Tuesday July 26th - Monday August 1st
- 7/26 Today is CJ's 4th birthday! I can't believe 4 years ago he came into our lives. He's grown up and changed so much! Sometimes I can't believe the things that come out of his mouth! Though he can be frustrating at times because he doesn't do a very good job at listening to his parents (yet he seems to do great listening to his teachers, coaches, friends, etc), we're so grateful to have a boy that is not your rough-and-tumble run-of-the-mill boy. Don't get me wrong - he loves boy things: bugs, sports, potty humor, etc. But he doesn't have the aggressive personality that I see in a lot of boys his age. He doesn't push, he doesn't hit, he doesn't take things (unless it's from Mattie :), he's not super competitive, and he's not one to retaliate. That often means he gets his place in line taken, his toys and candy taken, his seat taken. And though it breaks my heart to see these things happen, I'm so grateful that it's not my son who does those things. I feel blessed to have my oldest child be a good example to his siblings - and parents - of tolerance, patience, and forgiveness. I sure love that boy!
- We had our first birthday party this week. It was the first I've thrown and CJ's first to have, and let me tell you, it was exhausting!! Maybe because I'm 8 months pregnant in the middle of the summer. Or maybe it's because it was 6 kids all 4 and under. Or maybe because I spent the last two days straight prepping for this thing (not including the many hours spent weeks in advance) and that takes a toll. Whatever the reason, even though it was very tiring, it was so great seeing how much CJ enjoyed having his little Sunbeam class over. They all get along so well and had so much fun together, that no matter how exhausting it was, it was SO worth it! Definitely doing it again next year!
- 7/27 Today was the kids last day of swim lessons. It's so great to see how much CJ's confidence grows when he gets involved in physical activities. He didn't really want to go under much, was a little cautious with the kicking, and refused to wear the goggles. But he did well at blowing bubbles, floating on his back, and listening to his teacher and following instructions. The most important thing is that he liked the class and wants to go back. So we're excited to get him more used to the water and get him classes again next year. Mattie also grew to like her class. She went from crying almost the entire time the first day, to laughing through most of her last class. The point of her class was really just to get her accustom to the water, so I think it worked and hopefully she'll remember next summer that she like the water.
- We went to see the Wenatchee Youth Circus this week. It was fun to get out, and the kids liked it, for the most part. It was good there were some other moms and kids from church and playgroup there or I don't think they would have lasted the whole TWO HOURS! That was my only complaint (besides the pounding heat)...it was a little too long for a bunch of little kids. But it was a fun Wenatchee experience and I'm sure we'll go again next year.
- Bryce had scout camp this week. It was hard having him gone, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Especially since when he first got the calling of Scoutmaster I was under the impression that he had to be there for all 5 days, but it turns out that's not the case. He left early Monday morning, and came back Wednesday afternoon. Not too bad. Only two nights alone, which is the worst part for me. I HATE being alone at night. But I missed him for other reasons too :). It was so great to get him back Wednesday, and let me tell you, the kids were beyond excited!
- On a sad note, I was released from being the Primary secretary this week. We've had a few new families move in to the ward so the bishopric has been trying to get them callings. They called Lana (the Primary Pres.) and reminded her that I had two callings, secretary and chorister, and asked her to let them know which one she'd like me to stay in and give some suggestions for whom to call to replace me. Lana called me and asked me how I felt about it and I told her that I totally trusted her and her inspiration and would be fine either way. But then I told her that if I had to choose, I would rather be the secretary (mainly because I love working with the ladies in the presidency). And that was the end of it. And to my surprise, a few days later, one of the new sisters in our ward told me that she had just been called to be the secretary and was excited to work with me. Oh. Ok. I think I covered it up pretty well smiling and telling her how great that was and how wonderful Primary is, but as we drove away, I cried. And then I cried for a lot that night, and it bummed me out the entire next day. Turns out that Lana didn't even know the bishopric had made that change, and that she had in fact, suggested this sister to replace me as chorister, not secretary. But the bishopric does have the final say, and is entitled to different/more inspiration I guess, so that's that. I'm now just the chorister, and that's ok. I really do love working with the kids and I get much more interaction with the kids than the Presidency does, sadly. I would have missed that. But being chorister can be taxing. I know that what I remember most from Primary is the songs, so I feel a big responsibility in teaching these kids these songs. The messages are so important and will stay with them for a lifetime, and sometimes that weighs a little heavy on me. And it can be draining trying to come up with fun, different, creative ways to teach/review songs each week. And I absolutely dread finding a sub when I need it. There are not very many people willing to do music, and it takes a lot of work to prepare, and it can be kind of scary/intimidating, so I hate trying to find people, and I hate asking the same people over and over. That would have been the biggest relief - not to have to find a sub when we go out of town (not that go out of town very often, but with Bryce's family only 2 1/2 hours away in Seattle, it would be nice to have a little more freedom to stay longer when we visit). And I've had this calling in 3 or the last 4 wards we've been in...and I have a feeling I'm going to be in this calling for quite some time in this ward, so I'm trying not to get burned out. Wow, that's a lot of negativity. Don't mean it to be that way. Especially because I am grateful for my calling and I do have faith that this is what the Lord wants for me right now. Hopefully having a baby just a few weeks - like 3 - before the Primary Sacrament Program won't be an issue...we'll see :)
- And to end on a more positive note, Bryce's parents came over and helped us do our front yard this last weekend. Can you believe it?! It actually looks like people live here now! We could not have done it without them - literally - creatively, financially, and physically. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, and weren't very motivated. But thanks to Bryce's parents using one of their few free weekends, we were able to get that practical-pit filled and plants and a tree planted. And then we were able get some great bushes to accent our garage and underneath our front windows. It's simple and it's great! We love it and admire it every time we're outside. And I'm so grateful to have such generous, hardworking, and selfless in-laws. They are way too good to us and such amazing examples to me. I'm blessed.
Happy Monday!
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