A Difficult Transition

I just threw away a coloring page from Olie's primary class, with his handwriting printed across the top.  "This is Not My Class."  In addition, his teacher told me he folded the chairs up and used them as stilts, even after asked to stop, and when he went to the restroom she could hear him screaming from the classroom.  He had a hard time with the class below him (with only two kids) being combined with his, and was convinced he was supposed to be in the senior primary with the big kids.  It was just one of those days...for a lot of people.  Shawn stayed home with sick kids, we had two teachers not show up, one unexpectedly released, and one who was called just today and had to jump right in and teach.  I'm sure she appreciated that.  But, the day is done, and everyone lived through it.  Olie wrote a letter of apology to take with him next week.  I "completed" (not a whole 24 hours) my first day of fasting in literally years, having been pregnant or nursing for, well, years. 

I have discovered that the hardest thing about being sick (second to getting out of bed in the morning) is not being able to sing.  My voice is almost completely gone, and I didn't realize how much I sing in a day.  It's really stopped me in my tracks.  It's nice to appreciate being able to sing though, knowing this is a very temporary condition.  I played the piano today instead of singing, not that my babies were okay with that in any way.

I guess I should go get a late start on New Year's goals.  We stayed up playing a game, were going to go to bed early, but the baby woke up (go fireworks!) so we watched part of my favorite movie, Bachelor Mother, until he went back to sleep.  Demetri had a gymnastics meet this weekend, and took 3rd in his level, but his coach was not very happy with how he did.  So we have some work to do over the next couple of months.  I think I'm vacillating between making new goals or survival right now :).

A Lost Tooth, and a New Primary Presidency

Teddy, my sweet 5 year old, was trying to open a container of salad dressing with his teeth, when his bottom tooth, which was noticeably loose anyway, popped out and landed on his chair.  This was accompanied by much blood (for a tooth), crying, and pouting.  When Shawn asked if he was excited about losing his first tooth, he really didn't see any reason to be overjoyed.  I let him have applesauce for dinner instead of pizza and salad.  For some reason, he thought of this as a reward, and was much happier.  To be fair, he did get the peach flavored applesauce usually reserved for the baby.  But then, after he was told to put his tooth in a ziploc bag so he wouldn't lose it, he didn't, and he did lose it.  Hysterics ensued until he was told he could probably just write a nice letter to the tooth fairy telling her about how his first tooth came out and she would still bring him a dollar.  He began his letter "Dear Mom". 

I have been the 1st counselor in the Primary Presidency (a church position helping to teach the children) for a while.  Guess what?  I still am.  My President told us last month that the Presidency was being reorganized and we would all be released.  Bishop caught me in the hall and said I was requested as the 1st counselor again, so I was released and sustained in the same breath.  It's okay.  I like Primary.  I was kind of dumped into the calling in the first place with no training, and no clue what I was doing.  I think it's been a little over a year (?) and I really had no idea how much I know, until tonight.  We had our first Presidency meeting, which lasted two hours, and I knew the answers to almost every single question and then some!  I tell you, this is the first time that has ever happened.  I realize that I have learned a lot in the last year, and I really do like being a part of the Primary...although nursery leader is probably my very favorite calling in Primary :).

In other news, my hot water still doesn't work.  And I really don't want to talk about it.  Suffice it to say, the people who owned this place before us are not my favorite people in the world.

Coming out from my cave for a minute...

Been laying low for a little while.  I guess the stress has been getting to me.

Last week: Spent Friday and Saturday in the hospital after the baby got a hold of a glass peanut butter jar and possibly swallowed some glass.  He seems to be just fine now!  Sunday- sang for Ward Conference, and had a short talk in Relief Society.

2 weeks ago: Sunday night.  Shawn was in Stake Priesthood meeting.  I eventually found that the faucet that had been running in my bathroom (for at least 45 minutes), when I saw water running down the hall.  Subsequently ripped out laminate flooring in my bedroom and the entire hall (only 6 feet or so).  I have been stressed every day ever since because Shawn doesn’t want to put the black laminate back down, and now I’m pressed to make a decision right now about what kind of floor to eventually put down through the entire house.

3 weeks ago:  Shawn and I both had talks in Sacrament meeting, and our family sang a musical number.  We sang “I Am A Child Of God” and the children did great!

So yeah.  Those are the “highlights” of the last month, at least, the things that have been on my mind.  I know there have been tons of other things happening in the day to day of life…but I don’t really remember them right now.

On a lighter and seemingly insignificant note- I have found some websites, some recently some I’ve known about for a while.  And it’s amazing how much of a difference a few websites can make!

