Father's Day.

Long before we had children of our own. Years before we were even married, I watched Josh interact with children.  I watched his interactions with his younger siblings.  I watched him with kids at church and with the children of friends.  After we married it was his interactions with my little cousins that caught my eye. It was through these observations that I knew he would make the best father.  I loved how he played with them and loved them and how naturally these interactions came to him.  I'm sure these observations are in part what made me fall in love with him.  Because I wanted nothing more than to have a family, I knew I needed a guy who felt the same way.  Yes, we talked about these things, but because of his actions,  I had no doubt that he meant it when he said he too wanted a family more than anything else in the world.

It's now been nearly 17 years since my initial observations.  Much has happened in that time.  But nothing has been greater or brought me more joy than to raise children with Josh.  Fathering comes naturally to him.  It is clearly something he was made to do and  I never tire of watching him in action.  The way he naturally cradles a newborn.  The way he gets down on the floor and plays.  The time he willingly gives. The work ethic he instills.  The way he teaches and leads. I am so happy and feel so blessed to share the great role of parenting with him.  And my children are the luckiest children in the world to have him for their dad.

Father's Day 2010

Capitol Classic

Saturday, June 5 was the Capitol Classic in Boise. The Saint Alphonsus Capitol Classic is a children’s race designed to encourage kids to be healthy and have fun. It is one of the largest children-only races in the country.This year there were 1500 participants.

In addition to promoting a healthy lifestyle, proceeds from the Capitol Classic benefit programs for young patients and their families at Saint Alphonsus.

Justin and Mitchel joined their cousins, Annika and Jacob for the second year in a row.  It is such a fun event.  We plan on participating for many years to come. 

And although it's a fun run, it is a race (1 mile) and my boys are competitors. Mitchel was our big winner, coming in 3rd in his age division with a time of 7 minutes. Justin crossed the finish line 15 seconds later and was 7th in his age division. I love seeing the intensity on their faces, sensing their confidence, and watching them care so much. 

We get to the race early. The runners are dropped off at the depot and then we snag a good spot at the finish line. Before the official race begins, there is a short race for special needs kids that is just awesome to watch. Ashley was amazed watching the little girls with their seeing eye dogs and kids in wheelchairs, or kids walking but with lots of assistance.  Ashley isn't sure yet if she wasn't to participate.  Although Annika races, the kids are divided up by age and so she would never be with Annika, during the 45 minute wait at the depot or during the race. That seems kind of scary (for me and Ashley!).  She kept busy with Animal Crossing on her DS and Grant was content to be by her side.....

Josh snapped a few candids as we were heading to the park just across the street where are all of the vendors are set up with goodies for the runners.  Although this is not a great picture of any of us, my mother in law pointed out that it does show me without a stroller.....AHHH yes. We are now out of stroller mode and I love how all of my little chicks gather around me and stay close. They never venture out of arms reach and that makes me a happy momma.

Such a fun day. Such a fun weekend.  We love weekends in Boise with the cousins. 

Basketball Camp

Father and Sons Basketball Camp

BYU 

Provo, Utah

May 28-31, 2010

My boys are convinced that attending this camp needs to be yearly tradition.

This camp is about far more than basketball.  It is a unique opportunity for Josh to get to spend time with our older 2 boys in a very cool setting among amazing people.  The boys have the chance to be among the BYU basketball players, their coaching staff, as well as extraordinary people like Chad Lewis (former Philadelphia Eagle).  Their special speaker on Sunday was Elder L. Tom Perry.  There are sports clinics and activities, basketball games, and testimony building opportunities.  They stay in the dorms right on campus and eat in the cafeteria. They use all of the nice facilities and get to spend lots of time together.  This year Josh's dad flew out from Georgia to attend the camp with them.  Having your grandpa there is even more special than it sounds considering how far away Grandpa lives and how seldom we see him. One day at camp, coach Santiago had all the 3 generation groups stand up and there were only 4 groups total.  So they were an elite group among the 700 participants. Pretty cool. 

I love the fact that my boys got some good personal time with their dad, and they also got a unique bonding opportunity with their grandpa. Just the thought of this made me happy that entire weekend.  

school is out.

A little get together with some friends felt like the perfect way to celebrate the end of the school year. I mean what is better than a hot dog roast complete with s'mores and friends.

Coleman is clearly out numbered in this group, but he doesn't seem to mind.... he'll just lead all the girls in a school's out cheer!

Waiting for servant Michael to bring them a drink - his choice of soda mixtures. YUM!

It was my intent to get a few shots of the grown-ups - the ladies I serve in YW with, who are also my neighbors, and some of my best friends....but I failed  miserably and only managed shots of the kids. Hopefully summer brings more moments like these.

dance.

