My greatest calling & other catching up

Last Tuesday we had Ally & Belle over to play for a couple hours. They were so cute & good and Gray enjoyed having them. Belle and Gray watched Caillou on the computer and they looked so cute cuddled up in the chair together. Both girls are a little older than him, but are so good to him. Zac worked from home in our makeshift-bedroom office that day, so we shut him in there and played in the bedroom/living room. Later after the girls had gone home, I was making dinner and turned around to find Gray playing in the flour. Although I was kind of mad, I couldn't help taking a picture. He is just a busy toddler & I have to remind myself that flour is simple to clean up & I am grateful for his very active imagination & desire to play, build, learn, etc.
Wednesday I did payroll in the morning and later ran errands in Ontario where Amber was kind enough to watch the boys so I didn't have to take them to Wal-mart. Beckham looked so cute and is getting so smiley and excited when anyone talks directly to him. That night while Zac was at work in Boise, I got some things done & watched Parenthood on Hulu.
Thursday I spent the day working on 3 graduation invite orders I had. They all turned out cute but mostly because the girls on them are adorable. While working, Grayson decided to take all the little cuties out of the fridge and rearrange them. It kept him busy & I knew right where he was, so we were both okay with it. (:
Friday was a fun day (no pics unfortunately). Zac had an early meeting for the stores in Boise, so I got a lot done at home while he was gone. Around 3, the boys and I headed over to meet him and we ran some more work errands with him and visited a couple of the stores. After we were done with that, we went over to Matt & Jennifer's for dinner. They invited another couple of their friends, Jamie & Jamon (sounds like Jay-min) and it was so fun to visit and get to know them better. We had delicious grilled chicken, salad, and asparagus (courtesy of Froerer Farms) and it was all so yummy! Grayson was in Heaven having the total attention of their 13-year old, Cameron. He took him to the park in their subdivision and he loved sliding on the slides, playing on the swings, and learning to throw a ball better! (: Cameron let him play with his guitar, the drums on rockband, and helped make him dinner. What a great kid! Beckham just slept and smiled at Jen and Jamie who loved to hold him. We played games and laughed & had such a great time... We didn't leave their house till about midnight, so we got home around 1:00 am, which is too late, but both boys fell asleep in the car and slept in till about 10:00 am Saturday morning! Zac and I were commenting on the way home how it's always a little nervewracking meeting other couples that your friends are friends with because it's almost like a blind date for couples. What if we don't click with them?! Fortunately, we did, and it was such a blast.

Saturday morning Zac and Grayson worked in the yard while I worked on books & house stuff. Gray has been pretty scared of sudden loud or foreign sounds lately and was playing by the trampoline when he must have been startled by a bee because he ran to Zac and said, "Dad, I heared something by the trampoline & it scared me!" Zac listened and comforted him and I thought again to myself how grateful I am for such a loving man & father for my kids. Later that day when Zac went to work, Gray spent some time at Grami's while Bex and I went to Otown for some stuff. When I got back, he was loving his time on Grandpa Alan's lawn mower. Mom & Dad & Kels & Lance were working on their awesome garden and Gray was just enjoying being outside. So we stayed there for a while and then headed to Cleaver's for the night. I went to Chase & Bre's to borrow their edited copy of 300 & ended up visiting for a while which was fun. Zac stayed to watch the movie for a while and me and the boys came home and crashed for the night.
Sunday was a great Mother's day. Zac was so sweet and surprised me with his gift. He had collaborated with Todd and they had gotten me and Amber a day at this spa. We are very excited to use it together sometime soon! I am grateful for Zac's tenderness toward me and the fact that he never hesitates to tell me how much he loves me. I am also grateful that because of him I am a mom and that I get to parent our kids with him by my side. Before church I had Zac snap a few pics of me and the reason(s) I love being a mom so much. They were both cooperative (as long as Gray had his "chopstick") and I really am grateful for the ways they humble, teach & refine me.After church we headed to my folks for lunch. Mom gave us girls these darling boxes full of scrapbooked/picture recipes. So awesome! There are probably 100 recipes in there and we can just add to them as we go. I love it! Now to decide what color to paint my box... She also included this quote by David O. McKay: "The noblest calling in the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the most beautiful of arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books, and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give." I am very grateful for my mom and grateful we live so close. She is one of my closest friends and helps me believe in myself. She does more for others than most anyone I know and I strive to be able to get as much done in a day as she does! Love you mom. I am also grateful for Zac's mom. I have been involved in many conversations where friends or other women are complaining about their mothers-in-law and feel blessed to have never had feelings like that. She is so supportive of me and blesses my life constantly. Love you Wendy.
Grayson enjoyed playing outside in the finally sunny day! Mom had gotten a new dump truck & excavator to play with at her house and he loved being the boss & playing by himself outside for about an hour. Such an outside kid!Lunch was so yummy! Dad made my favorite grilled chicken that had been previously marinaded in some yumminess. It was nice to visit with everyone and so cute to see the great grandparents with my kids. Gray loves them all & is always up for a ride on Grandpa Popeye's walker. My parents are such great grandparents too & it's been one of the rewards of becoming a parent to see them as such with my kids. Love that. After everyone left, we decided to take a family nap on my parents big bed. My mom snapped this lovely picture & it's a wonder that I'm posting it, but now you know that I am not the cutest sleeper! It was funny because I heard her take the picture and I thought to myself, "your mouth is totally open-shut it!" (: Beckham is not shown in the picture, but was laying on my chest. It was a great 2 hour family nap!
After our great naps, Lance & Kels came back and we all played games and loved being together. So grateful for my family. Missed Taylor though! (: Came home and put the boys to bed and then cuddled up with my favorite man and watched "Leap Year." Great end to a great day.