Therapy and Psuedo-Therapy

There have been a number of things this past month that have made me feel "normal" again. ( I know many would argue that I have never been normal...) Between having a baby and nursing that baby every 3 hours and throwing out my back, I have not been able to do a lot of the things that help me feel like something other than a slave to my house, children, and aging body. I started physical therapy for my back and it has been wonderful! No miracles or anything, but definite changes and relief. This means I have been able to RUN! Woohoo! I haven't run since before I was pregnant with Lucy. It feels great (actually there's a whole lot of jiggling going on that doesn't feel so great!) , but hopefully my back will hold up and I can continue to pound it out on the pavement. It feels fabulous! I also mowed the lawn yesterday, which takes me back to my teen years and is totally therapeutic! A few weeks ago we gave Sam a bottle for the first time so I could go to the temple with our Relief Society sisters. It was so needed! I hadn't been to the temple since Dec. and was in need of a spiritual boost and was greatly filled. Next we had a girly night where two friends came over and we made dresses for our girls. It was so fun! It made me remember that yes, I can do something other than change diapers and pick up all day. Lucy totally didn't need another dress, but turning a couple of pillow cases into a dress for her was what I totally needed! Date night with my hubby was also pretty sweet. Byron owed me a date from FOREVER ago because I beat him in bowling, thank you very much! This means he had to arrange babysitting and decide what we were going to do. Dinner and a movie is an all time fave, but lo and behold, he came up with something better: dinner and shopping at the outlets! And not shopping for the kids (well a little) but he said it was shopping for me! With being fat and pregnant for 18 months out of 2 years, not to mention the postpartum fatness, it has been a long, long time since I have shopped for myself. I didn't find much, but the fact that I could shop kid free and with someone to show off to, it was a blast! Book club is also mega-therapy for me. I love, love, love to read and escape in a good book, but I love going and visiting with the girls even more! I came home from the last one and Byron said, "How was it?" I said, "great, but my back hurts. I think I sat in the same spot too long." He said, "Yeah, well FOUR hours is a long time." I said, "Duh, it wasn't FOUR hours! OH MY GOSH! I was there for FOUR hours?" Sorry, Elizabeth, we stayed a loooong time, but truly, it makes me a better woman. Maybe not the next day when I am so tired, but I continue to find myself chuckling over past book club conversations and it just makes me happy. Each of these things has made me feel whole and well again. Hallelujah!

Happy Mother's Day

I could try to list here many of the reasons why I love Michelle so much, but it would be in vain. I think that I could very literally go on all night. I will list just four:





Jack

Max

Lucy

Sam

I want to say to Michelle personally what Elder Holland said to mothers of the church collectively.

"You are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you. He knows that your giving birth to a child does not immediately propel you into the circle of the omniscient. If you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do. You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging."

Thanks for everything, Michelle. Especially bringing these great kids into our lives.

Love you, Babe.

4th Baby Bliss

Our little Sam is now four months old and he has been so much fun to have around. We were quite nervous for #4 baby to come along, mostly because Lucy was going to be so little and her behavior would be a complete wild card, and also because 4 kids is a LOT of kids. I think we were so geared up for life to be completely chaotic that when it has come down to being just chaotic, we have found it all to be very enjoyable. Most of this comes from finally having some experience under our belts, but also because Sam is really a good baby (ok, and because Byron is in his research year and is more flexible than ever before.) Here are some of the things we have decided are quite nice about having a fourth baby:

