Field trip!

Today we took a field trip to see the inner workings of Peter Piper Pizza. It was my week to teach the kids in our preschool co-op & I decided we needed a little break from the usual. We went to a new location &, because we were their first tour, were toured, fed, watered & tokened free of charge! I love free stuff. :)

The boys all had a great time. It was better than Chuck E Cheese because, when the tokens ran out, there was one of those play structures with slides for the kids. Normally, I hate those things. A friend once told me a story about how her son went up in one at McDonald's & took off his poopy diaper & made himself a little art project right inside the play place. *shudder* I've never felt the same way about them since. I think I'll close with that thought....I need to go wash my hands.

Laughing at myself

Sometimes I do the dumbest things, not even realizing what I've done until much later because I'm so distracted. I took Tyler to the dentist the other day only to get home, after running to a few stores, hours later to find Dave wearing a mismatched pair of flip flops while outside watching our younger boys play. It took me a moment, after laughing at how absurd it was for him to not even take the time to match his shoes, to realize I was wearing the other "pair". *blush*

Sweet inspiration

Yesterday at church, we had some great speakers. They're new to the ward but I had previously met the mom at playgroup a few weeks back. She spoke of how Satan can ensnare us little by little & steal from us one of the most important things God has given to us. She said if our lives are so filled with the sounds of the tv, radio, gameboys, movies, etc., we won't be able to hear the Spirit when he speaks to us. Though some of us will continue to go to church faithfully, Satan is okay with that. He can steal something else that was so lovingly given to us....our time. When we fill our lives with so many things that we don't find we have any time to commune with Heavenly Father, or allow Him to speak to us through the scriptures, we are robbed. When we take on too many things in our lives & fill our days up with little more than what is required to get by, we are robbed.

Satan is sneaky with his ways. I need to remember this always &, when things seem hardest & most filled with mundane things that don't really matter & my spiritual progress falls by the wayside, I'll be strengthened.

Megan (the speaker) did an awesome job & it felt so good to hear her story of conversion. It was a great deal like mine. We both grew up in the church but fell away & were later converted. I'm so glad to know her & feel a connection to her.

I'm so glad, also, I went to church yesterday. My attendance has been waning lately. I tried to get Dave to go in my place & take Ty & Jo with him since Logan is sick. He preferred staying home with Logan & watching some March Madness basketball, so I got to go instead. It was such a Spirit-filled meeting. I love those meetings when it feels like everything the speakers have to say is an answer to your questions. Often it's questions you didn't know you had, but were glad for the answers anyway.

In RS, Christene Houston (the teacher that day) had some sisters in the ward read their scriptures daily for 1 mo. & come to report about how it affected them. I have to say, I just love Angie Moore. I wasn't sure about her when I first met her 2.5 years ago because she's very blunt & to the point. But now that's one of the things I appreciate about her the most. She's a truth speaker & she does it in such a way that makes you laugh but also makes you think. I love that about her! It was good to hear that such a faithful person, like herself, sometimes loses sight of what's important....that we all sometimes fall off the path a little. It makes me feel more normal to know I'm not the only one who doesn't always remember to read my scriptures daily. There were others that spoke, but none with the refreshing truth that Angie springs on us. :) It's a bonus she's intelligent & questions things like the safety of vaccines & other hot-topic things I feel passionately about!

Overall, it was a great day. Hopefully next Sunday will be better yet!

A new day

I feel like I should start this blog off with some significant post. I'm at a loss for words. I can't think of anything deep or meaningful to say. Isn't it crazy how the thoughts seem to just flow when standing in the hot shower, with no one talking to you or asking questions, yet when you take the time to sit down & write them down you draw a blank. I'm assuming I'm not the only one this happens to.

Over the past few days I've been emailing back & forth with a lady that owns a birth tub rental business. She's trying to sell it & the only thing holding me back from buying it is we have a few large expenses looming overhead in the next few weeks & my dh isn't having his best month at work. Being in sales it's feast or famine &, as everyone knows, you have to be prepared for the famine. So, being in the famine right now, it's hard to draw a significant amount of money out of the savings without putting every little thing under the microscope. I hate the microscope. I really prefer it when I don't need to know how much is coming in or going out, just that there's enough. It's a nice state of denial to live in.

We had the landscaper guy come out tonight to tell us what he could do with our dirt lot of a backyard. The HOA says we have to put in a back yard within the first 6 months of owning the home. It's been 7 now & I'm not up for a fight with them over a fine I'm sure to receive if I don't comply soon. We're putting one of those nice play yards out back for the kids too. We've been talking about it for a long time now....much longer than we've owned the home. The kids are so excited about it!

My oldest friend, Jessie, had her 5th baby earlier this week. She wound up with an emergency c-section, poor thing, & the baby is still in the hospital. It looks like the baby will be released soon, which is a blessed thing for everyone. I got a chance to talk with her older kids tonight. Man, I miss them! Especially the two oldest. They (Alyx & Kyla) were born a few days before my oldest & I helped raise them. We moved 1500 miles away almost 6 years ago & don't get to see much of them anymore. They live close to my parents, though, so I do get to visit them at least once a year.

Logan (18mo.) & Jordan (4.5 yrs.) are both sick so we won't be going to church tomorrow. I'm trying to convince dh to take Tyler (12.5) & just go without us, but we'll see how that goes. Hayleah (3 mo.) is starting to get a little cough, too. Hopefully, if she does catch this bug, it'll be mild & will pass quickly. It seems like every time Lo & Jo get sick, whether it's from a cold or allergies, they get croup. :( Poor kiddos. I hope Hayleah doesn't follow suit.