Summer Vacation

Lately I am so excited that it is summer. Summer is by far my favorite season. I love it. I love the heat, I love the sun, I love the plants and flowers, I love barbecuing, I love it all.

This summer we consider ourselves very lucky... we get to go on a vacation! YAY! At the beginning of August we are going to Brad's family reunion and then after we are going to Disneyland for Dev's birthday! I can't wait to see my little boy get to experience "the happiest place on Earth." We will see if he feels that way. I am also excited to see how Reesie will react. She will be just one month shy of one year old.

We are making sure to stay in a hotel across the street from the park so that I can take Reesie back to nap if needed. Does any one have any other suggestions or musts for us?

WHAT?!

Veronica Mars has been canceled?! What is this world coming to?!
It is a sad, sad day.

5 Years

5 years. This is all we have with our kids. The rest of their lives, past their 5th birthday we have to share them with the world. 5 short years. Devin is turning 4 in August. What have I done with the last 4 years, and will it be enough to send him out into the world? Will he be prepared to make righteous choices? Was it enough to ground him in the gospel? Was it enough to help him choose righteous friends? Was it enough to give him the confidence he needs to make it? Does he know how much his mom and dad love him and how badly we want him to succeed? I only have one more year to instill all these things into my baby, and then he will be in kindergarten and the world will get to spend more time with him than me. I so wish that I could go back. Back to when he was a baby. I want to appreciate it all over again. I want to do so many things differently. I want to be a better teacher, a better mother. I want to have been more patient. I want to have enjoyed the trying times more fully. I want a second chance. Now that I am so close to losing my alone time with my baby I am scared. 5 years is not nearly enough time. I am not ready to share him yet. I am not ready for him to leave his little bubble. I realize I have one more year with my baby all to myself. I am bound and determined to do a better job in this one year than I did in the last 4, but will it be enough?

5 years. What are you doing with your 5 short years?

Dating Again

I am dating again. Hand holding, kiss on the cheek, take me to dinner (or lunch) and a movie kind of dating. But, it's not as traditional as it sounds--my date wasn't with Brad. It was with someone else. Brad and I are happily married still and aren't into that open relationship kind of stuff--but we are dating another person. For awhile now Brad and Dev have been going out together and doing some great stuff. I decided now that Reesie is older and can handle being away from me for longer periods of time, I want to go out and do fun stuff with Dev too. I want to spend some quality time with just him, where I don't have to tell him no, I can't do something for/with him because I have to do ________ for/with Reese first. So today we went on a date. He was so excited to go with just mommy. He kept asking if Reese was coming and when I said no, he smiled so big. That may sound like it is a rude thing, to not want her to come, but I don't see it that way at all. Dev has been sharing his little world now for 8.5 months. Not once has he ever complained, or said something mean, bad, or resentful about his sister. He just loves her. He is the best big brother. He makes sure she is always take care of. I know he gets frustrated that he isn't always first anymore, but he has never said anything bad or acted negatively because of it. I was happy to see him happy that we would have alone time together. I have been wanting to do something with just him for a long time. I get concerned about him and his feelings and want him to feel valued and loved. So anyway, our date: We went to Shrek 3. He was so cute. He sat right by me and told me I was his date, but that I didn't have a date because "Brad stayed at home." Yes, he called Brad by his first name. It was really funny. He even held my hand. We had a really great time and I loved being able to connect with my 3 year old with no distractions again. I think we are going to make this a weekly thing. We both need it. It feels good to be dating.

SPIDEY UPDATE FOR MIMI

Mom, here is a picture from after Kathy left today. I hope you are having fun without me! We miss you!

Home Decor

I need tips. OK, understatement. I need someone to boss me around and tell me what to and buy and where EXACTLY to put it. We have lived in our home for a year now, and I still haven't decorated. Not one room--wait, I take that back. I have decorated the kids bathroom, and let me tell you, it is very cute, but now I am stumped. Sure I have some random things put up throughout the house, but the vast majority of my house is bare.

I have decided I want my kitchen to have a rooster theme--why roosters? I have no clue. I just like them in the kitchen for some reason, and I like the coloring to most of the decorative ones I have seen. But I don't know what to get or where to start or how to pull it all together.

I have two living rooms. Both have VERY LARGE, empty walls. What do you do with a wall that is never ending? Seriously, I think I could hang a picture up, but then there is so much wall left over still that I think the picture would just look silly. Someone suggested starting with valances and curtains and then going from there. Valance I can do. Curtains are a no. I just want my blinds, I think. Unless someone can tell me why that is a no no in decorating...is it a no no? I don't want curtains because I hate dark houses. And I don't want my kids playing with them. Mostly though because I hate dark houses, and Brad loves living in a cave, so I know most of the time I would be fighting with him to keep the curtains open. This has been the struggle of our marriage, well that and bath towels, but we won't get into that one. Anyway, I digress. Back to valances and decoration. I suppose I could start there, but then I would have to tie it all into a little piece of fabric. Wouldn't it be easier to decorate then find fabric to match that? Is everyone understanding my dilemma? It all boils down to: I HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO DO THIS!!! That and I don't want to spend a fortune. If I had a fortune I would have Nate Berkus come do my whole house. I love Nate. Is he gay? Just a side question out of curiosity.

Moving out of my two living rooms, and onto the rest of the house: bedrooms. Not too concerned there. Dev is getting his mural, so that basically takes care of his room. I have a ton of stuff to put up in Reesie's room but I am lazy and haven't done it yet. And my room is bare bones, but I don't care. I want to wait and get a bedroom set and go from there. Plus no one sees my room but Brad and I, and I know for a fact that Brad couldn't care less about decor in there. He is concerned with the yard. And a new laptop. Go figure.

So does anyone know Nate? Or at least have some ideas for me? Maybe I will post pictures of my ginormous walls in the living rooms and of the kitchen...then someone could give a clueless gal a hand.

PS: Did I spell valance right?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM

This is to my mom. She is the best mom and example ever. Mom, thank you for showing me what a good mom is. Thank you for teaching me what a good mom is. Thank you for being my friend and letting me and my kids be the most annoying neighbors ever. Thank you for continuing to be a great mom and for teaching me still. Thank you for teaching my children. Thank you for being faithful in the church and for instilling that righteous tradition into my heart, allowing me to teach my children the same tradition. I don't think you know what a role model you are to me. I think so many times a day of "what would my mom do?" Being a mom is a scary thing for me. I don't know how to do it, but I remember how you did it, and I want to be just like you. You are one in a million, and I know that Heavenly Father has great blessings awaiting you in heaven because of how you raised His children, how you raised YOUR children. Mom, thank you for loving me. Both of me! (Psycho Mckay and normal Mckay!)