/ Nelson Notes

Seeking Joy, Not Perfection

4.05.2017

^^A typical Thursday morning at our home. Levi beat me into Conrad's room to comfort him. "Good morning, Baby Conrad!"^^

Over the last few weeks I've learned and re-learned invaluable lessons about myself, about motherhood.

My new mantra:

Seek joy, not perfection.

In case you didn't already know: I'm a bit of a perfectionist. My self-worth is directly tied to what I accomplish or check off my to-do list. It's silly. And it's a lie!

Life is busy with three kids. Lately, I've been in motion all day but my house looks like a tornado just crashed its way through. Clutter. Cheerios. Chaos. Everywhere. I have nothing to show for the hours I spend on my feet and I feel like a failure! It's easy to do though when I've made a mental list of things I want to accomplish but somehow cannot get even one single thing done! (Can anyone else out there relate?)

By society's standards I'm failing if my house isn't clean, if I haven't lost the baby weight in the first year, if my kids' nails are overgrown and dirty... and the list goes on. It's too much pressure! And it's all self-imposed.

4.03.2017

^^I didn't bring my camera or take a single phone picture all weekend, so these sweet daffodils from our front yard will have to do for this post.^^

On Friday afternoon, Bron and I left the big boys with a babysitter and escaped to Sun Valley for a quick--but very quiet--overnight getaway! (With Conrad in tow, of course.) I think Jed and Levi were as excited to get rid of us as we were of them. Hehe. Bron's company hosted a meeting there at the Sun Valley Inn for a number of dairymen and their wives. I don't mind being social, so I was all over this trip.

The hotel was charming. The meals were delicious! I beat Bron bowling twice. And while Bron and the dairymen sat in a meeting on Saturday morning, Conrad and I went back to our room for a little snooze. When we woke up, we did a little shopping with the gift card J.D. Heiskell handed out. I bought myself a new hat and a bunch of chocolate from the candy store. And that's when I spotted the heated outdoor pool. It was steaming in the mid-40 degree sunshine! So Conrad and I donned our swimming suits and went for a little dip.

It was Conrad's very first pool experience. He's a little fish! He allowed me to hold him on his back with his ears completely submerged. Conrad was all smiles. He couldn't help giggling from all the one-on-one attention as I helped myself to his squishy exposed thighs.

Oh, it was blissful! It's been a long time since I felt so relaxed. There were no meals to prepare, no chores begging to be done, and no obnoxious children to listen to and reign in. I was happy to be reunited with my boys Saturday evening, but I wouldn't have minded staying another night!

We topped the weekend off with LDS General Conference on Sunday. If anything, that was definitely coming home for. There were so many golden nuggets of spiritual upliftment and inspiration to do better and be better.

I wouldn't mind putting that weekend on repeat a couple of more times!

3.29.2017

^^Spring weather basically equates to Summer in Levi's mind. I'm just lucky I got him to put on a sweater! This same scene was covered in snow just a few weeks ago. Now look at all that green sprouting up. Yessss!^^

I was so thrilled for Spring Break to arrive for a few reasons. Primarily, once it's over, it's a whirlwind and school is out for summer! So yeah, the school year is basically done. Allllmost. Secondly, the week before break was just absolutely crazy. Either the kids had something going on or I had to be at a church function to play my violin every single night that week. I was tired! Spring break marked the end of wrestling season too. The kids' activities are over until T-ball starts at the end of May (except ukulele lessons, of course). I am welcoming the breather. Above all though, I was really looking forward to sleeping in with the baby all week. Bliss!

However, on the other hand, I was anxious for Spring Break to arrive for one very specific reason: Jed and Levi would be in the same vicinity for a week! The most accurate way to describe their relationship right now is best frien-emeies. They play rough and they fight violently. The two boys constantly antagonize each other. Their play usually starts with laughter, evolves into arguing, and then ends with scratching and punches to the face. The face! All in a matter of 30 seconds or less. Am I raising children or vikings? I'm erring on the side of vikings because consequences don't seem to phase them. Bron or I can be sitting in the room with them when one boy punches the other in the head right in front of us!

They also never quit talking. It is constant chatter. I mean, they talk their way straight through dinner and chew maybe half a bite. And though I'm a seasoned mom and can tune out a lot of it, I still feel like I can never finish a complete thought. What was I going to do next? I can't remember.

"Mom, I'm Boba Fett. I'm Boba Fett, okay Mom? Mom, I'm Boba Fett!"

