A couple weekends ago my childhood girlfriend came into town (
this friend). She asked what I've been up to, and what I do...and it got me thinking while there's a great deal of busy yet mundane-ness in our lives, there's also a host of sweet moments which I try to capture with my camera and it was high time I got those photos off my phone and camera and document them respectably.
That particular week my friend was in town seemed to encompass a little of everything that happens. I had been up all night with a sick baby, cleaned up puke 4 times in the wee hours of the morning. I totally forgot to send Valentines with Savannah to preschool {may I insert here what a gem that girl is. When she came home from preschool with a bag FULL of Valentines from other classmates it dawned on me I forgot to send hers to school. I kept apologizing profusely and Savannah sweetly responded, "It's okay, Mom. It's not a big deal. Really!" Her nonchalance about this made me want to cry.} I took children to piano lessons and music. I made lunches and changed diapers. I bought socks and toothpaste. The list is not interesting but sometimes I feel like it's worth noting. If nothing else to recognize that I did in fact do more than fold laundry and load the dishwasher.
I went through my snap-shots and picked out some moments on "regular-like" days. These were moments captured under ordinary circumstances but for some reason, the moment seemed especially worth savoring. While many of these photographs are of sub-par quality, I am glad to have the option to snap a photo with my phone because most of these moments would not be recorded if I didn't have the ease and convenience of reaching into my back pocket.
What else do I do on regular-like days?
Playdates. I've been trading with my friend Cissy in the neighborhood. She has a son Savvy's age and a daughter Ruby's age. I've enjoyed having them in the morning once a week. The children get along swimmingly.
I especially liked this shot because all the kids were in the same room playing together. It was just so sweet I wanted to remember it always.
Celia and Ruby. They will grow up to be good friends! For now they are somewhat indifferent to each other, {more like Ruby's personal bubble is extremely large for the time being} but as each playdate goes by, they show more and more interest in each other.
On another day, this time crafting.
Even Ruby got in on the coloring fun! Here she is, quite proud of herself.
Admire my little girls. One of my guilty pleasures is dressing my girls alike. Savvy loves it, too, so that makes it double the fun. I'm in my last year where they are in the same clothing section so I'm savoring this. This was taken after the girls woke up from her afternoon nap and were just hanging out together on the couch. They look nothing alike but they really are sisters!
Conjure up creativity for my children's behalf. I don't claim to have a fondness for crafting, nor do I craft on a regular basis. My children bring out the creativity in me (or at least the gumption to Google creative and crafty ideas). This was Valentine's Day morning. I cranked these Valentines out late the night before and Cade signed them and helped me glue gun the legos to the Valentine's which say "You are the coolest friend on the BLOCK!"
For the record, Cade came up with the cute little circles to dress up his signature all on his own. It was pretty adorable watching him adorn each letter with them.
Become an expert on historical figures. Cade had a project to do on the Great American, Neil Armstrong. We read a book together about him and then wrote a report. Cade dictated to me exactly what to type, including when to insert the commas and periods. We made a great team. This is him reading his report dressed up as a NASA engineer. If you need to know anything about Mr. Armstrong I am your girl. That week I was feeling like I knew him better than my own self!
Promote authorship. Cade had an assignment to write and publish his own book. He decided to write about inventing the famous "Triple Flavored Sandwich." We went to school when he read it to his class. He was pretty thrilled with the whole thing!
Pose for pictures to oblige my husband. Kyle got the biggest kick out of my shirt and how much it reminded him of his favorite throw pillows. As you can see I'm thrilled with the idea.
Plan funerals for pets. Regretfully we inform you that Dunkin the Fish died. It wasn't long after Christmas when he decided to move on to the next life. The children handled it rather well. We held a service in the bathroom for him before flushing him down the toilet.
Hang out at Barnes and Noble. I'm so sad Borders is gone. It's taken me a while to get used to our new bookstore hangout, but Barnes and Noble about as enjoyable a spot to browse through books. They have a fun spot in the children's book section to build with Duplos.
