Memorial Weekend

Ta da! Here is the annual Memorial Day photo taken next to Grandpa Pilgrims' grave. Every year for as long as I can remember members of the Pilgrim family have been meeting up at Grandpa's grave to decorate it with flowers and take this pic. Then we all head to a park for a picnic. Sometimes the weather cooperates, sometimes it doesn't, but rain or shine, we meet up and then have a picnic. This year I decided to do a little something extra in order for my kids to learn a little bit about the people who are buried beneath these headstones we visit, so I made little info sheets with photos and a brief synopsis of the person's life... I tried to find info that my boys would find interesting. For example, how Grandpa Pilgrim came to become an ambulance driver in WWII, or how Jeff only had his haircut once a year when he was a boy and it was when his family would visit Grandpa Bergstrom, because he was a barber at the University of Utah. I think the boys enjoyed hearing the stories.

But their favorite part, of course, was playing with all their cousins that they rarely get a chance to see. There are so many boys! They are all in heaven when they get together! Climbing trees, playing ball, swinging from the jungle gym, ingesting glutenous amounts of licorice... it's just a great time for all!

Over the weekend we joined a group of Pilgrim's up at Grandpa Pilgrim's cabin. This too is another annual tradition, but usually Jeff & I stay home, while my mom takes up the boys. But this year we decided to join them for a day or two. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and there was no drama to speak of (as is usually the case when large amounts of strong personalities get together).

We rode 4-wheelers, did crafts, cooked s'mores over the fire pit, played games and ate way too much food! A typical cabin venture...

I'm just so thankful that my Grandpa Pilgrim had the foresight to build a cabin where we can all get together to spend time as a family. We all live so spread out and such separate lives, but when we come together at the cabin, we all feel at home. Just the way it should be!

Will's Preschool Graduation

Last night my sweet Will became an official preschool graduate! Hip hip hooray!! He was so excited! Especially because now he gets to go to Kindergarten!

His preschool teacher asked him to recite a closing poem at the graduation ceremony and he did such an awesome job! He memorized his lines very quickly and although he said he was nervous, he did a fantastic job and spoke clearly so that everyone could understand him. (Watch the little video at the end of this post... it's kind of dark, but you can still hear his sweet little voice.)

Both sets of grandparents came for the big event and it made it all the more special for Will to have his grandparents there to celebrate his accomplishment.

Afterward we all went to Will's favorite place, "Frogurt", for some do-it-yourself frozen yogurt goodness! It was a great night! Congratulations Will! We are so proud of you and know you'll do AWESOME in Kindergarten!!

Renaissance Festival

We took the boys to the Renaissance Festival in Farr West on Saturday and got to travel back in time to a Medieval Village filled with knights, gypsies, kings and queens and more! It was so much fun! The boys got to decorate their own swords, shields and tunics to wear around the festival and they each put their own bit of personality into their creations.

Rachel and her family joined us and the kids all pretended to sword fight and battle each other as we wandered around the village.

Drew & Will got up on the stage to dance with a band of gypsies who attempted to teach them how to shimmy and shake their hips in order to earn coins for their dowry. It was pretty funny to watch!

Then we got to watch real knights in a jousting battle. One represented Ireland and one represented Wales... we rooted for the one from Wales, since that's where our families hail. It was really cool to watch them taunt each other before the battle and egg each other on, hoping for cheers from the crowd. We don't know who ended up winning, but at least no one actually died in the joust:~)

Finally, the boys got to ride a real, live camel!! It was so cool! They said it was really wobbly and felt a lot like riding a horse. What an opportunity though! It's something you'd see on Amazing Race, but not here in good ol' Utah!

I kept telling Jeff that if I'd had the opportunity to learn about the Renaissance like this when I was studying it in 6th grade, I might have gotten a better grade! Hopefully these memories will stick with the boys so they'll understand the Renaissance better when it's their turn to study it in school!

