Lion King

For my mom's birthday, we got tickets to see the Lion King musical. It was at the Kennedy Center and just she and Cameron and I went. As Cameron's gift, he used his allowance to buy a gift card for dinner- to McDonalds. So all dolled up we went and ate our Big Mac's and then went to the show. So many people had told me how amazing the performance was, but it was truly something you have to see for yourself. It was PHENOMENAL! The costumes were complete genious and the actors all portrayed the mannerisms of each animal perfectly. In the openeing scene all of the animals come onstage and it was just one gasp after another as we saw the lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and many other breathtaking creatures. Cameron loved it, but he had so many questions during the show, "What's happening?", "Who is that?" But I had to laugh when he leaned over and asked my mom if she was having a good time. I think we all agreed that it was an experience we won't soon forget and it was worth every penny. I wish we could've taken pictures to capture the magic, but we weren't allowed. You'll just have to go next time it comes to a city near you. Wow!

Fishy, Fishy...

We have been spending a ton of time at the pool this summer, which has been great. Cameron has finally conquered his fear of the water and can now swim across the width of the pool. He may not be all that graceful, but hey, he gets it done. He will also jump into the pool and try to dive for things, both of which petrified him at the beginning of the summer. I think being around friends that were more proficient at swimming has really helped push him to try harder. We are so proud of him. And he's not the only one excelling- Gavin recently started being able to float in his life jacket in the pool and kick his legs to get where he wants to go. Tonight was the first night that Jeremy and I were able to sit on the edge of the pool the whole time and just watch the two of them navigate the open water. They really are growing up! And they were playing with each other and getting along! For a mom, there's nothing better in the whole world than that.

Signal Bay Day

We are trying to pack in the activities this week as it is the last "regular" week of summer before Cameron starts school. Next week we will be at the beach so we are trying to fit in the last of our summer fun. Anyway, we went to Signal Bay today which is this little waterpark perfect for little kids. Most of the park is no more than a foot deep and the deepest it gets is in the lazy river where it is 3 feet deep. We went with my friend Angie and her kids Austin and Ashley, who are the exact same ages as Cameron and Gavin, and we also brought along Natalie, another of Cam's friends. The kids had a blast running around in the cold water which felt perfect on such a humid day. The "big" kids loved to navigate across this pool with floating logs, while the little ones did slide after slide (thanks Angie for catching Gavin for me...). I felt like I really had my hands full, literally, while I held Mason most of the time, but the kids were troopers and lasted much longer than I thought they would. I wish we had discovered this park much earlier in the summer so that we could've taken advantage of it more!

Light As Air

Today we took the boys to the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Flying Circus in Bealeton, about 30 minutes away. We only caught the tail end of the flight show, which was amazing, but we got to see the planes taking people up in them for rides, and some were doing some aerobatics. I was amazed by the logisticas of it all because there were at least 10 planes taking people up and they were constantly taking off and landing on this tiny little runway. The kids were ecstatic to see them fly right over our heads and were eager to spot the brightly colored planes in the distance. The balloons were supposed to startt aking off at 5 pm, but due to the wind we had to wait a loooong time, and they weren't sure if any would be able to fly at all. Finally at about quarter to 7, the winds died down and two balloons started inflating in the field. They were truly magestic, and once they were up, they took people on tethered rides, probably up about 200 feet and then right back down. Cameron really wanted to go up, but neither Jeremy or I are too keen on heights, so in the end we all were just content to watch. They set off some other balloons from a golf course a couple of miles away and they were supposed to land in the field by us, but none of them made it that far due to the weather. I think Jeremy's favorite part was just watching the old planes, and I could see the hunger in his eyes as he snapped picture after picture. Despite his fear of heights, he would have loved to be up in one of them, looping around the skies. They only have this festival once a year, and it was such a neat thing to watch we will be sure to mark it on our calendars for next year. Maybe, just maybe we will have worked up enough courage by then to go up in one of the balloons with the kids. Then again, maybe not...

Happy Birthday Mama Mia!

My mom turned the big 6-0 yesterday and we were so honored to be able to celebrate with her! I feel so lucky to have such a great mom and grandma for my kids. It has been such a blessing to live so close to her and to be able to see her all the time. We've been through so much together and I am proud not only to call her mom, but to call her my friend. So Happy Birthday Mom! Cameron and I can't wait until next week to see the Lion King with you!

