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of perfect weather is here this week!

 

A conversation with Jacob in the car:

"Mom, when I grow up I want an uncomplicated job.  No offense to Dad or anything, but his job seems so confusing.  What does he really do?  I want a job that is straight-forward like… (ponders a minute) zookeeper.  You just take care of the animals.  Period.  None of this mumbo-jumbo-confusing stuff."

Cutie – I'll be anxious to see what kind of job he really ends up with someday. 

On our way to his friend/neighbor buddy John's house: "Mom, I have two John friends – John my friend and John the Baptized!"

This morning while watching a Barbie commercial:  "Mom – I need a Barbie because I like them.  Can I have a chocolate one?"

When Caleb comes home from school:  "CALEB – I missed-ed you!!"

I found these motto pictures on a blog last summer and wanted to use them in my home. The originator offered them for free as printables. I had them printed at Costco as pictures. Then I "mod-podged" them onto canvases with a picture of our family and hung them in the "mudroom" area of our home so we see them often. I love the colors and the good reminders!

Today.

Today I woke up  to the sounds of Derek leaving for Bishopric meetings just before 7 am, then was greeted by two chipper little boys, one of whom needed his overnight diaper changed.  I sent them off to find some breakfast and play quietly while I snoozed in and out desperate for "just a few more minutes".

Today I woke up still full from our amazing dinner party last night and relieved that the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet went well…and was over. 🙂

Today I didn't yell at the kids during our weekly get-ready-for-church routine.  THAT is an accomplishment.  (I decided to do it a little different and instead of having them all get dressed in my room at the same time – which always leads to havoc and wrestling – I staged them at separate times.)

Today I have cream cheese chicken in the crockpot.

Today Derek did a cute lesson for Primary on Lehi's dream (from the Book of Mormon) including a "tree of life" hat that he made (and I laminated), a rod, and happy stickers for each child that reached the tree.  That Bishop is so creative!

Today I had a great Sunday School lesson with my youth.  I love these intelligent, mature and very faithful young people.  They ask great questions, which I can usually answer right then, but sometimes I tell them I'll get back to them and then I research/read/ponder all week.  And then we talk about them.  Today we talked in depth about the law of Moses and Jesus fulfilling that law.  Last week Lindsey asked how the people who lived prior to the Atonement being performed were able to take advantage of its effects.  Good question.  We talked about the Atonement being infinite and eternal – and how whether people were looking forward to it or looking back at it, it's effects were the same.  And we talked about how the law of Moses served as a type and helped point the people to the Christ (when lived correctly).  We talked about how prophets since Adam have testified of the Savior's Atonement and the need to repent.    And we also talked about the Beatitudes.  Good stuff.

And now I'm off to put dinner on the table and play with the boys before getting them ready for their school week.

It's a beautiful day…in the neighborhood (sing it with me).

Yesterday I…

…took Sam to speech

…headed to the temple with a friend

…ran a few errands

…took the kids to piano

…paid a late fee at the library (I hate late fees).

…went to a meeting on how to register your child for Middle School (kleenex, please, so I can wipe my tears)

…went to my neighborhood book club where we got to skype with the author of the book Secret Daughter which was fun

Today I…

…woke up exhausted

…showed the kids their cafeteria purchases on-line and had an accountability session about how not to spend my money frivolously 🙂

…took a friend's daughter for the day – blonde pigtails and a cute smile – delightful!

…took Sam and Ashlyn to our neighborhood playgroup

…took the kids to Jo-ann's and Mardel's for last minute Blue & Gold purchases

…took Ashlyn to her aunt's house and enjoyed a visit with a friend

…bemoaned the fact that I have spent more than half of my week in the car driving all over town and haven't made it to the gym all week

…stapled Aboriginal masks to craft sticks (sometimes the most mundane things are the funniest to put in print)

…had an impromptu meeting with my friend/neighbor who convinced me to be on both the elementary and middle school PTA Boards next year.

…became sick with anxiety after I signed up for both PTA boards and sent her an e-mail saying "I think I have buyer's remorse!"  We'll see how that ends up.

AND now here I sit – letting Samuel play on my Iphone while I type.  Caleb is at a friend's (the same friend we had to cancel on last week because C got in trouble – he did better this week!) - I need to go pick him up.  Jacob is outside playing with friends in the neighborhood.  I need to also go pick up the sitter because tonight we're having dinner with Derek's sister and her boyfriend at our favorite sushi place.  And this weekend – we'll fix up the bulletin board at the church, do a little cleaning, set-up and organize the B & G for the Cub Scouts (which includes my Caleb getting 3 beads towards his Wolf), attend a fun dinner party and on Sunday we will REST – well, Derek won't do much resting, he'll do a lot of serving.  And I'll wrangle 3 boys into white button-downs and teach teenagers the New Testament, but it will be restful, I promise.  And I can't wait – because I need some rest.

I read this quote on a blog today and, although I've heard it before, it struck me deeply today…

"Making the decision to have a child–it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." –Elizabeth Stone

It's just SO true. 

I cannot seem to find time to back-blog all of the wonderful events of our lives all the way back to November!  I want to – eventually it will happen.  But in the meantime I find that these "today" types of posts are all I have time for.

So…

Today I went to Costco and spent more than $600.  It hurts just to type it!  Ouch!  Part of that is food for the Cub Scout banquet on Sat night.  In fact, I have 240 "buns" (of the hot dog/hamburger variety) seated next to me as I type.  The rest of that bill is just stocking up – we were out of ketchup (a first!).  I'll be going back to Costco on Saturday for the cakes I ordered and some cool lounge chairs for the pool.

