4th of July Fun

 We have made it a tradition to go to the Huntsman Springs Celebration every year and I love it.

 The best part of the whole celebration is watching the pure joy on my kids faces when the fireworks light up the sky and hearing their little "oohs" and "wows"!  "Mom did you see that one, I love the purple and gold ones!"

 We always go early to find a spot on the grass so we have lots of waiting time.  This year the girls had fun dancing and doing cartwheels to entertain themselves until the festivities start.

 This year the beach boys came and preformed.  It was great fun for the whole family...and the best part is it is free.  The fireworks are amazing and so patriotic...and even though I don't love all the crap that is going on in our country right now, it makes me grateful to be an American.  It reminds me of how grateful I am for those who are serving and have served our country and died for our freedoms.

 I just had to post a picture of little Mattie Faye.  She loves suckers and I know this is not great parenting but sometimes giving her a dumb dumb is the only way to get her to stop throwing a fit. So I went to Sam's club and got these suckers in bulk.  Trust me these suckers have come in handy...especially in stressful Walmart trips where she is having a meltdown and I am having to drag her across the floor.  I have had people tell me that the third child is the easiest.... and I say  "That John Denver is full of crap."

 We celebrated the 4th by going to Victor to watch the parade.  Then we had to make the drive through Swan Valley just to get Huckleberry Square Ice Cream.

 Moments of happiness intermixed with more moments of whining.

At the end of the day we went to our neighbors house and watched their amazing fireworks.  He had a whole bunch that I am pretty sure fell out of the back of a truck...if ya know what I mean.  They were not like the little dinky fireworks I grew up with.  They made our sparklers and snakes look like baby fireworks.  It was so fun to just sit and be with good friends and being able to watch all the other neighborhood fireworks...which were very impressive.

Idaho Falls has the second best fireworks display in the nation.  I have never been to the Mellaluca show but I hear it is really cool but the traffic is crazy...over 50,000 people attend...with that many I feel ok about staying home.

Summer Fun

 So Avery's softball is over.  Sadly her season ended earlier then we would have liked.  Just before her tournament she was pitching a softball to her older cousin who accidentally hit the ball right at her and fractured her hand.  The poor girls hand was so swollen and bruised and she had to sit out and watch her team play without her.  I was just grateful we did not have to cast it.  She is supposed to keep off  it but that is not happening :)

 My little monster.  I just had to post this because it is classic Mattie.  She is either being super cute and happy or super mad.  The kid can scream her head off...one of those horror film screams...it drives me crazy.

 We also have been doing the reading program at the library this summer and my girls love it.  They mostly love the prizes they get every week.  I enjoy reading some of my favorite books with them from when I was a kid.

 We did swimming lessons at the end of June and the girls had a blast and love to swim.  We got a pool pass  and we try to go anytime the weather is warm...Mattie is probably my biggest fish...she is already trying to swim and wants to do it on her own.  We also had Matt's cousins with us for two weeks and then my cousin came to stay with us for the summer so at one point we had six girls staying with us...I was just grateful we have more then one bathroom.  We also made a trip to the zoo with the girls.  The last time I was at the zoo I had to explain some inappropriate behavior from some monkeys to my kids and this year it was from some very big turtles.  Hailey kept asking why the giant turtle kept trying to wrestle the other turtle?

 We have also been going to the park a lot.  It is much more fun now that Caitlyn is here with us.  I like to call her my rent-a-teen she is great with my girls and they really look up to her.

The nice perk about having teens in the house is my girls hair actually gets done.  Samantha is so great about doing everyone's hair and helping them get ready...I am ready to have her come stay with me again.

Elder Berry is Back!

 Matt's brother Josh returned home from his mission from Virginia in June.  We all gathered together at the airport at 10:30 at night waiting for him to fly in....we were a rowdy group.

 Josh was surprised to see how much his cousins had changed and grown.  He also got to meet Mattie for the first time but it took here a long time to warm up to him.

Josh flew in on his birthday so we had a midnight party to celebrate.  He is on a health kick so to accompany his Dairy Queen cake we had hummus and veggies.  The kid is also a dating machine...I think he went on a date the day after he got back and hasn't stopped since...I guess he has a lot to make up for after two years of no girls:)

Opps is it July already?

 So I realized the other day that I have not put anything on my blog for a long time...it was in desperate need for some updates.  So back in March...yah...I know that was forever ago..but my hubby had a big birthday. He turned thirty and we celebrated with food of course! I made him a pecan pie cheesecake.  It has been put in the category of "super delicious foods" and has been requested a few times since then.

