Landmark Day

Everyone was on time to school today AND everyone brushed their teeth before they left.  Landmark day for the Pugh household.  In other news our kitchen looks like a bomb went off.

Little Things

Lately I have been feeling the "totally overwhelmed mom" feelings.  I feel completely maxed out with all my responsibilities.  The fact that my biggest responsibilities are also my greatest blessings adds a bit of guilt into the mix.  It seems that from the minute I wake up to the minute I crash at night there is almost always someone needing to be fed, changed, comforted, bathed, dressed, disciplined, practiced with, loved, listened to, read to, tucked in, etc.. There is an endless amount of laundry and dishes to be done and for some reason  Cheerios for dinner just doesn't seem to cut it.  Some days it feels like there is non-stop fighting, teasing, bickering, whining, crying, complaining, and total dis-respect.  I realize that in the grand scheme of things these are happy problems to have and I am SO SO SO much happier being in this stage and not back in the bed-rest phase...but last week I was beginning to feel totally rundown.
5...or maybe 10 chocolate chip cookies helped a little,
a supportive friend and listener helped even more,
a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a frozen pizza for dinner from Chad helped a ton,
but surprisingly the thing that helped the most was when I happened to go through some pictures on my computer that I hadn't really looked at since I took them.  The saying
"the days are long but the years are short"
kept running through my head.  I realized that a midst all the chaos and craziness...I need to try to remember the little things that make raising children so special.  As I looked at the pictures...mostly from the summer, I decided that I want to do a better job of remembering those little things when I feel like my task is too big.

And really, I do not want to forget...

that thanks to her Great Grandma Marian, at age 5, my little Marian can make banana walnut bread by herself from scratch....seriously she does it all...chop, mix, bake and serve!

I want to remember that Jack and Marian don't always fight and terrorize each other
(and yes that is a rock in Jack's stroller)

Grant and Grace used to hold hands in the porta-crib together

Jack was a total nerd....for nerd day at school

My kids actually do enjoy being together!  (at least sometimes)

I want to remember that when Jack started scouts I thought he looked so handsome and grown up (and I was unreasonably proud of the fact that I sewed the patches onto his shirt all by myself!)

I don't want to forget that during lunch, Marian and Lucy dance around the kitchen singing and acting out the same "Standin' Tall" songs I used to sing and act out with my sisters.  Anyone remember "Welcome to the Land of Obey?

We only have one baby jumper...and Grace's feet can't reach the ground when it's at Grant's setting.

How cute are those toes?

It's too much of  a hassle to change the settings back and forth so we improvise...

She loves it

I don't want to forget that Lucy LOVES to play with the babies on the floor in the family room and they usually love it too.

As he as done with all our babies...Chad is obsessed with kissing their cheeks and telling me every five minutes that they are the most beautiful babies in the world.

When he's home....Chad almost always has at least one baby on or around him

I've heard that someday we won't have to buy diapers any more and so I guess someday I might forget that once a month the UPS guy would deliver a box the size of Jack filled with diapers and wet wipes....I guess I could forget that...but I doubt it.

Have you ever...

Have you ever heard that a Kitchen-Aid will "walk off" the counter when it is mixing dough?

 Have you ever thought it won't walk off if you leave it on the lowest setting and set it at the BACK of the counter?

Have you ever run up stairs to take care of a crying baby and thought you would be RIGHT BACK down?

Have you ever heard little hands cranking the Kitchen-Aid up to full speed (and then run away) while you were still up stairs?

Have you ever come sprinting down the stairs just in time to see the kitchen aid launch itself off the counter, taking the giant glass jar of flour (which was recently refilled) with it?


Yeah...I hate that.

(not pictured) the huge gash in our wood floor and the Kitchen-Aid that believe it or not still works just fine.

Bed rest...and happy thoughts

Two days ago we had the "big" ultrasound and saw that our baby boy and baby girl  (yeah for one of each!!!) are healthy and adorable.  Such wonderful news.  A few minutes after that though, we were told that my body had already started down the path of early labor (I am 20 weeks along) and so the next day I had surgery to try to keep things at bay and I am now on bed rest until these babies get here.  Which I sincerely hope is not for a long long time.   (4 months-ish would be awesome).

I'd be lying if I said I have been all smiles and optimism these past few days.  I had major grieving the first day over all that has instantly changed in our lives.  First and foremost the fear that things might turn out badly for my already loved babies was more than my heart could take.  Second- I had fun plans to buy blue and or pink balloons and stuffed animals to shows the kids what the babies were going to be.  I'd planned to come home and sort through my bins of baby clothes and get things organized.  I was going to make cookies this week, go swimming with the kids on Friday, and glory in the happy news of my healthy twins and pregnancy.  I was going to sew an apron for Lucy so I could stop the battles over Marian's pink apron and I was going to get moving on all that needs to happen to get our basement finished before the babies got here. I was going to take kids to parks, make jell-o for Jack, bathe my girls each night and make a small start in the  flower beds. (insert 100 other things here).

All of that.    ALL OF THAT has to wait...or be done by someone else.  But that's okay.  It can all wait and thanks to the family and friends and new neighbors (who don't really even know me) who have literally jumped at the chance to help out, all the things that need to get done are getting done by angels!  I can't express how much love and gratitude I feel right now.  I feel so blessed, by those around me and especially my Heavenly Father.

These are special babies coming to our family, and although I hope we don't get to meet them for a long time, I am grateful that they are part of our family and grateful for the patience, humility, gratitude, faith, and hope they are already teaching me.

These are going to be hard times I think.  But happy times too.  And even more happy times are going to come in the future.  This summer has been very happy.  Here are some pictures to prove it and to remind me that there are more happy times to be had.


Newport Beach with my love

 

getting spoiled by grandma Shari at the Zoo

Canyon breakfast with uncle Robby

sister love in the back seat

joy in the sand

happiest place on earth...so true for 4 and 6 year olds

4th of July parades

fresh watermelon

loves from Grandpa Bruce

Cousins!

pure cuteness

garden beauty

We bought a house

We bought a  HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(pretend the garage is closed)

sheer determination...and success!

Hard

Life is just plain hard sometimes.  I know that's not news to anybody.  But man, some days it just seems truer than others. I know most people's hard days are a lot harder than mine so I should quit complaining...and I will.  right after I say that today ended up being a terrible horrible no good very bad day.  Here's to a better day tomorrow (or perhaps the day after that.)