1.      Pandora.  I didn’t know it could be personalized!  I thought it was only certain types of music, that I didn’t like, because that’s all I’d heard from Pandora.  We have to take turns now with whose channel we listen too.  Of course, the kids still just like the Piano Guys youtube channel playing and we listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s youtube channel.

2.      Pinterest.  I’ve had an account for a year or two, but I’d use it in spurts, and I’d spend hours just perusing, when I had a lot of other things I should have been doing.  I’m learning how to use it wisely.  I’m figuring out I can just go there when I want to do a particular kind of project, and when I see something on a blog or around the net that I love I can use pinterest to capture it :).

3.      Apartment Therapy.  I love their website.  If I want to go somewhere to relax I often end up on this site for a few minutes.

4.      Houzz.com  is my go-to site for all things house related.  This is our mediator and inspiration while trying to make flooring decisions right now!

5.      Mormonchannel.org is awesome for radio shows I actually like and want to listen to.  I haven’t really gotten into any tv or radio shows that I thought I needed to watch or listen to, but THIS I like :).

So where should we go to church honey?

10th June 2012- Update!

Our solution to the church dilemma- going to church in a branch with no children (but they still wanted us there, and Shawn will have to attend that branch when we’re gone) is to go to the last two hours of the ward that meets at 9:00 so that the kids are able to attend classes too, and then the sacrament of the branch Shawn is assigned to.  It seems to be working out so I guess we’ll keep doing it :). 

Branches Grow on Trees

As you'll soon be able to tell, this post was written yesterday :)

Shawn has been assigned to a student branch.  So that’s where we went today.  Ours were the only children there.  There’s no primary or nursery.  They haven’t had children around much, and were very happy to have us.  The boys all bore their testimonies in sacrament meeting, something they aren’t usually allowed to do (except Demetri), and had lots of attention the whole time.  Shawn stayed with the littler ones and conducted a mini class/nursery, while Demetri went to class with me.  He was happy to know some of the answers in Sunday School.  It was the story of Alma the Younger :).

While talking to the Branch President Theo told him that branches grow on trees.  I think he’s used to being in a ward, haha. 

The Recent Goings On

30^th May 2011

I have forgotten so many things I intended to write. I suppose that’s just what happens when you put things off. It’s been a long but good day. We went hiking around Point Lobos State Reserve with our neighbors; it’s very beautiful. We had a BBQ that also doubled as a birthday party. And we bought a piano. It’s not perfect, but it’s a piano. :) Now…where to put it…

The things that stand out…hmm. Oh yes, ½ day stint potty-training a 2 yr old before I figured out he didn’t even know what a toilet was for. He absolutely refused to wear diapers that morning and I got ahead of myself and thought it would be a good time to potty-train. Nope. He never did quite get it figured out and I’m perfectly content to wait another year. In the meantime I just have to put the diapers out of reach because my 3 yr old thinks he wants to be a baby again and kept putting the diapers on himself. Strange.

Baptism! It went very well. Shawn’s parents were here and it was so nice to have them :). Demetri was excited to be baptized with his friend, he picked a place to go to dinner, and he was ecstatic to see his grandparents. Now the others are asking when it’s their turn. He’s trying to focus on reading a few scripture verses every day and understand what each verse means.

My little brother graduated and had his Eagle Court of Honor this week. I don’t remember him being old enough to do either of those things. But I’m proud of him!

I’m now a Cub Scout Den Mother. No joke. I’m a tad nervous about that, the entertaining and teaching several 8 yr olds part. I can do one of those at a time, sometimes, but it’ll take a lot of practice to do both. Guess I’ll have some time though.

We’ve been here for 5 months. 11 more to go, and I have no idea where we’re going next, but the kids and I will probably spend next summer at my parents’ while Shawn is in Texas. Then, we’ll be notified 30 days in advance of Shawn’s new duty station. He joined the army so I could learn patience and be flexible. Well…I guess flexibility is more of a family trait, so I’m good there.

The kids have made friends in the ward and now love going to church. It was pretty difficult for a couple of months. I’m glad they are adjusting. I'm glad I'm adjusting too. It's pretty, we have good friends, and I'm learning some new skills (cooking, laundry, and how to ignore messes when I don't have the time to clean them up, haha).

Ah yes, blackout curtains. We now, thank goodness, have them. A necessity when children go to bed an hour before it really gets dark. It is for my children at least. These curtains also help break the established habit one of them has of waking up the moment any light enters his room, and staying awake. I'm getting more sleep= everyone is happier. Really.

I tried to upload images- pictures from today, but I think they're too big? So I'll have to learn how to resize them and then try again.