Letting Go

I love my daughter so much. Being at camp with her was surreal. I never thought I would be at a girls' camp with my very own daughter. Lots of the ladies who had been with me 13 years ago when I ran the camp were there this time too and we all marveled that my 5' 8" 13 1/2 year old daughter was there with us. We all felt rather old (I'm justified as I am the oldest of them all) but enjoyed our reunion. I had so much fun watching Vannie interact with her friends and do skits and certify but I was also a little bit sad watching her start her journey to independence. She's always been very nervous in unfamiliar surroundings and likes to have me run as a buffer for her but she took the first steps of letting go of the apron strings yesterday. She knew I was there at the campsite but she didn't need me to be around her every minute. She also had no trouble saying goodbye to me today. This is a two edged sword. One side of me is thrilled that she is getting braver and stronger and not needing me as much. The other side of me is kind of sad that she is getting braver and stronger and not needing me as much. If you've read my other posts you've probably figured out that my family is my life. Some might see that as pathetic but it is what it is. The only responsibility I have that I view as being worthwhile is raising my kids. It's the only thing that matters to me. So, after putting so much effort over so many years into this one activity it's pinching a little to start letting go of my baby. Realistically I know that this has always been my ultimate goal; to raise children that can take care of themselves and make themselves and others happy. But I'm feeling growing pains of a very different kind. Time will heal all and I will be fine but right now I think I'm missing my little girl just a little bit more than she's missing me. Sniff, sniff!

Sarah!

My niece, Sarah Anderson, is coming on Monday to live with us for the summer. We've never done something like this before. We always have a pile of kids of all ages at our house but not actually "living" with us. I am very excited because I really enjoy Sarah. She is a long, skinny ray of sunshine. She is beautiful, funny, sweet and a great example for Savannah. She's 20 years old, six feet tall and loves to wear high heels. She is very outgoing so I am counting on her to take Brandon out into the cold, cruel world and bring some light into his life. I'm also counting on her to teach Savannah how to shop since I'm not very good at it and she's a professional. If we can find her a sweetheart while she's down here then that will be all the better. We're ready for you Sarah so come on down and get our house a rockin'!

Girls Camp

I get to go to girls camp with my daughter on Monday and I am so excited! I hate camping and I don't really like girls very much but I have waited my whole life to go to girls camp with a daughter and now I finally get to go. It's in Julian at Camp Cedar Glen and the last time I was there was about 13 years ago when I was the Stake Camp Director and Savannah was about 6 months old. I'm only staying one night and one and a half days but I am so looking forward to seeing her in that setting. I can't believe she's old enough to do this! So, as much as I hate camping, I love her more and can't wait to make memories with her. Off we go!

Who Am I?

Blogs are such odd things. Is it really healthy to spill your guts out to total strangers? O.K. not total strangers but still... these things are like public journals. The whole concept is very strange to me yet here I am writing one. I find it therapeutic to write things out that I am feeling but I feel a little silly thinking that anyone else will care. Still, I enjoy reading other peoples' thoughts and feelings so I guess it can't hurt to send mine out there as well. I have been pondering lately about the numerous roles I am playing right now. I have two single sons who don't want to be single living with me right now. I have two married sons who I miss very much and even though I love their wives I am still kind of wishing my little boys were MY little boys. I have a missionary who I am just missing, period. I have a teenage boy at home (my sixth) who you would think I could raise in my sleep after having done it so many times but for some reason is presenting me with new challenges. I don't know if I'm getting old and tired or if he is just bringing new stuff to the table but I'm finding that I can't really just sit back and relax yet. Then, of course, I have a brand spanking new experience ahead of me - A TEENAGE GIRL! Granted, she is the easiest, most wonderful girl in the world but she is still something absolutely foreign to me, a girl. Add to all of this the roles of mother-in-law (a little harder than I thought) and grandmother. How many things can one person be for heaven's sake? I know I don't really have one foot in the grave but I am feeling a little old to be going through so many things at the same time. In some ways I think this all would be easier if I were a little younger but in other ways I guess I need the wisdom of a long life to get me through it all. I know I have ridiculously high expectations for myself. I want to be the best wife, mother, mother-in-law, daughter and grandma in the whole world. I know it's worth all the effort I can possibly put into it but...sometimes it gets a little daunting. Now that I've had my little pity party I think I'll go take a nap.

Ahhh...I feel better.

