Gualala Anticipation

I love that our whole family gets so giddy about Gualala. It is so much fun to anticipate. Thankfully, i am not stressed a bit about getting ready for the trip. I am always just so giddy. It is like butterflies in your tummy all the time. We talk about all we are going to do there at dinner every night for two weeks leading up to it, it seams. Brooke shares all her fun memories and we talk about all the friends she will get to play with there. Gualala is just part of who i am. It is such a huge part of where i learned important things in life, like HARD WORK (jessica, kim and I have lots of fun memories scrubbing huge stainless steal pots in the spicket by the road)and how to have fun, and bonding times with family. Some of my earliest memories are roasting marshmallows around the fire gate Grandma Smith had with Heidi and Micah, and often times waking up with marshmallows stuck in our hair. Or playing cards in Aunt Holly's motorhome, finding banana slugs in the fern forest, collecting crabs at point arena and getting "lost" from the campsite, but always finding our way back to the christmas lights Grandma Smith made sure to hang at her site, just for that reason. Or earning money picking up trash just so we could buy more candy from Grandma Smith's store. Man, the list goes on for miles and miles.

But i just wanted to write down and remember the giddyness that fills our home for the weeks leading up to this awesome weekend! I also love it so much because it makes me think about Grandma all the time and all the memories that are woven into my heart because of her diligence in making this a family tradition. For some reason i feel her presence and love just a bit more about this time of year.

Our family is so blessed because of this fun tradition. Its going to be another fun memorial weekend! Cold, but always fun!

Croc-a-Gator

Livy was happy this morning, VERY HAPPY. She fell asleep at 4 pm last night, didn't wake up for dinner, and slept through the night. So she had a lot of energy.

As I was leaving for work, she ran out the door and said "See you later, Croc-a-gator!"

Love that Livy!

I tried to get some cute mother's day pictures in front of our neighbors "weeds". The wild flowers grow totally over his walkway leading up to his front door. He says its to keep solicitors out. They really are beautiful. Too bad we were too rushed before church to get some great shots.

Being a kid

Last night when I was putting the girls to sleep, i was sitting in the chair in their room and Brooke asked, "Mom, will i ever be a child again?" A little puzzled at what she was asking, I responded, "No, you will never be a kid again once you grow up."
Brooke, "I am glad it is going slow then. I really like being a kid."
Me, "I really like you being a kid too, Brooke."

It made me ponder again how fast the time goes and how much i am enjoying (but want to enjoy even more) these young ages. It also made me smile so big thinking about how much this girl loves life. She has always had such a joy and passion for everything in life. Man, I love this girl!

Just for Nanna

Dear Nanna,
Happy Mother's Day! Since you can't be with us, we made some quick videos to tell you how much we love you! Can't wait to dote on you next year back in sunny California!!!











We love you Mom! Hugs and kisses from Fremont to Toronto!

hiding toys

Ben and Brooke used to play a little game with Jackson where they would hide toys in their hand and then drop it down the front of his shirt. He LOVES it! And often times he comes up to me with a small toy and grins and laughs and puts it down the front of his shirt. Well this morning when he was getting in the bath, we found 6 pet shops in the legs of his sleepers. He had been hiding toys. I guess he was playing the game by himself. It was so funny!

Learning

There are a few very poignant lessons i feel like i have learned the last few years and i don't want to forget them:

• Love more, criticize and judge less. (even the smallest points of criticism vocalized breeds ill feeling and frustration)
• There are "incurable" people. And I don't want to be one of those. (that was coined in a book I read a little while ago. And since then i have realized over and over again that the author was right, people like to have an excuse for things-and not "curing" themselves emotionally, spiritually and/or physically will always give them an excuse. whether it is for their performance in life, their health, their relationships, their job, or whatever it is-its a crutch to lean on if life is hard. So sometimes it is easier to be "incurable".)
• Give people the benefit of the doubt. (maybe some people are "incurable" and need an excuse, but others really are trying. 9 times out of 10 we don't know the full stories-or the story from two different view points. so give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe their dog really did die, or maybe they are struggling emotionally and you just don't know it.)
• The most important role in life for me is to be a good mother. (i have always known this deep down, but with each year I realize it more and more.)
• Its important to be your own kind of good mother. (everyone mother's differently, and you are you're own kind of good mother. I need to keep my eyes on what is important to me in raising my kids.)
• People that criticize others and how they mother are people you don't want approval of anyway, so brush it off, ignore it, and keep deliberately trying to be the best you can.
• Laugh and have fun. (we all need a little more laughing in our lives.)
• When you've had a bad day, turn on music really loud and dance with your kids. (its hard to cry or be mad or be frustrated when you are dancing with your kids-even if you are a horrible dancer.)
• 'Real Mother's' like to help each other out. (this term was again coined in an article i read a little while ago- mom's really want to help each other out. I really believe that is why i had such a great childhood, because my mom and her friends relied on each other to help each other out and in doing that they developed binding relationships that strengthened all their families.)
• Be happy for others. (i think it is so important to be happy for other's successes, accomplishments, exciting news, etc. when we are genuinely happy and excited for others, we have no room to be jealous or comparative.)
• Embrace all types of people. (my dad used to say, "If we were all the same, it would be a boring world")
• Surround yourself with people that inspire you to be better, not people that bring you (or others) down.
• And while you are surrounding yourself with people that inspire you to be better, don't compare your weaknesses to their strengths. You are your own person. (this is something i have learned over and over the past year, it is so sad when people constantly look at other's strengths and then tell themselves that they aren't as good. )
• Rely on the gift of the Atonement in every aspect of your life!
• Be grateful for every little thing.
• Like the very cliche saying says: Live, Love, Laugh (it might be overused and little bit annoying by now, but it really is true.)