The Goods

 

My Mother’s Day harvest.  I’m not a fan of Mother’s Day.  I do think that mother’s are amazing, and I think it’s great that we make a special effort to recognize them, so generally speaking, I’m a fan.  Individually—not as much.  I often feel very inadequate as a mother.  Despite my best efforts,  my renewed commitment to not losing my patience, or always talking in a gentle tone often are thwarted by my pride, immaturity, and sometimes laziness.  Mother’s day glorifies all the best things in mothers, and because that isn’t always  me, I don’t enjoy it much.  However, it does serve as a great day to be reminded of how lucky I am that despite my obvious shortcomings, I have been blessed with pretty neat kids.  I’m thankful to be their mom, and I’m grateful that mother’s day helps bring that to the forefront with increased brightness. 

Because they are such great kids, and because it’s a school project to do so I get some pretty cool things. 

From Will:  a very cute and useful clay cupcake that’s hollowed out to hold my most precious of items, and of course, a card.  Inside it lists the adjectives that Will identifies with his mom.

-athletic   -tired  -sharing  -helping  -sleeping  -teacher  -playful  ---I’d said he has a pretty good grasp on what I’m all about

From Isaac:  He planted a marigold seed for me, and was sure that it would have bloomed by now.  It has begun to sprout, but nowhere near a flower.  I could tell this was causing him distress on Saturday, because he’d quickly sneak away with my gift and come back dejected.  On Sunday when I opened the bag it was in, and pulled it out, he told me that “It’s supposed to be a flower!  I don’t get it!  I watered it 5 times yesterday and still no flower!”  I assured him it would be fun to watch it bloom together, and he probably ought to get it out in the sun because flowers don’t really like swimming.

His card:  The likeness portrayed in his drawing is striking.  I do consider myself quite leggy, and often where a short skirt or long t-shirt (unsure which) that reads “I Love Mom”. 

Inside he wrote: “Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day.  You are the best mom I know.  I love you the best.  The best just the way you are.  Love Isaac”

I can assure you that hearing that from my Isaac is music to my ears.  The other 364 days of the year will not likely include such sentiments, so I’ll take it!  even if it only is on mother’s day.

How we do it

FHE, in the conference room at Josh’s lab

I get stopped by people a lot (mostly at church), who know how busy Josh is and they’ll say, “I don’t know how you do it!”  It’s a silly thing to say really.  How does anyone do it?!  You just do.  What’s that saying?  necessity breeds ability?  So, that’s it.  That’s how we do it.  That’s what life requires, so that’s what we do.  I recognize they are trying to be nice, but it does start to get under your skin when you are stopped by very concerned people wondering how you do it, but none of them saying, “let me help!”  Not that I’d want their help, but you know what I mean.  By them asking all the time, it’s like them rubbing it in that their lives are less crazy than mine, and then going about their business.  Whew! Now don’t I feel better for having that encounter! (sarcastic much?)

We are so blessed.  Maybe that’s why I don’t like the concern.  We are lucky to be in the position we are in, and I don’t take it for granted.  Hard to feel picked on when that’s what my life really is.  We just make adjustments.  Traditionally, a family would have dinner at home at their table.  We sometimes do it in the cafeteria at the medical school.  FHE is held in the living room…or, for us, in the conference room in the Brain Research Institute building.  I have a feeling that even though our daddy doesn’t always get to see his kids every day, my kids will look back on this time with fond memories of the swivel chairs at the lab, the electronic key pass they get to use to move around the building, and of course, dessert on the curb in front of the college

Play Slave…er…Best Buddies

 

Will and Josie paused their game of football for me so that I could get a sweet picture of their new found love to spend a lot of time together.  Now, I admit this relationship is a bit one-sided.  It is typically insisted upon by one party, and not the other, but thankfully, the other obliges 75% of the time and is coerced the other 25%.  Josie kind of has a lot of power in our household, and fortunately (and unfortunately) for Will, she has made him the target of her affection.  She wants to play with him all the time.  She grabs him by the hand and says “C’mon, Wiw, c’mon!” and then drags him along.  If he doesn’t come right away she lets out a loud squeal to get him going.  There are nights where he can’t even sit for more than 30 seconds to eat his dinner without her tugging on him to “build a tower”.  He is her play slave.  He’s good to do it.  I’m thankful.

I Don’t Get It

I’ve had the privilege of serving in the Young Women’s for the last couple of years.  Part of that calling is to help Jessie, the first counselor in the presidency, plan class activities.  Which I hardly ever do.  She is amazing, and does it all.  I did go to a class presidency meeting once though and do you know what those girls wanted to do?  Go to the beach and take pictures of themselves!  What?!  I know.  Weird.  We didn’t.  Jessie is far too sensible for that, but it doesn’t stop them from still wanting to do it.  I can tell you that I don’t get it.  Taking a bunch of pictures of yourself has got to be one of the most awkward things ever.  Do you set the self timer and pose?

  That seems cheesy. 

Do you hold your arms out in front and hope for more total head, less up the nose shot?

Or do you stand in front of a mirror and look like a goofy because everyone can see your camera?  Whatever is proper procedure, I’m uncomfortable with it.  It was necessary that I give it a shot though, because that same ultra capable Jessie just gave me a super fun hair cut, and since I don’t help with the young women’s the least I could do is give her credit.

