Why We LOVE Our Children (2019)

A friend recently told me that once a year she and her husband go on a date and discuss their children's strengths and what they see happening in their lives in the next year. Afterwards they take their children out on a special date and let them in on everything they'd discusssed. I thought that sounded like a lovely idea so when Matthew and I were in Portland we talked about each of our children and made plans to take them out to lunch.

A few weeks later I went to the kids' parent teacher conferences. We decided to add in their teacher's notes. Chewkie chose Mio Sushi for lunch and wanted all things crab.

Things I love about my daughter (in addition to her random love of sushi and crab):

• She is so smart, an absolutely amazing reader, and very intuitive in how she grasps new concepts.
• Chewkie is a friend to everyone, shares easily and often, is so caring (we can't watch a movie with a baby or child crying without Chewkie getting very upset), nurturing and is consistently happy. 
• Her hugs are first rate and she loves writing sweet notes for those she cares about. I often get genuinely kind words from her. 
• My hope for her is that she finds a way to enjoy making others happy while not letting her own desires get completely overridden. 

Later that week, we took Doodah to lunch. He agreed to Kitchen on Court Street mainly because they serve breakfast all day and this boy LOVES all things breakfast. He might love scrambled eggs as much as Chewkie loves crab.

Things I love about my son:

• He is also very smart and is an amazing reader.
• He has a wonderful and intuitive brain for math, thinking outside the box to come up with solutions to problems and creatively building. Doodah also has amazing attention to detail in his artwork and his lego creations.
• Doodah is so good at following rules, wanting to make things fair. And if he is excited about something he will eagerly try to help you love it too.
• My hope for him is that he understands the significance of his baptism and in having the gift of the Holy Ghost as his constant companion. I hope he learns how to take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I've been amazed how my relationship with my kids have changed ever so slightly from me blindly loving everything about them to me having respect and admiration for the unique individuals they are developing into. I can see aspects of Matthew and I in them, but they are for sure their own people with their own seriously amazing abilities.

I Turn 40

It's amazing how much more fun turning 40 was as opposed to 30. 30 was drenched in anxiousness in not being 20 and not feeling like I was anywhere close to where I wanted to be. Turning 40, with my life in a great place was a cinch. Especially since being 30 was way funner than I thought it be and I've heard good things about my 40s. To hail the new decade I went to Maui with my college girlfriends and I made Matthew take me to Portland for a special night away.

My parents took the kids and Matthew took yesterday off. After sharing my smores cheesecake with my seminary students and a much needed nap, we went to the temple, walked around the mall, went to a super random game store in a office park in Beaverton, had a yummy dinner, before heading to a super disappointing night with one of my favorite satirists. We left early it was that unfortunate. This morning we had brunch with my darling sister before checking out of our hotel and heading home.

The weekend, while not what I expected was lovely and I am so excited to enter this new adventure that life holds. Yay 40!!