Grammy and Grandpa came

My parents came to visit for two days. It was a quick stop over but we were still glad to have them.
We started off with the big kids in school and my mom and I taking the babies to the library to feed the ducks. Who doesn't love to feed the ducks. (I live in a beautiful place.)

We were suppose to take Turbo to see an airplane. While they were in school, but our morning ran a little short. Nat has half day school and we took J out at noon.

So we ended up taking everyone. 

 This my 20 minute trip to an airplane turned into a nightmare. Oh course my oldest wanted to see the chapel.

And during this whole process everyone had to use the bathrooms at different times when the closest bathroom was 10 minutes away DRIVING. So my quick trip turned into 2 and half hours!

 But life went on, I had a melt down about pumpkins and then life really kept moving.


 With 7 children and 20+ grandkids there is no way my parents can make it to all the big events. Which is completely fine, but small kids don't always understand. So we went to the YMCA trunk or treat so my kids could go trick or treating with grammy and grandpa.
Turbo who can't remember last Halloween so he thought this was a great idea.

 Grandpa and the cute O the Owl.

 That's grammy in the demin jacket.

 They also helped us carve pumpkins.

 Turbo is holding a carving knife poking holes. We soon there after took it away.

We finished the trip off to a trip to Freddy's. I love that restaurant.

I was exhausted after they left, I can only imagine how they felt since they had to drive 13 hours.

Interest and Laundry

If you ever talked to me, you know this is not a new idea of mine.

Interest and laundry are very much the same. The laundry never sleeps, or gets sick, it works on Sundays and holidays.
The only difference between Interest and laundry is laundry goes on vacation WITH you.
Once overwhelmed with laundry it becomes your companion every minute of the day and night, you cannot shut it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss. Fail to meet its demands, it crushes you.

In case you have never heard the original quote its from President J. Reuben Clark,

Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; it never has short crops nor droughts; it never pays taxes; it buys no food; it wears no clothes; it is unhoused and without home and so has no repairs, no replacements, no shingling, plumbing, painting, or whitewashing; it has neither wife, children, father, mother, nor kinfolk to watch over and care for; it has no expense of living; it has neither weddings nor births nor deaths; it has no love, no sympathy; it is as hard and soulless as a granite cliff. Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you. (in Conference Report, Apr., 1938, p. 103.)

On Saturday I can clean and fold every piece of dirty laundry, but the time everyone is bath, ready for bed and ready to go to church the next morning, I have almost a FULL load of laundry, by the time Sunday is over I have more than one load. Sometimes it makes me want to cry. You can clean the house and go on vacation. When you get home the house is still clean, laundry not so much, not at all.

Children

10 years ago I decided I would have children for three reasons. (The entire time I was a teenager I didn't want children.)
1. I wanted to be a grandma one day, the easiest way to that path is to become a mom
2. Brent-- the love of my life could l couldn't wait to have children.
3. I had a very personal/spiritual event in which I felt like the Lord was telling me to become a mom.

I didn't have children right away for one I wasn't married to my boyfriend yet. For two I wasn't far enough in school to be a mom and graduate. Because number 2 and 3, I became a mom sooner than most expected, as in 14 months after I got married.
When motherhood gets hard I remember I'm doing it to be a grandma. I'm pretty sure that's the most awesomest job. Like a mom but fun. Like a mom with no rules. Like a mom who doesn't care if the kids are spoiled. Like a mom but the novelty. Plus no one ever whines grandma grandma grandma all day like mom. (My grandma in law use to say "mama mama mama the devil wouldn't want to be called that." I now understand the third commandment given to Moses.) Then I remember everyone wants mom when they are sad not grandma so I enjoy what I got now.

Thirty

I turned 30. It was really quite uneventful. I got a new fleece jacket and a backpack. 

 My children were invited.

 My husband and I ate Chinese food my children played on a playground.

(When I was pregnant with my third my allergies were super terrible and I wore glasses most of summer I was pregnant. Once my baby  was born I went back to contacts seamlessly. Because of lactating hormones with my fourth I've been wearing contacts ALL summer and into the fall. I'm finally just barely getting back to contacts. I've actually been wearing glasses so much they stopped bothering me, a place I haven't been in about 15.)

Spain

Did you ever hear about how Brent and I were planning to move to Spain for a year?
It probably won't happen.
I really wish it was going to happen. I really think we needed to plan to move to Spain, at least dream about it. But I really don't think it is going to happen.
There is a possibility we could go to the UK. I really really really want that to happen. My husband doesn't sound too sure of that possibility.
Years ago we heavily looked into him doing his MBA in Costa Rica. I wasn't as thrilled about Costa Rica because I wasn't done having babies and I didn't want to have babies in foreign countries. I was born abroad and it is kind of a hassle.
Apparently we have a great desire to live abroad. Let's hope one day it happens.

Skeleton Babies

I think my children are beyond adorable but they don't take the best of pictures so no one would know. At least I bought the baby boys skeleton shirts!

