Mothers' Day

I haven't had a chance yet to blog about my wonderful Mothers' Day. But I haven't forgotten it. It was busy, but wonderful.

Don't you just love belonging to that wonderful club we call "being a mom?"

I know I sure do.

My sister, Melinda, and I had been trying to figure out what to give my mom for quite a while. We knew she loved the brunch we did at Gardner Village last year (one of the best - highly, highly recommended), but we weren't sure how we'd pull it off with all the kiddos. Finally, we decided (along with cute Jesse) that we would bring that brunch to her. We cooked up a storm for most of Saturday night and Sunday morning. We made everything from ham and cheesy potatoes to Norwegian pancakes and chocolate fondue. We cooked tons and tons of food! Whew!
But it turned out so delicious, and so special. It was such a fun way to start Mothers' Day. I actually enjoyed cooking all that food, even more than I thought I would. Now I get why people love to cook on Thanksgiving. And boy howdy was my mom surprised. I can't believe she had no idea. The poor woman went to church without having eaten any breakfast.....

After brunch was over, we headed to Wes' uncle Pieter's house for the annual Wouden family Mothers' Day potluck. It was so fun! Wes and I actually fot to play a little volleyball together. We hardly ever get to play at the same time like that. It was fun! And of course always fun to enjoy the good food and even better company. We don't get to see the Woudens enough. They are such a fun and loving family.

My thoughtful, sweet hubby got me a darling window box and hose holder for Mothers' Day. I will post pictures when we've got everything rigged up on the house. It seriously is the cutest window box ever! I'm so excited to fill it with flowers! I've wanted one ever since we moved into our house. How fun to finally get one. :)

But for me, my two favorite parts of Mothers' Day are cards and just being together. I think most moms would agree that a few words of appreciation and love can go a long way. My mom started this new tradition where she writes us letters in Mothers' Day. I so wanted to start that this year but ran out of time since we left for DC two days later and I was scrambling around trying to get us ready. (Pictures of our trip to come, I've had some techmical difficulties.) I think it's a really special tradition and one I will definitely do next year. My mom always thinks of the most thoughful things and makes me (and everyone else) feel like a million bucks. I don't know how she does it sometimes, but what a great example of a mother's love she has set for me!
I just thought I'd give a little shout out to every mom who reads this. You are amazing! The things you do every day, the words you say, the hugs and kisses, the endless prayers and faith, the time and energy you put into what you do is just incredible. There aren't many jobs as difficult as this one, but definitely none are more memorable, special, and rewarding. How blessed your children are to have you on their side! I'm sure they all know that you love them no matter what they do, and that you'll always be there. There is nothing more magical than a "Mommy's kiss" in one way or another to make things better. We are so powerful. ;) Thank you for your wonderful, devoted, Christlike example of love and charity. You make a difference in the world more than you'll ever realize.

I was listening to a John Bytheway CD the other day. He was talking about different Book of Mormon characters and their attitudes. When he came to the Stripling Warriors he stressed over and over how important a role these boys' mothers played in preparing them for such a battle. In the scpitures it mentions the mothers several times. It is always a good reminder for me to think about that, or even go back and read it (and the many other parts in the scriptures that mentions moms) and realize what a noble and holy calling being a mom is. There is really nothing else more important (except maybe being a good wife, but I think you have to go hand in hand to do either the right way) than raising great children in such a daunting, scary world. It's so amazing to me that just about every dynamic, accomplished person in our history credits his/her mother to helping them become who they are. What an incredible thought! Linda Eyre says in all her books that being a mother is like being a gardner. We are raising all these different kinds of seeds into beautiful, strong flowers. Every seed needs a different mix of fertilizer, water, sunshine, and care to grow up to be the beautiful flower they are. What a neat analogy! Boy oh boy I have noticed me two little "seeds" are very different! But the other part that awes me is how I love them the same. What a blessing that is!

I could go on and on at how amazing it is to me that we are blessed with such an incredible and special responsibilty. But just know that what you do every day, whether acknowledged or not, doesn't go unnoticed. Your kids (and this means me too, Mom) think you are the greatest thing in the world. I bet they want to be just like you when they grow up. :) What a pleasure and a blessing to be a member of the neatest club in the world.

Moms, you truly are angels on earth!

Micah's Birthday Party

We had a little birthday party for Micah recently. It was so fun! We had our families over, and it was fun to see everyone again. Micah sure had a ball.....

Here is the cake I made for Micah. I took him to the store and let him pick out his own cake. I was sure he's pick a ball. But he saw Elmo and was in love. It was funny because we don't have tv, and we don't watch much tv, and I'm pretty sure he has no idea who Elmo is. He saw the mold and started growling like a monster. He's so funny! Anyway, I thought it turned out pretty cute. Much easier to frost than Lightning McQueen. :)

Here's cute little Abby playing with the ribbons on the presents. She did this most of the night. Boy howdy were they fascinating!

