Thoughts and Such. . .

I'm back! :P

After a 2 month hiatus from the world of blogging, I think I'm ready to come back and entertain the masses. *huge grin* Well not entertain per se, but more to give my friends and family yet another blog to peruse.

While unloading the dishwasher--which by the way is one of those things that has no end, like laundry. No matter how many times you put away the dishes, wash & fold clothes, clean up the toy room, or mow the lawn; the dirty dishes to continue to pile up, clothes continue to be worn, toys are toys thus they're played with and strewn across the floors, and grass just keeps growing. . . *sigh* I digress--I thought about what to write/post on the blog. Do I:

• Catch everyone up on all the activities, fun stories, and progress made over the summer?
• Pretend the last two months didn't exist and start on what is happening now?
• Write about random things like politics, adolescent hormones, and the annoying next door neighbor tree that won't keep its branches to itself?

Then the thought occurred to me, it doesn't matter what I write about as long as I write something. What a relief that was.

So here it is, I'm writing about something. No one told me how mentally and emotionally draining it is to have 3 cute children running around the house--well technically the 3rd can't run yet, but you get the picture. It so much harder than having only 2 children running around. To have to care for 5--that's right! FIVE-- separate, sentient minds, each with their own physical and emotional needs is very draining mentally. Perhaps that's why I avoided blogging. I just didn't have enough mental strength to write out those few sentences needed to post. I didn't even read blogs! Can you believe that?! I love reading about how your day went or what you did the week before. And yet, I stayed away from the blog world completely because I didn't want to feel guilty about not updating my own blog. Silly me! :P *rolls eyes* I've missed so much. Anyways, on to the next subject! :)

I feel very bad that the TV is my number 1 babysitter, but somethings just can't be helped at the moment. I am in awe and most importantly give props to those moms--Francoise, Karen, Diane, Stephanie just to name a few--who seem to have an endless supply of energy to take their kids to fun exciting places and have time and patience to make dinner afterwards. Tell me the secret please! :P Oh, to have that strength! I am happy perhaps a bit proud to say that my house isn't as chaotic or messy as I envisioned it 3 months ago. It's actually quite clean.

Leah has grown in leaps and bounds. Isaac is leaving the world of toddlers and entering the little boy phase of his life. And Benjamin is constantly surprising Tom and I by the things that come out of his mouth. The way he can put 2 and 2 together or even 567 & 32 together is amazing.

Life continues regardless of the new and exciting. It continues when the sad or the bad happen. It allows us to heal, grow, learn, and watch. What a wonderful gift our Father in Heaven gave us! I know He knows what I'm capable of and pushes me to work harder and strive to the better person I can and should be.

So Much to Share. . . Part VI

It's been almost 6 weeks--5 weeks 2 days to be precise--since Leah graced us with her presence. So much yet so little has happened during that time. I'm slowly bouncing back into the haphazard routine of yore. This baby has really humbled me. I've had to ask for more help with Leah than with Isaac and Benjamin put together. She has grown. She's now 20 inches and almost 9 lbs. She's still beautiful and her personality is coming 'out of the wood works' now.

Here's the last six weeks in picture form:

I could not have lasted without the help from Tom (He is so patient!), my extended & immediate family (I have a fantastic family, FYI), my friends (without them my mind surely would have gone loco), my ward (I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of the Canyon View First Ward), and my Heavenly Father (He truly lightened my burden). Thank you everyone!

I'd write more, but if you haven't noticed, I'm suffering from blogout. . .

Cannot

type


any




more .......

So Much to Share. . . Part V

Benjamin ended his first year of preschool.

He loved it.
He made many new friends: Connor & Tatiana to name a couple.
He learned some of his letters and numbers.
He learned about nature, occupations, pets, almost anything & everything under the sun.
But most of all, he gained confidence, self-reliance, and a love of learning.
Thank you Ms. Bev & Ms. Becky!!!


Little Learner's Preschool

So Much to Share. . . Part IV

The picture says it all. Tom's high school, middle school, and elementary closed its doors at the of this school year. A moment of silence please. . .






Don't be sad! Meridian is just moving. No worries. No tears.

It was fantastic touring the school Tom went to for eight years. I can't imagine going to the same building, seeing the same teachers for that length of time. I am grateful for the long-lasting friendships Tom made while attending there. I would not have known the wonderful and good friends we have now.







The old gang minus only few (from the left): Andrew, Tom, Cam, baby Gabe, Francoise, Jim, & Rachel.

So Much to Share. . . Part III

I'm always Bursting at the Seams, Laughing Out Loud, Rolling on the Floor, etc when I see a video of a toddler falling asleep at the table while eating. Now I have a video of my own. :P

All you have to do is turn your screen counterclockwise 90 degrees to get the full effect.
Prepare for a laugh attack!



For archival reasons this happened May 15th.

So Much to Share. . . Part II

Two weeks after Leah was born, we were at Sunday family dinner. The topic of Family Home Evening activities came up and Uncle Jay (Tom's uncle) suggested that we go bowling. Benjamin, being a 4 year old with ears, overheard this part of the conversation. The next day all I heard was "Mama, lets go vowling for 'amily home ebening." Ben was so excited, we couldn't disappoint him.

I thought I'd change it up a bit.
Here's a crude and horrible put together clip of our Family Home Evening.

So Much to Share. . . Part I

There's so much to tell. The past 2 months have been a blur.

*swish, zoom, vroom!*

Where did April and May go? I vaguely remember living those days, but like I said, it's been a blur.


Lets rewind to a few weeks--ahem, that's 3 or more weeks--before Leah truly became a part of our family unit.



*whirl of a VCR*



One of the great things about having your own yard is the potential of having your very own, one of a kind, garden! Not only does a garden save you money when it comes to fresh fruits & vegetables, but it teaches our kids (and reminds us parents) how to work. It also, hopefully, teaches them that with work there comes rewards. The old but true scripture comes to mind: Enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Last year we planted some tomatoes, ONE zucchini plant (one is enough; any more would definitely be zucchini overload!), a cucumber, and some bell peppers. We didn't really enjoy much of our garden. Benjamin would eat the 'fruits of our labors' before we could harvest them properly. Side note: I am so thankful and proud of my veggie-lovin' Benjamin.

This year we added to our small garden. Tom and Benjamin took on the somewhat large yet fun project of putting in another garden box in our yard.

Unfortunately, the garden still looks the same now as it did when these pictures where taken.

We also put in our very first tree. It's a plum tree with 4 varieties grafted on. Don't ask me what the varieties are because I don't know.

But the greatest thing of all is this: Despite my very brown thumb, the plum tree is thriving. Our tiny tree is still alive!