What happened today

It's been an interesting day. It's been a good day. I got a lot done, I feel like I was a great Mom, we fed the missionaries, and the day just went great. No fighting, just happy kids and happy parents! It has been a funny day too. I'll start at the beginning and work my way through. Stockton and Emma told me they wanted quesadillas for lunch. I got the stuff out and got them cooking and then took Emma in the bathroom to get her hair done. I could hear the sound of mischief going on in the front room, and this is what I found when I went looking...

In case you are wondering, that is four, yes 4 tortillas, and all I had left! He found the package and emptied it, then sat down for lunch. When I saw him, I asked him what he was doing, to which he replied "I eat quesadilla Mommy" So, instead of getting after him, I laughed and grabbed the camera. I think my parenting was more effective before the blog, but I'm sure glad I will remember the funny stuff now!! Just one more picture, because I think it is cute!

Next on the funny list: Tonight, during family scripture study we were talking about how Lehi's family left everything behind when they left Jerusalem. Stuart asked the kids if they would be willing to leave all of their stuff, their toys and our home if Heavenly Father asked us to. Emma's reply was a quick and blunt "NO". I couldn't help but laugh. The conversation progressed, and maybe she understands now, or maybe she doesn't, but she's not ready to leave her purses, or her dress-ups behind!

Last, but certainly not least, it was Stockton's turn for family prayer tonight, and Stuart's turn to help him. Dad got a little long winded, and when Stockton had had enough, instead of saying what Stuart had told him to say we heard "Name of Jesus Christ, Dad!" Dad got the hint and ended the prayer! There is apparently only so much a little guy can handle! I love it.

These are the days when I cherish being a mother. There were a thousand other moments today when I smiled or laughed, and it was great! I got snuggles, and kisses, and thank-yous and I love yous and I drank it all in. I love my babies, and they are all at awesome ages. Preston and I can have real conversations about important things, and Emma is still as playful and lighthearted as ever. Stockton continues to be the family mascot, and entertain us all when things get dull. These are the days that keep me going. This has been the light at the end of my tunnel and it is so great to find my joy again! Happy Motherhood!

The first day of school

The first day of school has come and gone, but I still have to blog about it! The move meant a change in schools. This is Preston's third year in school, and its the third school he's gone to. He wasn't excited about the change, but eventually he told me it was okay. Emma was just excited! This girl has been begging to go to kindergarten for two years now, and she was one happy little girl! Sunday night brought your typical before school starts jitters, but they woke up excited and ready to go on Monday. Emma couldn't understand why she didn't get to go to school in the morning with Preston, and still wishes that she had morning kindergarten, but trust me when I say this works better for ALL of us! She is great all morning long, but I find that she bores easily in the afternoons, so it has been great for her to have something to do!

Here is Preston on his first day of Second grade. He is in Mrs. Rasavage's class. There are 18 kids in his class and he started making friends the first day. A week later he started baseball, and there is even a boy from his class on his team!

Let the posing begin! I took so many pictures and most of them turned out like this one. Don't you love it when they try too hard? Oh, and getting a natural picture of Emma is completely a matter of chance! She loves to pose just like her mom used to!

This is the big kindergartner! I got them both ready in the morning so that I could take pictures of them together, but then I spent the entire day hearing, "Mom, I'm ready for school, is it time to go yet?"

Here is a picture of Emma with her teacher, Mrs. Jacobs. There are 31 kids in Emma's class, but she seems to be doing just fine. She loves coming home to tell me about her new friends. Her teacher says she is doing great, and loves to follow the rules! At least she follows them somewhere right?

Time to play catch up! We have had a great summer. It was busy and crazy, but great. Stuart got another semester of school done with. YAY!!! We had our first experience with year round school. Preston was in school all summer. It made a few aspects of life hard, but it wasn't really THAT big of a deal. We got to go do some fun things, and finished off the summer with a bang. We said goodbye to one house and hello to a new one. Last but not least, I now have two kids off to school. Life is always changing and I have lots to blog about, and hopefully over the next few weeks I can get it all documented. We'll start with this because these are the last pictures I downloaded to the computer!

In July Stuart and I snuck away for two nights and two days to just spend some time together. It was much needed, and very fun, but not relaxing at all! We ran away to So.Cal. and went to an Angels/Yankees game together. Stuart loves the Yanks and I can't really stand them. I'm more of a Padres/Angels fan, so we were on different sides for this game! Here we are before the game!

I don't really come from the most sports fan type family, and I married into a family where they love their sports. Over time I have grown to enjoy sports, but our favorite thing is to go to baseball games together. I LOVE going to baseball games! It is so fun! I'm a total people watcher, so even if the game is a lame one, there are always so many people to watch that I'm fully entertained. We sat two rows behind these guys. They are both big boys! It was funny watching them have to snuggle up to one another because there just wasn't room. They sat this way through the entire game too! We took pictures before the game started, just before the seventh inning stretch and at the end of the game. All three pictures are identical! Luckily for us, this was a game where I didn't do much people watching, because it was a great game! Plenty of scoring, a few Home Runs and just a lot of fun! Of course I say that because my team came out victorious! I let Stuart have it and had a great time cheering with all the Angels fans that were around us. Here is the final score board. Of course, Stuart had to take a picture of Jeter up to bat. How do you like our view? We have been to several games in the 8 years we've been married, and I think we finally found our favorite place to sit. We were right behind home plate, but we were up in the upper deck (meaning our seats were a lot less) but we had a great view, and I loved being able to see the ball come clear down from the pitcher to the hitter, and not missing a thing! It was great! The next day we slept in which was AWESOME! I love being able to wake up on my own. It never happens anymore. It is always either the alarm clock, or the children alarm, but there is nothing better than getting to wake up slowly, and not roll over to see a little one staring you down wondering when you are going to get up and get them some cereal! After a nice, relaxing morning, we got ready and headed to Magic Mountain. It was so much fun! We went on all the rides I was too scared to go on, and had a great time. I love roller coasters, but I think it is time to admit the fact that they no longer love me! By the end of the day my head was spinning and throbbing, and I didn't know if I wanted to throw up, or eat! Stuart could have rode for another 6 hours if he would have had a willing partner. It was fun to go, and play! Life has been stressful, and hectic, but it was really good for us to be able to sneak away and act like kids for a few days! I love you sweetheart! Thanks for all the laughs!!!