Chocolate

I am always telling my kids that they are so cute, I could just eat them up, nibble on them, etc. My older kids don't really like being told that anymore, but the younger ones start to giggle as soon as I say it. It usually means some tickling and even a bit of nibbling.

The other day, I said this to Brigham, approaching with my hands ready to attack. His response, amidst giggles, "Don't you feel like chocolate today, Mom?", pointing at Corbin who was right behind me. Unfortunately for Brigham, he doesn't realize, that I'm not too picky when it comes to chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate .........

doesn't really matter, I love them both.

Addendum to "Do you ever feel this way?"

Because my life is so encompassed with feeling overwhelmed right now, this whole subject has been on my mind a lot! So I just kept thinking about a couple of things that I wanted to add to my previous post.

First, I hope that nobody read my previous post and had thoughts like, "man, I must be lazy, I don't do half that stuff." or "she doesn't have a clue what busy is, she should look at my life." I think as women we tend to compare ourselves WAY too much. One thing I have truly learned over the last couple of years is that there is no way to compare. We all have different circumstances that make our lives easier or harder. And there is no way we can understand what someone else is going through because we have not lived in their shoes.

Second, I felt like I left out a lot of church things I know most of us that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ do, ie attending church each Sunday, going to the temple, receiving my visiting teachers in my home, going visiting teaching, having Family Home Evening, etc. Just wanted you to know that these things are priorities in my life. Don't know why I didn't mention them.

Third, there are times in our lives that we don't feel like we are being helped, yet we feel like we need that help so badly. I wonder about that a lot, why? Well for me when my health was declining daily, literally we felt like we could watch it diminish each day. I was so desperate for help. I prayed constantly. Yet, the inspiration didn't come. I felt so alone, felt like my prayers were going unheard. At the time I felt like I couldn't go on anymore. I kept thinking about the promise in the scriptures that we would not be given more trials than we could handle. I didn't think I could handle what I was going through and I needed it taken away.

So, why is it that sometimes we truly feel the daily help that I'm feeling right now in my life, but other times in our lives we go through times and feel so alone?

Well, for me it was all about learning and growing. Humbling myself to the will of the Lord. (I'm not good at the humbling part, too independent and proud!)

And when the inspiration came that there was another child meant for my family, I said "OK". Because I had come to that point in my life, because I had "made" it through those impossible times. And look what I have been truly blessed with. Man, I love this little cuteness!

Do you ever feel this way?

Do you ever feel like you can't handle one more thing on top of everything else? I've been feeling that way. With my dumb Fibromylgia everything is harder than it used to be. It takes longer to do things, some things I just can't do anymore, which makes me sad. And it's difficult always living in pain. Then you add 5 kids, 1 being an active little cutie that is starting to get into everything. Then you start school, which includes soccer practices and games. Piano practice and lessons. Cheer carpool, school chorus. Young Womens & Activity Days. Don't forget homework (Ugh, I still hate homework & it's not even mine!). Making sure that the kids get their daily chores done and they are reading every day. Trying to make daily family prayers, morning and night, a habit. Oh and my church calling (which is actually pretty easy) Activity Day Leader. I volunteer to make food for a funeral (because we're supposed to, right?). It's canning season and we are out of all sorts of stuff. So far I've canned salsa, pears, & pickles. Spaghetti sauce is on the list (hope I get to it before those tomatoes in the garage go bad!). Then there's the stuff that never goes away: housecleaning, laundry, making dinner, dishes, etc. etc. Normally I would be doing yardwork, but that doesn't happen much anymore with this body. I have been trying to clean out closets, etc. My sister, Marianne, & I have a yard sale scheduled next Saturday. Then there's paying bills and balancing the check book. I also do that at the car lot and for my parent's while they are on their mission. Oh and I almost forgot, working from home about 20 hours a week. In betweeen I try to squeeze in reading the scriptures, exercising, and reading a good book. Needless to say, there is no room for anything extra. I have been heard to say over the last couple of weeks, "I don't think I can do this anymore." (Anybody else feeling tired, just reading all of that?)

But what is interesting about life, is that when you are truly maxed out, the Lord steps in. I truly have felt that there isn't a free second. Yet when we all get a little sick and I'm getting calls from school, I AM able to do it. How? Surely not by myself. Remember I can't do it anymore. The day that I was already driving cheer carpool without a second to spare, I get a call from the family picking up, asking if I can pick up. In my mind I'm thinking, "there is no way". But I say yes, and guess what I was actually able to do it. Me, by myself? I think not.

I am inspired by so many people who keep going, even when life is hard. Probably my #1 inspiration (blogwise) is NieNie. I look at her and how hard everything must be for her, yet she keeps moving forward. I came across another blog where a young mother recently lost her daughter. Her motto is "I CAN DO HARD THINGS". I have been saying this to myself recently when I'm having an extra hard day.

But the #1 thing that I have to remember is that when I feel like I can no longer do ANYTHING, there is someone who can and will pick up the slack, I just have to ask.

Summer Re-cap #6 - Final Installment

We finally took the kids to Lagoon for the first time. Kinsie & Kamryn have felt so deprived that they have never been before. I'm glad we made it before their demise. I haven't been to Lagoon in 16 years, shortly before I started dating Ty. A lot has changed. We had a really great time. Our #1 reason for not going to Lagoon is the price, the day we went was buy 1 get 1 free, so that made it much more affordable, but it felt a bit crowded, hard to compare when it's been so long since I've been there. We got there when it opened and left about an hour before it closed. The kids had a blast.

Right before they got on the bat.

Waiting in line.

Ty & Brigham on the bat. He cried when it was over because it was waaaayyy too short of a ride.

Corbin was an angel baby. He only took 2 - 1/2 hour naps the entire day, yet he was so good. I think everything was so interesting, he was never bored. Isn't he so cute?

I think it's funny that they guy next to Kinsie looked at me & smiled. Does he really think I was talking to him when I said, "Girls, look over here, smile!"?

We had so much fun, definitely will have to budget it in for next year. It was a great way to end our summer.