Loves of My Life

As I was musing about my day last night before I went to bed (as I often find myself doing as part of an elaborate stall tactic before officially calling it a day and going to sleep), I realized that I had actually had a little bit of one-on-one-time with EACH of my kids yesterday. Yep. All four of them. 

It was nothing big; a quiet car ride with Julia, an after school snack with Savanna, some "Cars" cuddling with Spencer and an "I Spy" book with Lexa. Very simple, yet still quite rare. The fact that no one else was around during any of those moments is such an anomaly that I'm not sure how I actually pulled it off. Not that I really did anything special; it just happened to work out that way...FOUR times. A miracle, I tell you.

In thinking about it, {well, musing really, because that's what I do} it's striking me how sad that is that my kids go through the majority of their days with a distracted and busy stay-at-home mama who doesn't even have two minutes to spend with just them. And not just that I don't have the time, but that, in the course of a typical day, it doesn't cross my mind at all how nice it would be for them to have my undivided attention for any amount of minutes, no matter how few. I haven't ever really even thought about it, so I've never tried to make it a priority. The whole point of me being home with them is to BE with them, though sadly that happens a lot less often than it should, as evidenced by the fact that a combined 23 minutes of individualized attention for them is cause for a news flash. {And a blog post. And a journal entry...}

These kidlings {who I will admit that I sometimes hide from in the other room when I am feeling overwhelmed by their noise and/or constant needs...which is quite often} are the most beautiful and precious things that I have ever been entrusted with, and {though I know it is challenge} I need to remember that, and act accordingly...despite the fact that my blood pressure is more than slightly elevated every second that they are awake. I need to stop seeing them as adorable but frustrating obstacles to the things that I am trying to get done, {sweeping, shopping, budgeting, cleaning, cooking, reading, and a million other things} and start seeing them as the reason that I am home to do those things in the first place.

I know it will be hard, and some days I will fail completely. But I'm going to really, really try to be more present with them, for my own sake as much as theirs. Years from now I hope that I can look back and say that I relished their tiny-ness as much as I could while also dealing with...well...their tiny-ness.

I wonder if I can count diaper changing or bath time as their one-on-one time every now and then?

Kidding, only {mostly} kidding.

Funk Soul Sister

 Lately I've been feeling a little like this:

It can be hard, and tricky, this life, and let me tell you, it's been making me want to cry like I've been wedged in a Bumbo chair getting a haircut that I really don't want.

Life is meant to be filled with struggle. I understand this. I even can mostly understand why. It is our struggles that give us strength and help mold us into the person that the Lord wants us to become. Our struggles foster compassion in us for others that we would be otherwise not be able to experience. They serve to teach us how very fallible we are, and, {sometimes relentlessly} remind us that we need heavenly help in everything that we are trying to do, each moment of our lives.

But boy, those same necessary struggles also have a way sometimes of knocking us down and rendering us nearly powerless with feelings of helplessness and exasperation. (And grief and pain and frustration, etc., etc...) Sometimes I wish there were an easy solution, or a bypass button, but there isn't, and that's all just part of the plan. It isn't easiness that teaches us anything. It's difficulty that allows us to learn.

So what do we do?

We press on and muddle through, trying our darndest to get things right. We cry, and rage, and want to give up. We make lots {and lots and lots} of mistakes. We remember the goodness in us and find the goodness in others. We seek forgiveness and we forgive. We help and love others. We ask for divine help, and trust it when it comes, even if it means learning a lesson we are certain we have already learned. We take comfort in knowing that "our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble but by the number of times we rise up, dust ourselves off, and move forward."

I have been getting a lot of perspective and strength from President Uchtdorf's talk, "You Can Do It Now!"  It was perfectly timed to help me through a funk that seemed to be stretching on much longer than I would have liked. Reminds me how truly good the Lord is and how understanding He is of all of our fallings, failings, and frustrations. How He loves our imperfect selves with absolute perfection.

We'll all get through it, one mistake, one stumble, and one triumphant rising up again at a time.

Still Learning...

Spencer lesson #812:

Don't ever leave a room with a two-year-old in it. 

Just don't.

{a little flour in the sugar never hurt anyone, right?}

The Most Wonderful Thing About Katies

The most wonderful thing about Katies

Is Katies are wonderful things

Their tops are made out of smartness

They have invisible wings (cuz they're angels, you know.)

They're selfless, darling, never snarling

Fun, fun, fun, fun fun!

But the most wonderful thing about Katies is

She's the only one.

Katies are awesome sisters

They're unbelievably sweet

I could make endless list(ers)

Of why loving them is a treat.

The most wonderful thing about Katies

Is Katies are marvelous friends

They'll listen to all of your problems

Their kindness knows no ends

They're lovely, funny, always sunny

Never causing strife

But the most wonderful thing about Katie is

That she is in my life

If you haven't guessed, this is not Katie. This is her sister who, with the help of Craig, totally hacked her blog. Tomorrow is Katie's birthday, and I could think of nothing better than to share with all of her readers what a truly wonderful sister she is. You surely already know what an awesome friend she is, but I just wanted to give you a little more insight into what an incredible person we have the privilege of knowing. Katie is not a tooting-her-own-horn kinda girl. But I don't mind tooting it just a little for her. Because I love her. And she has saved my life.

