Splish Splash They Were Taking a Bath!

This actually was a Saturday night.  With church back at 9am on Sundays, I have to start prepping the night before.  It is nice to let the chores go for a little while and harass my kids with my camera instead. I really should do it more often!  It always helps me to slow down a little bit, focus on what is really important, and remember how incredibly blessed I am.

Take 1...

Take 2...

Take 3...

Oh never mind!  Love these crazy babies!!

The Simple Wonders of One

There is so much wonder in being one...

So much happiness...

So many things to learn...

and discover...

It is magical...for all of us.

365 Project...more like the Several Times a Month Project

One of my best friends has started doing a 365 project and the images she captures in the lifestyle photography of her gorgeous busy boys never fails to take my breath away.  Her work has also inspired me to be better about picking up my camera (and not my iphone) for more of the "normal" and simple things...the moments that make up my real life.

I Didn't Quit on Christmas Cards

So, once again the Orrs did not send out a Christmas card.  While I have heard arguments that the whole tradition is rendered obsolete with the use of social media, that is not my excuse.  I actually look forward to checking the mail throughout December.  Seeing the beautiful faces of family and friends and reading their warm holiday greetings isn't lessened for me because I've seen pictures of their children on Facebook.  Instead it makes me feel remembered and definitely spreads a little Christmas cheer.

So, why, if I love receiving them so much, have I neglected to send out my own?  To put it simply, time...I just keep running out of time.  Last year, I was preparing to welcome our baby girl into the family, and this year I...I, guess I was just busy being a stay at home/home school mom of my three littles and the days just got away from me.  I did however, take some Christmas pictures of my crazy kids.  It was Scarlett's first Christmas after all, but that is as far as I got.  So here they are...

So for those of your who keep sending me Christmas cards, thank you!  I did not quit on Christmas cards, I will try again next year. :-)

Buttercream With My Babies

Isn't it amazing how much things can change in one year?!  A year ago we were still awaiting the arrival of our sweet girl.  This year, Scarlett is at the table ready to help eat all the cookie dough  decorate the cookies.  Jake is loosing teeth as fast as Scarlett can grow them, and Jamie has fully embraced life as one of the big brothers.
What hasn't changed is my love of buttercream frosting, and it appears that all three of my babies have inherited it too.  So here is to a day of sugar cookies, buttercream, food coloring and messes mixed with love, laughter, and lots of pictures!

Talent Telling

The boys and I have spent our mornings, this past year, studying the New Testament.  Each week we focus on one story or parable.  There is one morning that has really stuck with me.  It was a crisp fall morning and we were sitting around the table after breakfast (more than likely one with a little too much syrup) talking about the parable of the talents.  Jacob began to share with us things he had learned about that parable in his primary class, just a few weeks before.  

He explained to James and me that while the talents in the story were a kind of money, they were like the gifts and talents that Heavenly Father has blessed each one of his children with here on this earth.  He continued by telling us that he had learned how important it was for each of us to use our talents and that the consequence of not using them could be loosing them completely.

As he spoke, an LDS General Conference talk, I read several months before, came to my mind.  The speaker suggested that one way we could identify our talents was to talk to our parents about the strengths they see in us.  I felt impressed that this would be a perfect opportunity to help my boys start to see some of the unique gifts they have been blessed with.  


Since that lesson, I have been mentally writing this blog.  So once again, my beautiful babies, I write to you so that you will always know how you look from my eyes.

Jacob: You are a natural leader.  On that morning, the talent I focused was the way you are able to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with others, often people you are meeting for the first time.  As I shared this with you, your eyes lit up and you said, "This will help me be a great missionary!"  I think you are exactly right!  You possess confidence and poise far beyond your young years.  I am always amazed at how effortless it is for you to stand in front of a crowd to play your violin or bare a heartfelt testimony.  You are a special boy, sent here with a special mission.  I will never forget the clear answer to my prayers, earlier this year, when the Spirit confirmed what I have always known.  "I have made him this way for a purpose!"  

James:  You are still the color yellow.  That warm light you radiate has only increased as you have grown.  Like your older brother, you have been blessed with an incredible mind.  You have an ability to learn and comprehend things both academically and spiritually that not only amazes me, but often catches me off guard.  I love when I think you don't understand something (or are not paying attention) and then out of nowhere you will spout off the answer in that nonchalant way of yours.  However, it is your compassion and kind hearted nature that I mentioned during our lesson that morning.  At three years old you are already considerate of others feelings, often putting their needs and wants before your own.  I will never forget a walk we took this summer where you choose to forfeit your race home with Jake and instead turned your bike around so I wouldn't have to walk alone.  You share this gift each day and by doing so bless our home with peace and love.  

Scarlett:  You are our princess!  There is so much personality bubbling out of your tiny little body.  You are the perfect combination of so many contradictions.  You are a fearless mama's girl who is as sweet as she is stubborn.  You truly have a smile that "can light up any room" and a giggle that makes us all laugh, but you also have no trouble demanding what you want or expressing your frustration when you don't get it.  When you hear music you can't help but dance and when someone sings you can't help join in (perfectly on pitch).  In so many ways I see myself, but in so many others you are all your own.  I adore you, and know that you will bless others with your talents and gifts as you grow the same way you have already blessed us.