Wow! I got to hold my little granddaughter, finally! It was wonderful. We bonded immediately :) She is an angel and soooo beautiful. She never cries. She is the most sweet tempered baby. I love her to pieces. The whole dynamic of mixing two families and creating a new one is amazing and certainly as old as the hills but not to me. It's all new to me and, I must be honest here, a bit of a challenge. Each family has their own unique way of doing things and, of course, since it's worked for them it must be the best way. Obviously you can't do the same thing two different ways so this new union requires a bit of compromise and patience. I'm more than up to the challenge and just thankful to be along for the ride. I can't wait to see my sweet Ava again in just a few days. Talana, (Tanner and Alana) you did good!

I am having a really rough time right now. My granddaughter is in Utah and I'm not. I keep seeing pictures of everyone and their brother (literally) holding her and I haven't even seen her yet! I am so torn about not going up there right when she was born. It is very hard having grown kids and kids at home. I don't want to be away from either group. Why can't the Lord just hurry up and come back to this earth so we can all be together again? I want them all back in my house with me. I'm sure their wives' parents feel the same way but I wouldn't be averse to everyone moving in with us. I really like my sons' wives' parents. Why can't we just build a big commune and all live together? I am going up to Utah on Monday because I had a million things I needed to do before then and I wanted to give Alana's mom time to be with her daughter alone and I figured I wouldn't be needed much while Alana was still in the hospital but now I am second guessing my decision. I don't want my son to think he's not my highest priority and I'm just sitting here in my house bawling and wishing I was up there in that hospital room just hugging the snot out of that baby and my baby. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day:(

Ava Lynn Moore

I am so giddy and excited I can hardly type. I am finally a grandma. Sigh! I have been waiting so long. My oldest is 27 which in Mormon years is about 6,482. When I was 27 I had 4 kids! I can't begin to tell you what it feels like to know that my child now gets to know the joy of having a child. I haven't even seen her yet and I love her beyond all reason. I chatted with her this morning over the phone and we are the best of buds already. She was a little quiet but I'm sure that will change soon. Luckily, Grandma Terri and Auntie Ashley were there at the hospital so I got pictures and frequent updates of the whole production. Thank you! It felt almost like I was there. She is adorable. Of course she is as bald as a cue ball. That's how we roll in our families. Grandpa Pat and I were blubbering idiots all morning. We just couldn't believe the whole miracle of birth was happening to one of our beloved children. She was born by Cesarean Section at 9:07 a.m. on Friday, June 12, 2009 in American Fork, UT. She was 8 pounds and 12 ounces (a lightweight in my bunch) and 19 inches long. We have the same middle name so we already have an irrevocable bond :) I can't believe she is going to be in our family forever. I am so happy.

My Princess

Finally I get to the daughter that I never wanted but can't imagine living without. Savannah Moore (notice no "Miles", only the boys) is the greatest surprise and pleasure of my life. After 14 straight years of nothing but boys I considered myself an expert and decided I definitely didn't need to muddy the waters by having a super-sensitive, temperamental, whiny, screaming girl. The Lord thought differently, except that when he gave me this girl he forgot a few things, like super-sensitive, temperamental, whiney and screaming. Everything I was afraid of or disliked about girls was conveniently left out of my girl. Some might say it's because she was raised with so many boys. Maybe. Some might say it's because her mom is definitely not a girly girl. Maybe. For whatever reason, I was blessed with the best daughter a mother could have. Savannah is the light of my life. She is gentle, sweet, chock full of integrity, modest, unfailingly obedient, smart, hilarious, entertaining, loyal, honest (this is starting to sound like the scout law) but seriously, I could go on for days about her good qualities. The best part is that it is all wrapped up in a beautiful shell that could kick any boy's tail in the athletic department! She is the whole package: a beautiful athlete who has a brain, can make me laugh and who would be translated tomorrow if her mother didn't need her so much. I tell her all the time that she is my most favoritest girl in the whole wide world. Her scripture hero is Queen Esther because of her bravery, righteousness and faith. I can't imagine not having her in my life and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for ignoring my wishes and giving her to me anyway. I love you Savannah Moore! (finally, pink)

What Can I Say About Hunter?

