{orange}

The boys had their first round of testing. they all passed and are feeling pretty proud that they are now orange belts. I am not sure how long we will do this. I imagine when lacrosse season picks up in the spring we will be swallowed up by that. But in the mean time the kids really enjoy Taekwondo.  Tre was asked to assist in the testing with the younger children. He was patient & kind. A true leader.

{singing}

We (us & the neighbors) had wanted to rent some limos or a party bus to tour the lights of a near by neighborhood known for amazing lights...but that fell through, so instead we gathered together for hot cocoa & caroling. Us mommas chatted & the children raced from house to house singing. Gabby, the school teacher helped organize the children. It was chili but that did not

 stop our antler wearing babes. 

The countdown to school being out has begun. Teachers gifts wrapped, party supplies sent in to classes, & Omah & Opah arrive in 2 days! 

{santa}

Santa visited our Ward Christmas party this year. The kids lined up & sat on his knee. The bigger boys all swore they would reveal who this santa truly was. Of course none of them actually did. All talk! They are all too sweet to do anything that rambunctious! The food was catered by Rudys BBQ  (a S family favorite!) & Tre loved it so much that he brought a plate go ham & cranberry relish home with him. Tre played one of the wise men with his two buddies, Josh & Nate.  Josh & Nate live in our neighborhood & are in scouts with T too. I love that Tre has good guys to goof around with. Rod ended up sicker than sick so he stayed home & I had put Presley & Cooper to be at 6 ...so it was just me & the three.  It was nice to focus on them & mingle with friends hands free. We ate with some other late comers in the very back of the cultural hall, but when your sitting with some favorite friends its no big deal! After the church shindig I threw the boys in bed & ran down the street to a craft party my good friend Rhonda was hosting. She is an amazingly talented lady. The food & company was the perfect night out. 

The holidays are in full swing here! 

 

{9}

The biggest turned 9 last week. I got maybe 2 pictures of him because he was down & out with something yucky that has hit his elementary school. kids are dropping like flies.  He felt so gross that he wouldn't touch his cake & did not want to go see Dr. Thad for a dentist appointment (who would pass up a dentist appointment on their birthday?? geesh!) Tre layed in my bed playing with his new personalized rainbow loom case & watching christmas shows. I felt bad for him. The brothers gave him presents & we did the breakfast pancake tradition. after school the kids sang to Tre & they ate his cake while he watched. It was a low key kind-a day. Every neighbor kiddo cam ego the door looking to play with Tre.  Thats how you know he really is not well..when he turns away from 

playing outside with friends. 

Tre is such a fun kid! I enjoy our drives to appointments together. He has so much heart! He sees when people need extra love or patience & he gives it. Anytime we are out at least 1 person will mention how sweet our oldest is to his siblings. He is. He gets right down to their level & talks sweetly with them. He is often the Presley whisperer. she may not like what i have to say, but when Brother says it...she quickly complies. He thinks ahead & has big big dreams for his life. Maybe not big to the world...but to his Mom they are big. A mission, college, a family with lots of kids. Sounds perfect to me. He is a master chef in the kitchen. He surprises us with breakfast & loves to help with baking. His specialty is his sauce. He has such a good group of friends that I love (& I love their mommas too.) He likes to read & prides himself on good grades. He has never received anything below a 92. The day he gets a B he will crumble. I always tell him to just give it all he has & we will be proud! I said to my mother on the phone the other day that Britton had pulled me in for a hug & said "I love you because you are the nicest mommy."  When he said this I cried. Not happy tears, but tears of remorse. I had just flipped out over whatever mess it was that time. I felt completely unworthy. In telling my Mom about Britton's tenderness towards e I told her that Tre is the hardest! I look at him & I see such a special special soul. Why was I ever interested with this beautiful person. He is an angel. We have called him that for years. Nothing has changed. He just gets better & better each year. I told my friend Kacee last night that I want to keep Tre is my pocket forever. 