This is the only decent picture I got if Micah unwrapping presents. He wasn't really into the whole present thing much at all. We finally let all the kids pick a present to open for him and show him. Everyone loved that idea. Micah would glance up at most of the gift, and then continue to be occupied with whatever it was he was doing. But all that changed when we lit the candles on the cake and sang.....I loved the way his sweet little face lit up with the candles and singing. (Actually, one of the presents we got him was a pretend birthday cake with pretend candles. Singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing the "candles" is a several-times-a-day occurrence at our house lol.)

He did finally begin playing with his gifts once the candles were over. He loved them all (thanks everyone!) Here he is with cute Jason playing ball of course.
Thanks everyone who came. It means so much to us and the boys. And thanks for your wonderful gifts. We love you!

My Sweet Boy is 2....

Micah turned 2 last month. I can't believe a month has already gone by. I didn't want to miss the chance to celebrate my little Micah and how much we all love him. So here goes....

I found out I was pregnant with Micah when I had just had baby Kolton a few months earlier. Although the thought of having two little ones was a little overwhelming, we were absolutely tickled. Wes and his younger brother are 15 months apart, and we always wanted to have 2 kids close together like that, so it was a welcome surprise. Here is Micah with his Poppy (my dad). Since we were in Utah this time around, my parents were able to be there when he was born. Being pregnant with Micah was so different than being pregnant with Kolton. Kolton never quit moving. Ever. Micah hardly moved at all. I felt him move maybe 10 times or less during that pregnancy. I never really got used to it. But I did sleep a little better because of it. But now I realize that children are different from the moment they are conceived. Micah is such a mellow, easygoing kid. He definitely has 2-year-old energy. But not like Kolton. Here he is being initiated into the crew of kids right from the start. He was such a trooper. He's the best kids of all the kids at sharing. I think it's a combination of that sweet personality and learning to share from day one. I went into early labor with him at 35 1/2 weeks. Luckily, they were able to stop the labor and he stayed put until I was 39 weeks. My labor with him was so much better! I was an 8 1/2 when I got to the hospital and definitely feeling it. But they quickly gave me a spinal so I wouldn't have to wait for the epidural to kick in and I was able to relax and enjoy giving birth rather than screaming through it like I did with Kolton. He came out in 2 contractions an hour and a half after we arrived at the hospital. He was 8 lbs. 2 oz. He had even more hair than Kolton. The nurses loved him, he was so good-natured. They loved playing with his hair and took every opportunity to take him so they could play with it and style it. So lucky for him, he got extra good care because he was so adorable. :) Here's Micah and Kolton's first meeting. How sweet...I feel bad because I don't remember as much with Micah. It was all such a blur. Wes was still in school, we moved to our house, and I had a one-year-old. But I also think part of that was that he just went along with whatever was going on. He was just happy being with everyone, observing everything going on around him.

He has such a sweet, precious smile. It melts my heart every time.He loved sleeping on his tummy. Still does. Except now he creeps up to the corner of the crib.His first haircut. I was so sad to see all his long hair go. But Wes didn't like it and after all, he isn't a girl. So.....my best friend, Celest, came over and gave him a baby mohawk.

Micah took so long to walk. He just liked being carried everywhere. He liked being the baby. He still does, I think. He was 17 1/2 months when he first started walking. This is his first birthday party. He loved the ribbons and bows on all the presents. They tasted pretty darn good.Mmmm....cake ain't so bad either.Micah is a little thumbsucker. Gets that from Mommy (I sucked mine until the fourth grade) He sure loves that cute little thumb!Here he is sitting in the stroller at one of Wes' volleyball tourneys. He's always such a good sport about it. He really likes to be out in the sunshine.
More of that adorable smile I love.

Where there's a ball, Micah will be there also....
Micah is Wes' twin. I had to laugh when I saw this picture. My two handsome boys.
I can't even begin to describe how much we love and enjoy this sweet, precious spirit. He adds so much life and joy into our home. I love hearing his squeals of delight when he wakes up every morning. I love the way he has to kiss everyone he meets. I love the way he snuggles when I tuck him in bed at night, and how he blows kisses every chance he gets. And candles. One of his favorite things to do is pretend to blow out candles. All the time. Seriously. It's hilarious. He also has a hidden talent. He can whistle. Yup. He's been able to whistle for months. I still have to laugh when I see it! He's such a little jewel. I love his bog heart and the way he hugs, kisses, shares, and genuinely cares and loves others. Especially Kolton. They are definitely brothers and best friends. We are all so blessed to have this sweet little bundle of joy in our home. Happy Birthday Micah! We love you!