Kimber's Seventh

My sweet little Kimber turned seven on Feb. 28th.  Seven?  How is that possible?

She requested Rice Krispie Treats for her class.  Her teacher's tradition is to give the kids a few spankings.

Here she is with her birthday loot.  The CareBear is genuine in mint condition!  She had gone to visit someone in our ward with Jared while I worked on dinner.  When Sister Burgess learned it was Kimber's birthday she gave it to her.  I think it's the best gift she has ever received.

We are carrying on the junk box tradition.  Not surprisingly, most of the junk food goes to waste but it's still a fun way to celebrate.

Kimber makes her birthday so easy on me.  She always requests a store bought cake.  Normally that would be against my religion but Bashas' sends me coupons every year for my kids' birthdays that make the cake free.  Satisfied child+free cake= Happy mom!

Tumbling

I'm really not into extra curricular activities.  My mom wasn't big on them, probably because having 10 kids doing something would make her go insane.  A few of us took piano lessons and some of us got played a year or two of sports, but other than that our extra curricular activities consisted of after school adventures outside with friends or siblings.  I actually liked it and always wanted to be home, not spending time with a strange coach and rowdy teammates.

Jared on the other hand was very involved in sports and clubs.  He played baseball, football and basketball.  Baseball was part of his life from childhood until high school.  He was also a part of 4H (he has a soft spot for 4H members.  If you ever need to sell something, hit him up.  He's a giant sucker for you club!)

My girls "get" to play baseball every spring and added tumbling in this year.  I signed all three girls up and figured it was a good chance for them to learn to do some cartwheels.  Lucy went at 9am on wednesday's and the other girls went later in the afternoon the same day.  Unfortunately, the tumbling teacher lives almost 15 minutes away and their classes coincided with Colton's nap.  It got to the point that I was dreading Wednesday and Colton was always sacrificing his sleep, all in the name of summersaults.

In January I decided to pull Lucy out.  Best decision ever!  At this point I feel like I am barely holding on in order to get through the end of the tumbling classes in May.  Between tumbling and baseball (which starts in a few weeks) I have once again come to the conclusion that I'm just not a great soccer mom!

I was also skeptical about how structured their time in tumbling was.  They were coming home with new moves every week but I was always curious to know if they were playing or learning.

For weeks Addie begged me to stay and watch for a while so February I finally appeased her.  And I'm glad I did!  I gained a whole new perspective.  It is totally structured and legitimate!

I don't think I'll be enrolling them again, they'll have to sacrifice this one for me, but they've worked hard and are way more agile and coordinated that I can ever hope to be.

I'm proud of both of the girls.  Kimber wanted to master the headstand so badly and after lots and lots of practice and determination, she got it!

And Addie worked and worked at her cartwheels.  She wanted them to be exactly perfect.  She even dislocated her toe one night while working on them.  It was a wonderful day when she finally landed one perfectly.

Family

I'm really lucky to have such wonderful siblings and in laws.  I consider everyone of them to be a great friend and someone I admire.  I'd love to share a few wonderful things about each of them.  I'll start with the Richardson's.

Bethany- she is one of the my best friends.  She is so wise and I always know I can tell her anything and she won't judge me.  Some of my greatest memories as a child and adult include her.  When I was about 17 or 18 her oven broke.  Heather and I heard about this and decided to buy her a new stove.  Of course we were too poor to buy anything wonderful but we went to DI and picked out a decent stove, had it loaded into the back of Heather's truck and made our way to Heather's house.  We backed right up on the lawn and knocked on Beth's door.  We were so excited we could barely stand ourselves as we announced we had a little something for her.  The three of us got to work taking out her old stove, unloading and installing the new one.  It was quite a site!  My favorite part was that we were afraid of getting electrocuted (we were so ignorant!) so we turned off all of the power to the house, put on some yellow rubber gloves (thinking that would be accurate rubber to prevent a shock) and put the stove in place.  That stove stayed in that house for years and years!

Flint- He's a very thorough person and does things correctly, down to the very last detail.  He listens with intent and NEVER interrupts.  He has a calm voice, never yelling or raising his voice.