"Okay!" There are so many things they say expecting a response that really deserves none (I'm trying to ignore you child so I can finish my thought) but in actuality, Levi doesn't take a breath long enough for me to insert one.

When I do manage to get a few words in, those words usually fall on deaf ears. "Please don't stand so close to the microwave, Jed. It's been acting up and I don't want you to accidentally get zapped."

"Why?"

WHY? I just told you why! All. Day. Long.

So in other words, there's lots of talking around here but communication isn't our strongest point.

Last week I thought I was losing my mind! However, my lack of sanity was pleasantly validated when Bron started losing his mind after spending just the weekend with us. Hahaha.

The incessant noise and chaos is exhausting and stressful. Fortunately, after talking to several moms of boys, they all claim the same thing: this is normal. Did you hear that? Hallelujah, my kids are normal! All the fighting and rough housing and chaos and chatter and clutter and destruction is all a part of raising boys. Somehow, just knowing that has me relaxing a bit. It's all right. My house might not be standing fifteen years from now, but there's still a high probability that my boys will turn out to be kind contributing members of society after all. Whew.

3.14.2017

Goodbye Winter! Hello Spring!!! The snow has finally melted and it's suddenly warm enough to venture outside wearing just a sweater. We've been enjoying every sunny minute.

The warmer weather means that all the snow from our very long winter is finally melting. We had this grand idea to see how Shoshone Falls was looking last Saturday afternoon. Apparently, so did all of Idaho and their dog. Literally. Haha. I've never seen the park so busy. But everyone was kind and patient as we all ooohed and aaaahed over the powerful spectacle. Shoshone Falls usually runs at about 3,000 cubic feet of water per second. On Saturday, it was running around 16,000 cubic feet of water per second and is expected to run over 20,000 cfs in the near future. Wow. Just wow. It was incredible. And as an added bonus we got to see some pretty rainbows rising from the mist! How lucky are we to live so close to some nature's most extraordinary attractions?!

3.13.2017

Conrad turned 4 months old this weekend. My baby is getting bigger and more fun every day! Obsessed with him would be an understatement. Conrad is my little daily dose of sunshine. I can't help kissing his soft cheeks a hundred thousand times a day. And I find myself holding him much longer than needed before placing him in his crib at night. I am truly just enjoying every moment with my baby! I sound like a broken record, but I keep saying it anyway: three little boys is pretty dreamy. This phase in life right now just feels special.

3.10.2017

I call this photo Ninjas Eating Breakfast because even ninjas need fuel to fight the bad guys. As for me, I'm still taking my daily vitamins (like these Honest Prenatals) to keep up with my crime fighting ninjas.

A few nights ago, I groggily made my way to Conrad's room to quietly rock and nurse him back to sleep. I had just climbed back into my own warm bed and drifted off to sleep when I was awoken suddenly to a door slamming! Nothing quite like a loud crash to jolt a person awake. It made my heart race!

Levi has always been my worst sleeper. Fortunately, he's independent enough to put himself back to bed and only comes to our bedside when he's had a bad dream. That night, Levi woke up to use the bathroom and slammed his door shut. Needless to say, I had a hard time falling back to sleep, and when I did, I didn't sleep very well.

So the next morning, I told Levi all about my ninja ears and how they can hear EVERYTHING. Can any other moms out there relate? When getting up in the night to nurse a baby, it seems like my ears become acutely hyper-aware. I'm like a bat. Anyway, I told him he needed to work on his sneaky ninja skills. Levi tied a long sleeved shirt around his head and I showed him how to turn the door knob ever so gently so that the latch wouldn't click. And then I lost him while changing the baby's diaper (By the way, I'm in love with Honest diapers not only because of the cute prints but because they fit well and are quality. Seriously. Love them!) only to have him jump out from behind the bedroom curtains and scare me! Haha.

It's been three silent nights. Ninja skills complete.

This moment in motherhood brought to you by the Honest Company. If you're interested, check out some of their winter diapers in this review!

Nelson Notes

SLIDER

Seeking Joy, Not Perfection

4.05.2017

24 Hours in Sun Valley

4.03.2017

Little Boys VS Vikings and 5 Things We Did Over Spring Break

3.29.2017

Hello Spring!

3.14.2017

The Baby Conrad Growth Series: 4 Months

3.13.2017

Night Ninjas

3.10.2017

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