"American Day"

Hope was very excited about the 4th of July this year, only she called "American Day." For a few days before, any time we were driving she would always point out the flags and other decorations that people had in their yards and ask why we didn't have any. That is right. I do not have any 4th of July decorations. Her excitement for the holiday of which we had no plans and no decorations made me feel like one heck of a disappointment to my children. The night before the 4th Hope got so excited that as she lay in bed she told me all the things she had planned for the following day. She said she was going to make everyone a flag. True to her word, she woke up early and immediately wanted to draw.

She did make one for everyone. I guess all those afternoons "singing to the flag" in kindergarten paid off, cause that an awesome one. I am very impressed with her stars. I still can't draw a decent one.

Out of the blue, Ben decided that we should go up to the West Bountiful parade. I don't like parades. I don't think I ever have. Once in my early 20's I got pegged in the forehead by an overzealous candy thrower and that pretty much sealed the deal. I mean, that tootsie roll could've put my eye out! Anyway.
Hope insisted that she have an "American shirt" for the "American Day." So here she is looking festive in her American Day attire, and Eden in her pigtails that lasted only about an hour.

 Turns out that West Bountiful throws a decent parade with zero overzealous candy throwers. Actually, I do think there was one, but he missed me and narrowly missed Whitney who was standing behind me so I'm okay with that. :)

There were horses that had been painted like the flag and some that had stars painted on their rear (buttock?) that Hope said looked like a cutie mark, which is the little symbol on a My Little Pony. They got lots of taffy and a few of those dangerous tootsie rolls and then we went back to grandma Verla's house for lunch. We spent a few hours visiting with her and aunt Whitney and Hope gave me a preview of her teenage years with this...

 playing on aunt Whitney's phone.

That evening the girls finally got to do sparklers and Pop-Its. They were concerned about holding a stick that was on fire, but soon got the hang of it and we went through a few boxes of them.

 The people in our neighborhood put on some pretty amazing firework shows. There were fireworks on the streets in front of us and behind us. We couldn't decide which way to turn our heads. Being surrounded by fireworks is pretty cool (and a little scary given that it had been so dry prior to the 4th). After watching outside and being eaten by bugs we moved into the back bedroom to watch for a while more. It was nice sitting in the quiet dark with my little ladies and their daddy watching fireworks that were so close.
What I thought would be a disappointing American Day actually turned out quite wonderful. The only time I saw disappointment in my girls' faces was when they were told they had to go to bed. If Noah would've been here I dare say it would have been perfect a American Day.

Say What?

Eden: Look, I'm a bunny! Ribbit, Ribbit
Dad: Rabbits don't say 'Ribbit'.
Eden: Rabbit, Rabbit.

Hope: Mmmm. My hands smell good. I want to eat them.

Hope: I am sadder than sad.

Hope looks in the mirror and says: Hello handsome girl.

Dad to Eden: I'm gonna hang you up by your toes.
Eden: Are you really?
Dad: Don't you believe me?
Eden: No.

Hope: I want to go look at the pregnant people.

Eden to Hope: You are my best friend ever.

Noah helping Eden ride his skate board.

It Snowed...

A lot!

And the weird thing is that the day before this happened was quite a perfect Fall day in my opinion, even a little on the warm side. But that's Utah for you.

While I was pregnant with Eden, Ben took Noah and Hope sledding. I made a post about it here. As I watched the kids and Ben play in the snow I thought of that post and realized that I was watching what would become one of my favorite memories.

On Friday there was some of this...

 

 

(Hope making snowballs to throw at Zoe) 

and some of this of course.

 

 

They are doing "cheers" with their hot chocolate.

After Eden woke up from her nap and had her drink, there was this.

 

 

 

then more of this.

 

 

Hope told Eden that she looked like a little farm girl in her snow suit.

When we woke up Saturday there was even more snow!!!! After extremely cold and red toes we decided that snow boots were a necessity and we made a shopping trip.

Then there was this

 

 

that turned into this.

 

 

Our neighbor across the street called to say how much she enjoyed it and would enjoy if for the rest of the season.

Then Eden, exhausted by all the fun, took a nap on mommy's bed

 

 

and daddy and Hope went into the backyard to do this.

 

 

We sure missed Noah this weekend. Hopefully there will be plenty more snow-filled days ahead for Noah to join in on all the fun. But in the meantime...

 

 

that is one big snowman.



Big Brother

Yesterday I registered Hope for kindergarten. It was exciting, weird and a little bittersweet. She saw several of her friends from church at the registration which I think set her at ease. Then we walked around the school and looked in the kindergarten classrooms. That is when I got really excited. I had a rush of flashbacks from my own kindergarten experience and my enthusiasm helped Hope see what fun she is going to have.

