new hat.

Kosty had been begging for a new hat for a while, so I took him to get one and to my surprise he actually picked one that was on sale for $5. I didn't dare tell him that's the one I wanted him to get or it would have completely backfired. So I casually hung back & watched him stare at two hats, and even try them on in the mirror. In the end the cheaper hat won because it was more "colorful". He LOVES this hat. But there is a catch. He will only wear it with pants. No matter how hot it is. Its becoming a problem because his ratio of pants to shorts is 1 to 6. When I asked him why he won't wear his hat with shorts, he said, "Because shorts are NOT cool!!! I can't wear my cool hat when I wear shorts!" He's always hated shorts but this rule kind of cracks me up.

Oh, and did I mention he will only wear it sideways?? I guess there are two rules then.

FIRST grade.

Everywhere I go, everyone I see, comments about how tall Brayden is. I am not that short (5'7) and he comes to my shoulders. Will he be towering over me by third or fourth grade?

It was a lovely mother's day. I took my stepmom to lunch on Friday, had my Mom over for Brunch on Sunday, and went to Jer's mom's Sunday evening. As always, my favorite part is getting the kids gifts.

Kosty's was simple.

How old is your mom? "8"

What is her favorite color? "pink. I think."

What is your most favorite meal she makes? "boiled eggs"

What do you like to do with your mom? "Jump on the trampoline"

What is your mom's favorite thing to do? "She likes to play and clean up."

What color eyes does your mom have? "brown"

What is your favorite thing about your mom? "she likes to give hugs."

Brayden brought home a packet all about me.

My mom's favorite food is:

"Salad, lazanya, chiken, ziti, hamburgers, chacolate, soup, cookies, ice cream, brownies, cake. I don't know anything else." (I think he covered everything, lol.)

But she doesn't like:

"Tuna, shrimp. And not anything else I think. I don't know maybe."

If my mom could have one wish come true, she would wish for:

"A clean house forever. Or 100 episodes of Friday night lights. Or a new car! Or a baby girl! Or maybe a robot to do all her work! Or she could wish for me to not beg for any toys. Or she could wish to be with our family forever."

(That last line got me all teary eyed, sweet boy. I think he's got me all figured out.)

Kosty has a fascination with yoga. Everytime he finds himself in a strange position, he always says, "Is this a yoga pose??" Funny enough, most of the time it is {some variation} of a pose. He gets a thrill every time I say yes, and tell him what the pose is called.

I love the occasion when he's in a good mood! he's irresistible!

april 12th came again.

I'm getting old. But I love spending my birthday with these little darlings & my sweet husband!

women's conference.

I got to go to Women's Conference at BYU this past weekend. What a good time! It was my longest trip away from my family, and I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing but it was pretty easy to leave this time! I knew my kiddos were in good hands and I couldn't wait to experience Utah for my first time. (I don't count Kanab, fyi) We flew in late Wednesday night and went to our lovely cinder block cells (dorms). It was freezing, and snowing. We never went to bed before 2 am (and it was pretty hard to fall asleep period once I found out my roomie was a sleep "stander" and my roomie next door was a sleep "screamer"...not the best thing to hear two blood curdling screams at 3 am especially after your roomate tells you of an attempted murder on campus that happened just weeks ago). It was a fast paced schedule, up early, shower with one bathroom & six girls, eat a granola bar on the way to devotional, RUN to back to back classes and then end with a devotional. I couldn't help but be jealous of the cute little college kids with their backpacks & innocence in this mountain enclosed beautiful scene of a college. I really regret missing out on the whole college experience and I really hope my kids want to & get to enjoy it. The Utah scenery was SO gorgeous. Never did I know why/where the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" came from, and now I do. We had some nice dinners and even snuck in a late movie one night, so it wasn't all work and no play. Saturday, most of our group had an earlier flight and some of us had a late flight so we went up to Salt Lake and toured Temple Square, the church history museum, the old and the new conference centers, the distribution center, and the cemetery where so many prophets were buried. I was amazed at the detail and woodwork of all the church buildings that have been around since the 1800's. We ate lunch at the top of the Joseph Smith building and we got a little personal concert in the Tabernacle from a nice organ player. I just loved this trip and feel so lucky to have so many lovely ladies in my ward as friends!