life as of late

To say that life has been busy the last three months would be an understatement.  It's been so much more than that.  And at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is sit down and blog.  I'd much rather sip a cup of hot chocolate and go to bed - not edit pictures and type up coherent sentences to go with them.

The Mr. & Carter are on a boy scout campout tonight.  The other kiddos are all asleep.  This is the first little bit of time I've had to myself in such a long time.  It's the perfect time to jot down thoughts about the last couple of months and all of our little adventures and accomplishments.

Birthdays were celebrated for the boys in January and February.  A little piece of my heart breaks as my children get older.  Like many mothers, I wish they could stay young forever.  But I know that growing up is what we must all do.  I'm watching my boys grow into young men and I hope they hold on to their childhood as long as they possibly can.

Carter, who celebrated his 12th birthday in February, was ordained a deacon the Sunday after his birthday.  (In my church, boys receive the priesthood at age 12.)  Nana flew in from Arizona to celebrate this special day with us.  I could hardly keep the tears from flowing as Mike offered the blessing.  My heart is full.

January and February also brought a lot of snow.  The kids spent a lot of days at home.  The flu was passed from Tatum to Noah to Carter over a two week period.  We watched a lot of movies and played in the snow once the fevers were gone.   The snow was a kind reminder that I need to slow down.  I am learning that I can only do so much.  I am learning my what my limits are.

For the last year, I have been working hard to get a cub scout pack established and running in my ward (church).  Somehow, being the Cubmaster fell into my lap.   We have a small group of boys that keep me on my toes and leaders that are willing to do whatever I ask of them.   Shortly after we started up, it was Pinewood Derby time.  The Mr. & I sanded and repaired a 30 year old track that worked just enough to run a successful derby.  Just one month later, we held a circus themed Blue & Gold Banquet.    It was another successful event.  It felt so rewarding to get our scout program off to a good start.  But my mind has turned into mush.  I'm still serving as the 1st Counselor in Primary (for children ages 18 months to 11 years) and have had to keep up with those responsibilities too.  To say I've been working my butt off would be an understatement.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I am learning that sometimes I have to stop and take just a little time for myself.  It's tough to balance both of my callings and my home life too.  I try to keep up with chores but the piles of laundry and dishes never end.  I won't lie and say that the last few months have been easy.  They have not been.  But my heart is full and I see the blessings Heavenly Father is pouring out on my family.  We are happy.  We are healthy.  We have everything we need.  We have each other.  That makes all the hard work worth it.

Somewhere among all the hard work, we managed to sneak in a lot of family walks when the weather was warm.  We are trying to make small changes in our health habits and are working toward a healthier lifestyle.  We have learned that Noah should never ride a scooter when we go on family walks.  He rides all over the place and has had several near misses with parked cars.  He's dangerous stuff.  Oh, & the Mr. managed to plan a sweet little Valentine's dinner sans kiddos.  It was a perfect date.  I'm so in love with him.