defining moments

I had one of those moments today that remind me in the most simplest of ways that there really is no greater joy than motherhood. The two big girls were at friends' homes for play dates. K and I took advantage of having the trampoline all to ourselves. It was the perfect setting: a beautiful autumn afternoon, a trampoline, a mom and a one year old. K and I had such a great time just laughing and singing and playing. I kept thinking while we were out there that it was sad in a way that she will never remember this moment. She is still so young it is inevitable that she will forget that perfect moment, on that perfect day during our first fall in Colorado. But the more that I have thought about our little time together, I have realized something important. Even though K will not remember this moment, I have a feeling that someday, when she is all grown - I will. And although it may not define her childhood, it will be one of those small, everyday moments that will define my motherhood.

Our basement "before photos"

Halloween Party

The girls invited friends over the day before the party to help bake treat. Most of the dough ended up in the tummies, though.
Wrap the mummy. I felt bad for the kids who had to wrap Benson and Charles. They are really tall men.

These are the brave few who made it to end of the movie, Haunted Mansion. Most the little ones thought it was too scary. (It's not really all that scary for the record.)

The donut eating contest.

We played a Halloween movie for the kids outside. While all the adults watched the Red Sox game inside. I love Halloween.

School break and the return of childhood

The girls have the next two weeks off from school for Autumn Break. I love having a break at this time of year when the weather is so nice.
I was asking our neighbor what she planned for her children to keep them busy during this time off. She told me aside from a few day trips and hikes that she really did not plan anything. The children are happy to just play with the other children in the neighborhood all day.
This response is so different than what we experienced in Boston. During the summers in Boston children are so scheduled. There is tennis day camp and swim day camp (not just lessons), and music camp, and reading lesson and math lessons. Not that there is anything wrong with this, our own girls started day camp at three. But Mike and I noticed that this was so different from when we grew up. When we were younger, parents let their children play outside from morning to night, only calling them in for meals. Children were left to wander, imagine, get dirty and play make believe. Your neighbors were an extended family. If giving the option between television or being outside, the outside always won.
Maybe times were more simple then but certainly you never heard of ADD or Internet addictions or childhood obesity.
Needless to say, I am grateful that is neighborhood is an extended family. Where the swing set is more than just a slide but it is also fortress. Where everyone has a fence with a gate between the neighbors' yard. And where television is "boring". I love hearing the girls play tag and watching the parade of neighborhood children come in and out of our house.
I love the story time that happens on our trampoline when the girls and their friends gather to hear the older girls read books and pretend that they are teachers and our daughters and their friends are their students. But mostly I love the spontaneous laughter that seems to ring all day long.
I guess childhood is making a comeback. I couldn't be more happy.

Saying goodbye to a most beloved Grandma

This past week we did a very difficult but a very happy thing - we said goodbye to my Mom. My mother entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Monday. She will be leaving us for 14 months to serve in the Canado Toronto for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have known for a while that this moment would come, and yet somehow on that day saying goodbye to a beloved grandmother and mother was much harder than we ever anticipated. Poor E cried for days. At the MTC she would not let Grandma go. R wanted to go with her.
Words cannot began to express how proud we are of our missionary. We are so grateful for the example she has set for her grandchildren. We are so grateful for the way she lives the gospel so completely. Even though it is hard to be apart from mom and grandma we know she is exactly where she should be. We love grandma and mom. We will miss her hugs and help. She always makes each of us feel like we are the very best thing in the whole world.
My mother has called the girls every single of day of their little lives. We will miss her calls. But we know that she has more accomplish right now. Our girls keep saying that they want to be missionaries just like grandma someday.
Grandma, we love and miss you already. But we know that there are families in Canada just waiting for you. So we will share you. We really really love this sweet woman.

"Someday I want to be just like Grandma."
We love you.
Poor E, she literally wouldn't let Grandma go up until the very end. She told me afterwards her heart was broken. But she was going to write to Grandma everyday.

grandma and grandpa's visit

One of the nice things about moving to Colorado is that we have been able to see family quite a bit. Grandpa and Grandma came recently. Grandpa had a conference but the girls went to 1870 Reenactment Farm with Grandma and Daddy. Poor E was in school.