Friday, May 14, 2010

Talent Show

Ever since last years talent show, Coralee has been anxiously awaiting this year's talent show. We didn't know about it last year and she desperately wanted to be in it and sing with her good friend, Maizie.
As soon as the paperwork came out to audition, we got it filled out and turned in and then started practicing Taylor Swift's song, "You Belong With Me". Auditions came and we were so nervous, but the girls made it in! They only took two acts from each grade and they wouldn't take two of the same talent, so they were so excited, as were we, when the girls made it.
The talent show was on Wednesday May 12 and the girls did great, despite the fact that the teachers running the show downloaded the wrong song. We had the music clipped to fit the three minute time limit and there was another girl who sang the same song and so they put her music on for the girls thinking it was the same, when it wasn't. The girls got a little lost, but still did so good!!! We were all very proud.
Our singing star
Coralee and Maizie
SUPERSTARS!!

Posing before the show


Our pretty girl

Dad even worked from home so he could come.
The performance

Each girl had a solo in the song. They were so good!
Taking a bow at the end


The girls laughing at our hilarious host of "Pennock Idol". (He's in our ward and did a great job) The talent show was a success and so cute!! The kids and teachers did such an amazing job.

Volleyball

We played co-ed volleyball in our rec center league this year and it was so much fun!! We made it to the semi's in our tournament and lost. It was a bummer, but we did really well and had a blast. I must admit I was kinda glad to see it end becuase I just can't move as well as I used to and it frustrated me! But, the baby and I still held our own, kind of!! Here's our AWESOME team! You can see my baby belly pokin out!! Hee, hee The Underwoods, Us, and Stephy. We're missing Mark because he was working in Australia.
Go TEAM!!!

Coralee's Song to Her Nana

Coralee wrote her Nana a song for Mother's Day and then sang it for her when we got to her house. It was pretty stinkin' cute!! She even sang it to everyone after dinner. Here are the lyrics she wrote. When I figure out how to download stuff from my video camera I'll post it!
"Nana, do you remember your first Mother's Day?
Cause I have something to say to you
And it's Happy Mother's Day
So get up and break down on the dance floor
Last time I did it OOOOOH, OOOOOH
You want to do it
You can do it
So do it
MMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
OOOOOh OOOOOh OOOOOh
So do it!
Happy Mother's Day, Nana
YEAH!!!"
Oh yes, my little singer. Isn't she so cute!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

The night before Mother's Day we were in the car playing the game, "I Wish . . ." We throwing up things like, "I wish the earth was made of candy," "I wish I had all the money in the world," and then I thought of a great one, "I wish that every day was Mother's Day"! After my Mother's Day, I really wish that one would come true!

I had such a great day. The talks at church were AMAZING and all the men who spoke said so many things I needed to hear. They were so complimentary and grateful for women and the roles that we play in our framilies lives. It was very uplifting. Then I came home and fed the kids, wrote a letter to my mom, helped get a few things ready for dinner, and then we headed out to my in-laws to spend the afternoon and evening with them. It was the best day. Here are a few of the things I loved about my day: My husband was wonderful and made me the BEST dinner! Bob cooked steaks and Steve handled everything else. When he asked me what I wanted for all the sides I couldn't really think of anything and then over the course of several days I kept spitting out things that sounded good. Well, he made them all!! He made me roasted sweet potatoes, homemade ceasar salad, grilled peppers, mushrooms, and crustini! It was a feast fit for a queen. He also TOTALLY surprised me and got me a new camera! Best present ever!!!!!

I loved being with my children and being able to tell them, "It's my happy Mother's Day!" That got them to do alot of things the normally wouldn't.
I loved spening the day with two moms that I love and admire.

I loved spending Renae's last Mother's Day before he next mission and seeing my husband with his mommy!
I loved eating the Robert Redford Steve and I made for dessert. Yum!
I loved watching my neice, baby Sophia, chow down on her Robert Redford. She is too cute!
I loved watching my kids have fun playing with their cousins.
Thanks for a great day everyone!! I love you all and I can't wait for my next Mother's Day!

Baseball Season

Landon LOVES baseball! He has since he was old enough to walk, so this year we decided to move him up into the 6 year old pitching machine league (because t-ball was too boring) and he is in heaven!!
He has been so excited ever since I signed him up and finally the season came! He has loved practices and he was so pumped for his first game. Steve and I were so nervous for him, but the first play of the game he was in center field and he got a ball hit to him and he fielded it and threw it in! We were so proud. When he got up to bat, I thought my heart would jump out of my chest and I felt so bad when he didn't get a hit. The second time he got up he didn't get a hit either. Steve was feeling pretty bad for him, but after the game when we got to him he said, "I tried my very best to hit the ball," and then he got his snack and was fine so we had to be too. He told us his tummy was "hot" when he got up to bat and so we think he was pretty nervous, but at his second game he hit both times and hasn't missed a chance to hit since.

It is funny how proud being a parent can make you. I love watching my children discover what they love and develop their talents. It's one of the things I love most about being a mom.Baseball ready (Landon's coach yells baseball ready and all the boys get low with their gloves! It is so cute!)