 Birthday spankings...my girls might have had a little too much fun with this part...Sadly they love a good excuse to smack people...(ya my kids are sometimes violent...I will blame that on the Berry side)

 Avery had her 7th birthday and we celebrated at Bear World. The girls had a blast...I just can't believe I have a 7 year old.

 Avery finished up basketball and went right into softball.  This kid loves softball!  She would practice every day and even practice when she got home from practice...it was refreshing to find something that she wanted to work hard at.  She played machine pitch and was the youngest person on her team. Most of the girls were 3rd and 4th graders.  So last year she played tee-ball and this year she had to hit of a machine that pitched as fast as high school girls.  Her first at bat she was a little nervous but once she got used to it she would get right in there and crush the ball.  Watching her play has been one of the highlights of the summer so far.

So we have a ton of little girls in our neighborhood and my girls are having a blast...they all act like sisters.  I feel bad for Matt  because there have been times he has come home to 8 girls playing dress up in our house...but there are those occasional times when the boys will want to come over and play. I love those moments because I get to see just how different boys are then girls.  They despise our dolls and want to ride bikes or play baseball...so Matt will go out and play catch with them and teach them how to play baseball.  I like to refer to them occasionally as our rent-a-sons...we love our little community.

Monday- Chicken Fried Rice with Bok Choy

So i got a bunch of Bok choy in my Bountiful Basket...never cooked with it before...so this will be an experiment.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-fried-rice-with-bok-choy-10000000592352/

Tuesday- Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html

Wednesday- Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2012/06/our-version-of-cafe-rios-chicken-tortilla-soup.html

Thursday-Chicken Spinach Parmigiana

http://tastyplanner.com/recipes/spinach-and-cheese-stuffed-chicken-breasts

Friday- Creamy Pesto Pasta with Cesar Salad

http://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/2012/08/21/skinny-pesto-cream-pasta/

Saturday- Eating Out!!

Sunday- Matt's Birthday

Pork Tenderloin and Steak (my own recipes)

Creamy potatoes (Grandmas Recipe)

Roasted Asparagus (own recipe)

Vanilla and Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake...unless Matt changes his mind and wants something else:)

Thoughts on Motherhood

Ok mommies.....when people find out you are a stay at home mom, do you ever get the question...."Oh so what do you do all day?"  I just happen to hate that question!

So you may be thinking..WHY .... what is the big deal?  Well I hate it because I shouldn't have to list everything I do all day.  I don't ask the hair stylist what she does all day or the project manager what his day entails.  Sometimes it feels like I am being put on the spot and having to prove that I am not some lazy mom who is too afraid or unmotivated to get a "real job."

I will admit there have been times where I have met successful people my own age who have cool jobs and felt a little embarrassed telling them I am just a stay at home mom.  I feel like I have to add something else like.."well  I also coach high school basketball or I have my degree in teaching"...like it will help make me seem a little more accomplished.   I once met an older man at a convention for Matt's work and when I told him I was just a stay at home mom he looked at me and said, "just...just a stay at home mom?"  He continued to say, "Do not use "just" with your role as a mother.  Motherhood is one of the most important jobs and callings there is."

I have not always felt comfortable playing the role of a mother.  In my earlier twenties I honestly felt too young to be a mother and felt like I was not ready for this job.  I thought I was ruining my children and that I should have never been entrusted with these little free spirits   I was too imperfect and constantly making mistakes.

But thankfully with life there is growth and I have been able to grow  into my calling of motherhood.  I love being a mother and I love staying home with my kiddos   Not everyday is perfect and I make mistakes all the time but I have learned that my children are resilient and strong.  I was born to be a mom, I truly feel like it is my calling and purpose...as cheesy as that sounds and I am no longer embarrassed to tell people that I am just a stay at home mom.  I feel that being a mom.... whether you stay at home or not means that you are part of a group who's common interest is to better our families and society as a whole.  We make sacrifices so our kids can have a happier home, and opportunities that will make them better people.

The more I have thought about it, the more I have realized that being a mother means I have many different roles. We are not just mothers but.... nutritionists  chefs, nurses, maids, therapists, religious guides, monster hunters, professional bedtime singers, dental hygienists  stylists, costume designers, party planners, coaches/trainers/water boys, teachers, chauffeusr, animal tamers, social events coordinators,  journalists, body guards, hair stylists, storytellers, negotiators  cheerleaders, bakers, wardens, tooth fairies, Easter bunnies and Santa's Elves.  These are just a few of our roles we play.

So I guess the next time I am asked what I do...I can confidently list some of my "titles."

So Moms...what are some of the ways you answer the question, "So...what do you do?"

Swim Team

 Avery did swim team this last month.  It was the beginner level and she improved so much.  It was more like swim lessons...only with a swim meet at the end.  She really took to it and felt very confident in the water.

