Last Sunday around the dinner table, Blake said, “Mom and Dad! I have a great idea! If I go 80 days without TV (his way of knowing how long summer is) can I get an ice cream truck?” This goal totally came out of the blue and without any prodding for us. We both smiled and replied that if he went the entire summer without TV, we would figure out some sort of ice cream truck. His dream is to drive around the neighborhood with music and hand out ice cream to everyone. So far, he has gone all week without TV. The first few days, this goal of his has been a major punishment to me. The children have watched so much TV lately, like hours and hours each day. But… after the first few days, we noticed something amazing happen. Both him and Evelyn stopped asking to watch shows, when normally they would ask all day long. They have been playing better and have been finding all sorts of things to occupy their time.
We still have a long ways to go, but I’m so proud of them for doing it so far.
Today all 6 of us made it through all 3 hours of church! Now that Eli has been more content, we are able to stay and it felt really good.
Never mind what I said in the last post about Eli being hard to console. He has been a DREAM baby the last few weeks! Now that we have his constipation thing figured out, he is so pleasant and calm. He has been sleeping 6-8 hour stretches at night and goes quickly back to sleep. He loves to sleep!! He only cries when he is hungry.
We’ve been trying to eat healthier lately. I got so burned out with cooking these past few months leading up to Eli’s birth that we let a lot slide. I’m still allowing myself grace with this process (there’s plenty of cereal mornings and popsicles and Brandon and I’s newest obsessions: So Delicious Creamy Chocolate Cashewmilk ice cream and Crumbl Cookies) but it’s been fun to try new recipes and get our family back to more veggies and whole grains.
A friend asked me today how it is with four children. I told her that when it’s crazy, it’s really crazy. Like when all four need me at the same time or at bedtime or getting all loaded up in the car. (Which by the way, I took all four by myself this week…to Home Depot nonetheless. Ha!) But for the most part, adding another one hasn’t been too much different. I’m thankful for the strength I have felt from the Atonement and for the TRUE JOY I have felt lately. Being a mother really is my happy place. I have noticed my heart exploding with love so much lately as I think about their sweet personalities and the way they make us laugh and getting to explore the world all over through their eyes. I really love this stage.
When Blake and I were on a bike ride yesterday on our tandem bike, an older man let us pass and said, “I’ll let you go first. You have precious cargo. Enjoy those days. They go too fast.” And I can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying these days and have not been wishing away any of them.
