Chubby boy!!!

This guy is 8 months old today!  And he popped his first tooth today too!  An update letter is coming....been busy with no time to put it together.

Graduation Day

Lesley graduated from Pre-K!!!!

 

Can that really be possible?  Our baby girl is ready for kindergarden!

 

 

The school had a nice little program where the kids sang some songs and each of them received their "diploma" from Ms. Tinka.  They LOVED being able to wear caps and gowns.  Big highlight for all the kids!  Shhh....don't tell them the caps were made of paper and completely fake.  Ha!

 

The room was tough to get photos with all the parents and other family coming to watch, but we managed to sneak a few pictures.

Lesley has just loved Ms. Tinka and Ms. Amy this year.  I often worry that their class room time is filled with more play than learning, but then I have to remind myself that five year olds sometimes learn the best through play.  And, it's the Goddard way afterall....

 

I have no doubt that Lesley is ready for kindergarten this fall, and I'm sure she will have plenty of opportunities to learn in a classroom.  I guess play is most important right now.

 

As I suspected, parents brought flowers and balloons and other gifts for their graduates.  All nice, but I certainly didn't think it was necessary.  So, we bought her another workbook that she can complete over the summer.  She was pretty happy with that.

 

 

Lesley with two of her best buddies, Octavian and Xaiver.  We will miss them this summer!  I always loved how they called me "hey Lesley's mom".  And, they were always asking when we could go to the museum together again.  They decided to stay home with their Daddy who is a teacher.

 

 

We are so proud of her and hope that she continues to grow not only academically, but also as a kind, caring young lady.  We know she is smart, so we are especially working on her manners and respectfulness these days.  Those are VERY important for kindergarten too!

The blessing of being a mother

A tradition I started a few years ago for Mother's Day weekend was to plant flowers with the kids.  I love fresh flowers, so what better gift than to spend the day picking out the plants with the kids and subsequently planting them together.

 

It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad this is a tradition we started. I hope to keep it going for years to come!

 

 

I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have picked out the same flowers they did, but I did love how they each had a distinct opinion.

 

And, really it doesn't matter all that much to me if the flowers are pink, purple, or red.

 

Thankfully though, they at least help me arrange the flowers and get colors and plants to match mostly in the big flower pot.

 

Levi was a good observer for the day.  He liked being part of the group even if he wasn't allowed to play in the dirt.

 

Lesley was very meticulous with the process and tried to keep things organized and clean.  Like her mommy.

 

What a fun day with my silly girls!

I can't say all the plants are still alive (leaving them in Daddy's care for a week wasn't the best idea), but I can say that we created some GREAT memories that day and some pretty good looking potted plants....if only for a few weeks.

 

 

After planning flowers on Saturday, my other request was just to have a relaxing Sunday.  Lesley was insistent that they bring me breakfast in bed.  She was so sweet to remember that last year they toasted a bagel and brought to bed for me to enjoy.

 

This year, they got fancy and made waffles with strawberries and whipped topping.  Tasty!

 

And, if you are wondering, I don't look that good after a night's sleep.  I was impatient while they were cooking so I took a quick shower and got ready for the day.  Good things my little girls don't care as long as I jumped back in bed to eat my waffle.  :)

 

I love this photo of my kiddos in my bed!  Everyone is even smiling!

 

After breakfast in bed, my request was to go to the park and play...and get some good candid photos!  Jason did not disappoint and got some outstanding pics of the kids. 

Love them!

 

It was windy and sunny and not everyone wanted to look at the camera at the same time.  Such is life in Oklahoma and with three kids!

 

Yay!  Pretty good snapshot!

Poor Levi, he thinks he has some pretty crazy sisters...he's actually pretty spot on.

 

They were friends and playing together for a minute or two at least.

 

She has the best smile and laugh.

 

What a perfect snapshot of my silly kiddos!

 

Thanks honey for taking these great pictures at the park!  I love them...and I also LOVED the chai teas you brought for me.  So happy they were buy one get one free on Mother's Day so I could share with the girls and not feel cheated out of my drink.

 

The other request for the day was to go eat Mexican food.  I'm obsessed with Mexican food.  I think my family gets sick of it since it's always my request.  Unfortunately, at some point in the afternoon, Lesley was misbehaving and the consequence was we didn't get to go out to eat.  I was bummed!  Pretty sure she called me a mean mommy a few times.  Great feeling on Mother's day, right? 

 

Anyway, I felt like I was getting punished.  I was no pleased.  So, I told Jason that he should have Lesley write a apology (i.e. don't let her know it was my idea) and then we could discuss "what went wrong" with her behavior.  Pretty sure this breaks the parenting rules of not giving in your kids, but I was glad to see she wrote an appropriate apology for not listening and hurting my feelings.

 

And, I greatly enjoyed the Mexican food we had for dinner.  As did she.

 

Just a few more thoughts on being a mom....

 

Most every day that I've been a mother, I've questioned what I am doing and prayed that God would make me a better one.  I doubt my parenting abilities about 34 times a day.



And, it's hard to believe that I've been entrusted with three precious little people to lead and guide and care for.  I feel so inadequate.  Being a mother is such an important job, and I take that for granted all too often, but I still learn more every year, month, week and even day how important motherhood is.  I want my little people to grow up to be caring adults, to be better people than I can say I am, and to love others with passion and genuine respect.




I'm so glad that every morning I can wake up to start a new day, to work harder, to speak softer, and to love deeper.  My three kiddos mean the world to me.  I see so much of myself in the girls, and that makes me proud and scared at the same time.  Some of the things I see in them, I wish I didn't.  I see things they learn from me, even the not so great things.  These are the things that I often have to sit back, take a deep breath, and really think about for myself and what I am passing along to the kids.  I often feel so imperfect, and a failure, and I hope and pray that somehow, they will see the good things in me and seek those traits for themselves.  And, that God will continue to show me his way of choosing to live.

These kids bring me more happiness than I ever dreamed.   When I see what they accomplish and how they are growing into their own persons, I am overwhelmed with joy....and smile ear to ear!

There has been nothing else in my life that has changed me as much, been harder, or been more joyful than being a mother. 

First trip to the Farmer's Market for the season

We made our first trip to the farmer's market in early May.  It was too early in the season to get a lot of produce, but it was a GREAT day to walk around and enjoy the spring weather.

 

We also had a nice stop for a bagel and coffee afterwards.  Successful family morning!

Scrub a dub dub

Leah insisted that Levi bathe with her one night.  The pink color is because she also insisted that Levi would love bath colors in the tub.  Not sure how often this will happen in the future, but I can see how it could get quite messy and wet in the bathroom if we attempt this again in the future.

 

At least Levi cares less about water being dumped on his head.  Poor little brother.

Yummy - Thanks Daddy!

 

Daddy is such a great cook!  He thoroughly enjoys smoking meat, though he doesn't eat much.  No problem, the girls and I are more than happy to eat what he cooks!  It is quite tasty!

Cooking food for Levi

Lesley was a big help when we made a batch of baby food for Levi back in early May.

 

She had no intention to taste test it, but at least she helped smash it up and put it in the ice cube trays.

 

No worries, Levi was more than happy to taste the final product.  And, it was still still so he was a huge fan of that!

 

But, he wasn't so sure about the cold milk I put in the sippy cup for him.  He prefers his milk warm and straight from mommy whenever the opportunity is there.

Linus and Levi

 

They are friends.

 

And, the cat hair drives me crazy.

 

But, he always comes back for more!

 

Crazy cat and silly boy.