Mother's Day!

Tomorrow is a big day people! Tomorrow is the first Sunday where I have my own offspring up on the stand singing directly to me!
I know that Christmas times comes with some lovely music on sundays and I really enjoys the fourth of July when we sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic during sacrament but there are few things that bring outrageous amount of tears to my eyes like primary children singing to their mothers.
The innocence, the love the sense that they are totally unaware of how much their sweet voices and words actually mean to the their moms!
I asked Frank if he was excited to sing to me on Sunday and he looked at me confused and brushed off the question without a response.  It might mean nothing to him just yet (he's 4 remember) but my heart has been yearning for this day! I have wanted to see my own child up on the stand since I was a young girl and could feel the spirit fill the chapel with love for what I believe is one of God's most special jobs!
Being a Mom is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done. I think it's so difficult because the amount of selflessness you have to have is unmeasurable. Frank beat the selfishness right out of me.  I could no longer choose when or how to sleep.  I couldn't even choose when to go to the bathroom.  It was incredibly hard for me at first. So hard I wasn't sure I could do it.  It's four years later and 2 more children have been added to the mix and I have to tell you IT JUST GETS BETTER!  When I let go of myself I find my place as mother. It's difficult to maintain and sometimes I give up and check out but I am finding that the happiest place is at the bottom of a kid pile! Wrapped in the arms of my amazing children.  Night time when Frank wakes up crying and I pray his fears away and kiss his tears.  When Addy tells me a silly story and we laugh out loud together for minutes.  When Louie does just about anything! These moments are fleeting.  Days melt into years and I hope to settle into the moment more and stop wishing for bedtime. I want to focus on the moments before they are memories.  I am excited for tomorrow and looking forward to the tears that will be shed! Finally a Primary Age baby to sing to his mommy! I am so lucky!

Louie's Beautiful Blessing

Louie's Blessing

We decided this time around to bless Baby Louie at home.  We didn't want to take him to church and risk him getting sick.  I have to say it was beautiful! So nice to just have our family around us and give our baby a name and a blessing.  It was nice because I was able to properly thank all of the people that matter most to us and let them know how much their service through out this whole ordeal has been priceless.  Jake did an amazing job with the blessing his words were so sweet and sincere and just right for our little Louie.

Louie is doing amazing! He is 3 months old already! I can hardly believe it! He is getting big too he is 10 lbs now and all his 0-3 months clothes finally fit him.  He is starting to smile when we talk to him. He is incredibly cuddly and we all love to snuggle him all day long.  I'm sure before I know it he will be a big kid and acting like his older brother.  I am looking forward to watching him grow! Love you my little Louie bug.

Grandpa and Grandma Mortimer

Grandpa and Grandma Suazo

Lou and Louie Suazo

Doyle Moss and Louie Moss

Holi Moli

Franklin started preschool but you knew that already.  His teacher is wonderful and he really loves going.  Miss Sue has a board with some apples (paper cut out apples) on it and if you aren't listening, biting, saying bad words or overall just being a bad kid you get an apple taken away.  Frank has been to preschool about 10 times and lost ALMOST all of his apple at least 5 times.  This, people, gives me ANXIETY! It also moves Franklin to tears! I don't know how to fix the problem or help him more to understand that he has to listen when the teacher asked him to do something and he can't say BAD WORDS! Oh yes one day on his apple paper was written saying bad words!  Don't worry I checked with Miss Sue and the bad words weren't any of the ones you are thinking right now in your head.  Mostly it was NO, I don't want to and other crappy stuff like that. 
Why as parents to we take this stuff so personally.  When Franklin loses an apple I take it as a direct reflection on my parenting but the truth is he's a kid and he's learning. This is the first classroom Frank has been in the first teacher he has had to listen to.  I'm glad he has somewhere to go and learn amazing things from a super nice teacher but this apple buisness is killing me!

I'm sure your all thinking hmmmm looks like the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree and you'd be RIGHT!

This is Frank at McDonalds after coming home with all his apples still on the tree! Did you know you could get fancy face painting at MICKEY D's? Well you can!

Addy as a beautiful butterfly!  She always keeps her apple but that is only cause she doesn't go to preschool.  I'm pretty sure if she did she would be appleless this girl is a handful! Also she is grace!

Love you Frank and Addy

Me and my Babies

My kids are finally home and to say we missed each other would be an under statement

This is how we have spent most of the day
"Hold me Mom!"
I'd love to!

Did you notice to that this new mom of 3 THREE children got ready today. GO ME! 

Don't get used to this! It's not gonna happen often.

