Weekends.

We've been busy the last few weekends doing amazing things.

But before I get to that, I forgot to post these pictures a while back. It was on the day the boys went to Patrick's clinic so they could watch the BYU football game. All three of these boys have my whole heart.

Oh, and on the day Maylie had such a high fever, her little "Baby Whisper" laid with her all day. It was very sweet.

This kitten cracks me up every day. He chases Flashlight around the house and she hisses at him and paws at him then takes off running since she's so scared. But it doesn't faze him...he's off again, chasing after her tail the second she starts running. And one day I even found him here:

Easton's been my handsome boy all grown-up lately:

A few Saturdays ago Patrick had an all-day conference to attend, so the littles and I made a list of all the fun things we were going to do. We had a dance party, played outside, played monsters just like Nana and Papa did with them, played a few rounds of Spot It Jr. and Fairy Tales Tell Tales, and finished the evening watching a movie. I absolutely LOVE being a mother. It is the best job in the whole entire universe!!!

Last weekend we made applesauce all by ourselves for the first time ever. We bottled 2 bushels.

The next morning we traveled down to Grandpa and Grandma's house for a little girl's tea party. Grandma put on such a cute little party for the girls. We had lunch with Colbie's tea set and then we made hair bows and ribbons. After the party Mom helped me make stockings--or should I say she practically made them? Sewing is not my favorite thing to do nor is it my forte. But I love how they turned out! I will post pictures when I finish them.

Then yesterday we had a super spectacular family day.

We went out to lunch at Winger's and our waiter was being so sweet to our kids. When we were leaving all the kids said goodbye and Maylie told him she loved him. I think it made his whole day.

After that we went to "Meet the Mormons." I've already been once with the Young Women's so I really wanted to take my family to see it too. Maylie was a little wiggly, but all in all she was very good. During the missionary mom story, I was crying. I looked over at Easton who was sitting beside me and saw little tears in his eyes. I leaned over and whispered in his ear how much I loved him and how much I will miss him someday when he leaves on his mission. He told me he loves me too and gave me such a sincere smile. In my eyes he is the best 7 year old there ever was. I can't really think about what I will do when he leaves on his mission. These years are just so precious....

After the movie we went to a local corn maze and weaved around and around until we finally found our way. We dropped sunflower seeds just like my family did when we were little--so we could leave a trail of where we'd been.

We finished just before dark. It was a fully and satisfyingly wondrous day. 

I can't even express how much I love my family and how much I cherish the memories we make together. Life couldn't be any sweeter...

A Birthday Letter.

Dear Easton,

You've been 7 for just over 3 weeks now. And my letter to you this year is one of gratitude. Gratitude for the young man you've grown into this past year. You really are like a little man--my right hand man actually--always there to offer your help, always responsible to follow through, always there to ask "what's wrong" when I feel a bit sad. In short, you're just always there. You've been by my side through the thick and the thin, through the ups and the downs, through our 7 moves in two states, both of your parent's bachelor's degrees, Dad's doctorate, the birth of your brother and sister, and every step of the way on my journey to learn how to be a mother. You made me a mother, and I loved every single thing about you from the very start.

It's funny how I knew your personality before you were even born (just like I did Tate and Maylie too). I would describe you to others as a vibrantly energetic little boy who had just enough mischief to keep things interesting and just enough sweetness to melt my heart. And that's who are you. To a T.

That very first moment of holding you in my arms, and you looking up at me with those deep blue eyes of yours, you captivated me. I remember nearly gasping with the realization of how familiar you looked to me. A similar story had been told to me my whole life--about how when my dad looked into my eyes for the first time, he was amazed at how familiar I was to him. And though I knew this story all my life, I wasn't prepared to have the very same experience, more real than I could have imagined. I knew at that moment that my Father wasn't exaggerating. There was a connection that I'll never forget. We were meant to be together, Easton. You were hand-selected by Heavenly Father to come to our family for a very special reason. And I don't believe I've even seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your potential, your gifts, and who you will become. Seeds of divinity lie within your soul, and I will be eternally grateful that your Dad and I made the life-changing decision to invite you to our family.

This next year is going to be awesome! May I be blessed to prepare you for your baptism as well as my mother prepared me. I'm so grateful we get to travel this life journey together. You're everything I ever dreamed of having in a son...and more.

I echo the words from a song by Mindy Gledhill:

"Oh, I've loved you from the start, in every single way, and more each passing day."

Love,
Mom

7/26/14

He had been looking forward to this day for nearly a year. He had changed his mind about what he wanted for his birthday dinner and his presents more than a dozen times. And he had been counting down the months since Christmas and the days since May. And when the day finally came complete with red and black decorations and a chocolate frosted yellow cake, Easton was more than ready to be seven.

Actually, his birthday celebrations always start a bit early as it's a Greene family tradition to meet at Downata the Monday before Easton's birthday every year. This year it was forecasted to rain, but Easton had faith that if he prayed, Heavenly Father would stop the rain. And he did. Easton's faith always amazes me. After our swim, we gathered around for pink frosted cupcakes made by Nana (Easton's request) and giant snicker doodles (another of Nana's traditions). Gram and Pop brought Easton his presents of a real Easton baseball bat and balls. This was a monumental day indeed.

Now on to the day of his birthday:

For breakfast, since it was Saturday, we made rice pudding and Easton was able to use the special golden plate.

Next we went to Logan to eat lunch at Chuck-a-Rama. Nana and Papa were able to come with us too. We had such a wonderful time but somehow I managed to snap two pictures of Tate and none of the birthday boy (or our guests, Nana and Papa). (Not a proud moment!) After lunch we went to Kohl's with Nana and Papa so Easton could pick out his birthday presents. He chose a Shark sweatshirt, new shoes, and a Lego adventure set. It was a perfect afternoon!

When we returned home Easton opened his presents from us: new roller blades, knee/elbow pads, and an elastic bracelet kit. We spent the rest of the evening eating cake and teaching Easton the basics of roller blading.

Look at that twinkle in his eyes. How could anyone not love this awesome boy?

It was a special day--simple and sweet. I hope our birthday boy had a super day because he truly is our little Seven-year-old Superman!!!

A few days later we enjoyed a visit from Grandpa and Grandma and Payton to celebrate Easton as well. Poor Grandma had to make cupcakes at a friend's house since they are remodeling their kitchen! He opened a Lego helicopter and a Lego RV set. We spent the next few hours putting them together. Easton felt like his birthday lasted two weeks with all the celebrations. He felt so special and grateful for all of his wonderful family celebrating with him.