One on One

 I keep thinking I am going to get back to normal, but normal seems very evasive.  Three months ago my life was crazy busy, but it was very predictable.  I would wake up, exercise, study, get the kids ready for school, and then head up to work on the house.  The kids would walk to the house after school and we would head back to the apartment where we would do homework, dinner, and the whole night time routine.

Now I set my clothes out at night planning to exercise each morning which sometimes happens and sometimes does not.  The move, compounded by me being absent for a month caused a disruption in Titus' sleep routine from which he has not recovered, meaning I am often up at night with him.  It is not unusual for one of the kids to need me for a drink, a hug, a nightmare, or a blankie at 5:00 in the morning as I have my running shoes laced up and I'm preparing to walk out the door.  This throws my study schedule off which leaves me praying in the shower (not all bad, but not ideal.)  I have big plans each day to organize, unpack, clean, and serve.  But then Titus wakes up and all my plans get postponed.  So I'm trying to be ok with unpredictable.  I'm learning (slowly) to adjust my expectations and still get something accomplished.

 Lately we've been accomplishing a lot of cookies.  Isaac loves to cook and is always by my side in the kitchen.  When Titus naps each afternoon, he wants to bake.  Here's the math: missing morning workout + making cookies each afternoon = chubby mama.

 Levi loved basketball this year.  He was really aggressive on the court and sad that it was already over. (Daisy played again this year too, but missed her last game due to a sprained foot, so I don't have a cute pic of her with her jersey and medal.)

 Thanks to the city recreation department and BYU we got to enjoy a Men's game with our cousins.  We love cheering for the Cougs and being together.  I could go to every game and not get sick of it.

 These brothers rarely miss their morning pajama wrestling match after the big kids leave for school.

 Isaac returned to his dance class for the first time since his hospitalization.  He was soooo excited to go back, and his little friends were so happy to see him. 

 Levi taught our family home evening lesson about missionary work, and then we all wrote letters or drew pictures for the missionaries.  I had to snap a picture of Levi's letter before I mailed it. 

 Levi and I got to go on a date to the Hale Theater and see "Big River."  Before we left, Jeff was giving Levi tips on how you should treat girls on a date.  Levi kept me smiling all night long.  He picked Chili's for dinner, and we avoided the wait by sitting at the bar.  He realized about halfway through the meal that he was the only kid around. 

 We both loved the production, and Levi asked some really introspective questions about race, slavery, and discrimination on the way home and for the next several days.  Levi was so excited to get his picture taken with "professional actors!"

Spending time with each of my children one-on-one became even more of a priority after Isaac's hospitalization.  Being with  him and just him helped me recognize how important it is to really get to know each of my children on an individual basis.  I understand that there is something sacred and essential to investing in and establishing that very personal relationship.

 When we are not making cookies, Isaac and I like to play games.  Sometimes he gets going on a puzzle and I sneak off to do the laundry.  Sometimes I give him my phone and sneak off for a nap.  Sometimes we play rounds and rounds of Uno while the laundry and the bills and the dishes all wait.

The warmer weather has beckoned the kids outside to play and left me missing the fields where we lived before we moved here.  I remain hopeful that the renewal of Spring will be a renewal for me.  I am ready to bid this winter goodbye.