simplicity

Maybe one of these days I will stop posting about the weird situation we are in these days and the outlook it has given me.  But not today.
With half of my furniture in storage, and more than half of the kids toys in storage, in many ways my life has simplified. This is great because with four kids, simple means a little more time for the important things...

Kris and I both are trying really hard to really soak in our time with what we are quite sure is our last little baby.  Oh I hate to say it.  But in all truth, I think our whole family is here and it's time to embrace a new phase of life where I am free from bedrest and preterm labor (which I experienced with all four pregnancies.)  I love being able to really jump up and go and be there, everywhere, my kids need me to be.  The thought of that is exciting and helps me deal with the sadness of moving on.  (I love pregnancy and giving birth.  LOVE giving birth so much.)  But who can be sad for too long when you've got a little squishy smiler like this to play with?

Simplicity also means my kids learn how to do more with less.  It has been really incredible to see my kids have just as much fun with the few toys they do have here as they did with all their many, many toys that are currently in storage.  In fact, they may be having more fun these days because they play outside more, use their imaginations more, and see each other as playmates more frequently.

Case in point: the iCardboard.  What was a stack of empty boxes in the garage yesterday was transformed into a laptop by Sam (Sadie and Julia are now in the process of making their own.)  I've been kind of sad about the passing of Steve Jobs.  But, you know, maybe we're onto something here and can tap into an emerging market just like he did.  Oh and in case you are wondering, that is a game of "Angry Birds" on the screen.  I think Sam has a really high score.

Life is also much simpler these days because we have family all over Utah Valley and the Salt Lake area.  It's an awesome support net.  Sadie got to go to her cousin's birthday party at the Lion House in Salt Lake City.  Do you know how cool I think this is?  I think it's SUPER cool because it wasn't just a birthday party.  No.  It was a real TEA PARTY!  And Sadie came back with loads of stories about Brigham Young (she still busts one out now and then if we're lucky) and a bag of old fashioned treats like ginger snaps and pull taffy!  Oh how I love pull taffy.  I have so many memories making that in my Grandma's kitchen in Palo Alto with my cousins.  Vinegar never smelled so good.  Here she is ready to go in her tea party dress.

Julia's 3rd birthday (WHAT?!?!? Julia is three?!?!?!  Yes, I know.  It's crazy), is another good example of just focusing on the basics around here.  We had a great time as a family.  Rather than throw a huge party with lots of friends, games, food, and a theme (which I love doing, but we don't have enough friends here yet to do that!) we just took Julia to Kangaroo Zoo (where she has been begging me to take her since I took my kids earlier this summer.)  We had a delicious carrot cake and presents when we got home.  And that was that.  Julia was over the moon with the whole thing.  Plus we had a great little snow storm that night and we got to make our first snowman since moving here...my first snow man ever(I don't recall EVER making one while I was at BYU!)  Gotta love the age of 3.  With such little effort, she was so happy!

3 things I love about my 3 year old:

1) She sincerely thanks me for EVERYTHING (even opening the blinds, warming up her corndog.  She is a grateful, sweet girl by nature.) 2) Julia thinks 3-year-olds don't "hit or bite or push or pull hair or kick."  That's good.  Let's hope she doesn't think 4-year-olds go by any other rules either.  3) Julia has the most spazzy, spunky, creative, confident personality.  She will sing for you, dance for you, tell you a joke, snuggle you, talk to you, and make you laugh without being asked.  She just does it because it's how she came.  Oh okay and one more thing (3 is not enough) 4) Julia puts on a backpack (or "packpack") every day and asks me when she gets to go to kindergarten.  It's super cute.  5) When she smiles, her smile still squishes between her totally kissable cheeks.  SO GLAD she hasn't outgrown the squishy, irresistible cheeks yet!  That was more than 4.  Hard to narrow it down!

Julia probably would have been totally happy without any presents.  It really was such a fun day.  While Sam and Sadie were at school, Kris and I took Julia and Ian to the mall and let Julia make her own "Build a Bear", errr, Hello Kitty.  It now sleeps with her every night.  (And being at the mall with only 2 kids was so awesome!  Kris and I were laughing at how much easier two kids is than four...and we thought two was so tricky when that was all we had.  People with more than 4 kids, call me a wimp.  I'm totally fine with that.  And I don't mean to suggest anyone with less than 4 doesn't have their hands full either.  Oh I know you do.  I guess whether you have one or 10 kids, they take all your time.  It's just for us, it was a big difference.  Kids are exhausting and time consuming no matter what.)

This is the MOSTAMAZINGCARROTCAKERECIPEINTHEWORLDANDEVERKNOWNTOMAN!  Email me if you want the recipe.  You'll use it over and over.  It's fool proof and tres magnifique!  Julia requested pink hearts on her cake.  SIMPLE!  Perfect!  Its' the theme of my life these days!

With this month of gratitude coming to a close, I wanted to share our simple and FUN way to celebrate and remember our many blessings.  I bring you, butcher paper and markers.  This is a staple for me at my kids' birthday parties and holidays.  I roll it out across the front hallway as guests arrive at parties.  Everyone draws a picture and leaves a message (of course tailoring the message to the type of celebration.)  Yes, the way I did this risks getting marker on the wall, but I found it to be completely worth it.

As you can see, we have a lot for which to be grateful.  From the silly to the deeply meaningful, life is full of wonderful blessings I don't always feel I deserve.  It was fun for us all to think about what means a lot to us and see each other's illustrations and records of our blessings on our gratitude wall.

So simplicity it is.  Not making a big deal out of things as much as really drinking in the small things that matter most and won't always be this way.  Ignoring the negative, laughing about the imperfect, enjoying all the good around us.

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." - Mormon Scripture