December 2, 2019

We've been having too much fun to write about. Birthdays, holidays, seasonal activities... I'm too tired to think about remembering it but I know it's been fun. A whole lotta fun. And it's not ending any time soon. 3 kids is fun.

We're already done Christmas shopping. I like to finish it before December so I can focus on the Christmas activities we like to do in December. It was especially nice this year to have so much of Isaiah's input in the present buying. I didn't ask him to be more involved--I guess he just wanted to be. He loves our boys [almost] as much as I do, which is such a gift to me. I can't imagine how many people's lives he is keeping check on right now, as a father, brother, son, and Bishop. Not many people can help shoulder the mental load he carries. I'm surprised anytime he is available when I ask him to be, or he offers to do a service for someone. He is good at giving our family the time we need with him, even though he could easily spend every day assisting the needs he's aware of. I'm grateful for him.

Summer 2019

Among other things, this summer we:

went on a nature walk
played with water in the backyard (water guns, plastic pool, hose)
did play-dough
roller skated
played at parks, spray grounds
had mom store/story time, where the boys impressed me immensely with their stamina and independence for reading
played card games
bbq'd food
played hide and seek
baked cookies
rode in a gondola
sang Youtube karaoke
put on a skit
toured the World of Wonders science museum
wrote letters to family
made art with shaving cream
had a water balloon fight after a water balloon volleyball game
went to the library and participated in the summer reading program
had a picnic in the front yard
had family movie night
made s'mores on the stove...lots of times
did puzzles
had a pillow fight
did a scavenger hunt on the road trip to Colorado
painted rocks
attended Seth's soccer practices and games
went mini golfing
swam at a pool
built with Legos
took a day trip to San Francisco for Seth's and Cameron's first MLB game
played charades
did service for someone
washed the car (enjoyed a month-long Quick Quack car wash pass)
played on the trampoline
froze toys in water and hammered the ice to dig them out
went on bike rides
had dance parties
fed the neighbor's dog
played instruments
put on a fashion/hair style show
watched "Learn to draw" videos
played Simon Says
learned how to have staring contests
played two truths and a lie
hula hooped
played with glow sticks pre-Stadium of Fire fireworks
went on a hike to the giant flag on the mountain in Pleasant Grove
tried a new recipe
played with bubbles
hosted a talent show
visited dad at IKEA during his work
played I Spy
finger painted with pudding
played board games

We also road tripped to Utah, and then Colorado for a Packard family reunion, and then a mini-reunion with my siblings. It was fun for the 10 cousins to get to know each other in real life.

In the past, summers/breaks from school have been too long and I am anxious for the older boys to have some time apart. But I worked hard to be intentional in balancing structure and free time and I was much more sad about school starting than I thought I would be. Summer 2019 was a win.

Enjoying Life

Life is so mentally taxing. I don't always love my seemingly endless, mundane life even though I'm doing what I always pictured myself doing for my whole life, and loving. It's really hard to put so much of my focus into hooligans who hardly care to show appreciation or respect to me--the person who birthed their body and regularly sacrifices my own wants to make them happier. I do everything for these boys. It's hard to remember that I'm doing a good job even if they're not doing what I've asked, and that they're doing a good job, too, even if their age and personalities prevent them from acting exactly how I'd like them to all the time. It's a mental struggle. Sometimes it's physically hard, too, but usually it's more mental. I bought myself flowers today. If the boys don't show me respect, then at least I can show it to myself.

This is half a day's worth of drool. And he's more often in one sock than two, intentionally.

Twinners

The comparisons are unavoidable. I think Cameron looks like Seth, and Cameron looks like Evan, but Seth doesn't look like Evan. Seth looks like Dada.