An Evening of the Arts

Drew was invited to perform a piano solo for his elementary school's "Evening of the Arts". He was to play whatever he wanted for 10 minutes in the entryway of the school for people to listen to as they came to see the student's artwork and watch the dancers. It was quite a privilege and he was so excited to have been able to participate. He's been working on learning the Star Wars theme since January so deciding what to play was an easy decision. His piano teacher also put together a few other songs for him to play as well in order to fill the entire 10 minutes.

As you can see, he did AWESOME! And although he said he was nervous (he told our neighbor that he couldn't believe he was playing in front of "like a thousand people!") he pulled it off like a champ! And he even added his own little flare at the end as he threw up his arms in the "rock on" sign. He's only been taking lessons since August and we are all so proud of how well he is doing! Great job Drew!!

My days as a Mother

In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to blog a little about what my days are like at this point in my life as the Mother of two beautiful boys. Everyone tells you how quickly these days will pass and that you should relish and appreciate each and every moment. So this is my attempt to describe a typical day in my life, in hopes that I will always remember.

AM - Wake up, eat breakfast, feed boys (beg Will to eat something besides tomatoes), brush Drew's hair, make sure he packed his backpack, hugs, kisses & send him out the door by 8:30 a.m.

Workout time! - Run, bike, yoga, weights, you name it... this is my time to work on me and I cherish it!

Get started on my "To Do" list - Volunteer in Drew's class, play with Will, plan, organize, taxi, clean, entertain, mother, work (on Wednesday's), problem solve... you name it. This is my "get as many things done as you can" time.

Lunchtime - Fix a meal for myself and Will (I stress the importance of including a complex carbohydrate, protein and fruit or veggie at every meal... my boys know how to "build a plate" even if they do prefer donuts).

1:00 - Will goes to preschool or watches Sesame Street/Computer time for me... I read my email, facebook, catch up on other's blogs or update mine, etc. After computer time, it's time for errands, dr. appts, groomers, play dates, grocery shopping, scrap booking, cleaning (not necessarily in that order)...

3:30/4:00 - Pick up Will from school/Drew gets home from school...Hug, how was your day, let the nagging begin...

PM - Help with homework, remind Drew to practice piano, encourage boys to clean up their school bags & papers, read through backpack papers, make a healthy dinner, clean kitchen, beg boys to eat their dinner in a timely manner so they can go outside and play.

At random times throughout the day I may be found doing any and all of the following: planning/coordinating play dates, kissing boo-boo's & putting on Sponge Bob Band aids, solving sibling disputes, consoling a crying boy, setting time limits for playtime, eating time, computer time, practice time (you name it), ensuring healthy eating a lots of activity time, planning family nights, reading, researching, organizing, attending school meetings, planning & preparing WW lessons, attempting yard work, cleaning house, walking Max, feeding Max, playing with Max, remembering we have a dog that needs love..., reading my People or Family Fun magazines, coordinating kids activities (swimming, scouts, gymnastics, piano, soccer, golf, etc.), filling out book orders, finding show & tell items, signing permission slips, yelling/nagging, stopping myself from yelling and trying to find a better way to get my point across, etc.

8:30 - Bath/shower time. Brush teeth (and inspect), remind boys to put dirty clothes in laundry room, read books, snuggle: 15 minutes with each boy (My absolute favorite part of the day!! I don't know how long they'll still want to snuggle, but I'll keep it up for as long as I can!)

Breathe - Relax a little, evaluate tomorrow's agenda, get any work done I haven't been able to, go to bed (lay there thinking of all the stuff I have to do tomorrow), eventually fall to sleep. Wake up and do it all again!

And that's my typical day! I'd be lying if I said that I loved every single moment of my day, but who can honestly say that they do? I do try to focus on the positives in my day and the positives in my children's behavior. I try to teach them and be an example for them and mostly, just love the heck out of them and let them know how much I cherish them. I sometimes fall short, but for Mother's Day they gave me a card with a sticker on it that deemed me "The Amazing Incredible Super Mom", so I guess they think I'm doing OK at this whole Mom thing.

My Mother's Day was full of hugs and cards of appreciation and love. So I'll take the encouragement and keep on keepin on and do my best to relish these typical days that I am so blessed to be living!

Mom's Surprise Tea Party...

