13 June - a little rest

I came home from running errands today & found this in my bed:

I love William's long eyelashes. He's had them since the day he was born.

And I love this man's hardworking hands. They're one of the first things about him that I fell in love with.

Ward BBQ

Yesterday, Will & I went to the Ward BBQ where we hung out with friends, ate some amazing food, & played with plants, balls, & mud.

Will kept disappearing behind a little hill to play with some dirt & plants. I don't know why he kept going off to be by himself, but he seemed plenty happy, so I wasn't about to interfere.

And of course when it came time to eat, he wouldn't eat anything besides a hot dog bun & chips. I even tried coaxing him with some really good jello salad, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Oh well . . . he'll eventually try something new, right?

Will probably spent the majority of his time playing with a big green ball - rolling on top of it, kicking it, trying to throw it over the volleyball net. He made some great friends this way.

Will & Hunter (one of my primary students from last year - an aweseome kid)

Will moved on to play with Aaron, but then had a meltdown when he got duped out of his ball.

playing with some nursery buddies - Avery & Mason (twins in the back), & Jenna & Will #2 (also named for William Wallace :)

We had such a great time going to the BBQ. I always stay home when things like this are going on b/c I don't want to brave it without Scott, but I finally decided that my whole life was going to be like this, so I'd better learn to do things on my own - not only for myself, but so Will can have these opportunities to make friends as well.

11 June - heavenly craving

One of my favorite lunches this pregnancy:

tomato, avocado, pepperjack cheese, lite miracle whip, & honey mustard on wheat . . . heavenly.

Will's goings-on while we were in Mexico

While Scott & I spent an amazing week in Mexico, Scott's parents came up to stay with Will. The night before leaving on our trip, I cried & told Scott that I didn't want to go to Mexico anymore. I was so scared to leave my baby boy (I can't believe I still call him my baby when he's almost 3!). I didn't want him to wake up in the morning & have us just disappear for such a long time. I felt like I was abandoning him.

After saying many prayers & talking to my mom who was able to help me relax, I felt much more secure in leaving him. It was encouraging to talk to Dennis & Gail while we were in Mexico & hear how well behaved Will was being. I'm just so glad that Will has such amazing grandparents & that they could have the week to bond even more.

They spent a lot of time at the park:

Will insists on sleeping with practically every toy he owns.

 

Scott & I brought back a Mexico soccer uniform for Will, & he loved it.

up & running again

My book blog, Through the Pages, is up & running again. I took a break from it while dealing with morning sickness & just never got back into it. Here's to another attempt, but this time I'm slowing down & not blogging nearly as much as I was before.

Yesterday's post is a reminder why - there are too many other responsibilites to get too caught up in reading again.

7 June - thoughts on responsibilities & obligations

I was previewing a book last night on my Kindle before deciding whether or not to buy it -- Camilla, a Biography of Camilla Eyring Kimball, by Edward L. Kimball, & I came across a quote that was in ways, a real slap in the face before even finishing the Prologue:

"Some people feel that their responsibilities stifle them. I feel that fulfilling obligations is the best way to grow. Any woman should be alive to opportunities--alive to public interests, to her family, to growth from Church service. I have no patience with women who find life boring. Life is so interesting, it just worries me that I cannot get done all the things I want desperately to do."

~ Camilla Eyring Kimball

What a great reminder of what life is all about - not the "What about me, me, me?" attitude, but about what we must do even when we don't feel like doing it. Our responsibilities are not a curse or condemnation, but rather a chance to grow, think beyond ourselves, & find joy & success in our everyday life. So much of our ability to see it this way, however, falls with our attitude. It's easy as a wife & mother to feel like a martyr & underappreciated for the work we do. My problem is that I vacillate between actually following through with the work & pretending I'm doing the work while bitching about how rough I have it. Give me a break - talk about a sour, pathetic attitude.

The happiest times in my life have been in recent years, especially, I have found, when I'm living by a routine & getting the basic things done in my life that are rightfully required or expected of me. I don't mean by dragging my feet & complaining along the way, but by tying my hair back (or actually washing & styling it), rolling my sleeves up & getting to work with a smile on my face. Life is a blessing. Work is a blessing. Family is a blessing. So why fight it? There is such a sense of accomplishment that comes from fulfilling responsibilities without rushing around last minute to do everything. Planning & organizing makes life so much less stressful & allows for more stress-free time & opportunities to accomplish things you didn't think were possible.

