Our kids are capable of SO much.

I posted this on my Instagram account, but wanted to have it here as well.

"He hasn't been in any lakes this year.  He sits on the edge of the boat with his toes in the water and says "I'm getting used to it".  Then on the way home he'll say "I'll be brave next time and get in".  

He gets nervous at the lake.  Maybe it's the dark depths of black water, the waves, the potential of being run over by a boat, or the fish (sick).  But yesterday he decided it was time to get in.  So he climbed on the EZ ski.

As we let out the rope, I could see his face start to crumble.  And the tears well in his eyes.  And the immediate regret.  He looked up at me.  My instinct was to pull him back in.  But instead, the boat of siblings and cousins (and mom) erupted in screams and cheers.  "Yea Carter!  You can do it!"

We started to pull him behind the boat.  He looked down.   Still fighting the fear.  And then, he let go.  Literally and figuratively.  And the wind blew his hair and a small smile crept across his face.  And we continued to cheer.

When he climbed back onto the boat, he looked at me and said "I'm so proud of myself for doing that."

Our kids are capable of SO much.  We just have to be willing to let them fight through the fear.

Embracing change

I wanted to get my girls haircut before spending a week in Lake Powell, hoping to avoid brushing out tangles that seem to form just by looking in their general direction.

On the way there, Mya announced "I want to cut my hair short".

Usually my response to any sort of change, especially "big" change, is "are you sure?" or even more accurate "nope".  

But I'm making a conscious effort to embrace change.  And to teach my kids to not fear change.  And instead ask questions like "why not?" and give answers like "sure, let's give it a try".

And Mya is often my greatest example in this.  She's open minded.  She's not controlling.  She loves life and ALL it has to offer.  And she's almost always willing to try something new.  In almost any circumstance.

So short it went.  And it seems to fit her personality.  And will hopefully be far more manageable in the morning after she does who knows what in the night that makes her hair tie itself in knots.

Grateful for a 7 year old who already knows (and hopefully never forgets) that change is good.  It's usually where adventure waits for us.

Housework makes you ugly.

I saw this on Becky Higgins (the creator of Project Life) Instagram feed:

So I'm wondering if that means I need to take this down?

It's on my wall right when people walk through the front door.  Just so they understand why my house is a bomb most of the time.  And it makes people smile.

Truly, though, this made me reconsider how I approach housework (and cooking dinner, and putting kids to bed, and getting kids to do homework, etc.).  My attitude and disposition will teach my kids SO much more than the actual chores (or whatever it is we're doing) will.

My attitude, about everything, "will have a deep and lasting impact" on my children's attitude, about everything.

I'm still not taking down my sign though.

Summer Bucket List 2014

Each summer we sit down as a family and plan out what we'd like to do for the summer.  My kids contribute and then Mike and I fill in.  

I try to balance summer between work and play.  It's nice to have a little extra time to teach them new chores and have them help a little more around the house.  Last week Jaida said "summer just means we have to do more chores."  And I added "it also means we get to have a lot more fun".  But yes, I do expect them to help more around the house.  It's good for them.

We also try to use summer as a time to challenge them a little.  Get them to do more things that scare them (stuff behind the boat) or they think are too hard (hiking).  Say Yes to adventure!  And spend as much time as possible together as a family.  

I print off the summer bucket list and hang it up where we can all see it.  My kids keep me accountable to make sure we do the things on our list.  There are usually a few stragglers on the list we never get to (like food fight--they keep adding this every year and we've never done it).  But we do our best to fit in what we can.

Here's this years list if anyone needs some ideas.

If you need a little extra motivation, you can join the Summer Bucket List challenge that my friend does and win prizes for completing your list.

We're mom's. We save lives.

Sometimes when people ask me what I do, I like to say "I save lives".  Because truthfully, I do.  All day long.  I'm a mom.   And I think toddlers spend 80% of their day doing things that could kill them.  And we save them. 

And then those toddlers grow up and they continue to do things that could kill them, either physically or emotionally.  And we save them.

This video is worth your time.



