Easter

If you remember from last year we love Easter here at the Short house!! Holy week is something I try hard to make a great tradition for my kids. I want them to understand that without Easter Christmas would not happen. This year Holy week was Awesome!! And Easter Sunday was a little bit crazy. I was teaching in Gospel Doctrine and Young Women's. I think in the end I liked teaching both lessons because I was able to really bring the Resurrection to my day. I love hearing people in my ward talk about the Savior and the reasons they love him. Young Women's was awesome!! I purposely under planned my lesson and was able to experience it in a way that I left feeling uplifted and ready to bring that feeling home.

We got home sent the kiddos down to the basement to play while we hid eggs and put out the baskets.

We bought baskets at D.I. this year and painted them as part of Holy Week! It was something I think we will do often. The kids loved having the baskets they made themselves.

Out they came! Ora found a pair of boots in the basement that don't quite fit her yet but it was fun to see them come out in clothes they picked. They were done being in the church clothes so they hunted in whatever they wanted to wear. Even if it will be embarrassing someday!!

Abby found the best thing of all.... The peep inside her basket. I think Joe put a couple of eggs in her basket but, she could have cared less.

This was the first year that Jordan really got into the hunt. He even found the famous frog egg that everyone wanted to find!

This is the egg I did for my Dad I think I will do an egg for him every year.

I could not be outside without showing you guys a picture of my peas! They are growing so well. I can't wait to get a trellis out there to help them along. If it stops raining this week I am going to get out there and get that done.

My kids! How cute are they!! I made the girls dresses this year. It was fun. Abby got into the process and was so excited every time I pulled her in for a fitting. We just had a blast and I think they turned out pretty cute. I learned a lot with Ora's so Abby's turned out a little bit better made that Ora's. But, I think I will keep on making their dresses as long as I can.

Silly picture

Jordan

Abby

Michael

Ora

OOBLECK Attack!

Spring Break is upon us and that means I hear "MOM!!! What ccan I do now, this is boring!" So when my kids get bored what do I do.... Yeah we figure out how to make the biggest messs possible!
On Thursday, our first day of break, we did Ooblek. We are a little Dr. Suess crazy at our house. I do not think there is a Suess book out there that we have not read and loved! But, Bartholomew and the oobleck is one of our favorites because we can play out our own versions of the story!

Abby was a HUGE mess after she was done so we had to go right into the tub and of course after the smaller kids were gone...

Michael and Ora went to town! Oobleak everywhere!! IT was awesome!! Probably we will pull this one out again before we go back to school.

Let Christmas be over!

Just in time for Easter!??
Oh well, even if I'm late we had such a great Christmas in 2010 that I could not simply ignore it. I made our pj's this year! Which was awesome!! I loved it! My mom usually buys Christmas Eve Jammies for all my kids and this year she came up in enough time to come with me to pick out fabric and help get notions for pj's!! It was awesome! And not at all easy for me. I had never sewn from a pattern before and had a tom of fun working and figuring out how to do that. I could not let it go un-noticed so My friend Natalie came by (On Christmas Eve) to take our family pictures. We have not done pictures since Michael was about three months old, which is pathetic I know, but I hate staged family pictures and put mostly candid snap shot up around my house. Anyway, I thought they turned out so great!!





We got a wii! Finally and we played it most of the day




All of the kiddos got scooters as well, which they love and we were so happy we did not have a white Christmas and they were able to get out and ride them for a bit.

It was such a great day. We love being our little family just sitting inside our little house for Christmas. We make treats and eat and play with toys all day.

Hooded towels

Backing up to Christmas....

Which I no realize I never posted much of anything about (can I blame facebook)

So for the next few days I will post some of what we did here at the Short home for Christmas 2010!! I did a bit of sewing! I am trying to make something for my kids for every gift-bringing holiday. So I made my families P.J.'s this year and some hooded towels for each kiddo.

But, first you must understand the towel and why I need them in my life.

All my life I never thought I would be a Mother. In fact, I never even wanted to be a Mom.

So when the time came to become one and I realized it is probably all I ever wanted to be, I kind of lost control. I became so weighed down and guilty for not ever wanting mother hood I made some promises that I would be the best mother I could ever be. I got overwhelmed, read every book, took classes, tried to understand all I could about being the very best. I did not feel up to the challenge at all! I was feeling like a total and complete failure before I ever had the baby.

