking care of Evan. For giving me advice and for understanding.

Tricia - thank you for putting up with all of those screaming fits (mine & Evan's). For always giving me an excuse to go to Sonic. And for listening to me.

Mom - thank you for being Evan's other mother. For listening to me and giving me advice. And for always being on my side.

And most importantly my husband. Who is my best friend - who always makes me laugh and understands me. Who makes me feel like I am the most important person in the world. And who will watch SYTYCD with me. :)

It's hard for me to let these people know how much I love and appreciate them - mostly because then I start crying and it's just not pretty. As I've struggled with all the changes going on I've really learned to appreciate the awesome people I have in my life. It always amazes me when someone offers to help me and doesn't make me feel guilty about it. I hope I can be that kind of friend.

Thank you.

Kindergarten Graduation (#2)

Ian and I were both able to take Thursday off from work so we could be there for Max's kindergarten graduation. As I struggle with all the emotions of working outside of the home and still trying to be the best mom I can, I am so thankful to work at a place that is so supportive when I ask for time off so that I can be there for those milestones.

As soon as Ian, Kim (Max's 2nd mom) and I walked in he started waving excitedly at us. He was beaming.
During the program the class sang songs that highlighted the different units they did throughout the year. They studied: the rainforest, planets, rocks, continents, money, U.S. history and so much more! Max started off not knowing how to read and knowing basic math facts. By the end of the year he was on his 2nd math book, reading chapter books and knows 3 hundred sight words and can spell 250 sight words. I attribute most of his success to his teacher - who encouraged him and who read with him every single school day. She's my hero.

Max & Mrs. H (his teacher). I want her to be his teacher every year! She has such a calm, sweet influence. And she makes everything fun!

Max & Mrs. M (his aide). I love her as much as I love his teacher. She was always there to help and encouraged the kids to set goals and always do their best.

One of my favorite things we got was a book where each kid in the class wrote what they liked about Max and drew a picture. Max, Ian and I had so much fun reading what all the kids wrote about Max. It's priceless.

I am so proud of Max. He has grown so much this year. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes in first grade!

Bugsy Malone

When I was little I used to dream about being a star. That and I dreamt about marrying Michael J. Fox. Alex P. Keaton. Seriously.

I remember trying out for the part of the Wicked Witch of the West when my elementary school did a production of The Wizard of OZ. Instead I was a munchkin. But one day I did get a kelly-pop for being the most energetic munchkin. Sigh. Anyhow, when Alexander told me he was trying out for the lead in the school play I tried to be supportive without getting his hopes up. Well, he got it! I was so happy and proud! Especially since I knew he had to act and sing in the the audition. The best part was that his cousin Michael got the lead in his class (the school does 2 productions of the same play - each 6th grade class does one).


The play was last Saturday. We saw Michael perform first. He was great! I loved all of his facial expressions. I was so proud of him!

Next was Xander's turn. I was so nervous! Ian's family, my family and many friends came to support him (thank you!). It made his day. I didn't realize until I saw him perform what a natural he is. He did so good. And I'm not just saying that. So many parents came up to me afterwards to tell me how great they thought he did. He was loud, expressive, funny...I could go on and on.
The best was seeing him so happy. He knew he did a good job. It was so cool to see him have a chance to shine.

That night Ian and I took him out to dinner. It was the happiest I've seen Xander in a while...which makes me think that all of the drama lately was in part due to stress about the play. In that respect, I'm glad it's over.

It was a great day! I can't wait to get the DVD of the play to watch it again.

Sucker

Ian told me this morning that he's a sucker for Max. He hangs onto Max's every word. And can't wait to hear what Max will say next. The kid has such wit. I'm not sure where it comes from, but he keeps us entertained, that's for sure.

P.S. This picture reminds me of when Ben was little and used to be obsessed with Ian's feet. He'd treat them like they were little people. He'd talk to them, cover them, try to feed them... It makes me laugh everytime I think about it.

Dramatic

It's hard getting used to the idea that this boy is going to hate me on and off for the next 4-6 years of his life. Sometimes I'm baffled and hurt by his stinging tone and accusations. Other times I try to ignore him. We have been close as long as I can remember but lately he prefers his dad over me. It's fine, really (not really). I'm wondering how I'm going to adapt to being a mother of a teenage boy. I always thought I'd be the cool mom that would take him and his friends places. Or invite them all over to watch movies. But that doesn't really work when your son won't even talk to you. hmmm.

It makes me feel like this:

Except no one has their arms around me. Btw, this is Evan getting a haircut. This happens every time.

Baby Steps

Ben's shirt really bugs me in this picture. That's what I get for not laying out his clothes. I just had to get that out there.

