Today I was craving something spiritual.
It has really been a long time it seems since I got to listen to an actual lesson or have a long enough study that I could feel the spirit and be strengthened by it. Going to church as a mom is sometimes lacking. Like most things, you are so busy taking care of everyone else that you don't really get a whole lot out of it. It doesn't mean I would consider church a waste of time by any means. I am able to serve the children in Primary and we are building a foundation for our children to build their testimonies on; We get to see our friends and help others feel welcome and wanted at church; and we get to bear our testimonies which strengthens others and strengthens ourselves.
But...I crave sitting through an entire sacrament meeting, intently listening to the speaker, and feeling the spirit wash over me, maybe even taking notes, instead of silently cursing the person going over time while I feel like I am losing in a wrestling match. Puffs are flying everywhere and getting crunched under foot, Avind is escaping, Collin is laughing too loud as he crawls on all fours after him, there is a terrible stench coming from the diaper, Collin is refusing to use the potty, the sacrament is a delicious offering and the children each try to grab a handful of bread, and Collin insists on holding the water tray all by himself. It is exhausting. And I feel spent. And I miss the quiet moments when I can feel the spirit.
I can see that perhaps that is why going to the temple can be such a benefit. There are no children to distract me. Now, I just need to be rested enough to fully enjoy the blessings of the temple.
I suppose the day will come when the children are gone, I won't have any puffs in my purse to sneak during sunday school and I will miss this time terribly.
I'll just have to skooch on over and take the baby for the frazzled mom who looks like she is losing the wrestling match. :)
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Kid Update: Watch out for that Pillow!
You know that moment? When big brother walks into the kitchen where little brother is standing and you see that big brother has a pillow and before you can say anything he swings it as hard as he can and knocks little brother clear off his feet and right into the cupboard? Yeah, I know that moment.
Avind was not too pleased with the result. In Collin's defense, he was trying to play with Avind. Now when I think about it, I can't stop laughing. Such a big brother moment! But I wasn't laughing when it initially happened. Collin felt pretty terrible. He has a tender heart and when he accidentally hurts someone he always cries because he feels bad.
I am discovering that Collin is totally me, and Avind is totally Blake. The similarities are incredible. It is fascinating to watch your own traits manifest themselves in a little person.
Some fun kid updates:
1- Avind is now running. Albeit a little shaky still. He is most definitely "toddling" around. I love how a whole new world has opened up to him. I took the boys to the park this evening and he was in heaven! He ran and climbed and explored.
2-He is unfortunately in a shrill screaming phase. And it is driving me absolutely crazy. My ear drums are busted from it. Oh! It just makes your head explode.
3- Avind loves to be held. He snuggles up on your shoulder and sucks his thumb.
4- His newest words are "up" "jack" "uh oh" "mom" "Daaaaaa" and "hot". He loves giving kisses and he still has the best laugh and the saddest sad face.
5-Collin has started T-ball. He is quite short and small but that makes sense because I think most of the kids are 5. Whoops. :) But he loves it. You can see the age difference and I am trying not to expect him to be able to act like he is five. Yesterday as we walked into practice I didn't want him to feel embarrassed that he was holding my hand. I asked if he wanted to hold his ball and bat instead. He sweatly replied, "No, I want to hold your hand. Because I love you!" I wish I could hold his hand forever!
6- Collin and Avind are sharing a room now. Collin has loved it and informed me that he never ever wants to sleep without Avind again. They play together in the morning until their clock turns green. I like to have the monitor on and listen to them. It makes my heart so happy. Tonight as I got them in bed though Collin said he wanted Avi in the other room because all he did last night was cry and cry and cry. It made me sad but I told him I would put Avind in the other room if that is what he needed for tonight. It was not 5 minutes and Collin came out, "Sorry mom. I am sorry. Avind can sleep in my room. It is okay, even if he cries. You can put him in here so you can get more sleep. " Sweet boy.
7-Collin is getting better at playing by himself. He likes to play risk during quiet time and spends an hour or two setting up the pieces and creating battles.
