Blessed With A Richhart!

It's amazing how fast time is flying.

This year I only have two in public school. Alex in high school (10th grade) and Rylee in 9th grade. Devree is moving down to Snow this week, Austin is staying home and working and my Kambree starts RN school this month! (She passed her LPN test this past month and is officially a practical nurse!)
My kids make me so proud!
(Exasperated at times too....but so proud!)

This past Sunday Alex was ordained a priest and helped prepare the sacrament. Devree received her young Young Women Medallion and then both Devree and Rylee sang a duet in sacrament meeting.

As I sat there watching Alex on the stand and waiting for my girls to sing, I noticed the new family sitting in the pew in front of us. They had children in the same birth order as my first four. A girl, a boy, then 2 more girls. AND they were also spaced out almost identical to our age spacing. (We had four children by the time our oldest was 7.5 years old.) They were just lacking an Alex - who didn't join our family until everyone was much older. I looked at this young mom and dad with their hands so full and thought "Did I really have my kids this close together?" And I marveled that I had made it through this crazy, wiggly time. The 3rd child - a girl like my Dev - was singing a song and softly bonking her baby sister on the head with a stuffed animjal making the baby laugh. So much like my Dev and Ry when they were babies. And then I watched my nearly grown Dev and Ry walk up to sing with their long beautiful hair and bright countenance and the tears began to stream down my face - as they do now while I type.

It was beautiful. Their voices blend so perfectly it's almost like the same person singing.

I cried through their entire song. I tried to smile while I was crying which probably made it look like I was having a seizure or something....

It was just a blink ago that I was wrestling my young children in the pews, trying to get them to "think about Jesus" during the sacrament. Trying to get them to hold still, turn around, stop touching their siblings, throwing toys, and to be reverent. I'd leave church exhausted.

A blink I tell ya!!

Is it true? In 4 years time I will be sending my youngest baby off to college??

STOP!!!
Everyone stop growing up!!! Let's just stay this way for ten years or so? I'm not ready to have a empty nest, a quiet house, dinner for two on a nightly bases.

I feel like the little girl on the Internet crying uncontrollably because she doesn't want her baby brother to grow up.

I know. I know. This is life. Babies grow up. Children move on and of course we really do want them to have productive lives, move forward and find their path - we really don't want them living here until they're 40 but is it so bad for time to just slow down?

Especially my time with Alex.

I've only had him home for just over 5 years. How would you feel if your five year old started driving and dating?

How about an Alex update???

He's been so super sweet lately.

He went to scout camp for a week and then the next week to EFY. I missed him like crazy. And I think he missed me/home too? After EFY I got a big hug and then a "Mom it is so good to see you!" And at the end of each week he would text me and tell me he had fun but he was ready to come home.

Last night I had worked up a surprise with his little "friend that is a girl" named Rachael. She was unable to come to his surprise birthday party so we had a belated surprise for him and I had her come over for dinner and family night. He had no idea - but had worked a shift that day and hadn't showered yet. I knew he'd die if she showed up and he hadn't showered so I made up some far fetched story about how the missionaries had asked us to fellowship a mom and her young daughter and they were coming to dinner. That I didn't know them but that this daughter was Alex's age and maybe he should go shower before dinner? He pelted me with questions about this girl - what's her name? Where does she live? And I just kept saying "I don't know." and trying not to look him in the eye.(I'm a terrible liar.) It worked! He went and showered and came down all clean smelling and nicely dressed.
I was making Hawaiian Haystacks for dinners and he was munching - like he usually does - on things before everyone came to the table. Rachael arrived and James was outside so he brought her in and I waved her in. Alex turned to see who I waving at and.....he was SUPER surprised. (Keep in mind that I haven't been super supportive of this little "friendship" as he and she were only 15 and have spent a lot of time texting and Skyping. And he's fallen pretty hard for her. "What I I marry Rachael?" She's still only 15. ) Then Alex turned and whispered to me all aghast, "Why did you let me eat onions?" Ha! I hadn't even noticed but yes, he was snacking on green onions that were sliced and ready for the Haystacks.

She had brought him a Beta fish in a bowl.
We had dinner and then he slipped out for a minute while I was talking with Rachael and doing the dishes. We had family night (where Alex and Ry shared EFY stories and experiences) and afterwards Alex, Rachael, Rylee and I played Wii.(which I am terrible at!) and I drove her home (35 minutes away) She and Alex sat in the back. (I felt like a chauffeur.) He walked her to the door and when he popped back in the car he was just beaming. "I got a kiss on the cheek." he said. He also told me "I also got a back rub while I was leaning up to talk to you in the car." (No wonder he was carrying on such a lengthy conversation with me.) And "I know you like to hear about my love life mom!"

