January Pictures

She loves the new jacket she got for Christmas, even if her 18month old attitude doesn't show it.

Too big for her crib, Maybe?

He was so excited about his new potty chart that he put a chair in front of it and just stared at it. 

We did How To Potty Train Your Child in A Day and it worked really well.  It was more like several days, but we were happy with it.  He was super happy when he earned his Buzz Lightyear Lego set.

She had an ear infection so we filled her ears with garlic oil and cotton balls and held them on with this hat.  It was just so cute!

First curlers

That's at least as cute as the curls...

Sarajoy and Daisy: Curly twins!

Working

Things are working right now, and it is really nice. 

The schedule is challenging, yet attainable. 

Although I am not a schedule person by nature, and I generally rebel against structure (even my own), I look forward to next week with comfort and security. 

I often feel a strange confusion over what and how much to expect of myself.  I want to progress, and there are lots of things I would like to do better.  But I often expect too much and fall into despair at the failure to meet those expectations. 

It is nice to feel like I am at least on a path of progress.  For so many many months (years probably), I have been in survival mode.  Things that were forced off of my radar are now being attended to, and it feels great.

I am studying, reading and writing more.
The Lord is helping me to be more active, though regular exercise is still in the works.
My kids are making consistent progress academically.
We are reading together again, almost every night!  (Oh, how I've missed this)
We go to bed with a clean kitchen.
I am starting to think about improving our diet.
I am losing my aversion to self-help and nonfiction books.

I still fight the temptation to become overwhelmed by all of the things I am not doing.  Some days it is still a hard struggle.

But after swimming underwater for so long,

It is nice to come up for air.
..

Just a little post

I'm not blogging much lately.

Partly because I am annoyed at myself for getting behind with my pictures.  My plan was to "keep up" and avoid making a photo book for 2010.  I was just going to publish my blog in a book. 
I still have a lot of pictures to blog. 

I am also working on a scripture journal.  It is something our stake has encouraged us to do.  It has given me a vent for some things that I might have blogged about.

We're being a little more structured, so I don't have as much down time in the evenings.

But, I just turned around from the computer and saw the most beautiful thing.

I didn't get my camera out in time.

The radio was playing some trendy pop music that I normally have a really low tolerance for. 

A dark-haired 6-year-old girl clad in blue plastic high heels, A satin Alice in Wonderland dress, and a sparkly tiara was dancing.  "ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three."

With her Daddy.

New Year

I admit that I have feared this day for several weeks, if not months. 
It seems like every January, I get over zealous and decide it is the time to make ALL the changes and fit ALL the big things in that I am not doing. 
By Februrary (or sooner), I am completely burnt out and discouraged.
January 2010 was particularly difficult for me.  It may have been one of the lowest points of my life.
I know there ARE things I want to change and do better.  I have learned over the last few months to be more attentive to the spirit when setting my priorities and making lists.

I know that I may never be able to repeat today. 

But I will always be thankful for it.

First of all, there have been many (probably 52) weekends in the past year that I have made resolutions.  I have decided that starting on Monday, I would get up early and do this or that.

EVERY SINGLE TIME
There has been a crisis on Sunday night or someone has been sick Sunday morning. 

There were very few, if any weeks in 2010 that somebody wasn't sick with something on at least one day.

I am grateful
That it didn't happen last night or this morning.
I did stay up too late last night, but I was still okay.
Dallin woke me at 5:45 and I dozed until Sarajoy woke up at 6:30.  After nursing her, I got up and got myself ready and made my bed.  I woke up Nathan and we started breakfast together.  I woke the other kids at 7, and we read scriptures at 7:15.  We ate warm muffins and kissed Daddy goodbye.  I tidied Simon's room with the toddlers and we played while the big kids did chores until 8:30.  We played a round of Snorta while the toddlers played together in Simon's room for 30 minutes!!! (There's hope for those two!)  When they started quarreling, we decided to put Snorta away and do something the little kids would like.  We started with ring around the rosies.  Brandon brought down our bag of scarves and we sang a few songs with them.  Then I turned on my Brite music CD and we sang and danced and marched around the kitchen island for a good 20 minutes.  When the song "She's my sister" came on, I had to make a dash to the fridge for a drink to hide the flow of emotion that suddenly hit.
I remembered a talk last Sunday where someone mentioned that we shouldn't be ashamed of those kinds of tears.
Jesus wept when His joy was full.

My joy was full.

The big boys took Simon out to the court and played.  The big girls took Sarajoy into our little library and read.  I went down to my sewing room and read scriptures and wrote and thought and planned.  I took care of some items of business.

The kids came in and we had a snack.  Sarajoy took a nap.  Simon went to the big boys' room and got to play with their new legos.  He was there for almost an hour, and played nicely without losing any pieces or destroying anything.  The big kids worked on their school drawers.  Nathan read Fablehaven to Brandon.  I got to listen to Daisy read her "Bob Book".  I played "Make 7" with Ruby.  I helped Daisy make a postcard for her friend.  Brandon set up his new easel and started a painting on fresh canvas. Nathan spent some extra time on Rosetta Stone Spanish because he was enjoying himself. 

The kids made lunch and we got ready for co-op.  While the boys were doing class with Becky, my girls were playing dolls with Grace and Emma.  Simon was having quiet time in his room with a movie.  Sarajoy played with the big girls for awhile while I read, and then she joined me in the library for some stories.
The other families came for the last hour of co-op.  I worked with the 8 year old girls on their handwriting quote books.  Debora took the 6-7 year olds and did some great stories and phonics games.  Cherie took the toddlers out to the gym to play with the trikes and slides and balls.
When our classes were done, the 4 of us moms chatted and made pie crusts for pot pie.  Each went home with at least one pie for dinner.  They helped clean my house before they left. 
Dallin pulled in as they pulled out. 
The house was clean.
Dinner was in the oven.
Ruby was working on her FHE lesson.
I was exhausted, but happy.  Simon was exhausted.  I knew I needed to keep him awake for awhile. 
After Dallin got tackled by the kids and had a snack and visited with them for a few minutes, I sent him to our room to relax and change.  I took Simon in his room and started building a dragon tower out of legos. 

I have to admit it was pretty awesome.  I didn't want to stop when Nathan told me the pie was done. 
All of the kids were in the bedroom playing with the dragon tower when the pie was cool enough to eat.
Nobody threw a big tantrum at dinner.  We just ate and enjoyed each other. 
The kids were eager to get the kitchen cleaned quickly.  They were exited that most of the work was done by the co-op moms. 

We sang.
Ruby's lesson was fantastic.
We played "Don't Eat Pete".
We prayed.

The toddlers went to bed.
The big kids made their school lunches for tomorrow.
There was time to read the first chapter of  "My Father's Dragon" to the girls while Dallin continued the Narnia Chronicles with the boys. 

I want to record this day because it was such a blessing.  It is the kind of day that keeps me going. 

I don't know how long I'll be able to sustain our "new schedule", but the fact that it worked for one day is very encouraging.