I just have to get it out and then I'll be fine. So, if you don't want to read my whining, you can click away from my blog right now and I will not be offended. Otherwise, prepare yourself. I have to document this, because my blog is my journal!
Emmeline is nearing 18 months old and she is seriously the reason for the title of this blog post. In one day she:
*launched herself out of her crib (she did a full on flip by the looks of how she landed!) at 6:00am - she wakes up at 5:45 on a regular basis (but today it was 5:15)
*played in the toilet
several times because she can open almost any door in the house
*can reach the counter, so she pulled a whole stack of the kids' school work onto the ground and stomped on it as if to say,
"Haha! Look what I did!"*emptied every drawer/cupboard in the house that she could reach and didn't have a child lock on it
*unplugged the vacuum about
40 times while I was trying to vacuum one room
*chewed up
several crayons when I put her in her high chair to color
*managed to
find a pen somewhere and write on her clothes
*ruined a tube of lipstick, and
got it on her clothes
*unloaded the silverware in the dishwasher
faster than I could load it
*climbed up onto the
TABLE several times and did a little dance
*
escaped out the front door and was down the street before I knew it
*took a 45 minute nap (
that's it..in a day if I am lucky!)
These are just the things I remember! Holy moly. I had SOOOOO forgotten what the toddler stage was like. With Noah and Mia I think it was easier in a lot of ways because they entertained each other. Not that they never had these same "curiosity issues", but I guess I have just forgotten how busy these little people are. It's a DARN good thing she is so cute. It keeps her alive! ;)
I think all of this is compounded by the fact that I wasn't working when my others were this little. That's the OTHER reason for the title of this post. During the summer our school had a lot of changes. We have a new head of school AND a new principal. This has meant a lot of changes for the school AND the teachers. During August and September I worked 12 hour days for JUST my job. I almost quit. Several times. It has eased up a bit, but I'm still not sure from day to day how long I will be here. I have worked WAY too hard raising my little family to just put them on the back burner now. (Besides the fact that it goes against everything in me...) So we will see how long I am here. I think I am finding a balance and managing it better every day.
Now for the POSITIVE part of this post. I have SO much to be thankful for.
#1 - I have the gospel of Jesus Christ. I could never survive without this! He is my friend, my brother and my Savior. I love teaching my Relief Society sisters about him and his teachings once every month. I love reading scriptures as a family. (It's getting fun now that everyone can read and discuss!)I love hearing my kids say prayers. I love having the Spirit in our home.
#2 - I have a fantastic, supportive, loving husband who is my #1 cheerleader in everything I do. I am so lucky I have him! He encourages me when I'm down and reminds me how great I am (even when I'm not!).
#3 - I have fabulous kids. They really are great. They are helpful and for the most part, they do what they are asked. They are smart, responsible and loving. I am so lucky they chose to come to our family!
#4 - A good friend of mine has helped me to see that I need to find JOY in every single day. As I've started to look for it, I'm finding that it's pretty easy. That means I have a good life.
Little things that make me smile and bring joy to my heart: *seeing my kids smile when they see me waiting for them at the bus stop after school
*listening to Emme sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" (i'll try to catch it on video and post. SO darling.)
*reading to my kids at night
*watching Jaxon's football games every week
*watching Dallin in the PVMS marching band
*listening to Mia tell me who had their card changed in class today, what they did to deserve it, who was hurt on the playground, who didn't turn in their homework and every other little detail of her day. She's such a girl!
*watching Noah advance to a purple belt in karate
*listening to all four of the older kids practice piano every day even though sometimes it's a fight...
And so, my struggles and great rewards continue. I'm trying to do better at finding joy in the journey instead of just surviving every day. It's a work in progress, but I'm getting there. I love this crazy, chaotic life and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!
