Keeping it Real

Today the boys & I spotted a coyote! They were very excited & wanted to call someone to share this very exciting news! After not reaching their dad, they thought Papa would appreciate knowing they had seen a coyote, and got a big surprise when It was Uncle Matt on the other end. This is what I love about Matt... He keeps it real. Between my boys & my brother there is a lot of honesty going on. 

Brody: "Uncle Matt, you are Cookie Monster. You talk funny." 

Matt: (when he sees me) "You got a big zit! Are you okay, Darcy? You look tired. You know what, don't have any more kids. It's too much. (A little late now) Listen. I give you advise. You take a nap today, okay." 

There it is. Just good old fashioned truth. I do have a huge zit, am super tired & just came from workout group. Probably should have listened to his advise about not adding to the chaos, but I'm 14 weeks pregnant... Even Matt knows that's craziness. And, oh how I wish a nap was in my near future. So, if you need a little humility, I can give you Matt's number. He always has lots of good advise... He accepts cheeseburgers for payment! 

I'm a Mother! And, I love it!

Warning: brag post ahead! 

This Mother's Day weekend was pretty perfect. It started out with my parents coming into town (after having my brother stay with us for the week).  Friday night, the boys headed off to the annual Father Son's camp out (minus Wyatt)... even my dad & Matt went, which was impressive considering my dad's idea of camping usually involved a travel van with a TV and bed in the back! I must admit, this weekend is a highlight for me!  One advantage of having all sons! While the boys camped, ran around with their headlamps, swam & played at the beach, my mom, Wyatt, and I went to Cafe Rio and then shopping!  I had wanted to update my key shelf, and we found cute knobs & then fabric to make maxi skirts... which are two things that I have been longing to accomplish forever! The next day, we worked on the shelf and then more shopping (where I picked out a few Mother's Day gifts for myself)! The boys returned exhausted, and the little boys were just so excited.  It was so fun to see how much they LOVED it.  They are lucky to have such a great dad.  My mom kept asking me questions about what they would be doing on their trip, and I just kept saying, "I don't know.  All I know is that they will be gone."  Shawn is so amazing at just taking care of thing (although, he did not take ONE picture... and they left in such a rush that I didn't get one before they headed out!)

My parents left Saturday night, and the next morning the boys started Mother's Day off with breakfast in bed... French Toast with whip cream and strawberries.  The best part of this for me is not the food (although it was amazing), but the look on my boys' faces when they bring breakfast to me. They are just beaming. These are the moments as a mom that I want to just bottle up and keep for later. 

The boys then sent me on a scavenger hunt to find my gifts.  Having previously purchased some gifts for myself & helped the boys wrap them for me (which Ory noted that it wasn't very fun that I already knew what I was getting... maybe I'll just let them surprise me next year?!)... I figured that I was just going to find those gifts.  Orin & Brody gave me clues like, it rhymes with play, meaning it's in the playroom. Umm, okay.  But after finding the shoes and dress, there was still more! See's candy with my favs, chocolate almond & California Brittle, and a bike! I'm always talking about wanting to get bikes for the family, so this was very thoughtful!  After the presents, it was a whirlwind to get ready for church.  The boys went up to sing with all the other primary kids, which is always so cute & often funny... especially when one of your kiddos is picking his nose.  I taught the primary children about prophets and their mothers, and then got a break from teaching and sat in the women's class... which is where I consumed most of my Dove chocolate that was passed out to the mothers.

 

 

After church, we had a simple lunch and then I let Shawn take a nap first since he hadn't recovered from the sleepless camp trip.  The older boys played left-right-center with me and then I was able to talk to my brother via Facetime!! The timing was perfect and it was really fun to see him. 

Shawn tagged me for a nap. Yay. Some hours later, I awoke to an amazing smell!! Tri-tip, mashed potatoes, salad, Texas toast. YUM! We ate, and then went for a family walk.  The night even finished off with watching one of my favorite shows, Once Upon a Time.  

So there it is.  An incredibly detailed description of a pretty perfect day.  

As a mother, not everyday is perfect, but the love I have for my boys is... and that's enough.

Best Kept Secret

My brother Matt is here visiting us while my parents are in Hawaii! Yay! Not only is he hilarious & thoughtful, but he has told me he's here to help me. So far today, he's swept twice, cleaned the backyard, playroom, cleaned & vacuumed the boys' room, brought me glasses of water & watched Brody while I took a TWO hour nap! (I was soo exhausted from Wyatt waking me up at 4:30 in the am & then driving 9 hours yesterday! Matt was so cute, he stayed up talking to me.  We talked about favorite movies, favorite foods, Matt's on and off girlfriend, Bridget. It was very sweet of him!) Even Wyatt got to sleep extra long, because Matt was here to stay with him! Ten days are not long enough... I think Matt is my parents' best kept secret!

Just a normal day

I took this picture today because...

 1. We had just picked Orin up from school & today was his first day back after spring break, so we were all excited to see him! He was missed today! I love getting to hear about his day at school.  Not that I usually get much more than him telling me it was good, but still one of the highlights of my day. He got this class picture today and was naming off all the kids in his class.  Memories flash of the classes of my past.  Names & faces of former students whose lives I was a part of.  As I look in my rear view mirror, I am reminding that the faces I see are my own little students & I am still a teacher (the pay is just a bit different)! 

2. Looking at Brody, I just can't help but smile & laugh! He's wearing my coat & a headlamp! He is always wearing some sort of costume piece (a few hours earlier he had on a baby bib he had found). Hard to ever get too down, when you have these little personalities there to remind you that life is good. I had seen one of those videos lately on Facebook about a mom reminiscing about how fast time goes by & how her kids are grown.  She mentioned reaching out for their hands to cross the street... Until one day there was nothing but air.  With as fast as time seems to be speeding along, I need to take their hands (usually dirty & sticky), kiss their little cheeks (even though they wipe away my kisses), stop to listen to what they have to say even when it's the same question that's being asked over & over, and snuggle them in their beds... Because I know that is something that they will definitely out grow!  Sometimes I need reminders to stop and enjoy the everyday.

3. Wyatt is hugging (and flipping) his baby around.  A few months ago, he discovered this baby in the playroom (which someone left at our house years ago).  He loves to carry it around. Sometimes he wants to change it's diaper, sometimes give it spanks, or put it to bed.  He's such a rough & tough little boy that it's pretty cute to see his soft hearted side.  I has been reading the LDS parenting manual (my mom found a copy & had been telling me how good it was) & it was a good reminder to me that these three little boys that I have stewardship over are someday going to be husbands & fathers, providers for their families, and it's my job to help teach them (luckily I have a dang good partner for this task- who is an excellent example).  So as Wyatt holds that baby, I think, one day... in the very distant future, he'll be holding his own baby... What do I need to teach him before that day?

These are my thoughts on this normal day.