I have moved

I have decide to move my 3 blogs into one.  I am actually blogging again, Its been awhile.  You can know find me at Pinkowlsweets.com

Smarty pants

Just got back from meeting with Joseph and EmmaLees teachers. Wow. I am so impressed with my children. Neither Ryan nor I were great students. Mostly for lack of trying on both our parts. But my kids all excel and they literally wow me.

Joseph got the highest grade is his class on the state math test. He was the only one to get 100%. His teacher kept saying how wonderful he was. He works hard and gets along well with all the kids.

EmmaLees teacher could not say enough about how helpful and kind she is. EmmaLee works hard and really enjoys school and her teacher. She even feels Emma should be placed in gate.

I know I shouldn't boast but I feel very proud of my little smarties. Mostly I feel humbled. I don't know why I was blessed with such smart kids. I feel they have so much to teach me and for that I am grateful to be their mother. I hope I can do them justice.

Normal

Why is it so hard to think of what to blog when it has been a long time? Maybe because there is simply to much to blog about. So many goings on in our house hold. To many emotional ups and downs to choose from. Some big events and many small ones I want to remember. Blogging why did you stop being a habit?

Today I want to remember how much I love the small every day parts of motherhood.

Jacob is now potty trained. He has been so easy to potty train. That has been refreshing. He is also out of his crib. This is the longest any of my kids have stayed in a crib. There was no baby to kick him out. The transition for that has been really easy as well. No more diapers and no more cribs.

Joshua loves school, most days. I think he loves being social and playing with his friends. For the first time we have neighborhood friends come over on a regular basis and I love that. Josh loves that his buddy lives so close.

Joseph has really come out of his shell this year. He talks much more and seems much less shy. We were talking yesterday remembering when he would grunt when we asked him a question. No more grunting. He tells me about school and friends. He had a little problem with the neighbor kid and I was impressed with how it was handled. The boy was calling Joseph names and teasing him. EmmaLee and Joseph decided to walk away from him when it occurred. He ended up apologizing and I think have these kinds of trials are good for kids when they are handled well. Life will be full of difficult people. I'm proud he didn't let this one boy talk that way. I'm proud he walked away from the situation.

EmmaLee has been seeking quality time with me. The other night she created a craft project for us to do together. Wish I had taken a picture. She reminds me so much of myself at her age. Loves to make things and chatter with friends. Loves her teacher to pieces.

I love when Sarah sees a need and tries to help. I have been sick in bed all day and she helped the kids get ready for church with being told to do so. She has become my best help in the kitchen, EmmaLee also. They love to cook and have even started making food on their own.

Jared loves to come find quiet moments to just talk we me. I feel loved when he tries to kick the kids out because he wants one on one time with me. I'm glad he feels comfortable sharing things with his momma.

I'm not sure when it happened but my children have started to become very independent. Ultimately that's what any mother wants for her children but it feels strange for me at the same time. With no more baby, no more diapers, and very few night time interruptions I feel freed of constant need and on the one hand I love that. On the other I miss holding a little person so very often. My kids still love hugs and snuggles and I take them appreciatively when they come but it just isn't the same.

I got to spend some beautiful time with a family members new baby this last week. It reminded me of sleepless nights and long days. That time is gone for me. I remember wishing time would speed up so I could... Make dinner, go to the bathroom, or even shower without worrying about that sweet new baby waking up or crying. Wondering when I would ever feel "normal" again not realizing normal is not a real tangible thing.

Normal I have learned is up's and down's. Sad moments sprinkled with unexplainable joy. A life very different and yet so much better then what you had planned. It is realizing that perfection is something to be sought after, yearned for, look forward to, not something to measure and beat yourself up over. Normal is making mistakes, messing up to the point of wanting to quit. Normal is getting up anyway. Itl is realizing this life is a long journey with a huge learning curve excepting and striving to understand everyone is trying to do there best. Normal is seeing that challenges do not define us. It is how we handle them that can create the person we are ultimately meant to be.

