A House of Worship

Today we took the boys to clean the church. They've set up a new system where each organization in the ward is responsible for a different part of the church building and it was my husband's turn to clean the Chapel.

This is a somewhat tricky arrangement and today was a challenging day to need to meet this commitment. We had a MILLION things that needed our time and attention, which, now that the day is nearly over, did not get done. We had tired boys. I mostly just fed the baby. But my sweet husband rallied the troops and put every able body to work. He brought kid-sized dusters and a small hand vac from home for the boys. They straightened hymn books and vacuumed crumbs. I also practiced the hymns I'll be playing on the organ for sacrament meeting tomorrow. The whole thing took nearly an hour longer than we had planned/hoped.

But what a privilege it is to care for our house of worship. I was trying so hard to explain to my two year old why we don't play soccer in the chapel. Over and over I kept saying this is Heavenly Father's House. This is where we take the sacrament. This is the most important room in the whole church. As I spent every few minutes breaking up a fight or calming a crying child, I had to remind myself that those words really are true. What a remarkable thing it is to show our love for the Lord by caring for his holy house. I've lived in places where the house of worship was a small rented house with no running water and electricity. I've met in churches where hundreds of people would fill a chapel (and over flow, and gym) every Sunday. The spirit of each ward is different, but one thing remains the same: we come together to worship in the Lord's House. No matter our differences, no matter our strengths or weaknesses, as we worship, we are one. A body of Saints. No longer strangers but fellow citizens in the kingdom of God.

Gum

Today on the phone one of my sisters asked me how I was adjusting to life with three kids. I was happy to say that we are doing well and seem to be settling in. Life isn't without its crazy moments, like the point this afternoon when I turned around to see what L was doing in the kitchen only to find him standing ON the counter chewing at least three pieces of gum that he had gotten out of the cupboard by his not-yet-two-year-old self. Gum is one of his favorite words and favorite things.

Today's life lesson: put the gum on a higher shelf.

Honestly I think his mischievous nature is bubbling up rapidly right now because he is adjusting to big brother being gone to full day Kindergarten and he doesn't have anyone besides his mostly immobile baby brother to distract his sly tendencies. But this new school schedule has given mom and middle son sweet bonding time. I'm surprised, when I look back, on how much less attention my younger son has received, simply by being the second child and time got divided. Older brother, A, is a chatter box and can articulate everything he wants/needs/feels/sees/thinks very well. My days used to be a constant conversation, albeit somewhat limited in scope (think like an almost five year old--bugs, outer space, dinosaurs, roller coasters, soccer--and I'm pretty much an expert).

One of my goals with A starting kindergarten was to spend more quality one on one time with L. It has really paid off. He is sweet, fun, and learning to talk so much more. In the last week I've read a ton of books to him. His interest in book used to be minimal. Now it has exploded. I think the above picture is adorable. I happened across L "reading" to his baby brother. We spend our days reading and singing and dancing. L's got the musical gift of the family. Boy does he have pitch and rhythm. The ABC song is a staple. I think he sings it unconsciously. It reminds me of the way my dad whistles. You just know he's there by the music he's making.

He's a joy to be around, even when he's ravenously engorging himself on Raspberry Lemon Obitz gum behind my back.

Welcome Baby!

We are so happy to welcome our sweet new baby boy into our family! What a joy it is to have our family grow. Six weeks has flown by. The planned c-section went extremely well--best delivery of the three, by far! I have a great doctor and the a great husband who provided so much love and support.

Baby S came out crying and, unlike my other boys, a robust eater.
He was bit jaundiced and had a hard time gaining weight for the first three weeks, but he's doing just fine now. The big brothers have slowly started adjusting. The oldest, surprisingly is the one who's struggled the most with this change. He's just trying to find his new place and role in the family. We'll all be glad when school starts next week and we can get into a regular routine again.

In Two Weeks from Now

In two weeks from now I'll be frantically vacuuming my house and cleaning toilets. In two weeks from now I'll be making sure there's food in the fridge and plenty of extra toilet paper in the bathrooms. In two weeks from now I'll be giving my two boys as many hugs and kisses as I can possibly manage while I can still give them as much of my undivided attention as possible. In two weeks from now I'll probably take my kids to the pool and then go out to dinner because I'll actually be too tired to do anything else. In two weeks from now I'll calmly take a shower, ask my sweet husband to give me a blessing and then proceed to sleep restlessly thinking about our new baby that will be born the next morning.

I haven't made mention of it here in the last eight months, but baby boy #3 is coming in just two weeks. There is so much emotion build up with this pregnancy I can hardly believe it's already time. We're excited and a bit anxious, but will look forward to every moment that comes.

Robot Valentines

A's class had a Valentine's Day party while we were out of town. Before we left he made thirteen robot valentines to have his teacher hand out for him while he was gone. He designed them and picked out all the paper. They learned how to do the accordian folding at school and wanted to do that for the arms and legs. Great job, A!

Everything Under the Sun