GoBbLe PaLoOzA!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed home.  We hung out, played Mario-Cart, went sledding, drank hot chocolate, and ate a lot, of course! :)  It is always so fun to have big blocks of time to just be together with family and friends.  LOVE this time of year.

Here is how the week went:

1.  I attempted to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls as a special treat for my kids.  This is the result...

They didn't rise. :(  So...what do you do in this situation?  KNEADER'S BAKERY to the rescue...

Muffin Tops for everyone!  That's right folks, they don't sell the whole muffin...just the tops!  But that works for me because that is the only part I really like anyway. :)  The kids didn't complain either...

2.  Sledding!

The girls and I hung out in the car while Morgan and Jake braved the cold..it was seriously cold, but they had a ton of fun!  I read, Abby and Claire watched UP, and M&J sledded for about an hour and a half!  It was so funny to watch them.  Some kids had made a "jump" out of snow...by the end both M&J went off it!  Morgan caught air, and Jake crashed.  He laid there for a minute, then got up and yelled..."THAT WAS AWE-SOME!"  So funny.

3.  Thanksgiving Dinner!

We went to Trev's parents house for dinner this year.  It was so fun, and given the number of children (let's just say A LOT), it actually was really relaxed.  The kids colored, made turkeys out of gloves, and ate lots of turkey as well.  The adults ate about a half an hour after the kids (crowd control technique) and had Prime Rib, Sweet Potatoes, and Yorkshire Puddings!  It was DELISH!  Then we got to choose from probably 10 different pies!  Trev's fam knows how to do Thanksgiving! :) 

Families in attendance: 

Geoff and Jill.  Fantastic hosts.

Amy and Greg and their kids.  We even got to see Kianna, the first grandkid in college! 

Rich and Lisa and their kids. 

Dan and Charity and their kids.

Matt.  He came in from Idaho.

Trev and I with our kids.

Megan and Ernesto with their boys.  They suprised us last minute and drove through the night from AZ!  It was so fun to see them.

Missing:  Heather and Dallan and their kids.  :(  They went to his parents this year.  We missed them!

Here are the pics:

Thank heaven for families. :)

I'm not the babysitter!

Ok, explanation.  Over the past little while...not sure how long, but I have honestly been feeling a little overwhelmed.  It is tough being M-O-M sometimes.  I have so many responsibilties that at times it can start to weigh on a person.  Last night a magical thing happened.  Trev was gone, I got the kids fed and in bed by 7:30 pm. (gotta love those short winter days).  I finished tidying up, and then I had some quiet time to myself!  I took a bath, thought a lot about random things, and then decided to end the night with reading other's blogs.  There are a few blogs in particular, that I visit for a mommy-pick-me-up.  I visited them all. :)  One of these blogs/woman who writes it, completely inspires me.  When I read her blog, it reminds me how much fun children are, and how much I love being a mother.  I am quite sure that she goes through days like I do, in fact, I know for sure she does because she blogs about it. :)  But, she is positive, happy, and truly loves her children/family/and calling to be a wife and mother.  She mostly blogs about the everyday stuff her family does...good, bad, ugly, and unforgettable.  Even though we are only aquaintances, I feel as though I know her and her family so well!  Her blog is truly a personal history of their family.  It makes me want to use mine as such. 
The other thing I love about this woman's blog is that her family spends so much time together and does so many fun things.  Their activities bond them, and they highlight the strengths and interests of each member of the family.  They are super close-knit.  I want that to be a culture we have in our home.  I think we have that foundation, I just want to make sure that continues.
Back to the experience.  After reading this woman's blog, I got to thinking about how my time has been spent lately.  I realized that I think I may have started acting more like a babysitter recently, than a mom.  Which brings me to the title of this post.  A babysitter is someone who comes to tend children while the parent is away.  They keep them occupied, make sure the house is kept up, and tends to the duties of raising children.  Then they leave once the parent comes back.  Granted some babysitters are better than others.  However, they are really only there to watch over and protect. 
A mother (and father), on the other hand, are there not only to watch over and protect, but also to nurture, love, and help their children grow into the divine potential they were sent to earth with.  Ours is a life-long mission and journey.  They require our time, attention, love, protection, and nurturing.  That is the calling of a parent.
So...where has my time, as a mother, been spent lately.  Tending to the duties of raising kids - which is IMPORTANT!  I don't want to down-play that aspect because those things need to get done.  What I realized last night was that lately I haven't been giving enough time/attention/nurture to my little ones.  I have been trying to keep them occupied so that I could get other stuff done.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not beating myself up here.  Sometimes you have to just get things done.  And that is ok!  Last night was just a gentle nudging from a loving Father in Heaven to not neglect the side of mothering that is important, just not urgent.  This is the side of mothering that my dear, inspiring, blogging friend exemplifies so well.  I am thankful to her and to the Spirit for reminding me to do the same.  I love my kids, I love being a wife and mother. 
Time to get back to mothering!  Today is a new day and I woke with a determination to spend so fun, quality time with my kids.  I tickled my little girls.  I talked with Jake over a PB/Honey/Banana sandwich lunch, about what he was looking forward to in preschool next week.  And when Morgan got home from school, she asked to finger-paint turkeys, a project they did at school.  She wanted to show us how to do them, and instead of saying no because of the unavoidable mess it would make, I said yes. :)  The kids did their project, drank some hot cocoa, and Morgan read her book from school.  I just sat there with them, watching, talking, and documenting.  Just enjoyed the moment with my kids.  The girls were down for their nap in case you were wondering. :) 
Last night was a good night.  Today was even better. 

Here are a couple of pics of the Finger-Paint Turkey Project.  These images will serve as a reminder for me of what I learned last night.  Truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!