A Little Brother

Jadyn absolulety loves having a baby brother. She likes to read stories to him, sing to him, and hold him. I honestly think that she is looking forward to the time when he will play dress up with her and be the Prince in all of her fairy tales. Last night when she was holding him, I grabbed my camera. She was sitting on the couch telling him the story of Cinderella when I started taking pictures. Too cute!

Later, I asked Jadyn why she likes Hyrum so much. These were her answers:

Hyrum is a nice brother and he loves me so much.

I like him when he laughs at my funny jokes.

Hyrum makes me happy every day when he smiles at me and I say, "Hyrum, that's cute. You look like a good brother to me."

At this point, I was laughing and Jadyn said, "Mother, this is serious. Hyrum is my baby brother and I just love him in our family!"

She is a funny kid and a great older sister. Hyrum is lucky to have 2 older sisters that adore him. I look forward to these kids growing up together.

Women's Retreat

How full is your bucket?

This was the theme of this year's super-awesome, fun Women's Retreat that we enjoyed at the Riggs cabin close to Flagstaff. Tina did a fabulous job and gave each of us a bucket filled with M&Ms. Sweet.

After a weekend spent with some amazing women from our ward, my bucket felt pretty full. (Lots of sleep would have helped it to overflow, but I can't have everything. I opted to stay up and chat until the early hours of the morning.) It felt great to get away from regular life for a short time and recharge spiritually and emotionally. Jared and Nana did a great job with the girls and Hyrum hung out with a house full of ladies all weekend. He was the only little one in attendance this year. He was the best baby! I think he only cried once and that was when I was packing things up. He was pretty happy and liked all of the feminine attention. What baby wouldn't?!?

It was great to get to spend time with many of my friends that I really admire. I think we were a bit more "real" there than we might appear in church. I know that I look around sometimes and wonder how it seems that everyone else has it all together and I feel like I am falling apart. As I got to know some of the sisters better, I realized that some had struggles and strengths that I knew nothing about. I heard stories that made me laugh and others that made me cry. We talked about things that were joyful in our lives and others that were heartbreaking. It was so nice to just talk. I still think that everyone is so amazing. I kept thinking to myself, 'When I grow up I want to be more like her.' We enjoyed great meals, a sweet fireside, and lots of chocolate! We had a blast telling funny stories and serving together. We stayed up late on Friday night chatting and making hats. Service is always a bonus to any activity. It is nice to do something that isn't too hard to grasp for people like me that lack talent in the sewing/quilting department.

The experience was wonderful. I came home to a nice, quiet house and a happy family. Jared is the best! We get to trade off - he is going to Fathers and Sons in a few weeks and I am keeping all of the kids (including the son). I don't know exactly how that happened, but next year things will change...He will get all of the kids for the Women's Retreat and take Hyrum to Fathers and Sons!

I have to thank all of the sisters that attended for such a fabulous retreat. I am already excited for next year!

A Song For Mothers...

I love to make up different words to songs. It seems to be a family thing because Jared is always doing it and I catch Jadyn doing it as well. Today while I was driving to lunch I heard the "No Air" song (Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown) and I started singing my own lyrics. I wish I could remember them all, but the basic idea was the following:

Tell me how'm I suposta live with no sleep?
Can't live, can't give with no sleep...
So tired, all I want to do is dream.
Why can't I sleep?
Just need a whole night to be free-
Bet my kids could live without me
Mom would not be so cranky.
No sleep, no sleep...

The rest of the lyrics had things about my dark eye circles, wishing Jadyn would stay in her bed, night feedings, someone stealing my pillows, etc. Jadyn thought the whole thing was hilarious. She would. She doesn't mind waking me up about 3 or 4 times a night. In fact, some nights I wake up because my leg feels funny and I realize that she is laying on my legs! She doesn't really like her own bed because it is "...not soft like Mommy's bed." Seriously. She thinks that my pillows are softer than hers. I even gave her my favorite pillow the other night and she still ended up in my bed around 4 a.m. I try locking the door, but she finds a hanger and gets in anyway. Jenna has been going to bed later (because it is not dark yet) and getting up at first light. She needs about 12 hours at night and is not getting close to that. She wakes up cranky and before 6 a.m.! This summer thing is going to be the death of me. So to all of the moms that don't feel like they get any sleep, these lyrics are for us.

Finally...A Boy Bed!

Hyrum has a BOY bed. After months of sleeping in the princess bed and in the princess room, my son finally has some boy bedding. Granted, he is still sleeping in the ultimate princess room, but now he at least has some trucks and planes to accompany the castle.

When my Mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday…this was it. I was concerned that I might damage Hyrum for life if he only slept in bedding covered with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, & Snow White. I don’t know if anyone has ever done a real study on that sort of thing, but Hyrum is already destined to play Prince Charming as soon as he can walk. I figured he needed something that would remind him that he IS a boy. So, here is a photo of him in his new bed. He loves the bright cars, trucks and planes. I love the colors and we even got some coordinating room décor. Yeah for little boys!

Sweet Goodness...4,000 calories!

I love spring and summer for so many reasons, but this is one of the best. When fresh, plump strawberries are in season we have a little indulgence in the McClure household. (I have to warn anyone that might read this blog entry ahead of time; you might gain 3 pounds just thinking about trying such sweet goodness. Proceed to read with caution.) The dish is McClure Belgian Waffles and they are to die for. This is one of the things that I really missed when I was pregnant and couldn't eat anything. Let me explain how they are made... After the waffles are cooked, they are buttered, smothered in fresh strawberries and sugar, topped with generous scoops of Breyers vanilla ice cream, drizzled with syrup and finished off with plenty of whipped cream. Yummy! My mouth is watering just thinking about one. (The one pictured is a kid portion waffle about 1/4 of an adult waffle...)

The first time I had McClure waffles is when Jared and I were newly engaged and we went to a Phoenix Coyotes Game. Afterwards we were hungry but rather than go out for something, Jared told me he had the perfect snack. We went back to his house where his mother was mixing up some batter and cutting strawberries at 10:30 at night. I thought it would be a waffle with some strawberries and maybe a little powdered sugar. Boy was I off. Still, I was game for something new and it was life-changing. I will never eat boring old waffles again. As a tradition, the McClures have waffles for the Sunday morning sessions of General Conference. My Mother-in-law even gave each of us Professional Belgian Waffle Makers for Christmas one year. I like to make them for breakfast or sometimes even dinner when strawberries are in season. My kids LOVE them. So, when you need a pick-me-up or a few thousand calories in one sitting, try a McClure Waffle and make life delicious!

Exciting News - a Temple in Gilbert!

After hearing rumors for a few weeks about a possible temple in Gilbert, we found out definitively this weekend that we are going to have a new temple in our own backyard!!! The site is at Greenfield and Pecos less than a few miles away. How wonderful is that?!? I love the temple and the blessings that temple service brings. I know that it will be awhile before it is done, but this was very exciting news for our family.