In the Past Month

Allie declared the other day that her tooth was loose. Being the skeptic I am, I didn't believe her. Not that I thought she was lying-- I just figured she didn't know what she was talking about. I tried to wiggle the tooth I thought she was pointing to, and it didn't budge. A bit exasperated, I sighed and said, "Allie, your tooth isn't loose. It's not moving." She didn't really argue the point, and walked away. Then Sunday morning, Kevin walked in to the bedroom after he got the girls situated with breakfast in the kitchen.

He declared, "Hey, did you know Allie has a loose tooth?" D'oh!

I looked over at him, a bit sheepishly. "You know, she tried to convince me of that the other day, and I didn't believe her."

"Yup, it's on the bottom."

So, I walked in to the kitchen to have Allie show me... again. It was the tooth right next to the one I had tried to wiggle several days before. And, yes, she indeed does have a loose tooth. She is very excited to start Kindergarten in the Fall and have her tooth fall out at the same time, which is how she's assuming the timing will go. I won't doubt her this time.

As long as I'm on the subject of mouths... Sami finally got her mouth washed out with soap. I say "finally" because this has been a long time coming with Miss Mouthy. Allie doesn't say half the mean or insulting words her three-year-old sister conjures up. But calling me "stupid" last week was the last straw. After bringing the girls' soap dish into the kitchen, I brought Sami in. I said, "Sami, your mouth is so dirty! I mean, it is just filthy! All of those yucky, mean words you've been saying have made your mouth dirty. We need to clean it out..."

I led Little Miss to the sink, had her lean over and open her mouth, placing the soap right on her tongue. I held it there for at least 30 seconds, removed it, sudsing up her tongue a bit with my hand. Then I handed her a cup of water to rinse it all out. "Did you like that, Sam?" She shook her head.

I had to do it all again two days later when she said she hated Allie.

Yes, life has been exciting lately. Besides the normal Chamber Singers rehearsals and Scouts and Church, we've had Allie's ballet recitals (see earlier post), a day at Sea World, Allie's last day of preschool (as well as her adorable preschool graduation program), playtime with Grandma and Grandpa Smith, and a trip to San Diego to see my family.

Allie has grown a lot in her ballet. Her toe points have gotten more pronounced, and she's getting more skilled at memorizing a routine. Out of the four little girls, Allie was the oldest and tallest, and tended to be a "mother hen," helping to lead the others through the dance. She flitted around the floor, like an angel in her white tutu, soaking in every smile, every "aw," and beaming after her final curtsy as the parents applauded. Oh yes, or little girl sure loves the spotlight.

And it looks like Sami will be soon to follow. To encourage Sami to use the potty, I told her she couldn't take ballet class until she could wear underwear and use the toilet like a big girl. Well, she can do both, so I need to pay up now. But Allie will be in the next level up, so they won't be in the same class, which is good for encouraging some individuality. I don't want Allie to feel like Sami is always tagging along... even though she really is. What do you do? Sami worships her big sister.

We left for San Diego the afternoon of Allie's last day of school. Once school got out, we met up with her class at Chick-fil-A for lunch, and then rushed home to load our bags and drive to the airport. We were in San Diego for a week. The kids loved all the attention from their grandparents, and nothing beats that backyard for kids-- the massive oak tree with the swing, the playhouse, the fish pond on the patio, room to run... I do covet it. We spent a day at Old Town with my parents, and ate a picnic lunch another day on the grass outside Petco Park in downtown with my little brother Evan and his girlfriend Jillian. We set out alone and explored the area around Castillo Monument in Point Loma, looking out over the harbor where we saw the submarine coming in, as well as about ten fighter jets take off, and we saw the lighthouse and the tidepools.



We ate some Mexican food, from a restaurant and also from a taco shop by my old high school, and my parents treated us to a dinner from In-N-Out. We even spent an hour at the beach, having planned to go on the supposed warmest day of the week-- it ended up being the coldest, the high only having been 65 degrees. I huddled under the towels with the kids, while Kevin dared to go in the water. We didn't last long there, and then took some time to visit the seals and sea lions in La Jolla. Early in the morning on Memorial Day, I went with my dad down to his grandparents' tombs, his maternal grandmother being buried right next to her sister, so I found out.

But the highlight of our trip was being able to take an evening and attend the temple. My parents were kind enough to put the girls to bed for us. The San Diego temple being the place of our sealing, it's always a nostalgic experience going back, walking the grand staircase, looking out the atrium up at the Angel Moroni. Such peace.

Life is back to normal here. It tooks several days, but we're all back on schedule. Drew had his 6-month check-up last week, and weighed in at 19.4 lbs. That little boy melts my heart. He smiles, "sings" when I sing, "talks" when I talk, and laughs when bounced or tickled. He loves to roll onto his tummy, but then isn't sure when to do when he gets there. The girls love him to death, but the poking and prodding they do to him would bug the heck out of me. Good thing he's not me-- he is so tolerant. It's obvious he's nothing like me. :)

Here are some more fun pics that didn't have a "place" in my update...

My brother Evan with the girls.

