Happy Moments

Just a few moments I want to remember.

Pulling into our driveway today, and seeing Josh and Luke on the grass, smiling and waving at me. Two little buddies who brought a smile to my face.

Holding Ben who smiles every time I look down at him. Laughing and playing with Ben, who would grab my face with both hands and try to eat me. (I'm pretty sure that was his way of saying I love you so so so much mom!)

Tucking the girls into bed tonight. They informed me that they wanted to sing me a lullaby instead of vice versa. But it wasn't exactly your typical lullaby, unless of course, you consider songs from Barbie The Island Princess and The Chipmunk Movie to be lullabies! But they sing a mean Girls of Rock 'n Roll (or Girls of Rock 'n Roller as Maddy would say).

The Fun Begins

Baseball, baseball, baseball. I am considering pitching a tent at the ball field so I can just sleep over. I mean, I am practically living there!

All I can say is this: It is a good thing there is sand for my son to dig in, treats for my kids to eat, and many kind people that are willing to help out with my baby!

Little Pals

Tonight upon entering the ball field, Luke began searching for his buddy Ty. He soon spotted him and ran towards him.

His excitement was bubbling over. He could hardly contain himself. He ran towards Ty, squealing with glee, and put his arm around him. Then, not knowing what else to do with all this excitable energy that was flowing through his body, he screamed (happy screams) while running around in circles. (Do you suppose that's when he peed his pants?)

Why didn't I ever think of that? I mean, come on. What better way to disperse a little happy energy? (And I am not talking about peeing your pants.)

So if I you see me running around in circles, don't be alarmed. I am not trying to maximize every minute by burning a few calories here and there. I am just happy to see you!

Ahhhh, to be a 2 year old.

Memorial Day Weekend

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Utah visiting some great friends from South Dakota, the Jones' and the Ollertons. After four long years of OB residency, our friends, the Ollertons have finally moved back closer to home. It was so fun to see them again! It has been way too long! And, of course, we always love seeing the Jones'. They are such dear friends. Now we just need Shane and Jas to move back! (Hint, hint)

The kids had a great time together. You would never know it had been years since they had seen each other. Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying the semi-warm weather!

Sydney and Madelyn walked home, or should I say ran home, from church with Rylee. They loved being with Rylee and all her neighborhood friends!




The girls all sat outside painting fingernails and toenails. And when I say girls, I don't just mean my girls. Half the neighborhood showed up to paint their fingernails. Even Scott and Josh and a few other boys wanted to get in on the action. Either my boys have issues, or they wanted to be near the cute Utah girls! Since the few nails they painted were vigorously being scrubbed off shortly after, I'm pretty sure it was the latter!



The kids loved riding around on scooters, rip sticks (new to me, but very fun), battery-powered motorcycles, etc.






We are so grateful for all the wonderful friends we have made through the years. We loved our years in South Dakota, and the friends we made. They were like family to us!

To all of our wonderful friends and family out there...We love you!

Will you sign my yearbook?

Today my boys will be receiving their yearbooks at school.

Apparently, they are planning to sign many yearbooks, and therefore, felt the need to practice their signatures. I found this scrap of paper lying on the kitchen counter this morning after they left for school.

Do the Pilling name proud boys!!

TA-DA!

Last week was performance week. Sydney had a gymnastics recital, Syd and Maddy had a ballet/jazz recital, and Sydney had a clogging competition at Lagoon! And amongst all that we had baseball games, baseball practices, music lessons, and many dress rehearsals. Here are a few pictures of the girls all decked out and ready to dance, dance, dance! They did a great job.

You know those moms you see who are just engrossed in watching their children, huge grins on their faces, so proud of their kids....well, that was me. I loved watching my girls. It is fun to see their personalities come out, even when they are performing. Syd loves to perform and is so exact in everything she does. Maddy is a little more easy-going, and much more shy when it comes to performing. But she ended with a great big smile!





The pictures I took at Syd's gymnastics recital turned out awful (so blurry!!), but I had to post just a couple of pictures, because I am so amazed that my daughter is so flexible. Especially considering the fact that I can't even touch my toes! She did such a great job. What a little gymnast she is!

A Day in the Life

You know you have too many places to go when....

you put your baby to bed in his car seat instead of his crib!

Seriously. My life this week is CRAAAAAZY!
Here is my day....just a sampling of what every day this week has been like.

