A Mother's Day Party

Okay, get ready for a lot of pictures. My brother, Patrick, was the photographer at our Mother's Day family party yesterday, and he got so many great ones that I just had to include them all. Thanks, Patrick! My only complaint is that he's not in any of them.

This first picture was taken right after Noah finished singing the Grandma song from the primary book. It was very sweet. We had practiced it that morning, but I wasn't sure if he'd really do it for her. But with a little help from Mom, he did a great job. He loves both his Grandmas! And I love both my Moms. I inherited a great Mom from Joel, so I'm blessed with two wonderful Mommas!
Here's a group shot of most of the adults. Here are their names, starting with the left side: Me, Clara, Elli, Tami (sister), Kim (sister); Right: Jacob Calvert, Abbey Calvert (they're cousins), and Wayne (Tami's husband)

Here's my Grandpa Stocking. He is 98 years old and still going strong! He's always at our family gatherings, and he's always got a smile on his face. He got a kick out of watching Clara eat her food (she was pretty silly, but I'll get to that in a minute). Patrick just took him to see a concert at the Energy Solutions Arena (I hate that name!) where they showcased some famous European horses (I can't remember what they're called). Anyway, that was a treat for him because he loves horses, and he enjoyed telling us about it. He was also excited to hear that I'll be singing in a concert in July. He said that it's too bad Grandma couldn't get in on some of that music stuff with me, and I agree. She was quite the pianist. She was taught by a blind man and could play by ear extremely well. Grandpa's always so willing to hear me perform, and that has always made me feel good. Thanks Grandpa! Love you!
Grandpa Svedin (my Dad) and Kristen, my sister Kim's daughter, have been writing a novel together. Kristen is quite the novelist. I won't be surprised if someday we'll have some of her stories sitting on our shelves.

What a cute kid! (I think he knows it too!)

Clara and Elli will be good friends, I think.

Some of the boy cousins (left to right): Ben (Abbey and Jacob's), Bradley (Tami's), Ben (Kim's), Noah (mine- duh), and Aaron (Kim's)

My Dad's backyard is like a private oasis. He LOVES gardening, and he's good at it. A few years ago he got the idea to put in a pond and waterfall. So, with the help of my brother, this was born(I think they may have gotten a little carried away, but we love it, especially the little boys!):

Tami and my Mom made these desserts. Tami loves to make fun, fancy desserts, which is fine by us because she's good at it and they taste yummy! Thanks Tami!

(Blogger didn't want to put this picture in the order I uploaded it, so this one's out of order) These are some of the fish swimming in my Dad's pond. Noah loves them! To him, one is a shark and another is a whale. Dad thought about selling the fish because of the hassle of taking care of them, but he realized how much he enjoys watching them swim around and decided against it. We're all glad too. Even though it can be frustrating at times trying to keep the kids from disturbing the pond, it really is a fun thing. Plus, if he got rid of the fish Noah would be all confused. When I tell him we're going to Grandma's, he asks, "The one with the fish?" His other grandma is the one with the tractor.

Here's Elli and her Daddy, Wayne. This girl is a total social butterfly! She loves to wave at people. It's so cute! We also enjoyed her "scrunchy face," but unfortunately, there isn't a picture of it. Basically, she scrunches up her nose and breaths in and out fast, but it looks more like she's in pain or smells something really awful. It's pretty funny!

Okay, here's what I was talking about when I said Clara was being silly. She really liked eating the fruit dip plane, but she didn't have anything to use for a dip stick. So, she improvised by using her uneaten roll. Silly girl! (It was also funny to watch her eat at that big table and sitting in that huge chair)

This is Ben, Kim's fourth (out of five). He is a very funny boy! He always says the funniest things.

My sweet, pretty girl!

The kids had so much fun in the sand box. They built an entire valley, with cities, a river, caves, volcanoes. It was actually really good!

This is Max, Abbey's little boy. He is a cutie!

Noah being silly... again.

This is Taylor, Kim's youngest. He's a month exactly older than Clara. He is full of energy and fun! He's always smiling and looking for some fun. Kim said he has two speeds: sleeping and running. He is so cute!

After a little convincing, Grandpa was able to cuddle with Clara for a while. Usually she's Miss Snooty Pants, but once she finally gets used to things she can be pretty friendly. My dad was in Grandpa heaven.

That was our Mother's Day party. We had a great time, and the weather was so nice, except for the chill when night came. Family gatherings are always a good idea.

I just want to tell my Mom how much I love and appreciate her. She's always there when I need her. She's always willing to watch the kids for me or come up and see me if I'm feeling lonely, along with the other countless things she does. She's a great Grandma too. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I also want to say thanks to Joel. He always makes me feel like a good Mom, and that's such a nice thing because, as all you Moms know, it's easy to question yourself. He's also so willing to give me a break when I need it. Even though he was really busy with school and work, he "made" breakfast for me yesterday. It was toaster strudel, and I loved it! We never buy that kind of thing, so it was a fun treat. He also bought flowers, which I always love. Thanks, honey! I love you!