The caboose of the Moore-men is one of a kind. As the whole family will tell you, there is really no one quite like Hunter Miles Moore. He is the quirkiest, goofiest, least predictable person in our family. He's a genuine, original "Mama's boy". When he was a toddler he used to threaten my best friend with bodily harm and even, on occasion, death if she didn't leave our house (without me) right now. He was very clingy and possessive. He was not blessed with very much patience but he was blessed with an overabundance of good looks and charm not to mention a ton of athletic and academic talent. He is the king of random comments. We have all had many a good laugh thanks to Hunter's unique way of thinking. He is very quick to apologize and he is rock solid in his role as good example to all of his friends. He never wavers from the straight and narrow path yet is a blast to be around. He has a million friends because every girl loves him and every guy wants to be him. His scripture hero is Joseph of Egypt because of his charisma and obedience. Hunter, my life would be a lot duller without you in it. I'm so glad you are this mama's boy. I love you Hunter Miles Moore!

The Silent Soldier

My 5th son is Jensen Miles Moore and he has my favorite name out of all my sons. Jensen is the start of my "second" family as he is 4 years behind the "Fab 4". Just when I was ready to enjoy holding and taking care of a baby (pretty much for the first time) I got Speed Racer. Jensen was born an adult and never really wanted to have anything to do with baby stuff like just laying around and enjoying being held. He crawled the earliest, walked the earliest and I guess I must have blinked because I don't remember anything about Jensen's infancy. He wanted to be on a team, any team, by the time he was 1. He wore all of his brothers' hand-me-down uniforms and wore me out with his incessant chant of "Pitch to me, Mom, pitch to me!". I must have thrown a million pitches to that child before he finally got to join his own baseball team. He is by far my most sober and serious child. He is never really silly even though he can be very funny. He idolizes his older brothers and has always wanted to be part of the "Fab 4". I think the happiest he's ever been was this last year when he got to go to college with the gang and form "The Terror Squad". This is a nickname given to my four very large, black Raider gear clad, sons. Whenever they would come onto the scene at BYU they were a very imposing sight so their friends dubbed them "The Terror Squad". For those of you who know my boys you know this is the funniest nickname ever. There is nothing scary about these very mellow guys. Jensen is a sensitive, very obedient sponge who is just dying to soak up every good thing he sees his dad or brothers do. He is always checking with me to make sure he is not ever inadvertantly straying from the straight and narrow. He is on his mission now and I couldn't be prouder of him. His scripture hero is Mormon because of his focus and soberness from a very young age and his diligence in being obedient at all times. I love you Jensen Miles Moore!

L-Mo

Logan Miles Moore is my fourth son by 10 minutes. He is the silliest boy you could ever want to meet. He is rarely serious and loves to play tricks on people. Unless you know him really well you would be surprised to hear this as he appears ridiculously shy and quiet. He has always been the stereotypical twin being very happy to reside in his brother's shadow. He is incredibly talented in many areas, athletics, drawing, academics and many more but he goes about his life very quietly, not drawing attention to himself. Unfortunately for him, he is movie star good-looking so he is not able to blend into the background as much as he would like. He is always smiling (mostly because he's too nervous to know what else to do) so everyone notices his cute face. He is competitive to a fault and always has to win, even when pitted against little kids or in trying to race his mother in telling her he loves her before she can tell him. He is a blast to be around and everyone loves him. His scripture hero is Helaman because of his "Pied Piper" type fun personality and his righteous example. I think anyone would follow him anywhere (especially young girls). He is married to an adorable girl and is giddily in love. I can't wait to see a "little Logan". I love you,Logan Miles Moore! Here's your blue writing.

T-Mo

On my third pregnancy I had the good fortune to get obnoxiously huge, obnoxiously fast. After many tears and self evaluations of what in the world I could be eating to make me so rotund I found out I was having twins. (13 days before I actually had them, by the way) The first of these twins, by 10 minutes, is Tanner Miles Moore. Tanner was my smallest baby at 7 lb. 15 oz. and is my largest adult (Jensen has an inch on him but T is still heavier). Tanner was the coolest baby. He was so laid back and chill. The babies were on the same schedule so they would always wake up at the same time and want to be fed. I tried to take turns having each one be first but after noticing that Logan had no patience at all and would not stop screaming at the top of his lungs until he had been fed and Tanner would always just quietly lay there and wait, I started feeding Logan first every time and apologizing to Tanner for his selfish, self-centered, thoughtless brother. He is the most natural-born leader of all of my children. When he walks into a new environment whether it be a team, a committee ,a mission or just a group, there is no question who is in charge. I'm not sure why this is because he's a very quiet guy. Maybe his size? I don't know but everyone always picks Tanner to be their captain, president, leader, Assistant, etc. He's a take charge kind of guy. He has a wicked sense of humor and quietly cracks me up all the time. He is very independent and likes to figure things out on his own. He is married to a wonderful girl and is going to be a daddy in two days. His scripture hero is Ammon because of his quiet authority and take charge attitude. He has been a joy to raise and I can't wait to snuggle his daughter to pieces. I love you, Tanner Miles Moore! (I'm writing Tanner's blog in red because as babies I always dressed the twins in red (Tanner) and blue (Logan) so I could tell them apart).

