Some Little Things

Time has been slipping away from me lately. Days start early and nights end late. There never seems to be enough time in a day to do the things I want to do, even if they pass by slowly. The children are growing and changing daily and sometimes I wish I could just freeze time for a while to enjoy them without the added responsibility of house work and other demands. This blog has been neglected big time and sometimes all I can do is post a picture from our day. I have longed to sit down and write, but my writing has been less than mediocre lately, and I usually end up erasing what I wrote and settling on a picture instead. I finally have a few minutes, so here are some funny little things I jotted down from these last couple of weeks to keep me going.

Camilla is an absolute joy! Last week she told me that unloading the dishwasher is now her job and she doesn't need my help (except when she passes me things to put away). She loves to help out with her little brothers or any other "hard jobs" I can think of. She still complains and whines like any other child, but I love when she gets in her "yes mom" moods and adds her bright optimism to our home. The other morning as we were tidying her room she says, "Mom, I know a song about Donald Duck". I reply, "Oh?" Then she goes on, "Yeah, you know, the one with all the animals?" Then I say, "You mean old MacDonald?" To which she excitedly responds, "YEAH! That's it!" and then proceeds to teach it to her little brother as he rocks her baby doll in the rocking chair. She has also started making up her own awesome songs. One afternoon on the trampoline she made up a tune with the lyrics, "I'm your big Sis... I'll take care of youuuuuu". She makes me smile each and every day. One night I stayed for a long time in her room after lights out for a snuggle. She loves when I rub her back and arms before bed. I started dozing off and woke up to her playing with my hair. She is so thoughtful! She always hums along when I play the piano in the afternoon and tells me I'm doing a good job. Sometimes she will sit down and play herself. I love listening to her plunk out the songs that I learned so many years ago. As she plays I can call out the note she is looking for from the kitchen. This week she got so excited when she realized she could play without looking at her fingers! This is such a big step in playing piano and I am so proud of her.

Hyrum has pretty much given up his trouble making ways. He loves to talk and says the funniest things. One morning at breakfast he said, "I'm getting bigger and BIGGER, Mom! I'm almost Camilla's size!" He is constantly asking me to tie blankets on like a super cape so he can "save people". Whenever he wants a kiss he puckers up his lips and moves his face in really close. He loves when Joe gives him hugs and always asks, "I need-a hug Joooooeeee." Then Joe will put his head on his big brother's shoulder and they will rock back and forth with their arms wrapped around each other. THE cutest thing. The other day when Daddy was bringing the lawn mower from the backyard to the front Hyrum sputtered off a million questions, "Are you gunna mow there? In the rocks? Are you sure you can really carry that?" Daddy just smiled and continued on while Hyrum asked a few more questions. Today Hyrum came up the stairs and exclaimed, "Mom! This can't be wight! The TV ran outta batteries!" I love the cute way he says things. He has also mastered praying and makes sure to bless everyone in the room.

Joseph enjoys sleeping in his big boy bed, when he actually sleeps that is. The odd night he has a bit of trouble getting to sleep. One night I went up to tuck him in for the third time only to find that he had stuck his hand in an old dirty rolled up diaper like it was a baseball glove. He laughs when I am stern with him, and giggles hysterically when I get upset with him for getting out of bed for the gazillionth time. One of his favorite things is to watch for Daddy to get home from work. He usually begins window watching around 4:30pm. The excitement in his voice when Daddy drives up is priceless! Usually when I play piano in the afternoon he will climb right up on my lap to listen. I play as best I can with his chubby toes resting on middle C. He loves music and is constantly singing while he walks around the house. He hands me his shoes at least ten times a day wanting to go outside, rain or shine. He has been having rough nights lately, but it's nice to be needed. He has already been up a few times tonight and I haven't even gone up to bed. He stands at his door and calls for me. When I come he puts his arms up wanting a cuddle. As he nestled his head into my shoulder tonight I couldn't help but notice how heavy he is getting! It almost makes me want to cry. So when I get those moments with him, I hang onto them and cherish them. He has hardly crawled into bed with us, and is always a great sleeper. So when those middle of the night calls come, I remind myself to enjoy them. To love the way he tucks his cold feet next to my body as he falls asleep at 4:00am with the early birds chirping out my window. I remind myself to enjoy his sleepy breaths on my neck as he dreams and to love the way he grabs my hair as he sleeps.

These kids are growing so fast, but I love love being their Mamma! They are such a little blessing each day, and even on hard days we are always on the look out for moments of joy. We are loving the warmer weather and Summertime. It's been nice to get out of the house and enjoy an afternoon at the park, away from social media, the computer, and house work. Those are the moments I enjoy most!