Oh Pintrest!

How I love you, but how you keep me from blogging when the house is quiet at last. But I so like to look at craft and recipe ideas I will probably never make. I also like to have those ideas safely tucked away in my very own cyberspace.

The wonderful glory of my life really should be blogged because it really is wonderful and glorious! My baby is heaven on earth, literally. Not figuratively, LITERALLY! She sleeps up to 13 hours at night (I'm talking consecutive hours here!), naps 3 times a day and spends her awake time smiling and laughing. HEAVEN, I tell you!

I had a harder week with the older 3. They think it's fun to make mom ask so many times it turns to a yell. Then I feel like a bad mom because I yell. Then I feel like a bad mom because I haven't raised my children well enough to obey quickly and nicely. Then I feel like a bad mom because I'm down on myself and I desperately want my children to have high self-esteem- teach by example!

In the weeks that followed the birth of my first child, I realized I had found my true calling in life. I GET IT! This is why I'm here- to be a mother. And how I love to be a mother! Oh! I love it.

Then I feel like a bad mom because I can't even be good at what I love so much...


Back to Pintrest. I found this there tonight and HAD to share because it echoes my prayers day and night

(if you can't read it, it says)
Oh give me patience when wee hands tug at me with their small demands.
And give me gentle and smiling eyes
Keep my lips from hasty replies
And let not weariness, confusion or noise obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys
So when, in years to come, my house is still-
No bitter memories its room may fill.

I feel their young lives slipping through my fingers so quickly. Will my house really be still one day? Tell me NO! Let me keep them.

Thanks Pintrest for bringing me back to earth- or should I say, HEAVEN!

Let Me Finish

 As a last HURRAH of summer, we met up with all of John's family in Las Vegas for a little reunion. John's dad rented a home for everyone. It was so fun to reconnect.
We swam (Amie and I got to judge a cannonball contest) and ate pretty much all weekend. My kind of vacation!

The home was right across the street from the temple

Where we did some family pictures

Grandpa Jonas with ALL of his grandchildren!

The next week John took Austin backpacking in the Uintas

 They had such STRONG bonding time!

 They even found snow!

Finally, school started again! I LOVE having my kids home in the summer, but I also love routine and order.
Austin Michael as a 3rd grader

Adeline April as a first grader

 Riding the bus together!

 (Have I already posted these back-to-school pictures? I seriously can't remember!)

And that was our summer! This doesn't mean I'm caught up, but I'll get there...

Driving My Parents MAD!

I have been trying for years to send my parents to the nuthouse. I tried especially hard through most of the 90's. They are fighters, I tell ya!
This summer we decided to make it a team effort. I started by bringing this cutie into the world.

Don't let those chubby cheeks fool you! You may want to kiss them all day, but she is at the bottom of a long line of needy children who love to play at Grandma Juju's. And the mother of these children doesn't like to cook or clean when every possible body part is leaking something, so said Grandma runs the household for a while. But really, don't you want to kiss those cheeks all day?

Next it was this family's turn to give it a go. They put in a good effort. Just 3 weeks after kissy cheeks was born, they moved...

 Here... (Just 2 miles from me!) And you have never seen people work until you watch Jonn and Judy (AKA mom and dad or Papa and Juju or Presidente y Hermana (that last one is what they usually make us all call them))!

They somehow passed both those tests, so we had to pull out the BIG guns! This one was in the making for many months and darn near did the trick. Just 1 week after the move and 4 weeks after the baby, this couple tied the knot! (that's my little sister, Cara and her new husband Andrew. We affectionately call them Carandrew.) I know what you're thinking "How rude of Kim's sister to get married just a month after she gave birth!" I know, right? I tried to talk her into waiting until Christmas so I could have my pregnancy weight off, but she wouldn't hear of it. She's so selfish!

So let's recap. In 1 month, in our family, we had a baby, a move and a wedding! You'd really think that, at the very least, ONE of them would've given in, but NO! Not even a nervous tick! These people are STELLAR and I love them dearly.

PS Doesn't that picture of them bring tears to your eyes?

PPS After all was said and done, these 2 hopped in the car and just drove whichever direction the wind was blowing. It's so unlike them and we thought they finally cracked, but then we worried they'd come back with matching tattoos, so we've decided to lay off for a few months.

PPPS You do know that 95% of this post is sarcastic, right? Of course not the part about kissy cheeks- that was all truth!

Celebrating Summer

 I'm still playing catch up with my summer blogging. But here I am, keeping my promise and getting it done. Here's a 3-in-1 for you...

Camps!
Austin got to do 2 weeks of golf camp (not pictured)

The girls did 2 weeks of Princess Camp

 Just days after the birth, in an attempt to not waste the summer indoors, we pulled out the slip-n-slide.
Austin was so cute and would hold the girls hands while they warmed up to the slide.

 

 Taking a break to help mom feed baby

 

 

 

 

 

 Even BIG Mama braved the sunshine to get some fresh air.

 Loving this tiny thing!

 2 of the 3 (Addie is on the other side of the camera)

 A week or so later, I had major cabin fever and just had to get out. John took us all on a hike up American Fork Canyon. Can you believe this beauty is just 15 min from my home!

 

 

 

 L.O.V.E. this picture of my Addie girl!

 

 

Excuse the scary, postpartum Kim-chubby cheeks, greasy hair and bagged eyes! I don't even care because all that means I have a sweet baby for my arms. Can't tell you enough how fond I am of this baby.

That's not even the end of our summer! Still got a ways to go.

Stick around.

Happy Fourth!

(2 months ago!)
Keeping my promise and continuing to blog our summer. Well, here's our 4th of July.
The 4th here in Utah rocks!
We start with the Freedom Festival Parade:
DonutsWeird friends
flags
Anticipation
Cousins

Dancing to the marching bands


Lots of princesses



Although it's humiliating to post this picture, I just have to share. John desperately wanted me to deliver the baby on July 4th. He thought it would be such an awesome birthday. My good friend had taught him some pressure points to induce labor, so he busted them out during the parade (It didn't take until the next night)
Provo, Utah missionaries
BYU cheerleaders

In another attempt to induce labor, we went boating in the afternoon with our good friends, the Marx. I wouldn't let the camera get in the boat with me while I was in a bathing suit.

In the evening we hit up the "Cul-De-Sac of Fire." My parent's neighbors put on a great BBQ and firework show and we crash it each year.


Even though I went into the labor the next night, we still filled our summer...More to come!