Vanessa, my friend

One of the many tough things about schooling is having to leave friends and having to make new ones. When we left Iowa, I thought I'd never find friends as great as the ones I had there, but I was wrong. I've found friends that I know will be in my life forever. Vanessa is one of them.

When we became friends, I never thought she'd be the one to leave me. But she is moving on to a better job, a better place, a better life. I wish her the very best; she deserves that and more. I will miss her very much, but I know we will see each other again.

Vanessa is sweet, caring, loving, fun, honest, spontaneous, funny, talented and ambitious. I love her smile and laugh. When I'm around her, I can be myself 100%, because I know she will never judge me. But I also know she will tell it to me like it is. Vanessa and I can talk about anything and everything, sometimes oversharing slightly. We get silly and sometimes plain stupid, but it's all fun. We simply don't get embarrassed in front of each other. She's just really awesome.

Vanessa makes the world a better place. Ohio is simply not going to be the same without her. I love you, V. Best Friends Forever.

 

 

8th Anniversary

Holy crap! 8 years! That's almost a decade! In just 2 years, I'll have spend 1/3 of my life being married. What can I say? I love being a wife. I love treating my husband like a king, and I love being treated like a queen. And of course, we have the cutest little princes and princess.

In the 8 years that we've been married, we've lived in 3 different states, 3 different apartments and 1 house. We've been through 1 year of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, and 3 years of residency.

It's been tough in many ways, not seeing him a whole lot, and practically raising 3 kids on my own. But when he is home, he makes the most of it. When he is home, he is not a doctor; he is a husband and a daddy. He has sacrificed so much to make a good life for us, his family.

I look forward to the next 75 years that we still have ahead of us (ambitious, I know). I look forward to the memories that we will be creating together. I love my Billy!

 

Mother's Day

This year, for Mother's Day, I asked the kids a few questions... about me! Some of their answers were spot-on, and some made me giggle inside. I'm going to keep asking them these same questions every year, because I am curious to see how their answers will change over the years.

 

 

Logan

 

My mom is __15__ years old.

 

She likes __chocolate__.

 

The best thing she cooks is __eggs__.

 

Her favorite food is __spicy orange chicken__.

 

Her favorite thing to do to relax is __go to time-out__.

 

We like to __go bowling__ together.

 

My mom is special because __she has bones in her body, like a skeleton__.

 

Taylor

 

My mom is __29__ years old.

 

She likes __my toys and snacks__.

 

The best thing she cooks is __Mac 'n cheese__.

 

Her favorite food is __Mac 'n cheese, like me__.

 

Her favorite thing to do to relax is __to do this (take a deep breath)__.

 

We like to __play hide and seek__ together.

 

My mom is special because __Jesus made her__.

 

Kendall

 

My mom is __2__ years old.

 

She likes __lotion__.

 

The best thing she cooks is __toast__.

 

Her favorite food is __soup__.

 

Her favorite thing to do to relax is __be somewhere quiet__.

 

We like to __dance__ together.

 

My mom is special because __she likes surprises__.

 

So, on Mother's Day, Billy brought me breakfast in bed, which I always enjoy on any occasion. The kids then gave me some flowers that they had grown over the last 2 weeks. They also got me some chocolate, which never fails to get me excited. Overall, I got spoiled with love and lots of "Happy Mother's Day" throughout the entire day.


 

As a mother of three, I don't always feel loved or appreciated for what I do. But who does??? Mother's Day is a nice reminder that I know my kids love me and appreciate me. I do what I do because I love them more than anything in the world. The reminders are just bonuses.


 

Motherhood is a blessing, a challenge, and a gift beyond compare. I truly love this life and my role as a mother.

   

 



Kendall is 3!!!

This little stinker is 3! At 3 Kendall:

 

-has attitude and can be very dramatic, which is sometimes good ;-)

-is spunky. She definitely has a strong personality and presence.

-is determined. She is strong-willed and doesn't budge.

-is active. She can't sit still for more than a few minutes, for real. She also loves to run and "do tricks".

