Feeding Mom and helping with laundry

LDS General Conference was amazing.  Within the first twenty minutes, I was crying like a child and it touched my heart so much.  Elder Holland's talk about so many people doing so much to help in the world was the beginning of the tears.  Especially the part when he thanked the mothers for doing their best. 

And I realized that I, like so many other moms out there, am trying.   So, so hard.

I love my little helper.  He thinks feeding me pudding was AWESOME!!

Aiden fell asleep while helping me do laundry.  Then slept on the floor for FOUR hours.  FOUR!!!

Don't judge my messy house.  I was in the middle of laundry and he is such a light sleeper, I left everything alone until he woke up.  At least he was warm.

Handy Man

The belt on the vacuum broke.  

And Mister decided to help Mommy fix it.  

He is awesome! 

And left his project and tools for the alluring siren song of Thomas the Tank Engine.  

My pant-less super handy man.

Walk Star

Mister is not walking... yet.  He just does not realize that walking could be faster... and more destructive.  But he will learn soon enough.  The following video is my favorite.  Notice Mom's sunglasses having been swiped from Mom's purse. Notice the most obnoxious Lion that is obnoxious and cute at the same time. Notice the booty shaking.  Sweet.

A few bits

Weekends are busy now I am in the Primary Presidency and the rest of the presidency cannot do much due to kids and schedules.  Oy.  I long for the weeknights just to get a break.

But some fun things we did this weekend:

• Go to the park and slide down the slide.  Over.  and over.   and over again.
• Go to the park and play "throw sand at the Mama and watch her freak out..." and laugh hysterically and do it again...
• Watch three of the Smedley kids work all day to get their black belts (about 9 hours of intense, intense physical stuff)
• Diet 
• Go to the zoo with Uncle Chris were we lasted an hour tops and went home.  Tired and hot.
• Church.  Speaking in Church.  
• Read so many stories that Mom fell asleep with "That's not my Dragon" falling on her face.
• Waking up early so my mom can't sleep in.  
• Played with pots and pans.  REALLY loudly.

It was a great weekend.  Busy, but great as evidenced by the following:

Slide and the Shirt

Aiden's favorite activity in whole wide world is sliding.  And this skinny chicken-leg ball of fun has figured out that he can go down slides all by himself.

The little bitty slides.  The big whirly ones are a giant no-go.  Even with Uncle Chris helping.  

Mister would slide all day, all night, sun, moon, rain, earthquake... whatever.  

BUT I must explain about the Steelers shirt.  This is one of the funnier moments in our lives.  I was pulling into a kid store to look for new vests for Aiden's amazingly cute new church outfit (pictures to follow this weekend).  We were browsing the clothing racks when we heard, "Hey!"

I turned to find.... the Smedley's karate instructor, Jeff.  Now, we have been to barbecues and Smedleys with Jeff and his girlfriend, Katie.  Aiden knows him well because he goes to the karate studio every day.  Jeff is so stinking cute with Aiden.   

So Jeff saw us pulling into the store and followed us in.  He has no children of his own, but wanted to see what we were up to.  And he found this Steelers shirt and bought it for Mister.  

It was awesome because I am not a huge sports fan.  Jeff made me convert to Steelers. 

Must have the binkie before the sliding... A boy has his standards, you know...

Chicken-legs!

Aiden is tube-phobic.  All he would do is sit at the edge of the tube and scream.  

But the colors were pretty, so...

Sorrrrry

Aiden and Garfield cruising at Walmart.  6:00am.  Saturday morning.

I know it has been a while.  My life is careening at 500 miles an hour.  I am lucky to get a few pics in here and there.

Yesterday morning, Saturday, was my one and only day to sleep in during the week.  We wake up at 5:15am so I can be at work by 7am in Salt Lake City.  Yesterday morning, Aiden woke up at 5:15am patting my face saying, "mammy".  I cracked one eye open and said, "Really?!"  Then I did what any loving caring mother would do.  Put him on the floor of my bedroom with toys, shut the door so he wouldn't get into things, lay on my bed and fell back asleep until about 6am.  Sheesh.

So, at 6:00, we went grocery shopping.  Grocery shopping at Walmart is my LEAST favorite thing in the world to do, but at 6am on a Saturday morning, it is tolerable.

Aiden's treat?  50 cent ride with Garfield.  Aiden got cheated.

Then we went to see my favorite conductor, my sister, my best friend and his fiancée, several friends and many, many acquaintances play some really great music.  It was a chamber orchestra and it was divine.  It was at the Farmer's Market in Ogden and it was outside where Aiden could run around and make noise - and no one cared.  I could still listen, he could still be a one-year-old.

I wish I had recorded this on video.  See his hand up in the air?  This was at the concert.  He is conducting - mimicking Dr. Palumbo.  My little musician.  Already.  Awwww...

Then, off to a family baptism.  It was so full of family.  Aiden was a stinker.  Tired, stinky stinker.  Dinner afterward and he was little beggar stinker.

This morning,  we were milling around... quiet-like... until the Primary President in my branch called to say that the music people, the sunbeam teacher, and the 2nd Counselor were all gone.  (Last week I was called to be 1st counselor... and played the piano...).  So one hour before church, I was throwing together a Singing Time while the president threw together the sharing time.  We both agreed at the end of the meetings, we were keeping three or four of these things in the closet for emergencies!!!

And ...  TA DA!  Aiden went to nursery today and... STAYED THERE THE WHOLE TIME!!!  He is only 15 months and really is not old enough to go, but the Branch President suggested it so I could be in Primary.  The ladies evaded the answer when I asked how he behaved.  They are angels.  And they are getting homemade bread tomorrow to prove it!  Thanks, Anna.  Thanks, Genevieve.

And tonight we said goodbye to Sharon, my step mother.  She has been her for almost two months for family things.  Aiden has learned to love her.  Thank you, Grandma Sharon.  Drive safely.  Come back for the Christmas party.  Bring your earplugs.

Life on the Edge

Work has been really, especially, crazy, hellishly bad this last few days.  I also remember the days when I would have stayed all evening to fix things.

Yesterday, for the first time in my professional life, I walked away from the horrible, time-consuming issues at my normal time, said I needed to pick up Aiden, and went home.  I didn't stay and wade through the crap.

And it worked itself out.  

No problem.  

In fact, I got the call that everything was fine while I was dancing with Aiden to "Sway" by Michael Buble.
I have spent the last 14 months realizing that life is a balancing act between what must be done to provide for my little family and providing the emotional and nurturing that we need.  Work is work.  My son will be my son - forever.    Laundry, dishes, and potties can wait.  My little man can not.

Yes, my life is a balancing act and I live life on the edge.