Double Digits

Ashton turned 10 over the weekend!  It's hard to believe I have a child in the "double digits"!  What a fun celebration we enjoyed.  On Friday morning, we had her friend party.  We had really gone the rounds trying to figure out what to do that would be "cool" for 10 year olds, but also not break the bank.  She finally settled on something pretty unique...a morning spent at Wild Cat Den State Park, complete with breakfast, painting pet rocks, hiking and wading in the stream.  And it turned out to be fabulous.  It was so much fun...such a cute group of bubbly, happy, nice girls.  I always think it is so interesting to watch kids in nature because given the opportunity, they really love it.  In fact, we literally had to drag them away from the place because they would have stayed all day long, I think.  It was gorgeous weather which was amazing since the day before (and the day after) were so rainy!

 My girl...I love her so much.

At the "Devil's Punch Bowl".

 These two boys were just like game wardens making sure the girls weren't getting into any trouble.  Cole is so much like his dad.

 

The next morning we were up bright and early as it was the last day of soccer season.   We also had to squeeze in Ashton's annual birthday tradition of breakfast at McDonald's.

 Then it was on to the soccer field...it has been another great season and we are sad to see it end!

 Finally, it was home for some presents and ice cream!  Ashton was so cute...so grateful for her gifts and so sweet to make her siblings feel that she loved what they had picked out for her!

We ended the evening with a "breakfast" dinner with some of our best friends.  They have been such a wonderful part of our lives for the past few years and all of them are moving this summer as they have finished school.  Ashton just loves them all and wanted to share her day with them.  It was great to just have time to visit and relax together.

Some things about Ashton at age 10:

-  She is such a good friend.  This year as some "girl drama" unfolded, I had several moms tell me that their daughters loved Ashton because she is just so nice to everyone.  To me that is one of the best character traits you could have.  She is sensitive to others feelings and often sticks up for the under dog.  We are so proud of her.

-  Ashton has become so helpful and and is almost always willing to help out in any way.  Many times when we have friends over from church, they have young children and she is so patient to play with them, help them with the Wii, or do whatever they want.  During Jordan's countless softball games, she is always taking all the little kids over to the playground and watching them.  What a big help!

-  This is one "smart cookie!"  There were not too many tests this year that this child didn't ace.  She had a great school year and did really well.  She continues to love reading and writing.

-  Ashton is good at sharing.  As the oldest, her younger siblings are always wanting her "stuff".  And she is so good about letting them share.  For her birthday, she got these fun hair accessories, and the very next day, Jordan and Regan were wearing them.

-  Ashton continues to be very musical...she is excelling at violin and piano and this year, has loved being in choir.  She is one of my best singers in primary.

-  She loves nature and animals....especially dogs and horses.

-  She continues to love all sports and all things active....especially basketball, soccer, and bike riding.

-  Her excitement for life is contagious.  She feels things very deeply, and helps me remember to "enjoy the ride"!

We are so proud of this girl.  We love her so much for all that she adds to our family.  Happy 10th birthday Lu!!!

Musical Notes

It's been a musical month for us starting with Ashton's amazing choir concert. In her school, the 4th and 5th graders have the option of missing lunch recess 2 times a week to stay in for choir practice...and lots of them choose to do it! Being in the Harrison Harmony is a great privilege, and the teacher is phenomenal. She has a real love for music and shares that with her students. A couple of things I love about her- she lets them sing "pop" songs like Bruno Mars...and she encourages them to be comfortable singing solos or in small groups! The concert was outstanding...I enjoyed every minute of it.

Next up we had Ashton's violin concerts. She has a fabulous teacher and has REALLY progressed this year. For some reason, I always thought that having a beginning violin student would be painful for the ears, but it has actually been very pleasant. In her second concert, Ashton played at the high school and there were orchestras from each of the grades (4th, 5th, 6th, Middle School, and High School). It was outstanding...truly a wonderful musical experience. I was very proud of all the hard work.

Finally, it was spring recital time! For the first time ever, all 4 of us Snarr gals played the piano. Yes, Regan played in her first real piano recital. It was fun to hear all of my students...this year they all got to pick out a popular song to play and we had everything from Adele to High School Musical to Train. It was awesome, and a very enjoyable night. Of course, I was a proud mama and teacher!

Road Trip to Kansas City

A couple of weeks ago, we were able to escape from our crazy life to head down to Kansas City.  Our main reason for going was to see this:

Ever since this temple was announced, we knew that we would want to get to the open house if at all possible.  Our girls have been wanting to go inside of a temple for so long...and the opportunity for attending an open house is rare.  As the dates drew closer, we didn't know if it was going to happen...but luckily the open house was extended for one week and everything fell into place. We checked everyone out of school and headed down to KC.We stayed here:  

And of course the kids LOVED this:

 What is it about kids and hotel pools?  All they wanted to do was swim.  I remember being the exact same way as a kid with my sisters.  They also thought ordering pizza and having it delivered to our room was pretty neat.

