Family Update

So I know it's been a while since I've done an update, and I feel bad. I just haven't been up for blogging much lately. So here goes an update on all of us.

Georgia is one now. Can't believe my baby is one. So sad. She is eating regular food now (and oh how she eats...I can't believe how much she eats!!) and completely on milk. She is talking more and more. She says daddy and mommy (not dada and momma any more), baby, yeah, bye, hi, and i (when she wants something). She is teething her top two one year molars now, which to me is kind of funny because she still only has three of her four bottom front teeth (one of her teeth on the bottom still hasn't come through). She gave us the greatest blackmail pictures tonight for when she starts dating...he he he. Her diaper got stuck on the handle of my parents Lay-Z-Boy chair (went through a leg and up through the back of her diaper while she was crawling by) and she pulled and yanked and tried so hard to get free. Needless to say, the dipaer started to sag a little thanks to the pulling and yanking and we got some good shots of her cute little bum stuck in the diaper, which was stuck to the chair. Priceless.

Gracie will be 2 1/2 next week. And I finally started potty training her again this week. She's been doing pretty great. She's stayed dry as long as we remember to put her on the potty. And she's so excited and willing to do it. She's had some problems understanding that when she has to go #2 she should do it in the potty too, but she's doing better than Gwen did in the beginning, which has me hoping. I've been working with her on preparing her for preschool in the fall and she has been loving it, especially all the art projects (we include Gwen on the days when she's home from preschool). Today we made snowmen with cotton balls and scrap pieces of fabric and cardstock. Oh, and Grace is still coloring all over herself with whatever she can find. In a weeks time she has colored on her hands and wrists with green and red Sharpies, and colored all over her face (2 days before church, I might add) with a green sharpie.

Gwen is 4 now, and I can't believe it. She started sunbeams at church the first Sunday of January, and she loves it!! She's been telling everyone about it for the past few weeks. She looks forward to church and seeing her friends there, especially since we have invited them all over for Gwen's first ever birthday party on the 30th (of which she is just tickled about). And she still loves preschool, of course. She has tons of friends there (but we as her parents don't know them or their parents at all, so we decided to just invite her church friends to her party, especially since there are only 5 other kids in her Primary class, and there's close to 20 kids in her Preschool class). She is learning so much and always telling us some new fact about an animal or the weather or cars or something. I'll do a post soon about her art work and Grace's (and Georgia's...she drew her first picture yesterday!!).

Oh, and Gwen's latest funny? We were finishing up bath time on Monday night. I was getting Georgia out of the bath, and Gwen and Grace were sitting by the bathroom door waiting and playing with their bath dolls (Disney princess bath dolls...Gwen has an Ariel doll, Grace a Sleeping Beauty doll, and Georgia a Belle doll). They weren't listening to me, so I told them that if they kept it up there would be no story time before bed, and Grace said fine and that she was going to pray to Jesus for a Sleeping Beauty mommy. Gwen said no Grace, because then they would have two mommies and they would have to send the Sleeping Beauty mommy back to Jesus. Grace said she wouldn't do that, and then Gwen..."Well Grace, Jesus is not a fairy, and he does not have wings, so you can't do that." Wow. Got a good laugh out of that.

Rob is doing okay. He's trying to find things to do with all his free time now. Since we are on unemployment there have been some benefits, but you can tell that the lack of a job is wearing on him. He goes online multiple times a day to check for new job listings, checks different companies all over the country, and applies for everything he can. We haven't had a single call or interview or email since September. There is a chance that the company Robbie was working for before the layoff will hire him back on in the spring when work picks back up, but we haven't heard for sure, so again-life is up in the air. Rob has been helping me out a lot though, and it's great to spend time together. He's been working out more, helping my parents around the house and running errands, and writing a lot. He is also having a good time serving as the 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency.

Me? Umm...without going into too much detail, I am still having a really hard time-more than I've let on to anyone. I have been struggling like crazy with our situation, and while I am so grateful for what we have, for our families who are helping us out so much, for food and a place to live...my feelings have turned to anger and bitterness and sadness and loss of faith and hope. Things got bad for a while, and they are still not good. I am still struggling, having a hard time getting past my doubts and feelings. But I am changing what I do each day, spending more time praying and reading scriptures...playing with my kids and trying to strenghten my relationship with my husband and with the Lord. And like today, there are still bad days...but I am trying so hard.

And I am having happier days. I decided to write out a daily schedule for myself, just to help me get up and do more each day and turn the TV off. Between the good food and the lack of desire, I have gained weight. So now, each morning, I get up, read my scriptures, say prayers, get ready for the day. For two hours in the morning I do preschool, art, and reading with the girls. I exercise for an hour during nap time in the afternoon. And during the remainder of my afternoon I find time to do things for myself. I make time at night for more scriptures and prayers. And as I'm changing things, I'm feeling happier and better.

That's it for now, I guess. As more happens, I'll try harder to keep updating. Thanks to all who have kept us in your prayers.