8- We took Sam to Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown and Collin decided to dress up like George Washington. If only I had a quarter for everytime someone said, "Oh! Look at him! He is sooooooo cute!" I even taught him how to bow and tip his hat and say "good day." That just put the icing on the cake. He really is adorable.
9-We went to the beach yesterday and Collin spent almost the whole time boogie boarding. And he was good at it! A few times he totally wiped out. I would sprint over to make sure he was okay and he would cough and get up and say, "yeah, I am okay mom. I'm good" and go right back in. See? Totally me right there. But Avind, not so keen on the ocean. Wasn't sure he liked it when I took him in. See? Totally Blake. :) I enjoyed myself. The water was perfect; cool enough to refresh but warm enough to be comfortable. Sam got the hand of boogie boarding too.
Well, I am completely exhausted and want to get some sleep. I sent Blake and Sam to DC without us. I would love to see DC, but honestly I am soooooo glad I did not take the kids. We definitely needed a break. I sat out in our bug net for a good hour just doing nothing. I watched the light fade as the sun went down and enjoyed the perfect evening. The air was soft and humid but the breeze kept it cool. A few fireflies made their way into our back yard and I admired the green of our little haven. I will miss it. This has been a good home for us. It was wonderful to have a good treasure moment to take it in.
Avind was not too pleased with the result. In Collin's defense, he was trying to play with Avind. Now when I think about it, I can't stop laughing. Such a big brother moment! But I wasn't laughing when it initially happened. Collin felt pretty terrible. He has a tender heart and when he accidentally hurts someone he always cries because he feels bad.
I am discovering that Collin is totally me, and Avind is totally Blake. The similarities are incredible. It is fascinating to watch your own traits manifest themselves in a little person.
Some fun kid updates:
1- Avind is now running. Albeit a little shaky still. He is most definitely "toddling" around. I love how a whole new world has opened up to him. I took the boys to the park this evening and he was in heaven! He ran and climbed and explored.
2-He is unfortunately in a shrill screaming phase. And it is driving me absolutely crazy. My ear drums are busted from it. Oh! It just makes your head explode.
3- Avind loves to be held. He snuggles up on your shoulder and sucks his thumb.
 |
| Check out the name on the pew. This is in the Bruton Parish in Williamsburg. Richard Bland is one of our ancestors. |
4- His newest words are "up" "jack" "uh oh" "mom" "Daaaaaa" and "hot". He loves giving kisses and he still has the best laugh and the saddest sad face.
 |
| Oh rocks! You are so much fun. |
 |
| Check out his goose egg! Walking is hazardous! |
5-Collin has started T-ball. He is quite short and small but that makes sense because I think most of the kids are 5. Whoops. :) But he loves it. You can see the age difference and I am trying not to expect him to be able to act like he is five. Yesterday as we walked into practice I didn't want him to feel embarrassed that he was holding my hand. I asked if he wanted to hold his ball and bat instead. He sweatly replied, "No, I want to hold your hand. Because I love you!" I wish I could hold his hand forever!
 |
| He is a good hitter. |
 |
| Definetly the shortest of the bunch. |
7-Collin is getting better at playing by himself. He likes to play risk during quiet time and spends an hour or two setting up the pieces and creating battles.
8- We took Sam to Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown and Collin decided to dress up like George Washington. If only I had a quarter for everytime someone said, "Oh! Look at him! He is sooooooo cute!" I even taught him how to bow and tip his hat and say "good day." That just put the icing on the cake. He really is adorable.
 |
| Collin with his Hero George Washington. |
 |
| Sam and Collin got to hold this real sword at Yorktown. |
 |
| This soldier was quite amused to hear that George Washington is Collin's hero now, but it used to be Mickey Mouse. :) |
9-We went to the beach yesterday and Collin spent almost the whole time boogie boarding. And he was good at it! A few times he totally wiped out. I would sprint over to make sure he was okay and he would cough and get up and say, "yeah, I am okay mom. I'm good" and go right back in. See? Totally me right there. But Avind, not so keen on the ocean. Wasn't sure he liked it when I took him in. See? Totally Blake. :) I enjoyed myself. The water was perfect; cool enough to refresh but warm enough to be comfortable. Sam got the hand of boogie boarding too.
