Flowers

If anyone truly knows me they will know I love flowers. So much so that I convinced my boys to take me to a Camellia Flower show. The flowers were brought in from all over the state and were judged and given awards. We have a few Camellias that are currently blooming. But these were really neat to see.

Bryson's favorite part was the fish in the building and the peacocks and Canadian geese outside.

Piano

We have a new arrival. Our neighbors across the street decided they wanted to get rid of their piano and wondered if we were interested. UM... Ya! and they didn't want anything for it. So now I need to make use of this and start practicing. Not that I was ever any good. But since we have no pianist in Primary currently, and since I often have to sub for the chorister ( Ya, like 3 out of 4 weeks!), I might as well learn the songs on the piano also. The kids of course love it. I want to try and teach Bryson some basics, but again I'm no pro.

Skateboarding?

One weekend we decided to go to the park for a stroll. Brian brought his skate board and Bryson had his bike, and Miles had the luxury of riding in a stroller. So who got the best work out? And who had the most fun? Well I thought I would be on the blah side, but something different happened. Brian, offered me to ride on his long board (long skate board). Now, for those of you thinking oh, no big deal she probably does this all the time. NO, I have never ridden a skate board in my life, and I rarely do things that will humiliate me on purpose. But after some convincing, and especially since no one was around really, I decided to try. I was definetly out of my element, but eventually I got the hang of it. Not to say I'm going to do tricks or anything, but I started to like it, that's all. Also Brian tells me the long board is much easier than the regular skate board.

Shopping with kids

Since I don't live near family, and probably even if I did, I take my kids shopping. To some it may seem like insanity, and sometimes it feels insane, but mostly I just do it and deal with it and am not bothered by it. I now know to tell Bryson a head of time we aren't buying any toys or treats and so far it works. The thing that is often difficult to foresee and minimize is what my child says.
Just last week while shopping I picked up a box of wipes for Bryson. Bryson has been potty trained for a year now, thank heaven, and we're trying to help him learn to take care of his toilet needs by himself, thus the purchasing of happy (flushable) wipes. I got near the end of my shopping and thought these are not worth the extra cost and put them back on the shelf. Bryson alarmed asked in his loudest voice, "But mommie how will we wipe our bottoms?" I quietly said we have toilet paper at home and tried to hurry away from the clerk laughing at us. He was quite distressed so I got the wipes to reassure him all would be well.

Blogging

Well after much time, deliberation, and regret, I have decided to start up my blog again. Why the long pause? I feel it is due to lack of time, interest, and feeling like I couldn't make my blog cool enough or interesting enough to keep my readers attention. But like anything in life one must keep trying and keep hoping for something better, to reach greater heights. So for those of you who make wonderful blogs please be kind, and maybe offer assistance or suggestions.
What has our family been up to? Well as you can tell from last years post we had an addition to our family. As a mom of only two, I sometimes ponder -How in the heck do moms with more than two do it?- Not to say my kids are a handful, but life is definitely different. Like dealing with two grumpy kids who are both crying an trying to get them to stop through a method of trial and error. Is it hunger? are they tired? are they sick? do they have a temperature? are they teething, do they have gas or did they eat something gross from the floor, again, or are they fighting over the same toy? The list goes on. And for those of you without kids, there's more! It can become a vicious cycle. If you miss the time for nap then they get soo tired that they won't take a nap and the whole day is ruined because they are cranky and really need a nap and only finally sleep due to exhaustion. Then there is the issue of sleep. I'm sure I'm the only one who struggles with this, but the lack thereof can make a woman loose her mind. (So what am I implying?) Not only are you sleep walking to go soothe a crying child, which would be cake, if it wasn't all------ through the night. Then you're expected (by an unknown group of rule keepers) to wake up refreshed and beautiful and have the house in pristine condition at all hours, ready for company, and then have a delicious meal ready for dinner, in time! I for one cannot meet those demands. I do know several woman shall we call them Celestial beings, Superwomen, or just plain crazy, who do it all and maintain complete sanity. I have yet to grasp their mighty powers. I have devised a plan to find their secret. It will include, but not be limited to spying, questioning and experimentation. How do they do it all, and have time to make cute little hand made crafty things, and go to the gym, scrapbook, and do community service? They often claim to be bored, I've heard some say. Which completely astounds me because I'm so overwhelmed and in over my head I don't even have the time or the ability to be bored. Maybe they have made a secret pact with aliens that if they give them their eldest child, the aliens will keep all things in order and perfect.
Well I guess I should stop my complaining, it's always easier to see the bad stuff. What gets me through the blah is when they (my kids) look up at me and say "I love you". Or when they do something hilarious that you laugh until you have tears in your eyes, or when you realize how fast they grow up and that they aren't babies anymore and that time is so precious. So sometimes I just throw cleaning and all that jazz out the window and just play and watch my children be kids and enjoy the moment. I believe more and more that the small and simple things bring true joy.