The girls say their mom did someting unimaginable.  But she actually didn't.  Because I know EVERY SINGLE MOM out there would do just what that mom did and jump in front of the car.  Because her babies were inside.  And we love them more than we love our own life.  Notice I didn't say we love them more than we love ourselves.  I hope we love ourselves just as much as we love our kids.  But we'd definitely be willing to sacrifice our lives for theirs.

So please, please, please, Mom's, don't spend your days feeling guilty or sad.  Celebrate.  Celebrate the love you have for those kids.  And the lessons they have taught you that you probably couldn't learn any other way.

These girls said their mom continues to save their lives every.single.day. 

We save lives.  And you love your kids.  And those kids need YOU.  And THAT makes you a remarkable woman and mother.

It never gets old.

Sometimes if we're having a particularly grumpy day, we have the Monday blues, or we just need a good laugh, we play around on the Photo Booth on my computer.  

I die laughing every time.  
It never gets old.

Best advice I've ever heard about parenting

Today was one of those mom days.  I was tired.  And frustrated.  And discouraged.  And even the sound of a kid talking to me made my ears want to explode.  Yes, I typed that out loud.

I just wasn't up for the whole mom gig today.  

Then while sitting in the splash zone of my 2 year olds bath, I found myself reading one of two blogs I follow and I was irritated (which has never happened before with that blog) and even more discouraged.  Because she had the perfect pictures and the perfect experiences and the perfect words to describe her life.

And it made me think of how hyper-aware we are, with this Internet/technology connected world, of what all the other parents are doing.  And the adventures they take.  And the perfect days they have.  And the messes they let their kids make.  And the cruises they go on.  And the games they all play together.  And the huge trophy their ridiculously talented child just won.  And the schedule they keep.  And the meals they prepare.  And the dream jobs they have.

But after I tucked my kids into bed, rocked my baby to sleep (and hid in his room for a few minutes), assured my 9 year old her pinkie would indeed not fall off in the night from severe pain, and my 7 year old would not starve before breakfast, I sat for a second and thought how lucky my kids are.  And how lucky I am to be their mom.

They are loved.  They are told they are loved.  They are shown they are loved.

They are fed.  They are adored.  They have a warm place to sleep, clothes to wear, food to eat.  Parents that think about their needs and futures all day long.  Extended family that loves them.  Books to read.  Schools to go to.  Great teachers and leaders who love them.  Tons and tons of friends.   And on and on and on.  

And then I thought about the best thing I've ever heard (in multiple places) about being a parent.  And something I think about nearly every single day.  Multiple times.  

God was intentional about where he placed his children and who their parents would be.  And He gave me MY kids.  For. A. Reason.

So when a neighbor, relative, friend, teacher, parent, stranger tells me my 3 year old shouldn't have a binkie, I should let my kids "cry it out" to teach themselves to sleep, my kids have anxiety because I don't leave them enough, I spend too much time exercising, I shouldn't let her eat ice cream, I'm too patient, I should never let a child sleep in my bed, I can't believe you let them...., you should be engaged with your child every.single.minute, you shouldn't feed them that kind of food, you hold your babies too much, I think to myself:

"That's why they're mine and not yours."

And occasionally I actually say it out loud to people who think they need to correct my parenting.

Because it's true.

My kids are mine.  And they need what I have to give.  The real me.  Not the imitation me.  Not the me trying to be like other moms.  But the me who can give them what I can give them.  And do what I can do.  And love them the way no other mom can.  Because I am their mom.  

So momma's everywhere.  May we all try a little harder to encourage one another more instead of discourage.  And build each other up instead of tear each other down.  And recognize we can give our kids something no other mom can.  And may we all try a little harder to step up and be the kind of mom WE want to be and know we can be.  Not the kind of mom others tell us to be.  

And may we always remember we all love our kids.  And we're all doing the best we can with what we have.  And doing what we think is best for OUR children.  And what I do may not work for you.  And what you do may not work for me.  And THAT'S OKAY!!!

Instead of comparing and despairing (I totally just made that up), let us celebrate each other's success's.  And remember to celebrate our OWN.  