My aunt Gina cuddling with Drew.

My mom with her grand baby Drew.

"My Mom" by Allie

Allie made this rad book for me at school. Mrs. Bolick's art projects rock my world!



"Even When I'm All Grown Up... I'll Still Love You!" A bookmark.





"My mom looks the prettiest when she 'wears her Cinderella dress.'"




"If I had $100 I would buy my mom a ... 'teddy bear.'" (That better be one dang-good bear!)



"My mom's favorite food is... 'Spaghettio's.'" (Wishful thinking...)



"My mom loves me because... 'she doesn't want me to get hurt.'" (Perhaps we talk about avoiding injury too much.)



This speaks VOLUMES...



I adore our little girl.

Mother's Day

I got the special treatment today. Kevin makes sure of that every year, so Mother's Day really is one of my favorite days of the year. It's the day where I'm not asked to lift a finger, and am actually asked not to.

I awoke this morning to an empty bed, with the bedroom door still closed. He wasn't in the bathroom, so I figured he was sneaking around the kitchen trying to prepare breakfast without waking me. I waited about ten minutes or so before attempting to leave to get Drew from his room so I could nurse him. Kevin met me at the door and offered to get Drew for me. I guess he really didn't want me to come out. I peaked over his shoulder and saw the girls coloring on paper on the coffee table.

Sweet.

So, I nursed Drew, and soon the girls came in singing, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" holding up with pride the fine pieces of artwork created with a pen and a red crayon. We sat on the bed and played with Drew till the aroma of homemade waffles and scrambled eggs wafted into the bedroom. Dad soon appeared to announce breakfast was ready.

He had set the table and everything. After we prayed, we ate. The waffles were fluffy, the eggs cheesy and onion-y. Good stuff-- it's too bad my appetite for breakfast is so small.

Kevin even cleaned up all the breakfast dishes, too.

After church, he made dinner, too-- Jambalaya. I offered to help with dishes, but he looked at me "like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears" (Anyone? It's from A Christmas Story...), and said, "No! It's Mother's Day." We even got the kids in bed 30 minutes early. I almost don't know what to do with myself.

Maybe I should write a blog post.

Allie's Ballet Recital

Allie had her Spring ballet recital on Friday evening. She actually had a support group consisting of more than her immediate family this time. Her Grandma and Grandpa Smith were able to make it over from Deseret Ranch, her Primary teacher Sister Onines and her husband showed up, as well as Jill and her girls. Allie really loves the spotlight, so performing for her is fun. Man, she was cute. (In the video, she's the "leader of the pack," or the one who always leads the lines. Her position is the front left.)

And then on Saturday afternoon, the kids took their performances over to an assisted living facility. Only two of the four girls in her class showed up, but Allie and little Grace still did a sweet job.

In light of Mother's Day...

There is one very sweet irony to motherhood. With age, and with the birth of each child, a mother gains wisdom, and she is fully aware of this. I know I'm a heck of a lot smarter than I was five years ago. Funny thing about this is that I'm also much more aware of how stupid I inherently am-- of how little I really know in the grand scheme of things. Oh yes, back before I had children I thought I was a genius when it came to child rearing. I could tell you why so-and-so was out of control, or why what's-his-face seemed slow to speak. Now? I keep my mouth shut... for the most part, because just as my three-year-old Sami reminds me daily, "Mom, you don't know anything!" Yep, she actually says that-- I think she picked it up from one silly line in a book we read to her.

As a mother, I see my strengths and weaknesses so much more clearly now than ever before. The quality of humility takes on a whole new meaning-- really knowing where my place is in life, really seeing who I am in a completely realistic sense. I'm not as awesome as I thought I was, and yet, I'm even more so. For all the times I struggle with patience, giving a short, curt answer to one of Allie's constant questions or "losing it" after repeating myself three hundred times to "stop staring at yourself in the mirror and just get ready for school!", I also am reminded of where I triumph, in ways I never thought I would excel. The need for juggling and organization has brought out a talent for planning I never thought I had. Or Kevin constantly reminds me of how he'd rather eat at home than go out "because the food you make is better." Wow! Really? My food? I could barely crack an egg when we were first married.

But I think the most important thing being a mother has taught me has been that life doesn't revolve around me. I have been forced to look beyond myself, seeking to fulfill the needs of my family. Of course, part of maintaining some mental health in this process is also taking some time for myself, to pursue my own interests, which I do, and which my husband fully supports. But those interests are no longer the center of my life-- my family is. What I choose to do needs to benefit them in the end, or it's just not worth the time or energy.

And thus we have the lesson of sacrifice God gives us through this divine calling as a mother. This calling breaks us down into nothing, and then asks us to give all of what is left from a heap of rubble. Yet, in giving with faith, we are built back up into something beautiful and strong. I think of the strongest, most stunning mothers I know, those whose eyes shine bright with wisdom-- their hair graying, their skin worn with wrinkles, yet radiant. They never walked out on their calling, or on the Lord, and He never walked out on them.

As for me? I'm still at the "heap of rubble" stage.