Daddy-Daughter ski for free.

Shane took Avery skiing today at Alta. They do a "ski for free after three." So they get an hour and a half of skiing which is perfect for a four year old. I didn't go because we had no one to watch Sage. Shane is determined to make her an Olympian, whether it be skiing or running. One thing she will not be doing, according to Shane, is cheer leading. (Sorry to anyone reading this who may have been a cheerleader.) Personally, I think it's a little hypocritical considering Shane was once a cheerleader himself. (Pause for dramatic effect) Yes that's right Shane Hughes was once a cheerleader. Okay, it was only for one assembly and he was invited by a cheerleader because apparently they needed some boys to do a stunt of some kind. (what do I know about cheer leading.) Anyway, the girl had a crush on Shane and told him he could look up her skirt during the stunt. (Shane will kill me when he sees this but it's worth the risk) He claims he didn't look, but then again, he was a teenager. How I went from daddy-daughter date to loose  women, I will never know. Enjoy the pictures. (None of them include loose women.)

ps. For anyone who missed it, the Mark Twain quotes are under the photo of the week. It is a little inconspicuous, the picture is so big and the quote so small.

If they say these things in another 10 years it won't be so cute.

A couple days ago my children made me laugh all day with their potty mouth antics:

1. We were in the care singing to the radio, (one of Avery's favorite past times) and a song came on that Avery really loves. We all know it, "I'm Yours" by Jason Miraz sp? Anyway, I was really amazed at how well she knew the lyrics even when it came to the line that goes something like, "open up your eyes and d@#! you're free." she didn't miss a single word or beat. I had to laugh.

2. Later that day, Avery and Shane were on the computer playing a game together and Avery started getting frustrated with Shane over something I'm not quite sure of, and I heard her say in a very teenage tone of voice, "Calm your butt Dad." Shane looked at her completely shocked, but again, I had to laugh. (Though I shouldn't have.)

3. And my personal favorite, I was playing a game with Sage:
Where's your nose? (Sage points to his nose.)
Where's your mouth? (Sage points to his mouth.)
Where's your eyes? (Sage points to his eyes.)
Where's your cheeks? (Sage points to his bottom.)
I was pretty much rolling on the ground at that point.

Off the subject, but one of my favorite authors has always been Mark Twain (okay, you can stop being shocked now) and I wanted to share from a book of quotes from him called "Wit and Wisecracks." He always makes me laugh and if you haven't read "Huckleberry Finn" what are you waiting for? Yes, I like it even better than Twilight:)

Being a mother and head gashes.

Sorry for the gruesome picture, but for some reason this head gash on Sage's head has caused me to do a lot of pondering on motherhood for the past few days. It all started on Saturday night at 8pm when Shane put Sage in time out which up until this happened was his crib. It wasn't long before we heard a crash, a thud, and a healthy wailing from Sage. I ran into the room only to find Sage's head matted in blood. (head wounds are infamous for lots of blood.) To our surprise, he had managed to climb out of the crib and land on a train set below. We dropped Avery off out our trusted neighbor below us and took him to the instacare not far from our house. The poor kid needed one stitch and four staples to close the wound. This was no easy process and it took two parents, two nurses, and the doctor to hold him down. (the picture looks wet because of the neosporin.) Holding Sage down was heart wrenching. He laid on an exam bed under a very bright fixture spot lighting him with three strangers pinning him down like a straight jacket with his own parents betraying him! (Okay I'm a little over dramatic, which doesn't happen very often, but I could see it all in the look he gave me.) He kicked and wiggled and screamed the entire time which in a way made me glad. I was very glad that he just didn't give in and succumb, my heart really would have been broken then because that is completely opposite of Sage's character.

Sage has been very difficult in many ways because of his stubborn fiestiness. He was so hard as a newborn, especially following his sister who was the world's easiest baby to care for. I've definitely had both ends of the pendulum in my children. One day as I was in the midst of several clogged milk ducts, mastitis for the second time, ear infections in Avery, zombie like state due to lack of sleep, dealing with drama that goes a long with being YW president, (you get the picture.) A friend asked how I liked being the mother of two children. I knew I was in no position to fake a response so I said something like, "I'm not gonna lie to you, it's really hard." Her response to me was "Really, all my friends say it's even easier than one." Of course my heart sank even further because now I'm thinking, "what some people find this easy?" and I just wondered how I could ever have more children.

But like everything, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But first, another flash back to my growing up years. I lived in a neighborhood where 5-6 kids was average for a family. People who had less were either not LDS or medically unable to have more children. I had teachers and priesthood leaders teach in Sunday school and YW's that "you should have as many children as possible, wait for no reason at all, and don't use birth control." (I swear I'm not making this up.)

Several months after Sage was born I sat in Stake Conference and listened to a broadcast from Pres. Hinckley which was being transmitted to all the stakes in the Salt Lake Valley at the same time. The message that sticks out most from that broadcast and pretty much any other talk I've ever heard from a general authority was this: Pres. Hinckley reminded everyone listening that God commanded us to multiply and replenish the earth, but he didn't put a number on it. It's a decision between married couples and the Lord and we should not judge one another for the number of children we choose to have. Yes, it was definitely one of those moments I felt like he was speaking directly to me. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. He continued to council women and mothers not to complain about their lives but to be an optimistic and positive influence...something I also needed to hear. Having said this, I just want to note that I'm totally aware that there are many woman out who are completely able to take care of multitudes of children and do it happily and successfully. I'm just not one of them, and I know that about myself.

Motherhood is hard but then you have moments like what happened last night that make up for so much. Now that we know Sage has the ability to climb out of his crib he's slept in Avery's trundle bed until we can get him a toddler bed. Because I am so determined not to fall into bad sleeping habit like when Sage was a baby, I was adamant that neither Shane not I be in the room while Sage is learning to adjust to his new bed (as per doctor's advice.) Of course he screamed and cried for a very long yelling our names and tugging at our hearts. Before long we heard Avery singing him a lullaby. Shane and I cracked open the door and saw Sage climbing into bed next to Avery while she put her arm around him and sang him her own version of a goodnight song and they fell asleep snuggled next to each other.

Any and all temper tantrums? forgiven
Waking up at random hours during the night? forgiven
Sage picking on little boys he doesn't know for no reason? forgiven
Throwing food on the ground instead of eating it? forgiven
Multitudes of children? I'll leave that to the pros. Don't get me wrong; I'm not done, just not multitudes.


Watching your children become people and develop their personalities is very rewarding as a mother, but not as rewarding as watching your children play with each other, love each other, and look out for each other.