Remembering my purpose

I haven't added a post to my blog lately. Not because I've been too busy, or because I've run out of material to write about. I just haven't felt like writing lately. I forget that this is my outlet for recording our family's day-to-day. I think about the last 15 years or even the last 5 years of my life and I've forgotten a lot. Pictures I've taken help a little but I've forgotten little details that I didn't want to. I wish I'd written more down. Here is the recap...for my own purposes.

Life here continues to go on and I feel like I've reached a new level of normality. I find I have to do that often...I have to adjust to my new situation; even if it's complete chaos. Ian seems to be doing well at his new school. We are seeing little glimpses of him that are so exciting. A few weeks ago at a family party he pointed to a dog and said "She's cute". We were so excited to see him express his opinion about something. This morning Adam was joking around with him and he said "Daddy, you're funny!" WOW!! you can't imagine how awesome it was to hear him say that! These little bits and pieces make it feel like we are once again heading forward.

Matthais tested into the gifted program at the Jr. high. Not that it is a huge surprise being as he spent the last year in a similar program. I guess I was a little worried when I saw all the kids there testing and knew I had just picked him up from a scout camp out where he had little sleep. I hope this is the challenge he needs as heads into Jr high.

Millie lost her two top front teeth. She looks really cute with them gone and I'm not anxious for her to grow the replacements in. Something about those two teeth that make them seem so grown up. I'm not ready for that.

Owen continues to make me laugh every day. I honestly feel like I would be lost without him. His latest obsession is adding a red James train to his collection. He asks over and over for James. He has even said things like "mom, I've got a good idea!" When I ask him what his idea is he tells me "lets go get a red James engine!" I've told him he'd have to earn it. Yesterday he brought me 26 cents and told me to take him to the store to buy James. Let me tell you, he is persistent.. and cute. It's very hard not to run right out and get it for him.

I joked with my sister the other day that I'm going to carry a camera around one day just to document how my day goes. I thought it would be really interesting to look back one day and say "remember how I was changing poopy diapers on a 10 year old everyday?" (don't worry, I won't take pictures of the poopy diapers). I think I might just do this every now and then. I promise to keep it honest and I hope to record the good and the bad. It'll be my own experiment in photo-journalism.

And to end...I'm a list maker. I love making list and charts and do so constantly. Someone in my ward mentioned this list in their testimony today and it's time I made and shared this list...

This is my Bliss list.

*Ian's laugh when he's truly laughing.
*Millie's toothless grin.
*Sleeping until 7:30
*Janelle coming over for lunch. (even more so because I served her left overs!)
*The kids chasing Adam around the front room and the funny laugh that he does when they do it.
*The way Owen says "Dad, what should we do today?" when he wants Adam to pull out the model train.
*Ian going to bed the first time we put him there.
*talking to Jillyn or my sister on the phone for hours because they are the only women I know that like to talk as much as I do.
*The feeling you get when the spirit is witnessing something to you.
*Suzanne stopping by with pumpkin bread
*Playing apples to apples and pirates with my family

That's all for now. Time for you to go make your own bliss list.