I'm baaack...

I'm at the point where I am realizing that lots of memorable things are going on around here and I am going to forget all of it (already have forgotten a lot of it) in like a week. So as much as I am dragging my feet to update my blog...I've just got to do it. I think I will forgo the pics for now because that is just one more step that is making me think, "do I have to?" At least for now...because I DO have to put up some pics of Bennett especially to capture his absolute cuteness for all of you ;-)

So there is no real point of this post other than to capture one cute saying/moment from each of the kids lives recently...so here goes.

Mayah: This isn't really a moment, but something I will want to remember and look back at in a few years when the tables have turned...Mayah is always hanging out with her friends and is our regular social butterfly. She will mostly play with her friends during the week after school and homework with a Saturday thrown in here and there. A few weeks ago she was invited to do something with one of her friends on a Friday night...at first she was really excited, but the more she thought about it the more I could see she was reconsidering. As a family, we usually go out to dinner or something EVERY Friday night after daddy gets home from work. She told me that she wanted to go hang out with her friend, but she was REALLY sad to not "spend time with the family." Those were her exact words. Of course, as a mom, my first reaction was to call and cancel with her friend and have her spend time with ME, but we had already committed and it would be a good learning experience. {and she could realize how awesome and fun it is to hang out with me...I mean us ;-)} She came home saying she had a great time, but that she would have rather spent the night with us and do our family Friday thing. So she decided that next time she would make a different choice. Anyways....I know this isn't some huge monumental story or anything, but I just always wanted to be able to remember the time when my 8 year old would pick her family over her friends....I know these days are going to be too short for my liking, but at least I know she likes us now!!

Connor: This memory made me laugh and feel so sad at the same time. I wish I could have captured it on camera for you because I know I won't do it justice with words. So, Mayah, Connor and about 5 of their friends tried out for the school talent show this year (about 4 months ago). They did a cute little comedy skit that they wrote entirely themselves. When you think school talent show you probably think oh, everyone would/should get in, right? Well, what you need to realize is that their elementary school (grades K-4) has about 1,000 kids in it...and they ALL want to be in the talent show. There are two days of tryouts with the line wrapping around the building. Mayah came home a few weeks after tryouts and told me their group didn't make it. So with that set up here's how Connor's cute/sad moment went down. After picking the kids up from school last week, Connor jumps in the car and says, "Bad news Mayah, the talent show is TOMORROW (eyes wide for emphasis) and we REALLY need to practice!" Mayah and I give each other a wide eyed look that says oh, no! Then I say (in the sweetest, nicest voice possible), "Connor, did you not know that you guys didn't make the talent show?" He looked so confused and just said, "what?" "....you guys aren't going to be in the talent show....I thought you knew that." He then simply puts his hands on his face, hangs his head and starts bawling so hard. Writing it down it doesn't have the same effect, but I tell you that it was the saddest thing ever....poor kid was thinking this ENTIRE time, for months and months, that he was going to be in the talent show...probably telling all his friends and everything! And that his big day was going to be tomorrow! Well, poor, sweet spirited little Connor obviously didn't get the memo.

Ava: No big story for Ava. Just a couple adorable things she says to me all the time. A lot of the time I'll ask her to do something that she DOES NOT want to do and with her classic Ava personality she'll put her hands on her hips, tilt her head and tell me, "No way Jose!" Even though I should nip that in the bud and try to get rid of that little attitude I can never resist and say, "yes way, Jose!" just so I can get her to say it again. On the other hand she can be the sweetest, most helpful little chica around. If anyone is ganging up on me, or getting busted for something she will immediately run up to me and ask me, "Do you know I love you mommy?" Such a cutie. Also if I ask one of the other kids to do me a favor or something Ava will automatically jump right up and try to beat the other kids to whatever it is they were asked to do. I'm sure this is just her being competitive, but I like to look at it as her being a sweet heart for wanting so bad to be a helper.

Bennett: There is so much cuteness that I could write right now, but I'll spare you all that blabber. I do have to say that I think Bennett is my cutest one yet...and I'm sure that has NOTHING to do with him being my baby ;-) He is the snuggliest thing ever...he would let me hold him all day with his thumb in his mouth and his head on my shoulder if I wanted...I am in heaven with this kid. Anyways, onto a memory. Bennett has always been the smiliest guy, so willing to give up a smile if you simply look at him ~ even strangers. His new favorite thing to do is when we are in the grocery store (or some other public place) and he's smiling at a stranger and they notice and smile back he will immediately change his sweet little smile into a "growl face". It is quite literally a squint eyed, square mouthed, teeth showing, growl face....I don't know how to better explain it. He probably just thinks it's a bigger smile or something....and it gets the biggest laugh from EVERYONE that he is sticking with it. I'll have to post a picture of this face some time in the future because it is the greatest. I just need to upload my pics of the memory card....one more thing to do!