Things that are blue:

the sky

blueberries

road signs

baby Dick's mouth

Reminds me of the lake.

I love my hubby.

I love my sweet kiddos.

I love lots of things.

That being said, I can always leave a little room in my heart {and stomach} for these...

In any way, shape or form...

{regular, Double Stuf, with peanut butter, by themselves, with milk, in a dessert, oh the list goes on}

In fact, just ripping open a fresh bag takes me back to my childhood days when my family would take trips to the lake. 

It reminds me of waves and seagulls. Sunscreen and sand.

We always brought Oreos.

To this day, those memories still burn strong, and I still love these cookies.
And I am a firm believer that they are the greatest cookie ever created by man.

Afternoon Headline

"JANE MASTERS THE ALPHABET PUZZLE"

Witnesses included:

 mommy

And as usual, the song {ABCs} was sung about five times following completion.

E.L. Fudge Lovin'

What baby doesn't love a good ol' E.L. Fudge cookie once in a while?

{Heck, what adult doesn't love 'em?}

{P.S. I may or may not have eaten five in one sitting, right before these pictures were taken.}

Breakfast in Bed

Bran muffins

Banana

100% Juice

Fresh flowers

=

One rockin' Mother's Day

Mother's Day Special - Interview with Mom

For your Mother's Day viewing {reading} pleasure, I am pleased to present this interview with my mom.

 April 2011

AJ: Ok, let's get started. First question - When did you decide you wanted to be a mother?

Mom: When I was a little girl.

AJ: I know that you always secretly wanted to have six children, but only ended up with five. Why did you want six?

Mom: Because it just seemed like the ideal number. It just didn't turn out quite that way, though. But I at least wanted a bigger family than I came from {4 children}.

AJ: Who did you look up to as you were raising your children?

Mom: My own mother. I wanted to be as good of a mother to my children as she was to hers.

AJ: What was the hardest part about being a mother with young children?

Mom: Trying to not get bogged down with everyday chores so that I wouldn't miss doing special things with my kids. And also making sure that I spent enough one-on-one time with each of my children and spreading that time out equally.

AJ: Ok. What is the hardest part about being a mother now?

Mom: Definitely not being able to see my children every single day.

Mom and me (2 months old)

AJ: This isn't a very fair question, but if you could, would you go back to being a young mother with young children or stay where you are now with all of your grandchildren?
Mom: If I could go back, I would try to do things a little differently this time around. It's easier to see that now. But maybe if I went back, things wouldn't be the way they are now, and they are wonderful! I love being a grandma!


AJ: So what is it that you would have done differently?
Mom: First off, we wouldn't have had TV. Cable, that is. That could've kept the world out a little more. There was a lot of wasted time watching TV while you kids were growing up. Also, we would have started having regular scripture study when my oldest were very young. Those two things stand out in my mind.


AJ: How did you get through the hardest days?
Mom: Lots of prayers and sometimes getting out of the house for a while. Like taking a walk or a trip to the grocery store.


AJ: How has your testimony of Jesus Christ been strengthened by being a mother?
Mom: Through having babies and coming to the realization of the wonder of life and that this world was created for us by Him.


AJ: How did Dad support you in your role as a mother?
Mom: He was never afraid to change a diaper or tend to a crying baby. He did absolutely anything I needed him to do, without being asked. He completely shared the responsibility and was very understanding when I would get overwhelmed and need a break for a while.

Mom and baby AJ

AJ: Ok. What are your fondest memories of having a young family?
Mom: I remember lying in bed lazily on Saturday mornings with every one of my children {and Dad}, laughing and giggling. Those were special times when my children were all young enough that we could all fit on the same bed. And when we were all living under the same roof.


AJ: Do you have a favorite Mother's Day that you can remember?
Mom: I specifically remember my first official Mother's Day after I had my first baby. I felt really special, and I remember that Dad brought me flowers. But it was always special when you kids would bring something home for me that you made at church or school.


AJ: What was your favorite family vacation when we were all living at home?
Mom: Driving to Arizona to visit family and friends. You were only 18 months old! That was a big trip for us.


