(April 3, 2010)
Hello all, yes, I have finally updated my blog! -gasp-We have been busy here with life. Aaron had spring break this last week and it was so very relaxing to have him home and to not go anywhere.
Elliott is working on sleeping. McKenzie is refusing to eat (almost) anything as usual, and Alexis is struggling to establish the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior...just when I think we have it established, she tries to move the line, and it feels like we are back to square one.
Elliott is also perfecting his smile and learning how to giggle. McKenzie's vocabulary is getting bigger, this past week she said 'jammies' and 'bunny'. McKenzie is also "the sweetest little girl" (from her nursery leader) and loves to help others and make people happy-most of the time (we're still working on sharing). Alexis still loves learning and amazes me everyday with what she knows and what she can do. Tonight she impressed us all with her memorization skills--she was able to recite the order of animals in a story without looking at the book, or any help from us. The impressive part? We've only had the book for about three weeks. She is also working so hard on understanding the concepts behind blending letter sounds to form a word and read. Alexis is also learning a lot about feelings and expressing our feelings in appropriate ways. She loves to cuddle.
Our house...is a very very very small house...not really small, but it just got smaller. This past week we completed a complex diagnosis of plumbing problems...the culprit currently (and hopefully last) is a rubber 'y' joint hooking metal and plastic piping, located underneath the bottom stair, and about a foot or more of concrete. We no longer feel safe doing laundry, mostly because we are getting dirt in the down stairs shower, so it's pretty much official that it is disconnected, and we no longer have a 'working aka:living' downstairs.THE BRIGHT SIDE: This is something that Aaron can fix (and learn a lot about plumbing). It is going to take a lot of manual labor (the foundation needs jackhammered and the lines and connectors need replaced), a lot of outside advice, and a lot of time. Aaron is excited at the chance to experience and learn and grow, not so excited about the problem. Isn't owning an older home a great learning experience?
CUTE KID QUOTE: Yesterday I was talking to my brother about a conference he just got back from and he mentioned that Simplot was campaigning enormously for researchers. I made the comment that maybe I should go back to school and become a plant scientist. Alexis very quickly made the comment "but what about Kenzie and me?" It is comments like these that stop me in my tracks and help me refocus on what is important and why I am a stay-at-home-mom.MOTHERHOOD by Webster definition is not that great until you put the actual definition into context and realize all the wonderful things that motherhood encompasses. Something I really picked up on from conference this last weekend was how as parents we need to instill in our children (girls) the love of and desire of motherhood(specifically Eld. Ballard's talk). It really got me thinking that this is something that I kind of missed growing up. I always knew I would be a mother, and that if at all possible nothing would stand in the way of me staying at home with my kids...it is something I feel very strongly about, BUT on the other had, this is not something that is accepted in the world, and I find myself always struggling with defining success and how to define my successes.
Today in my reading I came across this scripture: 2Nephi 8:12. Here is the best part..."who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man". Jacob is quoting Isaiah who is talking to us in reference to Christ. Once again I was reminded STRONGLY that this life is not a time for us to be worldly, it is a time for us to prepare to meet our Heavenly Father, to stand in his presence and report to him about our life...AND prepare our children for this as well. We cannot compare our lives with those of the world. To do so is frivolous and a waste of time, because: who are we that we should be afraid of man? What man thinks what man says, etc.MAYBE if I had not only picked up the importance of motherhood, but really grasped onto it as THE MOST IMPORTANT role I would ever play in this life, I would not have this inner struggle, always wondering if what I am doing is really worth it, and what happens when my kids grow up? (Personal note: Motherhood NEVER ends...did you call your mom today?).
SO I am trying my hardest to always LOVE what I do everyday, even if my successes for the day are that I actually got around to reading stories with my kids, we watched a movie TOGETHER, and I DIDN'T worry about the dishes being done because I was too busy worrying about teeth being brushed, scriptures getting read, and prayers being said just in time for bedtime. 
