Bobby's Sunday Summary

I don't have a lot to say.  This week has been very busy at work.  I was very happy for the weekend so I could have a break.  We had a good weekend.  It was mostly relaxing, but it was also fairly busy so it wasn't just sitting around the house doing nothing.  Susan got some planting in and the kids got to play outside so it was a good day.

Various and Sundry Updates

I'm still a bit of a basketcase, trying to catch up on sleep (i.e. the hallucinations have stopped and my vocabulary is about 50% normal), but I've had a few things happen recently that warrant some thought:


Tooth #3
James cut another tooth today. He is the sweetest, most charming little teether I've had, so far. This tooth came after a 2-day snot waterfall and a brief incident of diarrhea. Not bad. I keep thinking to myself, "Man! This is the easy baby everyone's been talking about."


Pink pink pinky pink...and purple
Alice and Robert received some birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa Evans. One morning, some time ago, Alice was bemoaning the absence of a Pillow Pet in her life. Bobby showed her online that with a few more chores, she could earn enough money to buy one herself. Robert was hooked, too, and they picked out their "pets" right away: Alice selected the rainbow unicorn and Robert opted for the snow leopard. The PINK snow leopard. Looking at the picture online, it seemed a muted pink. Bobby didn't even notice the pink, actually, until I pointed it out to him.

It bothers me that the color bothers me. Y'know? That's a recent development. I used pink blankets on baby Buddy. I was PROUD of myself for being such a free thinker and bucking the "pink is only for girls" mentality. I tried not to let the color of the snow leopard matter to me. Well, we picked up the Pillow Pets today, and the pink snow leopard is NOT a muted pink. It is hot pink, with bright purple spots. Heaven help me:

I've been thinking about this all evening. What's the difference between a pink baby blanket and a pink Pillow Pet? It's who made the choice. If I choose pink for Robert, it's because I'm a free-thinker, but if Robert chooses it, suddenly it means something different???? Why should it? He really likes the snow leopard in Kung-Fu Panda. That's why he chose this particular pet. The color was unimportant. It's still unimportant to him. I wondered if he would reject it when he saw it. Nope. I wonder if he'll reject it when his cousins or friends come over and question him for having a "girl" toy. Or will they even care? I guess we'll see. 

So far, Robert's leopard and Alice's unicorn have completely different personalities. The leopard likes to be hit, punched, yelled into, and sat on. The unicorn is a baby that must be held gently and fed from a bottle. The leopard has already traveled in his own boat to England. The unicorn took a ride in the baby swing and needed a snuggle afterwards.

Growing Up

I feel like I've had to grow up a lot the last few weeks. I've had to tackle a few issues that I didn't really see myself handling until later in life, but I guess that time is now. I finally hit adulthood at age 33 years and 9 months. James is meeting milestones one right after the other. Robert is challenging and crazy fun and rapidly expanding his understanding of the world. Alice is crossing out of childhood into a new youth stage...more independent and capable than ever. I'm feeling more and more like a mother of three and all that entails. What does it entail, exactly? I dunno. It's like I've finally had to commit everything to the cause. Everything. I'm all in.

I've been on a "gather and photograph" kick with the kids. I feel compelled to put them altogether and capture this stage in pixels. As if staring at all three at once will help me understand it any better. It's mind-boggling how all the little decisions have added up to this point in my life. I feel full. I feel complete. I feel old, but it's a good old. Comfortable. It's the old I was aiming for. I just never knew how close I was to it until suddenly it arrived. This week.

 

Everything looks different when there are other people to care about.

Time with Julia

My friend Julia visited last month and I barely took pictures to document it. We made a few new memories (surprise game night, anyone?)(Jasper County line, wahoo!), and got to catch up a bit. It's nice to have known a friend for 16 years. The relationship carries a different weight when it's been around that long. 

And now, before I wax too philosophical, it's time to go to bed. This old lady needs her "sanity rest" :)

Too Tired to Blog

I experienced quite a few "firsts" this week in my role as the first counselor in my congregation's Relief Society:

• This was the first time I had ever been involved in a funeral. 

• A widow passed away quite suddenly and she had no family members who could dress her body for burial. For the first time in my life, I was able to help with that. I am forever grateful for my mom and the other excellent women I could consult with to prepare for this unique act of service. Their insights allowed this to be an unusually spiritual experience for me. When we finished dressing her, she appeared glorious, heavenly, at peace. I think I sensed joy. Was it her joy? I don't know. I just can't explain the feeling any better than that. 

• Our Relief Society organization was asked to put on a luncheon for the family members after the graveside service. That's pretty typical, except our fine president had just had a baby the day before and would not be available to direct the affair. I was able to manage it, surprisingly enough, but only because of our president's meticulously clear notes, and nothing short of 14 fabulous volunteers who bought, prepped, served, setup, washed, cleaned, and babysat everything and everyone just as it needed to be done. I love, love, love serving with these people.

And then, when it was all said and done, I came home and collapsed on the bed. Five nonstop days can add up on a person. The adrenaline was gone. All that was left was exhaustion. Burning eyes. Aching body. Lucky for me, the kids were okay with playing card games on the bed while I drifted in and out of consciousness. Dinner was leftovers. I think the kids ate plain white rice and nothing else. Oh well.

I'm happy. I would like to think about these happenings in more detail. I want to record more about this process and publicly thank those 14 volunteers by name, but that's not going to happen tonight. I'm off to bed.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

What a day.  My brother, who lives in town, had a new baby a couple of months ago.  They decided to bless the baby today.  So may parents were in town, but because of their schedule they showed up Friday night and left this afternoon.  They stayed with us the last two nights.  In addition to all of this Susan is the first counselor in the Relief Society presidency. The president had a baby this week and an older lady in our ward passed away, so Susan has kind of been in charge getting a funeral planned and everything.  Oh and she taught the lesson in church today.  I think I must be married to mild mannered alter ego of a super hero.

Missing...

...one weekly planner, filled with this person's life and schedule. If found, please return it to the frantic lady pulling out her hair and mumbling to herself. She's really lost without it. Paralyzed.

(And profuse apologies to you if she happens to miss an appointment in the meantime.)