~Another Week~

The last time I blogged, I vented a bit of frustrations. I'm happy to say that after much advice from those around us, and implementing a few ideas, this week was much improved. I have worked VERY hard to making sure the boys get outside and do one big activity everyday to burn up their extra energy. More importantly, I've been reading my scriptures and saying my morning personal prayers each morning and I can feel myself gaining more patience with the boys throughout the day. When it's bedtime I don't feel like I'm about to burst and during the day I laugh at more jokes Maddix tells than I did before. I can see him smiling more, and I think we are in a good spot. I hope I can keep working towards balancing learning, activities, one-on-one play time, ample hugs and kisses, reading, etc. I just want the BEST for my boys. I love them so much. And they were SOOOoooo cute this week!
One of the things we tried out was creating a week chart with a spot to color in the activities we would be doing each day that can later be erased and changed for the next week of activities. It has seemed to be working well. We have also been more regular with our morning chores, and I'm pleased to report that the whining when it comes to working has gone down! We have been saying and repeating, "Families Clean together, and play together." Or, we'll say, "Families Work together, then play together."
Anyway here are some photos from our past week:

Nala likes to wake the boys
up from naps

R. Moses Beach

"This was my first lighthouse I've ever seen!"
Said Maddix ecstatically. 

The Wind was blowing when I used the
spray sunscreen at the beach... can you
tell where I missed??

Maddix woke up throwing up on Sunday (over did it from the beach) and Aaron cuddled right up to him and tried to make him feel better.

So did Nala

So I flew Solo to church... I actually
had time to get ready; it had to be documented

They wondered into my room the other morning,
each carrying a cup with ice and water. Both
wishing me a good morning then saying,
"Cheers." 

 ZOO DAY! Queens Zoo with our friends! 

Maddix was so hot he decided to use the hand
dryers to dry out his hair. 

Just the journey

If there is anything that I have learned in my short 26 years of life so far is that while you're floating high each day enjoying the beauties that God has provided us, this is an imperfect world and something is always going to come along and knock you down flat. Sometimes it's something as big as unemployment or physical ailments. Sometimes it's less severe and roots more towards your own personal problems (like hormones and emotions). 

Nothing is wrong, and we are good. 

It's just one of those moments in life that are hard. Travis's rotation is hard. He is gone 14hrs a day, six days a week and I guess I let myself think that after his test was over we MIGHT have a little more normalcy. Maddix is hard. He is in another stage; however, when I try to see it from his view: this is a little boy that in 4 years of life has flown internationally a dozen times, visited a dozen countries, lived abroad, has moved every 18 months on the dot, has made and lost friends, had and lost his daddy repeatedly, and has a mom who is trying her hardest- but is herself imperfect and learning as she goes along. As I struggle trying to be a Med school wife and make the best of it, I have to remember that I have 22 years over my little man. And he really is such a good boy. 

As I said, we are good, and we are happy, but we are still trying to figure all of this out. 

So while we have our good days, we also have our bad. But we're still moving forward. I was given some good advice this week that really formed concretely in my mind. And this doesn't apply to me because I am a woman and it's my "Role," but because this is what i have chosen, want, and live for: 

"First and foremost I am a MOM. Second, I am a WIFE. Everything else is extra clutter and if it gets in the way of me performing the best I can in my first two jobs, then it needs to be dropped and gotten rid of." 

I really like this. It helped me refocus and although this post may seem irrelevant and not for anyone but me, I put it here because I want to be able to look back and remember WHO I AM, and what I am living for. Yes, I have talents and interests outside of my children and my husband. I'm not losing myself by choosing these jobs as my first priorities. It's just the opposite, I feel like when I am succeeding in these categories I am my happiest me. Because I WANT, NEED, and CRAVE to be the best mother I can be. And I WORK, PRAY, and CATER to being the best wife I can be because I married the best man, who is my best friend, and deserves nothing less. 

I am not going to lie, Med school is the HARDEST things we've done in our lives; this may sound like an easy trial to go through, but you just don't know until you're actually in the shoes and walking the path. I know it's not the worst out trial out there, and I wouldn't trade it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get to me. SO here it is in writing: My ramblings towards life as we know it. It makes no sense, and it is maybe a little down, but I have to know when I look back that everyday wasn't honky dory. I want to remember what we went through so I never take for granted the blessings we are always receiving. 

So there it is: Life is hard, but it's beautiful. That's mortality. And thankfully because of Our Savior we don't have to stay in this loop of heartaches~to~happiness~heartaches~to~happiness forever. I take so much comfort in knowing that after all this effort in this life, there is a payoff worth any amount of trials in this life. And I'm grateful my trials are my own. 

I was having a really down day when I stumbled on this
picture. It brightened my soul, and still does each
time I see it. It was a tender mercy for sure.

