Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Keep on Keepin' on...

DC Temple

So I am just going to keep blogging even though not many of you seem to be commenting. I know you are reading because you tell me, so would it kill you to make a comment now and then?

With that said, I will keep on blogging regardless!
Last week was stupefyingly busy. Through no fault of my own of course.
We took Todd to the airport on Tuesday in DC and then the kids and I went to the temple which is always a good idea. They have a great exhibit at the visitor's center with a tiny replica of Jerusalem and and living room for FHE, etc. My kids love it there. One of the sister missionaries asked the kids if they wanted to hear the words of the Savior. So we sat in front of the Christus and a voice came booming out at us. Parker later asked, "was that just a pretend Jesus voice?" After that we went to Baja Fresh for "Mexican" and a complete stranger came up to me and asked how old my boys are and told me that they are really well behaved. I must have looked at him like he was crazy because he then said, "well, sure they were trying to choke each other but that's what brothers do and at least they aren't getting up and running around..." I suppose I will take that as a compliment to my parenting skills. You can kill each other... just be quiet about it, okay?
One day at home and then back on the road to Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. So great! This year I dragged Liz along with me (although I should mention that she is no better at staying awake on a road trip than I am) and she was a big help. We saw the temple, walked in the Sacred Grove (seriously, that "shady woodland" could not have been more welcoming on that HOT day!) and then went to the Pageant. Bash spotted some kids playing Frisbee and I let him go play with them. It should be noted that they were older teenagers and Bash is not quite seven! I think he felt that they were more on his "level" than his little brother and baby sister. Pretty cute. He definitely held his own.

The cast of the Pageant are missionaries for the time they are in the Pageant and so they wander the seats prior to the show. Caroline spotted a man she thought must be Jesus and followed him around, staring and exclaiming, "It's Jesus, Mommy!" She was SO excited. I'm pretty sure it was either Laman or Lemuel, but any guy with a beard and a robe looks like Jesus to a two-year-old, right? ;)

Finally, she got her picture taken with him and the rest of the night she kept asking Liz to show her the picture of Jesus. Gonna have to hang that one in her room.


I'll post pics when I get them from Liz!

We tried to relax the rest of the time Todd was gone. Went to Oppenheimer Park and got drenched. I don't know why I didn't expect it, Parker analyzed the clouds and said, "Mommy, I think it's going to rain." I brushed him off but Parker sort of has a "thing" about the weather. And by "thing" I mean he is scared of storms and winds and is constantly searching the sky for dark clouds. He may be a meteorologist or someone who builds those underground bunkers when he grows up.
Todd came home Tuesday and we picked him up in Baltimore. Long drive, short stay. We considered the aquarium but we were all too tired and for some reason they don't allow strollers in the Aquarium so that would've meant carrying Cali when she got tired (which she inevitably would) plus Todd and just taken the red eye from Sacramento to BWI so we just headed home, where Todd promptly fell asleep anyway.

Published again last Sunday. Photos too which equals extra moolah. Working on something for the magazine currently. Keeping busy!

Palmyra Temple at night. Lovely, isn't it?

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Alone Time, Anyone?



I relish my alone time. Is that wrong? I feel like almost every moment of my day is shared with someone else. Not just my time, but my body. When you have kids, it's like your body doesn't belong to you anymore. Beginning with pregnancy, you feel odd kicking and poking and rolling and it's wonderful, but it takes over your body. After they are born you are breast feeding and even if you don't, you are still holding the baby all the time. I used to love to cuddle and I still do but sometimes I just want my body all to myself. Sometimes I just want to take a shower without someone peeking around the corner. I want to go to the bathroom without an audience. I want to sit and read without a child (or two or three) sitting on top of me. I want to have a night's sleep with no one but my husband and I in the bed.

The thing is, when I am alone, I feel like I am missing a limb or something. The fact is you can never go back to who you were before you have kids. When the kids aren't here I don't quite know what to do with myself. When they go to bed, I don't do anything productive, I just sit and enjoy being alone or with Todd. When you are a stay-at-home mom, you sort of define yourself by your kids. You plan your life around them because they are your life. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to work and leave my kids all day. I think if I was doing something I love, it would be easier, but I think my life would be less fulfilling for sure. The truth is I really love my kids and love spending my days with them. Although I never planned to be a stay-at-home mom (I guess now I am technically a "work-at-home mom"), I don't think think I would be truly happy doing anything else.

So I guess what I am saying is I just need some alone time a little more often!