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."

I'll Be Looking Forward To That

Yesterday I picked out clothes for Jack after his bath. I was pretty excited because I chose some nice tan cuordoroy pants and a nice, pale blue and tan, plaid shirt that buttons up. I just knew he was going to look super handsome. He put on his pants without argument but began to pout as I buttoned his shirt. "I wanted to pick out my own shirt."

"But I already got a shirt for you and you look good, man." I countered, but the look on his face told me it was more important to him than it was to me. Still I was disappointed. "Okay," I said as I began to help him get off his shirt, "but will you wear this shirt another day for me? I think you look really nice in it."

"Yeah," Jack obliged, "I'll wear it on your birthday,"

You Had To Be There

I really need to update my blog. But first I have to see if Katie has updated hers. I love her writing!

Fun Friends

Sometimes it's funny how friends come to be. I have this friend Barbara and we have been neighbors for 3 years. We were friendly and served in the same church presidency for a while but were never really good friends. Then we both got pregnant. For both of us it was our fourth child, and for each of us it was our 3rd boy and we were both a little disappointed that we wouldn't be buying pink.
Jeremiah was Barbara's family's home teacher during and after our pregnancies. After he'd come home from visiting with them he'd say, "You and Barbara should get together, you have lot in common right now." I didn't know what to make of that because, at the time, I was still extremely hormonal and may have heard, "She's miserable and not at all fun to be around either."

I'm not sure who made the first step, but over time, she and I have become good friends. We laugh (at ourselves, mostly), text, and if it weren't for the sidewalk between our homes there would certainly be a worn path from one doorstep to the other. Not only have she and I become friends but our families have as well. We enjoy getting together as families and sharing dinner, playing games and letting the kids interact.Even our babies do well together (although in this picture it certainly looks like Hewitt is diabolically plotting against his playmate.) Funny how these two boys, born 10 days apart, brought two families together.