Burdens

In the last LDS general Relief Society meeting, Linda Burton said, "Oh, sisters, we all have burdens to bear and burdens to share." (September 2013)
This phrase as stuck with me over the last few weeks.

Day 3

For weeks ago, I was given a two week challenge to become closer to my Savior. I'm doing awesome, I'm on day 3. It made me think of Elder Bednar's talk from November 2008, Pray Always. In it he says,

There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone. For example, as we pray, we might:

• Reflect on those occasions when we have spoken harshly or inappropriately to those we love the most.

• Recognize that we know better than this, but we do not always act in accordance with what we know.

• Express remorse for our weaknesses and for not putting off the natural man more earnestly.

• Determine to pattern our life after the Savior more completely.

• Plead for greater strength to do and to become better.

Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day.

During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance—even as Alma suggested: “Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord” (Alma 37:36).

We notice during this particular day that there are occasions where normally we would have a tendency to speak harshly, and we do not; or we might be inclined to anger, but we are not. We discern heavenly help and strength and humbly recognize answers to our prayer. Even in that moment of recognition, we offer a silent prayer ofgratitude.

At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.

I love his example, because I almost always need to improve on that. Probably most of us do.

Busy

Would you like to know about my life.  Its been very busy.  My 7 year has turned 8, he has a life, and on top of that is now involved in cubscouts.  My 5 year old has a life, and is learning to read.  My toddler is a toddler so he is a mile a minute and keeps me busy, plus a new baby who wants to eat constantly.  So yes, I'm a little busy.  Plus my baby got blessed the same weekend my 8 year old got baptized in our church.  Then 10 days  later we all drove to Utah to go to my family reunion/grandma's 90th birthday.  Yeah, life is a little busy.

Here are some of our adventures in pictures.  My husband turned 32.  Since I had a new baby, I planned out birthday valentine week ahead of time.  The kids wrote out all their valentines before the baby was born, and I bought pie for my husband, and bought all the presents before the baby.

 J joined the chess club at school and learned lots of about the game, then went to the district tournament, and won third in 2nd grade.  1st place was also in his school class, and according to his teacher they have become quite celebrities.

 The next day he turned 8.  We also had a small birthday party, with three boys, frozen pizza, ice cream sundaes and xbox.  It was the best birthday party ever! as far as being a mom goes.

 We brought cookies into school for his birthday, which his little sister passed out, the next day we ended up at the doctor she had strep.  Awesome huh?

 Dad and J spent the week making a rice crispie treat chocolate chess board cake for the blue and gold banquet at cubscouts.

 The day Nan had strep, Mr. A also had an ear infection, they had been on antibiotics long enough that we all go to go to the blue and gold banquet. It was Ike's first day out if you don't count prek drop off and pick up.

 This picture doesn't show it well, but on day 8 of amoxicillin, Mr. A developed a rash, he is allergic like his daddy.

 At cub scouts J made a bird house he was beyond proud of mad building skills.  Turns out all those first Saturday of the month home depot building days has been very useful for his fine motor skills. He didn't need help from his leaders.

 J and his bestie at J's baptism. We are beyond sad they are moving, because we are all losing friends. :(

 Here is our adorable family at J's baptism.  There was a snow storm that day, March 1, which is only fitting since he was born during a snow storm.

 Grammy and Grandpa came for his baptism, we ended the day at Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

 The next day was Baby Ike's baby blessing.  He is such a happy baby as this picture shows.  (Oh wait, he isn't, that is sarcasm.)

 I've been so busy, this is one of the best pictures I have of him in his blessing clothes.  Maybe if I fade the background... and the foreground. (Turns out cowhide dyed and cut to look like zebra isn't not durable for kids.)

 The day I drove my parents to the airport, Aunt Kim stayed over night on her way to her new job and adventure, Nan was pretty thrilled to talk to her. Those pjs Nan is wearing, are her favorite, they are beyond small.  I think I need to get her some new hello kitty jamies but I'm sure they won't be the same.

 We also had wacky wednesday at school.  She is wearing a bathing suit on top of her clothes, with a tutu, and my socks which were covered with her cowboy princess boots.
(Want to hear the story of the princess cowboy boots?  Last year she fell on a trampoline and wouldn't walk. She told us her friend stepped on her soul.  We eventually figured out what that meant, but I can't remember. We had already been to a few months earlier for when she fell down the stairs and wouldn't walk.  And inbetween both adventures she fell on a playground and broke her arm.  I couldn't bare to take her back if it wasn't actually broken.  So we called up a friend who is a doctor, before he would be home from work we had time to kill, so we took all the kids to Kohls to look for shoes for my husband.  On our way, I realized if she found shoes she liked she would either be cured or know she really needed to see the doctor.  She found this princess cowboy boots which were about three sizes too big in the clearance section.  Instantly she was up running and jumping around. When we took them off she instantly couldn't walk again.  Our friend said she was fine, and she only wore these boots for a week. They are the miracle boots.)

