Hmmm....

There has been so much happening over here, yet I feel there is nothing in particular to blog about.  So here are some of my thoughts over the past few weeks in no particular order:

I've been released as the Primary President and was just called to be the ward choir director.  Many different thoughts accompany the release.  Mostly good.  I grew a lot.

I wish the kids would stop calling each other names like poopyhead.  Every time they hear words like toot, fart, and underwear they break out in giggles and have to repeat it over and over until I put an end to it.  I'm trying to choose my battles - I just lose it when Andrew calls an 18 yr old girl poopyhead.....  Too bad she thought it was funny.

Though I've been released, I still feel I've been running around with so many things to do and not much motivation to do them all.

Christmas is coming and though I have everything bought, barely anything is wrapped.

On top of that, we're trying to have the kids pay for their gifts this year, and it's meant a LOT of extra chores.  I've been working hard to make it a positive thing so they don't dread the work.  So far so good - but they still have to buy presents for each other - in the next week...

We still have leaves to rake up.  Fortunately, there isn't any snow on the ground to cover them yet, but it keeps raining frequently enough that they haven't had a chance to dry and actually get off the ground.  I think I'll have to bite the bullet and just do it tomorrow.  I was also hoping to have the kids do it to earn money in a different way than the standard bathroom chores.

Michael has been called into the Elder's Quorum presidency.  It's been so good to have him connect with the ward here.  Often in the past he's been disconnected because work was so mentally demanding and we never felt we were to stay for very long anyway.  This time he knows almost as many people as I do.  Though he is still amazed at what I manage to know/remember and how I find out about things before he does.  :)

People keep telling me that I'm small for being 6.5 months along.  I know I look small.  But the fact remains that already I cannot breathe when I bend over for whatever reason - especially shoes.

My good friend, Tara, just had her third baby.  I always forget how small they are when they come into this world.  Tara has so many difficult medical things going on that the delivery has been a hard experience.  It makes me grateful that though my deliveries have not necessarily been easy, I haven't had other things that complicate it further.  I've been grateful that I don't have to worry tons about what I'm allergic to, or who my doctor is because of my medical history.  Good thing she has an incredibly supportive husband who has been by her side all week.

I sleep a lot.  I have energy, but it seems I'm needing a GOOD 8+ hours each night.  If I don't get it (which is frequent) I take a nap in the morning and Andrew plays by himself.  He's been so patient with me.

I love Michael.  When he was ordained a few weeks ago, I was able to be there when he bore his testimony and I suddenly flashed back to when we were first married.  It seems surreal that we've been married for 9.5 years and yet I can have experiences like that.  We've both grown so much and yet we still love each other and have strong testimonies of the gospel, our worth/purpose, and conviction about our goals for life.