Reflections the Week Before Easter

Even in the frigid Pocatello climate, we have daffodils blooming. And it probably won't even snow tomorrow, so how can I complain too much?

This week has been full. Full of fun activities, (I've been) full of food, full of work.

Fun Activities:
The kids and I like to go on daily adventures, and some of the trips this week have been grocery trips, to the mall, trips to get the oil changed, Gold's Gym adventures, trips to our friends' houses, and even outdoor adventures. It is safe to conclude that Lucy wore a tutu or other skirt 98% of the time that she stepped out the door this week. It is also safe to conclude that she had me dance with her as we sang "Once Upon a Dream" every single day.

I took a step outside of my comfort zone and went to a girl's night centered on making bows. I kid you not--everyone had bins full of materials for making bows, and there were multiple mini-lessons on how to create bows. I started getting the "craft willies" about half an hour in, and asked my friend to hold my hand for support. I need to warm up to crafty activities--just suck it up, and do the crafts. I dodged crafts the following night as well, when we were supposed to make card-stock Easter baskets for the young women, and stuff the baskets with fake grass and treats. I introduced how great the "assembly line" method would be, and stuffed baskets, rather than trying to make them. Again, I need to be a little better about doing things that don't really interest me. I have pledged to go over to my friend's house to make "a bow" for my brand-new daughter:). I hope to overcome the craft willies some day soon--I just hope I'm a late bloomer.

Full of Food:
Oh my goodness, how much food can a pregnant woman consume? At some point, you are supposed to run out of room for food, with the baby hogging so much space. Sadly, that day has not come for me. I partook liberally at the craft night, at the Relief Society basket night, at play group, and anywhere else where food played even a supporting role--like in my kitchen. I'm hopelessly addicted to Twix bars right now, and have had more in the past month than I may have had in the last 10 years. My daughter is getting bigger and stronger every second, but my thighs know what it means to grow as well. I'd like to exercise more self-discipline; I count myself grateful that I've gained 26 pounds so far during this pregnancy. Now, if I could just stay right where I'm at through my delivery, I'd feel fine!!! I've got about 5 1/2 weeks to go!

Full of Work:
Our family life has been dramatically different since Doug began working in Idaho Falls. He's gone before the kids wake up, and rarely home before 6. So we have time to eat together, and listen to/tell stories from his work and my day, and then we rotate who's going to watch kids for the night (because Doug has Young Men's activities, and I tend to have an obligation or activity each week). We aren't getting as much time together, which has been a bummer. Also, I started a new semester this week, which took a lot of my free time, and Doug has been prepping for court cases a lot of the time. To make the week even more eventful, I babysat for a friend this week, and cleaned our house for hours because someone was coming to look at it. And Doug started working on replacing our windows(we needed to re-order new ones) and he painted the garage and storm door, which look so awesome! I don't mind having to work, but I really look forward to my get-away with Doug next weekend, where we can just hold hands and be together without our typical, every-day stresses.

Happy Easter to everyone, and I hope things are going so well for you!