Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Some warm fun in the middle of Winter!!
We just escaped for a weekend up north to Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor waterpark!) Sheryl came with us to help take care of our sweet, but active children. Paul tries to take us every year and we get to sit in 84 degrees of warmth. Quite nice after the freezing weather we have had!
Emma is getting better at not being so scared in the pool. She is actually swimming underwater, but hasn't quite gotten the technique of moving when she swims! I am proud of her working so hard and enjoying the water more. She also enjoyed a few of the waterslides after Daddy and Mama made her try a few out.
Luke is a fish. No fear and courageously attempts any new task. One afternoon Paul and I sneaked out to grab some lunch and left the kids with Sheryl in the room. Paul took me to an old bakery for a sandwich. We went in and ordered and then went upstairs to a cute little country apartment that was used to sit down and eat at. It had a beautiful view of Lake Superior and was quite. Then the sandwiches came. I have never had such a delicious sandwich!! Good thing we don't live there because I would spend a lot of money there! ;)
We returned from our delicious lunch to find out that Luke had fallen asleep. Sheryl went to peek on him, and said "Luke is not sleeping. He is not in his bed." I thought maybe he was hiding from us somewhere. Yet he did not come out of his hiding spot when called. That is when the dread filled my heart. He was not in the room. He was somewhere in the lodge all alone. My four year old cute, sweet, innocent boy was out in the world all alone!! Panic set in and I raced out of the room in a mad run to find him. I looked all over the 1st and 2nd floor with no success. I had been praying and the answer came that I should go back to the room and check in and then go to the front desk.
As I came back to the room, Sheryl was just hanging up the phone. "Paul just called and said he has him." Relief filled by body, then anger began to sizzle. I said another prayer of thanks and then asked for guidance on how to handle Luke. Paul and Luke returned to the room and I knelt down in front of him and burst into tears of relief. I told him how much he meant to me and I could never deal with him being gone from our family. He better never sneak out again. I was so scared and worried.
He replied with tears coming down his cheeks,"I just wanted to go with you and Daddy to lunch." So sweet and innocent. Needless to say, we put on the lock that the kids can't reach the rest of the time we were in the room!
The rest of the trip was perfect. Abby and Madison had so much fun in the toddler pool. How wonderful is it to have family time away from all the work and responsibilities back home!
Emma is getting better at not being so scared in the pool. She is actually swimming underwater, but hasn't quite gotten the technique of moving when she swims! I am proud of her working so hard and enjoying the water more. She also enjoyed a few of the waterslides after Daddy and Mama made her try a few out.
Luke is a fish. No fear and courageously attempts any new task. One afternoon Paul and I sneaked out to grab some lunch and left the kids with Sheryl in the room. Paul took me to an old bakery for a sandwich. We went in and ordered and then went upstairs to a cute little country apartment that was used to sit down and eat at. It had a beautiful view of Lake Superior and was quite. Then the sandwiches came. I have never had such a delicious sandwich!! Good thing we don't live there because I would spend a lot of money there! ;)
We returned from our delicious lunch to find out that Luke had fallen asleep. Sheryl went to peek on him, and said "Luke is not sleeping. He is not in his bed." I thought maybe he was hiding from us somewhere. Yet he did not come out of his hiding spot when called. That is when the dread filled my heart. He was not in the room. He was somewhere in the lodge all alone. My four year old cute, sweet, innocent boy was out in the world all alone!! Panic set in and I raced out of the room in a mad run to find him. I looked all over the 1st and 2nd floor with no success. I had been praying and the answer came that I should go back to the room and check in and then go to the front desk.
As I came back to the room, Sheryl was just hanging up the phone. "Paul just called and said he has him." Relief filled by body, then anger began to sizzle. I said another prayer of thanks and then asked for guidance on how to handle Luke. Paul and Luke returned to the room and I knelt down in front of him and burst into tears of relief. I told him how much he meant to me and I could never deal with him being gone from our family. He better never sneak out again. I was so scared and worried.
He replied with tears coming down his cheeks,"I just wanted to go with you and Daddy to lunch." So sweet and innocent. Needless to say, we put on the lock that the kids can't reach the rest of the time we were in the room!
The rest of the trip was perfect. Abby and Madison had so much fun in the toddler pool. How wonderful is it to have family time away from all the work and responsibilities back home!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The New Year....
How funny it is that every year starts with such high expectations...Then life begins to bleed into those expectations. As this year began I was determined to be more organized and take better care of myself. Well, I have not given up, merely got stuck in some mud. But I think the sun is coming out and I am breaking free of that slush.
I think one of the best ways to stay on track is to voice your goals and evaluate your success. I have scheduled the kids whole week in 30 minute increments. The only road block now is to figure out how to fit everything into my daily scheduled. I wrote down everything I want to do in a week and cut them out to fit into my spreed sheet, yet there are not enough spaces in my day! What a surprise right? I will figure it out. I am going to get it done this week!
Emma is doing so well with her education that I have not been able to give her enough material to fill her hunger of learning. I am amazed at how easily she memorizes and reads. As she explores and understands more, Luke has begun searching for the knowledge she is gaining. He has begun to learn letters and matching them to their sounds. He loves building and figuring out how things work. I have had a lot of fun figuring out ways to tailor learning to his needs. At the same time my love for him has deepened and I enjoy our time together more each day.
