Being a Mom

Sometimes it really gets me and truly sinks in that I'm a mom.  Most of the time, I feel like I just go through the motions, but then every once in a while something will just touch me in way that reminds me I have kids... and they watch me.  A couple of nights ago, I had one of those moments.  Kayla was watching me put on my mascara, and although to me it was just a quick coat of mascara, to her it was amazing.  I was beautiful.  I remember thinking that about my Mom when I was a kid.  No one was prettier that my Mama.  Since I don't really wear all that much make-up, sometimes none at all, I never really look at myself as beautiful.  Really just pretty boring.  But to my daughter, all of my boring plainness is beautiful.  I forget how innocently kids look at things.  Nothing has gotten to them, and they aren't nearly as tainted as us.  What they watch on tv and view in magazines is monitored.  I see beautiful women all over the media and magazines, and although I know it's not "real", it must get to me more than I know, because to me I can always be better.  I look in the mirror and give a shrug and a sigh to my one or two coats of mascara, and my boobs that will never be perky enough, and my tummy that will always hang, at best just a little bit from carrying 4 children.  But my daughter doesn't give a shrug and a sigh.  She tells me I'm beautiful, and without hesitation asks if she can put on her make-up... just like me.  I gladly said yes. And when she only put on her transluscent pink sparkly powder/eyeshadow, I told her that she looked beautiful.  And we took pictures of how awesome we looked.... in all of our beautiful plainness.

My Little Saint

All Saints Day is coming up, and Jaxton's Sunday school project this week was to go to Church dressed up like the Saint that he picked to do research on.  He picked St. Francis of Assisi, which just happens to be his Grandma Marilou's favorite saint.  Needless to say, she had fun skyping Jaxton in order to tell him about St. Francis.  She also sent him a St. Francis prayer card that she got from Italy, and he was so happy to bring it to Sunday school with his posterboard of information.  I had fun dressing him up, and he looked so darn cute.  Also, I just have to share a little tidbit of interesting information on St. Francis of Assisi that I just learned... he was the first to set up a Nativity Scene.  It's such a Christmas tradition and I had no idea that St. Francis was the first to do it.... interesting.

Man, I love this kid

I just had to take pictures.  Owen was so cute looking through the slats of his crib.

Guess What's Missing???

Yup, that's right... Jaxton lost his first tooth!!!! He was such a brave boy when he pulled it out.  I saw "the fear of the unknown" written all over his face.  Is it going to hurt really bad? Is it going to bleed a lot?? Am I going to be ok without my tooth????
He took the plunge anyway, and with all his courage gave it that last good crack so that it would pop out.  He was super amazed, and had my camera been charged, I could've gotten his awesome reaction.  It was priceless! 
I had tons of fun being the toothfairy, by the way.  A handwritten letter with glitter sprinkled all over it and a gold dollar coin lay waiting for him to find under his pillow.  He couldn't have been more excited when he found it.  And he brought it to school for everyone to see!  Cute boy... I love him.

Loving the Fall

I love, love, love the fall!  The colors are gorgeous, and as much of a pain as it is to rake sometimes, I love when the leaves fall.  It provides such good, down-to-earth entertainment for my kids.  And me too, I guess.   I have so much fun watching them giggle their little hearts out when they play in them.  Last year they just threw them up and thought it was amazing. This year they really played in them.  They jump in them, and bury each other in them, and put them in a huge pile ate the end of the slide so they can land in them.  I love it.

 

 

I LOVE HOW JENNA'S HEAD JUST BARELY PEEKS OVER THE LEAVES

 

 

IT'S DEFINITELY NOT COMPLETE FUN UNLESS DADDY GETS IN THERE TO WRESTLE WITH THEM

BURYING JAXTON

LEAVE IT TO JENNA TO STOP AND BLOW ON HER FAVORITE WEED FLOWER

 

 

 

BURYING KAYLA

NOTHING LIKE THROWING THE LEAVES TO SEE HOW HIGH THEY GO

A couple of firsts...

Owen got to meet his Grandma Diana and Grandpa Neal for the first time on Monday.  He LOVED them... LOVED them.  It was too cute.  He is very shy when he meets new people.  He really likes the attention, but he looks down and won't make eye contact.  It's the cutest thing.  It didn't take long before he was in Grandma and Grandpa's arms.  And that was that... he was hooked.

Owen and Jenna also got to experience a pumpkin patch for the first time.  Owen wasn't too sure.  I think I was more excited about it than he was.  Jenna, on the other hand, loved it!  That girl had so much fun!  I could have stayed for hours and just taken pictures of her.  Kayla thought it was super amazing, too, and Jaxton had fun flexing his muscles for us.  He got in over his head on some super giant pumpkins that he tried to pick up.  I swear he was going to pop some veins...  Yeesh!

Helmets and Flowers

I'm loving that Kayla does everything in her helmet.  She is also loving flowers these days. So I thought it was especially cute when she was so involved in picking flowers in her helmet.  The girl couldn't have been any happier in that moment.  I just sat there watching her and I couldn't help but laugh because the sunglasses just topped it off.  She was so cute.

 

 

And then Jenna got in there, which was also cute.

 

 

And speaking of  helmets, Jaxton has learned to ride his bike and he is getting soooo good on it!  We haven't had a major fall yet... knock on wood, but he has had "almost falls" and has been so brave about them.  Oh, my kids are getting so big.



Look at his face.  I love how hard he is concentrating... go Jaxton!