And So I Conclude.

These past few weeks have been ridiculous.
They included a couple weekend trips away, several 13-hr days of babysitting the Toddler, heading up the decorating committee for a major Relief Society event, a specialist's appointment for Baby-Rae on the same day as decorating AND babysitting, and a major living room overhaul so D-Hubby could turn it into a studio for a couple photo shoots. I'm dizzy.

But! It also has been an enlightening few weeks. I've learned:

-I won't be having three children under the age of three. This occurred to me one night when I was also babysitting the Toddler, who is 2.5 yrs old. D-Hubby was gone for the evening. Baby Rae had a huuuuge pooh earlier that day which had resulted in her first major diaper rash. I had convinced her and the Toddler to have a bath in the hopes that it would relieve some of the discomfort she was feeling "down there." Baby-Rae wanted out sooner than the Toddler, so I got her out of the tub. With no ointment on her bum, she refused to walk on her own because her poor little bum cheeks rubbed together (Too much info? Ha.) So while she's crying, refusing to be put down, the Toddler suddenly decides that she wants to get out, too, and proceeds to try and climb out herself. So with a slippery toddler trying to scale the tub (you'llslipandfallsositdownforafewminutesandi'llhelpyouwheni'mdone!), and no arms to stop her because Baby-Rae is hollering while I'm holding her.... Baby-M decides he's screaming-hungry and starts hollering from the living room. Having three kids under three had never really occurred to me before...but it sure won't occur to me again after that moment. Whew! I am SO impressed with the women that do that. I guess you can do anything if you have to...but still! Tough stuff.

-I love road trips with my D-Hubby. Our kids are still little...too little to get most of what we say...which affords us the greatest talks while on the road. The trips to and from The Land of the Extended Family are 6-7 hours by car, with kids. I love that time. No computers, no kitchen, no house to clean...just us, and a whole lotta time.

-I am definitely NOT detail-oriented. And I am SO okay with that. I married someone who is. Most of my closest friends are. A couple of ladies on my committee for decorating were. And the president of the Relief Society is. Which is awesome, really. I enjoy paying attention to the details...but am pretty quick to ditch them when I feel like the big picture is getting lost. It may just be a defensive mechanism so that I don't get overwhelmed, I'll admit that possibility. But whoa, baby! I felt the pressure this week. Just relaaaaaax, I wanted to say SO many times this week, the most important part is that the Spirit is felt! Not the colour of the flowers. This, however, was also something I had to tell myself when the decor wasn't as "cute" as I'd hoped. Vanity, all vanity on my part. Oh well. We all gave a little, worked as a team, and had a good time. That's the big picture...right? Gaaah. I'm friiiied.

-I am glad I'm not a single mom. The past couple weekends D-Hubby was shooting (photos) for a couple sports tournaments. He was gone constantly. The whole weekend. Both weekends. I was staying with my family...mom, dad, and siblings galore! Who were beyond helpful. SO awesome. And still... I missed his help. It's so comforting to know that I have someone else who can call the shots and make decisions, who feels as much ownership of...and responsibility for... my kids and their ultimate well-being as I do. How awesome is that?

-I am actually just fine with my life the way it is. The past few months, I've had very few extra church responsibilities to carry out. And I've missed it. I love playing an active, participatory role in building up the Kingdom and giving my time and talents for it. Though, I have loved that it has given me more time to focus on my kids and really getting into a flexible routine for maintaining my life and home. Being able to participate in getting this recent church event together was great. Exhausting and stressful, but I really did enjoy it. However, it gave me a greater appreciation for the current simplicity of my life right now. I missed my kids!...even though I was still with them, most of the time! It felt like my mind was constantly elsewhere. I always had a mental list running through my head of things I still needed to get, people I still needed to call, what still needed to happen. The amount of time I spent just stopping and really looking at and really listening to my kids dropped dramatically. And I missed it! I missed them. Lesson learned: treasure these sweet (relatively) uncomplicated days with my sweet babies...and quit trying to pack my life with stuff. AND the most important thing I could be doing to "get my hands" dirty in doing the Lord's work is raising my kids to love and serve Him...and to be there to teach them how. That's the good stuff. The meat and potatoes of my important responsibilities! And while I'll welcome the opportunity to serve in the church when it comes, I'm just fine with the way things are until then, too.

Yumm...meat and potatoes....I'm hungry.