Mother's Day

When RJ mentioned making breakfast in bed for the kids on Kid's Day, I said, "wow, you've never made me breakfast in bed." He was surprised assuming at some point he had but he knew better than to argue with my elephant memory. I was determined to have yummy meals on Mother's Day whether I had to prepare them or not so I made homemade whole wheat bread Saturday so I could have French toast in the morning and bought fixin's for cheesecake just incase RJ didn't have anything up his sleeve. To my surprise, he had typed up a cute menu with several options for breakfast (ie. grapefruit, blueberry, banana or strawberry pancakes, French toast, sausage, hashbrowns, juice and milk). I made my order and RJ and the kids brought it to me on a newly purchased tray just for the occasion. So fun!

My special menu.

My two favorite parts were at the top where it read "Daily Specials From Our Heart To Your Stomach" and the bottom "Payment accepted includes hugs, kisses, kind words, sweet looks, happy thoughts and cheerful voices."

The kids gave me several pieces of paper with "art" work and RJ bought me a Keith Urban CD. Before church RJ and I made a lowfat cheesecake together. He created a yummy lemon glaze and added blueberries for flare.

Unfortunately, the day did not end as well as it started. We were ready to pull our hair out at bedtime thanks to our little rascals (I'm sure I wasn't thinking of cutsy phrases like that at the time).

Fun with the Kids!

At last we can get out and play at the park!

McKenna's favorite thing to do at the park is swing. We always head to the swings first and I push her for a few minutes. Then I kick her off and tell her to go burn some energy.

Hunter likes to show off his strength. He needs an audience to perform though.

Following in her sisters' footsteps, Reagan loves to swing!

McKenna put on one of RJ's shirts for bed one night. I thought it was so cute and reminded me of when I was a kid and wore my dad's shirts to bed. I went to get the camera and Hunter decided that he wanted in on the action as well.

We bought a year pass to the community center. In an effort to ease RJ's financial mind, we have been trying to utilize it to the fullest. We have been wanting to take the kids ice skating. I knew that RJ would die before putting on another pair of skates (since he nearly did just that the first and last time he went 7 years ago). He took Reagan while I alternated between taking Hunter and McKenna. There were little kids doing jumps and spins in the middle of the rink giving Hunter and McKenna false confidence. They were ready to peel out and try some spins themselves until they stepped on the ice.

I held under McKenna's arms and took her for a very slow ride around the rink. She kept lifting one leg in front of her trying to be fancy.

Hunter surprised me and wanted to do it by himself. He went around several times despite falling several times. By the end, he was doing a slow jog around the ice.

RJ and Reagan glad to have their feet on solid (unfrozen) ground.

McKenna has been riding around on a trike that Dave and Mila gave us when Hunter was little. We decided it was time for her to have a big girl bike. We found this Strawberry Shortcake one (with a bell) at Once Upon a Child for $25. I tried to teach her how to stop but she wasn't getting it. RJ said, "she'll figure it out eventually."

Ten seconds after I took this picture, she rode off the sidewalk, threw her hands in the air and crashed. That has not stopped her from riding every chance she gets!

After going to the Mall of America with Mila, I knew I wanted to take the kids soon. On Mother's Day, Hunter complained that there was no kid's day. I told him what my mom told me when I made the same complaint, "every day is kid's day." Even though I still beleive that's the case, RJ and I decided to make Saturday, Kid's Day. We made them pancakes, bacon, sausage, scammbled eggs, and orange juilius'. We tried to feed them in bed but McKenna wouldn't stay in her room. Hunter ended up sleeping on the couch that night so he got breakfast on the couch. After Hunter's soccer practice, we took them to the Mall of America but our camera battery ran out. We bought them a wrist band for unlimited rides and spent 6 hours at the mall. They loved the rides and I loved watching them laugh and squeal. One of their favorites was the log ride. It had a 40 ft. drop and RJ got really wet when he took them for a second go 'round. It took pictures during the decent and the kids looked more terrified than amused. We went to dinner at a Jamaican restaraunt and let the kids drink 3 cups of rootbeer. They all fell asleep on the way home for which we were grateful. We were even more grateful the next morning when their beds were dry! Happy Kid's Day Hunter, McKenna and Roo. We love you.

Mila's Visit

Mila was going to come to Time Out for Women with me but had to reschedule her visit. I can't believe she flew all the way out here to see me! She flew in on Friday and joined me for the final parenting class from a course through the church that RJ and I have been taking. I had to be there since the topic was "Setting Limits/Consequences." My parenting techniques have been backfiring as of late. You start to question yourself when you hear your children say, "If you don't let me finish my movie then I'm going to break something of yours." That's a sure sign of overusing threats to keep my kids in line. Now they are threatening me and each other! Yikes! I'm trying to use Moroni 7:45 to guide me in my quest to become a better mother. I specifically think of the words, "not easily provoked" and "suffereth long."

On Saturday (after submitting ourselves to the wrath of P90X thanks to RJ), Mila and I stole away to the Mall of America! Mila treated me to lunch at the Cadillac Ranch which has the best sweet potato fries! We only walked into a couple stores and spent the rest our time at Nickelodeon Universe. They had a couple rides that made our hearts race.

Here we are waiting in line at the "Splat-O-Sphere." It was a straight drop down and happened to be one of my favorites. Our hair had been sufficiently tousled by this point.


I had so much fun with Mila, I'll have to take RJ and see if he is as much fun to scream with.

We were hoping to go to a comedy club in Minneapolis with RJ that night but the tickets sold out. We ended up watching reality TV on line. Mila made her delicious artichoke dip and RJ and I devoured it. I was so proud of Mila for sticking so rigidly to her difficult diet. I tried to eat somewhat like her so as not to tempt her but I failed many times. Hi, my name is Megan and I am a carb addict.