Kymimo

My second son, Kyle Miles Moore, is the happy-go-lucky goofball of our family. He is always the life of the party and has tons of friends. He was our first athlete and he came out of the womb wanting to get into a game, any game. He loved baseball, soccer and basketball and was very good at all of them. All of his younger brothers have wanted to be him at some point in their lives. He is an amazingly obedient and valiant son. His scripture hero is Captain Moroni because of his ability to lead and his unwavering love of freedom and righteousness. Even though he isn't the oldest child, he is the oldest athlete and had to pave the way for all the athletes behind him in establishing our family reputation of never playing on Sunday. He is a great dancer and has a hilarious sense of humor. He is always kind and thoughtful to everyone. He is a bit of a slob but is so much fun to have around that it doesn't really matter:) I love you Kymimo!

Best Friend

Well, today is my best friend's birthday. What am I saying? My ONLY friend. I am kind of a loner and don't really like to get close to people so when I make a friend it's usually for life (and in this case, beyond). Rita Schroeder has been my best friend for almost 18 years. We have raised our kids together (and our husbands), tried to get our kids to marry each other (so far, not too successful in that area as they see it as rather incestuous), taken road trips to Utah for Education Week and talked nonstop the whole way there and back multiple times, taken each other out for birthday lunches, spent every major holiday together and laughed and cried to each other over and over and over again. There is nothing quite like a best friend. She is everything to you that your male husband can't be. She's like a sister but without the yucky part. She's someone you can count on to be excited for you if you lose weight, get a grandchild, send a child on a mission etc. etc. I want to tell Rita that I love her and that she is my second favoritest girl in the whole wide world (after Savannah). Happy Birthday, Rita Maskeeta! BFF's forever!

My Firstborn

The leader of our motley bunch and the first person to make me a mother, which is my most favorite thing in the whole world to be, is Brandon Miles Moore. You will notice as these spotlights progress that all of the boys have "Miles" as their middle name. This is my maiden name and it is a tradition in my family to give the boys their mother's maiden name as a middle name. It's not my fault that I had six boys in a row. Brandon was the best baby ever born to a woman. He was sweet, quiet, good tempered and adorable. He slept through the night at 4 weeks. Didn't even cry when he was cutting teeth and sat for hours just quietly watching me putter around the house. He is why we have so many children. As an adult he is one of my best friends. He and I have the most in common of all my sons. He loves to read and learn and is very self-motivated, organized and responsible. He doesn't enjoy participating in sports but likes to watch his brothers and sister play them. He is my quinea pig. He had to do everything first (except get married and have a child :) ) He came through my mistakes with flying colors and has been a joy to raise. I love being around him. He is hysterically funny and has a very quick wit that is extremely entertaining. He is 27 and still living at home while he finishes school and I don't mind one bit. The scripture hero we gave him as a child was Nephi. Nephi was the first in nearly everything except birth order. First to obey the Lord, first to lead a nation, first to be valiant. This is how I see Brandon. I love you Brandon Miles Moore!

My Knight in Shining Armor

I love my family so much that I decided to do a little spotlight on each one of them. I have to start with the love of my life. I met Pat Moore when he was 15 and I was 16. One year later we fell in love. I waited for him while he served a mission in Germany and six months after he got home we got married in the Oakland temple. So, we have been in love for 33 years. Unbelievably enough it just keeps getting better and better. Marriage is the easiest thing in the world for me because I'm married to him. He is practically perfect in every way. I have never doubted for a minute that he loves me with all of his heart. He has been completely faithful and trustworthy (huge). He has never failed to provide for me and our children. He has never stopped trying to improve himself and our relationship. See? Practically perfect in every way. Don't hate. I didn't say I deserved this guy I'm just telling it like it is. He's very rational, reasonable and teachable. He also happens to be the best dad in the universe as a little added bonus. And last but not least, he has the coolest last name ever. Because of him we are Forever Moore. I love you Patrick Michael Moore!