If only. 

And since Tre was sick I was sneaking around snapping pictures of the kids playing & the firetruck with santa visiting the hood, Maddox & Presley GETTING ALONG!! (I had to document that!) & this & that. Basically its a bunch of random pictures. 

{Tradition}

I love watching home videos. Every Christmas I video my sprouts trimming the tree. I fussed all day about whether or not to keep Cooper up for the decorating.  He is such a busy little guy. Into everything at all times. We rig up kitchen chairs to block off areas of the kitchen.  Gates up, & doors shut tight. He wants to know about everything. We have had to not only baby proof this home, but cooper proof it too. In the end we decided to put baby cooper to bed first. He is such a fun little guy & would have loved digging through ornaments & all together redecorating the front room, but we wanted the 4 biggers to enjoy the moment & not be worried about ornaments being pulled off the tree or water from the tree stand spilling from 10 little busy fingers. Its sad he was not in this footage, but there will be more Christmases to come.  Next year buddy!

Here it is...our tree of 2013... & who are these grown children? No way those are my babies!!

(also let it be known that I have gone back & corrected the "Whom" at the end 3 times & each time it magically re appears. I give up. Don't judge me too harshly.) 

Decking the Halls 2013 from Jennifer S. on Vimeo.

{loved you from the start}

When we had our little cupcake party with neighbors I made a slide show of the 3 birthday boys. I have so much love in my heart for these children. They are growing & learning & becoming so much of who we hope them to be. Looking at the old pictures of Tre are particularly HARD! He is growing so fast. I am afraid to let time slip past us. I want him in arms reach always. 

(some fun tunes on this. tear jerkers for mommas.)


Happy Birthday Boys! from Jennifer S. on Vimeo.


Somedays can be so incredibly loud and crazy. & I get crazy myself. I feel like an absolute crazy woman when I am trying to get dinner/baths/homework done all at the same time. I forget to smile sometimes. I forget to brush my fingers through their blonde hair as i pass by them to sharpen a pencil or turn on the oven.  I forget to remember that this season of my life is fleeting. Its short. Much too short.  
I think because Cooper looks so much like Tre, its such a stark reminder that the children grow up so quickly. Tre used to be 1 and smiley & warm in my arms. How did almost 9 years race past me? 9 years left till he leaves for his mission. 9 years left to tuck him in, to check on him at night, to send him off to school with a prayer, to make his breakfast, to pack his lunches... My heart aches for Baby Tre. Motherhood can be very hard on the heart in that way. 

{Real}

Growing up my family always had a real tree. We would go to the local farm stand just 5 minutes up the street where we bought produce and honey during the summer, pumpkins in the fall & the family tree at christmas time. We knew the owner well. Merrimack, New Hampshire was smaller then.  Rumor has it there is an outlet mall now. I cannot imagine that. The smell of the sap & the needles was always so intoxicating. It was the smell of christmas. When Tre was a baby & we lived in Utah we had a dinky real tree each year. The smallest on any lot. After we left Utah, my parents gave us their fake tree. It was pre lit, convenient & best of all..free. So we used it. We bought christmas-ish room spray, but nothing can mimic the aroma of a real fir tree. Last year that old fake treat started to look a little worse for wear. we made it work, but we all knew it was that trees last hurrah. This year Rod suggested a real tree. We agreed & took the kids out to find our tree. The scent caught the children's attention instantly! they were excited by it. Stopping to smell the different kinds of christmas trees. We all decided the classic fir tree smelled the loveliest. We picked one out, it was trimmed up & tied to the roof of our white mini van. The children were so excited. It reminded me of my own childhood. Im certain both Rod & I are fully converted to the real tree from now on. at least for one of the trees in our home. Its such a nostalgic thing...the smells, the cold air, the finding the perfect one, & in the boys case...playing hide & seek amongst the rows of green. This family of mine is something special. I don't want to miss a single moment. I am afraid to blink.