Busy

***By some amazing grace my tiny babe is remarkably better today. The wheezing in his chest is all but gone although he's still had some nasty coughs off and on throughout the day. I pray that he is truly getting better and the worst is behind us...
 

Gardner Village on Saturday

Lately when I am in the nursery, rocking in the glider with Luke in my arms, I have been trying to mentally shut everything out except my delicious baby. It takes serious effort. Especially when I can hear my other kids playing down the hall or I hear my cell phone ringing or vibrating with a new text. Often times it's my whirlwind mind that wants to make all the noise in my head and race on thinking about when to start dinner or who I need to call about YW events or what we will do for FHE or when we will schedule a major garage cleaning or temple date or dentist appointment.

And then I wonder when all this "busy"ness crept into my life. Was it there when I only had Bentley and my brain has just forgotten? Or is it just a matter of being 32 years old and the mother of 4? I truly have to carve out special time to just be still every day (having a newborn who needs lots of nursing and bedtime rocking truly helps.) I am trying to work on my calendar too—making sure I have at least one day a week where we have nothing planned but being home and staying in our PJs as long as we please. For me, that is my chance to relax and regroup before facing the days ahead.

Busy things the past week:
—3 big kids to the dentist (all cavity free!)
—Bentley's and Caroline's parent teacher conferences
—Hogle Zoo day
—grocery run as well as a long delayed Costco outing (I hadn't been there since the end of November!)
—Gardner Village last Saturday (kids fed the ducks with Joseph while I had my hair cut at the salon there)
—the kids and I made play dough together
—I sewed some personal progress book holders to see if we should make them for the YW as a Christmas gift. As of February, I am the 2nd counselor in my YW presidency which I love doing but it is certainly a very full calling. Wouldn't trade it for anything though.
—Joseph also got a new calling as the ward mission leader and starting attending early morning meetings before church again. Didn't he just do that for 4 solid years as the executive secretary? I will never in my life take for granted having my hubby home on a Sunday morning before 9 am church. It is rare and oh so appreciated. Will we ever be on time to church again without his help? We shall see...
—Planned and executed a crazy youth activity just last night modeled after The Amazing Race. It was based on service and we had the kids all over the neighborhood doing good and memorizing scriptures and assembling puzzles and searching for a well-hidden pit stop in the church building. It was all very exciting and chaotic (and tiring for leaders who had to run all around with the kids!) We will have to do it again sometime now that I know how competitive our youth are (and how mad it makes them when other teams peek at their work for help or follow them as they race without figuring it out on their own). Oh, and next time I will make sure ALL of my clues are in the right spot instead of sitting in my hands when kids are searching for them (oops).