My wonderful mother has never (in my lifetime) had a birthday party so I decided that for her 60th Birthday, she deserved something BIG! So my siblings and I got together and pitched in to throw the most awesome birthday/tea party EVER!

We held it at the Beehive Tea Room in downtown Salt Lake City and were lucky enough to reserve the entire tea room for our party. Mom and my aunts walked in the Race for the Cure that morning (something my mom and I have been doing together since 1998 and she was so disappointed to hear I couldn't join them this year), and they brought her to the tea room for the surprise.
I set up a table with her photo and a photo book I made of her life for people to write personal messages to Mom as they entered. Then each table was set with a photo of Mom and there was a TV set up playing a DVD I put together of her life so far. The place looked great and she was so elated when she arrived and saw that all this was in celebration of her! There was hardly a dry eye in the place!

Family members (Aimee & my niece Emily even flew in from Oklahoma) and friends (some she hadn't seen in 30 years) came to celebrate the inspiring life of my Mom. We ate scones, brownies and fresh strawberries and everyone had tea or Italian sodas. Then Aimee treated us all to a toast to Mom and if folks weren't crying before it, they were definitely crying after! Her toast was amazing and full of thanks to Mom for being such a wonderful mother and friend. It was such a special moment!

Then Melissa brought a beautiful cake and we pretended to have Mom blow out the candles as we all sang "Happy Birthday!" to her. She was so happy and surprised and she told me that she felt like "queen for the day". Which in my mind is truly what she deserves! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother.

She has been my rock, my sounding board, my support, my deep-thinking companion for my entire life. There isn't a special moment she hasn't been there for, and for every sad moment, she's been there to dust me off and get me back on my feet again. And as a Grand-Mother, she is continuing her legacy by loving and encouraging and caring for her grand-kids. (My boys go through withdrawls when they don't see her for a week!). I feel like I'm a strong woman and I know it's because of the strong woman who raised me to think, feel and love! I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

And thank you to everyone who helped me put this together by offering advice, ideas, photos, money or just plain encouragement! It was worth every bit of time and money that we put in to it!

My "I can do it" moment...

Just a quick story about our bike ride on Monday:

Jeff (with Will on back) and I were about 3 miles into what we'd hoped would turn out to be a 30 mile training ride when suddenly his back tire completely blew out! It was scary! The first thing I thought was that Will's foot was hurt or something... Anyway, we had to think quick so I decided to ride my bike back home really quick so I could bring back Jeff's truck and we could decide what to do from there. Well, the quickest way home was up a STEEP hill, but I was determined and I just kept pedaling my way up that dang hill, using the techniques I've been learning in my cycling class. I couldn't believe how quickly I made it to the top of the hill and home to get the bike to rescue my men... As I was riding I had this overwhelming feeling of awesomeness about my abilities as a human being. It was so cool! I just kep thinking "I can totally do this!" and I did! What a great feeling to be healthy and alive and full of brains in my head!

Jeff's Golf Birthday!

Yesterday was Jeff's 36th birthday... I can't believe I'm married to such an old man! What's crazy is I've been planning birthday's for him for 14 years now! Believe it or not, I'm beginning to run out of ideas! But the boys just couldn't fathom not having some sort of themed birthday party for him, so we all decided that a golf birthday would be fun, since daddy loves to golf!

Jeff picked out his own present... a brand new driver (holy smokes those things are pricey!) to replace the one he finagled from his years working at Hidden Valley Golf Course when he was a teenager.

We took the boys to Mulligans to go mini-golfing and thankfully the weather cooperated with us. After golfing, we bought a bucket of balls and went to the driving range so Jeff could try out his new driver. Look at that form! He's so mmm mmm mmm:~)

I should mention that in honor of his golf birthday, we all wore golf-shirts the entire day... (I had to borrow one from Jeff and it was so big on me that I had a complex about it the whole day... I just don't feel comfortable wearing baggy clothes! I work too dang hard to be able to NOT wear them!)

This is such a cute pic of Jeff teaching Will how to hit the ball. The boys both had such a great time and they decided that this bucket of balls thing needs to be our new Sunday activity!