Ben- This guy has a soft place in my heart, although all of my brothers do.  Ben is funny, like seriously seriously funny.  Things happen to him that would never happen to anyone else.  He is also very kind and thoughtful.  Since he has been away in El Paso he has been so great at keeping in touch with his siblings.  I always get excited when I see he is calling.  Without fail he always has a funny story to tell, like the time he took one of his boys to school late and accidentally signed them into special ed.  He's a meticulous and hard worker and has kept a positive attitude through the difficulties of Medical School.

Briana- I look up to her in so many ways.  I think her kids are a perfect reflection of her wonderful mothering.  They are some of the most wonderful children I have ever known.  They are helpful, patient, fun, hardworking and kind.  She is so resourceful as well.  When finances are slim (and we all know that happens in med school), she stays positive and taps into all of her resources.  She runs a fun blog with her sisters and has an Etsy store.  She also teaches her children to play the piano and a string instrument.  She has managed to work on her own degree while supporting Ben through medical school as well.

Heather- Another one of the funniest people I know.  I always know when we are together there will be endless laughter.  She works really really hard at everything she does.  She is dedicated to their business and her home.  I truly believe that anytime Heather leaves somewhere she leaves it more beautiful than when she arrived.  I wish I had been blessed with her decorating abilities.  She has a golden touch when it comes to creating a beautiful home.

Doug- When I hear his name I instantly think of the word "integrity".  He is so honest and you never have to question what he says.  He is also extremely clean and organized.  It's helpful when they come to visit because he jumps right in and does dishes, picks up and buys really fun food :)

(Time for a new family picture Allie!)

Travis- He is wise beyond his years.  He has a wonderful sense of humor and can make anyone laugh.  A while back when his family came for a visit we went to dinner and had a waitress Jared and I regularly get.  She is kind but never smiles, let alone laughs.  We bet Travis $5 that he couldn't make her laugh.  Wouldn't you know it, he did it!  Another great thing about Travis is that he is a spiritual giant.  I love to hear him talk about gospel principles, he speaks with confidence and testimony.

Allie- What a wonderful woman!  She is so well rounded, kind, wise, positive and everything else you could want in a sister in law.  I love that she is not afraid of anything, even moving Grandma's dead body around.  When she sees a job needs to be done she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, which proved to be a great thing when she was RS pres at 25.  She is also raising one of the most well behaved boys around.  I love the adoration she has for Travis and Cooper.

Judd- What a fun guy!  He is always up for a good time and has a fun nature.  I always know that if I need a favor I can call on him.  He is also so cheerful.  Whenever we talk on the phone he is always so chipper sounding.  He is so good at playing with the kids.  I don't know a kid in our family who doesn't like playing with Uncle Judd.

Caitlin- She is wonderful!  What a positive and optimistic breath of fresh air she is.  She is fun to talk to and down to earth.  I have really enjoyed getting to know her better over the past few years.  She is a great mom who is really trying to raise good kids.  I'm going to miss her easy going nature when they leave for school soon.

Jordan- Honest!  I doesn't hold back and will tell you exactly what he thinks.  He is also highly motivated!  He is a goal setter and works hard at achieving them.  He is also has a lot of common sense and makes good financial, work, educational and family decisions.  He is also a great husband.  He is always thinking of fun new ways to surprise Nichole.

Nichole- She is one lucky girl!  She is one of my favorite people to talk to.  I genuinely love all of my sisters in law (as I mentioned before) but we have really gelled.  I think it's because I see so much of myself in her.  I know what it's like to come into an established family when you love your own so much.  I always feel honored when she asks me for mothering advice.  What do I know?  I must add that she is so good to my girls.  When Jared and I got away for our anniversary in 2011 she and Jordan kept our kids.  They did such a great job and kept our family moving while we were away.

Taylor- I love this kid.  Like really love him.  He is such a good example to me of making the most out of life.  His life could be so different but he has chosen to pick himself up and move forward!  He is also extremely creative in so many aspects: writing, creating, style, leading people, etc.  When he joined the Army they instantly noticed his leadership skills and put him in charge of his group.  (I wish I knew the correct terminology.)

