Life in Training

So at the ripe old age of 30,  I taught myself how to sew. I have made my own bread and attempted to jar some apricot jam. I have officially planted flowers, 3 to be exact. I've also started making my own furniture for our home. I've painted and I'm learning how to decorate and discover the things I love. All of this has happened since I moved to Idaho over a year ago. Maybe it's because it's a whole new world, I have no job, no family, no friends, no money and lots of time on my hands...

I miss my family, my friends and my "old" life so much and I'll admit that I completely shut down. I felt lost. I sat around all day with the kids, never leaving the house for days...

Most days I still don't leave the house, but I'm getting better about getting out and at least taking the kids to the park for play dates. I've starting developing talents and learning about things I never even thought of before.

 It's amazing to me how much time I've wasted not learning about EVERYTHING! My Dad installs hardwood floors for a living. If only I went to work with him I would be able to install floors myself. My grandma can sew anything. If only I watched her and was able to sit with her and learn how to make things. My Mom knows how to do stained glass. I never learned. The talents in my family and of those around me are amazing and inspire me to be a better person and learn as much as I can.

Now, it's my time to learn and give that opportunity to teach my children so they don't grown up not knowing what talents they may develop and enjoy.

 Rylee had a cake decorating class at JoAnn's. She loved it and I love seeing her learn...

I'm so proud of her. She's been exploring in the kitchen too, making her first batch of bread.

Not perfect looking but tasted so good. The accomplishment of doing it all by herself is priceless.

Learning about nature...and how slimy snails are.

How to play....

How to get dirty...

How to sew...

How to be a family...

To make family time a priority...

How to read...

How to solve problems...

How to be a parent...

I'm so thankful for my family and the time I have been given to raise my children and grow together as we learn about the world around us. The time I've had up here away from everything I know...a blessing in disguise.

The moments...

Sometimes, the small moments hit me and I realize "wow, this is my life." Sometimes its a crazy moment like when all my kids are crying or whining at the same time and juice is being spilt in the back seat of my car. The special ones like cleaning up vomit or being pooped on. The moments when you can only find one shoe or can't find the brush. Wondering why EVERY diaper you try leaks through? The usual moments when you can't find the keys or trying to figure out what to add to the macaroni to make it different because you've feed it to your kids 3 days in a row. Fishing things out of the toilet or explaining to your child, once again, why you don't spit at people or pick up ants and squish bugs.

Sometimes its the small moments like sitting out in the backyard with the sun shining and seeing Kassidy silently picking flowers from the grass. Listening to the birds sing in the morning or the geese fly overhead. Watching Brayden smile while he's sleeping. Rylee occasionally bending over to sneak a kiss from Kassidy. Those moments are great and I wish they can be bottled.

Lately, the best moments seem to be the time I spend in the shower, alone. Alone, with no kids, no crying, no whining, no cooking or cleaning, changing diapers. Sometimes I feel like a milking cow. I guess that's why I take such long showers! The other day, I was able to sneak out of the house with no kids in tow. I was tempted to keep driving but I knew Paul would be calling sooner or later freaking out because he can't get the baby to stop crying. So, here I was driving down the street. I rolled my windows down, turned the radio up and danced like no one was watching. I laughed at myself because 10 years ago I was always doing this but now, I guess you just forget how things used to be when life was so carefree. I loved it and I'll make a habit of sneaking out more often. Because dancing with your kids and dancing alone is totally different.

Am I the only one who has more moments of chaos than moments of bliss? I think not, but then again, I have friends that seem to have the perfect life, the perfect patience and the perfect undivided attention to her family. I know she has her moments too, some just as bad as mine. I love all my moments...