Later that night we had a little BBQ with Rachel & Brian and then had cake and ice cream for dessert. I attempted to make a golf ball cake, but it did not turn out anything like I had planned... I am no Betty Crocker, that's for sure! Anyway, the boys were more excited about the trick candles we loaded on to the cake to worry about how ugly the cake was. They were laughing and cheering and Jeff kept asking "are these things supposed to be sparking?" "Is that what they're supposed to do?" Eventually he got them all blow out and we all enjoyed the ugly cake.

Will is still asking Jeff if he had "the best birthday EVER!" It's very important to him that birthday's be the best and most wonderful day of the year. So Jeff keeps telling him that it was "the best 36th birthday EVER!" and that seems to please Will very much.

I just want to end with a big I LOVE YOU to Jeff and say that I am so blessed that he was born and that he is in my life. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found my best friend and soul mate and the man I adore and who treats me and our children with such devotion and respect! You're the best Jeffy! Happy Birthday to you!

Celebrating Beltane!

Our latest Goddess celebration was May 1st... Beltane! The day we celebrate all the living world, creation of all kinds, the joy of being alive and having a body and all the wonderful things we can do that we couldn't do before!

We made head wreaths out of flowers and Jeff constructed a Maypole in the backyard for us to dance around. Each of us chose a different colored ribbon and we danced around the pole and sang "We're dancing 'round the Maypole!" (a little jingle that Will made up). It was lots of fun, eventhough it was sprinkling on us the whole time.
Before the dance, the boys gathered all the musical instruments they could find for us to use in our procession. The boys chose flutes, Jeff and I chose maraccas. I couldn't get over how cute everyone looked in their floral headpieces!

After the dance, we went inside for dinner and talked about all the things we love about being a part of this living world. It was cool listening to the things the boys came up with. They were so excited to share all their many talents they have improved over the past year. They were somersaulting, singing, drawing and having a great time.

We had Strawberry Shortcake for dessert and the fairies brought us our very own snowcone making machine! It was great fun!

What Will & Drew have been up to...

This past Thursday, Will and I rode our bike (the one with the attached wheel) up to meet his preschool class at the fire station for a field trip. It was so much fun! The highlight of the tour was getting to spray the fire-hose! He was so excited to do it that he got in line twice. We've toured this fire house 3 times and they never let us spray the hoses before, so it was a really special treat!

Last week, a few days after our long bike ride out to the marina at the Great Salt Lake, Will broke out in this mysterious rash all over his body. It was so strange and no one could figure out what had caused it... all we knew is the itching was driving Will crazy! I took him to the doctor and even he couldn't figure it out. So he prescribed a steroid to help stop the itching and I gave him an oatmeal bath twice a day until finally it went away. Weird! But I'm just happy it's gone! When Will sees the photos he says "that rash made you cry, huh?" Because I (and everyone who saw it) was always asking him if he was okay. And he'd say "yes I'm okay, why does everyone keep asking me if I'm okay?" And I told him it was because the rash made us sad so we were just sure he was miserable. But he reassured me again and again saying "I'm FINE!" He was such a trooper about it!

In Drew's world, it was teacher appreciation week so, being room mom and all, I went in and decorated his teachers door according to the idea that Drew helped me come up with. Of course, it's Star Wars themed... it says "Mrs. Rouse, Thanks for teaching us the power of education! May the force be with you!" and the stars all around have each of the kids' names on them. It was a big hit!

In other news, Drew completed his science fair project and was the only kid in his class to participate. (Evidently it's not required for 2nd grade, and since his class was off-track, they weren't really pushing it. But, being the over achieving mom I am, I decided it was important for him to do it anyway.) He decided to do it on rockets and it turned out really well. I'd say it was 60% Drew/40% Jeff and I encouraging and helping. My goal is for him to get in the habit of looking forward to this every year so that he starts getting excited about it and learns the process of it so that eventually it will be 95% his work, and just a little bit of help from us. We'll see.... At any rate, the project was great, he had a fun time testing the rockets, he got to share his project in front of his class and he did a great job!