Revision

So, in my last post, I wrote this:

Siblings form a bond right at birth and little phases of bickering do not harm it. My kids LOVE each other SO much and I am grateful for that every day.

While this is STILL true, it doesn't mean I haven't gotten just a little annoyed with the whining/fighting that has been going on in my house for the last two hours. And it happens to be only 9:44 AM.
The problem begins with the ear-infection-fighting baby who was up for two hours in the night and got up at 6 am. The problem worsens with the brother who went to bed late and got up very early and just wants to go out and ride his bike (which we will do later.) The main source of the problem is the mom who went out to the movies with her friends last night and came home at 1:30 to a baby who woke up for the next couple hours. This mom's husband and sisters can attest to her severe grouch issues when there is a lack of sleep.
This alleged whining coming from the living room will most likely become worse in the coming years. I mean, I can't be naive about it. I grew up in the age before every teenage kid had a cell phone and Jeff and I had full-on WARS every night over using the phone. My mom probably wanted to pull her hair out... But she didn't.
I guess the hope is that your nerves become less sensitive as you hear it more and the kids get older. (And maybe you have more to threaten them with than skipping out on the park for the day.)
All of my babbling is just coming to the conclusion that I have to make a long-term goal.
I hope to be more patient and tolerant like I see in the examples of moms around me who have been doing this A LOT longer than four years. You know who you are, Mom, Tina, etc...
And a short-term goal: Get these kids OUT of the house to run around and get ready for a LOOOOOOONNNNGG nap! (:

Our new two-year-old!

I cannot believe she is already two. This girl has been such a blessing to us. I have so many things to say about her, but for now, I will post some pics from her fun birthday. (And by FUN, I mean FUN-NY, because this normally happy, easy-going girl acted like a classic two-year-old on this day.) We planned a family party with Ava's favorite foods: LOTS of fruit, homemade bread, and Mac & Cheese. It all went downhill when she saw us pick up the cake and did not let her shove it in her face right away. Mom mistake number one.



THEN, we let Mase help her blow out the candles because her tiny puff of air was unsuccessful:



THEN, she only wanted the first gift that she opened and we encouraged her (and her cousins) to open the rest:




(You can see she has dramatically thrown off her tiara and started a fit here...)

We saved it a little when she had some cake and she demonstrated some of her charming personality:



I just WISH I had a picture of the screaming, throwing herself down on the grass, relentless fit she gave during her gracious exit.

Good thing she is our second because we thought MOST of this was absolutely adorable. Here are five things Ava has taught me since I have been privileged to be her mother:

1. You should not leave the house without picking up your stuff. I don't know how many times I am standing at the front door, keys and purse in hand, with Ava slowly picking up some mess, "Have to Keen-UP, Mommy!"

2. Grudges cannot be held when her laughter fills the air. ANYTHING she does wrong can be forgiven by a little cute laugh or a gap-toothed smile.

3. Siblings form a bond right at birth and little phases of bickering do not harm it. My kids LOVE each other SO much and I am grateful for that every day.

4. Moms can relive their own childhood wishes when they have a little girl.

5. You CAN and WILL love your second just as much as you love the first. I wouldn't have thought that when I only had little Mase, but there is room in my heart for both of them (and more, if we are blessed with more).

E-Wings

I really wasn't planning on doing it this young. I mean, I never planned to make her wait until she was 18 to get them done, but I was going to wait until she asked for it. However, we made a last-minute decision to decorate her little ears. Here is the unsuspecting victim in shopping heaven at Claire's:




Here there is still zero suspicion, even when two strangers are pointing unknown objects at her earlobes... guess she feels secure with Daddy.



This is where I had to put the camera down for some necessary comforting. Once I had her under control with the lollipop in hand and the puppies in view, it was smooth sailing. She looked in the mirror at her ears and said happily, "I wook just wike YOU, mommy!"



The next morning I heard her talking to herself in her room and I peeked in. She was laying in her bed touching her earlobes and telling herself, "I have E-WINGS!" She's growing up so fast- stay tuned for a post on her Memorial Day birthday. I love my girl!