Nikki- I love her for who she is.  I know that sounds so cliche but she such a spunky gal and always brings a special light with her.  Although we've only seen each other about three times I feel like she has always been my sister.  There was no warm up period for her when she came into the family.  She just jumped right in and became a Richardson.  She is also a great example of someone who has made the most of her life when it could be so very different.  She's expecting their first baby, Olive Jean, this summer and I am confident she will be an amazing mother who rises to the occasion.

Annie- For such a tiny gal she is such a spiritual giant.  I was thirteen years old when she was born since that day she has been one of the most important people in my life.  She is such a good example. I never question her integrity or her desire to do good.  She takes such good care of my girls and I always know they are safe with her.  She does hard things and does them well!

Brigham- What a good way to close the family.  He is such a wonderful addition to our family.  He is fun and always up for a good laugh.  When Judd was a teenager we would get a package of Oreo's and stay up late eating them and talking.  That tradition carried on from Jordan, Taylor and now Brigham.  I've really enjoyed watching Brigham grow and mature.  He used to hate school and was failing but has matured and become responsible turning f's into a b average.  He is also so fun for his nieces and nephews.  It helps that he is only 16 years old, so he is still at the age where he enjoys playing and doing fun "kid" things.

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family.  Each person adds so much to my life and makes it better.

Christmas 2013

So what if it's March?  Better late than never, right?  That's pretty much my mantra these days.

I've been accused of being a total Scrooge by Jared, but I think it's mostly because I don't listen to Christmas music in July and I want the tree down about 4 minutes after the presents are opened.  It's not that I don't enjoy Christmas but I like to enjoy holiday at a time.  Although in 2013 I did sneak in some Christmas music in early November.  That was a first for me.

(through a sad turn of events, also known as updating my phone, I lost video and additional pictures of Christmas. )

Since Marlene died we quite spending Christmas Eve in the Valley and started creating our own traditions at home.  We have a fun dinner, a little program and then Santa usually shows up to pay a quick visit then it's off to bed.  The next morning we open presents, get dressed, leave the mess, hop in the car and speed off to the Valley where we spend the day running from one place to the next.  It's chaotic and not the way I want to spend the Holiday.

This year, with some help from my girls, we convinced Jared to let us have ONE year at home where we didn't have to go anywhere and we could just enjoy the day at home as a family.  He obliged and it was hands down my FAVORITE Christmas I've had since being married.  

Before bed Christmas Eve

 Another Christmas tradition that is up for debate every year is how to open presents.  My family did it completely opposite of Jared's and we just can't settle on which way is the better way.  This year we sort of met in the middle.

I'm including this picture because although it was taken at about 7:45 am I looked exactly the same at 7:45 pm.  I never showered, never put a bra on and never got dressed!

Learning Circle

Since becoming involved with the Power of Moms I have formed a Learning Circle.  It's a small group of seven of us who get together on the second Thursday of each month and discuss an article centered on motherhood.

I have learned to appreciate and realize how badly I need good women in my life.  I need realistic women who have no expectation of me, my home, kids, appearance, etc.  And I found them.  We come from all backgrounds and phases of life, which only adds to the experience.

Since I love them all so much I decided to give them a little something tonight since I was hosting at my house.  I scoured Pinterest, shopped for ideas, racked my brain and finally realized I needed it to be simple.  I picked up large Symphony bars, came up with a (cheesy) saying and tied them up with twine.  I should have taken a picture, not because they were something special but for memories sake.  The saying was "My life may not be a perfect Symphony but I am grateful you're part of the orchestra."  I also came up with one word for each of the girls that I feel best describes how I see them as a mom.

Jennifer Brimhall- Wise
Jen is not only common sense smart but book smart.  She has five kids and home schools.  One quality i love about her is that she is simple.  The reason I chose wise for her is because she comes up with clever ways to teach her children and as a result her children are polite, very smart, know every scripture story inside and out (I've learned to be very careful when giving Sharing Time.  They can teach your lesson for you!), are all well spoken and fun.

Wylie Johnson- Endurance
I love Wylie for many reasons.  She was my Relief Society President and Visiting Teacher at the same time but she was so much more than that.  She was a friend.  She has three kids, between the ages of about 25-30 or so.  Her youngest, Warren, has Cereal Palsy but is a gem in our ward.  Everyone loves him.  Watching Wylie and her husband (whose name ironically happens to be Wiley) with Warren is amazing.  They load him in and out of the car, gently place him in his wheelchair, never act like he is a burden and give him the fullest life possible, considering his circumstances.  The reason I chose endurance is because they will be caring for Warren until the day he dies, which will most likely be before them, and they do it all so lovingly.

