Taking it one day at a time

I've moved quite a bit in my life and it has never bothered me, in fact I actually enjoy it. I love moving to new places, meeting new people, and just the change in scenery that comes with it. But, in all the moves I've had to make, I haven't had to sell a house until now, and selling a house is something I definitely do not enjoy! We've had the house on the market for about 3 weeks now, and I do have to admit, keeping it clean and show ready really hasn't been as hard as I expected it to be. Of course packing up half the house and moving it to storage has definitely helped quite a bit, but I've gotten into a routine that has helped me keep it clean and able to have it show ready within 30 minutes if I have to. Unfortunately though, the kids have to live with a mother who has become obsessive about cleanliness! The hard part has been the constant anxiety over if we will be having showings, how the people felt about the house, the feelings of "is there anything else I can be doing", hoping and praying for an offer, and the disruption for the babies who are in definite need of a good nap. I am really proud though of all the kids and how well they have handled all this. They have really been good sports, and the babies have been troopers, even though they still live in our closet, smooshed together into one pack-n-play and don't always get their naps. Hopefully soon, they will get their own room, their own cribs, and we can all start getting better sleep.
And life continues...
No, life doesn't stop while you are selling a house, so here are a few things that have been happening amidst all the other chaos:
So, first off, here is just a little glimpse of the Wii junkies the boys are turning into. Honestly, I can't complain, it is a clean toy and it has been my saving grace while trying to get the house cleaned up and ready to go. Thank heavens for LEGO Star Wars! (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!) Sam's little first grade class has done some really neat things in school this year. Each child in her class wrote a few sentences on what they loved about first grade and then had their writings published in a hard back book. Here is Sami with her very own page from that book.
Sami also recently was the "Star of the Week" for her class. Each child gets a turn at being the "Star of the Week" for one week during the school year, in which they get special treatment at school, get to bring in special things they like, and pictures to share with the class. The class then compiles a little book for the "Star" about why they are special that they get to take home and keep. Sam was so excited to finally have her turn and definitely took advantage of it by taking any little "treasure" to share with her friends at school. As part of her special week, I also took Sam to get her very first pedicure. Her toes turned out super cute and she totally loved them. And finally, a couple weeks ago Sam had her little First Grade Musical, "Manners". The kids had been practicing for weeks during their music class and it turned out really cute. The songs were darling and of course I recognized all of them since I had been hearing Sam sing them around the house. She looked so cute and of course wanted to dress up super nice. After the play Mike gave her flowers for doing such a great job. (Of course Sam put a little bug in his ear that she wanted flowers, but I'm sure he would have come up with the idea on his own.)And yes, we even had Easter at our house! No, there were no decorations, but we did color eggs and the Easter Bunny did come and hide everyone's baskets. Of course Sam found everyone's baskets first, but she was a good sport and let the boys have a chance to find them too. The babies even got a few things, but the Easter Bunny was very practical with their gifts. :)Ok, I just have to say it, these two little munchkins are the cutest things ever! Honestly, I can't even stand it. They are so fun and so sweet! There will be many more pictures of them later, but here are just a few to get you caught up. They will be 7 months on the 25th, and I honestly can't even believe how quickly they have grown. Knowing they are my last makes me a bit emotional about it all, but I am trying to enjoy every second of them.Mike's parents got them these little "Bumbo" seats a little bit ago. When I saw how cute they looked sitting in them I couldn't help but take a picture.So often I will look over at the two of them and they will have each others hand. It is so cute! So, the other day while I was feeding them, I had to get a picture when I saw they were holding hands. And this one is for Grandpa Don. Don't worry, it's still "Go Broncos!" in this house!

And here are all 5 of our kiddos! Life is good!

Moving onward and upward

Yes, we are still here! Every day I think about how much I need to update the blog, and then I get distracted by something else that needs to get done. In a nutshell, life is crazy busy at the moment as we are trying to get the house ready to put on the market by April 1st. We've tried to make it work in this house for far too long and are in desperate need of something bigger. Our poor little babies need a room of there own since they can't live in our closet forever! Now the fun begins! We have already been out with our Realtor once last week searching for homes, and will be continuing the search again this week. We are crossing our fingers that the perfect home is out there somewhere - as well as the perfect buyer!! Please cross your fingers for us, and a little prayer or two can't hurt either! Don't worry, I have plenty of pictures to share of the two cutest babies in town - at least I think so anyway - that will be coming as soon as the mad dash to get the house ready to go is completed. Wish us luck!

Motherhood

I think it's safe to say that Motherhood is a difficult job, and yes it is a job. It is the only job in which we are required to spend money, and yet never receive a paycheck. We voluntarily change our bodies, and not for the better, for our "clients" and are never again the same. In no other working environment are the people we work with so honest and say exactly what is on their mind, for example:

While I was about 5 months pregnant with Carter and Taylor, I had just gotten out of the shower when Sam walked in on me in all my natural glory. Her first words were: "Mom, you are getting really big. You need to lose some weight!" I said, "Sam, when you are pregnant, you are supposed to gain weight to keep your babies healthy." She then replied, "But the babies are in your tummy, look at your legs!" After that day, every time she came into my room while I was changing she made sure she had her face covered so she didn't have to look at me. Yes, that worked wonders for my self-esteem!

About 2 months after I had the babies Gavin touched my tummy and said, "Mom, do you have another baby in there?" Again, a great self-esteem booster.

And last night, after having my hair in a clip all day, I had taken it out and came downstairs after feeding the babies. When I walked in the room with my hair down and curly, Gavin looks at me and says, "Mom, you are having a bad hair day!" I really didn't think it looked all that bad!

Yes, honesty is great, but sometimes it's really overrated!

