It's all over... whew!

Today is the last day of school and boy have we been busy! Running here and there. Staying up way past bedime finishing things up. End of year projects, end of year recitals, and lots of activities! But it's all over now, at least for now. And we are just resting... at least until next week when our first summer trip begins.

Happy Birthday Alex!

Alex's party was a blast. I figured out how to use Microsoft Publisher and made those invites above becuase Webkinz doesn't make any! I made a Wheel of Wow, we broke geodes, and played balloon darts (while I was praying no one left the pary without an eye). Each game earned them Webkinz Cash or Kinzcash as the kids would correct me. The person with the most in the end won a real webkinz. It made me feel good when Alex told me that he loves my parties. That is what makes it all worthwhile! We saved all the stuff because Lili wants a Webkinz party too. We'll be having her party a little late, during the summer (the schedule picked up so fast that we had to keep rescheduling her party).

The Flowers in my Garden...

I heard someone once compare their children to flowers in their garden. All my flowers are starting to bloom! I'm afraid this causes more excitement in me than is even remotely cool. But then, I stopped caring about being "cool" years ago anyway. :) Another one of my amature hobbies is photography. I love capturing a beautiful plant or moment forever! Well, I went outside to take some pictures of my beloved flowers and found something even better. My Alex and Lucy were playing together and interacting so sweetly! I was blessed to be able to capture it.

And it beats any flower, any day!

I also watch Alex growing each day and I can't believe how lucky I was to have him for my firstborn. What a sweet son and brother he is! I love his thoughtful, kind, and fun personality. He often sits and has very mature conversations about things with me. Or very funny ones. He is quiet about his life and feelings unless you take the time to talk with him. But it is always a treat. I've always loved him. But I was also always afraid of what it'd be like as my children got older. I find that I really like Alex even more each day.

10 years of Matt + Belinda <3

Hi All - it is me Matt. Belinda and I are having a great time having our 10th Anniversary at Disneyland! Here are some pictures.

Picture to right: Belinda and I eating at the Blue Bayou. :) One of my all time favorite rides is the Pirate one. We made reservations to eat at the Blue Bayou the first night. It was fun because we got to sit right by the water. People going by on their boats made all sorts of interesting noises and of course stared. It felt pretty weird, like we were part of the ride for them or something! One obnoxious guy started singing this crazy perverted song nice and loud as he floated by. Matt and I had a lot of fun from then on scheming about what we could throw at people like him without getting caught. In the end, after alot of laughing and failed attempts, we decided we didn't want to get kicked out of Disneyland on our first day. But maybe we'd come back on our last day here? :)

Picture to Right: Belinda and I at Sleeping Beauty's Castle:

On our first date, Matt pulled me into the hall to teach me how to waltz. He started singing softly the waltz from Sleeping Beauty, as he taught me the steps and spinned me around, " I know you, I've walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar to me... And if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me, at once. The way you did once, upon a dream"!

Of course, it was all in fun, and he wasn't pretending to mean any of it. But my romantic heart melted at once. Before and after that dance was so magical! It was, quite simply, the most fun I'd ever had on a date. Some say soul mates don't exist, but things moved so fast for us for a reason. From our first date we both knew something really special had happened. Maybe we did know each other once upon a dream!

As Matt and I passed the carousel, it was playing our waltz. Matt twirled me around and around and I felt a bit dreamy all over again!

Picture to Right: Belinda and I on the Steamboat

What a trip! We had so much fun running around to rides, shows and restaurants that I even got blisters on my feet the first day. We stopped at the Steamboat for a nice moment of relaxation! Unfortunately, there were no seats left, so we were left standing. Oh, well! It was a nice view anyway.

It was quite an emotional roller coaster preparing to leave my kids for a whole week. But in the end the kids loved being at their Grandparents and Lucy loved Rose and Kyan. And somehow we were able to relax and let it all go after leaving. Once there, Matt and I joyfully remembered what it's like to date again... for more than a few hours each Friday. At first it almost felt odd, having that much time together. But I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to spend almost a week alone with my best friend. And to remember all the reasons we fell in love, even before we had 4 beautiful kids.

Happy 10th, Matt!!

-Matt and Belinda

When you have a frowny face, do not let it stay!

No matter how bad my day is going, I have never been able to keep my "frowny face" when one of my cute babies comes around! Here's Lucy's latest song. Check out her expression... what a little ham!

David, my buddy

David has always been my little energizer bunny. With energy to boot, a "let's get this party started" attitude and a vivid imagination, it's never a dull moment! While I'm cooking dinner, I often find myself standing in the dark, as I hear a "Let's have a dark party!" proclaimed by a little boy running around turning off lights. In church last week, the bishop asked the kids why Jesus created the earth for us. While other kids were saying stuff like "He loves us", David proclaimed very seriously that Jesus made the earth so we didn't have to live in outer space! Many of the teachers tell me they look forward to what David will say each week. He's not trying to be funny, he really believes this stuff he thinks up! A classic example was when we went to dinner at my sister, Rose, and her new husband's house. When asked why he was doing something, David launched into a very serious conversation with my new brother in law. David explained the details of what needs to be done to avoid detection by aliens. We had a real laugh and thanked David for looking out for us!

However, during times that are supposed to be quiet (prayer, scripture time, nightly stories, home teacher visits, FHE...) it can be pull your hair out kind of crazy. I've learned to stay calm, but I'm still hoping David doesn't grow up to associate church stuff with timeouts. Needless to say, getting David to listen and remember any lessons taught has been a challenge.

Then one day, David recited something to me that we had talked about nearly a year before, while on a walk. I started noticing that he remembered everything, nearly word for word, that we discussed while DOing something one on one. So David and I started trying to have one on one time regularly. When it's sunny, we go on walks. When it's rainy, we bake stuff. I'm not perfect at doing it all the time. But it's really helped things. He remembers what we talk about and even obeys better at other times.

I love moments like that! When God shows you how to be a more effective Mother! And what a blessing it is to have such great kids... I sure love them! My aunt babysat the kids yesterday morning. She told me that Lucy got hurt and so she was giving her hugs. David watched silently, then piped up. He said, "You know, I like loves from grown ups, too."

We like to give you loves too, David!

birthday season has arrived!

In the Berryhill household birthday season is Jan-May, where there is at least one birthday per month! As someone who LOVES holidays and pretty much any reason to celebrate, I have always put on big birthday parties. But the last couple years, I've found myself racked with an ever growing guilt. Monthly (or more) parties in a busy family of 6, have started to feel more like an overwhelming chore, than a party. I always wondered why I had regular big birthday parties and my youngest siblings seem to strain to think of their last official birthday party. I think it is happening to me. I keep thinking... next year... next year for sure... So forgive me if I don't get around to sending out adorable pictures of handmade, creative parties. I'm afraid, for now, they are a thing of the past. Now, if I can just stop feeling so guilty...