Then one of my favorite people in the world sat me down and gave me a very much needed talking to. My Aunt Nancy explained to me how being a Mother was about trying to get through every day with as much grace as possible. That is was the best thing I could do and as long as I did my best and put my kids first I would be great at it. I needed to hear it! I needed to understand that I could be a great mom even when it was hard. I did not have to understand all the intricate moments of growth and development to track their years. I did not have to make every decision for their whole lives before they were born. Potty training would come in time. And right now I only had to focus on the best part of being a mother. The connection between the powers of Heaven and my body. I was working with my Heavenly Father in the most intimate way. He was using my body to create a wonderful home for one of his spirits. I left her kitchen feeling comforted and happy. And finally ready to take on the challenge of Motherhood full of grace and beauty.

For my baby shower this same Aunt made me the most wonderful gift. I hooded towel to wrap my babies in. She continued and give me one for Ora when she was born. Then when Jordan was born we wrapped him in the boy towel. When Abigail came Ora's pink towel went around her little head. I have always adored my kids at bath time. The splashes and the giggles and the fun are probably my favorite part of being a mom. Then when I pull my kids out of the tub all wet and smiling we do "snuggle dries" inside of their hooded towels. We tickle and tumble until they are all dry and ready to put on jammies.

Well, the towels are ratted and worn. Several years of use have rubbed them raw. It was time for new ones. So this year made one for everyone!!

The initials on the new ones are made from the old towels.

Abby and Jordan like to spend lots of time in their very own towels. Joe even did a lot of the sewing and I can say it was kind of a healing moment as I sat back and realized that I had come a long way. From a never going to get married book worm. To a wife and mother of four beautiful kids. I am the most blessed woman on the planet. Some day the guilt from not "wanting" this from birth will go away for ever. But, for now I still wrap my babies in these and remember the word grace! That is all I can do. Try to get through every day with grace.... And a LOT of fun!!

Ice Fishing

As proof from this picture...

The Short family had one of our best days ever last weekend!! Our plan was to wake up early set up dinner in the crock pot and head out on the ice. The alarm clock went off at 5:30 and then I said five more minutes and I woke up at 15 minutes to 7. Oh well. I got up and put dinner in the crock pot packed up the car and headed up to Schofeild resevior to dig in the ice and fish!!


This is the veiw of the lake as we drove up.


We put Abby on the sled for a ride out to the spot for the tent. The snow was almost a foot deep so she probably could not have walked out by herself. She had a blast eating the snow that would pile up against her the whole way there.


Joe in his element!




Everyone took a turn scooping out the slush from the hole we made. I think that was maybe the most fun part for the kids.


Imagine me in there with them and you would see us all in the tent snuggly and warm.


Abby taking her turn with the fishing pole!


Jordan hung out at the auger all day he would put a little bit of snow at the top and then pretend it was a car and slide it down to the snow.


Ora and Michael spent their time with the snow shovel. Michael dug all day long! Ora kept coming in and out of the tent to warm up but, Michael just dug! I would ask him if his feet were wet and he would say no. By the time we got to the car at the end of the day I took off his snow boots and his feet were soaking wet. I am not sure at what point he probably stopped feeling them but, he must have just kept going because he was having too much fun.


Jordan and Ora on the other hand kept coming in and out of the tent to get their feet warm. Next time we will bring a few extra pairs of socks for everyone and then we won't have to waste play time drying out socks.


We did not catch any fish, our theory was that we were too close to the shore, So I decided we should make a snow fish!! After we were done with the fish the kids took turn throwing "flaming snowballs" at it to cook it. Then they ate pieces of it for a while until they kicked it to peices and we were packed up and ready to go.


While packing up the tent Abby, of course, fell and her whole arm went through the hole and she got pretty soacked. So we had to strip her down and wrap her up in one of Michael's coats and then in Joe's heavy jacket. So, yup! She's naked under there! But heppy and smiling to be on another ride on the sled.


Ora tried to push the whole way back. We were a good few hundred yards from the shore. I was pretty proud of her!!


The Mountain was beautiful!!


We stopped for hot chocolate on the way home and we all just laughed and talked and sang songs the whole way. Jordan and Abby tuckered out before we were all the way down the mountian. We came home and it smelled fabulous! The stew we made was the perfect way to end the day I haighly reccomend it! We ended the day all together wrapped up in the living room watching a movie. It was truly a perfect day!!!! They don't happen all the time but we live for them, it was so wonderful, I will never forget it. I hope the kids don't either.