Farewell Bear Hollow

Hank has officially graduated with flying colors from Bear Hollow Preschool. I can't believe how much my little guy has grown up this past year in school. Although he is still pretty soft spoken and shy, I've seen him start to come out of his shell and make some new friends. He took his role as Jack Be Nimble quite seriously in their end of the year program. He held on to that candlestick for dear life and was more than ready when his part came up. He chose to be Jack because of his cousin Jack, obviously!

His buddy Jackson was Jack be Nimble as well.

He is quite the jumper!

There were parts of the program where he was belting the words with such conviction, I thought he might pop a blood vessel! Towards the end, Miss Molly had awards for each of the kids; for example, most improved reader, best counter, best at coloring, and fastest runner. After nearly 30 awards, Hank was left sitting alone. She told the crowd she left Hank for last. She said, "notice how patiently Hank has been waiting, I saved him for the last for a reason...this is how he is every day at school. When the rest of the class is shouting for my help, Hank quietly waits for his turn and politely asks for some help. He is so respectful and sweet." So what award did he win.....drum roll please!

What more could a mother want? I am so proud of my little guy I feel like I could burst at the seams! At his final parent teacher conference she told me he is more than ready for Kindergarten. No surprise there. I have to admit I got a bit emotional telling Molly good bye. She has been such a big part of our lives for the past two years. I told her to take the next year to rest and prepare for this little monster!

He had quite a break through during Hank's program. He announced to the entire crowd he had to poo so Randy took him in Molly's house and he pooped on her toilet!! He has overcome his fear for sure! Yeah Max!

Hank and his two proud mothers

Hank with his two proud grandmas
His proud dad was there also but busy taking Max to the bathroom!

Hank also passed his belt test and is graduating to the Junior Dragon class. This is his best friend in Tae Kwon Do, Cody. Hank's ideal treat to celebrate...a cotton candy snow cone! We've had one pretty much every day this week. What a great kid! I love you buddy!

Birth Order

I have my theories about birth order as it pertains to certain personality traits. It's never more evident than when Lucy and Isabel come over on Thursday afternoon. All four kids play well for about 20 minutes but then quickly break into their groups.

Exhibit A

I found Isabel and Max in his room completely entertained making "suckers" out of nerf darts and plastic balls. These two totally get each other. I love hearing Isabel asking Max if he needs to go potty every 5 seconds.

Exhibit B

The first born of both family seem to have quite a bit in common as well. I don't want to call them high maintenance but well, they are. They have a blast together.

Patience

I'm afraid potty training requires more patience than I am capable of. Max has been diaper free for a week. He has mastered peeing in the toilet and now tells me when he needs to go and can nap without an accident, and I feel confident going to the store with him. I thought that would be the hard part but this #2 business is proving to be more trying. He's had success twice now, we went to Target, got a toy and everything was bliss. Ever since, he chooses to go in his underwear. I say "Max why did you poop in your underwear, that's gross?" to which he casually replies "cause I want to". He doesn't mind cruising around in his own feces so I don't know why I'm so upset about it. The most frustrating thing is that I follow him around like his shadow looking for any sign of a grimace and the second I turn my head, it's done. I need to relax, I know. He's been a total champ so far and I don't need my lack of patience to discourage him any more. There is no turning back now with a week under my belt. I suppose I need to keep these pictures in mind.

Oh my, that little booty is too much!! Any advise from my blog friends would be greatly appreciated.

Motherhood

Everyday, I am amazed that these boys are MINE! Being their mother is an honor I'm not sure I always deserve or am prepared for. It is an adventure everyday and the greatest blessing in my life.

My first child, Hank is truly unique in many ways. He is very athletic, HIGHLY competitive, loves the Wii, loves slicking his hair down as flat as humanly possible, avoids hugs and kisses from me (or anyone else for that matter), loves the discovery channel, and always lets Max change the channel to the Wiggles. He is very sensitive and I know he loves me, even though he doesn't come out and say it all the time.

He has amazing sack race abilities too! I got to attend the Mother Goose Days relay races at his school this week and he totally pretended like I wasn't there. I thought the too cool for mom attitude wouldn't come for at least a few more years.

My second child, Max has a very different personality than his brother. He loves his mama and isn't afraid to tell me, he bathes at least twice a day, he loves getting new shoes, he still sucks his fingers and they smell funky in the morning, he loves the throw anything and everything, he loves being the center of attention, and he LOVES helping me make waffles, eggs, toast, banana bread, and cookies.

Max decided to be done with diapers this week and pretty much potty trained himself. He has the pee thing down, we are held up a bit with the whole #2 business. He is terrified of going on the toilet. Hank went through the same thing and got the hang of it after a few accidents. It's hard to believe I haven't had a diaper free life for more than 5 years! Most parents would be celebrating but I am very sad. My babies are growing up way too fast. I guess that means I need another baby. I'm not announcing anything, by the way.

My dad and the boys made us a delicious breakfast this morning at my parents house. The weather was perfect and we were able to sit outside all afternoon. I have so many incredible examples of motherhood in my life.
Mom, Kate and Sarah

Grandma Yvonna and Grandma Joanne

Jeri and Jenni (Kunz)

Grandma Reid
Jeri and Scott made a perfect mother's day feast. My favorite part...the chex mix! Pretty sure I ate nearly 1/2 of the gigantic bowl.

Randy and the boys gave me these beautiful flowers and Randy wrote a sweet card. My favorite line says "We would be totally screwed without you". I couldn't agree more! Happy Mother's Day!