 When it was time for the swim meet she was so excited and confident...not nervous at all....she must get that from Matt.  I know it was just for fun, but I found myself feeling a little nervous for her.

Avery won three first place ribbons and one second place ribbon.  In the car after the meet she was looking at her ribbons feeling pleased with herself and then said, "Mom I could of had all blue ribbons if I would have swam a little faster in my first race."  I had this moment after listening to her talk where I was trying to decide if I should take the mommy road or the coach road...my mommy took over and I tried to explain that the ribbons didn't matter.  It is just about having fun and trying to do the best we can do. But I am secretly loving that she has a competitive side and that she is not afraid to challenge herself.

This same week she had her first basketball game.  This was a whole new experience for Matt and I.  We were trying to coach her team in the midst of pure chaos and confusion.  We got killed by the other team...of all boys... who clearly had been playing since they could walk.  On the way home I had such mixed emotions. She did not really get the concept of the game and with two minutes remaining she asked to sit so someone else could play.  Why would she want to sit?  Was she not interested in the game?   Maybe she was just being a team player.  Maybe she does not really like basketball.  What if she is not any good at it?  What if she chooses not to play?  What if she is only playing because I want her to?  Am I prepared for the day she does not want to do it?  What if I am pushing her to hard and I ruin the game for her and she doesn't want to play because of me.  How can I get these kids to learn how to play the game?  I wonder if the internet has information on how to coach 6 year olds?

I was becoming completing overwhelmed in thought and strategy when I realized I was freaking out about 6 year olds!  I may have a passion for basketball and sports in general but Avery is only 6...she is just a little girl who wants to have fun and be silly and make new friends.  I need to just make it fun for her and one day if she decides not to play....I will have to be OK with that ( but secretly I am praying that never happens:)

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

 Avery's class was having a big Dr. Seuss celebration.  They got to go to school in their pajamas and read lots of Dr. Seuss stories.  The night before she informed me that each student could bring treats for the class...so using what I had around the house I attempted to make some Dr. Seuss themed cupcakes.  The above picture are the trees from The Lorax (you kind of have to use your imagination on some of these)  I made all the toppers out of chocolate.

 These are the green eggs from the famous...."Do you like green eggs and ham?"

 This last one is the fish from "One fish Two Fish."  It is a fish in a fish bowl.

We put them in the cupcake holder and packed them off to school.  I don't remember celebrating Dr. Seuss as a kid in school.  I am wondering if this is a new trend...but the kids seem to love it.

On another note.  That same day we got to go to Avery's school and present them a donation during their assembly   Exxon is great about giving back to the community so through their partnership with Berry Oil and a local Exxon station...Matt was able to present them a check to go towards buying new books for their library.  It was pretty fun to watch the kids cheer when they found out they were going to get new books!  Avery had been asking Matt for months if she could present the check to the principal.  So when it was time Avery handed the check over and shook the principals hand.  I could tell the she felt so big.

Menu

Monday: Chicken Chili

Tuesday: Pizza and a healthy version that I am so curious to try pizza with cauliflower crust (hopefully it turns out)
   

Wednesday: Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken with quinoa southwest salad

Thursday: Fish Tacos with Vinegar Potatoes

Friday: Lemon angel hair pasta with chicken and spinach with salad


Saturday: Santa Fe stuffed peppers(my plan is to tweak this a bit using leftover quinoa salad  from Wednesday that I did not put the dressing on...because I know my family will not eat all of it.  This way it gets used in two different meals.)


Sunday: Texas Oven Roasted Beef Brisket with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and honey glazed roasted root vegetables and for dessert....probably homemade ice cream and brownie Sundae's

V-day

I was in Califronia this past week for my sister's wedding.  It was awesome the weather was beautiful....the only thing missing was my family.  Mattie and I went solo on this trip.  Before I left I joked with Matt that this was his lucky year because I would be gone over Valentines day and he wouldn't have to do anything.  Well the day of the 14th I was at my sisters helping set up and prep for the wedding.  The UPS guy rolled up carrying moutnians of packages that had been sent for my sisters wedding.  No joke, the guy was trying to carry 5 huge boxes at once.  It looked like Macy's was sponsering her wedding!  Then my sister put a box on my lap and I noticed it had my name on it.  I figured it was some relative that was sending her a wedding gift but got our names mixed up. (that will happen occasionsly...but mostly with my sister Lara and Jenni,  people will mix them up and think Lara is Jenni....that happened a few times at the reception, some people thought Lara was the bride)  When I opened it I saw these beautiful flowers with a little note from Matt. I could not believe that he had sent me flowers...it was so sweet!  I got to watch these beauties bloom during the rest of the week...and I was so sad to leave them behind at my sisters.