A Week in the Life {12/31-1/6}

Happy New Year. 

2013 is shaping up to be a beauty so far. I am sure I haven't mentioned, though many who are close to me probably already know (or can guess) that I suffer from (for lack of a better term) sever mood swings. I have periods of time where I have great anxiety and or bouts of depression. It's gotten better over the last few months, but it's always terrible to feel terrible. You tend to treat those you love in not a very nice way because when you feel badly you don't always do good, or do what you should. At any rate, I have had a completely blissful week. One where I feel like I have scads of perspective, which always leads to joy. It's nothing to be worried about, and I feel it has to do more with a lack of hormonal balance in the past four years, spending a lot of that time being pregnant or nursing. Since it's been a while since I've done either, I feel like it's getting better...not worth mentioning really, but it's just been such a blissful week and I've really been counting my blessings...like how I realized this week that Adam has been home from his mission ten years last December, which means he's been cancer free for ten years now. His health (and the fact that we have two beautiful girls despite his type of cancer) is one of our biggest blessings.

I feel like every time we have some sort of shift in our routine, the girls change. Perhaps it is simply because they grow up so fast, but I feel like they have grown up since we went to Utah over Christmas.

Paige has completely blossomed. She is so funny. It is so nice that she is so easy to communicate with. She can tell us "eat" when she is hungry and will sometimes even ask specifically for "apple" or "banana" or "treat." She asks for "drink" when she is thirsty, she'll ask for "book" or "blankie." One of the sweetest things she does is tell us "happy, happy, happy," over and over again when she is feeling happy. We went to Pump it Up this week and she climbed up the 20 foot slides all by herself. She also slid down them like she did it every day. She likes to go go go, and all week long she's hated being in her car seat. Before I forget, she has been doing this thing lately where she'll bring a book to you, or just want to snuggle and she'll just back right up into your lap. She is becoming a climber like Hannah. She was climbing on our high bar chairs this week. We've been really good at reading our Book of Mormon Reader every night at dinner as a family. As soon as I get it out, Paige looks at all of us, puts her finger to her lips and says "Shhh!" She knows it's time to be reverent. She's also very good when we say prayers and always says "Amen" and folds her arms.

Paige playing "tea party" in her sisters ballerina skirt . 

Paige Coloring

Hannah is probably my best friend. We have conversations as if she was 20 years old. For the first time this week, we had a few friends over, Emily and Abby. Hannah had so much fun being an independent, big girl. While reading the Book of Mormon reader on January 3rd,  I read “Laman and Lemuel were angry.” Hannah sighed and said “We already read this story Mommy!” I had to tell her that in every Laman and Lemuel story, they are angry. On January 4th, at 7:15AM Hannah woke me up saying “I need to take a shower.” While I lay in bed, she got undressed, hopped in the shower, turned it on, and started washing her body. After about ten minutes I got up and found her perfectly happy, showering on her own. She has LOVED her dollhouse and dollhouse toys, and wants to play with them every minute of every day. She is afraid of everything right now like driving, the dark, and going too fast or too high. I'm surprised she survived Pump it Up. She has even started leaving her dolls and toys outside her room at night "just in case they come alive." My big girl even started primary on Sunday. She was very excited to be a Sunbeam. One of the presidency came up to Hannah in the hall and asked if she was ready for primary. Hannah went into her arms as if she was going to take her right then. I ducked out of gospel doctrine and watched them sing "Here we are Together" to Hannah's primary class. Then I watched as Hannah joined all the other classes to have the Primary sing to her. I asked about Primary after and all Hannah had to say was that she didn't get to speak into the microphone and that "I wasn't shy of Primary but the kids in my class were shy of me....one of the kids in my class is scared of the dark." I asked suspiciously which kid it was. She confirmed my suspicions by saying "I am." She was excited to get candy in class and I asked "What do you think Jesus would want you to do with your three pieces of candy?" "Eat them all. By myself." I'm sure.

Hannah's creepy toys waiting to come alive at night. 

Hannah and Emily. They are just a few days apart in age. 

Hannah said "I drew a human but I think I made a mistake because it looks like Mike Wazowski." 

Beautiful girl choosing her own clothes in January. She rationalized that it was 3T and that it matched. 

 Adam and I have had a good week, partly because he is on winter break still. We came home from Utah super sick with aches and pains, chills, coughs, congestion and sore throats. Adam took super good care of me (since it seemed to hit me harder. I am reading Anna Karenina and really enjoying it. Adam is reading World War Z and really enjoying it. We've been playing Harry Potter Lego on the Playstation. I don't typically play video games but Adam wanted to play one together and figured I would enjoy Harry Potter. I'm kind of nerding out to it. Adam also got a chance to go play video games with some friends whose wives are out of town this week. He had so much fun. I like when he gets to hang out with guy friends. We also had our friends Megan (Winegar) and Eric Long come stay with us, with their 5 month old baby Clara. We stayed up until 1AM and chatted like we weren't even parents at all who had responsibilities and stuff. I'm grateful for my two decades long friendship with Megan and it blows me away that Hannah is almost the age I was when we first met and became friends at four years old. 

Adam color coordinated and created a spreadsheet for our finances this year. I was so impressed! 

As a family we've been reading the scriptures together like I mentioned. We also went to Pump it Up, had Family Night on being a Child of God, took a trip to the library, went to Town Square, played dollhouse, watched Yo Gabba Gabba, cuddled, teased, and of course argued a couple times.