Cruise Pictures

THANK YOU, VANDE VEGTES !!!!

A couple of years ago our friends talked us into going on a cruise. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made. THANK YOU, VANDE VEGTES!!! It was our first and their millionth. We had a blast. We have been on 3 cruises now, all of them to Mexico from San Diego because we are too lazy to fly somewhere. We have the most fun when we go with our neighbors and friends, the Vande Vegtes. They consist of Steve, who is very generous with paying for jet skis and banana boats:), Dawn, who pushes us out of our comfort zone and encourages us to try new things, Tori, who provides the eye candy for our sons (and every other male on the ship) and Samantha, who is like another little sister to us. Cruises provide something for everyone and everything is a blast. The food is amazing, the beaches are to die for and there is no limit to the fun things you can think of to do. One of our best memories was the last night of our last cruise when we set the camera on a timer and ran to a spot and tried to pose before it went off, over and over again. Thirteen people (my crazy sons being some of them) all pushing and running to a certain spot provided many laughs to us and the people watching us. These are lifelong memories that we will cherish forever and we never would have done it if it weren't for our dear friends so, once again, THANK YOU, VANDE VEGTES!!

Cruises are the only way to go

A couple of years ago our friends talked us into going on a cruise with them. It was our first and their millionth. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made. THANK YOU VANDE VEGTE FAMILY !!!! There is nothing like a cruise. We have been on 3 now and loved every one of them. We always go from San Diego to Mexico but that's just because we're lazy and don't want to fly anywhere. The food is amazing, the boat is a blast and the beaches are to die for. We have the most fun when we go with our neighbors and friends, the Vande Vegtes. They consist of Steve, who is very generous with footing the bill for jet skis and banana boats:), Dawn, who is very adventurous and pushes us out of our comfort zone to try new things, Tori, who provides the eye candy and lifelong friendship for our sons:), and Samantha, who is probably Savannah's best friend and like another little sister to the rest of us. Each time we go we get braver and crazier. One of our favorite activites this last time was on our last night. We had a blast setting the camera on timer and then running to a certain spot and trying to pose before it went off. Thirteen people piling all over each other provided many laughs for us and the people watching us make fools of ourselves. Cruises are now our favorite type of vacation and we very much look forward to our next one. Thanks again, neighbors, for showing us the way!

Family Home Evening

I absolutely love Family Home Evening and I highly recommend it to everyone who reads this. We have been having it pretty much every week for our childrens' whole lives and I attribute much of the success we've had with our children to this practice. When your families are young and impressionable it gives you a chance to establish good habits and traditions and provides great teaching moments and as they get older and busier it's a wonderful time to spend a few moments each week just enjoying each other's company. We have a family mission statement and motto that we wrote years ago and we recite it every week at FHE. All of us have it memorized so if children are away at college or on missions they can think about it and remember all that we stand for. I encourage everyone to write a family mission statement. Here is ours as an example:

Our Family Mission Statement

To follow the teachings of Jesus Christ

To love and support each other

To have patience and respect for each other

To use our time and talents to bless the lives of others

To use good manners, be good sports and build each other up

To have each one take responsibility for making our house a clean, comfortable and heavenly place for all who enter it

It is our ultimate goal to live together forever in the presence of the Lord

*Forever Moore*

Our Family Motto

Teamwork

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

Just remember what President David O. McKay said: "No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home". Having Family Home Evening every week will go a long way toward ensuring success in your home.

Forever Strong

This weekend we watched the movie "Forever Strong". I was reminded, again, of what an incredible father my children have. The father figures in the movie were horrendous and I was very sad for the sons who had to deal with all that coldness growing up. It's a well known fact that mothers have very limited influence on their sons because the boys know that they will never be like their mothers, a girl. They look to their fathers for their example and instruction on how to be men. So, moms of boys, the best way to raise your sons is to help their father be the best person he can be. Pat Moore is the Jack Bauer of all fathers. I have had to do very little "tweeking" over the years. He came to me nearly perfect :) He is exactly what I want my boys to be. He is the epitomy of integrity. He is the most patient, spiritual, valiant and steady man I know. I know the Lord gave us a lot of boys because He knew Pat Moore would be their dad and He needed some more stripling warriors in the latter days. I love him with all my heart and I am eternally grateful that he is the father of our children. Forever strong, forever valiant, forever Moore.