Bye bye summer

Hello SCHOOL! Jay started Kindergarten this year. It's so strange to only have 2 kids at home. But I must admit, I like it. :) I thought J would be a little scared to start, but he wasn't even sad to see me leave. We were lined up outside and I leaned down and whispered "do you want me to walk you inside?" He just looked at me and said, "no". What the!? So I secretly followed him inside anyway. Such a good boy.
And little lou lou is loving school...hallelujah!

So yesterday J and T went into the kitchen to do their chores. J does silverware. I come down about 30 min. later and see that he has emptied the ENTIRE dishwasher, AND loaded it...by himself!! Then T cleaned the entire front room alone...neither of them have ever done that before! I'm so giving them all more jobs. :)

I'm still feeling so sad over this last post about Nie. Can you imagine being burned over 80% of your body? Her sisters blog is so touching. She's an amazing writer and I just want to cry reading her posts. If you haven't read it, it's so worth your time. I'm really counting my blessings today. How blessed I am to have 4 healthy children, a wonderful husband, the gospel of Jesus Christ, a body that operates properly, I live in the United States where I am free. My kids give me hugs, and kisses, and more kisses until I have to tell them to "leave mom alone". I have such rewarding relationships with friends and family members. What else matters besides the relationships we cultivate and take with us into the next life. When we lift eachother up, it only makes up happier. What a gift.

Last month in the Ensign, there were 2 aticles I loved- the first one  was about finding the laughter in the everyday chaos of mother hood; trying to laugh at the most frustrating of situations.  These were a few of my favorite lines:

"I’ve learned some of life’s most valuable lessons from preschool children: to greet each day with enthusiasm and eagerness; to pursue adventure despite obstacles; to delight in new discoveries; to enjoy spontaneous fun; to regard the eating of toothpaste and the emptying of sand-filled shoes on the carpet as minor problems, not major catastrophes.

I had thought my college classes prepared me to control my environment so things would always go smoothly. But I’ve learned that when five children are hungry or tired or both, things don’t go smoothly. When I accept this as an inevitable—even adventurous—part of daily living, I can be more flexible and less demanding. When I can scoop my mud-covered two-year-old into my arms and deposit her into the bathtub for an unscheduled bath—and remain unruffled—I know I’m making progress."
I loved this one because I so often get so overwhelmed by a mess in the kitchen, or the mud tracked through the house, or Tae eating an entire bag of M&M's (as in the BIG bags) without my knowing. Yes, happened this morning. That's why I love blogs, they help me laugh about posting something mischievous my kids have done.

I really 

Another amazing article about motherhood, was this one. 

You won't regret taking the time to read it.