Mother's Day Gift

So, they don't even know it was a gift, and I think that's what makes it so special to me.

My boys all got back this afternoon from the Father's and Son's camp out. They had a nice time, playing, visiting, and a little fishing. Once the car was unloaded, it was time for yard work. It was so wonderful for me to look out the window and see them all working together. Ken was trimming the edge of the lawn, Shallon was mowing, and Draven was picking up oranges. It was awesome to see my men together taking care of our yard!

Thanks you guys! Love you much -

If My Mother Were A....by Shallon

If my mother were a flower, she would be a snapdragon, because
She is fun to play with.
If my mother were a color, she would be a pink, because
She is bright and beautiful.
If my mother were a precious jewel, she would be a turquoise stone, because
Like turquoise, she is my favorite.
If my mother were a kind of food, she would be broccoli, because
She is so very healthy.
If my mother were a car, she would be a VW Beetle, because
She is so creative and fun.
If my mother were an animal, she would be a rainbow trout, because
She is an amazing swimmer.
If my mother were a candy, she would be a jaw breaker, because
Her fun lasts forever.
If my mother were a sport, she would be a volley ball, because
She can put happiness in any direction.

I’m just glad that my mother is a mother and she is mine!

My sweet son wrote this for me and I thought it was a special piece to share...

Sweet Treats

Shallon's 4th grade class put on the neatest program yesterday for all their moms. All the kids dressed up in their best clothes and put on a program with skits, singing and even some dancing!

Shallon made me a hot pad (which he said was to replace the one he set on fire on Sunday night -oops!),a book about me, a book of poems and thoughts about me, and a book of coupons. He's such a sweet boy - I think the nicest coupon is for 20 uninterrupted naps - I just have to tell him before I lay down (his words).

The kids told us about the origination of Mother's Day and then each student brought their mom a carnation. Shallon gave me a purple one since that's my favorite color.

They put a ton of time into this program. A few weeks ago, Shallon's homework was three pages of questions for me, my likes and dislikes; stories from my childhood; what I would wish for...it was really fun to talk about that with my son and see him get so excited to learn about me.

Our treat after the program was a root beer float in a Coca-Cola glass (really fun) and all the kids served their mom's. Definitely a special time with my oldest child!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my special man's birthday!

He is the best dad and such a wonderful husband

- we love him and wish him the best birthday ever!!!

all our love, ESDE

Swim Lessons

Today we (meaning the wimpy ones in our home) got in the pool for the first time this year. Ken and the boys have already been swimming a few different times, but I prefer to wait to get in the water until the water's in the 90's.

This afternoon I was so hot I couldn't stand myself. So my sweet husband suggested I go cool off in the pool. Emma and I got ready and headed out. The water was cool (and by cool, I mean it takes your breath away!) but we were out and I was still hot.

I got in and stood on the step and let Emma stick her feet in the water to get used to it. I was pretty impressed with my method to get Emma comfortable in the water. I let her set the pace. I'd put her feet in and then when she was ready, I let her sit a little. By the time we were done, about an hour or so later, she was chillin' in her pool floaty and just loving it!

I told Ken that once the water warms up some more, we'll get her used to having her face in the water too - but again, I'm going to let her set the pace. I'm excited that it looks like she's going to be a little water-baby!

Rain Forest

Third grade at our elementary school does a section on the rain forest. It's pretty cool seeing how much the kids learn and they love coming home and stumping us on things like the understory and the Harpy Eagle (I'm not sure if either one of those is right...).

The culmination of this project is a play that the kids put on for the parents. Lots of songs, some dancing, a few kids have speaking parts and each child gets to make a sock puppet. Draven had decided that he wanted to make an Aye-Aye. This animal is a member of the Lemur family and as Draven says 'has really weird feet'.

Last night, in addition to completing regular homework and having a little league game, we also created an Aye-Aye. Here's a picture of a real aye-aye and our finished masterpiece.

Take me out to the ball game

Little league is supposed to be one of those things that shapes character, teaches kids how to be part of a team, how to follow directions and maybe even how to perform under pressure. I also think it's designed to teach mothers more patience.

We have games twice a week, and this week we added in an extra practice. Don't forget that we still have homework, scouts and piano lessons. All of that makes for a busy week and tired boys. Before we were even getting uniforms on, Draven asked to stay home - NOT a good sign...

We made it to the game and we were making it through the game (both really good things considering everything else). All the boys on our team were having a tough time and the other team was really good and EXTREMELY competitive (as a little side note - I am SOOOO thankful that the boys haven't had a coach like that. I am glad my boys get to learn how to be on a team and not get jerky when things aren't going the way they want). Draven is one of the smallest and most inexperienced players on the team so he spends a lot of time in the outfield. There's not really a ton of action in right field and so Draven finds ways to entertain himself...

Notice the kid sitting down in the back of the picture? That's my little guy - I can't really blame him though, it's boring sometimes. So, he was sitting in the outfield when a boy from the other team just nailed it and it came sailing directly into - you guessed it - right field, where Draven was on his butt! Parents in the bleachers were saying "the right fielder was sitting?!?!" and I wanted to say "well of course he was - nothing was happening!" Instead, I just bit my lip and watched as my son got up and started running after the ball. He retrieved the ball from the fence line and then threw it to first. This whole time remember that the batter is running the bases, rounding them and heading for home to score. The first baseman throws it to home and got it there seconds before the runner, the catcher tags the runner and he's out! It was miraculous! It was beautiful! I was SO proud.

After the game we did talk about following the game that you're playing, standing up when you're playing a position and maybe most importantly, doing what the coach says (like standing up!) when he tells you to do something.

We only have a few weeks left and I'm sure we'll make it!