Sometimes I feel very normal and I wish and long for extraordinary. I believe that is part of the process as well. It seems our spirits can sense we have amazing greatness inside just longing to become majestic beings and yet this earthly experience requires patience and time. It demands we learn, stretch, grow and become through each individual challenge and triumph.

My BIL Sean reminded me last night that life is meant to be easy. That when we turn to our Savior even the hardest of "normal" challenges can bring great peace and even joy. When we keep Him in the for front of our experiences we can see He has more in store for us then we would happily settle for.

This month of thanksgiving I feel grateful for our hardships. I have learned some very good life lessons I would not have learned otherwise. I feel I am learning a little bit better how to be happy regardless of what life hands us. But mostly I am learning that normal is a pretty amazing process which seems to surpass my wildest expectations.

Josh

Just so I remember. Joshua told me "in my world everyday is mothers day.". He proceeded to tell me he was making me a picture for mothers day. He has been coloring so much and I love to watch my kids color and enjoy life. Maybe I need to have coloring with the kids be on my list of to-do's this week.

Day 7

Jacob has been scary sick with croup. So sick that last night we almost called 911. He could hardly breath and he was scared. Through inspiration we tool him outside into the cold night air and that seemed to make a huge difference for him. Today has been better but he can hardly speak and he still sounds like it is hard to breath.
Right before bedtime Ryan had the kids go lay on the trampoline with Jacob so he could experience the cool night air. We decided to join them and I'm so glad we both slowed down and just enjoyed being with them. We looked at stars and laughed. We tickled and we laughed. We snuggled and laughed. The kids wanted to sleep out there. Man alive I love these little people and my sweet hubby who loves us all.

Days 3 & 4

Last night for family night Ryan and I told the kids stories about out grandparents. I even told them so very old stories of my ancestors. It was neat to see how excited they got. I love these kids.

When the little ones went to bed I tool the time to teach the older two how to use familysearch.org and newfamilysearch.org. I was thrilled with how excited they got. They were asking all kinds of questions and looking up census records. They were even fighting over who got to do it next.

I am such a believer that part of understanding who you are is understanding where you came from. Amazing people came before me and have so much wisdom to offer if I will just let them. I wish I had time to sit and read every story and memorize it all so that is was deep in my heart

Today my poor Joshua was sick. He has croup and he just sounds so sad. Normally when my kids are watching tv cause they are sick and that is all they can do I like to get things done because they are...well...entertained. Today I sat and rubbed his back instead. I would stop to turn the page of the book I was reading and he would ask so sweetly if I would keep doing it. I'm grateful for this 31 day project. Otherwise I would have missed out on some of these experiences.

Day 2

Today we watched conference from the comfort of our home. I woke up feeling excited and ready to hear answers to my prayers, which seemed to come rather quickly.

During the break between sessions I was going to go take a nap but then Jacob and Josh wanted me to play cars with them. I think in the past I would have just gone to my nap. Then the older kids turned on home videos and it was so fun to watch those with them. I would have missed out on that had I not taken the time to slow down today.

31 Days of Slowing Down

Sometimes, ok a lot of time, at the end of the day I wish I had spent more quality time just being with the kids. I feel like I am so busy doing I forget to really engage with the little people. Some of my kids demand it and so they get it. Others are so easy going I think they slip through the cracks a little bit.

I have decided to spend the next 31 days doing something. That was vague on purpose. I am going to make an effort to slow down in some way or another and really be here for my kids. My thought is that something, no matter how small, is more then nothing.

Tonight Ryan, Jared, and Sarah are all gone at outside activities. After we put the kids to bed I taught her to make friendship bracelets. Nothing major. Just one on one time with my arts and crafts girl doing something I knew she would love. I want her to always feel comfortable talking with me and like hanging out with me. I love this sweet girl.

This year she has really started to love reading and has decided to take on the Harry Potter books much to the delight of her older siblings who love them so much! She loves her teacher and told me she has been trying really hard not to be so chatty. I always had that problem, I guess I still do.