Graduation- 1st Grade style

 

Morgan has loved her last week of school. They had a Teddy Bear picnic, water games, movies, playing, and a chocolate day. She was so excited to show me the papers & books she has been working on all year. I love seeing how much she has learned & how well she is reading & writing. I have LOVED her teacher! She is so patient and kind & loving and has been wonderful for Morgan. Morgan & Jackson both had teachers with the first name "Patty" - maybe it's something with the name, because both of them were 2 of the best teachers I have ever known.
Morgan loved first grade. She still has not lost one single tooth, they're not even loose! I told her it's because I don't want her to grow up, and so every night while she's sleeping, I go and down to her room and brush cement all over her teeth so she won't loose them so she won't grow up. Morgan has made some good friends this year. She is so sweet to everyone and it has been fun watching her grow from a "little girl" into a "school girl". I never realized how much fun a 7 year old could be.
Morgan wanted to take some pictures with her best friend Laryn. Right after the picture, this sweet little boy came and said to Morgan, "Morgan will you come and take a picture with me?" Now, if Morgan was 16 I would be a little nervous. Hallie loved watching Morgan and kept giving her hugs- she was such a proud little sister. Morgan is ready for 2nd grade!
I'm kind of sad that school is almost over (1/2 day left)! This means I won't get to be the alarm clock any more, and I won't have to try to get Morgan out of bed for 15 minutes in the morning! And, I am really going to miss doing homework everyday! Oh wait- I am thrilled that school is almost over!!! We can all sleep in & take our time getting ready in the morning, we can play all day, we can go the park & swim & draw on the sidewalk with chalk, we can play with friends & have lemonade stands. I love the thought of playing & having fun. The only thought that makes me nervous is having 4 kids for 10 hours a day by myself- I might need a vacation, or some creativity, but as for now, we are ready for summer!

 

 

 

Graduation...Preschool Style

 

Jackson's graduation was last Tuesday & he did such a good job with his parts in the program. He has learned so much this year and it has been an amazing Preschool! He and his friends sang a couple of songs & even wore graduation gowns the whole time. We were so happy that both grandma's were able to come & Jackson was thrilled that Daddy took the day off so he could come. Jackson's teacher told me later that every day Jackson talks about how much he loves his Daddy & how cool his Dad is. The other day I told Jackson that Brian and I were leaving on a trip and would be gone for a couple of days. Jackson said, "Well, Mom, I love you, but I'm not going to miss you. But, I really love Daddy, and I'm really going to miss him!" I'm glad he loves his Dad so much.
After Jackson's graduation, Brian took him fishing and Jackson caught "Two white bass!" That night he said to me, "Mom, if I have another good day, I'll still always remember how good my day was today." Jackson is such a little sweetheart. He started crying the last day of school because he was so sad to say goodbye to his new friends and his teacher. One of his friends lives in Birdseye which according to Jackson is around the world. (I think it's about 30 min. from us.) One day Jackson said to me after lunch, "Mom, my friend Lane lives in Birdseye, it's on the other side of the world. So, Mom, guess what- it's dark right now where my friend lives." :) I couldn't quite tell him that Lane doesn't live around the world- instead I liked seeing the imagination working in my 5 year olds mind.

 

 

 

I wonder...

I wonder what the "little mouse" in our house (who recently ate the cheese) was thinking yesterday morning. This was what I saw when I went out to get Landon breakfast.

What were her thoughts?
A) I think I will help myself to some sugar for breakfast.
B) I'm so glad it's Saturday- I should start building sand castles right away!
C) I think I will start the day by making cookies!
D) I'm going to show Mom & Dad how to start the day right.

I'm not sure if we'll ever know the real reason behind the cup of sugar. But, I am glad that she knows how to properly pack it down when cooking & I'm sure she didn't taste any of it either. It was pretty easy to track down the guilty party or "little mouse" with this kind of evidence left behind. I'm surprised I didn't find her with sugar in our bed, or a bowl full of sugar with milk in it. Instead, she was in our bed watching Saturday morning cartoons acting as though she hadn't even heard a mouse or been one in the kitchen at all!

