Bowers Museum

We spent Saturday at the Bowers Museum. Brent and I enjoyed the main museum. The kids tolerated it for the most part. Then we went to the Kidseum where the fun really began..

(It rained the night before. Can you believe that sky?!!)
What I love about the Kidseum

• everything was for playing, touching, handling.. you get the idea..
• there were trunks and trunks of multi cultural dress-up clothes. I'm talking beautiful stuff here folks, and in all sizes.
• hundreds of different instruments to try.
• wooden masks of every variety.
• craft room
• face painting
• reading nook
• puppet show play house

I think I'll stop now. Overall, it was great. Here's a few pictures from the day.




Who says I never post pictures of myself?

on children growing..

I've been thinking about something a sweet friend of mine said the other day. She's a grandma and therefor knows lots of things I do not. She said her children grew up and disappeared into adults. It pulled at something in my heart when she said it. Will my beautiful children really grow up and disappear into some ubiquitous pool of independent adulthood?I suppose they probably will. At least to some degree. I mean, the alternative isn't very attractive. A thirty five year old, single, unemployed child living in the basement? No... no. I don't want that.
It's hard to think about sometimes. These little ones growing up. I'm starting to realize that this business of raising children is really all about me. Sounds funny doesn't it? But it's true. They won't remember how their birth shook me to the core (in a good way) and changed the way I was able to love.
These lessons I'm learning about giving and loving and serving are changing me. They won't remember themselves as small children. Those lovely memories belong to their mother. A treasure more valuable than.. well anything really.
Hopefully the memories they take out of childhood will be flavored with love and joy and belonging. I would love nothing more than to see those things passed on to beautiful grandchildren. So yes, I suppose my children will grow up and disappear into adulthood someday. I'll try to be ready for it when it happens. But, thank heavens, it isn't going to happen today.

Our mockingbird

He dazzled me one Sunday morning last spring. In a tree near our front door I heard frogs, crickets, and dozens of other bird's songs one right after the other. All coming from this little grey bird! He started before the sun was up and kept going until long after dark. Something about him was so thrilling. Sure, he was imitating other's songs.. but he did it so well! And his combinations were never the same. We enjoyed him for about a month before he moved on. I thought of him often.. amazed that a bird so simple could possess such a talent.

Last week Brent told me he was back, and this morning I heard him outside my front door as prolific as ever. He sat in his tree and sang until the sun went down. Something about this nondescript little bird just tickles me. He reminds me that life and people.. and even simple little grey birds.. are just full of surprises.

A random thought

I was perusing a couple of blogs the other day written by college age girls. Quite frankly, their writing was lovely. Poetic and powerful. It took me back to those days when I filled journal after journal with "poetic heartbreak and pain" along side some tremendous growth. It's when I decided to grow up and let me tell you.. it wasn't easy!

I get them out every so often and remember my life back then. I appreciate it and then feel so grateful to have moved on! To be where I am now. The emotional drama was necessary I suppose, but I prefer calm waters.
And I realize these "calm water days" could thunderstorm at any moment. Life can change on a dime. So I will savor today. I was reminded of all these things as I listened to President Monson talk about gratitude this morning.

"My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

So, so true.

Mormon.org

Hey All,
My mormon.org profile just went up. Check it out by clicking on the link below.
Brent

Rain Rain go away..

ten months

My baby is ten months old yesterday. His first tooth came through last week and I realized I'll be done nursing him in only two short months.

Such bitter sweet thoughts! I'd be lying if I didn't say it makes me a little giddy. I'm ready for the next stage in life. I want to travel with the kids and there is no way we can backpack Europe with a baby in tow. (Hey, a girl can dream.)
But OH MY GOODNESS is he a sweet baby! And he's my last. I'll never get to give birth again, or nurse, or cuddle a newborn in quite the same way again. Ok, I'm crying now. Tight throat, tears. Oh man, somebody help me!
But it's ok, right? Life moves on. I'm ready. I just have to eat up every baby moment I have with this little guy. He'll be out of diapers soon enough and I can actually carry a real purse again. In a back pack. Through Europe.