Memorial Day Weekend Extravaganza of Family Togetherness!

So, in lieu of taking a one-night overnight trip (which often ends up being a nightmare... I mean, who actually sleeps the first night in a new place, kids don't calm down, it isn't until night two that anyone actually rests, blah blah) we decided to do some fun outings to keep ourselves entertained this last weekend!

Friday night, we went to the Valley Drive in to see:

It was our first family trip to the drive in since Annie was a baby, and it was a blast! The kids loved it and the movie was great... I recommend it!

Saturday, we cleaned the house (work before play, of course... :) then loaded up everyone and went to lunch at McDonalds (I know, but remember, five kids...) then to Parkland Putters- an old-school mini golf place near Tacoma. The kids were so excited to go mini-golfing and Maggie was very... helpful...

She's cute, can't fault her for that...

Since the day was completely GORGEOUS, we opted to take a family walk on Ruston Way on the waterfront in Tacoma. It was a busy day there, but the weather was glorious, which, as we Washingtonians know, is an occurrence not to be trifled with. So, walking we went...

By the end of our walk, we had worked up an appetite... So we decided to eat dinner at Tacoma's Old Spaghetti Factory- a fabulous place to eat with kids- Kids meals are only 4.99 and they include a drink, salad, entree and dessert! Awesome! And delicious- they even have whole wheat pasta now! Yay me!

We went home, got ready for bed, then went to church Sunday and enjoyed a restful, rejuvenating Sabbath.

Monday, we went got up, got ready and after lunch went to Federation Forest and did a family hike! The Jonesies LOVE to hike- even Maggie was enthralled! The trail was easy enough, and we probably walked a couple of miles, effortlessly.

We stopped by our favorite Farm Stand on our way home to get some fresh veg and fruit (and ice cream -OBVIOUSLY one of the four food groups...) and went to a relaxing cook out at the Deputy's home. And *bonus*, got to see the inside of the new house they're building... Fun day!

It was truly a fabulous weekend. Not perfect- never perfect, but very entertaining, and I think every Jonesie had a truly exhilarating time. I think we have begun a new family tradition- the Memorial Day Weekend Extravaganza of Family Togetherness (MDWEFT) will be something we look forward to each year... and I have 364 days to recover... :)

Annie's Program

Annie had her First Grade music program at school, "Hansel and Gretel Eat Right". She was the cutest squirrel in the bunch. It was really cute and actually pretty funny. Where else do you get to see a singing compost pile? As Jim stated (quite profoundly, I might add...) "Lessons we've learned: Sweets=bad. Fruits and Veg=good. " I would add: "Compost=essential (and apparently, musical)."

A few pics:

An Apple for the...

Check out these beauties! I made them for Annie's teachers at school for Staff Appreciation Week... Yes, I'm totally channelling Martha here... Yes, for the uninitiated, they are apple-shaped cake pops. In a bucket. With ribbon. Could I be more unabashedly girly?

A few things I've learned...

Thanks so much to everyone who commented here and on my FB account about what it means to be a mother. Your comments were great- and very inspiring- they were great in my talk yesterday! In honor of Mom's Day, I'm including in this post my list (from my talk yesterday) of a few things I've learned in the last 7.5 years of motherhood...

I've learned:

You can clean nearly anything out of carpet with either ammonia or shaving cream.

It is often better to listen than to talk.

Adhesive bandages have magical healing powers.

Nothing compares to the young testimony of a little child as they share with you their thoughts about Jesus.

Not to be offended that when the children play house, the mother is always dead.

Family activities and projects are never perfect, and that's okay.

Family home evening, no matter how raucous and loud, is precious time.

"Furniture" is synonymous with "playground" in the vocabulary of a four-year-old.

The carpet will always be dirty, the patio door covered in fingerprints, mysterious odors will linger in the laundry room, but babies will grow and change and we will never have those moments back.

Grandparents are angels.

Children will clean any mess if they can do it like a superhero.

Sometimes we just need to cry in the pantry for a few minutes, and that's okay.

Martha Stewart did NOT have five children aged seven and under.

A little individual time with a child does wonders for behavior.

Never break a promise.

My Heavenly Father knows me, He knows my children- HIS children, and wants us to be happy.

Relief Society is often that- a RELIEF. There is great wisdom to be found among those who have done it before, and great support to be found among our sisters in the trenches.

Above all, prayer is a lifeline. It is the ultimate resource, the channel by which we plead our hearts desires, cry out the pain in our hearts, and receive quiet answers.


Hope your Mother's Day was a great one! Hang in there Mommies, you're doing the most important work there is- and in the immortal words of Zac Ephron, "We're all in this TOGETHER! " :)

Mother's Day Tea

I LOVE the preschool the trio attends. They do the most creative, cute FUN activities and they LOVE going (Yay!)!


Today we had the "Mother's Day Tea". They transformed the meeting room into rows and rows of pink tables with real tea cups and finger sandwiches. The kids sang us a song and gave us presents. It was very sweet. Here are my gifts:

They came wrapped like this:

So, my other favorite part was the paper they each gave me called

"Some Important Stuff About My Mom"

(answers are color-coded: Soph, Henry, Charlie)

My Mom's name is AMBERLYN/AMBER/AMBER

She is ABOUT 14/100/18 years old and her favorite color is BLUE & GREEN/RED/PINK.

My mom's favorite food is GROWN-UP YOGURT/PIZZA DIPPED IN RANCH/PASTA.

Her job is TO HELP US CLEAN OUR ROOMS/CLEANING THE DISHES FOR US/HELP ME PUT ON MY BATHING SUIT SHIRT FOR SWIMMING LESSONS.

When my mom and I want to have some fun, we GET ICE CREAM TOGETHER/GO TO SUPER JUMP PARTY ZONE/GO TO THE STORE AND GET FOOD.

My special Mother's Day words for my Mom are: "I LOVE YOU"/"I LOVE YOU"/"YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!"

I love that! I will keep those little treasures for ever and ever! Thanks kiddos!

Earnest Query...

So, I've been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting next week on Mother's Day. Topic? Mother's Day. I am bracing myself for the inevitable fact that this assignment will bring with it an unneccessarily difficult week of mothering, requiring me to do some extreme soul searching and brain racking to find worthwhile things to say (yes, I'm being brutally honest- but doesn't it always happen that way?) I'm just being real- anyone who knows me KNOWS that I adore my children, in spite of all their sneaky, loud, irrational naughtiness.

So I'm asking, simply said, what is the BEST part of being a mom and the MOST DIFFICULT part of being a mom? Please reply. I need feedback. You'd really be doing me a service here, folks. You might even get a shout-out. Yes, you could be famous among the throng of Victor Falls Ward-goers. Please help me. Don't make me beg.

Thanks friends.