February and some random thoughts

OK, so usually February is a busy month, but this year...it's downright March-ish.  And March is the month that always flies by and I find myself saying it's April already?  So here we are on Feb. 15th and I can't believe that the month is almost over.  I have had so much going on and I just hope life can slow down a bit...just enough to maybe take a 20 minute power nap.

So, here's what's been going down...

Dance and baseball, baseball and dance.  I'm a taxi driver extraordinaire!

A DDC (my dance group) performance on the 4th...a Saturday (no bueno for the hubster)

Superbowl party!  It was fun having the Hartley's, Bushman's, Hodges and lone man Brian Tolman over for a likely 5 million calorie dinner!  It was all worth it though, right?!  One thing I've come to realize after 7 years is that our house is small.  Ha ha, ok I probably realized that right off, but with everyone and their kids, it sure is tight...yet cozy!  The game was lame, due to the fact that the Packer's weren't playing, but ah well!

My father-in-law, Bryan turned the big 6-0!  Arden threw a big party with yummy food and fun.  My dad gave him a pair of old golf balls and said "here are you're old balls" or something like that.  Ha ha, dad.  Us kids pitched in and got him a collage frame and a scrapbook with paper so that he can take it up to the cabin and everyone can write their memories in it.  (Something he's wanted to do for awhile).

We have had dentist appointments up the wazoo lately.  I had a few cavities (which I haven't had in years) and let's not get started on how many my kids had.  I absolutely hate the dentist and would even rather see an OB before seeing a dentist, but I got through it.

I worked on my YW's lesson, helped Tyson finish up his requirements for his "Arrow of Light" award (scouts) and helped with Logan's 100th day of School party.  I was also asked to help my friend with the Miss Drill pageant and Solo championships.  I took it upon myself to hand make the kids' Valentine's this year and helped with Tyson's Valentine's day party. 

Yesterday was the best Valentine's day ever!  Jake and I went to the Lady Antebellum concert and it was so awesome!  Usually we are really boring and just go to dinner or maybe catch a movie, so it was really nice to actually do something out of the ordinary...not to mention see my favorite band live :)  I lost my voice the day before and after the concert it's REALLY gone.  Jake was so into it and stood up when no one else in our section would stand up, and we just danced like fools in the audience.  It.was.AWESOME!  I mean, if you know Jake, he pretty much never does stuff like that.ever!

I'm wiped out and I think all of it came crashing down on me today while I was putting Ty's laundry away.  I realized that Tyson would be graduating from Cub Scouts and just had a melt down and cried and cried.  It's hard to believe that almost 11 years ago he was just a little snugly cuddly baby who would lay on my chest and play with my hair (he still likes to play with his own hair!)  He's the baby that I had to experiment on to figure out how to be a mom...making way more mistakes on than I wanted to.  He was my little partner in crime!  I would take him to school (college, that is) with me at BYU and he would just sit there happy as could be.  I remembered all of the home videos I took of him.  I would conduct interviews, so as to never forget how amazingly brilliant he was (and he still is).  I doted over him for nearly 4 years without any other children in the home.  Fast forward 11 years and he's my right-hand man.  My go-to guy.  He's the one I count on to help me with....everything!  I'm sure I take him for granted, but he sure is amazing.  So when I realized how fast these 11 years have gone, I started to shudder with the fact that in another 11 years, he will already be home from a mission.  I started to think about his first dates and driving...scary!  Getting married...and well, his new life.  I don't want that to happen so soon!  AHH!  So I called Jake amidst my blubbering and my tears and he agreed.  Life is so short.  I hope I can treasure every moment that I have with these precious jewels that I have.  I don't get to raise them for long, but luckily I'll always be their mom.  It seriously is the best blessing I have been given.  God really knew what he was doing in sending these angels into my life.  I need them so much.  I would be a pretty lonely, sad lady without them!

So, after my crazy outburst, it was life as usual...baseball and dance...

And then the Blue and Gold banquet for scouts, where Tyson earned and was awarded the Arrow of Light award.  It was really cool.  One of the lady's in my ward's brother came and did this really cool ceremony and he was dressed as an Indian chief.  I think Ty thought that was pretty sweet.  He even got a real arrow, so he was pretty stoked. 

Anyway, here are some pics of the last few weeks...

Bryan's birthday party:

Bryan's 'old balls'





Happy 60th Bry!



Blue and Gold Banquet:



I made him sit on my lap...he was HEAVY!  But we laughed about it.





Grayson saw a ball and immediately made new friends...





This was too cute...This little girl fell in love with my Grayson and took him by the hand, led him to the bridge, danced with him...and then dumped him for another man.  Love hurts!