AJ: How did you attain greater patience while raising your children?
Mom: This has actually come more with being a grandparent. It is much easier to see now how demanding parents can be {we were at times} and that children are just not capable of things sometimes. It takes a while to learn that.


AJ: What did your children teach you?
Mom: How to show love and have more patience. They taught me that children will be children, but in a good way. And how to appreciate the little things they do, like picking a handful of dandelions for you on their way home from school. And that they love you unconditionally and that you have to return that.


AJ: What is the most rewarding part of being a mother?
Mom: Seeing my children be parents to their own children.

Moments after Jane was born

AJ: What have you learned about yourself in being a mother?

Mom: I thought I was a good person, but I quickly learned that I wasn't nearly as good of a person as I needed to be. Children teach you what your strengths and weaknesses are and who you need to be.

AJ: What is the best advice you have for young mothers like me?

Mom: Enjoy every day you have with your children. Don't ever think you can spoil them with attention. Childhood is such a short time.

AJ: Well, that's it. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, Mom.

Mom: You're welcome. Thanks for asking me!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

{Especially you, Mom!}

Prelude to Mother's Day - Part 2 - "Mothers Who Know"

For today's post, I invited my sisters to read another beautiful talk on mothers by Sister Julie B. Beck and share their thoughts. This time, it's "Mothers Who Know".


My oldest sister is the mother of four children - ages twelve, ten, seven, and five {almost}.

Her favorite part:

"Mothers who know do less . . . they allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children . . . these mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all." 

Her thoughts:


Sister Beck’s straightforwardness is encouraging to me.  She is all about simplifying and getting back to the basics. I think too many of us try to choose it all and do it all. It can become very overwhelming and unfulfilling. 


I love being a homemaker and being home with my children trying to be the CEO of my “organization”. I know that it is the single most important thing I will ever do and the older my children get the more I realize that sacred responsibility that rests upon me. I see the wickedness in the world and I have to explain things to my kids that are harsh realities. I want them to have what I have. I want them to be happy, and realize who they are and that their lives have purpose and meaning and that ultimately others matter most. 


There was a time, as a young mother, that I thought of myself and my own needs instead of the divine destiny of my children. I found housework mundane and routine. I was put out by fussy babies and the frustrations that lack of sleep and messy homes can bring. It wasn’t until I prayed for a change of heart and looked to the example of my own mother that I was able to have a spiritual change that has allowed me to view this time on earth as a truly blessed and beautiful reality. 


I know there is eternal influence and power in motherhood and I know that I am extremely lucky and blessed to have had the experience of conceiving, bearing, and raising children. For that I am grateful. So grateful.

*****

My other sister is the mother of three children - ages six, four and one month.


{Due to the arrival of this adorable one-month-old, they do not currently have an updated family picture.}


Her favorite part:

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness. To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes . . . [Nurturing] includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home . . . Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate . . . Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work . . ."

Her thoughts:


In a world that frowns upon having children, I embrace the opportunity to bear children. No other experience can compare to birthing and having your child. What a blessing it has been to have a body that is able to conceive and bear children! I am so unbelievably grateful for that!


I am also grateful that I am able to nuture and take care of the spiritual and physical needs of my children. In the words of one of my friends, "When I dress my children, I am clothing the naked.  When I feed my children, I am feeding the hungry. When I take care of my children, I am doing what the Savior asks me to do." I love to be able to do the dishes, laundry and all of the other menial tasks that make a home. I LOVE to do these things for my family.  I may complain . . . but I am sad when I am not able to serve them in that way.


I always think of myself as my children's first, and most important, teacher. In my house, we sing the words to a primary song a little differently than most people. If you heard my children sing it, you would hear, "Book of Mormon stories that my mommy tells to me." I purposely taught my children those words because I am the one that needs to teach them!


And at the end of the day when my children are asleep and I am thinking about what I need to do better and how I really feel about them, this is what I think:

"You are the trip I did not take
You are the pearls I cannot buy
You are my blue Italian Lake
You are my piece of foreign sky"

-Anne Campbell

A huge thanks to my sisters for doing this! I think now we can all understand a little better how to be a 'mother who knows'.