The Everyday

The days come and go and there are the little moments that I don't want to forget.  The moments that make up our everyday lives.

A little girl who has discovered that if you put in the bubba teeth it will make everyone laugh.   Everyone!

Eli's favorite game

 A playdate at a friend's house.    Look at all these little ones playing together and, the mess is not in my house.  Yea!

 Gabriel's progress report.   Very proud of him.

Typical Gabriel style:  He is proud of himself

When 5 kids get to walk Bridger just because everyone wants a turn.

 A little lamb

A preschooler who loves school and gets himself all ready in the morning.  Backpack and all.

Unexpected

I walked out into my yard and amongst all the desert landscape there was 1 single beautiful rose.   I love it when I run into unexpected beauty.   It amazes me and it helps me remember to look for the beauty in everything because when we are looking we will always find it.

My neighborhood is beautiful.   I never get tired of walking down the street.  There are always flowers blooming, birds overhead, and cactus flowers that amaze me.   I love to walk down the street and think about each of my neighbors.   Some of them I know and others keep so much to themselves that I hardly ever see them.  I love to imagine what each of their lives are inside their homes.

Grace, Eli, and I walk down to the mailbox most days.  Walking and looking for that unexpected beauty.   I find it in my son, in his laughter.  The one who is my most unexpectedly beautiful.  The one who is so unlike me and hard for me to understand.

As I was standing beside the row of mailboxes looking through the junk mail I hear a quiet soft laughter coming from inside the mailboxes.

I looked at Grace who had a big smile on her face and I turned around to find Eli.   He wasn't on the street.   "mommy, mommy"  I hear.

Someone had unexpectedly crawled into the mailbox and laughed and laughed.  I had found him and his pure joy was contagious.

Now, everyday when we walk down to the mailbox we get to crawl inside and laugh and laugh.

On Saturday morning we decide to jump on our bikes and head to the park.    Never knowing what to expect but, feeling so lucky that we live in such a beautiful place where we can ride our bikes and enjoy being outside.

Someone didn't quite make it all the way there and needed a morning nap.

Brothers.   Brothers that are sometimes so close that I consider them one person.   You know, "the boys".   "The boys" are inseparable most of the time and love to do the same things whether it is throwing a football, baseball, or tormenting their little brother, Eli.

And, sometimes, Daddy unexpectedly climbs up on the top of the slide and encourages you down.

And, when we are a little scared and need some help down the slide it's also so nice when a big brother will unexpectedly go with you.

The Tigers

We played a little baseball.  Gabe and Owen were both Tigers.   We were very proud of both boys for the improvements they made throughout their season.  Gabe loved playing first base and Owen was getting so much better at batting and running the bases.

It is so fun to watch the boys play!

A visit

We had some visitors come before Christmas.     Grandma and Pop arrived just in time for the flurry of activity before Christmas arrives.   We attended Christmas concerts and school parties.   We wore ugly sweaters and went Christmas shopping.    We love when Grandma and Pop come to visit!  Each year the boys go on a Jingle Bell walk at their school.   They walk down to the amphitheater near the school and perform Christmas songs for us.   The little kids and Grandma loved the Christmas music.

The best part of their visit was a very special gift.    On Friday night the boys put on their suits and ties and we headed into downtown Phoenix to the Phoenix Theater Company.

A couple of months ago we saw the movie saving Mr. Banks.    The boys loved it and I loved the music.   I had forgotten how much I loved the music from Mary Poppins.    I decided to play it around the house (all the time).   We would download clips from the movie and sing the songs while we cleaned up the kitchen or the living room.    Gabriel and Owen loved "A Step in Time" and they would dance around the house with a broom.   So, we were all excited to see it in real life.

Oh my goodness.   Don't I have the most handsome boys?   Eli is wearing a little jacket that was Bryan's.    And, they were so well behaved.   We were a little early so we sat in the lobby and had a little snack before the performance.   I was very proud of them.

When the play started I wasn't to sure if they would enjoy it or if they would sit still, especially little Eli.    I watched them very closely and you could see the sparkle in their eyes when the music would start.  They knew all the songs and were so mesmorized by the preformance.   Owen sat up in his seat the whole time with his little mouth open.   And, Eli loved it.    He watched each scene in complete silence.   It was such a neat experience and we all feel so blessed that we get to enjoy things together as a family.

But, where was Grace?   Well, Grace was home with a babysitter.  We missed her and hope one day we can take her to another play (when she is older).

Fish Hatchery

One of our favorite places is the fish hatchery in Spearfish.    I remember when Gabe and Owen were little we would stand for hours throwing the handfulls of fish food that Great Gramps bought us to those huge trout.     The boys loved to watch the fish.  

Grace and Eli are equally excited about spending time watching the fish.   The day was cold but it didn't matter.   We bundled up.

Little Gracie especially liked feeding the ducks.   She kept yelling "Birds, Birds"