Alma

And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
Alma 7:23

Just thought my blog might need this in its life. I'm sure it's my blog, the inanimate object that it is.

A dream

I always think Brent is a dream boy, but lately more so. For the last few months I've just been so blah. He has definitely put up with more than his fair share. I'm just so whiny lately, I try not to be, but boy do I complain about a lot. Won't we all be happy when my brain picks up! :)

Cross Country

My kids ran cross country this fall. It seemed like a good time/sport to get my 3rd grader involved it, and since it was before school it seemed like the best to get my daughter enrolled too. It was good for my 3rd grader he seemed to enjoy his time in practices and meets. His dad set a lofty goal of running a mile in 9 minutes for him.  He didn't succeed, but he worked really hard at achieving it. When he was disappointed he didn't achieve it, my husband told him I didn't expect you to, but next year you will. There were quite a few very fast boys in the mile. So this past Saturday he ran in a kids 800 meter race (unrelated to school's Landsharks cross country), we were so surprised when he finished near the front of the pack.
My kindergartner on the other hand... she didn't like to make herself tired when she ran, which means she came in third to last in almost every race. She liked the practices though, she made friends with another kindie girl. She didn't like the meets because she really just wanted to play on the playground. Sounds like a 5 year old. The coach that held up the back with her, told us tonight she did really good she didn't walk at all. Hooray for Nattie.
I fed them ice cream with candy tonight to reward all their hard work. They met at the school for practices at 7:45 am twice a week. I'll be excited to not have such early wake up calls. Sure that was the time my elementary school started, but my 3rd grader doesn't get home until 4 pm.

P.S. We are getting family pictures on Friday. I'm beyond nervous my children are unphotogenic. They will be doing the cutest things and then I get out my camera and next thing I know they are ____ (whatever you would call that). My kindie wasn't actually doing the cutest thing she was crying loud enough to draw a lot of attention to herself in a loud busy park. Overall I'm sure they are plenty photogenic they just have a poor grasp on English, I tell them to stop and they move real fast, I tell them to look at the camera and instead look away.

Not 7 months

I use to want to wean my baby in hopes that my hormones would go normal. I seriously seriously considered it. But he was only 5 months old and I really didn't want to buy formula for 7 months, so I didn't act. Now my baby is 8 months old, and even before I was having postpartum depression problems I had thought about weaning him at 10 months (which is earlier than my middle two babies). Weaning him at 10 months would mean in two months from now. I dreamed about such things but now they cause me terror. What if weaning him causes my hormones to go even more off the wall? Things are not going great but they could definitely be worse, I'm afraid to do anything that would rock the boat and make things worse. I guess all this isn't actually a problem since I still have months to make a decision but this depression gives me deliberating anxiety. (I'm not sure I used deliberating correctly, but it just seemed to be the right way to describe it.)

Medicated Part 1

Hands down the best thing I have found for my postpartum depression is aromatherapy.

Say what?

Six months ago I thought aromatherapy was snake oil. I know aromatherapy and doTerra is all the rage right now, but I didn't believe it.  I tried getting into aromatherapy about seven years ago and I found no success, unless my kids had a cough, then I would put eucalyptus out for them to breath, which totally helped. Unless it was respiratory I thought aromatherapy was a quack.

Six months ago I saw some of my brothers and while talking to one of them I mentioned my baby had colic.

My brother and my colicy newborn

 He asked do you use aromatherapy? I said no. He said well I don't know but Teresa swears by aromatherapy, she puts on Q. We dropped the conversation because he knew I didn't want to be convinced.

Then four months ago, my Mr. A got so very sick remember?

My mother wanted to send me some essential oils, I said I don't know mom, you know my opinion, and I have no time for extra treatments. She said you have nothing to loose, and its so easy, just pour some out, and leave it. I conceded, ok fine. First day I poured some into my clean candle wax warmer, with water. At first I hated the smell, so day 2 of the oil I didn't turn it on. We all got sicker than we were the day before, so day three I turned back on the melter with more oil and water, we all started getting better. I couldn't stand the smell so I turned it off the next day. We all got sicker again. Alright maybe this was working. Now I'm totally use to the smell, but historically we are a no smell house. I don't burn candles, melt wax (our candle wax warmer was a gift), our cleaners are scentless, we don't use perfumes or colognes. I'm not sure about my husband, but I know I'm allergic to VOCs, he might just not like smelly things.

I won't deny the essential oil worked, but once again this was a respiratory problem we were having.  I had read about doTerra but its so ghastly expensive I really wasn't interested before six months ago I would have said we are a very healthy family. Now.... I'm not sure, we have spent the last six months passing cold after cold between each other. 

Then I got depressed, so much so I decided for my and my children's well being I needed to tell some people and ask for help.
My mom suggested aromatherapy. I figured why not. What did I have to lose.
Turns out its by far the best thing out there for me.