Mother's Day

In case I forget...

...saved for all of posterity.

Moms and Muffins

It happened!  Always fun to eat muffins with my muffins.

Moms and Muffins

Remembered at 8:05 on this particular Monday morning that today was Moms and Muffins!  We were at school by 8:15!  It was very impressive scurrying out of the house.  This sweet girl was worth it!

Back to Work…My Public (School) Awaits

First day back to work.  Pajama Day, lucky me!  Melissa there to help me ease into things.  Micah with G'ma Dianne.  Josh and Grace with G'ma Colleen.  Happy to see my kids again.  Luckily I remembered all of their names!  :)

The longest I'd left Micah since he was born.  We did okay--the night before I cried a little, but the day of, it was go-time.  Dianne says he's the best baby!  I am so happy to pick him up at the end of the work day.

"A Teacher and a Mom"

This is what Gracie answers when she's asked what she wants to be when she grows up.  I wonder if she's familiar with teachers and moms...?  :)  I take it as the best compliment one could receive.  Oh, and this picture was a request from Gracie.  She wants to frame it and put it in her room.

Speaking of (me) being a teacher and a mom, I don't think I've recorded Gracie's "Personal Safety Lesson" story yet, so here it is, recorded for posterity:

One day this fall I heard from other moms that they were talking to their young kids about personal safety:  Good Touch vs. Bad Touch.  Feeling like I may be behind on giving this lesson, I started an educational conversation one night while the kids were bathing.

I asked Josh and Grace if they knew any good touches...hugs, high fives, snuggles came up.  I then asked them if they knew of any bad touches.  "Hitting," was the only answer I got.  :)  So then, like a good mom, I started talking about our "swimming suit areas" and told them that no one should touch these areas, that they were private.  It was a thrilling and educational conversation--the kids were enthralled, talking about swim suits and high fives.  :)

So the next morning, while Gracie and I were snuggling, I thought it would be a good idea to see if she remembered what we'd talked about the night before.  I asked her if she remembered good touches--yes.  Then I asked if she remembered what bad touches were.  Of course, being an older sister, she remembered HITTING.  "Yes, and do you remember those places that no one should touch?"

Her eyes rolled to the corners of their sockets, deep in thought.  After a few seconds her eyes lit up with recollection and she breathed:  "Animal traps!"

I think we'll try the Personal Safety Lessons again in a few months...  :)

Mothers

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.

~Ambrose Bierce

Ha! After the cold weather post, I couldn't resist starting the Mother's Day post with this quote. It got me thinking about all the colds we've avoided, thanks to mismatched stocking caps thrust on our heads, and that extra blanket that was put on us during a curled-up couch nap. Moms are amazing...and Jeff and I have been blessed with the best.

Colleen, you're the best naptime-blanket-covering, "Ooh, he must be cold--where's his coat?" nurturer there is. Your house is warm, partly because of the thermostat that's always acting up, but mostly because you care so deeply for your family.

Joan, you're the best snuggle-the-baby-on-your-chest (even though you're dying of heatstroke), "Did someone put another log on the fire?" mama there is. Your house is warm because someone DID stock the fire, but also because your love for family oozes out of your pores, much like sweat. :)

And our moms had to learn it from somewhere. Jeff and I have been blessed to know our grandmas: G'ma Bonnie, G'ma Dorothy, G'ma Caroline, and G'ma Trudy. What sweet ladies. How blessed we are to have them in our lives and memories.

And, those two sweet children at the top of this post are MINE. (Well, Jeff's too, but we're talking about MOMS in this post). And, I suppose they've just been given to me on loan, but I really don't think I could've requested any sweeter ones. I just look at that picture and think...Gracie looks nice and warm in that vest, but Josh must be cold with his little neck sticking out of his shirt like that...

Blessed. :)

Put Another Candle on the Cake!

We got to spend the weekend at the farm April 16-17 to celebrate more of our family's April birthdays. This year was special for both Ben and Mom--Mom turned SIXTY and Ben's birthday was on Earth Day (always) AND Good Friday. A double bonus. :) We had a family party on Saturday night for both of them--the Morrows, Lochheads, Mosers, Weber grandparents, and the Dobroths helped us celebrate BIG. :) Or at least CRAZY. :) We had a great time staying up late talking with Christi, Tom, Megan, and Zach and Carmen. In addition to the birthdays, Tom and Chris came up to help Zach move home--he got a great job in southern Idaho!!! Way to go, Zach!--and to celebrate Mom's Weekend with Megan at the UofI. We were sad that G'ma Caroline wasn't here with us--and missed that common base of her house--but I know our family was excited to spend such great quality time with Christi's family and we are excited about all of the fun Moser family time that we hope will invade Mom and Dad's house, now.

Dad didn't get to have a surprise party last year for his 60th--we would've, but Mom thought it would've jinxed him--but he was determined to surprise my mom with one for her. Monday night her brothers, parents, and Katie and Ben's families surprised her at Rooster's Landing for dinner. She was floored! We so wanted to be there...but we were excited just thinking about what was waiting for her Monday night...

"Mommy Rest. Gracie Rest."

Mommy is a little tired these days......sometimes resorting to laying on the floor to "play" with Gracie in the evenings...
"Mommy tired. Gracie tired, TOO! Nigh-night, Mommy."
This was the calm before the Gracie-tackle: "I got you, babe!"

I've got you too, Grace Face.

A Day Off...

Gracie and I took a mental health day on Friday--and it was the BEST THING we've done in a long time! We had a great morning just hanging out and puttering around the house--great, cozy rainy day, I might add--and my mom and G'ma Caroline came to visit after their doctor appointments. Grace loved showing them around--they had to see all of her books and her Dora Kitchen and all of the pictures around the house. It was so fun and revitalizing! Grace wanted to wear her monkey outfit when she got up, but by the time the pants were on, she had changed her mind about wanting to get dressed...so, this was her outfit for most of the relaxing morning. :)

G'ma Joan is the BIG WINNER!!!

My MOTHER called to let us know that the blog pictures on the last entry weren't showing up. My MOTHER. This is the lady who asks Jeff to download her pictures when we come to visit and checks her email via my dad. She fills every ounce of her day doing all sorts of things, and just hasn't found the time to deal with technology...so you can imagine my surprise, hearing my mom ask me to check on the blog! Way to go, G'ma Joan! Of course we fixed it, and because of her vigilant blog support she gets the BIG PRIZE...the homeless Lochheads get to move in with her and Dad for a whole week! :)

Mom's Helper

I think I should make a blog titled: "All-the-places-you-can-stick-a-baby-while-trying-to-get-something-done." This will be the laundry room installment...