Weekly Update beginning February 6, 2022
Sunday, February 6, 2022

Tonight I’m grateful for the chance I have to become a little better every day. Today Jacob and I taught the youth of our church, and as I was preparing for the lesson I was reminded, and have thought of it often, that we are not expected to be perfect.
The Bible says that Noah was perfect, but in Hebrew perfect could imply genuine, inwardly entire and complete, or one whose heart had a single aim. As I recalled my day just now, I thought of all the ways I was less than stellar, but it’s ok because I genuinely did the best I could in the moment. I love the thought that I don’t need to hit the bullseye every single day, but as long as I’m aiming in the right direction I can still be “perfect”.
I’m just so grateful that at the end of the day, I can think about my day and make appropriate changes for the next day. That I have the ability to keep bettering myself a little day by day, and that as long as I’m aiming to become like Christ, even if I always fall short, I can still have His power and strength to keep going, keep striving, and keep changing for the better.
Monday, February 7, 2022

The other day I walked in to wake up Ryan for school, and not only did I find William had snuck into his bed, but they both slept with their blanket on them like a mummy! ο That’s identical twins for you, can’t keep them apart and they are similar in many ways.
Speaking of William, I forgot him at home when taking the kids to school. Once we got to the school, I knew what I had done and felt so bad.
Jacob walked out of our room and found him sitting on the couch with his backpack on. William looked at Jacob and said, “Mom let me. I was downstairs in my bed putting my shoes on, and Mom left me…” Jacob asked if I was mad at him, and that’s why I left him, William replied, “I don’t know, she hasn’t come back yet.”
So Jacob got dressed for the day and took William to school, I passed them on my way home and apologized to him over and over again. I feel so bad! I’m sure we’ll talk and laugh about this when he’s older, but right now it’s just so sad to me! He on the other hand doesn’t seem fazed by it, so hopefully I haven’t caused any trauma with my carelessness!
Tuesday, February 8, 2022

I decided today was the day I was going to tackle some cleaning/organizing that I’ve been putting off/not making time for. I cleaned and organized the kitchen, Lily and Peter’s room, and our bedroom. Can I just say how much lighter I feel when my house isn’t cluttered!
Favorite things from today include being able to open up the windows and let in some sunlight and beautiful not too cold air. Also when Steven said, “Mom, the kitchen looks really good…. Peter do you want to come play with me!?”
Not only did he compliment something I did, but he helped occupy my littles while I made dinner. He for sure won a gold star today! π
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
I love the Olympics, and I love the excuse to have themed treats/snacks! So when I saw cookie mix at the store for red and blue sugar cookies, I grabbed some for a red, white, and blue sandwich cookie to eat while watching the Olympics.

Today was the day, we were all excited to try these out. But as you can see by William’s face, they were not good. I mean they were ok and there’s none left, but I only had a couple bites and most of the kids just licked the frosting and threw the rest away.
I guess you win some, and you lose some. And tonight, we lost.
Thursday, February 10, 2022

I got to hang out and babysit for my good friends and cousins tonight, and I loved it! Their 4 kids are just the cutest and so well behaved. We played pretend, sang and danced along to Encanto, I gave horsey rides, and probably my favorite was feeding and rocking their 5 month old. My baby is only 2 years and I don’t want another child at all, but I did enjoy snuggling with this cutie! π₯°
It’s funny how cleaning up and putting kids to bed is so hard at my house, but for someone else it’s almost fun. Being an adult is weird! ππ
It did help me realize though, I need to play at my own kids’ level to more, to be more silly and fun and less worried about all the tasks at hand. I’ve tried this before, but maybe this time will stick. Set a time for when I’ll do cleaning/cooking/homeworking, and then give myself time to just be in the moment with my kids. It sounds reasonable and doable and really good for my mental health and my relationships with my kids. I’ll let you know if I can get a good routine/habit with it going! π€πΌ
Friday, February 11, 2022

Spencer and Max may be our two most different kids, and yet they are fraternal twins. Whenever I see them getting along and showing that they love each other, I always need to take a picture to remember, because that’s are few and far between! But man are they adorable! π