Usual morning routine (worthy of a post in and of itself), then get the kids off to school.

9:00-Madelyn's violin lessons

After lessons (which started late, because I got there late, and therefore ended late!) we headed to Wal-mart to get groceries and other miscellaneous items, such as pink dance tights.

11:00-In the check-out lane at Wal-mart with a very nice check-out lady who had many stories of her childhood to tell me. Apparently she didn't know that I was late for my next event!

(Why does it take an hour to grocery shop??? Maybe it's because my kids keep trying to put miscellaneous objects in my cart....or maybe it's because I didn't make a list and therefore can't seem to remember all the things I needed and therefore have to do some backtracking....or maybe it's because I am trying to talk on the phone, holding it with one hand, while pushing the heavy cart with the other hand, while trying to keep track of my kids....or maybe I'm just slow.)

11:25-Arrive at Lana's house to drop off Luke, and throw together a few quick lunches.

11:33-Arrive at Syd's school for her field trip. They were walking a mile and a half to the park, eating lunch/playing, then walking back. Parents could walk with them. They were scheduled to leave at 11:30. Since I was only 3 minutes late, I thought they might not have left, so I loaded Ben in the stroller, and got our lunches. Still no sign of them. So I asked and found out they had indeed left.

Now, if I was a smart mom, I would have hopped right back into my car and driven to the park. But, you guessed it, I'm not that smart! I thought we could easily catch them, so off we went. As we turned the first corner and still couldn't see them, I started to wonder. I was half dragging Madelyn along, as my speed walk is a jog for her. Poor Maddy. She was so tired of walking, but kept going. Sometimes we ran for a while, then slowed down to a quick walk. We finally caught them, just as they were getting to the park, where I learned that they had changed the times and left at 11:20! Thanks for the update Syd! Oh well. At least I got some sort of exercise today!

It was fun to be there with Syd, but I'm pretty sure her little friends liked walking with me even more than she did. OK, OK, so they don't much care about walking with me, but they LOVE walking next to Ben.

12:45-Leave the park, walk back to the school, load up the kids and head back to Lana's. (Yes, I left my groceries sitting in the car this whole time! Just pray that my food won't go bad, will ya? There was no way I had time to go home first and unload. I did put my milk in Lana's fridge, so at least we can eat cereal!)

1:30-Pick up Luke.

Me: Luke, did you have fun?
Luke: No, I don't want to go home. I didn't have any fun...yet. (Translation: I don't want to go home, and if I tell mom I didn't have fun, she'll have to let me stay until I do!)

2:00-Arrive at home, unload groceries, put away groceries, deal with two poopy children, one of which is potty trained, but has discovered the fine art of "holding it", or should I say "holding it until you just can't make it to the toilet". AAARGH!

3:00-Syd's violin lessons, which we were once again late for.

3:30-Finish violin and head to dance recital rehearsal, Syd changing in the car and eating a snack on the go. Pick up 3 other girls on the way.

4-6:30-Syd's dance rehearsal, which I left at 5:30 to head home, grab some food, then run out the door again.

6:30-My niece's dance recital, which was a great way to end the day. It was fun to see them dance. I love my cute little nieces. It would have been quite relaxing were it not for a screaming baby at home who woke up and needed to eat. I sprinted to the car, drove home (luckily just a couple minutes away), fed Ben, drove back, sprinted in and sat down just in time to see their dances!

Oh yeah, Josh also had a baseball game, which Brek took him to.

All in all, it was a crazy day, but on the bright side, the weather was beautiful. When I got home from the dance recital, Brek and the boys were playing basketball in the driveway, so I joined in, flip flops and all!

What a day!

How Sweet It Is

There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby. When I check on Ben at night, it always brings a smile to my face to see him lying there so peacefully.

No matter how monstrous my kids may be during the day, when I see them sleeping, it makes my heart swell. I really do love them....really truly....even though they really are monsters....sometimes!

A Day of Rest??

It is said that Sunday is a day of rest, but I would have to disagree. There is not much restful about it. Trying to get six kids ready and out the door seems to be a monumental task. You would think after doing this week after week I would have a better grasp on the amount of time it takes me to get everything done, but I always underestimate how much time everything takes! And it never fails....there is always something missing. Somebody can't find their shoes, or their church pants, or their tights, etc. There are, oh, so many things to gather....diapers, scriptures, notebooks, baby toys, books for Luke, and on and on. Between carrying bags and car seats and babies, I feel like a pack mule!

