Mommy School

A group of us mothers, with three year old boys, organized a "mommy preschool" for them this year. I took some pictures of them working on projects, having a snack, taking a break outside to play, and going on a field trip to see the emergency helicopter and jet.

My big boy!

As my boys grow, they experiment and do things that are clever and make me laugh. I took some pictures of Josh helping me load and stack firewood. When I came to help him drive the wood over to the pile to stack, I found that he had tied the load down with his rope.

Josh loves to do projects and artwork. We made a bulldozer from a little kit and he painted the mat. We often draw pictures together. Pictures of trucks, excavators, mountains, apple trees, etc. I came in to find Josh drawing a picture of an apple tree on his doodle pad.

Josh wrestling with his daddy.

Grandma Bingham mailed some treats in a package to Josh so we made some rice krispies treats to share with his preschool friends.

Thomas

Thomas is such a bundle of joy. He is 8 months old and has started walking, just 2 or 3 steps here and there. He has his two top and two bottom teeth now and likes to use them! He loves his bath time and loves to laugh, except for when he is crabby and shrieks at the top of his lungs. We sure love our boys.

Meet Petey

Joshua picked out a dog from the animal shelter for our family to adopt. Petey is a black lab, pit bull cross. He loves water, roaming the farm, and exploring with us on the four wheeler. The biggest deciding factor was when Josh was pulling his tail and hopping on his back and Petey just looked at Josh. Petey loves to play with Josh and even lays on the ground while Tommy crawls all over him.

Brigham City Open House

We visited the Brigham City Open House with Mike's sister, Jennifer and her baby Elise.

A glimpse of my mother heart.

When I was younger (and much less experienced in life), I always wondered to myself why people would talk so much about their kids when I asked how they were doing, or when I would read their blog or christmas cards. I would think to myself, "I asked about you, not your kids!" Now that I am so much "older" (and wiser too) I realize their response is because the kids have become their life. These kids have become my life.

Like most people old enough to reflect on their life, I realize that these memories and relationships are the things that matter most and bring lasting joy and fulfillment, even if they do create many temporary frustrations! Like any hard thing that a person has to work for, the growth and wisdom that I gain daily, as my boys teach me, is worth the tears, frustrations, and feelings of inadequecy. No one said raising stripling warriors was easy, but we can all read about how it was worth it!

I have always felt that so much in my life has come very easily to me. I have felt that I was given many gifts, including a keen mind, athletic tendencies, artistic abilities, etc. Because of these gifts, sports, good grades, etc, came naturally to me. I remember how big of a shock it was to me to discover how hard motherhood was for me, and how devastated I became as I struggled with something that had always come so natural for me. I searched for answers and struggled with feelings of agonizing guilt that I didn't feel the way I should about motherhood.

I have learned first hand how hard motherhood is. I am talking HARD! I am talking tearful prayers, inner battles to fight frustration, anger, depression, guilt, and a host of other overwhelming feelings.

There is NO other substitute for this learning environment. And even through my tears, I am amazed at how great the wisdom and the love our Heavenly Father is. I am amazed because there is no other way for us to experience life's lessons and become the sons and daughters he knows we can be.

So what do I do? I wake up each day, I cry, I laugh, I yell from time to time, I work, I keep moving forward gaining wisdom and experience, because from time to time I am rewarded with a glimpse of the bigger picture. I see growth and refinement taking place in myself, even if it feels painfully slow. I drop to my knees and thank my Heavenly Father for this life he has blessed me with. I keep moving forward because I trust that I am in good hands. I keep striving because, when I look back, the rewards and joy is worth all the pain.

Peach Days

We spent the weekend with Grandpa and Grandma Dimick at Peach Days, meeting Aunt Emily's new baby, and going to the Brigham City Temple Open House. Josh liked the parade. Every time they threw candy, he would go and collect it one piece at a time and place it in his pocket before he would pick up another piece of candy.