So here are just a few things you may not know about this beautiful sister of mine (and maybe a few that you already do):

Katie has the patience of a saint. Seriously. She is patient with her children, with her husband, and with her sister. Unbelievably patient. She almost never raises her voice to her children. It's really quite incredible. She told me once that she lost her temper with her kids so bad that she yelled. Like crazy yelled. And was horrified that she had done it. I crazy yell at my children pretty much daily. It doesn't even phase them anymore.

Katie left home when she was 18 to move to another state with her big sister to take care of her niece. This was amazing to me when she did it. It is even more amazing to me now. This niece of hers is now 19 years old and living merely an hour away from home, and it is so hard to have her gone. I cannot imagine what a sacrifice it must have been for Katie to leave the only home she had ever known to move 400 miles away into the complete unknown. She literally gave up her own life to save mine. It has been a pattern for our whole lives.

Katie is brilliant, And funny. And has been for as long as I can remember. I cannot begin to tell you all of the witty things she is constantly saying. She makes me laugh, every time I talk to her. Hearing her voice is literally like standing in sunlight.

Katie has 4 children 10 and under that she is home with every single day. She adores them, but they continually test her nerve and strength. (Especially this youngest one whose name rhymes with Tenser.) But every single time I call with my complaining and crying and whining, she stops what she is doing to listen to and encourage me. Every. Single. Time. Selfless, I tell ya.

Do you know what it's like to have someone so caring and loving and generous believe in you? I do. Because that's what Katie does. She believes in people. She believes in me. And it has gotten me through more tough times than I can tell you. She seems to know what I can get through better than I know it myself. Her faith in me has made me stronger, and better, And it has made me eternally grateful for her.

I feel so honored to have been blessed with such a sister. She constantly sets an example for me of what it means to be noble, and loyal, and kind, and considerate. She is the best there is.

Happy birthday Katie! I love you more than you could ever know.

Stars Upon Thars

Miss Savanna finally got a turn to be Star of the Week in her second grade class. Apparently this has been a very big and much awaited honor, and it made her little heart so happy to be chosen. (I don't know if it was any consolation, but I did inform her that she's the star of my week every week.) 

We did her "All About Me" poster last weekend, and on Monday she got to bring in a show & tell item of her choice, so she brought her latest volleyball trophy to show the class.

Yesterday (and this is the best part) she brought home a "Star of the Week" book that includes notes from all of her classmates about what makes her a star. 

Some of my very favorite snippets:

"You follow all of the rules. You get work done in a timely manner."

"You never give up when something is hard."

"You are encourageing when you tell people to never give up and to keep trying."

"Your fantastic at drawing stuff lik rainbows. I like the way you have a smile on your face evryday."

"You help someone if they get hurt and say 'Are you okay'? You are nice, you make new friends every day and you are never mean. Keep up the good work."

"You are a good friend because, if someone is eating or playing alone you say do you want to play or eat with me. If someone does not no a math or Fundations you say do you need my help. If someone does not have a snack you ofer them some."

"You make smart choices."

"You show caring by helping people when they are hurt and with math. You also have a kind hart to me."

"You make up the funish games ever."

"I do like you but sometim I don't like you but I stool like you as my friend Savanna and I can't by a ticket for you too go LEGOland." (Savanna was quite scandalized by this last entry that's "not even nice," and asked if she could rip the page out of her book.)

I could go on and on. There were some pretty funny and adorable things in there. 

/

I"m so happy to see that this little star of ours carries her kindness and love around with her wherever she goes. She is heart-meltingly sweet and we feel so honored and blessed to have her in our charge.

AFD 2015

Spencer thought of a great prank this April 1st. It involved stripping himself of a poopy diaper and wiping his bum on the carpet while enjoying a Curious George episode.

Happy April Fool's Day to me!

{Mwah-ha-ha-ha!}

Spring Breaking in Flaggiestaff

We got out of town for a few days at the end of the girls' spring break last month and it was lovely. The kiddos and I went up to Laura and Amy's cabin on Thursday afternoon and Craig joined us after work on Friday, and we all stayed through the weekend. The girls pretty much stayed outside and played with the neighbors from across the street all day, building forts and having tea parties. Craig hiked with the kids and did lots of important things with his Game of War nonsense, while I read a couple of books, went for a run, and looked out the window. Spencer busied himself pushing a play shopping cart up and down the street, and also digging, sweeping, wandering, and climbing out of the playpen at nap-time and bedtime every day (this was SUPER fun, especially since he decided to bring that thrilling habit back home with him.)

Savanna had quite a list of things she wanted to accomplish while we were there, and, I have to give the kids props for steadfastly accomplishing most of them. I'm pretty sure that the only thing they didn't actually do was "build bird house."

Not bad, considering we were only there for 3 days. These guys really packed it in.

Here's a sampling of just some of the stuff they marked off the list:

Then there were the extra things they fit in, that weren't even on the list, like...

 Mommy smooching,

tree hugging,

getting as dirty as possible,

cereal eating,

...and funeral planning.

{"King Arthur: A Mouse

Notes:

Found under tree dead

in Amy & Laura's Yard"}

Ask anyone and they'll tell you what a wonderful time was had by all. 

(Except maybe King Arthur, the mouse. Since he's dead, and all.)

  

See you next time, cabin!