Andrea Mangum- Gentle
Everything about Andrea is gentle.  She speaks, walks, laughs, she does everything gently.

Mindy Hatch- True
I get to see Mindy as a mom a lot and one wonderful quality (although I could have chosen so many) is that when she tells her boys (she has four of them) something, she means it!  And she never backs down.

Bobby Hall- Patient
For years I have told Bobby I admire her patience.  She has six kids, including twin boys, so things at her house can get a little crazy, not to mention she just started homeschooling this year.  Her girls have been my number one babysitters for four or five years now and on a few occasions when they were not available she would insist I drop my kids off at her house for the night.  I have taken her up on it a few times and I am always impressed that she is never frazzled.

Anne Palmer- Calm
There are so many reasons to love Anne.  Not only does she have a special place in my heart because her husband, Bryce, is Jared's first counselor, but because she is everything a Christlike woman should be.  She has such a calming nature and never seems to get worked up about things.  I love being in her presence.  She also listens to the Spirit and I have been the beneficiary of that.  Once when she felt she should come tell me about a health insurance type deal and another time after Colton was born she text me saying she felt like she should ask if I needed anything from the store.  And I did!  Just some cheese and bread so I could take dinner to someone that night, but I wasn't sure how I was going to find the time to make it to the store.

I love these ladies and what they add to my life.  They have such good insight and I always leave feeling inspired, never like a failure or that i don't measure up.  My friend Cheryl, who I met at Power of Mom's in Las Vegas, summed it up perfectly, "When you have women who are already phenomenal mothers and are wanting to be better, you can't help but have an amazing experience."

Family Traditions

I've been thinking a lot about what makes the Hatch family the Hatch family.  What is it that keeps us going day to day and what do we enjoy about life as a family?  What little things do we do that set us apart from other families?

Well, I've put some thought into and realized we have quite a few traditions that make our life enjoyable.  Some might seem strange to others, but it makes us who we are.

1.  Driving through the cemetery 
In August 2003 I made my first trip to the Taylor Cemetery for the burial of his Granny Hatch.  There was such a special feeling there and the tree lined roads gave it such a neat look.  I told Jared I wanted to be buried there.  Little did I know that less than two months later I would call Taylor home and in the years to come the cemetery would come to mean much more to me than tree lined roads.

Jared's mom was buried there in January of 2009 and since then we have visited almost daily.  It's simple, we simply drive down her lane and everyone says "hi Grandma Hatch!"  (When Grandma Miller died 18 months later she was buried on the same row so we have added a hello for her as well.)

Last night as we were driving through Jared and I tried to guesstimate how many miles we put on a year just in visits to the cemetery.  It is exactly 1/2 of a mile from our driveway to Marlene's grave and we estimated we visit 365 times a year.  We figure that on any given day one of us is there.  In nearly five years that equals over 1,800 miles.  Rarely do we arrive home from errands or some place and my girls don't say "can we go see Grandma Hatch?"  How can you say no to that?

Over the years we have spent many hours decorating, manicuring the grass around her headstone, hanging out (we've held a few family home evenings there) and trying to create more memories that include Grandma Hatch.

February 2009

February 2009

July 2009

August 2009

Walking to the cemetery.  March 2010

The sunset from Marlene's grave.  September 2011

2.  Popcorn and M&M's  

Growing up my mom would rarely (like maybe once a year) buy M&M's and let us add them to our popcorn.  It was such a special treat and one that I always wished we could have more of.  My kids should consider themselves spoiled!  To us, M&M's is a staple.  Some people panic if they run low or bread or milk.  Not us.  We panic if we run low on M&M's.  They eat it almost daily (even as I sit here and type this) and it's a guarantee that Friday nights will not only have a babysitter but also popcorn with M&M's.  I remember feeding popcorn to Addie (sans the candy…I think) when she was only about a year. I would break the popcorn up into little pieces and feed her.  