Last night I painted Australian Aboriginal masks with the Wolves and Bears at Cub Scouts.  This morning my Visiting Teachers came over and helped me cut them all out.  That was fun – now I'll figure out how to make those masks and some ornamental grasses become a table centerpiece!  Wish me luck… 🙂

Samuel rode 4 miles on his bike while Derek ran this morning.  That boy was wiped OUT, but so proud.  That's a long way for those cute little legs.

Jacob and Caleb have sports practices tonight at the same times on completely opposite sides of town.  We've been able to avoid this scenario up until now, but it caught up with us and here we are.  Thankfully Derek can help with Jacob's before heading to the church.

I have some minor re-decorating plans that are fun to think about.  Nothing very drastic, but fun to have a project (I actually have 60+ projects it seems, but that's another story).

I am finding that one of my favorite times of the day is 9 pm – Derek is usually at the church, the boys are usually in bed by then (hopefully), and I sit and watch The Biggest Loser or American Idol or 19 Kids and Counting, all on the DVR.  It's my chill-out, don't think, relax time.  And it is vital to my sanity at the moment.

Today Samuel was falling asleep in the car, but I wanted him to wait until I could get some lunch in him before he napped.  So I spoke to him in a Greek accent for 20 minutes – it made him laugh and woke him up.  The things we do!  I make a pretty good Greek…

And last but not least, I will be filling up my "bus" today because I worry we may be paying $5 a gallon soon with the chaos in Libya. 

The end.

I'm glad it's Friday. 

Today I had nothing on the calendar which in and of itself is a miracle.  So I decided today was my day to take back my house.  House is actually an overexaggeration since all I've done since 8 am this morning is work on the kitchen and the entry way plus a little laundry thrown in.  All.day.long on a kitchen.  The counters are scoured, the floor has been mopped (twice over), the table is Cloroxed, the windows Windexed, and I even got the gallon of Gold 4 paint out and touched up the whole kitchen.  We also cleaned and disinfected the high chair that will now move up in the world – to Nana's house for the baby nephews to enjoy there.

I sure wish it was the whole house, but will have to be content with my sparkly kitchen. 

Samuel has been busy writing his letters and creating masterpieces of "giants and little people" on construction paper.  He refused to nap.  But is pretty cute company, so I can't complain.

Jacob took a field trip to the middle school today - decisions, decisions, decisions.  It's fun to think that this boy will be heading to 6th grade!

Caleb was supposed to play after school today with his best bud since Kindergarten, Jax, but after some serious sass and stubborness yesterday (and all week) I put my foot down and took away the privilege of play.  It stinks to be the "bad cop".  Now I have plans to make him Clorox wipe my baseboards – he's gonna LOVE me!

Tonight is a 40th b'day party for our friend, Kristan.  Tomorrow is playoff basketball and music theory tests and dance chaperoning.  Sunday is church and family and Sunday school lesson #7.  And Monday is a day off to have teeth cleaned at the dentist, enjoy the sunshine and mess up the sparkly kitchen. 

Today is Tuesday, in case you didn't know.

Samuel had speech therapy and then we headed to Grandma Kake's for our Tuesday visit.  We are now making our Tues visit a weekly tradition – because how often does one of your great-grandmother's live around the corner from where you're having speech therapy?  That's why.  That and the fact that she has crayons, coloring books, and reading books laid out for you when you come – and Valentine treats too! 

Then we went to Kindermusik (after a brief stop at the bank for some business and the gas station for a potty break and a Sobe water).  This is his second week with Ms Jeanie and the boy loves it.  The class comes with a "bat-pack" and I am hard-pressed to find him without the "bat-pack" these days (the ribbon is in place of a nametag because I'm lazy).  Today they sang a song with silly words and silly words is Samuel's favorite type of humor, so we've been singing about silly words all day.

 

Then we had lunch.  I burnt my wheat (with flax seed) tortilla.  Smelly house.

Then I put Samuel down for a nap and as he does every.single.day, he said "Will you rest with me?" and I do (98.7 % of the time) because what mom can say no to a rest?  Even if it is just 3-7 minutes.

And now I sit typing – fully clothed, with a robe on.  Why?  Because every day around 1 pm I am cold.  Strange. 

And now I am determined to finish the laundry that I started LAST Tuesday…so that they boys can finally put their clothes away instead of fishing around in the clean ones laying on the living room floor every morning (was that a run-on?).

This afternoon Jacob will take the UIL Spelling test for 5/6 graders.  In 3rd grade, he earned 2nd place.  We skipped 4th.  And now he's back and has studied 800 words for this test.  That's right – 800.  And I helped.  And how ever he does, I'll be impressed and proud because he's a great speller.

Tomorrow, Caleb starts baseball season.  The poor kid doesn't even own a bat.  But he does own a glove, thanks to an observant aunt who noticed he was playing with his bare hands last fall in the yard. :)  Thanks, Liv.

I'm researching Aboriginal masks for our Cub Scout blue-and-gold banquet – the theme is Australia and we're having all the boys create their own mask.

I'm sore from kickboxing yesterday.

And…my Valentine helped me clean the house last night which is probably not on the top of the Valentine's "what to do on Valentine's" list – but it was the best gift for me and I love him for it.