When I was talking to Noah later that night on the phone I told him that Hope would be starting school in the Fall. "MOM!" He said. The tone of his voice told me that he didn't really like that. I asked him what was wrong and his voice got choked up and he said "I'm worried about her." Aww. What a sweet big brother. I didn't tell him that I am secretly scared to death, too. Instead I told him that she would be fine and she will probably be in a class with her friends and that she is looking forward to it.

I love how he loves his sisters. I truly believe that he was meant to be their big brother and protector. They are lucky little girls.

Giddy About Ben

Ben was gone for a few days on a business trip. I started missing him before he left. I watched him rushing around the house placing things in his suitcase and felt sorry for myself. I wondered if pouting would make him stay. Of course not. His work ethic is too excellent for that, plus I am very proud of how hard he works and so thankful that he has a job that provides for us. Still, my heart started to hurt thinking about how it would feel every evening knowing that he wouldn't be coming home that night and I began dreading the coming days.

On a normal day I think about Ben probably at least 3-5 times an hour. The closer it gets to 5:00 the more often I think of him and the more excited I get for the little hand on the clock to reach the 5. When he comes in the door the day is whole and my soul feels peaceful despite what ever chaos has occurred earlier in the day. In all honesty, I am not always completely rid of any bad mood that I may have been in earlier in the day when he comes home, but I still feel relief when I see him, and no it isn't because he can give me a break from the kids. It's just the way he is.

 Ever since I met Ben he has had that affect on me. I remember one day in particular when our wedding was approaching. I had been rushing around all day people were everywhere and it felt like time was slipping through my fingers. Ben walked in the door and hugged me. I immediately sighed with relief. Not dramatically or even on purpose, it was just a natural reaction. Everything is better when he is around.

Back to now...Ben came home late last night. All day yesterday from the moment I woke up I felt almost giddy. A couple times I actually got on my nerves I felt so giddy about Ben coming home. I couldn't help but smile and be in a good mood and I had butterflies in my tummy. When I heard the car pull into the drive way I practically skipped to the door to open it.

This is all probably very sickening to a lot of you, to hear me go on and on about how much I adore this man and how wonderful he is. I understand that he is not perfect. I am not trying to pretend that he is. I am not trying to say that we have a perfect relationship and our life is perfect. There are many things that Ben and I disagree about. Just a few and less significant things are food (I LOVE Mexican, he hates it, I love creamy stuff, he is lactose intolerant, etc.) it makes eating together every day very "interesting", music - we have very different opinions about music, entertainment...he loves WWE, I .....don't. I can't stand watching people argue and fight and that is essentially WWE.

 Ben is not perfect, he wouldn't be on this earth if he was, but he IS perfect for me. I have believed that just about since day one with Ben and it has been reaffirmed to me through personal spiritual experiences that he and I were meant to be together. He is a part of me, a part that no other human being could ever compare to being. When I think about this and how lucky we were to meet each other in the first place I realize just how blessed I am and life doesn't seem quite so blurry.

I am not writing this to make any readers nauseous or to brag or to make it sound like everyday is sunshine and rainbows in our home. Ben and I do have disagreements. However, we are both very careful with how we speak to one another. We never yell at each other when we "argue". We have discussions to try to understand the other's point of view so that we can reach a compromise that will work for our family and our life together. There have been some things that Ben and I have really struggled to understand about the other, but he is THE only person that I trust my deepest darkest secrets to. I can tell him anything and know that he will not judge me or view me differently. I know that he will use the knowledge of whatever secrets I disclose to him to love and understand me better.

I know how the opposite kind of relationship feels and I am so grateful to be with someone that I respect and look up to. To be with someone who will carry you when you fall despite the heavy load they are already burden by is a wonderful thing to be. I have no doubts about him and where he is taking our family. I fully expect to stumble many times along our journey together but I also know that each time we get back up we will be stronger than before.
 Not long after I met him I had this vision of him and me, old and happy, sitting in rocking chairs on our front porch somewhere surrounded by beautiful trees and watching our grand kids playing in our yard. I look to that vision quite often. It makes my heart happy and I get so exited for what is to come of our life together because when we were old sitting there in those rocking chairs we were very happy and it was largely because of each other. I honestly believe that no other man on this earth could love me in spite of my imperfections the way he does. No one else. I can't imagine that there is another man worthy enough to be loved and admired the way I love and admire Ben, but I sure hope that there is. I do have two daughters that will hopefully have families of their own one day. I pray that they find men like their father, and I pray that Noah will be like him as well. That is really why I am writing this post, to let them know how love and marriage should be. I think it is every parents' greatest hope for their child to find a companion who is all of these things, it is mine for my children anyway.

