A Lucky Boy!

So, last week I blogged about Jake saving all of his money for a DS. Yesterday, he and a little neighborhood friend decided to have their own lemonade sale. They did pretty well for a cold day, so Jake had saved a whopping $40. Today, he was dying to go yard saling with me, which is a tradition we have started during the warmer months. Jake just loves going with me to find bargains, and this year he has become pretty selective in his choices (I have to take the credit for that after years of explaining that we don't pay money for junk, even if it is cheap junk). This morning, the stars aligned for this budding, young consumer. He found a DS in mint condition, with all the accessories and two Pokemon games for $30! He had already spent $1 on a rare Pokemon card he had been searching for, so he did all the math and decided this was a deal he couldn't pass up. Even on sale, it is impossible to find a DS under $100 and the games are usually expensive. Ben and I had decided no DS, but I couldn't say no to those big brown eyes (with really long eyelashes) and it was his own, hard-earned money. We walked away with an unbelievably happy boy, and he learned that when you save your money and find a deal, it feels fantastic! I'm proud of the kid! Now, to come up with some rules of conduct for the new technological addition to our home :)

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful Mother's Day! I swear that I am the luckiest mom around! Ben was out of town that day, so no sleeping in or breakfast in bed, but my kids were so well behaved. Jake agreed to wear a tie and suitcoat to church (just becuase it was mother's day) and the girls didn't rip the flowers out of their hair (I don't think they knew that it really was a special day).
It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we enjoyed every minute of it!
My favorite moment of the day was while I was getting ready for church, I heard this faint singing. I looked out of my bathroom to see Jake sitting on the floor with the girls reading and singing church songs to them. They were all ready and not getting into any trouble. I spent the rest of the time getting ready with a smile from ear to ear. I have been bragging on my Buddy a lot lately, because he really is the Best Buddy around! My little Sophie is such a little monkey! She lights up the whole room anytime she walks in. If you have ever wondered what I looked like as a child...it couldn't be any closer than this. Someday I will find a picture to show. So anyway, here is a blast from the past and a Happy, Happy Mother's Day to my Mother and all of my mothering roll models out there (there are so many of you...Thank You)!

A Moment to Sit Back and Smile At

Being a mother is all about those tiny teaching moments. I absolutely love the moments when I have the opportunity, out of the blue, to pass along some pearl of wisdom that I have gathered along my journey to my wonderful children. The only thing I love more, is witnessing an older sibling passing a pearl of wisdom to a younger sibling.

Tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying one of those moments. Jake was up later than normal, because he was working with his Dad on some service (helping a neighbor lay some sod). As we were in the kitchen enjoying a late-night popsicle, Brinley came down the stairs and offered to pay Jake one dollar for a bite of his popsicle. Jake looked at her and said, "Brinley, would you like to buy an Areal toy?" To which she answered "yes". He then explained to her that in order to do that, she would have to save her money. He said plainly, "Do you know how much money I have?"

"No..."

"I have $37, and do you know how I got that much money?"
"No..."

"I saved it. Even when I really wanted to buy something, I thought about getting my DS and I had to decide if I really wanted to spend my money on that thing."

"Oh", replied Brinley.

"Now, do you really want to pay me a dollar for a bite of my popsicle?"

"YES!"

Well, the transaction never did take place, but I had to sit back and smile. He is learning to be so responsible with his money and trying to pass this skill on to his younger siblings. We have pretty much outlawed the idea of a DS at this point, but he is trying so hard... What would you do?

And we're Back!

So, here is just a sampling of the family pictures that were taken last fall by our amazing friend, Katie. These are what would have been sent out on our Christmas cards if we had gotten to that last year. Since we didn't...here they are. Happy very late Christmas to all of our loved ones! I guess this is just par for the course in this little Tanner family. We had a wonderful Holiday season filled with happy memories and great times with family and friends. For now; however, we will keep those to ourselves and I will start fresh posting our fun in the sun highlights. I love to keep the blog updated during all of our summer adventures and end up busy and running ragged by the fall. I am hoping to be sane enough this year to make it past August and hopefully post our happy Holidays as well. Here's hoping!