Mother's Day

Better late then never, right? My "Mother's Day" picture with the kids wasn't so hot this year (they're super cute, but I'm still looking pretty sickly...) so I decided to post one from a couple of years ago. I can't believe how quickly they are growing....they've all changed so much!

I had such a great day. I was blessed to feel good pretty much the whole day, which doesn't happen very often. I had an especially rough time the following week, which made me very grateful that Mother's Day was a good one! Scott spoke in Sacrament Meeting, the girls got to sing a musical number with a couple of friends, and all three kids went up to sing with the Primary. I was the only one not on the stand at some point during the meeting.....it was so nice!

After church we came home and relaxed. The kids were all so sweet, and made it a really nice day (i.e. no arguing, being helpful, etc.) Scott made me my favorite "Grandma Bennion Enchiladas" and they tasted so good! I love real food. I even had a couple of cookies for dessert. I was in heaven! Most food still doesn't settle very well , so I was especially happy to eat my favorite things without suffering for it.

Scott gave a really great talk. I thought it was the sweetest Mother's Day talk I've heard (although I may be a little biased!) He talked a little about this rough pregnancy and all of the wonderful mothers who have helped us through the really hard times. I wished he'd have let me read it beforehand so I would know how many tissues I'd need! Some of my favorite parts were :

(Speaking of the difficulty of my pregnancy...) Many men who hear of such suffering shake their heads and say they are sorry. Mothers, however—mothers do something else.

o I’ve seen mothers drop by a treat, to have an excuse to show their love and to see how Annette is doing.
o I’ve seen many mothers, some pregnant themselves, bring dinner for our family.
o I’ve seen mothers take our children into their homes to offer relief—relief to Annette and love to the child.
o I’ve seen a neighbor mother walk our children back and forth from school and activities, like they were her own.
o I’ve seen my mother take a second run at motherhood—putting her life on hold and moving in with our family for months. A grandma acting in every way like a thirty-something again. Cooking and cleaning; shopping and shuttling. Going for walks, going to parks, going for picnics. Kids off to bed, kids off to school. Play dates and homework. Loving and leading. All the while caring for Annette with the love of a mother. The love that heals—if not the body, the soul.

(And a little later....)

Now, children and brethren. We have work to do. Our mothers, our wives, are in need of our love in return. They are in need of our appreciation. I checked with many of your wives and your mothers to see what they most desire this Mother’s Day. To no surprise, their needs are not great—they are simple and they are made of love. That very fuel that keeps them going.

Their favorite Mother’s Day is every year. It is the homemade card. The fresh hand-picked flowers from the yard. Breakfast in bed. The dinner and dishes done for one day not by her, but for her. It is having the kids home from college. Or a phone call from the missionary son. It is the heartfelt letter of appreciation from a grown child far away, the one still at home, or the father of her children. It is the simple things that say “I love you.”

The lesson for us is simple—appreciate her. Love her. Make her feel like she makes you feel. It is a good day to practice such things. It is a good day to start good habits.

So good, huh? This was so true for me, especially this year. Due to the crazy economy, we've been doing a lot of simplifying. My gifts this year were sweet books the girls made me at school, a little "foam flower" pin Anna made at Activity Days, a poem from Aimee, and roses(picked from our own yard) from Nathan. Scott wrote me a really sweet and thoughtful letter that meant so much. I have never felt more loved...these simple things really are what it's all about. I am so grateful to have the privilege of being a mother, and so blessed to have such an amazing family.

Our Little Hula Man

Nathan got to participate in our ward talent show last weekend, hula hooping with his little friend, Summer. They were a hit! I was laughing so hard that it was impossible to hold the camera still. Nathan got a little stage fright at first, but it didn't take too long for him to find his groove. I love that he won't look at the audience, and that he decided to show off his talent of nail biting WHILE hula hooping. Amazing! Even though he was a little nervous, he loved it, and wanted to go back up on stage afterward. The next morning as we were leaving for church, he wouldn't get into the car without his hula hoop. I don't know if that would've gone over well in Primary.....luckily he left it in the trunk until we got home!

And the Girls....

Annalyn and Aimee got to perform in the talent show as well. Anna accompanied Aimee and their friend, Brooke, singing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." They all did a fabulous job and didn't seem a bit nervous. I was impressed!

