Last Week

Previewing Pioneer Day Parade Floats

and a few relaxing days at the Cabin and Lake.

This Week

Back to School

for these two boys - 3rd and 5th Grade.

Also, FHE at Temple Square
with the extended family.

I said to make a silly face,
this looks rather SCARY to me!

Turning Two

Our Little Girl
turned two over the weekend.

We had a party in the park
with family,
and a few bugs.

We ate some butterfly cupcakes
and dirt 'n worms
to celebrate.

While her brothers played their parts.

We had an enjoyable but very warm evening
conversing
opening presents
playing
watching

and celebrating this
fun little girl that I am lucky to call mine.


Later on, at home, as I was tucking her into bed
I got a little sad
I didn't want to say goodnight
because I knew that meant she would wake up
starting her third year in life.

I don't want her to grow up and least NOT too fast.
She is at a really fun and cute stage right now
and I don't want it to go away.

Happy Birthday Sweet M

Scouting Adventures

Last week was a big scouting week for our family.
If you have boys,
there are a lot of scouting opportunities
from the age eight and on.

Our oldest went on his first week long scouting camp and survived.

Apparently it involved maneuvering through slot canyons,

shooting with bows and arrows,

carrying a huge log and eventually throwing it?!?

And there were many more fun boy activities
that he told me about.
He had a good time
but came home with some
really BIG swollen, sunburned lips
and lots of bug bites,
but like I said he survived.

It was only after he and his father returned from said scout camp
that his father mentioned to me
that this was the exact same camping spot
where a few years prior a young scout had wondered off on his own
and was never seen again.
Thanks hon.

Good thing he told me AFTER they returned home safely.

As a side note, that next day (Sunday) after returning home
our oldest got to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting
for his very first time -
he did awesome.

Our other two scouts,
I mean cub scouts, also had a busy week.
They had two fully loaded days of cub scouting adventures
at their day camps up in the canyon.

And lucky me,
I got to go and supervise one of the days.
That is how I got these shots of our third son shooting arrows

and moving his way through an obstacle course.

Being with eight, 8 year olds for six plus hours,
makes for a very long and tiring day.
I was glad the next day I didn't have to get up
and do it all again.

I wish I had pictures of our second son
but he was at the Webelos camp up the road
and I have no idea what they did or what they earned
but I do know that he came home really dirty so he must have had a fun.

Our Fun Family Fourth

Here is how our LONG weekend went:

FRIDAY

Swimming at a neighbor's pool,
then date night and movie night.

SATURDAY


An early wakeup call for our annual
neighborhood Children's Parade down our street.

The kids all looking patriotic.


Events also included my two Cubs participating in the Flag ceremony
and leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

Later that evening with Nanna, Papa and cousins
we played in the water, ate yummy food
and watched fireworks.

SUNDAY

At church
feeling sick to my stomach
everyone's eyes on me,
a new calling

Primary President.

Nervous
Anxious
Humbled

After being set apart
we head to the Cabin.

MONDAY




A WONDERFUL day at the Lake.

Decisions

Today I had my "yearly" appointment with my OBGYN
and everything checked out fine,
everything except my emotions that is.

As my doctor and I began talking
my eyes started to tear up
and I had a hard time controlling my emotions.
Why? Why was I so emotional?
We were discussing birth control (bc).

I have been on bc for a long time,
and off of it when we felt it was time to have another little one in our family.
But today we were discussing more permanent bc.

Permanent as in no more would I be able to feel the kicking and rolling of a little growing baby inside of me. Permanent as in no more family anticipation on if the baby is a boy or a girl and who the baby would look like. Permanent as in me not having the priviledge of going through the pain and the relief (thanks to modern medicine) of labor and that amazing moment of the baby being born.

Of course this also includes no more morning sickness, no more not being able to find clothes that fit, no more endless question about the baby and its arrival. However, these "no mores" always seem to me to have been completely worth the end result.

I knew before hand that I was going to be talking to my doctor about this subject but I was caught of guard by the amount of uncertainty I still have about it.

In my mind this all makes sense.
Logically I am done having children because at times I feel so overwhelmed by what I have already been blessed with. Physically I am done because I am not in good shape and I am feeling my age. Financially I am done because we just cannot afford another child. And then there is the issue of it being a joint decision.

But all this just doesn't seem to make sense to my heart.

Talking about it makes it all seem so PERMANENT and FINAL.
And yet I know it is not.

I don't know if I will ever be ready to fully commit to saying YES, I am done having children because that is a part of my life I just don't want to let go of.
At least for now.