{Moose}

I have mentioned moose in a few other posts. He is a part of our family. He was originally a gift from my parents to Tre after a trip they took. But Tre preferred his red bear & so moose was left unattended. When Britton was about 18 months Moose was found & the two became inseparable buddies.

A few days ago Britt woke up in a start. His eyes filled with tears, his lower lip drooped & he said in the quietest, most pathetic voice ever "How could you have forgotten Moose's birthday?!" Funny thing is...I had no idea, in fact I am pretty sure we celebrated it around christmas. Sooo...while T & Britt were at school I found a way to integrate a moose party into family home evening. The kids made makeshift decorations with what we had in our craft kits & then Britt (who was in charge of treat for FHE) made a cake & all the boys decorated it. T wrapped up a gem from a cavern, a hershey bar & an old fast food toy for moose. When Rod arrived home we had our songs & lesson & then partied with moose..who apparently turned 2...although I distinctly remember celebrating his 5th birthday already. details details...it was just fun to celebrate with our kidd-os.

{last week. fire}

If there is one thing Britton could bring to a deserted island with him he would tell you it would be s'mores. He has a particular way of eating them. this 4 year old prefers his mellows unroasted. The rest of us like our mellows gooey & sticky so my parents started a little fire in their pit by the pool & we star gazed and talked about space (cause T is really into space these days & my dad has a plethora of knowledge to share with our guys.) all while roasting mellows on sticks. A few caught fire & my mom was happy to eat those ones for the boys (while britt likes un cooked. my mom prefers over cooked.)

{last week. part 5}

My father's job keeps him pretty darn busy. He doesn't get to visit as much as my mom or play during the day when we are visiting. He is usually locked in his office on a conference call. But he does not let it get in the way of creating lasting & fun memories with the kids. He likes to pick out gifts for them before we arrive & read stories to them at bedtime. This visit he started something new that was a big hit! Each night the kids were given a glow stick. Sounds simple. But It made our 4 so incredibly happy. & Every night after kisses they would go to my dad's office to

collect their glow stick...

in the color of their liking of course.

{Last week. the trains}

Im getting a bit lazy here. but honestly I am just busy. I have 3 shoots Im editing, but promised myself that when i got home id be better about taking pictures of my very own brood & posting them. so In between editing other cuties during M & P's naps...I am posting here...in easy pea-zy polaroid form. pop 'em in & out they come. I know. Lazy. anyhow...One of the hot spots we like to visit when at Omah & Opah's place is the train park. The kids get good & dirty & ride a carousel & train. The boys must of been in a mood because T & Britt were scaring me to death with their climbing. One of the forts has a balcony that is pretty far off the ground & Im happily snapping away...not even noticing that Britt is standing on the edge of a roof. nice. Good job Jenni. It made me laugh a bit, because that is typical Britt...risking his life..and typical me...not noticing until 4 days later. Britt & Maddox created a bit of a sand storm & that is about when we decided it was time to head home with 8 little shoes filled with sand.

{last week. part 3}

Some of my favorite pictures are the ones others might see as boring. I like taking pictures of my kids doing their favorite things, or just sitting quietly not even noticing Im in the room with a massive black camera stuck to my face. While on the sun my mom & dad were the best grandparents ever & treated our 2 biggest to a spring training game of their choosing. & with all the teams in AZ right now there were so many teams to choose from. They decided to be loyal to our state team. Texas Rangers it was! They got decked out in Red & T hats & filled up on cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs & many other baseball novelties. They returned home with autographs, balls, & Dad went ahead & spoiled them even more with a stop at a lego store..all legos all the time. They tore right into the new sets as soon as they returned at the end of a busy baseball day.

Presley loves purses, & when there is not a purse in arms reach a

zip lock bag will do just fine for this lady...

Diddy is on a shoe kick as of late. she wants to wear everyones shoes & tie laces. Opah's shoes were hanging around so she took a stab at lacing them...for almost an hour before she became frustrated & my mom & I had to hide all the shoes in the house....

Maddox has a special place in my mom's heart. She makes an extra effort to get Maddox talking & chatting & keeping him busy. She helped our guy make rice crispy treats....

& here are the boys ready to assemble new lego kits. Legos are a huge hit with the S family...

{last week. party edition}

Funny thing. My parents live just minuets from our dear dear friends, Charlie & Sara C. & their 2 cute cute kidd-os. Their children call my parents Omah & Opah too. Charlie & Sara are so incredibly generous & thoughtful. They planned & hosted at their home a surprise party for my father, invited my parents neighbor & her fam...who actually is a fantastic baker..she made a nerded up cake with my dad's birthday in code & all sorts of silly things. My father was bombarded by blue & white balloons as he walked through the door. I sort-a love our friends for being the great people they are. Ill say this much for myself...

I have good taste in friends.

{Last week. Pt. 1}

well that was a whirl wind. The boys had a week off from school so we checked out of Texas & headed to my parent's place on the sun. Arizona is a whole lot closer than it once was. But it still took some night driving & a lot of diet coke to get us there. Day one was for getting the wiggles out & settling into a time change. The kids could not love my parents more...& add their new pup into the mix & It was like we were killing them as we drove back to return to business as usual. Infact as we walked into the house this morning Maddox went looking for my parents. Guess he thought Omah & Opah were meeting us here. Poor thing.

{inner}

I know...another Presley post. She is heavy on my heart as of late. As a woman I find myself often swirling around and around in self doubt, even, although embarrassing to admit...self hate. I tend to keep those inner workings just that, inner. But after a long night of a heavy heart I awoke with the thought of my beautiful daughter. She walks tall now, she knows she is charming & always the first to gather attention from strangers & friends alike. She knows she can make us laugh, & is equally aware that she can help make my day brighter by laying her cheek in my lap, with her dark eyes wide, & a half smile hiding behind her chooch. She knows she is a treasure. Playing barbies with my friend Becky when I was five I always wanted to be the prettiest princess, the smartest teacher or doctor, the best ice cream scooper at barbie's ice cream parlor. I believed in myself, just as my Presley does now & will for years to come. But I know someday someone will plant a seed, a hateful word, some strong criticism. Maybe it will be the girl next to her in english class, or maybe it will be the advisory. As I know that the Lord lives, i also know that satan seeks to destroy by all means those who follow christ. I know how the advisory attempts to destroy me, and many woman today. Self loathing is his tool. We don't feel pretty, smart, important, we feel like we could be thinner, or contribute more, be more...always more. Do more housework, do more things with the children, read our scriptures more, help others more. & this is where I get swept away & often pulled under. I find myself sinking in the thoughts that I am not of great worth as the Scriptures testify that We all are. I want to protect Presley from these ugly feelings. I desire to make her know that a number on a scale or the murmurings of an unhappy person do not & never will determine who she is. I think its so easy for mothers to want their daughters & sons too to have confidence & strength, but we forget to seek after those things for ourselves. I want to be a strength so that when my dark eyed beauty looks to me she can see confidence & kindness & in turn feel she can be that too. I am confident we all wish to be this for our children.