Mother's Day- Why I like being a Mom

Brian asked me on Saturday night what I would like for breakfast on Sunday morning. He was thinking of making waffles or pancakes complete with eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, & orange juice. I guess that is where we differ- he is a huge breakfast fan, and I usually don't like eating breakfast other than toast or a bowl of cereal. Plus, lately whenever I eat rolls, pancakes, waffles, or anything in the grain category, within 10 minutes I feel like I could pass out from being so tired- but, that's a whole other issue. So I decided to eat a bowl of Lucky Charms (healthy & grain free right?) in my bed- alone. When I was done, the kids were excited to come and give me their presents.
They told me to close my eyes, and when they came in they were all helping Brian carry some flowers. However, these weren't just beautiful flowers they had bought from the store, each one was a separate wooden painted red flower with a white slip taped onto each stem. My first thoughts were "where did he get these? These are something you get online, or an idea I would see online for my own mother & mother in law- there is no way that Brian came up with this on his own! Where did he buy these from?" And then as I looked closer at them, I realized that he didn't buy them, he hand made each one! He knew that he couldn't afford flowers this year, and started thinking about what he could do to make Mother's Day special without flowers and presents. To me, this was the best present I have ever recieved. He put so much thought & time into these flowers. He painted each flower he had cut out, red, the stems green, & then asked the kids what their favorite things about me were. Each flower was so sweet with things from the kids & Brian. I am so grateful for their constant love & patience they show towards me.
I really do love being a Mom. When I was little I wanted to be a Mom when I grew up, and now it is a dream I am living everyday. Some days are so hard- days where I feel like I am the worst Mom & that my kids are the only ones that don't listen to me. Those are the days where I feel like my kids are so sweet for constantly forgiving me & the every day mistakes I make. And then there are the moments in each day that my heart melts and I enjoy being a Mom even more. I love hearing Landon in the morning when he is waking up, like right now, saying, "Ma Ma Mom!" In other words, "I'm awake, and ready to play, come and get me!" I love going in and picking him up and him laying his head on my shoulder & putting his arm around my back for a couple of minutes. I love the moments when Hallie takes her little hand and carresses my hair and face while saying, "Mommy, you so beautiful, I love you Mommy!" I love the moments when Jackson makes me laugh or smile when he comes out dressed in his Spiderman costume and dances or tries to climb things while the Spiderman theme song is playing. I love the moments when Morgan asks me questions about life, especially questions she has about modesty & the good talks that we have about why it's important to be modest. I love that she can ask me questions and that I can give her answers. I love watching my kids play & laugh, especially together. I love watching Hallie crawl after Landon while he runs as fast as his little legs can while both of them are laughing & having a great time. I love watching "Wild Kratts" with Jackson and seeing how well he remembers everything they talked about in the show. I love making cookies with the kids & teaching them that we don't want to eat the egg shells. I love when Daddy comes home from work and we are a complete family & able to eat dinner together. I love being a Mom- sometimes it is the same thing every day, but these moments are what makes it all worthwhile.

The best way to eat cheese...

I had this crazy idea the other day when I was making sandwiches, that I should "cut" cheese slices. I turned around to get a knife and when I went back to the cheese, there were big bite marks all over it. At first I thought maybe a mouse had gotten to it, and then, I saw the guilty look of a cute litte girl. I'm sure cheese tastes much better when you "bite" right from the block of cheese. I'll have to try that next time.

 

 

 

Morgan's Birthday

Morgan really wanted an American Doll for her birthday or a keyboard. Well, there was NO way I was going to spend $100 on a doll, & I really didn't want any more noise in our house, so thankfully I found this really cute doll that Morgan LOVED! When she opened it, she said, "Wow, this is awesome! Mom, look at her arm- that's cool how it moves all around!" Brian took the doll and realized that the dolls arm had broken out of the socket. :) I'm sure that would never happen with an American Girl doll! Morgan & I took the doll back and got the girls twin. Morgan loved looking at all the clothes that she can save up to buy & of course all the other toys in Toys R Us.
For Morgan's birthday she requested a "Polly Pocket" cake that went really high so they could all be swimming. I didn't really want to make a swimming pool wedding cake, so this was the best I could do. Morgan loved it & it tasted good too! Morgan says & believes that she is much more responsible now that she is 7. It's amazing how one day can change things.

 

 

 

 

Happy 7th Birthday Morgan!

 

Morgan is now 7! I can't help but think of the day she was born, and the first time I became a Mom. She was such a good & sweet little baby & it has been so much fun watching her learn & grow.
One of my favorite things to do on the kid's birthdays, is taking pictures of them. Morgan was so excited to model for me. She even picked out her outfits the day before so she would be ready. We took her out of school early & gave her presents, curled her hair, let her watch a new movie, & then she & I went to do pictures. She was the perfect little model! The only time she got distracted was when 2 boys around her age walked by-- uh oh! She got a new doll for her birthday & named her Megan (that is what my parents almost named me, and what Brian wanted to name Morgan) so we had to take a couple of pictures of Morgan & Megan. :)
While we were taking pictures, I looked over and right then a Mommy duck came with her little ducklings. Morgan loved having them in the picture with her.
We are so blessed to have Morgan in our lives. She is beautiful, funny, sharing, loving, responsible, & so sweet to her brothers & sister. She always makes us smile, especially yesterday with how many times she said, "Mom! This is Awesome!" We love having her as our oldest & love the little girl she is. Happy Birthday Sweetie!