Spring Break Wrap-Up

Yesterday was a rambunctious day at church and Primary. By the time we got home and I'd fed everybody a simple mish-mash of "what sounds best to you?," I was pretty much out for the count. I informed the Double B that as much as I LOVE children, particularly my own, I needed a little break from the over-stimulation for awhile. I headed downstairs, laid down and found a show, watched one minute of it, and then jumped because I thought I had a spider on my face... it was actually just my hand. I thought "I think I'm falling asleep," and then the next thing I knew, the Double B was walking into the room about half an hour later. I was totally shocked. That has really not happened to me very often in my life -- I am a rabid nap-hater -- but my body just shut down. I felt much better, mentally, to the betterment of us all, and then I ate about half of the Double B's dinner, because it was REALLY GOOD. He was nice enough to share, which is really saying something about him. About an hour later, Katelyn came into our room and announced "I have a good idea!," and climbed in between us. About ten seconds later, she nuzzled until my arm was around her and she was all snuggled up,  and then promptly fell asleep! It was so cute. We had a very lovely snuggle until Daddy carried her up to bed -- where she slept the whole night. I guess the Sabbath Day is a day of rest, right? Kate and I were feeling it yesterday.

Spring Break was SO GREAT this year -- the kids and I spent a truly wonderful week together, organizing, resting, playing, being outside -- sigh. It was great. I love my kids and I love to have them with me. My Mom would always say when I was growing up she felt better when she had "all her chickens in the nest," which didn't always make sense at the time but now I totally know what she meant. It is that way for me, too. They were horrified to go back to school today, but there are so many adventures coming up, they didn't fuss too much! I am thankful we had that time together.

 

I turned 31 on Saturday!

The children and I celebrated with a nutritious and delicious lunch at Wendy's.

  

I am good at aging -- it just comes naturally, what can I say. I don't even have to put any effort into it, I just get older! The Double B had a crazy week at work and knew he wouldn't be able to get Saturday off, so we celebrated on Friday. They were very sweet to me -- the night before the two older kids went with him to the store to get supplies and Olivia just about couldn't take all the secrets she had to keep! They made me biscuits and gravy for breakfast, my very favorite morning food, and Liv would keep sticking her head in to tell me things like "Don't worry, Mom, there's plenty for everybody!" Then Kate would run in and say "Daddy making us a special breakfast! He buy orange juice from Wal-Mart!" We went on a little adventure to buy me a good pair of sunglasses and then Cheesecake Factory for the Chicken Bellagio, the food they will serve in heaven. It was a great and relaxing day and I greatly appreciated it. I love my family and I am so blessed that they treat me so kindly. The Peanut Gallery:

I've decided I'm excited about 31. I felt like I'd kind of earned 30 in my 28th year, thanks to a certain wonderful teenager named Mariah, so that one was sort of expected in it's grin and bear it way. 30 was a big year of growth, I'm thankful for it. But in a way I knew what to expect. 31 -- well, it's just ripe with possibilities and new adventures. I feel good about it. New about it!

The last few days I've thought about my 28th birthday. I don't remember what we did, necessarily, but I remember how I felt so clearly... the happiest, most content I'd ever been. It was a lovely season of rest. And through the course of several events over the next few years that pushed and shoved and scraped and all those wonderful things necessary for a true exodus, I haven't felt that way since. But Saturday I realized that I have gained the contentment back. My life, our life, is on an adventure we'd never really imagined and one that has it's own special struggles, but the mountains I had to climb to get to this little moment are climbed, and I can take a big breath. I'm thankful for that.

Hello, 31! Let's be friends!

In closing, something that just cracked me up because it's just so KJ.

My awesome Mom-in-law sent me the movie 'The Saratov Approach' as a birthday gift. I was very excited because I'd heard good things and wanted to see it. (It's the story of two Mormon missionaries kidnapped in Russia in 1998.) Very intense. So I'm watching it with my eyes glued to the screen, but KJ -- who is a little bit of a nervous fellow, as we know -- just felt like he HAD to watch it, too. Of course he couldn't just watch it -- he had to ask me fifty million nervous questions in between. It was making me a little frustrated, I admit, when at the most intense part he just HAS to know how old I was when this happened. He had to ask a few times because I was presently kidnapped, as movies can make you feel sometimes. So I kind of snapped "I don't know, KJ! It was 1998." So he nodded, played with his Legos for a few more minutes and then said "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

This is what he came back with:

Ha ha.

What a great kid.

He felt better and we were able to see it through to the happy ending!

Being a Mom = Awesome.