A mother is...

I've spent a couple of days going through dozens and dozens of YouTube videos about mothers. I've been trying to find something uplifting to use in relief society on Mother's Day.  So many videos about being a mom, about loving the mother you have, and about how your children, spouses, and loved ones view motherhood. I'm actually finding it to be an uplifting experience and it's certainly got me thinking about my role as a mom. In particular about what makes me a mom. You would think that being pregnant and giving birth to my two children would be my mom experience, but as I look back I'm starting to realize that there was a mom inside of me for a very long time.

I felt like a mom when...

• I had a baby.  Obviously. 
• I wanted a baby.
• I first held a friends baby.
• I first felt love for somebody else's baby.
• In a tough situation I worried about my siblings, more than myself.
• My sister brought me her injured, crying baby.
• My sister needed my protection at 21, at 15, and even at 7 years old.
• At 12 I left my baby sister behind at school...and I cried tears of true grief over what I had done, not because of the act of forgetting, but because I realized the pain I felt in my guilt would never be enough to fix what I had done to her trust in me.

Motherhood isn't just about giving birth.
It's about love. It's about protection. It's about strength.

It's about being a woman.

I love my children more than I have the words to explain, but even without them, I would still be a woman worthy to be called MOTHER. As. Are. You.

Faith in God Stake Activity...Be-You-Tiful You!

Last weekend I gave the Fresno Stake Primary Presidency a hand putting on the Faith In God Girls activity day.  I did a little decorating here and there and generally had a great time with all of the girls, little AND big ones!

 

Here are all of the beautiful little ladies

 

The poster I designed

 

The invite that was handed out to all of the girls

They had the theme selected, I think it's a great one don't you?  This is the T shirt I designed at their request. 

 

Yep, I got my sister involved.  Is anybody surprised?  Cupcakes by Cupcake Stef!

 

Anybody recognize these pennants?  I made them for my niece Ashley's wedding, they've gotten a lot of action over the last few years. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all of the amazing instructors who participated, SO MANY great lessons were taught and the girls got a lot of great advice for navigating the world today. 

Pretty treats, good enough to eat!

I enjoy a good cookie bar every once in awhile...even better when it's a cookie bar full of yummy M&M's!  I love the color of the "M's", I love the taste of milk chocolate with the semi-sweet chips, and I like that they're square!

I wanted to drop off a treat to the lovely ladies I visit teach and I thought I'd dress them up a bit, since they had to be wrapped anyways.  Here's a little step by step on how I put them together...

Pretty as a picture!

Siblings

Jacob and Kiernan play together a lot.  I love it.

When they were younger I worried that without having a same sex sibling that they would be missing out on the kind of super-tight bond that I had with my sisters growing up.  I didn't really think that brothers and sisters did that.  I am happy to say I was wrong.

Those two spend hours together, annoying each other, playing with each other, watching movies together, talking to each other, helping each other...all of the things I had hoped they would have from a sibling!  I have repeatedly heard one of them tell the other "Love you sister/brother!"

I'm thinking about this right now because I have heard them giggling with each other in Kiernan's room for the last hour.  I'm not sure what is so funny, but apparently whatever it is is downright hilarious!  They have been bouncing on the bed, throwing things at each other and generally making a rukus that has been annoying me...up until it wasn't.  Then it made me smile.

I hope this bond sticks.  So far, over the last 10 years it has.  I suppose only time will tell.

The teenage years are coming and I am hopeful that during those inevitable times when they have something going on that they won't feel comfortable sharing with their parents, that they will still rely on each other.  I know my sisters and I did it, and it was a lifesaver many times over.

Shoes, cereal, and more...

After having lived with my in-laws for a few weeks (which was really more pleasant than I'm about to make it sound), I had a few realizations.  Not the least of which is...being a grown up really is okay.  Seriously.

While the occasional desire to curl up into fetal position and suck my thumb will hit during a bad day; like when your business fails, your child gets broken and you come down with pneumonia all at once, I can still accept that generally speaking. grown-up is good.  To prove my point I have created a list of the reasons why.  Feel free to steal them as needed:

1. Parking in the garage.  It is a royal blessing to have your car stay cooler/safer/ice-free and to not have to walk through the rain/snow/apocalyptic Fresno heat to get into it.  While we were teenagers mom and dad always got to park in the garage.  Guess who's the mom now!
2. Sugar cereal.  As I continue to divert my children from the joys breakfast induced sugar comas to start the day, I myself am not opposed to partaking of the occasional gritty bowl of mouth shredding deliciousness that is Froot Loops.  I'm an adult, I know EXACTLY what this stuff is doing to my internal organs.  I just don't care.
3. Buying candy at the check out counter.  Every time I went with my mom to the grocery store, I lived with the vain hope that she would one day take pity on me and notice how desperately I wanted one of those super tasty Hersheys chocolate bars staring at me right over the conveyor belt.  Now it's my money, my shopping trip, my cholesterol that is paying the bill, and when no one is around to see me it's MY candy bar. Any... Kind... I... Want.
4. Watching T.V.  While watching tv was allowed with the in-laws here, when the tv was on EvErYbOdY was watching it together.  All Of Us.  As an adult in my own home I cherish the time I have after the kids are in bed to sink myself in the guilty pleasures of prime time tv.  Vampire Diaries, Project Runway, Bones, New Girl, Big Bang Theory...Some are stupid, some are nerdy, some are gross, and some can really be inappropriate, and no one can say a thing about them.  My time, my decision, my guilty pleasure.
5. No P.E.  I'm sorry, but that alone is worth growing up for.  If you don't understand what I mean by this then you obviously weren't an awkward, overly tall, uncoordinated mess of a girl with no discernible athletic skills.  Even kickball was beyond my ability.
6. Shoe Shopping.  Enough said.