"Senior" Prom

What do you do with a TON of old ladies who desperately want to dance and about three old men who will tolerate dancing? You throw in the one person you know who LOVES to get his groove on and is always willing to help out with some cute seniors! Ro just happens to be my hero. This is the "Senior" Prom and he was the star of the show.




This one is 99 years old and did NOT get off of the dance floor!





She is a feisty one. (But very funny) She told me later that night, "I danced with your husband... And I made LOVE to him, too!"

My favorite Hide-n-Seek Discovery

Mommies

I spent all day Friday preparing food and making these:



And then all day Saturday hosting this:





And after such a fun but exhausting Mother's Day Tea Party & Brunch for the oldies, I wasn't thinking much about my own Mother's Day.
Ro had told me he was ordering me this new phone and I was happy:



So when he brought the kids in this morning at 9:30 am to a still-sleeping mom and brought these, I was surprised and excited! (Anything that makes me think about packing for our upcoming trip to Hawaii makes me giddy with anticipation...)




And they were all excited to give me these:



(A little explanation on this one... Ro told Ava to draw me a picture and she looked at him with a confused expression and quickly scrawled this question mark. Oh, and we call her Fuzzy sometimes because of her lack of hair. She'll even say that if you ask her what her name is.)

And then I went out to the kitchen and found these:



But the best part was yet to come! I knew I needed a necklace to go with my dress today for church so I was very thankful when Ava gave me this after nursery:



And the kids had made these in primary:


(Note the bow in Ava's profile and the spikes in Mason's)

Nothing like homemade gifts to make you feel like a REAL mom. This is the first year I have really felt like this and I am so proud and thankful to be their mother. So as I sat in the bathtub and read this later on:



I reflected on all of the many wonderful blessings that come with motherhood. I am so proud to be a mother. It may not be easy every second of every day, but what is? And WHAT can give you a greater reward and so much joy? Nothing brings me as much happiness or sense of accomplishment than my babies.

So I had a good Mother's Day. No, a great one. And it was not because of the plethora of gifts or wonderful food that was prepared for me, it was because I was able to further recognize the greatest gifts in my life.

Thanks for reading this long post (I am not known for my brevity) and thanks to the mothers in my life for helping me learn how to be a better one. Mom, you are the most positive person I know and ignore other people's flaws like they do not exist. I love you! Sandra, you are a wonderful mother in law and have raised the most perfect boy I have ever met!
Even as I write this post after midnight with a sleepy girl on my lap who doesn't want to be in her bed, I feel SO thankful. I hope to make every day feel a bit more like Mother's Day because we get little gifts from our kids every day that surpass any other gifts there are.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love (the now annual) GIRLS TRIP!

10- These girls make me laugh like nobody else! Sometimes until I pee my pants. (Luckily, that didn't happen TO ME this year...)

9- It's fun to plan a vacation when you don't have to worry about carseats and sippy cups.

8- We don't actually have to PLAN anything- hanging out is all that is necessary.

7- My mom loves to have us all together and announces the fact that we are her SIX daughters any chance she gets. (Until one stranger said, "I feel sorry for YOU!" and we errupted in laughter.)

6- I feel very close to these girls and can go to them for any advice. It makes me want Ava to have a sister so badly!

5- I can afford to stay in a beach house (in Oregon and California so far) because we get to split the bill seven ways!

4- It's fun to eat some RBC! (sorry, this is a personal one...)

3- Speaking of personal, there always ends up being some hilarious personal joke, that we get because we have a similar sense of humor. And it's funny over and over again.

2- With such a huge family, this is the ONLY way to truly catch up. We need this time without boys and kids to keep each other close.

1- This one gets me a little teary since the trip is over. I feel SO lucky to have a great mom and five built-in best friends! I mean, I have some really great friends, but the people I talk to EVERY DAY are my sisters. I love you guys from the bottom of my heart!