Love & Cupcakes

Noah came home!!! Noah came home!!! Fridays are so exciting when we get to go get Noah. Sometimes Eden walks around the house before we leave saying "Noah, where are you?" And Hope will ask me incessantly if she and Noah can play games when he gets home. When they play pretend she calls this a game. They play great together and Noah has taught her a lot about imaginary play. When the weekend is over I will catch her playing some game that they had been playing earlier in the weekend and it's as if he's with her. She love him a lot.

 He loves her a lot too. When they see each other on Fridays he gives her a great big hug and tells her he missed her. I'm always proud to see that he isn't embarrassed to hug any of us in front of his friends.

This weekend I heard him tell Hope and Eden several times that he loved them and he told me a couple of times that he loved being a big brother to them. That boy makes my heart happy. :) These pictures were taken just before his dad picked him up. Hope kept telling him that she wanted him to stay. As he was walking out the door she yelled to him, "Bye Noah! I will be missing you!" And he yelled back, "I'll miss you too!" *Sigh* A dream come true.

I mean they do have moments, just as all siblings do, but they are affectionate with each other, not too proud to express it in public and the good moments far exceed the not so great ones. One of my biggest desires for my children is for them to love and cherish one another. Not just that, but to be friends that enjoy each other's company. So far they are off to an awesome start.

This year has brought new plans to the Maxwell house for healthier living. However, we do allow ourselves a treat or two on the weekends. The past few weekends have been a little out of control for Ben and I, but we've done well during the week and I am confident that soon we will gain control of the weekends too. Anyway, Saturday we had cupcakes! Hope just ate the frosting off her cupcake, as usual, and Eden only took a nibble of the piece I gave her, but Noah ate all his "funfetti" cupcake and even shared some with his turtle friend.

He is growing up so fast.

I love this picture of Eden. It looks like she is super excited about the cupcake, but she really didn't want to have much to do with it. That is just fine with me. One less sugar addict in the house. :)

Last Week

In relation to my last post, I am trying to be better at updating my blog. With my siblings being scattered all over North America I often wonder what their day to day is like and miss not being able to spend lazy, just hangin out kind of days with them. When we were growing up we would always say that we would buy a bunch of land somewhere so that we could all build houses on it and live next door to each other. My sisters and I wanted to take our kids to the park together and on shopping trips and have our children be close in their relationships with each other. Yes, we were that kind of family. We still are, but shopping trips prove to be more difficult when you are about a thousand miles apart. I suppose pictures are the next best thing to actually being there, so here you go. 

 The girls and I go for walks regularly. There are a couple of ranches near by and we usually go check out the horses. The horses have only been near our side of the fence once though, so we don't have pictures of them yet. Sometimes Hope likes to push her stuffed animals in the grocery cart instead of riding her bike. Today may have been the last shopping cart trip though because the wheels have stopped turning and Hope doesn't like to put a lot of effort into pushing a non-willing buggy. :)

 As soon as Noah got home on Friday he and Hope started right where they left off the last weekend Noah was home. Noah likes for me to save diaper boxes so that he can make things out of them. This weekend he made armor and a little sword for Hope. He is so great about including her in his play.

I love Hope's "deer in the headlights" look in the top right picture.

 Hope and Eden are always so curious about what he is doing and follow him everywhere. I love it. Noah and Hope kept telling each other how much they missed each other while Noah was at his dad's house. Is there ever a better moment as a parent than hearing your children express their love for one another?

Other noteworthy moments this weekend:

Eden found a new place to look at her books.

Noah reading a story to his sisters before family prayer.

If you look closely you can see that Eden has a huge smile on her face. She loves sitting with her big brother and sister.

Do You Smeeeellllllllll What Eden Is Cookin?

We've got quite a little wrestler on our hands, and I'm sure her daddy is proud since WWE is one of his favorite things. And, Eden seems to always be the victor no matter her opponent's size.

Cruisin'

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Occasionally, this is what happens at our house.

Laundry baskets become creative vehicles of play,shrieking laughter and stuffed animals are strewn about. Check out how many Noah has. I think he is getting ready to try to put them in the basket with his sisters. 

Also, notice Hope giving Eden a kiss...a rare moment, indeed.

Pajamas...messy hair...messy house...lots of fun.

Remembering What Matters

 

Lately I've been distracted with the insignificant things in life.

I'm trying to fix that by focusing on what really matters...



Reminiscing

Spring Break Wahoo!!!

Noah got to spend Spring Break with his mom this year. Grandpa Jeff was in town to start it off and we had a great time visiting. After grandpa's visit we just lazed around for the whole week and took it easy. I felt kind of bad about it, but if you were to ask Noah what he wants to do on a vacation it would be to play video games and he did plenty of that. Every now and then I told him he needed a break and to go play outside. He would for a while...




Noah is one of the top readers in his class!!! He likes to read to Hope, and since she loves books too, she is more than happy to listen.




There was lots of just chillin out, which is what we do best.