Last week was the most unusual week ever!!  Two of my best friends (Esther Turner and Jennifer O’Neill) and than my sister-in-law (Stacy Deuel) all had their babies!!!!  It was the most amazing week welcoming these babies into the world!!  I have been living on cloud nine with all the excitement and joy!!  I am so happy for each of these dear friends.   I love that our kids are so close in age!  Reagan will be in the same grade as these three new friends!!  I can already picture them all growing old together as best friends!  🙂 I especially love  doing life so closely with each of these girls that I was able to come share in their excitement at the hospital!  Thank you for including me in this very special time!!!

To Stacy and Mike Deuel, thank you so much for making me an aunt!!!!!!  I can not wait to spoil your little girl with love (and fun activities…and maybe gifts::) )  for years to come!!

Reagan LOVED meeting her cousin…and seeing her beloved aunt!  What a special memory!!

Saturday was my best friends birthday!  She is a one of a kind gem!!

We have shared experiences that I don’t know if I will ever share with another. Through laughs, many meals, lots of babies, shared businesses, shared paychecks, hobbies, hard discussions, girl’s nights, vacations, trips, fights, and life on the road together we have built a relationship that is very special and I hold it close to my heart.

The day is just not quite complete or normal if there aren’t like a hundred shared text messages and a few phone calls with Emily Morgan.  I love this girl!  An excerpt from a friend poem helps explain our relationship (sorry author unknown)…

As we walk our path of life,
We meet people everyday.
Most are simply met by chance.
But, some are sent our way.

These become special friends
Whose bond we can’t explain;
The ones who understand us
And share our joy and pain.

Em, is the only one whose life has mirrored my own so closely these last few years.  We have transitioned into new jobs, in and out of school, life callings, marriage, and started our families together…so crazy for us to each have 3 kids so close in age and same in gender!!  For all that know us, know that we have been doing it so closely together.  We have grown from friends with no kids to now 6 amongst us!  For this season in my life, I have been so blessed to have Emily walking it so closely with me.  In some warped ways I feel like we are family and not friends at all…and I like it! 🙂  I love you girl!  I hope you felt loved and truly celebrated this past weekend!

P.s. I made this bow for her as part of her birthday present.  BUT, she is oh so talented with the hair bows…and could have made it herself!

There are lots of moments or even days as a stay at home mom that life just feels mundane and tedious.  I wonder how many times I empty and load the dishwasher in a week.  I know its more than I care to.  I think about the days when running in to Kohls for one quick item I didn’t have a baby crying, a toddler smothering that baby with “hugs” and “kisses” (that roughly resembles body slams), and a preschooler complaining about having to walk.  All this leads to a very loud check out experience, with many eyes probably looking on me in half pity and half annoyance.  This was part of my morning.  In these moments, I lose the perspective that I am blessed to be able to love on these three as my sole job day in and day out.  They are the most important thing I do, and I am so blessed to be able to do it.  What a joy and privilege!  One conversation like this brings all the perspective back…

Note:  After the third time Caleb came out of his room (while he was supposed to be trying to take his nap) to go poop, I took advantage of a moment alone with this cute boy.

Caleb, what is your favorite Candy?  Smarties

What are you looking forward to about school? Writing my name

What is your favorite song?  Uh oh…I want some more

What is one of your favorite words?  I love you mommy

Awww…that’s sweet.  I love you too.  Is blue still your favorite color?  No, its green now

Oh I like that color too.  What is one of your favorite things to do?  Play on my swing set

Hmmm…what else can I ask you?  Come on mom say some more

What is something you like about yourself?  I like being special

Do you know you are a masterpiece?  Yes, because Jesus loves me very much

Who is one of your favorite people?  Cole-Man

Who is your favorite superhero?   Spiderman and Iron Man

What do you want to be when you grow up?  I want to be ummm just like you guys

Ha ha what does that mean?  I don’t know….I wanna be Spiderman

Ha you are so cute!  Can you always be my little boy?  Ha ha no, cause I want to grow up like you

What is one of my favorite things about you?  You love me

You are so right!  What is something you enjoy doing together?  I like to go to the playground with you

I love doing that with you too!  What is one of your favorite “family dates”?  Going to Mcdonalds

What is one of your favorite foods?   Spicy Chicken…and my other favorite food is Eggos.

How about you ask me what is my favorite show?  That is a good question!  Ok, what is your favorite show?  Spiderman and Diego

Awesome.  Thanks for all your answers.  You are one really cool kid.  I love you!  Now do you think you can go lay down and take your nap?  Yeah, mom, I have a secret for you….(as he whispers into my ear) You are precious and I love you!

Caleb, you make my heart smile.  I love you too!

These are a few of my favorite “life” words, if you will.  I really don’t know if I used that “if you will” phrase correctly, but I liked it! :)

Create:  We were created by a creative God.  One whose imagination and creativity amazes us all.  Whether  its looking at the huge Grand Tetons in Yellowstone or a single drop of rain on a flower petal, we can see creativity.  In us all, I believe, is some form of creativity.  It might be cooking, painting, sewing, organizing, speaking, writing, or even mud drawings (compliments of Caleb with that last one).  I love to create.  Something about it-fuels me.  I have to think it’s because my heavenly father is so creative.

Love:  Jesus’ love is the perfect demonstration of love.  He is love.  Love conquers all.  You can’t mess up in life by loving too much or too hard.  If we are going to ere in life…let it be by loving too much.  Love is sometimes not the easiest thing to do.  It can be hard and hurtful.  We have the chance and risk of being hurt when we invest in someone and love them…but that is the more plentiful and rewarding life in giving yourself away to love.  I pray that I do that well and teach my kids how to do that well with all they come in contact with!

Simplify:  There is so much “noise” in this world.  I get sucked into drama, tv shows, clothes, fashion, house hold stuff.  Not that any of it is necessarily bad, but I don’t want it to consume my head and so my heart.  I want to be about giving stuff away, and to be about the bigger picture of life.

I hope you  all have had a good Monday!  Take a few minutes to think about some of your favorite words and what makes them so special!