I am thankful for vegetables, and having a Costco so close to us!

I'm grateful for Aaron's humor and tender moments at 

Just the right times

Aaron thought my pants needed to be pulled higher

 He noticed me snapping a picture of him and began pulling faces

without making a noise or even looking at me. 

I loved that moment.

The dog was a good stepping
stool

I am grateful for my health. Even though I am not where I want to be, I have to be grateful that I am healthy and capable to getting up to chase my kids, go for a run, and do anything I want to

I am grateful that we are within walking distance of the most wonderful park, and that on this particular day, when we really needed it, it was full of kids that Maddix got to play with. And I'll never forget the joy on his face as he ran over yelling, "Mom! I did it! I finally made friends here! I'm so happy!!"

I am overly grateful that I finally got over my fear of driving by myself here and that

the beach is a simple 45minute drive for us. 

I love my boys

It's our happy place.

We CAN'T Be Stopped!

As the title implies: We cannot be stopped. Travis has a day off and we're gone. He has a weekend off in between Surgery and OB Rotation and you guessed it, we're oFF!

So this week while Travis died a little less on the inside each day knowing these were his LAST six days of surgery, we here at the house enjoyed playing outside in the backyard in our "new pool," scootering, playing at the park, lots of reading time together, time with daddy each day, dinner out to celebrate the end of surgery, playing baseball in the back, and then camping in Palmyra!

They had to have their hats:) 

The boys like to help me exercise

Park Day

They "painted" their playhouse with wet
chalk one rainy morning

Celebrating the end of surgery

Celebratory S'mores!

Burrito Babies :) 

Our trip to Palmyra started at 5:45am Saturday morning when we began packing the car... famous last words from Travis when I asked if we should pack the car the night before, "Nah, I can have everything loaded by the time you're done dressing the boys..." And then we pulled out of the driveway at 8:45 :) The drive was 5 1/2hrs of beautiful, and I mean BEAUTIFUL tree-lined freeways. We seriously didn't know where we were are the whole drive because there was nothing but lakes, rivers, streams, and acres of trees!

We set up camp and quickly took off for the Smith Farms/Sacred Grove. I will be honest, as we approached the sacred grove there was a soft-whispering sound and I felt a reverence just knowing what took place inside the trees; however, I kid you not, once we stepped foot in those trees we were ATTACKED by mosquitos! Millions of mosquitoes throughout all those pretty trees just making the experience almost miserable (poor Maddix has 19 bites; not to mention he's a little allergic to them and one bite made his forehead swell above his eye!). We kept smiling as we walked on, even after Aaron ran up and BIT ME in the tush for no reason at all, or after Maddix kept calling Aaron a "poopy brother." I enjoyed visiting the Smith Farm much more. I loved walking through his home and imagining him sitting at the desk reading, or looking over the fields and imagining what it was like to be a boy. I could almost picture the thought process of that young boy being in his VERY crowded home with this burning question for God and running deep into the Sacred Grove at the edge of his yard trying to find a quiet place. And later when we went to the Hill Cumorah and I could pictures him going for the Gold Plates I was just breath taken.

We stopped by the temple, took a tour through the Publishing house where Joseph smith begged repeatedly to have the first copies of the Book of Mormon published. We saw the desk the man was probably sitting at while Joseph repeatedly returned with his request. We saw the room and tools, and one of the original of the 5,000 copies published. I learned that they had to pay (through the selling of much of Oliver Cowdry's property) $3,000 for those 5,000 copies. And when they were sold at $1.75 a copy, that was equivalent to two days wages! Anyway, so afterward we found some dinner at one of the three places to possibly eat at in that town... and saw that the rest of the town was there also. We then stopped at a park to play baseball before heading over to the Palmyra Pageant.

Palmyra Pageant: Was awesome. We first walked up and there were a couple of hundred people dressed up like Nephites just talking to the crowd and helping you find an area to sit. The pageant was well done, even when the lights temporarily broke and the sound recording stopped for like 5 minutes but they just kept on acting :) And the boys loved it. And Maddix LOVED using the binoculars the whole time. I have to stay though he didn't use them JUST for the play. Before it started he said, "Mom!" Then handed me the binoculars, "you have to see that girl in purple and pink. I wish I could Marry her!!" Yeah... she was like 10 or 11yrs old. ha ha. Well, we loved it. Beat the traffic. Had Sirie take us to the wrong campsite before we found our way back in the dark. Slept in the tent with a few mosquitos feeding on us all night. Packed up this morning and drove the 5 1/2 hrs back to the house.

I love them so much! 

3 minutes after leaving the Pageant:)

Turned around to find this while driving home

And the Welcoming Back traffic of New York City
Bleh. 

The End.
Now tomorrow Travis will be starting OB and we're really hoping he loves it since this is what we think he wants to go into.