-is cuddly. She loves to give everyone hugs (and sometimes kisses).

-is affectionate. She often tells me, "You're the best mommy, ever" and "I love you sooooo much!"

-is smart. She knows all the letters of the alphabet. Her vocabulary and sentences are very advanced for her age.

-is tough. She can take a beating (from her brothers, mostly), but she can also throw a punch.

-is independent. She likes to do things by herself, and can usually do them well.

-is artistic. She loves to draw and color. It's one of the only things she can do for long periods of time.

-is social. She loves people, especially when they pay attention to her. She often pretends to be shy because somehow it draws attention to her.

-loves to help. She loves to sweep, put laundry in the washer/dryer, put the dishes away, etc.

-loves music. She loves to sing (especially Frozen songs) and dance. She can recognize 80% of the songs that are played on the radio, i.e. Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, Lorde, Maroon 5, Ellie Goulding, etc.

 

She is a joy to be around and fills my love tank daily, even though we also butt heads constantly (hey, we're both Taurus). I love her to pieces, and I am so proud of her for everything that she is and everything that she does.



 

For her birthday, we went to World of Bounce, and she loved it. Since Logan and Taylor didn't have school today, they came with us.
Kendall got a crush on one of the teenagers managing the inflatable slide. She kept telling him, "Hey! Watch this!" Later she showed him the non-existent boo-boos on her elbows. He was really sweet to her.
Kendall also spent a lot of time walking around the mazes while holding Taylor's hand. I love the connection that Kendall has with him. I think he tolerates her more than Logan does. I think he also likes that she "babies" him quite a bit.
By the time we left, all 3 of them were extremely sweaty, and Kendall took a really good nap. All in all, it was a successful outing.

That night, we went out for ice cream at Cold Stone. Kendall got blue ice cream (because who cares what the flavor is) with gummy bears. Yum! She couldn't even take the time to smile for the camera.

 

And Kendall got a Minnie bike for her birthday. She was very excited. Now she can keep up with the rest of the family... as soon as I start teaching her.

 

 

Kendall's birthday party

Due to William's schedule and Maloree going out of town, we celebrated Kendall's birthday a little early. All her friends from Columbus were in attendance for her "Frozen" birthday party. It wasn't easy to plan because most Frozen things are sold out, but thanks to my planning skills (I planned 2 months in advance), I pulled it off.

 

The favors "Do you want to build a snowman" with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and pretzel sticks. Also, wands and rings for the girls, and sunglasses for the boys ("In summer")

Snowflake sugar cookies

Pin the carrot nose on Olof

My beautiful Elsa (she twirled for everyone that can in the door).

The Frozen table, all pink, purple, blue, and white.

"I mean it's crazy..." "What?" "We finish each other's..." "Sandwiches." "That's what I was gonna say"

"Do you want to build a snowman?" with donuts.

The cake (that I bought because the one I had made didn't look great).

Opening up the presents. She got lots of really girly stuff.

The princesses. I loved this so much I might plan princess parties every year until Kendall turns 18. From left to right, Kelly, Clara, Kendall, Jaylee, and Azelynn. Ashley didn't want to be in the picture.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS!

Conference weekend (better late than never)

I know, I know. Conference weekend was like a month ago. I know, I know, I haven't been the best at blogging lately. I know, I know, I tend to play catch up and post 10 entries in 1 day. Whatever!
The kids have been pretty much free to play and do whatever on conference weekend. Until now!!! I decided that it was time they started paying attention to the words of the prophets. But I couldn't expect them to listen to 8 hours, 2 hours at a time. So I made goodie bags filled with surprising, fun, and new activities. Did it work? Kinda. The first hour was the best because the kids actually listened. The following 5 hours were decent because they were entertained with the activities. The last 2 hours, they were over it. We'll work on it. One day I'm going to explain to them how lucky they are to watch conference at home, and one day they'll understand and appreciate it. When I was a kid, I had to go to the stake center to watch conference. Someone was in a different room, translating the talks, live. If I ever go back to Belgium during conference weekend, I bet they'd put ME in that room. Cool, huh?