Motherhood isn't just hearing your worst fears realized through the words of your children, but is also about the sweet moments you spend with them. For instance: playing with your babies and smothering them in kisses. Nothing is better than kisses from your baby, until that baby decides to unload everything he just ate, mid-kiss right into your mouth. Yes, that did happen - thank you Taylor! Gavin and Kaden thought that was both pretty hilarious and totally gross. In case you were wondering, no, spit-up does not taste very good!

I've decided that with all the unpredictability and ruthless honesty that comes with motherhood, you have to have a sense of humor to survive. It's just a whole lot easier to deal with when it's funny. Having the ability to laugh makes those "Calgon" days a lot easier to handle. I don't know about you, but a good laugh definitely gets me through my crazy days. Luckily, my kids provide a lot to laugh about.

Resolutions

Well, I couldn't let January pass by without mentioning a little something about resolutions. Do I like to make resolutions? Of course I do, what kind of go-getter, organized, ready-to-tackle-the-world woman would I be if I didn't? Do I always remember them come March? Well, I guess that depends on the resolution! This year, I really have no illusions of grandeur, just making it through the day in one piece is accomplishment enough, but there are a few things I think I can focus on:

• As far as the old stand-by of losing weight goes - sure, would be great, but we'll just have to see about that one! It's kind of tough to make that one a priority when you are nursing, I'll settle for just not popping out of my button up shirts!
• Keeping a perfectly clean and tidy house - yeah, sure, everyday!
  
• Not losing my patience - ok, if you know Gavin and Kaden, you know this one is pretty much impossible, I'll settle for having increased patience - I will definitely need it!
  
• Being totally diligent in updating my blog - sure, we can always hope, but I wouldn't hold my breath

Ok, so far I'm really not getting anywhere with this list! I guess, really the most important thing to me right now is enjoying the moment! There is something that Pres. Monson said in one of his conference talks a while ago that I haven't been able to get out of my mind - as soon as we move I'm going to get it in vinyl and put it on my wall. He said: "Find joy in the journey". For some reason this thought has really stuck with me. I find myself so often thinking, "When the boys are older...", "Once we are in the new house...", "When I have more time...". Pretty soon "one day" will be today and I will look back and wish it hadn't gone by so fast, and that I hadn't wished it away. Life is so crazy right now, there is always something to do, and with everything going on, it's so easy to get caught up in wishful thinking for the future. But will it really be less chaotic? Probably not, just busy and chaotic in different ways.

So, my resolution: To find joy in the journey! I want to look back on these crazy days with young, funny, sweet kids and know that I took advantage of this precious time I have with them.

On that note, I think I will get myself out of the dog house and share a few recent photos of what keeps me busy every day!

Gavin, Sam, and Kaden on Christmas morning!

Ringing in the New Year! (Ok, we didn't exactly make it to midnight, but we didn't really tell the kids that! Mom and Dad were party poopers and just too tired, so 11:30 is as far as we got! )

All the boys! Gavin and Kaden are such cute big brothers! They love holding the babies, although just a few minutes is about as much as they can handle!

Two weeks ago it was warm enough for us to take a walk to the park. The 3 older kids rode their scooters while I pushed the babies in the stroller. I think they were enjoying the ride!

Just within the last month, the babies have started to give us some smiles. Of course, they won't do it very often for the camera, but I managed to get a few cute shots. Taylor likes to smile a bit more than Carter right now, but I'm sure soon enough we will get tons of smiles and giggles!

One of the few smiles I've managed to get from Carter.

Not caught up yet

Yes, I know I am so behind and there is so much to catch up on! I assure you we are all alive and well, and doing great. Things are pretty crazy, loud, and busy, but the babies are both super and we all manage to even get dressed and have our teeth brushed every day - ok, almost every day. :) I promise pictures and updates are coming soon. I just need to find a few minutes to sit down and organize a few pictures. Finding those few minutes is the problem...

Until I have the chance to catch up, I thought I would share a few things from our daily life -

Tonight as I was putting the kids to bed, I was asking the boys to clean up their room and pointing to some toys still on the floor, I said "What is all this stuff?" Kaden said " Oh, it's just a bunch of junk."

As we were saying our prayers tonight before bedtime, I mentioned the people in Haiti and asked for a blessing to be with them. Afterward, the kids asked me why I prayed for the people there and I told them about the earthquake and how so many people had lost their homes, etc. Sami decided that she wanted to send the people in Haiti a card, and she would make paper dolls for the girls, and basketballs for the boys. Kaden looked at her and said, "I'm a boy, you can make me a basketball!" You can't deny that kid is quick.

Kaden really is hilarious, when he isn't making me pull my hair out. He likes to tell me that he is going to live with someone else, or that "I'm going to pay for that" when he doesn't get the answer he wants, but then turns around two seconds later and gives me a huge hug and tells me he loves me. I've been "Fired" by the kids, they've told me they "have their eyes on me" when they aren't sure about what I've made for dinner that night. I wish I could remember all the funny stuff they say, because it seems to be happening a lot lately, and my frazzled brain just can't remember it all - it must be all the middle of the night feedings. :)

I will say this though, I am so impressed by how well they have all handled everything. All 3 have been so wonderful with the new babies. They take their "diaper duty" in stride, each taking their turns taking out the dirty diapers. Sam is a huge helper, always willing to help me with a crying baby. The boys don't complain when I ask them to grab me burp rags or diapers, and not once, have any of them complained about how much of my time is spent with the babies. I know it sounds strange, but even though there are 2 more kids this time around, life seems a little less chaotic with this set of twins than it did with our first. Having done this before doesn't really make things easier, because it's just crazy no matter how many sets of twins you have, but that we are better able to take things in stride this time around. Thank goodness for tender mercies of the Lord, we are definitely recognizing them in our lives each and every day!