Today I…

Today I…

… got up early to nurse Asher and enjoyed that quiet, cozy time with him.

… took my five kids on a major grocery shopping run. Two hours and $116 dollars later we were finished, having bought food for the weekend, everything we needed for the Fourth of July festivities tomorrow (including fireworks), stuff for Asher’s birthday, and stuff for our upcoming trip.

… tried a new gluten-free bread recipe. It was rather labor intensive and took about three and a half hours to make, but the results were delicious! It was a huge hit with Joshua and all of our “gluten eaters” as well, who each got to sample one small bite and declared it delicious. In fact, a few kids were jealous of Joshua and his yummy GF bread.

… homeschooled the older kids, but just reading, writing, math, spelling, and grammar because we are on our summer schedule.

… walked two brisk miles on the treadmill while the little boys napped and the older kids had quiet time.

… cleaned my house: vacuumed, gathered garbage, scoured bathrooms, and got every room spotlessly tidy. I did not touch the kitchen, but left it for my dear husband.

… washed, folded, and put away three loads of laundry.

… listened to Joshua read Harold and the Purple Crayon outloud and complimented him on his wonderful, expressive reading.

… packed everything we need (including dress clothes) for our family of seven (plus a puppy) for our nine day trip. The only things that I left unpacked were the pillows, tooth brushes, and anything else that we will need between now and when we leave on Sunday morning.

… hugged my sweet Madalyn all day long it seemed; every 20 minutes or so she’d appear by my side and request, “Hug? Hug? Hug?” I loved it.

… made dinner with a little help from the family (steak, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread, and milk) and ate together when Rick got home from work at 7pm.

… gave Brenna a big hug and thanked her for all of her great help during the day. She helped with chores, helped with babies, helped with anything I asked.

… chuckled when Braden marched into my room with his safety goggles on and his drill already spinning and asked, “Where do you need me to fix something?”

… studied the scriptures as a family before bedtime and got all five kids into bed early in preparation for our early Fourth of July morning tomorrow.

… thanked my sweet husband when he cleaned the kitchen for me, just as I knew he would! It’s mostly done now.

… kissed that same husband goodnight when he got a headache and went to bed early.

… stayed up until 11pm finishing the tasks from the day (a little more laundry and a little more packing), but now everything is finally completely done.

… snuck into my kids’ bedrooms to make sure they were all breathing, tuck them in again, and give them each one last kiss on the forehead. They are so precious!

… sat in bed at the end of a long day, eating blueberries with whipped cream and Cool Ranch Doritos, while updating my blog, and cherishing the kicks and wiggles of my sweet, unborn baby, and feeling very grateful for my life and my fun, busy, productive day.