Addie-July 2006

2013

3.  "Goos Night"
We have a problem in our house.  When it's the one of the girls' turn to pray, then often speed through it not concentrating on their words.  We've talked about it with them numerous times, had Family Home Evenings on it and even stopped them mid-prayer but there are some signature phrases they just can't let go of.  It's almost a guarantee we will get the phrase two or three "help us to have fun tomorrow" times in one prayer.  Another one is "help us to all be home."  What does that even mean when we are all kneeling together as a family at the end of the day?

But my favorite has to come from Addie.  Every night she prays that we will have a "goos nights rest" intend of a "good nights rest."  I finally called her out on it one night and asked her what exactly a "goos night" is.  We all laughed when she realized she didn't even know what she way saying!  And now saying "goos night" instead of "good night" has become part of our nightly routine.

4.  The Spinning Song

Before we said goodbye to our first piano the girls would ask me to sit down and play The Spinning Song for them.  As I played the song, often by memory, they would dance on the tile in front of the front door.  I think they were wishing they had tap shoes on but we settled for high heels or bare feet. Last week we bought a new piano and what do you think the girls' first request was?

 This whole crazy dancing is new to Colton so he just sits back and observes the craziness.

5.  Baths

This seems like a strange thing to consider a tradition but in my eyes it is.  They love to squish in together and play.  Last week Addie and Kimber tried to set a world record by keeping their bath water as clean as possible.  Their idea, not mine.  

March 2011

2013

And it almost never fails, while washing their hair we pull it up to the highest point to make a spike.  We tried to get a picture but this is what we ended up with.  

6.  Comfy Pants

I seriously love comfy pants.  I don't let myself wear them as much as I wish I would but I look forward to the end of every day when I can take my jeans off and slip on some comfy jammie pants or shorts.  And I've love for them has transferred to my girls.  Check us out on my 27th birthday, Kimber and I had like minds.   

 Although it's important to me to get dressed and do my hair and makeup everyday, I will let myself wear comfy pants instead of jeans if I know I am not going somewhere but without fail, I get caught every time.  No one comes over when I have a complete outfit on.  It's normal to catch my girls changing their pants after school to put on some sweats or yoga pants.  I've trained them well.

7.  The circle picture
We've only done it twice but you could consider it a tradition in the making.  Should we ever have more children we'll do it again.

August 2010

October 2013

We are a family full of small traditions that I hope my kids will remember when they get older.  Isn't it the little stuff that creates the best memories anyway?

Party

I've been feeling like my life has been one big whirlwind since Colton's birth.  I rarely have time for anything, let alone fun.  Yesterday as I sat in my kitchen eating lunch I thought about all of the work that needed to be done.  I thought about the tasks I would give my girls when they got home from school and it felt daunting.  It's been a while since we did anything spontaneous so I decided if there wasn't any free time for fun then I would schedule it.  I tried to think of something simple that my girls would enjoy and then decided I would make a party of it.  I quickly threw together an invitation, one for Addie and one Kimber and nicely put them on their pillows.   This picture is of Kimber's invitation.  Sometimes she needs a little (or a lot of extra coaxing) so I had to add the part about working hard and not complaining to hers.

When it was time to pick up the girls from school I simply said, "if it was me I would go straight to my room when I get home and make my bed."

When we got home Addie immediately went to her room and found her invitation.  She was so excited!  Kimber on the other hand had a lot of questions for me.  "Where is the party going to be?  Why are we having one?"  I told her she didn't have to come but we would be having fun with or without her.  Eventually she complied and by 3:00 we all had our work done (including myself who had loads of office work).  We went to Sonic for drinks where I had to try a Dirty Diet Coke.  I hear about them from everyone and finally gave in.  I'm not a soda drinker but it was a fun little treat.

When we got home we pulled out a few games and sprawled them out on the floor along with the Halloween candy.

We played a game chosen by everyone while I let the girls eat all the candy they wanted.  They were probably wondering where their real mom went since the candy had been in hiding for a few days.

I learned a great lesson yesterday.  I am at a point in my life where my schedule is made by my children, especially a newborn, so if I want to incorporate something extra in it, I just have to make it my priority, whatever it might be.

It all paid off when Addie came to me in the kitchen before bed and said "I loved today.  It was so fun."  I asked what was so fun and she said "everything.  I loved the party"