Shout out to my Bro!

So, in a past blog, I gave kudos to my "little" brothers. Now, I'm taking a minute to praise my older brother, and yes, he's as awesome as the younger two.
Blair and his wife are foster parents. Blair also attends graduate school full time, works full time, and together they take care of 5 wonderful kids (three are theirs, two are foster kids). Oh, and they have two dogs and a couple cats (last I checked). The best part- their house is practically spakles! I don't need to tell you how busy they are, it's pretty obvious.
Blair just won the Foster Father of the Year award here in Utah! HOORAY for him!! It goes without saying that Caron had a lot to do with that too, but together they are absolutely amazing with their children. They are so loving, generous, thoughtful and kind with everyone they associate with (kids, adults, family and friends). It is hard for me to comprehend how much work and emotion goes into what they do on a daily basis. They will have foster kids there for a long time, fall in love with them, and then return them to their families. They struggle every day to provide a safe and caring environment for their whole family. And, they do this all out of the hugeness of their hearts.
Maybe one day the children who they've helped will thank them, maybe not. But no matter what, they have made a large impact on numerous children's lives.
Blair is an amazing Uncle to my kids. They absolutely love him. My kids are so lucky to have so many wonderful Uncles! The example that Blair and his family set for the rest of us is priceless.
So, congratulations Brother! No one deserves this award more than you, whether you believe it or no! I love you.

Ayden's Boy Party

He's FIVE years old! It's official, he now knows everything, doesn't need help with anything (except transforming Transformers), and has an opinion on every little thing. He was thoroughly spoiled for his birthday (and is acting like it). We had loads of friends over to help him celebrate. First was Pizza, then Spiderman races, then cupcakes and icecream and finally (after much begging) we opened presents. This was a party for the boys, although Jade and Ash were allowed to hang out (I needed some females in the room!). If only I could figure out a way to bottle the energy that the 7 boys were exerting- I would be rich. Here are a few more pictures of our Birthday Bash!

Jade doing her best Spiderman Pose

Ayden getting his party on

A room full of energy and fun!

Cheers to Amazing Weekends!

We have successfully finished our first family road trip! Hoorah! We left for Sacramento on Wednesday of last week and arrived home today, Tuesday. 4 long days in the car and 3 wonderful days playing in California. The first day we were there (Ayden's 5th birthday), we went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Valejo. What a blast! The kids went on their first roller coaster rides, saw dolphins and a killer whale. They walked through a huge aquarium filled with sharks and other large fish. They ate Cotton Candy (Jade did not like it, but Ayden is in love with the stuff). They played games and won prizes. The weather was perfect, about 65 degrees with lots of clouds to keep us out of the sun. I made my brother go on a huge roller coaster with me. I haven't been on a roller coaster for over 10 years. It was awesome. I haven't screamed that loud in well, over 10 years! It was good to remind myself that I'm not that old, yet! I can't imagine a better way to spend your 5th birthday than this! After we were finished at the park, we drove to San Ramone to visit my other brother and his girlfriend. We at at Chili's (no surprise there, right?) It was so great to see him, we all miss my brothers in a big way.

The next day we attempted to shop, but Jade hit a wall and needed a day at home. So, we chilled at Jess's house. On Sunday, it was Jess's Birthday so we took him to Horton Hears a Who (it was the top of his list of movies he wanted to see :) then to lunch at Center Court (yummy food). Back to Jess's for nap time. During Jade's naps, Jess would play video games with Ayden while Steve and I rested (he's a great Uncle and brother!). Jess lives by a pond with ducks and geese. On Saturday night we took the kids over to feed the birds and have a little time in Nature. It was nice, the best part of the trip really. We chatted and chased bunnies. Jess also has a hot tub and swimming pool where he lives so we spent a lot of time there too!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Although, having to leave my brothers so far away makes me very sad. I miss them and can't wait until they live closer. 10 hours is just too far away. But, here is where I tell you how proud I am of my brothers. They have both grown into amazing men. They are responsible, caring, and generous. They put their lives at risk every day to do their jobs and put up with crap from people who don't understand what they sacrifice to help our communities. Most of all, my brothers are, and will always be, my best friends. When I was younger, all I wished for was a little sister. While I got an awesome sister (who I'm slowly getting to know), my brothers have been the world to me. So, thanks guys for putting up with us this weekend!