The next morning (after swimming of course!) we headed to downtown Kansas City to visit the Crowne Center Mall.  It was really neat and we got to see lots of cool displays, stores (Crayola!) and restaurants.  Our kids are always so wide-eyed in bigger cities...because yes, we live in Smalltown, USA...and we love it!  But it is good to get out every once in a while.

 We ate lunch at "Fritz's" which is this fun train themed restaurant where your order arrives by an overhead electric train.  Cole was beside himself as he loves trains!

Then it was on to the temple...and it was every bit the experience I hoped it would be. The temple was stunning and beautiful, and the spirit was strong.  I so enjoyed the opportunity to spend time as a family and be there together!

 We also stopped at Liberty Jail which was a great site to visit.  I had been there several times before and wanted the kids to see it, too.

We arrived home late and happy and tired out.  Tod and I both commented that road trips are a lot of work!  How come our parents never told us that???  But it was well worth the effort to be able to have this opportunity and to make some fun memories!

Thoughts on Mother's Day

The past few weeks have been so busy, and there have been so many things that I have wanted to post about.  But today I have "mothers" on my mind.  For the first time in years, we were able to have an actual posed picture of me with the kids since Tod didn't have to be at church early!  I love being a mom so much.  Of course, some days are hard...but it is truly wonderful...early this morning Jordan handed me a card she had made at school and added to at home.  She listed things that she was grateful I had given her including "birth, siblings, shelter, money to play sports, gifts and love, love, love!"  Ashton gave me a card stating that "even when she is mad at me, she still loves me."  Regan had already given me her gift (a key chain with her picture) because she was just so excited when she made it at school.  And Cole was proud as could be to give me the gift he had from nursery.  Handmade gifts are the best.  One of my dearest friends grabbed my hand at church and whispered, "Are you having a good Mother's Day?"  I quickly answered, "Yes, simply because I am a mother!"  We agreed that Mother's Day isn't about expectations or gifts...for me, it is enough simply to be a mother.  (Of course, I appreciated the extra help at dinner, kind words from my hubby at church today, and Old Navy gift card!).  Sometimes, being a good mom takes everything I have...and I still have a long way to go...but lately, time seems to be going by so fast and I feel an increased urgency to try even harder to be better.  I am trying to eliminate distractions because I know that this season of my life is short and in a blink, my kids will be grown!

When we came from church, I said to Tod that if I could have only one wish for today it would be that I could know that I am going to live long enough to see my own children have children and experience that with them.  A few good friends have had babies lately or are just about to deliver and their moms are in town...I miss my mom every day...but especially today.  How I wish she were here so that I could call her and thank her for everything....I wish she could be here to experience her grandchildren and know them...I also have lots of questions I would like to ask...things that I am only now thinking about as my girls are growing up, and I am feeling less confident in my "mothering" skills....I certainly look forward to seeing her again.

I am also thinking about all the women in my life who have influenced me...to many to name really...a mother in law, step mom, sisters, sister in laws, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and friends.  I could write about each of them and the things they have taught me...maybe someday.  For now, Happy Mother's Day to all!

Easter Fun

I love Easter...it is such a wonderful time of year with spring coming, and I have so many happy memories of my Easters as a child spent in Helper with Grandma Betty and our family. This year I found myself especially nostalgic remembering the Helper Egg Hunt...complete with it's heart pumping anticipation and "prize eggs", along with the rare privilege of riding in the back of Uncle Kirk's truck. I thought of our picnics on the desert...hours spent exploring, visiting and rolling the eggs down hills. Of course, I pictured the Easter feast at Grandma's table where the evening before we would have gathered round to dye the Easter eggs. Such fond, happy times....I can only hope that I am creating some of those same memories for my kiddos...as well as an understanding of the true meaning.




We always have fun coloring Easter eggs...and Easter hunts and Easter baskets are a tradition...this year, Ashton and Regan were up early to check out the goods while Cole and Jordan wandered down a little bit later. I like to take pictures of the baskets to remember what was popular for the year...this time it was Squinkies for everyone and cross stitch for the girls.





Grandma Cindy whipped up some skirts for the ladies, and I love how bright and sunny they looked. It's hard to get a good photo of this group...especially of a certain little boy.


We enjoyed Easter dinner with many of our wonderful friends...it was great to be together. To share a favorite Helper childhood phrase..."Happy Easter Egg!!!!"