Madison is fighting the need to do what her parents say vs the need to do what she wants. With her sweet temperament it is hard to hear her struggle. Maddy loves to see others happy, but is not sure if she should give up the happiness she would get if she did what she wanted. I wish I could tell her that this is why we were sent to Earth. The struggle of doing what our Heavenly Father wants or doing the desires of man. How important it is for her to know at a young age that her Mom loves her even when she makes the wrong choice. Similar to knowing that your Heavenly Father is always there when you are ready. I pray that one day I will be able to help her understand that happiness comes from serving others, not from fulfilling our own desires.
This kind of leads to one of the issues that I have been dealing with in my own happiness. My day is full of doing things for my family, church and friends. Somewhere along the way I have lost myself. I find activities and books that I enjoy, but it seems like a battle to the death to make the time to do them. Paul has been gone most weekends and two days during the week for the last month. I lean on him to get me out of the house and away from my duties at home. With him missing so often I began to shut down. I decided I need to find something I can do by myself without anything or anyone but a babysitter. I thought of working 8-10 hours a week, but I have had no success in finding an employer that will hire someone for 10 hours a week! I also thought of volunteering, yet I dread to take on another responsibility...So last night I told Paul I was going out. I didn't know where...I ended up getting a good book to read and a pedicure. Amazing how an hour of time for myself has refilled by bucket. I know I can't afford to do that regularly, but from time to time it would be worth it. Any suggestions of a way to have some me time or find a venue beyond my home would be great!
Hard to believe it is February already, but winter has dragged on and on. I can see the sun breaking through though. This weekend Paul has planned a trip to an indoor water park. It will feel great to sit in 87 degree room and play in the water all day with my family. Sheryl is coming with us and she adds so much to our time there. She is such a kid at heart, so that seems to balance my serious view on life! Plus Paul and I might get a chance for a little date night in while we are there!
In March we get to go to Nanny's house and enjoy the warmth of the Arizona sun. She hasn't met Abigail yet so that alone would be worth the trip. She has such a way of making people know how special they are. I remember as a child she always made me feel good about myself. Now I love seeing her doing the same thing to my children. What a blessing she is to our family. After that trip, I know I will survive till springtime!!
Well, my family is hungry and I have neglected them long enough. I just want to close with how blessed I am to have four amazing children and a husband I am madly in love with even after 10 years of marriage. I have so much love and support from friends and family. I know the Lord has blessed me with each of these to make me stronger and to soak up the pure joy of life!
I think one of the best ways to stay on track is to voice your goals and evaluate your success. I have scheduled the kids whole week in 30 minute increments. The only road block now is to figure out how to fit everything into my daily scheduled. I wrote down everything I want to do in a week and cut them out to fit into my spreed sheet, yet there are not enough spaces in my day! What a surprise right? I will figure it out. I am going to get it done this week!
Emma is doing so well with her education that I have not been able to give her enough material to fill her hunger of learning. I am amazed at how easily she memorizes and reads. As she explores and understands more, Luke has begun searching for the knowledge she is gaining. He has begun to learn letters and matching them to their sounds. He loves building and figuring out how things work. I have had a lot of fun figuring out ways to tailor learning to his needs. At the same time my love for him has deepened and I enjoy our time together more each day.
Madison is fighting the need to do what her parents say vs the need to do what she wants. With her sweet temperament it is hard to hear her struggle. Maddy loves to see others happy, but is not sure if she should give up the happiness she would get if she did what she wanted. I wish I could tell her that this is why we were sent to Earth. The struggle of doing what our Heavenly Father wants or doing the desires of man. How important it is for her to know at a young age that her Mom loves her even when she makes the wrong choice. Similar to knowing that your Heavenly Father is always there when you are ready. I pray that one day I will be able to help her understand that happiness comes from serving others, not from fulfilling our own desires.
This kind of leads to one of the issues that I have been dealing with in my own happiness. My day is full of doing things for my family, church and friends. Somewhere along the way I have lost myself. I find activities and books that I enjoy, but it seems like a battle to the death to make the time to do them. Paul has been gone most weekends and two days during the week for the last month. I lean on him to get me out of the house and away from my duties at home. With him missing so often I began to shut down. I decided I need to find something I can do by myself without anything or anyone but a babysitter. I thought of working 8-10 hours a week, but I have had no success in finding an employer that will hire someone for 10 hours a week! I also thought of volunteering, yet I dread to take on another responsibility...So last night I told Paul I was going out. I didn't know where...I ended up getting a good book to read and a pedicure. Amazing how an hour of time for myself has refilled by bucket. I know I can't afford to do that regularly, but from time to time it would be worth it. Any suggestions of a way to have some me time or find a venue beyond my home would be great!
Hard to believe it is February already, but winter has dragged on and on. I can see the sun breaking through though. This weekend Paul has planned a trip to an indoor water park. It will feel great to sit in 87 degree room and play in the water all day with my family. Sheryl is coming with us and she adds so much to our time there. She is such a kid at heart, so that seems to balance my serious view on life! Plus Paul and I might get a chance for a little date night in while we are there!
In March we get to go to Nanny's house and enjoy the warmth of the Arizona sun. She hasn't met Abigail yet so that alone would be worth the trip. She has such a way of making people know how special they are. I remember as a child she always made me feel good about myself. Now I love seeing her doing the same thing to my children. What a blessing she is to our family. After that trip, I know I will survive till springtime!!
Well, my family is hungry and I have neglected them long enough. I just want to close with how blessed I am to have four amazing children and a husband I am madly in love with even after 10 years of marriage. I have so much love and support from friends and family. I know the Lord has blessed me with each of these to make me stronger and to soak up the pure joy of life!
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