 It is no secret that Ashley loves to dance. In her room. With her friends. All by herself. In dance class. With music. Without music. ballet. tap. hip-hop. Dances from class or choreographed all on her own. We can always find her twirling around. 

May brings dance recital time, which Ashley loves. Mostly for the outfits and the time with her girlfriends. But topping the list this year were the flowers grandma brought to her recital. Although her performances are far from flawless, Ashley is always delighted. And that's the real purpose anyway.

Mitchel.

On Monday, May 17 Mitchel turned 10. At his request, Josh made him biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Grandma picked him up from school and took him to Jimmy Johns for lunch. Dinner was on the run as he had baseball practice and Justin had a game. After Justin's game, we all went out to Sub Zero for ice cream and then back to our house for presents. It made for a late night, but it sure was fun.  To complete the celebration, our family went to the theater the following Saturday and saw the new Shrek.

Anyone who really knows me knows that Mitchel is my hardest child. He was my infant that cried for no reason. The toddler that could not be away from me. even for a minute. The child that cried for more than half of his Kindergarten year.  My one and only impulsive child. The child that loves to annoy his siblings, just for the reaction. The child that's always bored.

However, there are lots of things about Mitchel that I love. And the fact that more people know about his weaknesses and not his strengths is my fault. I need to work on my complaining....

So, here you go.  10 facts about Mitchel. 10 things I love about him...

1. He is the hardest worker.  He can work his siblings and his mom right into the ground.  He can mow our yard, vacuum out a vehicle, load/unload a pick-up full of wood, unload a dishwasher, and shovel snow like no other. And he enjoys working. He gets a great sense of accomplishment from a physical job well done. He really is amazing. It is fun to watch b/c physical work comes so naturally to him.

2. He is creative. He can build and draw and put puzzles together amazingly well. He just has an eye for it. He has been into puzzles lately and puts together 2500 piece puzzles in a very short amount of time. He is also a good fort builder and loves to construct all types of forts for Ashley and Coleman.

3. He is affectionate. I don't think he will ever outgrow back rubs at night.  And that is okay with me. He lights up when given a hug. When he is worked up about something, usually some sort of affection from me can calm him right down. I'm probably guilty of short-changing him on the affection he needs.

4. He never forgets his personal prayers at night. Never. He bears his testimony at church with absolutely no prodding from us. I'll never forget the first time he just got up off the pew and walked himself right to the front. Could this really be the boy that at one time suffered from social anxiety?

5. He is thoughtful. He always thinks of his siblings when he gets a treat at piano lessons or has an auction at school. There are lots of times he comes home with only things for them.

6. He loves music. He can always be found listening to the radio, computer, or an ipod. I swear he knows the words to every single song. And he sings out loud with sheer contentment written all over his face. I love watching him in the rear-view mirror....He also is learning to play the piano and has picked it up quite naturally. When he learns a song he enjoys he plays with such intensity. I love it. He's not too shabby at sing-star and rock band either!

7. He is care-free. He states his opinions without being overly concerned about pleasing others or being the same as others. These qualities need balance of course. but with it, they are oh so good.

8. He thrives on structure and routine. He likes to know what the day holds.

9. He is task oriented. He likes to have things to do.  Items he can check off his list and feel satisfied at having completed.

10. His natural athletic ability. His sparkly hazel eyes. His smile.

Man do I ever love this boy. He really is a good boy and I should be more thankful every day that he is mine.

make-believe.

I seriously delight in overhearing the conversations that occur between Ashley and Coleman when they are in the midst of some make-beleive game they have come up with.  Ashley has always had a good imagination. And man oh man has she ever done a good job of teaching Coleman how to make-believe too.  They seriously entertain themselves for hours.  The other week they kept themselves occupied at the freezing cold baseball game running around playing make-believe.  They would come up to me occasionally (as I sat wrapped in a blanket freezing to death) and would ask if they could go to the party, or go ride horses, or go see a new baby that was just born.  Seriously, these were topics this particular day.  And I kid you not, they did this in the freezing cold, for just over an hour. At that time they decided to go warm up in the van with a movie. It was Ashley's birthday after all, and they were headed to the theater....

Last Sunday as Josh and I were in our room after church, we could hear Ashley and Coleman in the hallway outside our room.  They were playing some kind of fairy game. At one point we heard Coleman say I just broke your wing.  Apparently Coleman had a pet dragon, and the dragon broke the fairy's wing. Later Ashley was Star the horse and Coleman was her owner. Some days she is a dog, some days they are both dogs. Other days they are parents and they have children. 

I love how they can use their imaginations to entertain themselves. I love watching them interact with each other.  Coleman always declares Ashley as his best friend and nothing could make me happier.