 Its still snowing, somedays. And since its spring, its a wet snow, and the kids can finally build a snowman, instead of the dry winter snow.

 We had the pinewood derby.  J designed the car himself, did most of the work himself including the paint.

Oh I should also mention that since he is growing his eyes are rapidly getting worse, so he just got new glasses 6 months after the last set.  The first was brown, then the next pair blue, now he is on red.  One eye is two clicks worse, and the other three, that was the official report from the dr. 

 In utah we only had time to see one cousin from the paternal side, another red head!  Finally by this point Mr. A's cold from before the baby was born was finally gone! Yeah for runny noses being gone. 8 weeks later.

 Here is the birthday girl, with her great granddaughter and great grandson.  Nan is beyond obsessed with Ike.

 Here's my family with my grandparents.  My grandma turned 90 on Mar 15, my grandpa turns 90 on june 6th.  At one point he said grandma was a cradle robber, it was super funny.

 My brother with Ike

 Another brother with Ike. Who knows if I have a picture of my sister with ike, she has her own baby 7 months older.  Plus I can no longer keep up with my life.

 J and his two year old cousin on dad's side were best buds.  J is awesome at playing with toddlers since he is a big brother. Plus all my kids go to bed early other than J, and this cousin stays up late too.

 My busy life with two babies, both in gray stripes.  This is what we do all day, hang out on the couch taking turns with which one I hold. Mr. A is super good with Ike for being less than 18 months apart.

 And now we are on spring break.  I've been such a lame mom lately with all my pregnancies, I want the kids to have a fun spring break. So I decided we would go the pioneer museum, its free and I've been meaning to take them for about two years.

 My baby was hungry, so I fed him while the kids played in the kids room.  I was trying to get them out to see the second half of the museum, when I saw my toddler trip, in the doorway.  Before he even went down, I knew it was going to be bad.  I knew his head as about to hit an 100 year old SOLID metal door hinge.  As I grabbed him, I knew he would need stitches, luckily my burp cloth from feeding the baby was on the top of the stroller and in arms reach, I grabbed it as I was getting my toddler and shoved it on his gash to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

 Thankfully multiple women helped me.  One buckled Ike back into his carseat that he was laying in, while another got wet paper towels from the bathroom.  One of them was EMT so she helped me get the first aid kit from the front desk and tape up his head until we could get stitches.  I called Brent to tell him we were picking him up from work in a half an hour, and please find the closest insta care. One of the ladies and the manager at the museum helped me get all four kids to the car, which was serendipitously exactly in front of the museum. Also it was nice that the baby was fed, and finished feeding before the toddler tripped.  He needed four stitches, it was a big gash, but apparently he was a trooper and only cried once during the numbing shot.

Yes, my life has been a little crazy since I had my fourth.  I'm not sure its ever going to calm down.  The kids only have 8 more weeks of school.  I'm in shock, my daughter only has 8 more weeks of pre-k. I can't believe she has gone and done it, she grew up on me. She has been in preschool classes since her second birthday (three and half years), and now she is almost done. I can't believe she'll be in kindergarten in the fall.  (My oldest only had one year of preschool, which will probably also be the same with his little brothers.) And today is exactly two months since I've had my baby.  His colic crying peaked at 5 weeks, thankfully its not as bad, and he is a better sleeper.  Unfortunately he has ton of blow outs.  He is looking big and not a newborn anymore.

I would hope life would calm down, but I don't think it will. Brent is about to start traveling for work again.  Plus soon he is going backpacking (sort of). Overall I tell him I'm the best wife ever (for letting him be gone so much). During the summer we'll need to do swim lessons, we are going to visit grammy and grandpa, while Brent and I going to El Salvador, for our 10th wedding anniversary. (Which isn't until December, but we decided it would be easier to take the baby the younger he is. Yes, I'm taking the baby, I'm barely able to leave the toddler. My husband said we could take him since I was sad about leaving him, since he's not two until august. My reply was heck no I don't want to take the toddler, even though I'm sad.) Then once my toddler turns two we'll need to potty train, and we'll be busy with school again.  
Whew.... 
I got to go fold laundry, I have so much laundry!
And prepare 72 hour kits, and a lesson on them, fire season is almost upon us. I'm praying it snows through June, like the first year we moved here.