Well, I am completely exhausted and want to get some sleep. I sent Blake and Sam to DC without us. I would love to see DC, but honestly I am soooooo glad I did not take the kids. We definitely needed a break. I sat out in our bug net for a good hour just doing nothing. I watched the light fade as the sun went down and enjoyed the perfect evening. The air was soft and humid but the breeze kept it cool. A few fireflies made their way into our back yard and I admired the green of our little haven. I will miss it. This has been a good home for us. It was wonderful to have a good treasure moment to take it in.
Where, Oh Where Will the Christensens Be?
Oh hey! I remember this! My blog. :) I apparently took a month
off. But you can't really blame me. We did take a 3 1/2 week trip
across the country. And we slept very little. And I didn't have my
computer. And it was good, and crazy, and busy, and I am very glad to
be home.
So, instead of back logging I will just jump right in.
We are moving! Funny thing is, we are still not quite sure where. Ask me if that stresses me out just a bit. :) But I am doing pretty well considering, at least I think so. But in a month's time we will be somewhere else.
It is interesting to realize that before law school was even over, Blake knew that he wasn't really feeling the lawyer thing. It wasn't quite what he wanted in a life long career or what I wanted for him. He did the summer internship in Norfolk and it was okay...but I could feel that it wasn't our end-all. We were happy to take the job offer because it was a job. And a good job. But, not our ideal. Not our dream job. Hence all of our other searches and plans: CIA, State Department, Teaching, and AF JAG. Even last spring he was throwing out applications to Universities for admissions positions. We wanted to make a switch. But right as we were making final preparations to move back to Utah and start school again for teaching, we felt the stop sign. We felt like we really needed to stay here. We felt right about trying out APMT and he has really enjoyed being there the last eight months. He liked it enough that we started to think maybe we could stay there a couple more years if they would let him.
But, for whatever reason, it was not to be. APMT has been looking to move its legal operations to New Jersey. So they could either hire Blake and pay to move us up there, or they could just hire a local law firm to do the work he has been doing. Blake's new boss is a really good guy and he seemed to really like him. He was very encouraging and had lots of good things to say about Blake He really went back and forth on what to do with us, but in the end decided they couldn't justify taking us all the way up there. Can't say I was thrilled about moving there anyway. It would have been an adventure...but it is soooooooo expensive. We would have been pretty squished I think. And not a whole lot of green space. So we have gone back to the drawing board and decided this is the perfect opportunity to get Blake into something he really wants to do for a career. And I think we have determined that is Higher Education Administration.
So.... that is all in the works now. Blake is applying to admin positions at universities all over the country. And he is planning to start a masters program in higher education administration (kind of like doing an MBA but for education). We have our eye on a number of different programs, so it will all kind of depend on what job sticks. We have fallen in love with the idea of moving to Montana and doing school and work there in Bozeman at Montana State. But, there are only a few jobs open. It feels like a pretty long shot...but it would be our #1 choice. Back to the mountains; a direct flight to Las Vegas; within driving distance to see family; in the west, but still outside of the Utah bubble; it would be an adventure; some good wide open space; a place people would still want to come visit; and I would get to experience a real winter. :) I wish we could pray ourselves there.
So, who knows? Other places we are searching: here, all over Virginia, Utah, Colorado, Las Vegas... Dun, dun, dun! The suspense! :) We have to be out of this house by July 31st, that much is certain. My prayer as of late is, "Please help us to find a job with benefits before July 31st so we know where to move to." :) Oh boy oh boy. Your prayers are welcome, too!
So, instead of back logging I will just jump right in.
We are moving! Funny thing is, we are still not quite sure where. Ask me if that stresses me out just a bit. :) But I am doing pretty well considering, at least I think so. But in a month's time we will be somewhere else.
