Joy and Rejoicing

So, Meghan and I were loading and unloading dishes together tonight and I started to really think about how great our kids are. I completely appreciated all that Meghan does to help around the house. Lately, she has been a really great helper with Andrew, too. In fact, he often calls for her to help him with things rather than me. (I especially enjoy and appreciate that.) She'll watch movies with him, help him in the bathroom, help him get bathed or just about anything else. She is also really wonderful with the twins. We're so lucky to have such a great daughter!

Then, I started thinking about sweet Caleb and how he is gone with Cade and Becca. And while I realized that he tends to fly under the radar a little bit around here . . . I realized how much he adds to the dynamics of our family. For example, when I asked him how it is to be so cute he answered, "Well, let's just say, it isn't easy." I love his dry sense of humor. He really is a little Michael.

Next of course is Jacob. It was so darling to see the joy in his sweet little face when he got to shoot the first hoop on our new Sports Court and it went in! He was so tickled. He is so full of hugs and smiles . . .you just can't help but feel good about life when Jacob's around (even when he tells me that hugging me is like laying on a big pillow) . . . I guess I'll take that as a compliment?

Like Caleb says, the great thing about Andrew is whenever he asks you a question, he always provides the answer for you. He is hilarious! Today, his Primary teach game up to me to let me know that Andrew said the closing prayer today in Primary. This is huge considering just a couple of months ago he refused to even go to Primary! Now, if we could just kick the kid out of the parents' room . . .love him . . . just not his feet in our backs all night long.

The babies . . . are darling . . . and so much fun . . . . especially adorable when they are both asleep, which seemed like it would never happen today at church.

When Michael and I got married Grandma Claudia told me that he was "a diamond in the rough" and it was my job to smooth him out. Well, as a dad . . . he is an excellent one. Our kids absolutely adore him. It has been so fun to see how "polished" he has become.

Well enough sapiness . . until next time

The problem with two puppies

So, the dilemma I am having is that I have two adorable babies and they both seem to want my undying attention. (I know, some of you are thinking . . . .just two of your kids want your attention?) Anyway, so this morning I went into the nursery to see who was fussing and to feed them. What happens . . .I have one baby with giant eyes staring up at me and flashing me an adorable gummy smile. The other baby sees me and her eyes disappear in her cheeks with her huge grin and mostly what you can see is her precarious tongue (which she has recently noticed) that is sticking out of the side of her mouth. They both seem to be looking at my like little puppies at a pet store saying, "pick me, pick me." It is so sad . . what do I do? Whichever baby I choose, the other one is heartbroken. It tears at my little mommy heart. It is very difficult to have a litter . . .

The Sunday Guilties

So, as many of you know, we are putting in a sport court in our backyard. We have ripped out the garden, some grass, a bunch of sprinklers, and our beloved sand box. The concrete goes from fence to fence (East to West). I am so excited for all of the family fun we will have on it. Not to mention the future parties teenagers will enjoy at our house. . . where Michael and I can keep track of them! So I am feeling fairly warm and squishy inside about the whole thing. Well, that all changed during Relief Society on Sunday.

So, our lesson is on "Being Prepared." You know, the classic food storage, self sufficientcy stuff that you hear over and over again. I was listening intently thinking about how I really should make more of an effort to increase our food storage when a bolt of lighting strikes . .. well, at least it felt that way. What do they say, but how important having a garden is. Did they say, garden? I ask myself. Yes! Slowly I start thinking about how it is really no big deal about not having my own personal garden for I live in farm country and their are farms all over the place to buy fresh produce from. And, golly they sure can grow it better than I can. Of course you can imagine how the next comment was made that we can't depend on farmers in the area to get our produce from. Haven't we all seen the death of farms as new construction pushes farmers out and subdivisions in?

Dang, that means that my feel good back up plan has been axed too. So, I silently slip into the guilties. It gets better, however, for the lady sitting next to me, elbows me and loudly interrupts the lesson to say, "So, Shauna, nice concrete!" I felt myself turn red and sink into my chair. I tried to rebound quickly by raising my hand and declaring, "Does anyone else here have those horrible Sunday guilties? Please ease my pain over the concrete slab that now rests atop my garden!"

Women in the room immediately start telling me ways in which I am growing a garden. A garden "of children." I guess it was supposed to make me feel all better inside; but really, it just made me want to go home and take a long nap. Sigh . . .