Title disclaimer:
I have no opinion on COVID and am not making a statement that think it’s gone for good or that everyone should rush out and ditch the masks... and I’m not saying that I don’t; however, “goodbye Covid” deals more with my mindset. I feel like this last pandemic year was full of endless blessings, tender mercies, and needed family time. And I just felt like we had all the time in the world together, in our own little bubble, in our own private existence. And it was awesome/challenging to experience each other in such a way.
But I definitely have felt that temporary and rare private time coming to an end and life has ramped right back up....
And it just hasn’t stopped getting busier and busier.
Travis and I think we are old (physically; where I’m did that random ache come from?!). Yet we are so young and naive sometimes (I’m probably demonstrating my naivety by assuming it’s only sometimes). We somehow had it in our mind that life was at its busiest it would ever be during residency. Travis was working 100+ hrs a week. I was in my Masters program. We had two babies. We loved over 1,000 miles from any family. So yes, we were divided and busy! And we kept hanging in there that once residency ended life would slow down. We’d enjoy peaceful evenings together, with dinners all as a family... games Of catch on summer night, and all cuddled together reading books before bed during the winters....
Cue the endless laughter over our stupidity!!
Now we know.
Now. We KNOW.
Don’t get me wrong, we do play catch. We do snuggle and read. And our goal is to always eat dinner as a family. It’s just in my mind it was always so peaceful, with lots of time for each activity. Now it’s “no, pick a shorter book because we don’t have time for a chapter book tonight...” “... let’s play catching on between active A and activity B...” and “dinner just finished, dad’s walking through the door, boys you have 10mins to shovel your food then get your cleats on and we have to be out the door!”
I do think though that the constant rush forced me to really zone in on the moment and enjoy certain things fore fully.
And yet... we know we aren’t even as busy as we could be! So far we are only entering the busy schedule, imagine how it will be in another year or two when Addie and Avery start adding in their activities.
* so that is the other part of my disclaimer. To those of you much much busier than I am, my heart goes out to you; you’re hero’s of your family and the communities you’re serving!
So jumping into it, we’re busy; I think you’re getting that.
We have something every night of the week. A lot of those nights we have two or three things. Starting next weekend we will have travel baseball tournaments every weekend from now until the end of July.
Don’t get me wrong, I may spend 2-4hrs multiple times a week being a chauffeur all over town, but there is nothing I’d rather be doing! I’m so grateful that being a mom was in my cards. I’m humbled to the mom of these four amazing little ones. My heart aches for anyone struggling through trying to become a parent. I only know the smallest amt of the pain that causes. And I’m endlessly grateful that I have a husband who shares the life goal that being a stay-at-home is what is best for our family. Someday I’ll go back to work, and I look forward to that too. But I Truly am soaking up each day for what it is: A canvas of possibilities, challenges, growth, and mistakes. So despite my endless complaining about the large amount of poop I deal with in my life, I really do love it all.
Travis
I don’t remember if I’ve updated on us individually in awhile, so I might re-mention a few things. First, he loves his job. He buys his team once ever few weeks and I constantly get told what a wonderful doctor he is by other healthcare workers, as well as patients. His #1 Hobby is still Mountain Biking. He is having withdrawals just knowing there isn’t much time to go this season. He’s in a contest at work for a cash prize; the team that loses the most weight wins the pot, so he’s quite motivated to calorie count and exercise (which in turn is helping me! And I need it!). He has made a goal to put his phone down when he’s home and just spend as much time with the kids and I as possible; he knows life is just getting busier each day and probably isn’t going to slow down, so he doesn’t want to miss anymore time with everyone. The other night as I was driving home from Aaron’s practice I saw Travis in the backyard playing catch with Maddix. I went inside and the washer/dryer were both running. Dinner was cleaned up. All the laundry on the couch was folded.... and I was like, “what the?! What did I do to deserve all this? He really is quite wonderful. The other night he ordered Chinese and we just ate it while watching a movie and I thought, “this is all I would really ever need in life. No one interrupted us. The whole movie was just us snuggling, not working on any other projects, and he just kept giving my the sweeetest squeeze hugs; that is a moment I want to hang onto. Travis was recently put in as the Elder’s Quorum President... 😬 he’s still trying to figure out just what it is he’s supposed to be doing! Because right now it just seems like everything falls under his calling. And to top off the craziness, travis has decided to move forward with landscaping our entire yard! All the companies were booked out until fall and next year! So we are doing it ourselves 🥴 Wish us luck.
