At Home With Leah

I've never really taken any pictures of Leah in her room just doing her everyday stuff—partly due to my fear of taking pictures indoors which I'm starting to get over. When I heard Leah happy in her crib after her nap I headed in with my camera and caught her in action—bedhead and all.

This crib is on round four and still beautiful, but the black and white is a little easier on the eyes.

I love that she has a real life double chin these days!

The green nursery walls are the same that we chose when we built this house while we were waiting on Seth's adoption but now it looks like a little girl's room.  I have rocked all four of my babies in that very green chair!  I need to take a picture of the white wall behind the crib to demonstrate Jer's handiwork.  I literally found a picture in a Pottery Barn catalog of a nursery wall like two days before we painted and asked him to replicate it—and he did!  The Leah chair used to say "Luke," and we got it re embroidered.  I do have a few pictures on the walls and one of these days I'm going to get around to framing and hanging the prints I bought in China.  The best part is that Leah loves her room.  She feels comfortable here.  She loves sleeping in her bed (now a port-a-crib on a vacation is a different story) and every morning she wants her blanket to come out with her to give me some snuggles.  After that she's on the go every second, so I have to take advantage of the moment.

Finding Joy

The last few days have caused me to do lots of thinking about what's really important in life.  It's not like I've never thought about this before but sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in all the day to day stuff that I forget the big picture.  I lack eternal perspective.  We have a neighbor and friend who has been an amazing example to everyone around her.  She and her husband have been faced with one of the most difficult situations you can imagine, and they have demonstrated so much courage and faith.  It has truly been inspiring.  Today was the funeral for their baby daughter, Joy, who entered this life and left it in the same day.  To read more about this incredible family you can check out her blog http://ourjourneywithjoy.blogspot.com/.  (I caution you only to do this when you have some time and lots of Kleenex.)

On the day of Joy's birth I was having the worst mom day I've had in quite a while.  Lately I feel like I've been wrapped so tight, with so much going on, and I've struggled to let go of that and have fun and count my blessings.  I've been worrying about every little thing, feeling the chaos of having four kids so close in age, and I've been spending a lot of time feeling tired, frustrated, and inefficient.  (Now before you think I'm spending all my time yelling and beating the kids...it's not been that bad!)  I certainly have not been "Finding Joy in the Journey" though.  I've been going through the motions, helping with the homework, reading to the kids, getting them where they need to go, keeping them clean and fed, but I haven't enjoyed it as much as I should.  This is my life!  I'm going to have small kids at home for the foreseeable future.  I need to live and love.  My kids are not perfect, but they are mine and I couldn't love them more.  I have been entrusted with them.  They forgive my many faults and love me no matter what.  I am so blessed.  So I'm turning over a new leaf.  I'm sure this won't be the last time I find myself in a rut, making mistakes, feeling overwhelmed, but I'm recognizing that now and making a change for the better.  That's all I can do.  Today in her talk Breanne quoted President Monson.  He said, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now.  The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief.  Opportunities come, and then they are gone.  I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not.  I plead with you not to let those important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do.  Instead, find joy in the journey—now."  To read the rest of this talk click here Finding Joy in the Journey.

Wow, I don't think any words could hit closer to my heart than these did today.  I am a lucky person with a great husband, four beautiful kids, and a wonderful family.  My life is full of good things.  I have new resolve to enjoy my life as it is today—every sticky, chaotic, crazy, child infused minute of it.  I want my kids to have memories of a happy mom that loved and laughed, and I'd like to avoid an entire head of gray hairs!

Little Wooden Rocker

When I was a little girl my parents got me this brown rocking chair. They kept it around all these years, and I had my mom bring it over last week when she came to visit.  Leah looked so cute after church today I took her out for a few shots in the little rocker. I often run out on this road near my house and it's kind of a neat spot, so we headed out while the light lasted.  She was a fairly cooperative model although I probably had more blurry shots of her running away than anything.  She also has a bit of a drooling problem right now!  I'm so glad to have this little piece of my childhood to give to Leah...now if it can just survive her brothers.  I truly am blessed to have a daughter.  Hearing this little girl call me "mama" makes my day, everyday!

Preschool Boy

Ian started preschool this year.  It was not quite the big event that it was with his brothers, but I do admit to feeling a little sad as I drove off.  Not too sad though since I was back to pick him up 1 1/2 hours later!  He is going to Ms. Jenny's preschool where Seth went his first year, and he loves it.  It's only about 5 minutes from home, twice a week, for 90 minutes.

This poor kid decided to "catch a bee" the other day.  Let's just say he succeeded.  He came running into the house screaming with the stinger still in him.  He's been stung by several wasps but this was a honey bee, and it made his entire hand and arm swell up big time.  He was a trooper though about his gigantic, "grumpy" hand for the next few days...and not a picture to prove it.

Trip to the Temple

Last weekend we had the chance to meet grandma and grandpa and tour the Brigham City Temple. It is a beautiful building. What an awesome opportunity. This is the third one of these we've been to in the last five years or so, but it was by far the most crowded.  The kids were great although I'd say the highlight for Ian was a toss up between the shoe covers he got to wear and the cookies...which he is wearing all over his face in these pictures!  He was really sweet to pick a flower for me from the flower beds pictured behind...oops.  I have a hard time resisting this blue-eyed boy.

I do have to say that although this kid can be a wild one he is pretty darn sweet.  He is so cute with Leah and literally tells me multiple times per day how cute she is and how much he loves her.  In fact, he's so cute with her that she is starting to push him around a bit.  She is showing her feisty side now, so I think there may be some confrontations in the future for these two!  His adjustment to abruptly losing his spot as the baby in the family has been amazing.  His nursery leader mentioned to me the other day that he is so nice to this little girl in nursery who is in a wheelchair and can't really communicate.  She said he always goes over and talks to her and tries to play with her—that does a mom's heart good!

Leah absolutely loves both of her grandpas. She is learning new words each day and grandpa, sounds like bampa, was one of her first. 

Luke looks like a future missionary to me. He gave a talk Sunday in the Primary Program in front of hundreds of people and did awesome. He talked about his baptism. All four grandparents were there to support him and Seth—they are lucky kids.  Later that night our ward got realigned and we lost a huge subdivision from our ward that will cut our primary about in half. I will miss lots of people, but it's probably a good thing when you have to get there 45 minutes early to get a seat and they have to send out a detailed seating chart so you can find your child out of the 130 or so in the program! 

Getting a group shot is next to impossible and most of them weren't even in focus...hello!  I still need some serious work.  It was a great evening with my forever family though, and I can't tell you how many people stopped us to gush over Leah.  It happens wherever we go, especially as she becomes more of a ham.  I think she's got a bit of Ian's friendliness in her!  Yes, we think she's pretty cute too and her brothers aren't bad either!