Busy, busy, busy…

Softball season is upon us…

We have three kids playing this year.  Henry is playing his first year of t-ball, Keeley is playing her first year of machine pitch, and Aubrie is in her first year of majors (the girls pitch for themselves).  We have three different practice schedules and three different game schedules.  We average 5-6 games a week.  Life is crazy busy.  On game nights dinner is something fast and easy that we can eat on the run because the games start at 5pm.  By the end of the season I won’t want to see another hot dog, chicken nugget, or PB & J. 

I have spent the last several weeks changing my garden into something different.  I learned about square foot gardening and so I have been un-dirting all of my raised beds and converting them into true SFG.  I just re-planted one bed of strawberries tonight (after the game of course). 

We have two games tomorrow night, mutual, and I spend the morning in class rooms in the kids’ classrooms, so I am hoping to get some garden time in the afternoon during nap time.

I planted my geraniums today.  ( The ones I over-wintered in my crawl space) I only lost one little one this year.  I forgot to take a picture of them mid-winter to show you, but I’ll take one tomorrow of the bare canes.  They look so funny for a few days until they get some leaves.

Fondly remembering those less busy days of only a few days ago… :) Who am I kidding, my days never slow down, my definition of busy just evolves.  ;)

Something to share…

Those of you who know me well, know that I am not one to seek for any attention; I thrive in the background, and often do not open my heart and share my feelings unless I am extremely familiar with those who surround me.

Today I had a couple experiences that I’d like to share, and hopefully it will give you something to think about too.

I went to Wal-Mart with Jesse and Andee today.  I needed to get some apples for a fruit salad for the meal prior to the YW broadcast tomorrow.  As I was driving into the parking lot, there was a thin, scruffy, shriveled husk of a man who appeared to be 60 years old or so.  He was holding a sign that said he needed a job and food among other things.  I tried not to look too closely.  I wondered cynically to myself how much money he could earn a day doing something like that.  As I passed him I had the strong impression that he needed a sandwich, banana, and something to drink. 

Now, being a woman, and a naive one at that, I usually steer clear of men doing things like that.  But, again, I had the feeling that I needed to be the one to give him something – ‘a sandwich, banana, and a drink’, the thought still persisted.

As I made my purchases and took them out to the van I had the very clear thought that I needed to tell the man – as I gave him the food in the Wal-Mart sack, that the Lord loves him and that he asked me to give him this food.  Of course this filled me with dread, but I knew that I had to. 

As I drove up to him, I rolled the window down on the passenger side of the van.  I noticed that he wasn’t sixty years old as my first impression led me to believe, he was more like 25 or so, maybe.  As I pulled over to the side he stepped back and averted his eyes, and seemed astonished to see my window down.  As he stepped cautiously forward I picked up the sack of food and said to him, “the Lord loves you and asked me to give this to you.”  He nodded once and said that he appreciated it.  His eyes seemed to tell a story all their own.

I’m not sure what will ever happen to the young man, but it really made me stop and think.  Do we ever see someone for who they are if we are merely looking at what they appear to be on the outside.  As I drove toward home, I was overcome with the assurance that the Lord really does love him and me too.  We are all His children.  Under all the layers of hurt and sadness of living life, we all are His. 

Jesse asked me, “Why did you give food to that man?”  I told Jesse that he was hungry and Heavenly Father asked me to do it, to which he replied “You are such a nice mommy.” 

Just last night, as I was driving home I was silently thanking Heavenly Father for all of the recent experiences I have had that have helped me increase my understanding of this principle and asked Him to help me increase my ability to have compassion for all of His children and know how I could be of help to those in need. 

On Wednesday, I was talking to Henry’s teacher.  I found out that she just got out of the hospital, and was struggling as she took care of her two foster kids.  I told her that I would be more than happy to do what ever she needed to help her, meals babysitting – whatever she needed.  As I was leaving her classroom, I felt that I needed to touch her on the shoulder and let her know that I was serious, anytime she needed help she could call me.  She called me this morning and asked me if I would be willing to let the kids come over and play for a few hours this Saturday or next.  I told her we would be able to watch them all day so she could rest.  I’m so glad that she called me.

