My Life

I blog, not to so much to connect with other people, as to connect with myself.  I want to record and ponder  the most special parts of life that make me laugh or feel a deep feeling of love.  I am afraid that if I don't record it I won't remember it.  I am afraid that if I don't record it I won't have spent the amount of time that I need to in order to understand of feel the significance of what is happening.  I am afraid that because of the quick pace of life,  if I don't record funny things that I might smile at something funny instead of laughing so hard that I cry.  Writing and recording is a way for me to savor as well as remember the wonderful parts of my life right now. 

I also think of the grandparents.  Somehow they are right there with me in cherishing my children and valuing the happenings of my very ordinary life.  There are even a very few siblings and friends  that somehow love me and take joy in connecting with me through this boring, yet intimate picture of my life.  I am always shocked that they took the time to read, let alone enjoyed my ramblings!  And I love them for loving me.  I even imagine my children reading my  blog journaling one day and coming to know me, understanding how hard I tried, how much I failed and repented, and how greatly I loved them. 

Master W

I wonder why I can't seem to keep naughty things out of his mouth and keep the good things in.  There is so little he can eat that it kills me when he spits out the things that I so carefully prepare for him to eat. The things he eats are usually expensive and took a lot of thought to prepare.  He is going through a phase where everything that I put in his mouth he pushes it out again and picks it up with his fingers.  The irony is that I am always fishing out of his mouth marbles, Rachie's hair elastics, and other random things foraged from the ground.

Princess

This is the new name that she has declared.  She either asks me to call her this or Snow White.  Everyday she demands to either wear her fanciest church dresses or her Snow White costume.

I very carefully tried to help her to fall in love with Snow White.  I love her character.  I can't say the same for all of the Disney princesses.  I love how modestly she is dressed.  I love that she doesn't have a chip on her shoulder or a rebellious stand off with loving parents.  I love that the dwarfs love her because she is so loving to them.  They appreciate the food she makes and the home that she makes a haven.  Master I asked why I loved Snow White so much and I told him, "Because she is a mother."

At this point Miss R piped in indignantly, "No her is not! Her is a princess!"

At the park this week Miss R found a new friend to play with.  I was helping Master W navigate the play structure.  Then I picked up a little on the conversation she was having with her friend.

Friend:  "But your hair isn't black.
Miss R:  "Yes it is."
Friend:  Turns to me and sincerely asks, "Is she really Snow White."
Miss R: "Yes, I am really Snow White.  I don't have any other name!"

Miss R gave me a kiss on the cheek yesterday while she was eating croutons.  She was staring at my cheek afterwords and said, "That's my food on there!"

Miss R is constantly hitting, pushing over, kicking, and wrestling Master W.  The part I don't understand is how contrite she is each time and promises, "I will never do it again!"  She loves to playfully wrestle with him as well.  When she does she calls him, "Angerdog."  I think that she got the name from not understanding what Master I was meaning when he was pushing her on the swing and yelling underdog.

You know it is time to dye your hair again when your daughter gasps with delight while she is brushing your hair and exclaims, "Your hair is turning brown like mine!"  That is what Miss R said to me today.

Master I
We are finishing the fourth Work and the Glory book.  We both are loving it.  He wants to see Missouri so much after imagining in his mind what has happened there for the past book. I don't know if I have ever felt more loved by anyone more than by him. I am really trying to help him to not fight with the Princess.  They are making up for the years that he was an only child and I didn't have to worry about sibling rivalry.

Me
I am looking forward with great longing towards this summer.  I can't wait to be in Valencia in the pool with the kids or playing in Penryn and not have to worry about packing a house, selling stuff, wrapping up a calling, doing homework, baking bread, reaching out to others.  I enjoy all of these aspects of my life, but I love the contrast of the simplicity of summer.  I love being in other people's homes with my kids because I feel like I can concentrate solely on being a mother and not having other distractions and tasks.

I can't wait to do the cross-country trip with my dad.  I am sure that it will be a ton of work, but I can't wait! I can't wait to see the Church history sites.  I can't wait for the adventure of it all and to see how the kids do.  Weird...I know.  I can't wait to try all of the movies, snacks, and games I have thought of in order to make it doable for the kids.  I can't wait to give Master I all of the food money and seeing how he rations it.  I can't wait to see my sis in Tennessee and all of those kids that I love.  I can't wait to eventually explore a new home in Philadelphia.  There is so much work in order to be able to get to summer break, but I guess that will make it all the more sweet.  The hardest task will be fitting everything into our car and getting rid of everything else.  It is an enormous amount of work and enough to make me swear off ever buying another thing again.  Of course Mark is Thoreau and wants to enjoy the spirituality of the simple life.  He welcomes all of this as a great adventure.  And I have to admit, I am really excited about this part as well.

Master Mark
He is a slave to boards.  He is always studying and at work late doing review sessions to prepare for this big test.  We are going to Arches National Park next weekend.  This is his favorite place on Earth. I hope that it is everything that he has been dreaming of for the past year.