(Which is so true - but mostly I want to protect him and keep him away from psycho stalker chicks. I do stalk his Instagram and Facebook like a crazy mother! But I have to. Girls are so forward these days. I also have to protect him from men that like boys - I've had to make my Instagram private since that happened on my own account. Did I mention this boy is pretty easy on the eyes or as I hear often from teenage girls, "He's hot!" I got this message earlier this week from a friend on Facebook:
Hi I had to tell you this funny story. My niece works at seven peaks. I asked if she knew your son. She said "yes, he's so hot! Too bad he is only 15. He's a junior guard."

Mind you she is only 16. She did say he was nice as well. Good job mamma you are raising a great son!)

Anyway, back to last night. He then told me when he slipped out while I was doing dishes and talking with Rachael he went to shave & get some Tic-Tacs for his onion breath! Ha!!

She's a cute girl but he knows that this will be a long distance (she lives in Lehi) relationship based on her age and his inability to drive anyone in his car for another six months. And even when she is 16 - we only group date in high school. (A lesson I learned with my Devree and her crazy boyfriend in high school.)

He has thanked me profusely for planning the night and told me I had 1,000 mom points and told me again this morning how much fun he had and how awesome my surprise was.

Today we went to high school registration. I was worried he'd feel dumb with me there but I've always gone to all my kids registrations. But I worry that he's all about looking "cool" and doesn't want anyone to know what a mama's boy he is. (Which he privately readily admits.) I warned him we'd be standing in a lot of lines and sure enough...we did. As were were standing in the third line he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and looked down at me (because he's 3 inches taller than me now) and told me how glad he was I was there because he'd be "so bored" without me.

Yeah. He sort of melts me.

I can't believe that he's come so far.

Confession?
There was a time I was counting down the days until he would be out of the house. A time when we never thought we'd trust him to have a drivers license, let alone drive any of our vehicles. A time I thought I'd always say I love him as much as my home grown children but secretly, not really mean it.

But like all good things that must end, some bad things end too.

I do love him.

Just as much and equal to any of my home growns.

He makes me laugh - every day.

He hugs me - every day.

And he makes me so stinking proud!
Watching him learn some life lessons, like apologizing to Rachael's dad in person for Skyping with her in the middle of the night (Hey, I didn't say he was perfect!), calling him "sir" and looking him in the eye? Priceless. We've worked so hard on looking people in the eye.
Seeing his spirituality grow - hearing him talk about what he learned at EFY and honoring his priesthood, attending the temple....it's amazing!

I LOVE having him drive - granted it's only been two weeks and a day and he's been gone for 10 days of that time but if we're out of anything he'll volunteer to go to the store or run Rylee places. I put this on Facebook this week:

This morning Alex got home and immediately Rylee asked him, "Will you drive me to Sally's?" (She's been bugging me to take her to the store to get new nail polish!)
X: Sure. I have nothing else to do.
He asked me where Sally's was and I told him by Walmart. He happily grabbed his keys and they were off. (The perks of having an older brother with a brand new drivers license!)
Upon returning Rylee came in laughing! "Mom, Alex thought Sally's was my friends house - not Sally's Beauty Supply!" He thought he was just dropping her off at a friends!? He earned brother points this morning standing (albeit a bit disgruntled) in the beauty supply store while she picked out nail polish!

We've been reading together at night this summer. Trying to increase his vocabulary and comprehension. I read a chapter and he reads a chapter. I love this one on one time with him. He'll let me cuddle him like the 5 year old he sort of is and last night he feel asleep on me. (It was a long exhausting day with work AND his "friend that's a girl" surprise!)

And I just eat it up because I know.....in a few more years he'll be gone and these moments are so rare and fleeting.

In another news, we're adopting again.

Another 10 year old boy.

His name is Beau.

And he has the biggest, saddest brown eyes.

It's a domestic adoption.

We hosted him for a few days before we feel head over heals in love.

Here's his picture:

Gotcha. didn't I?

Well, I have so much - Alex just texted - he's leaving polo practice and would I please make him a protein shake? (He's grown three+ inches in a year but only gained 3 pounds so I'm trying to help him bulk up a little?) and I have so much to do but I hadn't journal-ed in a long time and this week was such a momentous one. (If anyone is still reading - keep the Alex love life update to yourself? I'm safe because I know he hates to read so much he'd never bother reading my blog!)
I'm really just writing so I don't forget because I do forget. Rylee is continually asking me/reminding me about things that I remember nothing about. If I don't write it down. I won't remember. And I want to remember this time. I am hoping to make these next four years a very long blink......

Do not trust your memory, it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it. --George Duhamel