You.  You, momma, are doing a good job.  (I'm shouting that at you)  Just keep showing up.   Your kids are yours for a reason.  Please don't ever, ever forget that.  

And as my friend, Glennon, would say "Carry on, warrior" momma's, carry on.

Enthusiastic about Life

A man I had just met for the first time told me I was "enthusiastic about life".

He was right.  I am, most of the time.

And thankfully, Mya seems to have inherited my enthusiasm for life and put it on steroids.  This girl LOVES life.  She smiles as though her face may burst.  She takes her sweet time in everything she does (which can sometimes be maddening, but usually reminds me to slow the heck down). 

She does her own thing and doesn't need other people to validate her.  She takes things as they come.  Care-free.  Kind.  Full of laughter.

She tells stories better than anyone I know.

And she makes the best faces.

Man, I love her.  My "enthusiastic about life" buddy!

Picture Display Movement. Step 1. Take pictures!!

I was talking to a friend the other day and she said she had misplaced her SD card with an entire years worth of photos on it.  I skipped right over the part about her saying she lost the card and couldn't wrap my head around the fact she had an entire years worth of photos on one card.  I can fill up a 4GB card in about 20 minutes taking pictures of my kids.

And after seeing how often my sister and a few other relatives who will remain nameless take pictures, and by often I mean never, I realized maybe this is an issue for a lot of people.

So I decided Step 1 for most people would have to be TAKE MORE PICTURES!!! This applies to me as well.  And probably a lot of other professional photographers I know.  Because we're so busy taking other people's pictures, we sometimes forget (or choose not to) pick up the camera and take pictures of our own people.

The actual process of taking a picture costs me nothing.  Monetarily speaking.  So why not take more?

Even if they aren't always (or ever) "great quality" photos.  The few pictures I have of my childhood won't ever make it into a magazine, but I'm so grateful I have them :)

And the benefits of photographs in our lives is so great, I should be taking as many as I can!

When I pick up my camera and take a picture of something, intentionally or unintentionally I send a message.  A message that whatever I am taking a picture of is important to me.  Because taking a picture of something signifies I want to remember it, whatever "it" is.  A person, a moment, a feeling.

So without saying anything, when I stop what I'm doing and take a picture of something, I show that moment/person/thing/feeling/event was worth stopping for, was worth my time, and was worth documenting.

Photographs tell the story of who I love.  What relationships I cherish.  Moments that make me laugh.  And moments that make me want to cry.  What daily life events I find value in.

If I don't have those photographs, what story do I have to tell?  And what message do I unintentionally send when I choose not to photograph anything (or many things?)

I'm not saying I need to spend my life and every waking moment taking pictures.  But I definitely think I should be intentional about the photographs I DO take and to make it a priority to document our stories.

So.  Step 1.  Take a lot of pictures.  :)


Click here for Step 2.

Family friendly hiking.

In an effort to continually expose our kids to new things, especially in nature, and keep them (and us) active, we hiked to the Fifth water hot springs in Diamond Fork Canyon in Utah.

It is a MUST do for a hiking adventure.

Annnd because I had to heft a human child on my back, the big girl camera was left at home and these are all iphone pics courtesy of myself and my husband Mike.

It was more of a walk than a hike.  Our girls, who were 8 and 6, easily made it with minimal complaining.  Our 3 year old probably could have done it as well, but we didn't want to go that slow.
So we packed him and our 1 year old in on our backs.  I think it was a little over 2 miles each way.

We brought swimsuits and a change of clothes, as well as lunch to eat by the springs.

On the internet it said a lot of things about naked people being there.  Mercifully, we didn't see any.

The hike up was beautiful.  Kind of reminded me of hiking in Hawaii.  Seriously.  Super green.  Trees branching over the paths.  Little stream running by.

As you get closer you can start to smell the springs.  And the water in the river starts to get warmer.  Our kids thought that was pretty awesome.

When we got to the top, we ate lunch, then played around in the different pools.

Definitely worth a visit.  We'll be going back.  When the kids get a little older, I want to do it in the winter.