Meeting Louie

My baby is over 1 month old and today was the first day that Frank and Addy got to actually touch and hold their baby brother.  They were in HEAVEN! Frank held him and just about died.  "Mom he's so cute! Oh look at his toes, this little piggy goes to market, this little piggy eats cheese, this little piggy eats salmon!"  SALMON?? That is a very creepy and sophisticated pig! Good taste! Addy has taken to being the mom already. She tells him everything is ok when he cries and wants to feed him the bottle when it's time.  I am one happy mom having all my babies together at last!

Penelope FAILS but Smells delicious!

My findings!

              

              Showering is simple! Showering should be simple.

  You honestly won't believe my first day of this adventure.  

I got  up, knew I had to take the kiddles to the doctor so I ran them a bath so they would be *sparkling.  I then realized that I had forgotten to dry the towels that were in the washer from the night before. They were stinky so I had to restart the washer! 

                                       Washer going check! 

                                     Children in bath check! 

   Children lotioned, dressed to impress (we are going in public after all) check! 

             Ok, baby nap time. PERFECT! I can sneak in a tiny shower before we head out.  I put Fritz in his room, put the baby down for a little nap, jumped in the shower and quickly realized that I had used ALL the hot water for the laundry and my babies!

YIKES!!!  Ladies it was freezing.  I wasn't sure what to do. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye the homemade body scrub from Grandma, Oatmeal and Brown Sugar.    “I know I’ll just turn off the water and use that.  Let my body exfoliate while the water heats up!"  Great plan SELF! 

 So there I am: naked, conditioner in hair and oatmeal/brown sugar lathered all over my body just waiting and shivering.  Having waited what I felt was amply amount of time I turned back on the water.  

You're RIGHT your brain has already come to the conclusion that mine that day did not! I turned on the water and the arctic water poured down my front! 

I had no choice!  I had to finish the shower I was overly committed I was covered in confections! I made the only sensible choice in this situation, I rinsed off each body part one at a time jumping in jumping out before my limb got frostbite.  

Day one: Shower went awful! There was no five minutes under hot water.  However, I have smelled oatmeal and brown sugar  all day. 

                                       I am left wanting a cookie!  

*read, I am a really good mom! 

Showering with Penelope

Penelope here!

Misson: I will take a shower everyday for one week! 

WAIT...Don't roll your eyes or gasp in shock! The truth is, I don't shower everyday! Moms do not have a infinite amount of time; between the diapers, soccer, nursing and play dates come on I'm exhausted. Even the smallest tasks (showers) can be tough to accomplish.  

That is why Penelope has to take on this task.  

See there are plenty of times during the day when decisions have to be made. First you weigh your options trying to find the least stressful approach.  For example: Do I do the laundry or pick the cleanest thing off the floor to wear? (Good question Julie!) Do I make a trip to the store for dinner or test my culinary genius on tofu and tuna? ( I am not that good of a cook.) and finally could I make it one more day with this ponytail and stinky armpits? 

I'm not a bad person cause I don't shower everyday! In fact I think it’s a good mom that finds herself with these kinds of dilemmas.   

It is not for a lack of hygiene or self respect it is truly a balance of time and energy.  Before kids I spent an entire hour in the shower just letting the hot water run down my body.  I spent an hour on my hair and make-up! AN HOUR, who has time just laying around like that anymore? People I dressed to impress! I never worried if my outfit could be nursed in or how it matched baby poop.   I didn’t care if flats made more sense they were less adequate!   Now I understand this isn't a problem for some moms.  I've seen you HOT moms hanging out at the park with your Anthropology get up and your complete MAC face but for me this is a problem. (P.S. good for all the HOT moms out there I commend you, however this blog might not appeal to you cause you seem to have it all together GO YOU! I wish I was you sometimes!)  

So how did it change? Where did all my self pride go?  To the loves of my life! So while I am doing the mommy duties, my fabulous alter ego Penlope will be taking on the adurance task of showering every single day this week.  

Here are the rules, said shower will include shaving my legs at least 2 times (your welcome JAKE!) and a full body scrub.  I will also take 5 min to bask in super super hot water and think about nothing but really, really hot water. After the shower I must get dressed for the day.  No workout clothes or PJ’s real life adult human clothes. Clothes that I wouldn’t be embarrassed running into a friend wearing. 

  *note-I am not including shampooing everyday, the hairdresser in me can’t stomach it (this is a NO NO) and let’s be realistic that adds another 25 min to my daily routine and I have got a date making dinosaurs sounds while I chase Fritz all over the house.  

Wish me Luck!

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