Time to start coloring...

This morning as I was getting ready for church, I brushed through my hair and gave it a little tease. Then, as I went to pull it into my standard ponytail I noticed, as I do everyday, that I have a lot of gray coming in, especially at my hairline. Aaaargh! I've never been overly worried about it, but for some reason the last couple of weeks, it has really been bothering me. Where is all this coming from? Well, today at church I got my answer. No, it wasn't some sort of divine thought that entered my mind while I sat peacefully listening to the speakers in sacrament meeting. I wish! No, it was actually while I was wrestling with Mason, trying to keep him from kicking my mom or the seat in front of him as he very loudly said "I don't want to go to church any more, it's too long!" This isn't the first time he has expressed his feelings about church this way, a few weeks ago, he yelled "I want to go home, this is boring!" At first I was so shocked and embarrassed, I quickly tried to cover his yelling with my shooshing, but then I looked around at the faces of the people who turned to see the spectacle and saw on their faces, not scorn or reproach for my heathen child, but I could see empathy and humor and realized that not only had most of them been in this or a similar situation, but THEY WERE THINKING THE SAME THING!! So I try not to get as embarrassed by or upset with my son when he acts out now, instead I try to see it as another experience of being a parent and to teach him how to behave better. While this small ephiphany is comforting and makes life a little less stressful, I realize that the frustration comes out in the form of gray hair. So, while I appreciate that the gray hair is somehow a rite of passage in the parenting world, in the next few weeks I will get my hair colored and cut and then I can look like the serene women I see at church who seem to take it all in stride when their children are screaming, throwing goldfish, or sticking their tongue out at the people behind them. For those of you that have children, you know exactly what I'm talking about, whether at church, the grocery store, or the library, you've probably experienced these "Mommy moments". For those of you that are expecting to have children someday, good luck! And don't let this scare you, while it can be very overwhelming at times, the hugs and kisses, and unconditional devotion from your children are worth it!

Just starting out...

I guess we finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon! I think it will be a great way to keep our friends and family updated on our day to day adventures, and believe me we have lots of adventures!! Mason and Mallorie are keeping us busy (as usual!) with their three year old antics. We somehow had the "Terrific Twos" and are now enjoying the "Tear-our-hair-out Threes"! We keep hoping that we'll have "Fabulous Fours". We'll see what happens in the next few months after they turn four.
We just had our fifth wedding anniversary this past week, holy cow!! It has gone by so quickly, yet it feels like we've been together forever already. For me, it's hard to remember what life was like without Jeff. I feel like he's a part of me and that we have always been friends. I can't imagine loving anyone more than I do him, and I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful husband. I also feel like I've always been part of the Hinds family. I am so lucky to have them in my life and I love them all so much!
Okay, no more mushy stuff! We spent a lot of time playing outside as a family today and it was so much fun. The kids are growing up so fast, we can barely keep up! Right now it looks like Mason got his athletic ability from Jeff, thank goodness! Unfortunately for Mallorie, she seems like she might take after Robyn in that department. Lets hope that we (and by we, I mean Jeff) can work with her and unlock some of those Hinds athletic genes!