Bracken's Big Day

Bracken was blessed on September 3rd.  Blessing days are always a tender day for me.  I like to think of how special these little ones are to Heavenly Father.  It is such a sweet way to start this mortal experience and such a day of hope, potential, and love.   Mike gave Bracken a beautiful blessing.  One of my favorite parts was that he was blessed with an optimistic disposition and a spirit of gratitude throughout his life.  He is such a happy little fellow.

 

Here are some fun pictures of the morning before.  Somehow we didn't get one of the whole family.  Of coarse we missed family and wish they could have been here.  

These times make it hard to be a thousand plus miles away.  However, it was a nice day with brothers who love each other.

 

It was a sweet time to be together and a special time to feel close to heaven and enjoy the sweet spirit of our little guy.

A note about Sundays..  I love Sundays I really do.  However, Sundays aren't always a day of rest at our house, usually they are more of a wrestling match that lasts from morning till night.  Getting ready to go to church is monumental.  And for literally a split second we are looking our best.  In most cases, we try to be and are usually tucked in and looking sharp before we leave the house for church.  Somehow, by the time we get out of the van and into the chapel, (we only live about 2 minutes away from our church building) some child is missing some article of clothing, shirts are untucked, shoelaces untied, ties loose and hanging down or twisted and backwards, hair is poking straight up in unusual places, and something is smeared on the face.  Today, right before we left the house to meet Mike at church, I noticed Jake had gotten into the m&ms and had orange and blue goo smeared all over his shirt, and somehow his tie had traveled and was now clipped nicely to his front shirt pocket rather than his collar.  After we arrived at church, that's when I noticed that my two older boys were sporting their white socks and both had a severe case of Deaconitis (white socks, paired with black dress shoes and black pants, not quite long enough).   They also had marker all over their mouths and hands.  It wasn't there earlier, but because it is Sunday, it magically appeared.  Entropy happens Sunday mornings.  Sundays, I'm just glad to make it to church and that's how it goes.   

Holding on to Summer

School started on a Friday, the following Monday we headed out to the lake for Family Home Evening.  It was a perfect night.  The weather was great, the company fabulous, the beach pretty much empty, and the moments a forever memory.  We played football on the beach, splashed in the water, built sand sculptures in the sand, worried about snakes (someone thought they saw in the water), and had delicious hamburgers and hot dogs barbecued to perfection.  A perfect, full moon rose and shined above, smiling down on us.   

We set goals as a family and talked about some family rules we needed to once again embrace now that school is upon us.   

 

Will

 Ike

 Jake

 

 

 

There is something about watching your kids play.  I love, love watching them run.  I am so grateful for their healthy bodies, that work and move and perform. 

 

 

 There is something about watching their backs that makes me happy.  They are strong and healthy and I can only imagine those strong backs growing up into tall, muscular, healthy backs. 

 

 

 And here is the Holly Terror as we like to call him.  Or HT for short.  What as sweet, mischievous, exhausting, wonderful kid who loves to run and play and make us question our own sanity sometimes. 

And here is my favorite sight in all the world.  The five manly stud muffins of my life.  This picture makes me catch my breath a little when I realize they are all mine. 

 

 

 

And here is a face that can't help but be kissed and snuggled and awed.  I love this sweet, little boy.  He is a calming influence and a joy beyond measure. 
We are enjoying every moment with our sweet Bracken.

 

School started.  So far so good.  It's weird to think that we have a 3rd grader and a 1st grader. I remember third grade very well and it sometimes scares me that we are in the stage of life that my boys will be able to remember when they are older.  I hope I don't mess it up. 

 

 Both boys are going all day now and even after a month of school, I still think Ike should be coming home to me at 11:05.  I miss him, and Will.  Both boys have good teachers though.  Ike is so motivated and is loving every minute, Will is a great kid and loves that they get to cook in his class on Fridays.  I know it's been a good cooking day when Will asks his teacher for the reciepe:) and I get a scribbed copy of it and a request to make it again.

 

 

 Just moments before we walked up to school. 

 I'm so grateful the school is just up the road and we can walk. It's pretty fantastic. 

 

Getting ready for all day.  Cute face!

 



 Brothers taking good care of each other. 

Will and Ike meet up after school and then walk and I meet them at our park.  It's a pretty good system and I'm glad Will is a good big brother who waits for Isaac.

 

The first few weeks after school started our pool was still opened.  It was the perfect way to end the evening.  We spent quality time there this summer with swim team and just surviving the heat.  It's always a sad day when the pool closes for the season.

 

Fun, Fun, Fun!

 

Now that school, has started, and the pool is closed, and life is getting back to a normal routine, Jake is doing a good job of keeping me company and busy during the day.  Does this face just say come and get me!  I'm going to do something.........maybe naughty. 

And then without fail he tells me he loves me and that I'm lovely.  And he uses such proper phrases like, "Mom I have a wonderful idea.  Lets go feed the horses,.. Shall We?" And I melt and even though there are about a gazillion other things we need to be doing I say.. "We shall, Jake."  And it is always the right, wonderful choice. 

 

Grandma Smith

The world is a better place because my grandma Smith was part of it.  She lived nobly, feisty, true, and kind for 88 years, leaving her inspiring mark on many souls.  And lately I find myself thinking a lot about her.  I always loved my grandma, she made every one feel like the favorite, I miss her.  But something happened when I had my boy # 3.  I felt an instant connection to her.  If anyone knew how to handle 3 rambuncious boys it was grandma.  Over the past 3 plus years as I've "experienced" the cacophony, insanity, tenderness, (yes there are tender moments) and joy of 3 boys, my thoughts often turn to her. 
"She did this too", I think to myself, and the bond forges stronger.
  "What and how would grandma handle this situation," is a question I often ponder. 

 

(Bracken's blessing day Sunday, September 3rd)

         
Grandma, like me had three boys right in a row.  There was no little girl to change things up for her either, just the steady stream of boy energy.  I've heard childhood tales of boyisms, that my mother's brothers performed, that make me shudder a little and then smile because those boy moments sound a little familiar.  Eventually, after 3 boys, grandma had a sweet girl and then years later another sweet little girl, -my mom.   Yes, eventually she had the pink to balance out all that blue.  With the birth of my fourth boy the blue in my world stretches on as far as the eye can see.  I feel outnumbered all the time, not in a bad way, just outnumbered.  Sometimes my heart yearns for a little pink.  But I am so grateful, so grateful for these boys of mine, so grateful to be their mom.  I pray that I'll be up to the task.  I pray for patience and that my boys will grow into men of honor and goodness.  At those times when my prayers get a little more intense and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, and perhaps a little alone in this sea of blue, I sense my grandma close.  I know she's cheering me on, helping me out, loving and encouraging me, still leaving her mark on my soul.