It is interesting to realize that before law school was even over, Blake knew that he wasn't really feeling the lawyer thing. It wasn't quite what he wanted in a life long career or what I wanted for him. He did the summer internship in Norfolk and it was okay...but I could feel that it wasn't our end-all. We were happy to take the job offer because it was a job. And a good job. But, not our ideal. Not our dream job. Hence all of our other searches and plans: CIA, State Department, Teaching, and AF JAG. Even last spring he was throwing out applications to Universities for admissions positions. We wanted to make a switch. But right as we were making final preparations to move back to Utah and start school again for teaching, we felt the stop sign. We felt like we really needed to stay here. We felt right about trying out APMT and he has really enjoyed being there the last eight months. He liked it enough that we started to think maybe we could stay there a couple more years if they would let him.
But, for whatever reason, it was not to be. APMT has been looking to move its legal operations to New Jersey. So they could either hire Blake and pay to move us up there, or they could just hire a local law firm to do the work he has been doing. Blake's new boss is a really good guy and he seemed to really like him. He was very encouraging and had lots of good things to say about Blake He really went back and forth on what to do with us, but in the end decided they couldn't justify taking us all the way up there. Can't say I was thrilled about moving there anyway. It would have been an adventure...but it is soooooooo expensive. We would have been pretty squished I think. And not a whole lot of green space. So we have gone back to the drawing board and decided this is the perfect opportunity to get Blake into something he really wants to do for a career. And I think we have determined that is Higher Education Administration.
So.... that is all in the works now. Blake is applying to admin positions at universities all over the country. And he is planning to start a masters program in higher education administration (kind of like doing an MBA but for education). We have our eye on a number of different programs, so it will all kind of depend on what job sticks. We have fallen in love with the idea of moving to Montana and doing school and work there in Bozeman at Montana State. But, there are only a few jobs open. It feels like a pretty long shot...but it would be our #1 choice. Back to the mountains; a direct flight to Las Vegas; within driving distance to see family; in the west, but still outside of the Utah bubble; it would be an adventure; some good wide open space; a place people would still want to come visit; and I would get to experience a real winter. :) I wish we could pray ourselves there.
So, who knows? Other places we are searching: here, all over Virginia, Utah, Colorado, Las Vegas... Dun, dun, dun! The suspense! :) We have to be out of this house by July 31st, that much is certain. My prayer as of late is, "Please help us to find a job with benefits before July 31st so we know where to move to." :) Oh boy oh boy. Your prayers are welcome, too!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Hurricane
Wed june 4
Blake let me sleep in
Took Amberly shopping
Dance party in the car
Dance party in the kitchen
Papa Murphy's pizza
Running in the sprinklers
Cord playing with Collin
Late night walk with Blake around town and to the hs. How did we fall in love in6 months?
Vacation Notes
Hiked the y Collin went the whole way
Walked on campus
Lunch at the temple
Talked with dr Johnson
Abigail time
Ran in the sprinklers
Collin nervous about riding the four wheeler
To Jed "I love you!"
Firehouse
Jumping in the tramp
Backyard soccer and base ball
Playing in the rocks
Avind eating food with dirt
Blessing anistyn
Long terrible testimony meeting after Blake's good testimony.
Wrestling match for me
Play games with siblings and sig. Others
Collin wanted to go to bed
Kids sleeping in the same room
Collin said when avi woke up he kisses him and told him it was okay.
Collin got some stickers in his feet. Cord said it would hurt like re dickens to get them out. Collin cried out "what's the dickens?!"
Mon June 2
Played baseball with the kids. Walked to the park. Then we played lava monster.
Avind loves the bunny
Collin very tired and home sick
Cord helping Collin eat his chicken
Healthy cereal
Avind walking all the time. Says "up"
Collin is getting good at being friends
Momma's Boy for a night
So, this will be quick because we are leaving for the airport in an hour but I had to write because something AMAZING happened last night. Something that rarely if ever does: Collin wanted me. He turned down his Daddy for me. He was my boy for about 30 minutes. :) I got the love and snuggles. He wanted me to take him to bed.
Too bad it took extreme exhaustion to get to this point,
Too bad it took extreme exhaustion to get to this point,
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