Monday, we put together a picnic but because it was in the 30's, we held it inside at the community center. We took the kids to play at the maze afterward.

Mila loves babies and was a great help with Reagan (as well as Hunter and McKenna).

We picked RJ up from work early and went to Bucca de Beppo for dinner before taking Mila to the airport. It was a weekend that went by way too fast! It was so nice to have a familiar friend around. We will have to wait 8 months to see each other again but it will be a blast! We have officially booked a cruise with the Newcombs to the Carribean for 7 days next January. I'm so excited already!

Happy Anniversary!

Our 8th year anniversary was on Tuesday. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we celebrated over the weekend and into Tuesday. On Easter Sunday, we both wore the same suits that we wore to the temple the day of our wedding. It wasn't planned but it got me thinking about the events that led up to our wedding and the years thereafter.

April 26th, 2003

April 24th, 2011

I don't know if we should be proud that we still fit into those clothes or embarrassed that we still have them?!

Our marriage has strengthened my testimony in Christ. I know that He not only knows who we are but who we can become. The choice to get married was a big leap of faith for the both of us. We had a rocky courtship that included two proposals. We felt through prayer that we should marry but felt odd because we weren't ever really in love. Close friends and family probably wondered if we would "make it." It has taken time to see the Lord's plan unfold. RJ and I have really grown together and fit each other perfectly. He's quiet and listens well. I talk and like to be listened to. He's so patient with the kids and gives them the fun, silly, rowdy attention they need while I provide structure and discipline. He's a good saver (maybe too good) and I love nothing more than a great bargain. He loves to grow healthy food and I love to eat healthy food. We both love our families and the gospel. The list goes on. We both feel lucky to have each other and know that the Lord has and will continue to lead us.

RJ brought me this beautiful, big boquet of flowers home from work on Tuesday. He specifically requested that some calla lilies (my favorite flower) be added. They didn't have white but they had some gorgeous deep purple ones. Aren't they great? Here's to the next eight years and beyond.

Easter

Hunter lost more that a few Easter eggs! He's almost as toothless as Reagan!

The Monday before Easter, McKenna had the lesson. I helped her talk about how bunnies, flowers, and eggs are symbols of Christ. We had a friend and her children join us. McKenna sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." I was so proud of her. I thought shyness might get the better of her but it didn't. We decorated some hard boiled eggs and raced them down the hill in the back. It was a neat kick-off for Easter.

The kids woke up early on Easter morning and were excited about getting started with whatever it is we do on Easter (we don't have exact traditions in place yet). We decided to forgo the whole Easter bunny idea and told the kids that we would eat breakfast together then do an easter egg/basket hunt. Each of them had six plastic eggs to find filled with chocolate or jelly beans. I hid my eggs well and Hunter quickly found the easy ones that daddy did. Poor McKenna needed a lot of clues to find the remaining six and Hunter was quick to help.

Hunter's basket!

McKenna's basket!

Reagan got this dress. It was $4.25. What a steal. She looks like a million bucks in it.

"Forget rice cereal. I'm going for the good stuff!"

We played baseball after church with Hunter's new wiffle balls. RJ wanted a picture of me and Reagan in our matching pink hoodies. It reminded him of a picture I took six years ago with me and Hunter in blue hoodies.

I made funeral potatoes, ham, steamed veggies, salad and an icecream pie. It was an enjoyable Easter. We are so grateful for the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us as a family.

April Dates!

RJ planned two dates for April. The first was a bike ride and picnic. The second was to be on our anniversary and was a murder mystery dinner. Unfortunately, it snowed the night before our bike ride/picnic. We decided to go to the community pool and swim laps together instead. We figured we had better start hitting the pool if we don't want to drown in the swimming portion of the triathalon in August.

We celebrated our anniversary over the course of several days. On friday, we did sealings at the temple and bought Easter basket fillers. Saturday was our big date. It was a murder mystery dinner at the Romada Inn. It was great fun! We were at an "employee appreciation function" when our "boss" was killed. We had to figure out who dunnit and why. It was fun to take part in an interactive show and was a great break from the usual redbox and popcorn. Below is a picture of my favorite character, Harriet (who happened to be the murderer)!

Time Out For Women

For Valentine's Day, RJ had me purchase tickets for Time Out For Women (a pow wow for women). My friend Mila was going to join me but had to cancel at the last minute which was a bummer. She was able to reschedule her visit a couple weeks out. I gave her ticket to Cheryl and we went with Lisa Hillyard. I enjoyed simply being with friends as much as I enjoyed the actual program. My take aways from the program were these: I need to make scripture study a priority (preferrably before bedtime), I need to start and finish my book idea whether anyone else ever reads it or not, and I need to choose to be happier. I'm affraid I have turned into the nagging, mean mom that no kid wants. As dumb as it sounds, I'm affraid to be nice to my kids because the second I am, they walk all over me and I feel out of control. If I listen to them tell me "one more thing" at bedtime, it takes an extra hour to get them down. If I ask rather than tell them to do something, they flat out say "no." If I tickle them, they will ask to be tickled until my fingers fall off and fight over who gets tickled next and how many tickles the other one got. If I help them get dressed, they all of a sudden need help with everything. The list goes on. I pray to be a better mom every night and to not ruin my kids but I find myself asking for the very same thing the next night. Oh yeah, back to TOFW. I took Reagan with me on Saturday and at lunch time, Cheryl and I walked over to Hell's Kitchen. I have been wanting to eat there since we got to Minnesota. We ended up finding two spots at the bar. There was a horrible live band playing but fortunately, Reagan slept through it. The food was yummy though! It turned out to be a really fun weekend. Thanks RJ!