Smitten

This girl. Such a happy little light in our lives. So content, so special, such a wonderful, tiny friend. I can't resist her. Those eyes, that smile...

...those cheeks.


So glad she is part of our family. And what a cute little part she is.

Life as We Know It

Well, our glorious fall break has ended and it’s back to life as usual for the Monsons. One lovely week in California and one very low-key week at home left me wanting just a little bit more, but alas, it’s time to resume the regular routines and be “normal” again. (Normal: Staying up too late, getting up too early, packing lunches, stressing about homework and kids’ bedtimes and clean socks.)

When Craig left with J for school yesterday morning, I had just a tiny twinge of painful remembrance from her first day of school…but life goes on and so must I. Thankfully, my busy morning (i.e. attempting to start the cleaning of a house suffering from two weeks’ worth of general neglect) kept me from dwelling too much on the sad reality that my kids will not be little forever.

I’ll miss the extra help and company of a 5-year old, (car-seat buckler and baby entertainer that she is) and all the usual shenanigans associated with having 3 children ages 5 and under home with me all day. I will not, however, miss the extra fighting and loudness and boredom and vying for attention associated with the same scenario.

So, back to school, back to routines, back to life. I’m choosing to love it all even if I don’t like it sometimes.

My Little Sous Chefs

The girls are usually pretty eager to help me out in the kitchen, so I took advantage and put them to work on Sunday morning. Sometimes, their "help" isn't exactly helpful, but they are getting older and more capable, and I (for once) am reaping all the benefits. They turned out to be quite the garlic peelers and onion cutters and chicken basters, and it ended up being a lot of fun hanging out and being domestic together.

Julia getting started. (I am pretty sure she can

cut onions faster than I can.)

Savanna helping me by putting scissors on her head.

Check out that form.

My happy little baster.

Voila, the finished product...not too shabby!

P.S. Crock pot, I love you. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Time Out for Mommy

I had a Mommy day today. And not a "mommy please do this, Mommy, please do that" day, either. (Those are a little more common than the rare day I experienced, and I am not quite so inclined to celebrate them...although I must interject that I do really love my life despite its seemingly endless demands.) It was a much needed away-from-kids-and-responsibilities day. It was a day to feel rejuvenated, uplifted, inspired, and changed for the better. A spiritual spa day, if you will. For my birthday, my mom took me to something called Time Out For Women, a program of amazing speakers whose job it is to essentially make me feel better. About life, about myself, about all of the things that I am called upon (or put upon myself) to do. And boy howdy, I loved every minute of it.

I wish that I could list, right here, all of the amazing things that I am taking away from this experience, all of the times that I laughed or cried or felt the amazing power of the Lord's love me and for all of His children. Yet, at the risk of sounding trite or overly simplifying something so unspeakably awesome, I must refrain from that laundry list.

But I will say one thing that I have learned that I hope to never unlearn or forget again.

Women are amazing creatures. We are resilient, we are talented, we are giving, we are powerful, we are industrious, we are brilliant, we are strong. And we are too hard on ourselves. If we could spend even 5 seconds seeing ourselves the way the Lord sees us--as the gifted, wonderful beings that we are--our lives would change immeasurably for the better. Now, of course, I am not saying that we should stop doing what we can to become better each day. But I am saying that what we can give is enough, however much or little it may seem, as long as we are in a partnership with the Lord.

So, painful as it may be, I am going to start forgiving myself for not being perfect, for falling short day after day after day. And I am going to start loving myself for what I do have to offer, not cursing myself for what I can't manage to accomplish, or learn, or master.

I think it's time we all do that.

Magic Beans

One bag of pinto beans.
90 minutes of fun.
30 minutes of clean-up.
Was it worth it, you say?
I'm still deciding.
I'll let you know when I get all the beans out of the carpet.