After surviving church, there are hungry kids to feed and keep occupied throughout the day. I often ask myself on Monday morning, "WHY do we clean house on Saturday?" By Monday morning it looks like a tornado has hit our home. But despite it all, there are good moments that make me smile and laugh. I am grateful to have a day when my kids have to stay home and we just enjoy each other.

Yesterday during sacrament meeting, the following took place: Brek and I were at one end of the bench, and Luke was at the other end. They were passing the sacrament. When the bread tray got to Luke, he reached in and grabbed not one, but two handfuls of bread! Scott and Josh, who were sitting by him, both reached for him, trying to stop him. But Luke was faster than them and shoved both handfuls of bread into his mouth (or at least he attempted to do so...he had a lot of bread!) We had a hard time not laughing out loud.

Yesterday Brek made me dinner (yummy chicken fajitas), and the kids gave me cards and things they had made for me. It is always a sweet moment to read the nice things my kids say about me. I'm glad to know Scott still loves me after spending the last month continually in and out of grounding!

Last night Madelyn told me she wished every day could be Mother's Day. She also told me she thought Mother's Day should be in the month of February, just like "Valentimes Day" (yes, that is how she pronounces it) because it is all about love. She loved presenting me with homemade cards and snowflakes (yes, snowflakes) all day long. What a kid!

A Tribute to my Mom

Since today is Mother's Day, I thought I would pay tribute to my beautiful mom who is so dear to me. My mom passed away almost 8 years ago and I miss her very much. Even though she isn't here, she still inspires me and guides me with her example. I often times ask myself, "How would mom handle this situation?"

There are so many things I love about my mom, but I will just mention a few. One of the greatest things I learned from my mom was the importance of prayer. I will forever have a picture etched in my mind of my sweet mom kneeling beside her bed praying. Often I would go up to ask her a question or tell her something and she would be praying. As a kid I wondered how on earth somebody could pray for SO long! But as I got older, she would share things with me that she had learned through prayer, and I knew she spoke with her Heavenly Father because she loved him, trusted him, and needed his guidance. I am so grateful to her for teaching me this principle. She taught me through words, but my greatest teacher was her example.

My mom was so compassionate and kind to others. She made people around her feel loved. Again, she was such an example to me as I watched her. She reached out to the elderly and those who were impaired in any way. She treated them like equals and loved them.

My mom served others. She taught me that service is a very important part of the gospel. One day I called her, complaining about my day. I had no car and was cooped up in the house with two small children, and I was going crazy! She listened patiently, and when I was finished she said, "Sounds like you need to go serve somebody." She knew that if I focused on serving others, I would forget my own troubles. How true that was!

My mom was my dear friend. Hardly a day went by that I didn't talk to her. When Brek and I lived in Provo, I would go home (to Sandy) once a week to teach violin lessons. It worked out well, because my mom could watch Scott for me while I taught, and I also got to spend a day with my mom every week. I have a wonderful memory of my mom's smiling face coming around the corner as we walked in the front door. She was always so excited to see us!

My mom didn't care about things. She had a beautiful home, but that wasn't what was important to her. One day, Scott was standing on the table swinging his light saber and in one mighty swing, took out the chandelier, breaking part of it! I went and told my mom what happened, and she replied, "Oh well. At least he took it out in style!" To her, stuff was just stuff. She had an eternal perspective.

She loved my kids and thought everything about them was wonderful! I miss her friendship, her guidance, and her wisdom. I have thought that in some ways I have grown more since my mom passed away, because I have had to turn to my Heavenly Father more often, where before I would just ask my mom.

I could go on and on, but needless to say, I love my mom!! I am so grateful for her, and I am so grateful for eternal families. What a blessing to know that we are all sealed together for time and all eternity!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there!

My mom and Scott. They were such buddies and loved to do things together!

Make Us Proud

Every month in Maddy's kindergarten class they have a sharing day. Sometimes they bring an item to share, and sometimes they tell something. This month they were asked to tell what they wanted to be when they grew up. On the morning of Maddy's sharing day I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She had to think about it for a while.

I said, "Don't you want to be a mom?" (She is always talking about being a mom someday.)