The ups and downs of life...and pretty dresses.

It's been awhile.

The fact that I am blogging means that things are changing for me.  In a good way I hope.

For 5 years now I have worked at a real live paying job while simultaneously working at a time eating, zombie creating, mom-reducing, money sucking small business.  The business was so small that not enough people came.  And now it is over.

I'd like to say I'm devastated.  I'm not.  I feel like that is wrong somehow?  After investing blood, sweat and tears into this endeavor for 5 long years you would think I'd be sadder to see it go.  I am sad to not be able to provide a much needed service in our area, and I'm sad that I won't be meeting more of the amazingly wonderful people that have come into my life through this business.  But that's all.  I am not sad that I'm no longer spending every Saturday in servitude, I am not sad that I'm killing my back and working until 9:00 at night, and I am definitely not sad that I am continuing to do these things while not earning a dime.

I did it for the love.  For the love of beautiful dresses, and of happy brides, and of being told I was a blessing to these girls and their families.  I wanted to help, I wanted to be an answer to somebody's prayers and I did my absolute best to achieve that.  Now however, it's time for me to try to be a blessing in my families lives.  It's been a long time since I have been able to do that, I'm not sure if I remember how.

MoMs...

My babies

I am surrounded everyday by so many fabulous moms (many of whom I try despeartely to emulate) and I got to thinking that some of you may not be aware of the qualities that I see in you and love you so much for. So here is a little Mothers Day love note from me to you:

Steffie- My dear sister became the crafty mom that I always thought I'D be! She has outshown me in craftiness and I love her children like they are my own.

Kimmie- Auntie Ki...With Peeps came a side of you I'm not sure I ever expected to see. We've found common ground with kids in a way that we didn't quite achieve with teaching. Now we talk Disneyland, Kids Boutiques, illnesses, lessons, AND all the regular stuff too. I feel like in motherhood we found each other, we have the same genetics, I'm not alone in my passions. :)

Tracy B- You work 100 hours a week and STILL find time to sword fight and bike ride and play dress up and bake and volunteer AND be a World-Class entrepreneur! I feel inadequate every time I read you FB posts. I'm just sayin'.

Keri B- YAY! a RELAXED mom! You make me feel like I can just be ME!!! You do the things that you are able to do and don't stress yourself over the things you aren't. And your children are exceptionally well-balanced and independent because of it! I LOVE that you know who you are as a mother and you don't try to be anyone else.

Carrie P- You are one of the SWEETEST women I know! You are infinitely patient...like, beyond words, patient. I know you don't think so, but you are. I always feel like you like me for who I am, not who I try to be.

Kim D- Is there anyone who constantly does so much for her children, and the community, as you do. You see a need and you don't just tell somebody about it...you walk right in and fix it. You provide so much love for your boys by your actions. You make the world a better place for them and for the rest of us.

Diane- MOM! All I can say is, you were right.

About everything.

It kills me.

Happy Mothers Day Ladies!

My awesome kid!!

I totally can't believe this, but I got an amazing note forwarded from a girlfriend of mine. It is regarding Jakes baseball game last week. It was one of his best games ever! I was that totally ridiculous mom screaming "That's my kid!!" from the stands. A mom on the team we were playing against got some great videos of Jake and passed them on to my coach. The first video is an awesome double play that was nearly triple if it had been caught at home base. The second is a diving catch he made that was AWESOME! This is a special thanks to the mom from the other team who caught these on video and thought to pass them on to me! She titled the email : "Great plays by your 1st base player" Here is her message and the link to the videos.

Baby Sister gets a shower...not because she stinks!

Disclaimer - These pics are TOTALLY out of order...I am apparently so retarded that I can't seem to get them to move around, so please, just deal with it. And I say that in the nicest way possible. Really.

Last weekend was my baby sister Michelle's Bridal Shower Fete put on by the Bridesmaids, me & Stef. Stef and I are the creative, the Bridesmaids are the backers...it works very well for all of us. Here is a sneak peek at the event which turned out great.