Max is growing up. He's slowly discovering a world outside of Ben. Last week he went to a birthday party. Without Ben. Before he left he asked, "Do you think they would care if Ben came too?" I told him Ben wasn't invited and that he (Max) didn't have to go to the party if he didn't want to. But he put on his brave face and went. I was proud of him. And he had a great time.

Today Max had a play date. Without Ben. Sadly, this is the first playdate he's had with a kid in his class all year, although he's asked for many kids to come over. But I've never followed through because he's happiest hanging out with Ben and Tanner (our neighbor's grandson). He had so much fun today and he's already asking for a playdate for next week.

Max has matured so much this year. He's went from watching Spongebob everyday to watching football, baseball or basketball. He loves to play sports of any kind - he gets up early, gets ready for school and then goes outside and shoots hoops until it's time to go to school. He still looks for Ben's approval, but he's learning to trust himself more.

and he still has the best comeback lines of anyone in our family.

Quick Draw

This boy provides us with so much entertainment (some good, some bad). Lately he has taken to pulling his little peter out right away when he has to go pee. He flashes people all the time. And his draw is fast. Like seconds. One second he's saying, "I have to go pee" and I look over and he's got his little buddy peeking out the top of his shorts. It's hard not to laugh, but it's embarrassing too. Luckily, he doesn't just start peeing. The other day in Target I was checking out and Evan says, "I need to go potty!" I look to see how much more stuff I have to get checked out, when I hear the gentleman next to me start chuckling. Sure enough Evan's got it out and ready to shoot. Soooo embarrassing.

He was doing it again today when we went swimming. Whenever he had to go, he'd jump out of the pool and pull that sucker out. Evan running with his junk out made us laugh every time. I guess it's hard to cure a child of an indecent habit when you laugh.

We need to work on that.

Everything is better when you are naked

How do you brush your teeth?

Road Trip!

We began our trek at 8:15 this morning. Dressed in our Sunday best we loaded in the car for a 3 hour trip to the small town of Central, AZ. We wanted to take the boys through the Gila Valley temple before it was dedicated. Any and all are welcome to tour LDS temples before they are dedicated - and the boys were dying to go. Xander had been through the Snowflake Temple before it was dedicated and he was excited to see this one.

My mom took Ben, Max & James with her and Ian, Evan, Xander and I traveled in our car. Evan and Ian kept us entertained. That boy sure loves his dad. Once we past Globe, Ian kept wondering who would actually be going to this temple - the area looks sparsely populated. But the parking lot was packed. I didn't get to see everything (Evan had to go to the bathroom 1,000 times) but what I did see was beautiful.

I rode with my mom, Evan and Xander on the way home and Ian took the other boys. I love my mom so much. She is the best person in the world and she always lifts me up and makes me want to be a better person. Today was not as spiritual for me as I would've liked (having a 3 year old will do that), but when Ben pulled me back so I could see the Celestial Room, I knew that the trip was worth it. It was such a great experience for the boys.

Love, love, love

I love American Idol. Mostly because it gives me the excuse to sing loudly (and badly). When they did Beatles songs I was in heaven - I sang along loud and proud. When my super talented, awesome sister in law Tricia took our pictures I couldn't help but break out into song a few times. Ian's poor ears (and Tricia's too).

I love this picture. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it reminds me how much fun Ian and I have together. How he can always make me laugh. How he takes care of me. Yesterday he came home on one of his breaks and "encouraged" the boys to clean up the house. I was not having a good day yesterday, but when I walked into a clean house I instantly felt better.

I love my boys. I went into their school this morning. Ben's teacher bragged about how awesome he's doing in math. Max's teacher shared a cute story with me. I love those things. I love that Max waited for me to walk him to the playground. And that he said, "Mom, my favorite days are the days you take me to school." I love that Xander has an awesome friend who loves to fish as much as he does. I love that Michael and I love the same Format songs (wait...Michael isn't one of my kids...). I love when Evan squishes my cheeks and tells me how much he loves me.

I love LOST. I look forward to it every week. It's fun to discuss theories with Ian. To evolve with the characters. I actually liked the way Sayiid died last night - he redeemed himself (somewhat). I like hearing what other people think is going on.

I love my family. For the help they give me with my kids every week. And they never make me feel guilty. It means so much to know that I have people watching Evan who love him.

That's all.

Ben's Wax Museum

This week was a busy one at our house. On Friday Ben's class had a wax museum of famous Arizonans. Ben was Pat Tillman - I don't know how he got so lucky! That boys eats and breathes football. It was really interesting learning about Pat Tillman and kind of disheartening - considering all of the controversy surrounding his death. Anyway, I was able to sneak away from work on Friday and see Ben and all of his classmates (some of the costumes were AWESOME). I was so proud of Ben. I love being his mom!