Here is a bit of an update so that years down the road, I can remember what things are like right now.
Darin is doing well. He is really enjoying his calling at church right now. He is the ward mission leader and he has enjoyed working with the missionaries and teaching people about Jesus Christ and about His church. He is still working, of course, and still trying to fit everything else in the few cracks of time that are left. The basement is almost done. We bought the trim today!! We have trim and counter tops left (pretty much). He has worked so hard on the basement and it's fun to see it come together. Our kids LOVE D. Every time they hear the garage door open, they jump and yell for dad.
I am doing well. I'm finally starting to feel a bit like myself. Meg is now 9 months old, so I've been un-pregnant just as long as I was pregnant, so I'm starting to feel a bit more like me. Since having my IUD put in, emotions have been a bit rocky (and understatement at time), so I think I'm going to get it out and try something else. Any suggestions? It has been so much fun to see my children play and grow lately. I've enjoyed the nice weather and the chance to do things outside. D and I have been spring cleaning the best we can lately and storing all the extra things so that our house is less cluttered. It feels SOOO good to walk in a room that is clean. I wish it would stay, but it's at least nice to go through everything. It's been about 2 years since I did it last (right before Z was born). I haven't worked on many of my hobbies lately, but the summer weather has been nice to get out and play.
J is doing so well. She is such a great person. She is doing GREAT in school and loves to learn. She is like a little sponge. When she is asked what her favorite part of school is, she answers everything. J passed another swim test at the Y today, so she is now a green band swimmer. She was sooo proud of herself and so happy. She swam part of the length of the pool, tread water for 10 seconds and swam back. She is really excited to start t-ball this summer. And she loves to play the piano. . a lot. She is a determined girl.
Lo is so happy and bouncy. I love watching him when he does something that makes him happy because he is happy with his WHOLE body. His eyes light up, his body lifts, he jumps, his voice raises, EVERYTHING!!!! Today he swam without his floaty and he was sooo proud of himself. It was so much fun. He is also excited to do t=ball this summer. He loves playing sports with us and doing things with people. He LOVES the wii and would play all day if allowed. He is a great friend and comes out with some funny lines from movies that he's seen. He is my talker and loves to talk, talk, talk and tell us EVERYTHING that is on his mind.
Z-man seems to be growing up so much lately. He is progressing in his speech slowly, but surely. He LOVES to copy anything that anyone is doing regardless of what it is or if he really knows what is going on or the purpose behind it. He loves doing anything that will get a laugh out of anyone. He will yell, "ma" until I look at him so he can show me what cool thing he is doing. He watches Lo hop the lines in the sidewalk and he will run with an occasional skippy thing that is soo stinkin' cute. He is SOLID and is getting heavy to pick up. He still gives the best hugs and kisses and loves to play games that involve laughing and teasing. He is a busy boy and I have to watch him VERY carefully or he will open and door and decide to play outside by himself and not tell anyone about it. He's quiet when he does things and sometimes can get into trouble soooo quickly.
Meg is growing up so much. She has been 'inch worming' since around 7 months, but has officially started to crawl. She LOVES to laugh. I caught her and Z sitting across the table from each other just taking turns laughing. One would laugh and it would make the other laugh, etc. etc. it went on for about 5 minutes. Z and Meg are great friends. Meg is such a sweetheart. She LOVES people, smiling, chewing on things, kids, etc. She is a good little friend. She has 2 teeth and is working on a couple more. She is a very happy girl and she always gets comments on h ow much she smiles at people. I love her dimples and her easy going, but excited manner. She is starting to pull herself up to her knees to things. It won't be long before she is pulling up to her feet. She shares a room with J and they are both very deep sleepers, so they don't wake each other up. They are great sisters and friends.
Well, that is where we are right now in life. We are busy and there never seems to be enough time to get the things done we need to do, but we are happy, healthy, and hopeful for good things in the future! Today was a good day.
