Moments

I've been a little sad today. I've finally admitted to myself that taking a vacation next week is a bad idea. We had planned a trip to Disneyland, but decided a couple of months ago that it wasn't financially possible at this time. So, we decided to go camping in Moab instead, which would cost us considerably less. But after much discussion and fit throwing (on my part) we've decided that it's not financially responsible. So, I've been pouting. But just now, as I'm putting a sweet little baby to bed, I looked around at what everyone else was doing. Emma is busy planning Family Home Evening. She always keeps us on track. Anna, after begging Josh, is washing dishes in the sink. She holds them up to the light and announces to herself, "There, that's better." Ryan and Tyler are playing together in the other room, and Josh is vacuuming crumbs under the table. I couldn't help but smile as I said to myself, "Life is good." I love being a mom and having a family. As much as I wanted to get away from everyday life for a few days, I have to be grateful for what I've got. These are the moments that should be cherished.

How's it going for you?

I decided that I need to post progress on my New Year's resolutions. It's been an interesting year so far. One of my goals was to exercise and eat right. I've done pretty well with the eating, but the exercise has been sporadic. I had an infected toe for several weeks, and it made it difficult to walk, let alone exercise. When I got over that, I got sick with walking pneumonia. After a month of that, it's been hard to get back into the habit. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to add exercise back to my routine. I had also made goals for my weight-loss, which are not being achieved because of my lack of movement. I'm stuck in a rut.
Another goal was to catch up in my kids' journals. I keep a journal for them for the first several years of life, until they are ready to take over for themselves. This is actually going better than I thought it would. I have caught up in two of them. Yes, they were the children who have lived the shortest amount of time so far, but they are caught up. The next work-in-progress will be for Emma. She just turned 8, so I think if I catch up to this point, she can take it from here. What a relief that will be. This goal is a little bit overwhelming because of how much there is to write and how short a time my hand can handle it. So I only get a bit done every week. But there is progress!
So, I need some encouragement to get out of this rut. One of my favorite things in life is when I accomplish my goals. But sometimes I need help with it.

Good news/Bad news

Well, I'll start with the bad news.
Our car is broken. It being our only mode of transportation, it has been very stressful. That, and it would cost us at least $2000 to fix it. With bad insurance and having a baby, we have had a lot of medical expenses this year that has left us with very little. Needless to say, we could not afford to fix our car. We had to look at several options, which was also very stressful. We finally decided that the best option would be to donate our car to charity and get a new one.

That brings us to the good news.
We have a new van! It's a Honda Odyssey and it seats 8. It will be very nice to have an extra seat. Also, it's not white. I really was annoyed about having to settle on white for our last car. There is room for three carseats in a row.

There are some things I will miss about our old car, like leather seats and seat warmers, and an outside temperature indicator. But I guess I'll have to deal with it. I will also miss the fact that we weren't making car payments on the other one. I am not ready to have this added expense. I really wanted to buy a new car when we were ready, not when our other car told us we had to. But, you do what you have to.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully this one will last us until 2020. :)

Fun photos

Emma and Sophie in their new Easter clothes.
All the kids in their new Easter clothes.
Most of them just needed play clothes, so that's what we got.

Emma, the birthday girl. Anna and Granny watching.

We had to light the candles twice because Ryan was quicker than Emma at blowing them out. She got them the second time, though.

Emma is 8!

We have an 8-year-old! I can't believe how fast time goes. Emma is such a good girl. It was fun to celebrate her eighth birthday on Easter. We have been talking a lot about what the Savior has done for us to help her get ready for baptism, and it made Easter even more powerful. She got her first set of scriptures and has already marked some verses that are meaningful to her.
Here are 8 things we love about Emma:
1. Her helfulness. She is always willing to lend a hand to her parents and siblings.
2. Her cheerfulness. She always has something funny to say, or just a smile to give.
3. Her understanding. She seems to comprehend things on a level not characteristic for her age.
4. Her interests. She is interested in so many different things. It will be interesting to see what she settles on as her area of focus in the future.
5. Her smile. She can really brighten our day.
6. Her desire to learn about the gospel.
7. Her creativity. She is always coming up with new ways to do things, drawing, painting, writing stories, etc.
8. Her. That's all. We just love her. She's cute, she's fun, she's pretty, she's clever, she's emotional (yes, that can be a good thing), she's spiritual, she's understanding, etc. I could go on, but I'll leave it at that.

Happy birthday, Emma! We love you.

Our digital camera is broken. We still have our film camera, but that means you have to wait until I get the pictures developed and scanned before you can see all the fun we had yesterday. But I'll make sure to get them as fast as I can.

I think I've lost it.

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law posted some of her favorite musicals on her blog. I also love musicals, and it got me thinking about some of the songs that I like the best. Music has always been a big part of my life, but the last few days I've noticed how my own life seems to be a musical. I have been making up songs and dances to everything. I keep telling myself to calm down and be more dignified and under control, but it just isn't working. Then, I noticed that if I make up songs to everything, it makes everything lighter and happier. For instance, when the poop fell out of Ryan's diaper, I just make up a song about it and clean it up. Not a big deal. When Emma wants to play outside instead of doing math, I make up a song and dance about it, which makes her laugh and cooperate rather than fight about it. However, the down side is, I really think I've lost it. I'm officially crazy.

Is there anyone like me?

When the Sudoku craze started a few years back I said to myself, "Hmmm. This could be a fun game. It will get me thinking in different ways and keep my mind sharp." Well, I've tried. I have never been able to solve a single puzzle. Mind you, I've only recently picked it up again because I got so annoyed with it. But, it never fails. I get going, think I've found a pattern, and then it all blows up in my face. Today I've done the same puzzle about 4 times. I keep thinking "I'll get it this time." Well, forget it. My mind does not work this way. Sudorku is not for me.