An Artist in the Family

No matter what anyone says (ahem, spring break in Chicago 2019 Jason, ahem),

 there are lots of artists in this family.  

Leah was chosen as the artist of the week for her fancy fish and duck tessellation, and her artwork was on display in the art gallery.
. 

 Adam's art was selected (again!)to be displayed at the school district art show.   This time it was his 3D mask, which he found inspiration for from fried eggs and storm clouds.

Emma spent a glorious week this summer at the art center making beautiful clay creations, and has brought home some very fancy painted clay animals at birthday parties.  

 And Noah continues to make the sweetest drawings of all!

 Calvin!

And a great reminder for all of us.

Part Cat...

Part fluffy dog... 

All cute!

Adam is positive that Laney's great-great-great-great-great-grandma is a cat.  She occasionally meows at us, especially when we're holding cheese. 

She arches her back up like a cat.

And now this.

He just might be on to something!

A Duet!

Leah and I have been working on this duet all week, and we finally (99.9%) nailed it this morning!

She practices the piano every morning after the kids go to school (hence the backpack for her and workout look for me).  It's the perfect pocket of time, and she is really excelling at it!  Of course, not every attempt at the duet was perfect- 

but that's the beauty of of a recorded performance!  Just start again!

My Water Buffalo

I've said it before but it still rings as true as ever- just like the words of that silly Veggie Tales song about the water buffalo- 

Everybody needs an Emma Grace Morales!

She's so silly and she makes us laugh every day!

She has a great imagination and she makes everything fun!

She makes up amazing songs on the spot, she thinks like a ninja, and she acts like a princess.   

And I'm the luckiest mom in the world because I get to be with her in her classroom every Tuesday morning this year!

She told me yesterday that her classmate told her that she was so lucky because she has a mom that can come into the school, and his mom was always gone on work trips so he just gets to go to school and daycare and then home to his dad.  And I told her she could invite him over for some after school cookies and playing anytime.  

And she considered it, even though she's not really friends with this boy, because that's the kind of sweet girl my little water buffalo is.

Falling in Love in Fall

Quite possibly my favorite photo from our dating days.

Our 16-year "famiversary" came on a Sunday this year, so it felt rather uneventful and did not include ice cream.  Boo.

But we did retell the story of our first real encounter, in which I sauntered up to Jason at a ward FHE, batted my eyelashes and asked him to take a look at my broken car, and in response to my request he immediately jumped up (leaving whatever girl he was talking to behind on the couch) and headed out to take a look at the problem.  He fixed the problem, he fixed my car, and I took him out for ice cream.  

Our first date.

And we didn't have a great time.  Conversation was okay, feelings were okay, attraction was okay, but when we continued the date with a drive up the canyon (no kissing, pinky swear!) the sparks started to fly and it wasn't many more dates before Jason Morales was trying to kiss me ON THE LIPS (much to Leah's shock and disgust) and we were talking about some pretty serious life stuff- like getting married!

And every year when the air turns crisp I can remember the day in September 2003 when Jason frantically knocked on my apartment door, grabbed my hand to lead me out to the balcony and said, "Smell that!  Don't you just love the smell of the air in fall?"  

I have tried to make it perfectly clear that Jason was a dork when we met, and in the BEST way possible.  We talk about being cool and being "too cool" and Jason definitely falls into... neither category.  He is just a good, good guy.  The best I've ever known.  So I try to impress upon our kids, and my girls especially, that there is SO much value in dating someone that is nice and helpful and considerate and kind and thoughtful and selfless and smart and hardworking... rather than cool.

And recently Leah assured me that we are a perfect match.  After embarrassing her at middle school drop-off she said, "It's a good thing you married Daddy because you are both dorks!" 

And I took it as a compliment.

Noah-Isms

Check out this ensemble!

After a good dinner Noah enjoyed a cookie then came to me with a problem- 

"Oh, Mommy!  That cookie disappeared quick!  Can I have another one?"

*****

Noah came crawling into the girls room with a blanket draped over his back.  "I'm a lamb!" he declared.

"What does a lamb say?" I asked.

Proving he's in the throws of learning to read he sounded it out, "L....L.....L......Lamb!"

*****

After discovered a cool new hand-me-down shirt in his laundry pile, Noah explained to me his plan for wearing it to bed and to school the next day- 

"I'm wearing it to bed because it glows in the dark... and I'm wearing it tomorrow because my classmates are going to know that it's new."

All Tucked In

Because what's the point of having such a snuggly pup if you can't snuggle her??

Emma love love LOVES snuggling Laney.  

Laney tolerates it. 

Is there any chance that I will ever forget that Emma calls her two blankies "the twins" and her silky rose pillow "silks-pills?"  Her bed is just the snuggliest and I love snuggling with her in it!

Adam love love LOVES snuggling Laney too.  More than anyone I've ever met, his love language really is physical touch.  He tells me he wishes Laney was incapable of harm so that he could love her so much and squeeze her little head off and it would not hurt her one bit.  

But... that's not an option, so late at night he has to settle for snuggling his stuffed animals, all in turn.  Baby T-Rex, Mr. Nuggy, Mr. Pricklepants... I love this sweet boy.