• knowing he can cry for 5, 10, or 15 minutes and he is NOT going to die or even remember it just a few minutes later
• knowing that yes, schedules are nice and make for happy babies, but they are bound to get messed up easily (shots, sickness, travel, growth spurt, etc.) so chill out and be more flexible
• knowing that when schedules get messed up, it really only takes a few days to get back on a schedule so chill out and be more flexible
• we can change a diaper faster than Dash
• watching the older kids love him and include him in their play (LOVE this, it's got to be my favorite thing about having more kids)
• feeling confident that Jack really can carry him all over the house, including down the stairs
• knowing that I really can lose THAT much hair in one washing and I really won't go bald
• telling people that are admiring our two little ones that we have two bigger ones at school (I love the reactions)
• my mom being willing to come for 6 weeks when Sam was born (no, that's not a typo, yes, I know I'm spoiled and I love it!)
• knowing that it really is a short amount of time that I will be sleep deprived and nursing nonstop, so it really isn't that bad
• knowing that it really is a short amount of time that he will be a little baby and just relish in his every detail: from the smells to the smiles to the touches
• realizing that I have had 3 other babies so I should know what to do, but that even though I can't remember anything, it's ok and Sam will survive
  
• having really low expectations of self and house because wow, we've got 4 kids
  

Of course there have been times when it has been overly hectic because of the baby plus 3 other kids, but I try to picture dealing with it all as if he were my first baby and I am so grateful he is my fourth. I'm sure he will be more adjusted and easy going than my others. Come to think of it, I am a fourth baby and my mom always said I was such a joy. Little did I know it had way more to do with her view of things than really how I was as a baby. (Dang, I thought I was special!) I realize now it was just the 4th baby bliss!

It's About Time

I know that is what you are all thinking. Heaven's, it's what we're thinking! But really what it comes down to is that it truly is all about time. And we just don't have enough of it. But now more than ever I am realizing that time does go by so fast and if we don't document some of these even seemingly trivial things that we do everyday, we will never be able to remember any of it. So even if this isn't the greatest blog you have ever seen, it is finally here and will serve the purpose of letting us post the details of our lives and letting you in on it too.

Under Construction

Please forgive our blog redo, we never have enough time to finish what we start! I'm sure it will be the greatest thing you've ever seen when we are finally finished. (Yeah right!!!)

Oops

I was at TJMaxx with my four kids, which was probably a big oops to begin with. But it was just a quick trip to return something and check out the toys. I asked the boys to keep and eye on Lucy while I looked at the clothes "right here" next to the toys. Pretty soon Max said, "Where's Lucy?" Both of the boys were looking around and when they couldn't spot her right away I told Max to stay with Sam, Jack to go this way, and I would go that way. We couldn't find her, and I didn't even have time to get nervous when I heard overhead, "Could the mother of the young girl with the pink bow please come to customer service." Then of course, they repeated it, "Could the mother of the young girl with the pink bow please come to customer service." OOOPS! Even worse than me feeling guilty for losing my daughter was that I was somewhat proud that she was recognized by her BOW! How lame am I?

True Heros

We have always loved Conference weekend and even feel an excitement as it approaches. We love hearing from prophets and apostles and feeling their love and concern, we love the break from regular church meetings, and we love feeling apart of something great throughout the world. Once again, this past weekend we felt inspired and rejuvenated.

For the last six years, April Conference has brought a different excitement. Since Byron's Dad was called to the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy he has received his assignment for the upcoming year the Wednesday after conference. Each year we anxiously await word of what they will be doing when July rolls around. He served in SLC for a year, and they have been serving in Hong Kong for 5 years now and have loved it immensely. Byron and I had the amazing opportunity to go visit without kids in 2003, and then again with the boys for a month in 2005 while Byron did a medical rotation in a hospital there. It was wonderful to see his parents embracing life there and working hard to serve the Lord. They have been so far away from their now 27 grandkids, and even though the world is a smaller place with the incredible technology we enjoy, they have missed knowing them close at hand. There are so many other things they could be missing, but they don't focus on those things either. Never do they complain or wallow in pity. They have been wonderful examples to us and we have felt so blessed for their desire to serve.

This weekend was likely to bring big changes for them. It was looking like they would probably be leaving Hong Kong, and, getting released all together or reassigned back in the states (UT). Since a call to the second quorum is typically 5 years and he had already served 6, they were thinking it quite possible they would be settling back in AZ for some grandkid/golf time. Surprise, surprise: they received their assignment to serve in Salt Lake. They once again have aligned their will with God's and are ready to serve with a good attitude. They are amazing and we love them dearly!