The Week I Turned 30

Well, I have officially entered my 30's...dun dun dun. I've made it quite clear to nearly everyone I know, how much anxiety I have with this number. I have issues with aging, not only me aging but everyone around me as well. It's a fact of life that I have yet to come to grips with but as Randy says "What do you do?". I suppose I can't defy all odds and stop getting older so I am going to do my best and live each day with consciousness and gratitude for another chance to enjoy my beautiful life. On a side note...my mom let me borrow her book 'Women, Food, and God' by Geneen Roth which I just happened to start reading the day before my birthday and I'm pretty sure it's changed my life. A must read in my opinion. I digress...my birthday celebrations have been non-stop for nearly a week. Actually, if you count Dara coming to town it's been going on for closer to a month! Here is a recap...including WAY too many pictures of yours truly, I apologize.

The girls (and Jack) took a shopping trip up to Anthropologie last week and we did some damage! Just a warning, stay out of that store! There were so many adorable clothes, I took close to an hour narrowing down my selections. We had a blast trying on clothes, eating, and visiting. I can't imagine my life without these lovely ladies. Such a fun day! I justified numerous purchases using the old "I only turn 30 once, right?" excuse.

On Friday, Randy told me he made plans for the two of us on my actual birthday so we would hang out with my family the night before and go to dinner. Before dinner, he told me we had to stop in at a Bear River Mutual party at Noah's and say hi. I thought the entire idea was ridiculous. What was the point in unloading the kids and cutting my birthday party short just to say hi to a bunch of insurance people I don't care about. I went along with the plan and soon discovered why Randy insisted we show up.....I opened the door and SURPRISE!!! I had no clue he had been plotting a surprise birthday party with the help of my mom and Sarah. My entire family was there and I was overwhelmed by their love and willingness to be there for me.

Sarah made an adorable banner and provided 3 dozen balloons to make it more festive. Not only did she help with the party, she wrote the most amazing tribute to me on her blog. I often wonder what I did to get such amazing sis.

Speaking of amazing sisters, here is my other sis and her family. They couldn't stay long because Lucy had a dance competition but I'm so glad they were there.

Sarah, Kate, Lucy, Mom, and Jack

Darcelle slaved for days to make me the most adorable cake I've ever seen. I still can't believe how amazing it turned out. I know how much work that took and I am so lucky to have such a great friend, so willing to put her life on hold to give me the best birthday cake ever. It had chocolate and peanut butter inside...delicious!

My adorable niece Isabel

Hank, Dyson, Max, and Colby

Grant, Hayley, and Monet

My Aunt Becky (Larry was also there but managed to escape the camera.)

Riley and Monet

Sadie and Crystal

Jessie

Grandma Joanne and Randy

Chris, Grandpa Sherm, Grandma Yvonna, and Missie

Lynn and Jenni

Griff

Jeri

My mother got all the food ready and made sure everything went smoothly. She also gave me the most amazing picture she has been working on for months. I just hung it in my house and it looks beautiful. I love you mom!

She is a master cross-stitcher if you didn't know.

My adorable daddy just had a birthday on Sunday. Sarah did an unbelievable tribute to him on her blog. I have so much pride saying he is my dad. He is such an incredible man. Happy Birthday papa!

The kids helped me blow out the candles but I didn't want to cut into this masterpiece. Max had no problem pulling the handle off the bag about 2 seconds after this picture was taken.

Jeri and Scott brought the wii and the kids had a blast. Then we watched the first half of the Jazz game. How nice of them to win on my birthday!

On Saturday, my actual birthday, we rushed out the door by 7 am to get to Hank's first Tae Kwon Do tournament. Although the event was pretty poorly organized, Hank's excitement couldn't be stopped. He told me he "knew" he was going to win. I love the confidence! He told me his first place trophy would be my birthday present. I'm pretty sure I was more nervous than he was.

Opening Ceremony

After waiting nearly 4 hours for Hank's turn, Max was due for a nap.
They finally called Hank and he broke the boards like a champ. He did a side kick, jumping over Jimmy and breaking a board then did a front roll and a hammer fist to the next board. I don't think I've ever felt more pride in my life. He went out there with so much confidence and ended up taking 1st place out of 6 other competitors. He wasn't surprised at all that he pulled off the win.

The kid on the left gave him some pretty stiff competition.

Dylan (on the right) has been helping Master Augustine with Hank's class for the past year and he coached Hank to victory.

Both Grandma Jackie and Grandma Jeri endured HOURS of waiting for the star to perform. It meant so much to Randy, Hank, and I that you were both there. Mino couldn't contain his excitement.

Randy and I barely had time to get home, pack our stuff and drop the kids off to Jeri's before our massage appointments at the Grand America hotel. Randy arranged for us to have a couple massage and after a day at the Tae Kwon Do tournament, it felt like heaven.

Our room was on the 12th floor and this was the view from our balcony. Talk about living large! Our room was amazing. If you haven't stayed at the Grand America...I highly recommend trying it out for a special occasion. We had a delicious meal at the hotel that ended with the most delicious dessert I could have imagined. Beignets...who knew they were the most mouth watering treat ever. They were served with hot caramel, chocolate, and berry sauce. AMAZING!

We finished off my birthday celebrations, dancing the night away and pretending I'm not 30! You know how much I love watching Randy dance. Randy went way over the top for my birthday, with Dara coming for a week, surprise party, and a night in SLC. It was such a blast. I love you dear and I love all my family and friends who made this birthday so special for me. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people who love me. I love you all VERY much. Hopefully you all know that!