Lookin' too cute!!

All of the adoring, and adorable, fans

Baseball ready again

Throwing in warmups

He loves grounders!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

End of School Madness!!

Wow! I had no idea how crazy the end of the year could be with a child in first grade and one in preschool! It is kickin' my butt! And it was proven tonight when I total had a freak out and lost it on my children!!We have been running a million miles an hour between school activities, baseball, piano, and life. I knew the craziness was taking its toll, but I had no idea that I was on the edge and my children acutally forced me to jump this evening!

I've been pretty emotional as of late, but last week had been such a great week. I didn't lose my temper or yell all week long (that is good for me!) and I had a great Mother's Day so I was sure that I was off to a new and improved me. Wow, how a crazy week and crazy kids can change all of that!

Today has been one of those where my boys have been losing it at the drop of a hat! They have thrown so many fits and I have tried to remain patient throughout them, but it gets draining. I have been at Coralee's school almost all day because she made the talent show and there were two performances today. I've been running in and out and all day long and I just wanted to have a smooth evening where everyone listened and cooperated and just did what I asked!

Keep dreamin' Rachel. No one would listen to me. I had to ask my children several times to do things and they still didn't listen. I wanted my boys in bed by 7:30 and so we were on our way when I tried to have prayers and scriptures, but they had been running around making each other laugh and they were all wound up!! All I asked is that they be quite for a few minutes and when they didn't do that I jumped from my ledge and the sparks flew.

Anyway, after about 30 minutes of crying and feeling like it was probably time to retire, I thought about Coralee and the fact that she hadn't practiced her piano and how she always fights me to do it. I then thought of how many times she has wanted to give up, but she has kept at it and she is turning into such a great little piano player. Of course I had an analogy pop into my head!!! And I realized that being a mom is alot like becoming a great pianist. Ya, I was learning a lesson from a lesson I had tried to teach my daughter. I realized that being a great mom doesn't happen over night. It takes years of practice and giving up was not the answer. Each freak out and every moment of weekness is something that I can learn from and use to my advantage to help me become better. Practice makes perfect and I won't be perfect in this life time, so I guess I'll just have to keep on practicing! Thanks for a great lesson kiddos!

Here's a letter from my Coralee! While I was freaking out, she was writing me words of encouragement!! I don't know what I'd do without her!

Translation:

"Dear Mom,

We are ungrateful fools and we should appreciate everything you do for us. I love you more than anyone. Love Coralee"

Ya, I think I told my children they are ungrateful and do not appreciate me! Wow, she has good listening ears. I owe that one to her teacher Mrs. Twiss.

A Bun in the Oven

So for those of you who do not know, we are expecting baby number 4! We are so excited and cannot wait for the baby to get here!! I found out we were pregnany back in February on the day I found out that my grandpa Sorensen had passed away. It was some happy news after some sad. I was so excited that I wanted to be able to tell my family while I was home for the funeral and so I did and Steve told his parents as well. Other than our family, we weren't going to say anything until I got a little farther along.

However, we ended up telling the kids on Valentine's day because someone had come up to me and congratulated me at school (luckily the kids weren't around!) and I didn't want our kids to find out from someone else, so we told them early. It was very cute. We hid some presents around the house and one of them was a bag filled with baby stuff. The kids were so excited for their present, but as they started pulling things out they were so confused. We asked them, "Do you know what this means?" And Coralee answers, "We're having another baby cousin?" Boy how happy she was when she found out the soon to be baby was ours and not an aunt and uncles!! The kids were excited and have been asking me ever since when the baby is going to come out! It is going to be a long pregnancy for them, but is flying by for me!!

I had my first appointment on Tuesday March 9 and everything looked good. I love having my first ultrasound and seeing the baby for the first time. It also makes the pregnancy official in my mind. So, here's our first baby picture! The kids said that the baby looks like a ginger bread man! I think it looks like a peanut!! Either way, it is soooooo cute already!!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A Good Excuse This Time

Again it has been way too long in between blogs, however, I feel this time I have a pretty good excuse. So back in Novemeber, my two darling boys did something AWESOME!! Landon had been playing with my camera because sometimes I let him take pictures. Well, him and Braylon were fighting over it and and so of course I took it away from him and put it away.

I was doing something on the computer and noticed that it was WAY too quiet. I called their names and heard some noise coming from our bathroom. I walked to the door and it was locked. I knew something bad was going on and so I grabbed a key and opened the door and there they were with my camera wrapped in a towel.

I was upset because I told him to leave it alone, but the sparks really flew when I went to grab my camera and it was all wet. Yes, my DARLING boys dropped my camera in the toilet and ruined it!! I was so upset I cried and called Stephen to bawl him out on the phone over what HIS boys had done!

I have been cameraless ever since and have therefore given up blogging because I have no pictures. However, there are some things I can blog and should really start keeping up on. I read my cousin Nettie's blog and she talked about a friend of hers who's baby died of sids and how her friend had done such a great job of documenting her babies life. Life is so short and so unpredictable I figure I really should make a better effort to jot my thoughts and events down.

At least it's worth a try!