Lacey
I am currently still recovering from this back injury from Spring break and it can be discouraging. I’m also working on my eating; the struggle is REAL for me. I mean, I eat real healthy, but then I also eat all the unhealthy stuff as well. Self control is definitely a weakness for me.
I’m currently coaching Maddix’s soccer team, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good we looked during our first game this past weekend. We were ahead the whole game and then tied just at the end. But we looked good!
My favorite parts of my day right now are snuggling with the girls for awhile during their nap times. Addie begs me to stay and then tells my watch to set the timer for 10 mins, we then talk with each other or she tells me stories. Avery instantly pops her her fingers into her mouth, nuzzles into my chest and just holds my hand. And TWICE now she has fallen asleep in my arms; pure HEAVEN. I also love that both Aaron and I enjoy laying on the heater vent, with blankets over us and we read Harry Potter together (from the illustrated books); we are now on #2. And making Maddix genuinely laugh feels like a REAL accomplishment. And travis and I value our date nights each weekend because we don’t really see much of each other right now!
Maddix
This kid wants to conquer it all. Endless drive. Such a passion to be the BEST. Has an answer to everything (even when not asked). Devours books (especially Greek oriented novels, like Percy Jackson). Is in this limbo between pre-teen and still my little guy. Becoming quite the trustworthy babysitter, especially when paired with Aaron... Maddix is a rule follower and doesn’t get distracted too easily. Aaron has this compassion and desire to make other happy; so Maddix keeps the house from burning down while Aaron Engages with the girls. He is currently playing soccer, taking piano lessons, on a travel baseball team, and is starting up City League ball. He recently made a new friend... who’s backyard corners up to ours! Covid had slowed us from getting to know all our neighbors so this was a gem of a discovery to basically have a friend in your backyard! Maddix just nailed being able to do a backflip on the trampoline! He took the Pacer test at school (a timed run) and is now ranked like 3rd on the school, but for a moment there he was first! He also killed it on his piano recital piece. He’s a very clean and organized person. His favorite game on the Xbox is Fortnight. He really struggles sometimes to see just how wonderful he is because he has such a perfectionistic personality. And I know that partly it’s my fault. When I give him a correction or come down too hard on him or even use certain words instead of others he just internalizes it and really self punishes himself. He’s just so smart that he is constantly thinking, overthinking, and NEVER forgetting a thing you say. And it makes me wonder if mu compliments come through as meaningful as my corrections. His favorite compliment is hearing, “Maddix, you’re so Christlike.” He lights up.
Aaron
This kid! I basically could write the same accomplishments and schedules as Maddix. He’s sad swim lessons ended. Enjoys piano. Isn’t sure he likes being so busy with all this baseball, but he’s in love with hanging out with friends during it all though. He though HATES soccer and isn’t playing (and I’m not sad about it). He is a creator, builder, scientist, explorer, story teller, dreamer, and as his teacher put it, “A constant joy in class! He has me in stitches everyday and he’s the first one to notice a need someone has and fill that need.” She also said, “he’s mathematically inclined; it’s just how his brain is wired and it’s so easy for him. Spelling and hand writing on the other hand? Atrocious.” Travis told me, “yep that just confirms that he’s going to be a neurosurgeon.” Which has been his profession of choice for the past three years. He wants to be a neurosurgeon in Alaska, his wife will train dogs, and they will own a dog sled team (half Goldens and the other half huskies). The other day the boys and I actually had quite an in depth Sex talk during the course of our dinner (it just came out naturally and just kept going as Aaron asked more and more questions). In the end (and I swear I explained it in a good and healthy way!) he said, “that does it, in high school I’m only kissing lots of girls. I’m not having a serious girlfriend until I go to BYU so I don’t lose sight of becoming a doctor and I know the girls there have my standards and can’t give me diseases!” 😂 my sides were splitting from trying to repress my chuckles. Oh he not only funny and genuinely kind, but he sees others in only the most positive ways. I almost never hear him say a negative thing about anyone. And despite others being hard on him, he just doesn’t care. He LOVES being home and feels so safe here that he often doesn’t care to go play with friends and has no problem walking away when they aren’t making good choices or being nice. And he is Maddix’s #1 fan! And adores his sisters. He also took the Pacer race and pushed himself so hard that for a brief moment he was 3rd in the school and landed himself on the nurses office from over exhaustion. And his piano recital! I loved seeing the progress he’d made!
