Best Friends

My children have NOT been acting very nice to each other lately, so we decided to have an FHE on why it was important to treat your siblings kindly.  The result.....

What's your favorite part about being a parent?

I loved reading all the "least favorite parenting jobs!" I could relate to them all! But now I thought it might be fun to tell our favorite part of being a parent. Mine would have to be in those silly moments when you don't have to be a "mom" but can just have fun with your kids. I love when we can all play and laugh together, and nobody cries, fights, or whines. (It's a rare occurrence!) I also love any sort of spontaneous "I love you" from the kids. Halle used to tell me all the time that I was the "best mom in the whole wide world." SO SWEET. And the other day at bedtime Josh came charging down the hall as fast as his little legs could carry him, threw his arms around my neck and said, "Love you mom." Moments like that make all the other stuff worth it.
So what's your favorite part of being a parent?

Per a Previous Post

The joys of having a sister obsessed with Band aids.

Another Trip to Happy Valley

Thanks to the ever awesome website airfarewatchdog.com we scored some way cheap tickets to Utah. We got to meet baby Jack and celebrate Alan's 60th birthday. Funny story--Josh has a bear that he takes EVERYWHERE! We went to the hospital to eat lunch at the Pink Shop with my Dad, and of course Mr. Bear had to come. (Mr. Bear even ordered a milkshake!) Well, it was time to leave and Mr. Bear was nowhere to be found. I'm not sure who was more devastated, me or Josh. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Pink Shop, it is also the hospital gift shop. So I am searching through all the gifts and millions of stuffed animals. I come to the teddy bear display, and who do I see sitting proudly amidst all the other bears? That's right, our Mr. Bear. I guess someone saw him on the floor and figured he belonged with all the other bears--although he is so very filthy that I can't imagine anyone mistaking him for a new toy!


Sunday we celebrated Alan's bday with a very yummy dinner, and of course, Cars decorations. The kids were especially fond of the party hats and the balloons. There was Chaos everywhere, and everyone had a great time.




We went Bowling at good old Jack and Jill's with the Cornell clan. As it did require exerting a certain amount of physical energy, Halle hated it. Along those same lines, Josh LOVED it. He had the best time trying to carry his own ball and then pushing it down the kiddy ramp. Josh must be destined to be a great bowler because his score tied Landon's, and Landon was on the bowling team in HS!




We also got to attend the Open House for the Draper Temple with Grandma and Grandpa Banks. It was fun to take the kids (Well, it was fun to take Halle, Josh we could have left home). Halle especially loved the Brides room. She loved spinning in front of the full length mirror. We got to talk a lot about the importance of temples and you could see that it really hit home with Halle. On the other hand, every time we drove past the Mt. Timp Temple Josh would say, "There's the Temple! We can't climb on it."


Other fun events included going to breakfast at IHOP, playing for hours in the hot tub, playing Go Fish about a million times, Halle having a sleepover with Grandma Banks, and Halle making everyone come to her room and listen to Scripture Scouts (anyone else remember these from when they were a kid??)

conversations with Halle

This was the conversation we had on the drive home from church today:

Halle: Mom, I'm excited to go to Utah.
Me: Me too.
Halle: Do you think Grandma has any bandaids at her house?
Me: I'm sure she does.
Halle: What kind do you think she has? Princess, Dora, Barbie....
Me: Probably just the plain old brown kind
Halle: HUGE HUGE Sigh. Quiet for the rest of the ride home.