Thanks, Jess, for my sassy new do!  I love it!

Mutiny!

The fragile order of this household was compromised today.  I love turkey sandwiches.  I sometimes treat myself to them when I feel deserving, or if I’m just hungry.  When I feel so inclined, Jameson plays a pivotal role in transporting the sandwich from point A to point B.  He has always willingly filled these shoes.  I order the sandwich, and then place it in his car seat with him, and then when we arrive at home with the sandwich safely in tow, he gets a few pieces that I tear off.  Win. Win. 

Until today.  An uprising on his part.  He snapped.  He could be tempted no longer with a lengthy drive home and a delicious sandwich just taunting him in his lap!  Like other times, I bought the sandwich, put it in his chair, only when I unloaded him this is what I found.

He’s eating it!  Right through the paper too! 

ME:  “Jameson, how could you? Is that a tomato seed between your eyes?!”

To which he replied after I took it away… 

J:  “Mama, how could you?  I’m so hungry!”

Poor baby.  Our sandwich partnership has been breeched, but lucky for him, I’m a sucker for that chubby face and I’ll share with him even if I have to do all the heavy lifting.

She’s 2!

Traditionally, I decorate for the kids birthday the night before so they wake up to the splendor.  Typically, this is received with much enthusiasm.  Josie, however, like Josie is in most situations, was skeptical of the hoopla.  She’s still too young to understand what it means to be two.  She was hesitant to even approach the party table

Josie sneaking a peak, cautiously from across the room.  We love her first thing in the morning look.

Finally, I convinced her to at least open her birthday card that sang to her.  She liked it for a second, but as soon as Minnie Mouse was done with her birthday greetings, Josie carefully, placed the card back where it sat on the table and wanted right back down.

Josie wouldn’t wear her princess hat, but we thought someone should. 

After much persuasion Josie let me bring down some of her presents.  Figuring out what to do with them took some more time.

Are presents for standing?

Are they to color on?

Maybe we eat them?

BINGO!  This paper comes off!

She got the hang of it, and was tickled to find stuff inside.

She got a cute pink scooter, an aquadoodle, because she loves to color pictures, some Yo-Gabba Gabba books and dvds, and Whack-a-mole, but the highlight was probably her very own box of crayons.  She just kept saying, “Ooh!  Colors!” and pulling them out one by one to show me.

And then the pinnacle of any birthday celebration went as expected for our Jo.

Oh yeah, she’s crying.  Glad I just did cupcakes instead of spending hours on a cake!

After some consoling she stopped crying, but she never did blow out that candle.  Does that mean she isn’t actually two yet?  Do you have to blow out candles to make that happen?  If so, fine by me, stay little for ever sweet Jo. 

We sure like you this way!

Special Day

 

It’s a special day at our house.  Isaac turned 6!  A smattering of photos celebrating all things Isaac follows.

This one is taken first thing in the morning as he stumbled out of bed, and walked into birthday fun.

 

Isaac wearing his football birthday hat, which apparently brought out the inner line backer in him.  His kindergarten teacher told me that he gives her this pose sometimes at school.  Thankfully, she thinks it’s funny.

Josie’s turn in the football hat.  This was her only participation in the festivities.  She was very sick today.  I mentioned two days ago that she was handling the flu pretty well, but that must have been before she reached the hell stage.  From what I can tell, the flu goes like this.  1- warm and lethargic.  2- Hot and barfy.  3- VERY achy and crying.  We are at stage 3.  Poor baby.  Wow.  Talk about a tangent?!  Where was I?

Isaac trying on his new birthday cleats.  He also got a football game, Green Bay Packer trading cards, but I think the cold hard cash from Grandma and Grandpa Gardner stole the show.  As the money fell out of his card, his eyes got wide, the card got tossed, and he kept asking, “is the real money?  like real real?”

Birthday dinner- homemade pizza (per Isaac’s request)  Football field birthday cake—to Isaac’s delight.  He requested that it be one half chocolate and the other half vanilla.  He really wanted chocolate, but he knows that Will doesn’t like chocolate so he asked for this cake for Will.  Sweet kid.  That wasn’t all the food we had today--  birthday sausage and pancakes, and a surprise lunch out to McDonald’s and playing at the park.  He and Will were both thrilled to be checked out of school for this   (Josie was less thrilled to be drug along )

This picture deserves to be big, because that is one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

A birthday self-photo that says it all.  This birthday had me hopping from 8:30 last night until now, but it was all worth it.  Isaac felt special, and my objective was to make sure that was so.  One of my favorite things to do for my kids is to take time to show them that I really do notice them and care about them, and birthdays are a great way to take all of their favorites and let it all unfold before them.  Perhaps as a middle child he was especially thrilled with the little things like personalizing his wrapping paper with cut out Packer helmets and footballs, and his excited “wowee! I love the wrapping paper!”  was all that I needed to fuel hours of work for this little man.  Isaac makes us laugh every single day.  He is comic relief in a busy, crazy home.  He is kind and considerate of his family, especially Will, and we love him too. 

Happy Birthday boo-bear!  (ahem, excuse me, I mean, happy birthday Isaac.  I keep forgetting that you have requested we only call you Isaac from now on.  It will never happen again Mr. Gigglesworth, never again)