My table decor. Birdies, cages, flowers, ect...it was a kind of vintage english garden "themeish" type event. It was fun to decorate for and the bonus is I now have cute decorations for the bridal salon. Sweet.
Cousins, cousins, cousins! All of the girlies had their own table together. Jordyn, Mandy, Kiernan, and Piper.

Here come the Bridesmaids...Ivana, Tierney, Michelle, Joanna, and Meg.

Here you have it...Four generations of Turk Women! I LOVE this picture!!!

The beautiful bride-to-be...I seriously CANNOT believe she's getting married! Stef and I both expected her to be the baby forever and come live with us to keep us from going crazy with our own families. While not a great scenario for her, it suited us quite nicely.

Stef and I hard at work. There's always enough time to strike a pose...

The gift table.

The "Dessert bar". Steffies cupcake fiesta, and Michelles favorite bundt cakes...baby size. We slaved away on the most ADORABLE sugar cookies that we decorated for the party favors and of course got NO pictures of them. And we were so proud of those stupid things too! You can see one on top of the bundt cake tree, it's a wedding dress.

Well, now that that party is over it's time to work on the BIG EVENT! I can't wait to see everything together on the big day...watch for the post. May 22nd, 2009...here we come!

Retro blogging

I'm trying to get inspired by blogging again. In order to do that I am posting a few of the posts that people have told me are their favorites. Hope to enjoy the Coleman Family flash backs...

Disneyland How-To's
Princesses Don't Pick
My Kids Are Trying To Kill Me
The Anatomy of a Princess
Drama-Rama
Mini Van Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

Things to come...

I've been told, by no less than 3 people this week, that I need to get back into blogging. I think they're right. My dilemma however, is where to begin, since it has been so long. I'm thinking that my best bet is to just move forward from here...covering the last few months may be too overwhelming for me. So much has been going on.

So here is a preview of things to come...

Michelles bridal shower
Wedding prep for my sister
Jake and baseball
Any thing that Kiernan may do
ect....

The gifts that keep on giving....

I just wanted to send Grandma Diane a big THANKS for the helicopter she got jake for Christmas...he's really enjoying it.

the best gifts...

Christmas gifts 2009

This is the view I get of my son all the time now...the top of his head. In the car, in the livingroom, in his bedroom, he's always looking down playing his new DS. I'll let him enjoy it until school starts...then I'll make a stand...

Meet Elizabeth. She is the newest member of our family, and the BEST Christmas present EVER...until she went into hibernation hours after Kiernan received her. Now she is represented by a box of dirt sitting on Kiernans dresser. And K now wants to know where HER DS is?

Cute huh?

Nearly done with Christmas

My mother says that I don't post enough.

I say that posting takes a lot of time...is she going to babysit while I do it?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

Christmas is gone, and as always it is with a sigh of relief that I bid it adieu. Thank goodness that it only lasts esentially one month of the year, I might collapse of exhaustion otherwise. We had a lovely holiday, very little drama, lots of get-togethers. Jacob's favorite gift is his Nintendo DS, Kiernan's is her "real live" turtle. She has been dubbed Elizabeth. No, I don't know why.

Mike and I did very little for each other this year, considering the bills from renovating the house this year, starting a new business this year, and medical bills for Kiernans visit to Valley Childrens Hospital in December. I have never made it a year without paying for some kind visit to an emergency room for one of the kids. Mainly for Kiernan. She is beautifully dangerous at all times, I never relax when she is around. Never.

With her I either have this...

Or this...
There is no in between.

I'm trying to decide if I had a favorite part of Christmas this year...apparently not, since no one thing comes to mind. At this very second my favorite part is surviving. Which I did. Yay.

What's going on...

Soooo long since I've posted. Life has been out-running me lately. I love all of my jobs, but 3-4 is getting to be too much I think.

The credit union in the morning is the most sensible...It's while the kids are at school, it's the best pay, I am pretty good at it, I love the people.

The Perfect Dress Salon is a blast. It's pretties, and sparkles, and music and friends. I'm creative in ways that stretch my imagination, they let me be free with it...no restrictions.

When I do graphic design I love creating something so many people can see. But printwork takes time...lots of time. Postcards, business cards, logos, web banners...HOURS of work every time. But, so much satisfaction when it's done.

The Celestial Bridal Salon is slow...it's Christmastime after all. Spring is coming and I'm hoping it gets busy. How nice would it be if THIS were my only job? The pay of the credit union, the sparkles and pretties of the salon, the satisfaction of graphic design, and best of all time for my final and most important job of all...MOM.

To have more time for classroom volunteering, baking treats, going on field trips. Just hanging out. The kids come and snuggle in my bed in the mornings, but I have to kick them out so I can shower, do make up, hair, find the right outfit. Wouldn't I love to just lay in bed & snuggle for awhile. To make breakfast instead of handing them a cereal box and bowl.

Regardless, things are good...I'm SOOOOO lucky to have every one of these opportunities, when so many others don't. So, I hang on to them all...with a death grip even. For now. One day it will all work it's self out.