October 24, 2011

Here I am again- ready to apologize for falling off the face of journaling. I have too much of good life to type about to waste my time on that though. Life is what it is and keeping a "cutsie" journal isn't one of them for me. It has been so long though that I wanted to jot down a few things so as I don't forget them.

First off-- 3 out of my 4 kids have had birthdays since my last entry! I will work on seperate posts to highlight their individualness and fantastic qualities but I didn't want them to think that they were forgotten. Happy Birthday Landen, Abbey and Braxton!!!

I never imagined that having 4 kids would be this busy. The summer went by in a flash--yet I lived every day of it. It was a fun but very hard summer. We had a great time doing swim lessons, playing baseball, dirtbiking a bit with Bryce, camping, swimming, celebrating my wedding anniversary, birthdays, holidays, trips to Idaho and just playing with friends and family. It was never a dull moment around this house. Not until the week before school started did I hear anyone say, "Mom! I'm bored!" How could they have been?! We were running 24/7 it seemed.

I try to think why life is so crazy for me and then I take a look at some "normalities" of my life:

*With the kids being out of school for the summer it must have thrown Landen for a major upset. We had bathroom accidents almost daily (and many times it was multiple times a day), fits every morning cause he wasn't the first one done making his bed, fits every time we went somewhere cause he wasn't the first one to the car, screaming fits if he was the last one out of the car and had to close the door and random fits for any other reason under the sun. Man, can that kid throw fits?!!! (I am just glad it has toned down SO much since school started. I was beginning to wonder if Landen was going to spend the rest of his life in "time-out".) I tried hard to help him understand that we aren't "racing" to do everything but that didn't seem to do any good. He is definitely my emotional child--on both ends of the spectrum!

*Mason is a "go-er." He doesn't talk- he just does it himself. If he wants food- he opens the pantry or the fridge. If he wants a drink- he slides the stools around and finds a cup that somebody has left on the counter and drinks out of it. Needless to say- this usually leaves a mess with it all. Just this morning he emptied out the box of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal and had 3 seperate piles on the counter (and a huge mess on the floor of the ones that had escaped) just to fish out the raisins from the box. If only he would just talk and say he wanted rasisins-- I have a 3lb bag sitting on the shelf above that is just waiting to be eaten!

*Mason is a "sneaky go-er." He is so quiet about most things that he does that you don't realize he is doing stuff until it is done. Like- unrolling the toilet paper off the roll, emptying the wipes container, one wipe at a time, exploring Braxton and Landen's junk drawers, unwrapping gum that he has fished out of Bryce's laptop bag, using the toilet plunger as a walking stick, rearranging the bathroom cabinet supplies and hauling extra shampoo, toothpaste, lotion--which is his FAVORITE all over the house. I know it sounds like we don't watch this kid, but we do! He can open child locks, open doors, climb on the stools to get to the kitchen counter and much much more. He is one smart cookie! I had him buckled up in his high chair the other day having a snack and there was something across the room that he wanted so he started throwing is body forwards and backwards to get his chair rocking and low and behold, he moved his whole high chair (that doesn't have wheels) across the room till he reached what he wanted. WHAT?! This kids is barely 18 months old! Maybe I have forgotten what kids do-- but holy heck! Then he just looks up at me with these big blue eyes and gives me the cutest smile with a look of innocence that says, "What-- I wanted ____ and I couldn't reach it." But of course, he doesn't say a word.

*Relief Society- this has been the 2nd hardest calling in my life. (The 1st time I was Primary President was the hardest--I think; for lots of different reasons.) There is always something to be done and I enjoy doing so much of it. I think that the hardest part is trying to fit in all of the things I need and want to get done into my already crazy life. The activities are probably my hardest part to deal with. As a good friend put it, "It is like you have to plan a big party for people who are too busy to come to it." I struggle with trying to figure out what activities would be best for the ladies in our ward and will they meet their needs. I am so grateful when people volunteer or if anyone ever wants to create a little activity of their own. With my life being so crazy busy it is hard to think that other people might be looking for things to do- but I know that they are out there cause I used to be in that spot. And I also know that even being so busy, I enjoy time out with the ladies every once in a while.

*Of course there is the usual cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, yard work, etc... that needs to get done. Rides to piano lessons, football practice, trips to the grocery store, school projects, last minute birthday presents help to fill in any empty cracks of time that might be wasted on relaxation. I have to say though- I love having laundry to fold at night cause I get to sit down and watch a little t.v. without feeling guilty about it. That only happens 2 nights a week but to watch a show and fold all of the laundry in the same hour- LOVE IT!

Speaking of which-- I need to get back to work. My energy is sapped from having the stomach flu yesterday and I needed to take a break so I justified getting on the computer to journal for a minute while Mason is taking a nap. It is "early out" day today for Abbey and Brax so they will be walking in the door any moment. Time for homework, football practice, dinner, FHE, baths, more laundry, dishes, etc...

I am not complaining-- just documenting the current state of life. It won't always be like this-- and in many ways that makes me sad. So for now-- I have a smile and a forever long "to-do" list that I am off to get "to-doing!" :)