A New Watch

I took my big camera and lens in this week to get calibrated. Hopefully, the store can figure it out because half of my recent images are not in focus. It's driving me nuts! This week was pretty boring or monotonous.

Josie had her last book club with Sister Russo. She made a new best friend with little Adelaide. When I dropped her off on Tuesday she ran into and joyfully asked, "Adeline, you wanna play doctor with me?" This week my mind just clicked at how much Josie has grown in the past 6 months. At her first book club she was timid and hesitant, not wanting to go. This past week she was happy to get ready and learn. She is talking in sentences, leaving her binky in her bed, dressing herself (pants and shoes at least), role playing, taking turns with Evelyn, and understanding the concept to wait her turn. She's growing up. Her 3rd birthday is just around the corner. Hopefully, soon she and I can start the potty train. Ha ha.

I started the massive task of raiding the bedrooms towards the end of the week. I started with the girls, then the boys, then Josie's, lastly my closet on Saturday. I filled up 6 laundry baskets of clothes the kids no longer wear, fit, want, etc. We tend to just shove those unwanted items in the back of closets and in the back of drawers. It felt so good to reduce the volume by more than 50%. I finally decided to just let go of all the clothes I've save during the years of Amelia's to hand down to Evelyn. The seasons are so different here and styles change, it was not worth the space to keep it all. I did keep a few basics from each size like socks, underwear, leggings, and the most favorite outfits. I went from 4 totes down to one for 5 sizes of girl clothes. Yes, I've read and watched the Konmari method. If you don't know what that is she has a new show on Netflix. I read her book some months ago. What I really need to do I pare down my photography props and all those totes in the garage. The kids got into the action and helped toss most of the clothes that did not "spark JOY." I just hope I can keep up the energy to finish the house. Supposedly, this method should only happen once, well, in reality I cannot control all the stuff brought in. Seems like I just did this when we moved, yet here I am again up to my neck in miscellaneous stuff. Now.....to convince Justin to look at his side of the closet.

We are loving the nightly devotionals for Come Follow Me. We are putting our notebooks together on Sunday with some handouts, glue, markers, and copying phrases. I'm teaching the kids how to scrap journal. Saturday evening we will put the finishing touches and notes into our notebooks for that week's content. We loved watching "The Shepherds" produced by vidangel (on YouTube). It fit perfectly into our lesson this week. I was able to attend the temple this week on Thursday evening for Stake Temple Day. Keiran helped watch the kids until Justin arrived home. I loved all the little and big changes to the endowment session. I can't help but feel that those last days are drawing to a close. With all the celestial signs coming to pass and similar changes in the church....phew. Just makes me want to gather my own into our temple of a home and close the borders. It's not quite that time but I feel it closing in.

Everett caught a nasty flu, he stayed home Thursday and Friday. Even today on Sunday his little nose is constantly running. He had a high fever, red cheeks, threw up once, and now settling into a cold. My brother Jeffrey was hospitalized with influenza A. Makes me worried about my little guy. Justin and I both felt cruddy on Saturday. My ears are all plugged up and hurting, headache, etc. I am pumping up all the kids with vitamin C and zinc. Everett was stoked to finally get a big boy digital watch. His new watch is huge on that skinny little arm. The smile on his face makes us giggle. He tried to trick me by setting the hour ahead two hours, telling me we were late for church. Ha ha ha. Justin is tickled since he was quite infatuated with watches when he was in the 2nd grade. Everett and I found a calculator watch, he wanted it was but concerned he'd cheat in math if he wore it to school.

Justin is still working crazy hours. We miss him. He had a positive job interview this week with a company quite a few miles closer to home.