(Gabrielle’s adorable little feet)
We are so excited for summer here at our house. It has been such a busy winter and spring. We’ve loved it, but I won’t deny that I’m tired of early mornings, homework, and packing lunches. I think I may be more excited that John is for school to be out. It is so much fun having him at home. I can’t stop thinking about the long lazy days ahead. I may even find the time to update this blog.
Today I mowed the lawn. To those of you who know me, this is a HUGE deal. You see, I Don’t Mow. Ever. I guess I feel lucky that I grew up between two brothers, because they always had to mow. And now I have a husband who likes to mow. (Love you, sweetie!!)
Now I love to be outside. And I love working in the yard. But I HATE to mow. This is perhaps the third time in my life I’ve actually done it, and guess what? I still hate it! It took me like 2 hours plus to mow. Now, mind you, I also mowed up an extraordinary amount of leaves, mulched and bagged them, but still, 2 hours?! Come on! You won’t believe the amount of TV Marci had to endure while I finished the dang thing. Poor girl!
I am shouting it out for the world to hear: I AM A HORRIBLE MOWER!! So honey, please, don’t ever ask me to do it, you are awesome at it, and I really, really, really appreciate your mowing expertise!
We have had such a lovely weekend. Thanksgiving morning was spent with the kids playing games and puttering about the house while the smell of the fresh cranberries simmering on the stove filled our home. We had a lovely dinner with my family before I had to be off to work.
Friday, we got our tree as is our tradition. The children couldn’t wait to decorate it, so Saturday while Chris and the children had a paper ball war, I put all the lights on the tree. Paper flying around me and children ducking for cover behind the tree. John and Marci were allowed to decorate the entire tree while I supervised. Ok, I actually just sat on the couch and watched, not really caring how many ornaments were piled onto a branch. It turned out lovely. I guess there are definite advantages to having such a random assortment of ornaments.
Oh, I didn’t mention, Chris gave me my Christmas gift early this year. A new camera! Perfect. Now hopefully I can learn to use it before Christmas morning. I am already on page 30 of the 224 paged users manual. So hopefully my pictures will start improving!
How was your weekend?
My eldest turned SEVEN today!! Much of the day was spent remembering all the fun the past seven years have been. John is my only boy. My “mommy’s boy.” The one that made me Mother. He is always so considerate. So observant. So thoughtful. John will always hold a special place in my heart.
For his birthday, we all took turns asking John questions. Here are his answers.
John, I love you more than you can ever know. You are so wonderful. You are so smart and so silly. You are a constant delight to me. The past seven years have been heavenly.
Happy Birthday my sweet boy!
Once again we enjoyed a wonderful Halloween. Today, while Chris was at work, The children and I were busy. The girls and I went to John’s Halloween parade and party at school.
We then went to Trick-or-Treat at Harmony’s work, then surprised my dad at his work. It was so much fun. When Chris got home, we Trick-or-Treated our way to Grandma and Grandpa’s house where we enjoyed our annual Halloween Party. Always fun. The kids were especially adorable this year.
What did you do this Halloween?
This year we attended two pumpkin carving parties. So fun! We let John carve his own and he did such an amazing job! He was content for hours. Best activity yet. Here are some pictures from our fun day.
We were blessed with such a wonderful summer. It was so fun to have John home with us all day. This spring, I was struggling with depression in the worst way. Finally it was too much and I was put on Zoloft by my doctor. Sweet, blessed Zoloft. It has helped so much. I am now feeling like my old self. I am once again productive. I am enjoying my kids again. I am enjoying my life.
Because the spring was so hard, this summer has been full of healing. Making up for lost time with my kids. Relaxing. It has been wonderful.
Sadly, just when feeling back to my old self, I found myself struggling again. I feel that I am just “mommy” and don’t have my own identity beyond being a mom. If left for a day to myself, I wouldn’t even know what to do. I have also been feeling so spiritually disconnected. It is so discouraging to lose yourself and your connection with deity.
I kept thinking that I needed a class or something to fill my time and to help me find myself. I still think that there are a few classes I’d like to take, but this didn’t seem like it was enough to fix my distraught feelings. Then I was driving alone in my car and inspiration struck. So clearly it came to me that I need to serve.
I have decided that once a month as a family, we are going to do a service project. It doesn’t need to be big or involved. It may even be as simple as picking up trash at the park. I just need to serve, and I’d love to include the children in it as well.
I presented this idea to the family, and they were so excited! They were full of suggestions. We will be adding all ideas to a list, and choosing one a month. I feel so happy. I know that this is what I need to be doing now. I am so blessed that even though I feel disconnected, my Heavenly Father is always aware of my struggles. He is willing to help. He knows just what I need.
