I had to chuckle to just myself this morning as I was changing a stink-o diaper while instructing Preslie on how to use my paper trimmer when Hunter stands on the chair I was sitting on and says, "Hey Mom, let's jump!" and then proceeds to start jumping up and down on the cushion.

Life is anything but dull around here. This month we celebrate one year since moving to this town. WHAT a year! I must say that now, we like it here. Because we've discovered that summers here are FUN.

The elementary school has a summer reading program every Wednesday and Pres gets a free book and then they do a story and drawing for prizes. Every week they draw for a bike or a scooter and then a bunch of other small prizes. Preslie hasn't been drawn out yet, but we're hoping. We've started reading the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and my kids just love that nutty little girl.

In the summer, the state funds a free sack lunch for kids 0-18 served at the city park every weekday and we've loved going to eat and then play with friends we see there.

Our town has a huge week long summer celebration where there are tons of events, a parade,

activities for kids, free swimming days, concerts, pageants, and fireworks. (Mack was not into the loud honking semi trucks in the parade)

This is aside from the 4th and 24th of July stuff that goes on locally, which we also enjoyed, including a magic show I took Preslie and Hunter to.

Add that to the fun trips to see family and friends and the fact that it is not 4 below just makes things a whole lot better.

So now that we've adjusted to life here (for the most part)-- time to start a new adventure!

...stay tuned...

The Trick is to Enjoy Life

My husband said something last night that got me thinking a little. He said, "It is so interesting that we go through these different stages of life and they seem so serious at the time. But looking back, they were so cool." He mentioned how fun it would be to go back for a couple of weeks and be a senior in high school, or go back to his mission. I have thought about this in bringing our little Mack into our home and how crazy it sometimes is; and I remember it being just as crazy with one baby. It makes me think I should have had more fun when I had just one!

Also in each stage of life it seems like I look ahead and think, Oh, won't that be cool when the kids are all old enough to do this or that, or won't it be cool when Dax and I are empty nesters and we can go on a mission or take little vacations together? And people who have older kids or their kids have left home always say, "I wish I could go back to when my kids were little." Grandmas always say that when their kids were little were the best years of their life.

So what is up with us humans not enjoying the stage of life we're in right now? I am SO guilty of this, even though I know it is important to living a happy and fulfilling life. I think there are legitimate reasons people want to move on to the next phase of life; some parts of life are HARD. Hard stuff sometimes sucks. It is hard to make adjustments to our stage in life because we have to work harder. I have to change what I do and how I think. Moving on to a new stage might bring me some cool new things, but it is also going to bring new challenges. The challenges I had as a newlywed are not the same as the ones I have being married 7 years with 3 young children. And I am sure that having no children in the house has challenges (I can't think of any right now, but there probably are some). So if all those old grannies in Relief Society are right, I better enjoy "the best years of my life" right now. It is time to be less serious and stop sweating the small stuff. My house is a complete wreck. That is absolutely true. My body is sore from holding my baby all day, every day. I live in the "armpit of Utah" in a ghetto part of town. So what? I am happy. I love my husband. My kids are taken care of. The Lord is watching out for me. I have good friends and a super loving and supportive family.

"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead."

-Marjorie Hinckley

making adjustments

I have realized that I don't have many pictures of my middle child and no recent stories to blog about him. I hope he is not just blending into the background of my life. He was our "baby" for a long time, and now that we have a new baby, he's had to become big boy and I've really missed the time I used to spend with him. We would sit on the rocking chair and snuggle for a long time quite often, and he would rub my thumb with his thumb--something he's done since he was a baby, but doesn't do hardly at all anymore. I really miss reading books to him, just me and him with no squirmy ticking time bomb that will need to be fed or changed or want to stand up and bounce any second. The pressure and constance of having a baby really piles up on me around 3-4 months, always. I guess that is when I realize that I have done little else but attend to the baby for 90 days and I am about to go nuts if I don't get back in balance right quick. I always feel guilty telling people about it too because it seems like everyone else with babies just can't get enough of their little bundle and are just loving life. Well, I have figured out that it isn't the baby that makes me crazy; I just love our little guy and have really enjoyed the wonderful experience its been to have him join our family. It is the adjustment period that seems to take forever that makes me crazy. But I think the key is to not think about how much easier it would be if I didn't have the baby, because, lets face it, the baby is here to stay, and we're grateful for that. So why is it so hard to change my thought process so instead of thinking, "I can't do that, I have a nursing baby" I can say, "I will just have to bring the baby, and I'll find a sitter for the other two." Having a baby, or two, or three, makes life more complicated, plain and simple. But life doesn't have to stop. Or I guess I should say that FUN doesn't have to stop. There IS life outside feedings, diapers, drool, and spit-up. And thank goodness for that. Figuring out how to do it with a baby in tow and getting everything else done in my 10-15 minute windows is what I gotta do, and then I'll feel like I am more in control of my life.