Life Lessons

1. Today Caleb was playing Super Mario Brothers 3. I watched him play the same level over and over again because he had to get every coin, break every brick, jump on every bad guy, and walk on every solid surface. Inevitably, Mario died repeatedly. But Caleb taught me a very important lesson: I need to have joy in the journey...

2. Our year in Federal Way produced two of my best friends of all time: Lara and Jeanne. We called ourselves "The Uterine Distress Club." I was pregnant, Lara and her husband could not get pregnant for over seven years, and Jeanne had severe endometriosis. Gratefully, our problems have all been resolved, and the club disbanded. I am no longer pregnant, Lara is now miraculously pregnant with twins!!!, and Jeanne is on the mend! Truly, the best friends I could ever ask for! They taught me: Greater love hath no man than he lay down his Bosch for his friends... I love you guys!

3. Treat thrush at the first sign of symptoms...

4. If you choose not to fight the battle of making your two-year-old sit in her booster chair, you may end up fighting the battle of cleaning up cereal and milk off her, and the floor, and the chair, and the blankie...

5. Get an appointment at the doctor's office, don't go to the walk-in clinic with three children...

6. If your baby sleeps through the night twice in a row, don't get your hopes up...

7. If your ward throws a barbecue to welcome you to your new home, don't expect that to happen every time. Be grateful if one person shows up to help... And P.S. don't expect the new neighbors to be willing to help move the piano...

8. It's really important to hold your new baby as much as you can. It's good for him, and it's good for you. They don't stay little for very long, so enjoy it while it lasts. But sometimes you just have to put the crying/screaming baby down...

9. You can get slivers from bark chips...

10. It's really important to serve others. You should do it as often as you can. But in some seasons of life, you just have to create opportunities for others to serve... Many, many thanks to all those who have served us lately!

11. Typing with one hand takes much, much longer...

Happiness is...

Have you seen this yet?

Life, According to Caleb

Babies can only suck. They can't crunch. Because if they crunch mommy's things, it will hurt very bad.

If at first you don't exist, try try again.

Past, Present, and Future

PAST:

Things were going along just fine.

Then we had a baby.
Then we found out a promotion was on the horizon sooner than expected.
Then we went on "vacation."
While in Utah we supported two graduating sisters, attended two baby blessings and one baby shower, Bryan received work training, and we picked up our new (used) van. Most of both sides of our family were in town.

Joseph was blessed.

We compared the sizes of the two cousins (Katelyn is 2.5 weeks older).

We had tummy time.

We had it with pictures...

We played with cousins.

We tried on new clothes.

We built bridges.

We visited Joseph's namesake.
We drove to .
We looked for housing.

We stayed in a hotel and went "swimming."
We drove home.

PRESENT:
We are catching up on sleep and cleaning the house

FUTURE:
We will begin packing as soon as one or the other of us has any free time. We will hopefully have enough time to wrap everything up here. We will be moving in 2.5 weeks to , where Bryan will be the administrator for the only nursing home in the town (granted he passes his test).

Definition of Hades

A screaming preschooler.
A screaming toddler.
A screaming infant.
A tired mommy.
A million things to do.

Detox

I hate "vacations." Nay, I loathe "vacations."

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy visiting with people I don't see very often. And I like to see familiar, meaningful places that welcome me as if they were old friends.

The thing I hate most is conforming to a schedule that is A) not my own and B) changes drastically every day.

I hate the (severe) lack of sleep and the impossibility of catching up, especially with a newborn. I do not deal well with sleep deprivation; I am completely aware of this. (Sorry, Bryan...)

I hate the (severe) lack of sleep in my children and the exponentially degenerative behavior that inevitably comes.

I hate conforming to a diet and exercise plan that is A) nonexistent or B) full of carbohydrates and fats. And I really hate that I do not have control over my children's diets because their sweet teeth cause sneakiness. And also add to the degenerative behavior.

I really hate that I can spend so much time with my husband and children and still come home feeling like I haven't seen them in a week.

I hate being away from my own house and the conveniences of having things where I like them.

So, while in this familiar place that will be my home for the next three weeks, we are going through rehab.

1. We will have a strict sleep schedule (taking a newborn into account, of course).
2. We will eat healthy foods and not fill up on sweet drinks.
3. We will exercise, watch far less TV, and play far fewer computer games.
4. We will notice each other and spend quality time together.
5. We will enjoy the conveniences of our home, at least until they're packed in boxes.