Read poetry. And this isn't just any poetry. This is Cade's own! I loved catching sight of this during a walk down the 2nd grade hall. This poem aptly describes my little Cade. He really is terrified of tornadoes and earthquakes truly do make him sad.
Visit the Urgent Care. This notable visit was on Kyle's birthday. Instead of celebrating as a family somewhere fun and delicious, we decided Cade should see a doctor to get his toe checked out. It was slightly infected and was bothering him a great deal. Savannah was so concerned and sweet about Cade. She asked to join us because she wanted to make sure he'd be okay. Cade was very anxious, fearing he had an ingrown toenail and would have to get a shot in his toe so the doctor could fix it. He was so relieved when the doctor suggested an antibiotic first to see how that would clear his infection.
Catch glimpses of local celebrities. I got an e-mail David Archuletta was going to be at the local Deseret Book store just a few minutes from our home. We were on our way out together as a family to run some errands so I had Kyle drop Sav and I off at Deseret Book so we could see him. The line to meet him was well out the door and down the side of the building so Sav and I just "browsed" the book section in the store where David was meeting people and got a few snapshots to prove we were there.
David's sitting down in the checkered shirt
Savvy is the brunette in the black shirt and denim dress grasping the bar catching a glimpse of him from behind. Exciting!
Basketball: Jimmer Fever! Ever since BYU's banner year thanks to Coach Rose, Jackson and Jimmer, not only am I following BYU basketball more, but so are the kids. Cade has gone so far as to say, "Mom, I'm not trying to be rude, but could I get a blue back pack?" It turns out he is concerned people will mistake him for a Ute fan because his current back pack is red. It took a lot to stifle my giggles during this conversation.
The Marriott Center held an awesome game called Jimmer's All Stars this past fall. A bunch of great ball players including, of course, Jimmer himself were recruited to play in this game. It was a blast to watch and definitely a fun family activity. This sort of thing doesn't happen regularly-- it was definitely a special occasion. This photo was taken when Jimmer's brother was rapping during half time (you didn't know his brother was a rapper? Well now you do!). Probably our least favorite part of the evening. The game was great, though.
Clean up messes: Some are bigger than others. I think if I ever went back into the work place, cleaning is where I feel I have the most experience and would feel the most at home. Not trying to be funny-- totally serious.
Run into people from my past. Of all people and places I ran into my 7th Grade Science teacher Mrs. Hall in the LAX airport. She hasn't changed a bit. It was truly a delight to visit with her for a bit and catch up on, oh, the last 15 years or so.
Appreciate feats of sacrifice. On one of my long runs down the trail, I spotted this BYU ROTC crew. I was so inspired by this view I had to snap a photo. Turns out they had to go 20 total miles like this. Huge props to the girl in this crew and to all who have accomplished this amazing feat of running 20 miles with a pack in combat boots. My ten mile run that day no longer seemed very awesome. I quickly admitted that what I was doing was very mediocre.
Celebrate birthdays with my sisters and momma. I love living close to my family so doing this is possible. Rebecca picked the awesome activity of getting pedis before eating dinner. This was her first pedicure post surgery. I know none of us have model feet, but she and I are OH SO PROUD of our post-bunion feet.
Admire stunning views. Thanks to a very mild winter I have enjoyed amazing weather on every single one of my long Saturday runs for the last several weeks. Each time I run down this trail I am speechless at the beauty I get to enjoy.
Party plan. Who would have thought the "event planning" section of my PR major would later assist me in my future room mother-like responsibilities? I've enjoyed being in Cade's classroom on all the holidays and Savvy really loves being able to come and pretend she's a 2nd grader for an hour. The students treat her extra special and take great care to make sure she feels included.
Jump the van. The battery in the van always seems to die on me when Kyle is out of town thanks to a door left open open or light left on. Fortunately he left his truck at home during this particular dead battery moment so I was able to get out of my own mess without calling on my neighbors yet again.
More playdates! This one was with our neighborhood friends Goos. After lunch the kids wanted to gather on the kitchen the floor to eat their popsicles while they listened to Gaby tell about the Mr. Bean movie. Adorableness.
And there you have a slice of our life.
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