She informed me that of course she was going to be a mom (that was a given), but she needed to figure out what else she was going to be.

After school I asked her what she told the class. She said she couldn't decide so her teacher told her she could tell them the next day.

A couple of days went by.

Maddy came home from school and said, "I got to do my sharing day today."

I, of course, asked her what she had decided to be...I was quite curious to hear what she had come up with!

She said, "When I grow up, I want to be a weed picker."

Way to go Mads! Shoot for the stars!

Luke, My Buddy

Where is Luke?


Is he upstairs playing? No.

Is he outside playing? No.


Oh, there he is....dead asleep on the living room floor, coat on and all. He must have had grand plans for going outside, but didn't quite make it, collapsing instead from sheer exhaustion!





And why, may you ask, is he wearing a winter coat? Let me just say, there is an attachment between Luke and his coat which he is not willing to give up just yet.



Another Lukeism:

I had to leave for a little while after school and Luke was staying with Scott. I told him to blow me kisses as I was heading out the door. He ran towards me, stopping just inches from my face. He then blew me a kiss, which consisted of first blowing into my face, and then planting a kiss on my lips.

I wasn't expecting that one! But, hey, I'll take kisses from Luke any day!

The Neighborhood Watch

There's some saying that goes....well, I don't exactly know how it goes, but it ends something like...it takes a village to raise a chief. Anyway, sometimes I can definitely relate! I live in a great neighborhood full of great people who are so good to my kids. People are always watching out for them and helping out. Last night I was running like crazy from one place to the next, and left Scott to babysit Ben and Luke. When I came home and walked in the door, this is what I found.



These are my neighbors, Alex and Jarom, who stopped by and stayed to help my hungry baby. They are awesome guys. Even though they are in high school, they are so great to my kids. I told them I would post a picture of them so they could show the girls and score some brownie points!

Down and Derby

So the pinewood derby has come and gone again. It actually took place a couple of weeks ago, but with being sick, I got a bit behind, and I have to write about the Pinewood Derby!

About a month and a half ago, Josh came home with "the box"...you know, the box with a chunk of wood inside and four wheels just waiting to be transformed into something amazing! Brek suggested going for style instead of wins this year, since Josh had already won 1st place and 2nd place. Josh agreed, and they decided to make something fun. I said nothing, thinking this was a good idea, but also wondering how it would actually work. You see, I have extremely competitive boys. And when I say extremely, I mean EXTREMELY. They REALLY like to win, and we have had to work on learning to be a good loser. So I was a little concerned that Josh would have a hard time. It's all well and good to say you don't care about winning, but in all actuality, the moment that car is lined up on the track, you can't help but want to win.




So the big day arrived, and Josh and Brek put the finishing touches on their car (or should I say surf board). Surfer dude was secured to the board and off they went. When the cars were weighed, Josh's weighed only about half of the allowed weight. Instead of weighing 5 oz., it weighed about 2 1/2 oz. Still smiling...still planning on losing.

But then the races began. Race number 1...Josh's car lined up with three others and off they go! Josh's car came in last. Race number 2...still smiling...still planning on losing. Josh's car lined up again and they were off. Again, Josh's car came in last place. Race number 3...still smiling, but with difficulty...still planning on losing, but secretly wishing he wouldn't! The cars lined up, they were off, and again he came in last place. I could see that Josh was struggling. The smile was looking very forced, but it was there nonetheless.

This continued on...Josh losing most races, but trying so hard to be cheerful about it. He didn't come in dead last, but pretty close. He cheered on his friends, and even though it was absolutely killing him to lose, he never let anyone know. I was proud of him. And when the night ended and awards were handed out, Josh won the Grand Prize....the Sportsmanship award. He won a trophy and a big candy bar! He was so excited, and I must say...he deserved it.


This is our last pinewood derby for 6 years, and while I am glad, I will miss the entertainment! Here are some of my favorite highlights of the evening:

The dad sitting at the end of the track, continually giving instructions to his son about placing the car on the track. The wheels were never lined up straight enough for his liking! I also liked the mom who was video taping....not her son....but her son's car! She stood nearby the scorekeeper, making sure her son's name was always put in the correct slot. I also liked watching the dad of the winning car, who gave out a few "secret tips" to other dads, telling them he had more tips for them later if they were interested!

All in all, it was a great night of laughs....at least for me!