The Whole Nine Yards!

It is truly hard to believe that Jeremy and I celebrated our ninth anniversary yesterday. Next year is the BIG one and it just doesn't feel like we've been together as long as we have. I guess that's a good thing. My mom was nice enough to come watch all three kids last night so we could go out to dinner. We went to a place called Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian steak house that we've wanted to try for some time now. They have an enormous all you can eat bar with all the sides you could ever imagine, and these "gauchos" (waiters) that constantly are bringing every type of meat imaginable around to serve you. It was so good, but by the time we called it quits, we were in a load of hurt. So much for the diet this week... It was really great to have some time alone to sit and just be husband and wife, without the kids around, and enjoy some adult conversation. As much as Jeremy and I have both changed over the years, I don't think we've been any closer than we are now and it's such a great feeling to be able to relate to someone on this level. Love you babe!

I want to remember...

Ever since I heard Elder M. Russel Ballard's talk on motherhood in the last conference, a quote he gave has been haunting me:

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

I was picking Cameron up from camp a couple of weeks ago and saw a baby a week old there. She was so teeny tiny and I thought surely she had to have been smaller than Mason ever was. When the mother told me that she was almost 8 pounds I think I must've looked stunned. I can't remember him being that little and that was just three and a half months ago! How quickly the time does fly and I find myself in the same rut that Anna Quindlen found herself in. I am always looking to the next thing, and how I can accomplish it with the least amount of whining and in the shortest amount of time. With Mason being our last baby, it panics me beyond belief that I will not remember what he smells and feels and sounds like. As much as we may try to stop time by videotaping and photographing little moments, we will never be in that moment again. I want to remember exactly how it feels to have this tiny lump of warm flesh lay heavily slumbering on my chest. I want to be able to look into his trusting deep eyes forever and remember how his gaze makes me melt. I want to keep smelling that "clean baby" smell that comes after a warm bath and just makes you want to hold them closer. I find myself constantly thinking about how much easier life will be when the kids are "x" years old, when there are no more diapers, no more strollers, no more having to worry about them wandering off at the park. But in the back of my mind I know that those days will come all to quickly and I will want to rewind life to the here and now. Oh how I wish I could hit the pause button and just stay where I am- minus some of those extra responsibilities that seem to get in the way. My life seems so perfect right now and everything that matters the most in life is right at my fingertips. I have the loving husband that tries to put my needs before his own and three adorable, healthy, exuberant children that introduce me to new things each day and fill my life with a joy I never knew existed. I feel so incredibly lucky to have everything I ever wanted, but didn't realize I wanted until I had it. Is it perfect? No, of course there are things that I wish I could change, but I think it is perfect for me and I know there is Someone much wiser than I that has put this all into motion and is calling the shots.

Several years ago I got some parenting advice from a friend that has no children that has echoed in my ears time and time again. Even though she didn't have kids of her own, her words were just what I needed to hear. She said that we ought to say yes to our kids as much as we can. I know it sounds so simple, but in execution it is a bit more difficult. As I have implemented this philosophy into our life, I have noticed that I am the one that most often benefits from it. "One more book, Mommy," turns into extra snuggle time with my kids, "Can we go for a walk?" ends up giving us time to talk about whatever is most important in their little minds. It seems like these requests usually come when I have a million other things to do and telling them to just go play or putting a movie on seems like the easiest solution. But when I do say yes, I am treated to those memory making moments that help shape both our lives.

So I will let the boys play for five more minutes in the bathtub even if it means we will be late for preschool and I will join right in with bubbles on my nose and water all over the floor, because I know that these are the times to savor. I hope I can spend more time just enjoying and relishing being a mom with young kids so that I can say in the future that I got the maximum out of every day. I know I will still want to be sent back in time, but at least I will have less regrets and might actually be able to remember more.

And on that note I'm off to snuggle that baby of mine and smell and touch and listen to him. And I will go and sit on the edge of my children's beds and watch them sleeping so peacefully, dreaming of becoming whatever their minds imagine. I will be the best mom I know how to be and make that quality time a top priority, so that we can both get the most out of them growing up. I will "treasure the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."