Nathan's Surprise

The other day Nathan came rushing up the stairs, excited about something Grammie had brought home from the grocery store. "MOMMY!" he yelled as he ran into the room, "GUESS WHAT GRAMMIE GOT ME AT THE STORE!!!" What had made this little guy so excited? Ice cream? Candy? Cookies? Nope. In his hands he had a big bowl of BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER. This kid loves broccoli. It's like a treat, which is funny because he is a pretty picky eater, and loves his sweets. I'm not sure if this love will last (it seems too good to be true), but we'll enjoy it while it does!

"Sick" Day

So, Aimee came in this morning complaining about a tummy ache and claiming that she was "too exhausted to get ready for school." I spent the next 1/2-hour trying to convince her that she would feel better if she got dressed and got her mind off of it....to no avail. I wasn't up for a battle, and she has been having quite a few "tummy aches" lately. I didn't want to send her off to school if something was really wrong.

Well, I think she is going to be okay as she has had quite the morning with Nathan. I warned that there would be no TV, Wii, or computer games, but she has kept plenty busy. They are, at this very moment, playing 'Whack-a-Mole.' No more tummy ache! Aimee has gone through her flash cards, started reading 'Little House in the Big Woods,' eaten a peanut butter sandwich, and managed to get on iTunes and listen to some 'Mamma Mia' (I think I even saw a couple of cartwheels when she didn't know I was watching.)

Tomorrow she will be going to school.

Easter

We had a nice, quiet Easter weekend....and super cute Easter outfits, thanks to Grammie and Poppa! I actually made it to church on Sunday. I loved it! It's the first place I've been (outside of the house) in 3-1/2 months besides the doctor's office. I was totally wiped out, and spent the rest of the day on the couch, but it was great. I am coming out of this slowly, but surely!

The girls gave us a fabulous Easter lesson (they're getting really good at lessons since they've been in charge of them for Family Home Evening since I got sick), and we had a nice dinner of fruit salad...yes, fruit salad....simple, but delicious! :) Definitely more low-key than our usual Easter celebration, but we all enjoyed it.

I absolutely love Easter. It has always been my favorite holiday. The more I come to know my Savior, and the more I realize what the Atonement and Resurrection mean for me and my family...and for all of us...the more sacred and beautiful Easter becomes. The past three months have changed my relationship with Him and my understanding of what he has really done for us. I am so grateful for this. It is hard (sometimes impossible) to be grateful for our trials when we are in the middle of them, but when we can see how we have grown spiritually, and are being refined, they are truly a blessing. And He is there for us every step of the way. I thought Elder Eyring's talk from conference a couple of weeks ago was amazing....just what I needed to hear:

"My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and thus be prepared for the trust of an endless posterity to teach and to lead through tests to be raised up to qualify to live forever in eternal life.
It is clear that for us to have that gift and to be given that trust, we must be transformed through making righteous choices where that is hard to do. We are prepared for so great a trust by passing through trying and testing experiences in mortality. That education can come only as we are subject to trials while serving God and others for Him.
In this education we experience misery and happiness, sickness and health, the sadness from sin and the joy of forgiveness. That forgiveness can come only through the infinite Atonement of the Savior, which He worked out through pain we could not bear and which we can only faintly comprehend.
It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the Savior’s promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal and help us. The Book of Mormon gives us the certain assurance of His power to comfort. And faith in that power will give us patience as we pray and work and wait for help. He could have known how to succor us simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal experience."

Yes, we were sent here to be tried, to learn, even to suffer, but we are never alone. In our darkest hours come our greatest opportunities to know our Savior. I am grateful for the difficult times that help me to depend completely on the One who knows exactly how to comfort me. I know that He is the true source of peace and joy, not just on Easter, but every day of our lives.

IT'S A........

BOY!!

We had our ultrasound today, and the score is all evened up. I was shocked....I've been thinking "girl" pretty much the whole time. But, now that it's settled in, I am so excited. I'm happy that Nathan will have a little brother to share a room with.....and all of that other fun stuff. My sister is due in June with a boy, so he will have a little cousin to be buddies with. Yay!

I was a little bummed that my due date didn't change. It's officially September 2. Hopefully this baby will follow his brother and sisters and come at least a week early. We are so excited, and five more months just seems like too long to wait. I guess we will have to be patient!