Mother's Day Weekend

Wow.

I don't want to say something cheesy and cliche about Mothers Day but I really can't help it. I love my Mother so, so much. She is everything to me. She is my super hero, my rock, my best friend. We laugh together often, cry together some, too- I love her more than I think she'll ever know.

I am overwhelmed by feelings of utter joy when I think of my own role as a mother. How can this sweet, innocent, perfect child be trusted to me? It's humbling and I am very, very grateful. Motherhood was what I was made for- every ounce of my being strives to be the best mother I can possibly be. There's always more hugs to be given, books to be read, songs to be sung, and tickles to be teased with- my cup is overflowing.

And it feels good.



My mother and me- cuddling of course. :-)



And who could forget the Fathers in all of this Mothers Day Madness? Where would Mothers be without Fathers? Quite frankly, Mothers COULDN'T BE Mothers without Fathers. Tanner is a wonderful Father to our little Park man and he indulged me all weekend with a million and 1 fun activities. I was beaming for 3 days.

We started a summer time tradition of Friday Morning dates while Parker is at school and Tanner doesn't have class (For now). We went out to breakfast and took a drive above the Provo temple and looked over the valley. It was blissful being able to talk to this man that I married without a thousand interruptions. We felt like kids again- like before we were married and were just getting to know each other- Twitter-pated and care free.

Tanner and I had big plans for the weekend too!

First, we woke up and hung out in bed- just the 3 of us. We made a tent and had a tickle fight. It was a lazy morning which is pretty much the best kind of morning there is. Then we headed over to Jenny's house for some hair cuts! My hair has been growing out of control so I was super stoked to have it tended to. :-) Parker got a hair cut too! This boy's been growing like a weed and so has his hair!

~During~
(Look at that sweet Carly- I want her so bad!)
And THANKS Jenny!!! I would be suffering without you!


~After!~


After hair cuts we cruised to Ikea for a mini shop and some lunch. I'm sorry, But I'm obsessed with sweetish meatballs from Ikea. Take it or leave it, folks- I'm just throwing it out there. I just love Ikea and I scored a few fun things for our home. :-)


After Ikea we met Mona Kay and the kiddos at Thanksgiving Point. Ummmmm, ya. I hadn't really been to the GARDENS before but holy cow! They are huge! And so impressive! And so amazingly beautiful! I could have stayed there all day and then camped there all night and stayed the whole next day. Not to mention it was an absolutely PERFECT day. Utah is starting to catch on that it's almost summer!



(I love this picture- Dont mind me holding up Sage. We HAD to take pictures with our faces in the flowers!!!)










This was us running after the boys after they nearly fell into the water! Oh boy!


Sage's favorite part of the gardens is the "Wedding Spot" where she, of course, had to dance. Parker was happy to dance with her. Puppy love!!




The kids were soooo cute together! Mona Kay is the BEST mom and has the sweetest, most well behaved kids in the world. Their imaginations reach up to the sky which is sooooo fun. Parker loves playing with them. BFF :-)





One I just had to snap- He's pretty sweet, huh?


Gavin is so unbelievably content. He's an angel!



We had to cut our adventures in the Garden's short but I will most definitely be going back soon. It was so beautiful and so rejuvenating!


After the Gardens we met some friends in our neighborhood up in the Canyon for a little BBQ!

Boys are such pyromaniacs


I was having a special moment with my son. Utah has lots of nice places for nature hikes, exploring, and mother-son time.

He's my favorite.

He's really into the story about Jesus and the blind man lately. He loves that Jesus put mud on the man's eyes and that when he washed them he could SEE! What a compassionate little boy. I've been trying to teach him that when he feels really warm and fuzzy inside, that's the spirit telling him that Jesus loves him.

Sometimes he gets it- ya know? Like he's really listening to me. And those are the times I treasure.




This is Sophia. I'm officially in love with her.



It's so nice to have such good friends all around us. Makes me feel really good, ya know?

We took a little stroll up to Bridal Veil Falls- breathtaking.



Parker would have stayed there all night throwing rocks into the river.

I love these guys. Mother's Day just wouldn't be Mother's Day without them.

That night Angel and Luis came over for Survivor, games, and the most amazing home made quesadillas we ever ate. Oh my YUM!

Sunday I led a very reverent group of primary children in their mother's day songs- I hope the mother's could hear them. :-) Church warms my heart.

That afternoon Tanner made me a wonderful dinner and even cleaned up! And he gave me chocolate covered strawberries- which are HIS favorite. So I shared. We took a walk over to the park and laid in the grass, enjoyed the warm sunshine, and smelled rain in the air. You know, that summer rain smell? Is there anything better?

Sigh.

Life is good.

Happy Mother's Day xoxo