The Mom I want to Be

A year ago my sweet father gave me a father's blessing that promised me I would be able to be the mom I want to be. That phrase has stuck with me a lot and I am sure I will think about it a lot through the rest of my life. What kind of mom do I want to be?

1. A mom who loves her children.
2. A mom who plays with her children.
3. A mom who loves their father!
4. An active mom!
5. A healthy mom.
6. A mom who is close to her Father in Heaven.
7. A mom who makes the house feel inviting.
8. A mom who talks kindly to her children.
9. A mom who is quick to admit her mistakes.
10. A mom who teaches her children.
11. A mom who reads to her children.
12. A mom who helps her children to love learning.
13. A mom who teaches her children to pray.
14. A mom who makes her children feel safe.
15. A mom who is patient with her children.
16. A mom who KNOWS her children individually.
17. A mom who lovingly disciplines her children.
18. A mom who teaches her children to love the scriptures.
19. A mom who teaches her children to be kind to others.
20. A mom who teaches her children to serve others.
21. A mom who teaches her children to love everyone, regardless of race or religion.
22. A mom who knows the Savior.
23. A mom who loves the temple.
24. A mom who doesn't gossip.
25. A mom who does her best not to complain.
26. A mom who is grateful for all her blessings.
27. A mom who is close to her family.
28. A mom who is a good friend.
29. A mom who knows what's most important.
30. A mom who knows how to have fun!
31. A mom who keeps her word.
32. A mom who apologizes.
33. A mom who works hard.
34. A mom who accomplishes her goals.
35. A mom who runs.
36. A mom who reads.
37. A mom who still water skis when she is 60.
38. A mom who enjoys being a mom.

Edited to add:
A mom who is not afraid to try.
A mom who is not afraid to fail.
A mom who can cry.
A mom who can teach right from wrong, and then her kids will choose.
A mom who listens to the spirit.

I know I am far from perfect, but I am really working hard to put first things first. I love my children and I want to enjoy being a mom. I am grateful for the opportunity to be at home with them and I am striving to use that time as best as I can. I want to be the best mom I can be with MY gifts and talents. (Notice I didn't put a mom with a spotless house. I have to be realistic here!)

How about the rest of you? What kind of mom do you want to be?

Enjoying the "summer" weather

Well, since we didn't get much of a summer, we are making up for it now! The weather has been incredible, so we have taken the boat out and have just been chillin' outside as much as possible.
Friday was a beautiful day. One of the reasons I wanted to go to the charter school was because of the 4 day week. I am going to try not to have plans on Fridays so we can all just enjoy being together. I rode my bike to the Y, with Bryce and Emily in the trailer and Dallin on his bike. Then I talked my kids into delivering flyers for me. They were very good sports. I rewarded them and kept them busy, especially Bryce, with popcorn and candy in the trailer. Then we stopped at the park and ran into one of my really good friends, Molly. We ended up staying there a couple of hours and Sarah was kind enough to bring us lunch and join us! Emily made friends with Molly's daughter and it was cute to hear them chatting! I didn't want the day to end but Bryce needed a nap.
On Saturday, I had a fantastic run with great girls who made the time go very fast (and almost made me forget how early it was!). The family spent the morning weeding and then joined our friends for a bike ride through 2 parks. It was very enjoyable once Bryce stopped trying to take his helmet off. We then had pizza and picked blueberries from my friends' own bushes! What a great, relaxing weekend!
Bryce is so funny now! He loves to put things back in their place(my first child who actually LIKES to clean-woo hoo!) and he loves to make us laugh. Just today he was banging his head against the high chair and we giggled so he kept doing it! He can now climb the stairs and go down the slide by himself, which is so cool, and one of my favorite milestones. His 2 main words are still "dog" and "more" but he understands everything we say. I know as he is able to communicate more he will be less easily frustrated. I also know that since he does like order, I need to work harder to keep to a routine. That is my goal for this week.

Partial Update...more to come...

So, I know you have all been on the edge of your seats, and the answer is: Yes, I was the first one in car line! So, what did I do with Bryce and Emily for the next 40 minutes while we waited for Dallin to actually get out of school? We parked the car and got out and played. We were able to watch Dallin play at recess and we found rocks and pine cones. It wasn't too bad, except Dallin was not as happy as I thought he would be because he didn't know his number. So, when they called his number he just sat there and they went onto the next car #! They finally figured out where he was, but then the magic was lost. (And we had held up car line- yep, that was me!)He was not the first one out. Darn it!

But, he had a great first day of school- cast and all.

I was going to blog about my awesome day today, but I will just tease you with some pictures. I am very tired. We spent PART of the day at this awesome event.
Thanks, Ranell, for a great day! I will write more tomorrow. (Maybe...)

The race is on!

So, it is 2:34. Dallin gets out of school at 3:30. My goal- be the first in car line. It would make his whole day. :-)

Can I do it? We will find out. Stay tuned...

A better day in the life of Kelly...

On Friday, we spent a beautiful day at the fountains. We bought a special cast coverup for Dallin so that he could have some fun too. There is nothing I like more than watching my kids have fun. They have great friends and we had a good turnout for our Park Day. Dallin has been trying to find all the things he can still do with a cast!

On Friday night, Jeff and I got to have some fun of our own. We went to a party at my neighbors where we ate some good Memphis BBQ. Then we played a game of Family Feud and ended the night with some karaoke. Jeff's version of Baby Got Back was not quite as good as his Bust a Move. Stick with what you know, Jeff. :-)



Keepin' it real- Thanks to the hilarious blog, Seriously so Blessed, I am reminded that I want to make sure my blog is a true representation of my life. So, each post I will talk about the great and wonderful things going on, but then I will also mention some of the not so good. Of course, I want the focus to be on the positive, mostly because that is how I like to look at life. But I also want to learn from my struggles and remind people that we all go through some of the same things.

Today, I just want to mention that Bryce is so happy when he is outside, hence the pictures from the fountains. He is still a little difficult inside the house. He is not quite as clingy since he has started walking, but he still doesn't like to be put down. I am trying to just enjoy it and know that the stage will eventually pass. He is a sweet boy and so much fun, especially when I don't need to be cooking or cleaning! :-)