When I was on my A-game, my house was spotless, the cupboards were organized, my laundry pile was practically non-existant, I had meals on the table each night, I was exercising, I studied my scriptures instead of just reading a verse real quick to get it checked off my list of things to do, & I spent free time playing with Will & developing my talents (taking a photography class, practicing the piano, baking treats for my family & neighbors . . .). And I still had time to spare in my day! I did all this stuff throughout the day & had more energy than I had on days where I'd laze around the house & think how down & bored I was. 

So what are my responsibilities (that oftentimes feel stifling when I have a poor attitude or don't have my priorities straight)? And what can I do to improve myself in each responsibility (w/o being overwhelmed by a sudden change in my routine, or lack thereof)?

• Mother - plan activities with/for William; set up play dates for him; continue to read him scriptures at breakfast time
• Wife - be positive & don't take my frustration out on a loving husband who works so hard for me & our family
• Homemaker - stick to a daily routine (it worked miracles in the past, so get back to it); start cooking again
• Church callings - review the next week's lesson throughout the week & prepare activities/object lessons when possible; prepare & schedule ahead of time
• My health - set aside a time 3x a week to do simple exercise (walks, stretching)
• Develop talents - work on one talent each week for 30 minutes on a designated day or days
• Spirituality - get back to reading the scriptures daily after breakfast (can include actual scriptures, General Conference talks, Ensign articles - something's better than nothing)

Looking at this list seems so overwhelming, but when I've put all these things into a simple daily routine, my responsibilites no longer feel like they're taking me over, but rather, they enlighten me & bring an amazing sense of peace & accomplishment to my life. I just need to remember not to worry about doing things perfectly. Even imperfect work with a positive attitude, as oppossed to no work or perfect work w/ a frustrated attitude, still blesses my life, family & home.

Find joy in the seemingly mundane things. It will make all the difference in the day-to-days of life & will surprise you with how much you've grown when you can look back & see where you started.

Punta Mita, Mexico - final days

TUESDAY:

The boys woke up early Tuesday morning to go deep sea fishing while the ladies slept in & had a very lazy day by the pool (too lazy, actually). After the boys got back from their escapade, we all got in-home massages & spent the rest of the day relaxing.

(pic taken by Andrew)

(pic taken by Andrew)

Andrew, Eric, Sean & Scott

WEDNESDAY:

This was probably my favorite day in Mexico. We drove to Kupuri Beach where we spent the day snorkeling, reading, bobbing in the waves (you could walk out so far & still only have the water come up to your chest), & boogie boarding.

yay for another belly shot, even if it is from a distance

After coming back to the house, cleaning up & eating the delicious snacks that Francisco & Reina made for us (homemade salsas & guac), we headed out to Restaurant Row for dinner.

I guess I should also mention here that Francisco & Reina come to the house every day & pamper us. Reina cleans & cooks while Francisco cooks, drives us anywhere we want to go, & takes care of absolutely anything we could want or need, & patiently tries to teach us Spanish. They are incredible!

(pic taken by Tiffani)

THURSDAY:

After eating another amazing breakfast made by Francisco & Reina, we headed off to Puerto Vallarta for a day of shopping. We planned to be there for about 3 hours, but since the bus (which we insisted on taking instead of having Francisco drive us all the way into town) ended up taking forever, we only ended up with about one hour to hurry & find our souvenirs for the kids.  We ended up buying William a Mexico soccer uniform & maracas & bought the Little Lady a beautiful embroidered dress once she's made her debut.

such a pretty church in downtown Puerto Vallarta

FRIDAY:

For our last full day in Mexico, we couldn't resist going back to Kupuri Beach for more relaxing & boogie boarding. The waves were much bigger this time around, & I'm pretty sure we all fell victim to them at one point or another - salt water up the nose & in the back of your throat are never fun.

Robin & Eric

Liz D - - - Tiffani & me (who says pregnant women can't boogie board? you just have to turn a little sideways & then can't complain when your belly drags in the sand to slow you down at the end)

Scott & Andrew

After finishing our day at the beach, we went home for our last Francisco & Reina made lunch, rested for a bit, & then went to our favorite restaurant, Anclote, on Restaurant Row (the fajitas & drinks were so good!).

SATURDAY:

After packing everything up & taking a couple last minute pictures, Francisco drove us to Bucerias to do some last minute shopping before going to the airport. We scored on a bunch of great items at the outdoor market & were so happy to redeem our shopping day in Puerto Vallarta a few days before.



We had such a great time & hope to do this again in the near future.