Today’s experiences, again, have confirmed His love for me and is another step in me progression of understanding His perfect love for us.

Thank you for letting me share, I don’t usually babble on and on about my personal experiences of this type, but today I felt compelled to do so.   Maybe it was for you…

Have a good weekend!

WoooHooo!!!!

I know it is just a small thing, really… 

This morning as I was eating breakfast, Andee came up to me and said, “ I poop”.  So I got up and started following her as she ran toward her bedroom so I could change her diaper.  But she didn’t stop there.  She ran straight to the bathroom and asked for her Elmo chair (the toilet insert that is padded and fits inside the rim to make the toilet small  enough for little bums to sit on it).  I quickly stripped off the two layers of her jammies and her wet diaper and she pooped in the toilet!!!! 

Ok, so this is probably a lot more info than most of you’d like to get about bathroom habits of a 1 year old, but I am excited.  She actually knew that she needed to go.  Yippee!  I know that she is young, but if she is starting to be ready –so am I.

Yes, new hair...

Last month I cut my hair.   Here is the before picture.

It was getting long enough that when I sat down it would get stuck behind me.  I've come to realize this is always the point I get to before it begins to bug me.  Then I chop it.  Here is the most recent chop.

I like it, but I am realizing that when you actually have a hair do you can have really bad hair days.  Oh well, I haven't yet lost any sleep over the matter.

What do you think?!

Ah, Young love...

Jesse is in love!  He cannot stop talking about a girl he met at stake conference.

We were singing the rest hymn when he came over and told me he could see the girl he wanted to marry.  He showed her to me.  She was a beautiful young woman who was singing in the combined youth choir. Plum colored dress with a gray sweater over it, sparkly necklace, long, gorgeous blond streaked hair cascading in long curls, long bangs swooping across her face - she looked like she might be 17 or so. He spent most of the meeting gawking at her. 

As we were leaving he kept asking me if we could go find her.  I told her she was leaving with her family.  As we were heading out of the building we came to the open doors of the chapel, and there she was, standing by the doors.  Jesse, made a beeline over to her. So I walked over to her and said " My son saw you singing in the choir and wanted to meet you, would it be ok if he shook your hand. "

She bent down to him and said 'Hi, what is your name?"

"Jesse, I am almost 4," he shyly replied.

She smiled at him and said "My name is Tawny, it is nice to meet you."  She smiled up at me, probably because he was so cute and wouldn't let go of her hand.  So I whispered to her "He told us he wanted to marry you when he gets home from his mission." 

A huge smile spread across her face and she blushed so sweetly and asked, "Did he really say that?"

Jesse answered so innocently, "Yes," with a matching smile on his face.

Tawny said that she was very flattered.  I thanked her for letting him shake her hand and make his day.  She waved to him as we left.

She was so cute and sweet to him.  He is still talking about her.  We have tried to explain to him that by the time he gets home from his mission she will probably be married already, but he will not be dissuaded.

Today as I put him down for his nap, I took him in my arms into a big bear hug and said, "Who do you love?"  to which he replied, "Tawny" with a great big smile.  Silly boy, he usually says 'mama'.

Wish I had a picture of her to show you.

I thought I knew...

You know, there is nothing worse than when I get sick. 

I can handle barfing in the night, sick kids, and husbands, and cleaning carpets, barf buckets, changing sheets and all manner of accidents.  Let's face it over the years I've become a pro at many of these things.  I can usually not even gag when rubbing the back of my barfing child. 

But, when I get sick there is nothing worse.  How do you keep going while not having the energy to do anything?  There's nothing worse than when mom is sick.

This was my opinion until yesterday.  My sister, Heather, called at about 10 am and told me my mom was going to the hospital with a racing heart.  It is definitely worse when grandma is sick. 

After a day full of tests and more tests.  She went home with a 24 hour heart monitor on and a wait and see diagnosis.  She said she felt better today, and that nothing had happened while she has had the monitor on, as of this morning at 8 when I spoke with her. 

A day full of prayers for her was how my day was spent, I can hardly recall much about anything I did.  I was busy, but most of my thoughts were with her.

 

My mom.... I love her and need more time with her.