This week: Soren and I busted out the paper Automata book that grandma lady gave him for Christmas. We made this awesome little hen that pecks when you hit the lever. Soren ate this activity up with a spoon. He loves puppetry and was fascinated by the mechanics behind creating an automata.
This week: Soren started swimming lessons with Makenzie. He’s SUPER close to being an independent swimmer!
This week: Sloane failed a hearing test and she and I endured a 2+ hour wait for a scheduled appointment with the audiologist. She literally began spinning and climbing the walls at the 2 hour mark with insanity. And
I literally stopped trying to entertain her. They got us in “shortly” after and after 4 minutes with the audiologist we were on our way home. The ENT removed some buildup and she passed the hearing test this time. $225 later....
Notice her self selected flip flops “
this one is to match my dress and
this one is to have unicorns.” Excellent logic!
On Sunday after church, two of my children had had enough of each other and a sibling argument escalated into something quite unholy. Aaron and I separated them and I prayed about what to do. Both children turned their anger toward other family members and I knew they needed to be out of the home and away from the other kids while they worked through their emotions, and Aaron agreed. But where to go?
A very clear answer came to me: put them in the car and drive to the Christ of the Ozarks statue.
I really did not want to do this.
At all.
I was super tired and had hoped for a Sunday nap (what’s that? Haha) and had promised a friend I would make 3 pans of Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes and whipped sweet potatoes. An hour long each way drive was not on my docket.
I’m tired. Raising preschoolers (who are still toddlers developmentally) and teens (who exhibit some similar behavior as the toddlers) is exhausting. I cannot remember a day in the last 6 months that did not begin or end or both without at least one child crying. It’s a chaotic season and the little ones begin their day with the sun, and the older ones end their day long after the sun and I’m more tired than I ever was with a newborn.
But weary or not, the prompting came again, and Aaron encouraged, “So go there. I will peel potatoes and you can cook them up when you get back.”
So I took two very angry Willardsons for a drive. I was met with extreme resistance and one spewed vitriol toward me for a solid 45 minutes, which is much shorter, I believe than the episode would have lasted had we stayed home. I remained calm and firm in my faith that God is smarter than I am and that he would not send the Holy Ghost to guide us with nonsense. There was a purpose. 46 minutes into the drive, like the flip of a switch, one of them fell asleep and the other one took a breath and stopped the tantrum. Then, with some coaching, she regained self control.
They switched roles on the drive home and while one child slept the other was open to conversation. No major concerns were resolved that day. But I know that particular drive is what everyone needed.
This week: the twins’ case went into appeal. This means that someone has challenge a previous court ruling, and the file will go before an appellate court. This process can take 6-12 months. It was a tough blow to our family to know we will remain in a state of waiting for permanancy and that the last 18 months of hearings hangs on the decision of another judge.
This week: our young friend Aldo had an appendectomy. I got to keep his mama company and then had the privilege of hanging out with this sweet boy for a few hours in his recovery room last night while mama tended to her other children and her job. My time with them strengthened my testimony that God is in every little detail of our lives and he prepares our course beautifully.
This week: insulation is going up in the house! I met with the “dream team” as I call them (contractor, cabinet carpenter, and plumber) all at the same time yesterday. The contractor is working with the hvac crew to get rid of the hole in the kitchen floor, and to move all the air vents that were installed up in the middle of the walls in Sloane’s room (vs down near the floor). The cabinet guy and I drafted up a new kitchen plan. The fridge will be enclosed in cabinetry, the microwave will be moved and a custom hood fan in it’s place, the island narrowed by 6 inches and extended by 18inches. A skinny cabinet will go in next to the fridge to hold cutting boards and cookie sheets, and the base cabinets under the island overhang will not have useless drawers in them.
This week: Aaron and I attended a barn wedding for one of Aaron’s coworkers. We came home to a house full of cute teens hosting a birthday party for one of Reese’s friends. This was a welcome contrast to the new but near constant sibling contention that is currently plaguing our home. We stood under this LOVE sign and danced during a song/game that the DJ/event coordinator organizes where couples in attendance were eliminated based on the years they’ve been married. We don’t consider ourselves to be newlyweds, but we were quite surprised to be among the 5 couples who had been married the longest. The ceremony was lovely and we felt and discussed later how we both could feel that marriage is important to the Savior. I think Aaron enjoyed being at an interfaith event and participating in prayer together with so many coworkers.
The setting was picturesque. I have zero time or energy to care for acres right now, but I long for property with quiet, beautiful views such as these.
This week: we celebrated National Donut Day with free Krispy Kreme. My favorite price!