Anticipation

For the last two days, I've been listening to Jade ask (in her wonderfully annoying whining voice) "can we go to Jess's house now?" It's a sentiment that we are all sharing. I've been planning a trip to visit my brothers in Sacramento for over three months now (it was a way to distract me from the doldrums of Winter). We leave tomorrow. Am I ready? Mentally-yes. Realistically- NO. The kids are playing outside, I'm blogging. My laundry is unfinished in the basement that is being finished. I have books to deliver, donations to solicit, kids to keep alive, clothes to put away, lists to make and a pedicure to enjoy. As such, tomorrow morning promises to be a chaotic clash of kids and parents trying to remember to pack underwear and keeping in mind that this is FUN! We have four days of driving and three days of playing (it's a little off balance, but it will have to work).

While we are away, Ayden will celebrate his 5Th birthday. Our lives have changed so drastically since Ayden joined our family. His presence has taught us patience, love, compromise, faith and most of all he has brought us an unbelievable amount of joy.
Happy Birthday Buddy.

Easter

Happy late Easter! Easter was so early this year, I had a hard time getting everything done! We had a fantastic weekend celebrating with friends and family. On Thursday night, the kids and I colored eggs. They did an amazing job. I can't believe how well they followed directions and listened to me. We had no major catastrophies and not one egg was broken! Here are the kids showing off their art work. Next year, I'll boil more eggs, they couldn't get enough of coloring them (some eggs were dipped more than twice and came out a beautiful brown color!) We ended up coloring eggs two more times before Easter. Once with our friends and then again with Grandma and Grandpa in SLC. All three times were a load of fun!

On Friday, we went to St. George with a couple of my friends that were visiting from SLC. The annual art fair was in full swing and it was a load of fun! This year, the new Library Plaza was complete with fountains and streams for the kids to play in. They got soaking wet and we all got sunburnt! There were street preformers and great musicians. It was a blast, much improved from years past. After we had all the fun we could stand, we rushed home to play with our friends in Cedar (the second coloring of eggs). It was a good day filled with lovely people and the weather was amazing.

We drove to SLC on Saturday to spend the holiday with my Dad and Step-mom. They always do a huge party for Easter complete with brunch, bobbing for peeps and a large scale Easter egg hunt. This is my dad cooking Brunch for everyone. He's an awesome chef. My brother and sister were there along with their partners in crime and my step-siblings were there too. My niece was also there (she's adorable). It was so much fun. The best part was watching the kids try bobbing for Peeps (it's like bobbing for apples, except with Peeps). Ayden couldn't get a single Peep in his mouth, while Jade managed to get 4! She was so awesome. Just dove right in, she's got her daddy's competetive streak. I'm thinking she'll take first place next year! Now, we're home, gearing up for our next trip. I'm so glad Winter is OVER!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Luck o'the Irish to you all today! We have had a great weekend pre-celebrating St. Patrick's day. Sprindale has an annual St. Patrick's Day Parade that we attended on Saturday, then on Sunday, we had an Irish Feast at our house. Fun times! Both Steve and I have a significant amount of Irish in our blood so it is fun to learn a little more about our heritage this time of year. The kids get a kick out of wearing the green. Here's a traditional Irish blessing and toast to get you in the St. Patty's day mood:

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be ever at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

And the rain fall softly on your fields

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Forgiveness

In the last year, I've been given the opportunity to let people from my past back into my life. Several of them actually. These relationships were ended due to lots of different factors, some hurtful, others out of my control. With each new re-forming of the friendship, I've had to ask myself if it is worth it? What will I gain by being a friend to this person again? Will my life be better if I allow them to be part of my future? And, sometimes, I've had to ask the really tough question of can I forgive them for hurting me in the past? I found it useful to think about my current friendships. All of my relationships are very unique. I gain different things from different friends. They all mean something special to me, but are all very individual. I gain something from each of them by allowing them into my life and I hope the reverse is true. Every person in my life adds value, why wouldn't I want more? With these old relationships, I had to explore my feelings and in the process, I have learned a lot about myself. Forgiveness, when contemplated as it relates to me is useless. Saying, "that person hurt me, they deserve to suffer for the pain they inflicted" is very self-serving. I gain nothing with that approach. Instead, I've had to look at the pain and accept that it had nothing to do with me, but was wholly based on their experience and opinion. In "The Four Agreements" it says: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do are a projection of their own reality". When that idea is applied to those who need my "forgiveness" it is easy to shed myself of the pain I have carried and move on without feelings of anger, sadness or insecurity. I know this is deep, but it's been on my mind for a while now. I am blessed to have my "old" friends in my life. Each one of them have helped me in ways that are deeply personal. I would have lost so much if I hadn't let them back into my world with open, loving arms. I believe friendships, like life, have seasons. Everything happens for a reason and I can't wait to learn the lesson associated with these exciting additions to my life.