Okay, Okay, Okay

I've always known that I'm one of those individuals who often requires a smack over the head (so to speak) to help me see life in an appropriate light. For some reason, though, I never seem to remember this fact when in the midst of my own brooding self-pity. Heavenly Father, however, seldom forgets to remind me. Sometimes gently, sometimes not so gently. Luckily for me this last week has been full of many gentle reminders.

I morosely sat in sacrament meeting on Sunday, wishing that I was somewhere else when one of the speakers introduced his topic which he based on a talk by President Uchtdorf titled "Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?". As he started to speak I leaned forward and said to Holly, "I don't think I want to hear this." And I didn't. But, as the speaker continued I realized, quite profoundly, that I needed to hear it. Now I know that the talk wasn't necessarily geared toward miserable, self-pitying, pregnant women...but I suppose that when I heard him talk of "enduring to the end" I knew that I hadn't been doing a great job of it lately. 

So, thank you to those who have put up with me (and in some cases supported me). And, thank you to those who have been gentle in helping me to remember how blessed my life really is. I really do know that I have many, many, reasons to rejoice.

Are You Kidding Me?

It seems to me, and I'm sure to many of you, that the last 9 months have been nothing but a Complain-Fest chalk full of my most ornery, whiney, and boorish moments. It's true. I'd be stupid not to acknowledge my weaknesses. That being said, I hope I'll be cut a little slack for indulging myself one more time.

On top of the fact that I am still very pregnant and very much wish that I weren't, I now have pink eye. Seriously! On one hand I'll admit it's a bit humorous. But on the other hand...it's unbelievable to me that, insignificant and treatable as it is, I have to deal with yet another "inconvenience"...especially since I'm already dealing with SEVERAL other "inconveniences".  Today I actually spent several minutes trying to guess what the next thing will be. Stay tuned...I'm sure it will be as ridiculous as the rest.

I Have A Great Idea...

During dinner we asked the kids what they wanted to do for Family Home Evening. (Ian and I aren't much into planning ahead, apparently.) We were treated to the following epiphany from our 5-year old:

Lindy: "I have a great idea! You and dad and Ellie can sit on the porch in the backyard and watch me fly my kite."

Ian: "So basically we should be spectators to Lindy's life?"

Lindy (with a slightly exasperated look): "Well, yeah..."

The Hunt Is On

Easter at our house started far too early in the morning this year (at least for a very tired mom). At exactly 7:49am the girls were already outside hunting around our very cold, slightly frozen backyard for their Easter baskets and eggs. They were both shivering by the time it was over but, as you can tell, very excited about the forthcoming sugar rush.

I forgot (of course) to get pictures of the girls in their cute Easter outfits. But, since Easter came so early this year I figure I have plenty of time to "re-create" this day sans the frigid weather. 

Thank Heaven For Projects

Since I ended up with a little extra time on my hands this week, I was able to finish another quilting project. It was a lot of fun. I love being able to see the end-product of my work...especially when I never know if it's going to turn out.

I made two similar baby quilts for my baby and my friend Becca's upcoming baby boy. (Becca, if you happen to see this post, pretend to be surprised when you get it in the mail.) It was actually easier than most projects I've done and I finished it faster than I wanted to, so I'm on the lookout for something else to occupy my time.  

Nothing Yet...

For those of you faithfully checking the blog for the joyful news of the arrival of Baby Brother Jones, it seems I have expected FAR too much cooperation from the newest male member of our family. I should have known, based on his father's track record, that I was in for a little stubborn resistance.

The "go" day which I so eagerly planned on has come and gone...and there is no end in sight. At this rate, I'll probably be pregnant for the rest of my life. (Boy, that sounded overly dramatic, didn't it?) Okay, I guess I'll only be pregnant for as long as this kid decides he wants to stay warm and cozy in the womb and torment his slightly-demented mother. 

So, I promise we'll keep you all updated. Thanks for the well-wishes. I really do have the greatest of friends.

A Plethora of Princesses

Today Lindy and I had a mother-daughter day out. We don't get to do it very often, but when we do we go in style. Thanks to Mandi (and Dave) we got tickets to "Disney On Ice: Princess Wishes". It ended up as a group event with four other friends and their moms. I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd never before felt the need (or desire) to attend such an event. So I think I was slightly unprepared for the level of excitement a few princesses could incite in a group of 4 and 5 year old girls! Here they are before we got inside the arena.

We saw Jasmine, Belle, Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, Mulan, and Cinderella along with all their princes, Mickey and Minnie, and even Goofy. There were a couple times I thought Lindy would bounce her way into the lap of the lady in front of us...she was SO EXCITED!

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time. As a mom, it was so much fun to see the smiles of delight on the face of my daughter. She told me later on that they were the best ice-skating princesses she had seen in her whole life!

Are We There Yet?

It's been a long, hard road up to this point...but here we are in the final stretch (and I mean "stretch" literally) of this pregnancy. I talked myself into allowing a self-loathed picture to be taken in order to document the "joys" of being great with child. I'm trying to convince myself that I will appreciate it later on in life. Probably MUCH later.

So here we are at 37 weeks. Hopefully this sweet boy will cooperate with my well-laid plans and won't make me wait much longer. (For the record, I do realize I'm completely demented expecting cooperation from a fetus...especially this feisty character.) But we are ready, not only to be done with being pregnant, but also to have "baby brother" in our home.

Our next great task? A name. And no...I'm not going to have a contest to see who can "Name the Jones Baby"...I'm far too picky for that and tend to steer clear of other people's suggestions. Sorry folks. Wish us luck!

MEOW!

If you ever stop by my house and find me in a state of un-showered disaster, this might help you understand why there are days I just can't find the motivation to shut myself in my bathroom and leave the kids unsupervised. 

The other day, I thought I was safe to take a quick shower and perhaps even put on some makeup. During that lightening-quick break, apparently Ellie decided that "she wanted to be a kitty", so Lindy obligingly drew whiskers on her face with a black MARKER! It's only taken 3 days for the last traces of it to finally wash off. 

Well, at least I can say that I wasn't hygienically challenged that afternoon, right?

Pessimism vs. Gratitude

Do you ever think about how dependent we've all become on our own particular versions of normalcy? I've realized this week that I've been dreadfully dependent on a few simple facts of life. I face each hour/day/week with the following expectations:

1. My children will be their normal, healthy, active selves.

2. I will be able to remain connected to the outside world via my computer.

3. The act of walking up/down stairs will not leave me incapacitated.

There are others, I'm know, but this week the above-mentioned aspects of my life were seriously put to the test. With the onset of the flu (yes, AGAIN), the death of our little computer (and I do mean death), and the increasing stubbornness of our unborn son, we (okay, I) have suffered setback after setback in an otherwise mundane life. 

Perhaps this is why we have been counseled to view our world through the rose-colored glasses of gratitude. If I spent more time being grateful that I had two beautiful little girls I might not be so tempted to curse fate when they are moaning and whining on the couch for hours on end. If I spent more time actually talking to the people in my life I might not feel so isolated when unable to check my email or my blogs. If I spent more time grateful for the blessing of being able to welcome another baby into our home I might spend less time ticked off about feeling like a beached whale.

I do seem to take a LONG time to learn the lessons I should in my life, so I'm not sure that this recent observation will initiate a lasting change to my enduring pessimistic perspective...but at least for today I'm going to try to be a little more grateful for the things I do have and a little less time fretting about those I don't. 

(It does help that my computer is almost healed...thank you Apple Store.)