Adeline
This little girl can be a full blown three year old sometimes when she’s tired, but 90% of the time she is the SWEETEST, most HELPFUL Angel. She keeps Avery happy, entertained, and alive. She isn’t just happy to be with her sister, but she LIVES for Avery. Avery’s wish her her command. And I’m always so impressed at how forgiving she is when crazy Avery hits her in the head, or says something mean. Addie always forgives and FORGETS. She bats her eyes and says the cutest little, “pplleeaasse” when she’s really after something. She loves her fancy dresses, watching fancy dancing, acting fancy, and using words like “ooh lala.” Her smile is the BEST. She is wicked smart and can figure anything out. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She loves being in primary now. She loves riding in Travis’s truck. ABC Mouse. Riding her strider bike. Reading. Getting ready for the day. And hates having to be in the car, ever. My favorite things she says right now, “Mom, can you please nap with me a little longer??” “You love staying home with your girls, don’t you!” And, “booty booty!!” That last one is usually said while sticking her boy out and waiting for you to tap it like a starting to her running off, squealing!
Avery
This wild little beast sometimes thinks she’s a cat... with licking, hissing, crawling, and crazy dirty looks! But then she’s a puppy with panting, licking, cuddling, and puppy piles. When she’s a human girl her speech is incredible. Seriously. The dr.’s said she’s way above any kids her age, but with three older siblings who were the same way, I think she’s had to learn quick to ever be heard. She’s in EVERHTHING! Climbs everything. Eats anything off the ground. Would rather eat dog food then human food. Hides in the kennel... I’m making her sound bizarre 😂 shes also incredibly smart and can work through complex situations, has great dexterity, builds the most complex magnets creations, and is an empathic little person. She feels deeply for others who are suffering (like when siblings are in time out, she cries and places herself in time out. I think she also learned this from Addie, who will tell me that anything Avery did wrong was actually she who did it because she doesn’t want Avery being punished! And Aaron can be that way too. He’s also a feeler. Maddix will take the blame... when he’s in just the right mood, but he does do it for Aaron more that anyone else... not that I’m often punishing my children!) Avery gives the BEST hugs and kisses you’ll ever receive; sorry Travis 😘) Oh and she ADORES her sister! And she copies what her siblings do quite often. She wants to be held/cuddles/wrestled all the time. If I’m working out on the floor, I am her jungle gym! She hates being left behind by her older siblings. Can’t sit through a movie. Never wants to leave my side. LOVES the bathtub. Her dogs. The trampoline. Music and dancing. And loves to laugh. But you have to be careful because without fail, If you rile her up or get her giggling too much, she’ll hiccup. And hiccups ALWAYS lead to vomit. She also gets carsick just running errands and throws up. She’s self potty training. She poops on the toilet almost exclusively. And peeps whenever she’s asked to. If her bum is naked (her favorite time to copy Addie’s “booty booty antics) she will remember to pee on the toilet. 30 seconds after pants or underwear are on, she’ll pee.
The dogs
Lily burns her energy doing walks through Turks and cacao’s (however you spell that) on our treadmill; shes so good at it. She can now catch the frisbee mid air. And she loves to lay on my feet during the girls naps and I’m eating my lunch. Nala is a whole new dog since her arthritis medicine started. She follows me EVERYWHERE! I think she prefers me over travis these days... since he’s so kind to Lily.
Easter was wonderful. We were able to hunt eggs in the yard because the weather was so nice. We had a friend egg hunt at the church the day before that was kids of fun. And the best part was having it fall on Conference weekend. FAITH. That was my big take away this time. And I have faith that Christ was resurrected and will come again!
Okay this took days to put together and I’m too tired to check for errors. So I’ll have to live with them.
