Sometimes You Have to Excuse the Mess While Memories Are Made~ Bowling, Sewing, Fishing, Cranes

As our children have grown bigger, the messes have changed.

Rylee got her first "job" at the bowling alley/movie theater. She cleans theaters, helps in part of the kitchen, and runs the cash register. 

It has been a nice source of new experiences and challenges. They have two theaters and sometimes it can take her three hours to clean both.

She also sees first hand how much different it is making a low hourly wage verses working for her dad. But, she gets to bowl and watch movies for free. I think free movies alone makes the job worth it. Maybe not. I've never cleaned a theater.

A week after Anthony got home off his mission, he interviewed with the company building the temple.

They called him back to say that if he passed a drug test he was hired.

Of course, he passed. And of course, I think it's just ultimately cool that my son is helping to build a temple.

Rylee's horse lost her baby. He was fine one night, the next morning he was laying dead on the ground with foam coming out of his nostrils. It was devastating, as you can imagine, for Rylee's tender heart.

Now that she can take January out of the field to ride, she is being quite belligerent. Apparently, leaving your horse in a huge field of grass hay (We now know to be considered "hot" feed.) along with horses in the neighboring fields leads to a very spoiled, lazy, hotly feisty horse. Not so good for riding. So, Rylee is learning how to rehabilitate January. There have been many tears, but she is persevering.

Kiki got tired of waiting for a sewing table for her room and just used the kitchen table.

She had a serious itch to make a quilt.

She made two in two days.

We had a LOT of rain this spring which meant earlier access to the high country.

Jake and our very good friend, Ryan, talked my two-boys and Ryan's son into hiking to a place called Corral Creek Lake.

As I learned in Guam, never trust Jake when he says it's only a couple miles. When they got back, it had been a ten mile hike of climbs and descents. Some were hobbling, some were grumpy, some were sunburned. 

But, they did bring me back six delicious fish. I'm going to make a sign or a t-shirt that says: Real men bring the fish home for dinner. Thanks guys! I very much appreciate it.

I have been making good use of grandpa's pool. I love swimming so very much. Here, the boys are telling their friend to stand still as I lower the deck into the water because it tickles the hairs on their legs. Goofy boys.

There is never a problem finding something fun to do in a pool.

Yippee

Then, of course there are these days. I am enjoying my kids getting older. I'm getting closer to that vision of my church pew being full of my grown children and their families.

There's still a lot of enjoyment in my "little" kids. They add a lot of life and energy to our home.

Then, of course, there was that time we made a coffin.

Never thought I'd learn the anatomy of a coffin. Beautiful, isn't it?

Looks comfy, right?

At one time, I had a daughter in high school, a son in junior high, and five homeschooled children under nine years of age. It was almost more than I could bear. My brain was cloudy with fatigue. I was being pulled in so many different directions, I pretty much lost myself. We had a huge house which was impossible to keep clean with so many little monkeys dropping stuff everywhere. We lived ten miles out of town which doesn't seem like much, but when you end up going into town three or four times a day, it's annoying as crap.

Along my road of parenting, I have learned that there are some things I just have to accept.

Like, that cleaning is a cycle. After I sweep and mop the floor, they are going to come in with their dirty shoes. After I detail the car, some hiking trip or drywall job will make it filthy again.

I've also learned that sometimes the source of my biggest frustrations were my own expectations. So, I had to really ask myself if they were unrealistic. And, yes, expecting a four year old child to behave and think like an adult was unrealistic. Expecting my husband to just know my emotional needs was impossible. Expecting everyone else to convert to my way of systematically doing things was unfair. A person comes with their own personality. Life is easier- love is easier- when you accept this.

There was a point when I felt quite resentful for all the demands I felt were being placed on me. Then, in my pursuit of happiness, I realized that these children, this family life should not be something I'm waiting to get through so that I can get to the life I really want. I completely changed my perspective so that I embraced my family as my career. That alone, has made all the difference in my personal happiness. I then took all of my skills and talents, passions and convictions, and threw them into my job as a wife and mother.

My life could then encompass everything that I loved. I was able to learn who I was, or had become, by following my own passions. I was able to find wonder in the world around me just as all of my children found wonder in theirs.

I support my family in the things they do and they support me in the things I do.

I miGht bE grOWinG Up...