Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Yesterday I had the kids at the grocery store with me. As I was being rung up Hewitt kept standing on the seat of the cart. After several attempts to keep his bottom on the seat I finally let him down while observing, "You're gonna die."

Almost immediately Jack piped up, "Do we get a new baby if Hewitt dies?"

Either the cashier was a pig or the snort I heard was contained laughter.

Ask the Expert

We FINALLY had some nice weather that lasted more than five minutes today. Although I had a lengthy to-do list of indoor chores I decided that I'd better take advantage of the weather and clean out the flower beds. I forced encouraged the kids to play outside as well and enticed them to join me by exposing a swarm of ants. This tactic proved useful as both Kenley and Jack knelt on the ground close to the curbing to watch the marching specks.

"Are they looking for Cheetos?" Jack wondered aloud.

Knowingly, Kenley answered, "No, Jack. They're looking for all kinds of food. Ya know, like pastaaaa, spaghehhhtti, all sorts of stuff."

"Well, Cheetos are food. So are they looking for those?" Jack queried.

In an exaggerated sigh of irritation and much rolling of the eyes Kenley concurred, "Yeah, even Cheetos."

Losing Your Mind Is Fun To Do

To do. To do. To do.

I'm blogging today not because I feel like I have a great post in mind but because I have a lot to do and I don't really know where to start.

April is always a crazy month for our family. This year is no exception other than it seems even busier. We had just finished a busy weekend and as I was sitting in church on Sunday I was thinking about the week ahead of me. I realized that each night, as well as the weekend, had already been claimed by one activity or another.

Monday: We always have FHE and Jeremiah's parents had invited us to a movie with them for family night. Also, freezer meal exchange.
Tuesday: The Young Women are having their spaghetti dinner and dessert auction fundraiser for Girl's Camp. I have a special interest in it this year because I get to go to Girl's Camp.
Wednesday: The kids and I have play practice. This day is our least packed.
Thursday: Now that Isaac's 8 we get to go to Pack Meetings plus I have a meeting for Girl's Camp.
Friday: Jack's birthday. We really need to do something fun for Jack. He was sick for a week and a half and then he's had a fat lip from chewing on it while numb from the dentist. This kid needs a break! Plus he's the one whose needs usually get pushed aside, I'll admit it. I'm also hoping that my company arrives this day. (Hint-hint, Katie!)
Saturday: Busy day! Hopefully we'll get the kids out for an Easter Egg hunt and Isaac and his cousin are being baptized. Plus I want to do something fun with our guests.
Sunday: Easter! I'm hoping that this will be a nice, relaxing day. If all goes well, all I'll have to do that day is lead the choir in Sacrament Meeting and make dinner. Oh, and teach R.S. (Almost forgot about that....)

As you can imagine, many of these activities for this week have associated to-do lists: Prepare freezer meals, make desserts for auction, practice lines, print lists, make phone calls, birthday shopping, cooking, planning, wrapping, find baptismal clothing, clean house, dye eggs, decide if Easter Bunny is coming, bake desserts for baptism, learn song, prepare lesson...you get the idea. Plus there's all the daily stuff to do and a few projects that need finishing, like installing the downstairs toilet.

I'm kicking it all off really well by sitting here in my pajamas writing about it.

Hi! My name is Gwen and I've been meaning to tell you that I'm a procrastinator.

The Day of Rest

I am the choir director for my ward. I'm also the 4th Sunday Relief Society Teacher. My husband is the Young Men's President and teaches the Teacher Improvement class during Sunday School. I have four kids, ages 7 and under, the youngest is just a couple weeks shy of (officially) attending nursery. On Sunday mornings my husband gets up and goes to meetings. I get the kids ready for church and (usually) make it on time. My husband can't always sit with our family because there aren't always enough deacons to pass the Sacrament. Then he usually has to stay after church for more meetings then heads to the hospital to help take the Sacrament to those who can't make it to church because of health reasons. When he gets home, I leave for choir practice. When I get home I throw together dinner and usually serve it to my husband in plastic storage containers so that he can eat it on his way to firesides, or whatever meeting is being held that night because, let's be honest, there's always some other meeting. I get the kids ready for bed while he's gone. When he gets home we have scripture study and family prayer then put the kids in bed.

I'm not patting myself on the back or saying that we're martyrs or anything like that. This truly is a typical Sunday at our house. We do it because we believe in the true church of Jesus Christ and because we have made covenants to do all that we can to give our time and talents to the building of the kingdom. So that is why, when I get home from church, make sure 4 kids get changed out of their church clothes, feed them lunch and then make phone calls to over 20 households to remind them about choir practice, I want to scream when I hear someone tell me they can't make it because choir is "during nap time."

(Bad) Job Well Done

Look at this cute little guy, all relaxed and sleeping in his crib. Laid out on a plush pillow-pet, covered in a nice flannel blanket. He wore himself out, that's for sure.
Did you notice he's in a button-down shirt? Yeah, that's because this is what happened right after we came home from church last week. This is his well-earned, much-needed nap after two and a half hours of being a B.E.A.S.T. at church.

All through Sacrament Meeting he was unhappy to be touched, held, looked at or breathed on. He spent about 10 minutes with me in class during Sunday School before laying on the floor in a massive fit about who knows what. We spent the rest of our time searching for a room in which he could be occupied and entertained; the nursery, the mother's room, the hallway, the foyer and, when the time came, Relief Society. Each room was more upsetting than the last (although I'm not sure which of us was more upset.) Finally, feeling like I wasn't getting anything out of church that day and that we would disrupt any group we tried to join I finally strapped the little stinker in his car seat and drove him home. He fell asleep before we even made it into our neighborhood.

When I laid him in his crib this is the position he assumed. He sure has it rough.

Art

Appendages growing straight out of your head deserve two giant thumbs up!

Oh, The Scandal!

Isaac, Kenley and I are participating in a play this summer. Our stake is presenting "Porter Rockwell," a musical, and since I've always wanted to be in a musical, I decided this was probably my only chance to try. I convinced Isaac and Kenley that it would be something fun we could do together. Kenley has been excited from day one, although she spends all her time during practices playing with a pen and notebook. Isaac was hesitant but since we've started singing he's been on board. He's been reading the script and hoping to be cast as "Boy 4" because, "he gets to try and tackle young Porter." Isaac has also been offering pointers on how to portray my role, Mary Ann Neff, Porter's 2nd wife in the play.

Until last night it was unknown who would play the part of Porter. As we were leaving the building, "Porter" introduced himself to me. Isaac smiled at me as we walked to the car and said, "I know why you're meeting him."

"Because I have to be his wife in the play?" I asked.

"Yeah. I hope Dad doesn't watch the play and get jealous."

"Daddy knows that play is just pretend, bud. He's not going to be jealous."

Isaac, having just read my final scene answered, "But you embrace."