Happy Halloween

Henry's Faces

Thanks to Grandma Richins each of the kids got a new outfit, an good excuse to do a photo-shoot.

Easter at Aunt Michelle's

We spent Easter with Aunt Michelle.  The kids had fun.  Michelle had all kinds of activity plans, all of which were way more fancy than we usually make Easter.  Sara and I listened to general conference via ByuTV and while the kids played outside.  It was nice because we could actually listen. Meanwhile, Michelle made meal preparations, though I think by default she caught some of the conference talks.  The kids totally got caught up in all the hoopla. The message of Christ's resurrection was lost but hopefully that message will become more pertinent as they mature, for now they created some great memories, thanks to their Aunt. 

The kids dyed eggs, melted crayons over hot eggs, painted bird houses, went to an Easter carnival at the park where they ate cotton candy, pop-corn, donuts, cookies and collected a few of the 10,000 eggs that were part of the not-so-hidden Easter egg hunt.  All-in-all they got more candy than Halloween.  They also met the Easter Bunny, Maggie was convinced it was not the real thing.

Michelle made a ham, deviled eggs, potato casserole and green beans.  She also made giant chocolate covered peanut butter eggs (which are currently only half-eaten).  Even with all the good food, I think I ate more candy than real food, which might explain why I can't lose weight.

A simple observation

At least four days a week, I leave the house for almost twelve hours. Those twelve hours are mine, sure they belong to my employer but they feel more like me time. If you think working with an egomaniac client or a demanding boss is hard, try raising a child. Nothing will prepare you better for the work place than raising children. The pace is non-stop. The work is tedious. It is humbling and emotional.

The worst moments are when you break. It is almost always over something benign, like when a child demands the pink cup instead of the yellow one. Suddenly, I've found myself screaming at my kids until they are all crying. Those are surely the worst moments.

But the best moments are simple. They happen more frequently than I realized when I was the stay-at-home dad.  It is hard to see them when you are in the throes of life.  But just watching a child's amazing curiosity over a rock or their enjoyment of simply being. My favorite part of the day is sitting outside with Emma in my arms watching Maggie and Henry run around.  Emma is my little observer, she enjoys watching her siblings with me.When she is not watching, she is climbing.  It's amazing how much joy she gets from her accomplishment. It's these moments that are easy to miss, when there is always something else that needs to be done but I've never regretted spending time with my kids, free from distraction and just learning to enjoy being.

Henry's first T-ball game

Henry's first T-ball game.  The coach was all business.  Most of the kids were more interested in drawing circles in the sand but they focused long enough to play two innings.  The boys all got to hit and run the bases.  Most days you can find Henry with his friends playing in the front street. Sara orchestrated it so that they are all playing on the same team.