A phone call & perspective

We were fatherless this Father's Day, which was, truthfully, quite sad. The Father's Day post here on my blog was our little surprise for Mark....he totally didn't expect it. Even on the day I asked him to be in a few pictures with the kids, he had no clue that the pictures were going to be for anything specific other than just for the kids to be in pictures with their dad. See, I'm smooth and clever! ;)

Yeah, so during this potentially semi-depressing holiday, we were all so excited to get a phone call from Mark.

This is Tak, deeply involved in his conversation with his daddy.

I love how my little Maria is so vivid in her expressions. I think she was telling her daddy about how her mommy is always taking pictures (secretly, I know she enjoys being in pictures, about 80% of the time).





Diana sometimes reminds me of a teenager when she's on the phone. I've seen her curl up on the couch and even prop her feet up...funny girl. Here she is talking about a very important event that happened the night before: she lost her first tooth!





You know, these past weeks have been hard. I am always so drained. Always so tired, always so exhausted. I've laughed, I've cried with and without the kids. It has been such a learning experience. Certainly right up there in difficulty, especially with regards to "endurance..." My knees have seen much floor-time as I have turned to prayer, prayer, and more prayer. I certainly couldn't do this alone.

Sometimes I have to put things in perspective.
A few things I've accomplished in the past...
I've completed two challenging university majors + a minor, I've served a 19-month church mission, I've had four children in a little over five years... and now I've {almost} survived two months without my husband. Challenging? Yes. But it can be done. I am in NO WAY saying, "look at me, aren't I so great and wonderful?" Even though I am extremely hard on myself, I at least have to admit that I can do hard things and **survive**.

Most days it feels like I'm running a marathon...although, sidenote: I seriously need to lose all the extra weight acquired from my late-night chocolate and snacking habits :(

Anyway, I recently received this in an email from Jenny Phillips. I absolutely love her music and her inspirational work for today's youth. This just seemed to help me make it through another week.

Perspective Perspective #1--The perspective I almost took last week Doing laundry is miserable. Just when I finish 8 loads and finally put it away, the laundry baskets are overflowing again. My baby won't sleep. My kids are always fighting, complaining, whining, screaming, and moaning. My husband's high council meeting lasted 3 and a half hours, and I had to mow the lawn myself. It takes two hours to get my kids in bed, and there is never any extra time for myself. Perspective #2--The perspective I decided to take last week I am the head laundress for a very royal family. I have found that my chubby little baby loves to be propped up in all the laundry while I fold it and talk baby language with him. One day the mound of laundry reaching half way up to my ceiling will be a small mound of just mine and my husbands laundry, and I will have no chubby little baby to keep me company while I fold it. I also have the title of head tutor for this royal family. Everyday I have the opportunity to teach and train four little souls about the gospel, being kind, and developing a noble character. And in the meantime, they are helping mold and stretch me into a person of much deeper charity. Sometimes I get to be the head gardener. I even got to mow the lawn and smell fresh cut grass and watch the dark rain clouds float lazily in the sky while feeling my muscles work out. Perhaps one of my most loved titles is head bed tucker inner. For 2 hours I get to brush little white teeth, read and tell stories, listen to little voices asking for water, stuffed animals and special blankets. I get exercise as I put my 3 year old back in bed 30 times. And then I get to rock a little chubby baby and see him stop drinking his bottle and smile when I start to sing. Perspective changes everything.