Mother's Day

I felt like a really great mom filing into the chapel with 3 sunburned kids in tow. And sending Erica out during the first talk with a huge booger on her finger pretty much sealed the deal that I am totally rocking this mom thing.

 And my boys were such pills that I had to move Henry 4 times and Justin finally took James out.

 So you better believe I deserved a brownie and a cheesecake bar in Relief Society.

Here are some of the homemade cards which are always my favorite.

"My mom's super name is super Diana. My super mom is as strong as Hulk. My supermom is as smart as a fox. My supermom is as brave as a sky diver. My mom has the power to be nice. My mom's only weakness is being mean to each other."

Also from Henry

He got this mostly right except for the monopoly thing. I hate monopoly and he's never seen me play it.

These are from Erica. 

Here are my top five about motherhood.

5 Favorite Things about Being a Mom
1. My kids make me laugh every day.
2. They have really cute faces and fun ideas.
3. I always have people willing to go on a picnic or a walk with and a reason to bake cookies.
4. There's no shortage of hugs and snuggles and cute notes.
5. They teach me what's really important.

5 Least Favorite Things about Being a Mom
1. Stuff. I love you but I don't love your stuff on the stairs, under the table, on the couch.
2. Having to explain to the littles that I'm going to the bathroom and I'll be right back and you don't need to follow me upstairs. And they follow me.
3. Carrying James horizontally on my hip out of the library so he can't kick me. I'm not taking him back to the library until he's 3. I mean it.
4. Seeing wasted food.
5. When my kids are unkind to each other.

James at 2 1/2 and Peyton gets married

This boy....

 He's as moody as he looks.

Friday was his half birthday and although he had no idea what we were talking about, he understood a celebratory doughnut.

 Doughnuts are his love language. In true 2-year-old James fashion, he threw a colossal fit at the grocery store. He was that toddler and I was that mom.

I thought about not getting the doughnut after all but since we got the it to celebrate him being smack dab in the middle of his second year---what's more two than boo-hooing and protesting the unfairness that is waiting?

Other fun facts about James:
He has to be the one to turn on and off his lamp during story time. He can get himself completely undressed, including diaper. He's tried peeing in the toilet a couple of times. He knows all the colors except blue--he says red. He knows the letters E, O, and T and numbers 1, 2, 3, and 8. He sings the alphabet song. He's taller than Henry was at this age by a couple of inches. He always wants to ride the balance bike or watch a show on the kindle or jump on the trampoline. He loves Little Critter books, especially I Was So Mad.

 He likes cinnamon toast, Honey Bunches of Oats, Lucky Charms, chips and cheese, most fruit, anything sweet to drink (because it's a rarity), and doesn't eat much at dinner.

Everything makes him laugh or mad--there's not a lot of inbetween. He is a pill during Sacrament meeting and an angel in nursery. He knows all the words and says them all every day. He gets into people's stuff, eats their candy stash, and somehow everyone is more than happy to help him all day long. #babyofthefamily

Saturday was my nephew Peyton's wedding so I got to go to Logan 2 weekends in a row!

First of all, I want this tree in my yard. I think it's a magnolia but I don't know what variety.

 Isn't it amazing?

 Sarah was sick this day so she stayed with Justin's parents. It was an up and back in a day trip anyway but we missed her.

 These little goons waited outside the temple with cousins so they had a great time. I had never been inside the Logan temple before so that was cool. I grew up seeing it from our backyard in River Heights so it was weird to think I never had been in it before.

 Peyton and Marissa! Woohoo!

They mispronounced Syme every step of the way. I don't miss those days. Good luck with that, Marissa!  (I always have to spell Dye when telling people my name but no one ever mispronounces reading it.)

 Then we went to Old Grist Mill for a sandwich while we waited for the luncheon. Then we went to the park and waited some more. It was such a nice sunny day, not hot at all and I had an epic mom fail and didn't put sunscreen on anyone.

 James and Erica pink right up at the slightest physical exertion so this isn't all sunburn, yet.

After the luncheon at the park pavilion, James was beyond tired so we drove north through the towns of Smithfield and Richmond. I want to live in Smithfield someday.

When James woke up we drove to the Aggie creamery and I don't need to explain why. Cookies and cream.....

And since we were nearing dinnertime and I was still hungry, we stopped at this taco truck because tacos. James has a hotwheels taco truck that he loves more than the other 100 hotwheels cars he has. He was so excited to see a real one. The tacos were good.

 Then we went to the reception. This is the only photo I took. It's of friends and his sisters decorating their car.

I am one step closer to becoming a great-aunt and that is weird but cool.

Small Things and Big Things

I'm going to miss the days of coming down for breakfast and seeing Big Bunny and Teddy Fresh sitting at my table.

Check out this car full 'o trash in the hospital parking lot. On my way there I was listening to a speech on minimalism so I about hurled when I saw fast food wrappers and paper plates fill every crevice besides the drivers seat. Instead of puking, I took this picture and when my doc asked how my leg vein was feeling, I said, "It's fine. Let me tell you about this car in the parking lot."

 Justin took the kids for a ride in his dad's new Rzr in the empty lot by his house.

 The kids loved it, mostly Sarah. You can't see him but I heard James saying "cheese" when I said smile.
I can't believe how much James loves nursery. I like to watch him without him knowing.

 Henry went to his very first pack night and he was super grumpy that I wouldn't let him run around the gym but then loved it once he made a boat and ate pizza and wants to go every day.

 I found this at the library and I laughed and sent it to my niece in Logan. Poor freshman.

 Erica is all about being super prepared to go out and play. Like Where's Waldo prepared. Fun fact: This leather fringy purse was mine when I was little.

 Friday night Sarah and I went to Logan with my sister for Jaana's graduation. After eating at Old Grist Mill (yummiest brownies) we went rollerskating of course!

It's been a while since I skated at a rink. My right side got so tired of going counter-clockwise so Jaana and I started going the other direction and we got everyone else to change too! Bwahahaha. Okay, so there were only like 10 other people there but I was drunken with power.

 This was Sarah's first time at a rink. I'm a bad mom.

 The next morning we went to the graduation in the Spectrum. Sarah and Lisa are looking for her name.

She double majored in political science and English. CHaSS was my college too.

 Her parents when they called her name.

 College is hard. Jaana is smart. I am very proud of her.

 Sarah had never been on campus so we trekked all the way to the quad so campus could charm her and convince her this is where she wants to go. We'll be recreating this photo in 12 years.

 Afterwards we ate lunch at a reception hosted by her college. I told her I was going to eat her tuition money's worth. These are 3 of the 5 scoops of ice cream I ate.

L-R vanilla, chocolate, Aggie Bull Tracks. Not pictured, cookies and cream and lemon.

That afternoon Kyra took her to the Aloha Snow shack to check on things and when we arrived, Sarah was ready to take our orders. We'll recreate this photo in 8 years if Matt and Lisa still own the shacks.

 Mango with sweetened condensed milk.

Then we ate dinner at Maddox in Brigham City which I had never been to and everyone was so surprised. I don't know if I had even heard of it. It was delicious. Then we drove home.

I brought home prizes for my other kids but no one was a winner like Erica who scored some stuffed animals no one wanted.