Where is the Time Going?

Can I just say that my Maddie girl is growing up way too quickly? I mean, seriously, look at the size of that bike. She is such a sweet girl and is learning so much; it is very fun to be her mom. Today when the boys went down for their nap she invited me to play a game of UNO with her. A month or so ago, Jeff & I taught her to play one night when she couldn't go to sleep, and so she wanted to play again. So we sat on the couch and played about 10 rounds of UNO together and it was so fun. She kept saying cute things like,

"We should play this more often."
"This is fun, huh?"
"This is good because we can sit down and we both get to relax." (She is always so mindful of me and my pregnant self)

While we were playing, I kept wondering when in the heck my baby girl got big enough to play games (that I actually enjoy) with me, and how did she learn to read the words on the cards anyways?

One more thing; Maddie makes me feel that I am raising myself. The older she gets, the more I realize she is JUST like I was when I was little. One of her favorite things is to get out her notebook full of paper and write things and do her 'homework'. She writes her name everywhere and I have to watch her like an eagle because I'm pretty sure my name is engraved several places in my parents' house still (and mine, since I have their old piano). She asked me the other day for a journal and I've hardly ever felt so proud :) She is a hypochondriac like I was, even though she hardly ever gets sick. She is such a little mother and likes to help her brothers ALL the time (the word bossy has occasionally been used to describe me). She has a hard time winding down at night and never wants to miss a party (she's been like this from the get-go). I must say though, for all of our similarities, Madlyn is instinctively more kind and unselfish than I have ever been. She is a great girl and I only hope that I am at an advantage as her mother because we're alike in so many ways.

Edification

Tonight I was able to go to the General Women's Broadcast and I loved it. I always do so I wasn't surprised but it definitely provided me with a much-needed boost. Here's my favorite quote from President Uchtdorf:

"You are spirit daughters of the most creative being in the universe."

OK, so I may have to change my view of myself as not being creative. :) I also liked how Sister Beck praised the women of the Church for what they are doing and then reminded us that there is always more we can do. Isn't that the truth?

What was your favorite part of the broadcast?

24, Natural Childbirth, and Engineers

So Jeff and I have been watching Season 2 of 24 for the past week or so. I know it's on like Season 7 now so we're a little behind but it's still been fun. It is not really my type of show at all but once I got into the story, I was hooked. So we watch a couple of episodes every night and we are enjoying the fact that we are enjoying something together. We don't usually agree on TV shows or movies but we're both totally into this one. The only problem is that every night I want to watch 'just one more'...totally addicting.

It's my 4th pregnancy and I have been building up my bravery to have natural childbirth, meaning specifically, no epidural. I am determined that if I am able to go into labor on my own, then this will be the time to try it. My baby has had other plans though and has been lying transverse for a while now. I have been extremely worried because I DO NOT want to have a C-section. I know, I know, it's not that big a deal but it's just not something that I want to deal with. Well, today I had a visit with the doc and the baby is now head-down, yay! I'm praying that he stays put until I can have him.

After my appointment this afternoon, I stopped by Jeff's office to pick him up. He was deep in conversation with a couple of colleagues and so I sat and waited for him to finish, about 10-15 minutes. They were looking at a graph and trying to interpret its exact meaning and see how it applied to the work they needed to do. I almost had to laugh when I heard one of them say this: "so what exactly is a car half-hour trying to tell me?" It wasn't my husband, by the way, but I sure thought it was pretty funny. Typical engineer...who else in the world even uses terms like car half-hour, let alone cares what it is trying to tell them??

I'm not sure why I laugh every time I see this...

bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils

Ahhh, back to school. I must admit I was kind of dreading this day because of all that is going on in our lives right now but as I logged into my Bio 100 class tonight (that's right, I have never taken Biology on a college level), I felt a little shiver of excitement run through me. I know it will be hard work (not the actual class, just the time spent doing it) but I am glad that I decided to go for it. It may be slow progress, but I am thrilled that I get to be working towards my goal of getting my college degree, even if it is only 1 or 2 classes at a time. And then when my kids are older, who knows? maybe a law degree is in my future :)

I've Been Thinking

A dangerous pasttime, I know. But it's one of the things I do best. So here are some of the things that have been going through my mind lately:

1. I love watching my children learn. It is so rewarding for me to watch Madlyn's manuscript improving every day as she practices writing more and more, and to listen to her read, and all the other fun stuff she's been learning. We have been practicing the letter sounds with Cole lately, especially the letter 'l' because he substitutes it with the letter 'w' sound, and he is finally getting it. Now he comes up to us and proudly says, 'Lincoln', or 'love', or anything that will show off his new skill. Cade is really learning to talk and it is absolutely amazing to me to hear him say new words every day. These young minds are so sharp and soak up learning like a sponge. Now if I were only a better mom and worked with them more...
2. I'm finally coming to the realization that there will be a baby at the end of this pregnancy and I'm excited. These past 8 months have been such a blur, I feel like it hasn't sunk in that we will actually be welcoming a new little guy into our family, but here he comes. I am feeling the usual discomfort that occurs at the end of a pregnancy but I do not feel rushed for him to come. (I think I've learned that they are more work once they come out...and I know that he won't stay in there forever, so what's the rush?) My only feelings of anxiousness stem from the fact that I am sick of worrying about him and not knowing for sure that he is healthy and sound. It will be good when he is born and we can see him and know. All of us are getting super excited to meet this little guy and put a name to his face!
3. Life is unpredictable and scary at times. As much as I would like to plan everything out, Plan A hardly ever happens. I'm learning to be flexible, prepare for the worst, and pray for the best. Through it all, I feel extremely blessed and lucky to have the husband and family that I have. I am often amazed at how much fun it is to plan and dream with my best friend and the one I love. So, even though it can be unpredictable and scary, life for me is happy and good.
   
4. It is very hard to be a perfect wife, mom, and homemaker. OK, so I am not professing in any way to be perfect but I must think that it is attainable because I keep trying to get there. And it's just not happening. I'm pretty sure I could spend my whole life taking care of the logistics of running my household (food, laundry, cleaning, bills, etc.) and never have any time for playing with the kids, working on church callings, having a hobby, exercising, spending time with Jeff, serving those around me, etc. Sometimes I feel like a hamster on his wheel, running and running but never getting anywhere. I'm trying to figure out some kind of balance before #4 comes and throws it all out of whack again. :)
5. I love being a domestic diva. Again, I'm not really proclaiming that I am one, but I sure like to try. It really makes me happy when I spend a day baking, cleaning, and doing other domestic duties. I know, I'm weird. Maybe someday I'll actually be good at it.

Happy Birthday to my Better Half!

To the best husband, dad, and kid-at-heart ever, I love you and hope your birthday is wonderful!