The New Bloggy Woggy

I really should hop in the shower.

But I just can't bring myself to do it.

It's snowing today. My sister and her kids and MY MOM are on vacation in Hawaii. 

OF COURSE I am happy for them.....I just wish they were all here with us in the icy-cold of Spokane. 

This post is going to be random, spotty, here and there, it might not make sense.  I've decided to just type what comes to mind.

Dutch is crawling. His knees are always red. He is pretty pleased with himself.

I have recently taken an interest in the art of LETTERPRESS. Yesterday I decided to myself, "I am going to start researching LETTERPRESS, so I can buy one and make my own notecards, stationary, invites, etc."....I went straight to GOOGLE in hopes of making my dream a reality.

Then I got overwhelmed and decided to have Kris do all the research for me. Then I felt depressed because I really want to LOVE something SO MUCH that I become really good at it and can feel pride in my ability to do something other than change a bum and put in pigtails. 

And then it took all of about ten minutes for me to feel excited and inspired by LETTERPRESS straight to, "ehhh, maybe Kris can look into it for me...i need to go put the whites in the washer and sweep the kitchen floor."

I want to know how some MOMS can do it all. Clean house. Prepare dinner. Care for kids. Take time to nuture passions and hobbies. Read books. Run errands. Pay Bills. Run their own businesses and/or have jobs. 

My goal each day? HOP IN THE SHOWER. My sights are obviously set about a mile below the bar.

I think sometimes I just want something that is mine. Something I do that I can do on my own and get good at on my own. I want to make things that are lovely. But I haven't the time. 

And then I think of this quote I saw a while back.

You just have to DO the damn thing!!! Sorry for the curse, but it makes me SO irritated at myself. 

Speaking of me. I am going to do ISAGENIX. The nutritional cleanse. I have been going back and forth about it for MONTHS and MONTHS. But I decided recently that I am going to start in February.

I have actually been listening to podcasts every night and really psyching myself out about it. I even ordered this to put by my bed.

I saw this on a friends blog and LOVED it.

I lack confidence in my ability to NOT eat junkfood, thus the need to try and psych myself up for this nutritional cleanse. 

My lack of confidence mixed with my lack of motivation for exercising is what has kept me from doing it. Plus, its kind of expensive and I want to make sure if we're spending the money that I am 100% committed to seeing it through.

Anyway.....this has turned into babbling. But sometimes I just have to babble to the blog.

Also, I have actually been sticking to my new years goal to read the BofM. I have that. I should be happy that I have that.

Sennah is SO obsessed with SpongeBob and its not cute anymore.  Everything is Squidward this and Mr.Krabs that.....and Sandy, and Gary...and "Mom who is your favorite on Spongebob?"....to which she replies before I even get a chance to speak, "My favorite is Patrick, but I like Spongebob too, and I like Sandy cause she's a girl and can I watch Spongebob Mom?"

At times I feel like I might highly dislike Spongebob.

Something positive now......Sennah has started sharing a lot more with Dutch. She is taking him under her really possessive wing and showing him all sorts of attention and its sweet.  

Kris is GREAT. As always. He will be cleansing with me....a sort of support system, I suppose. 

Wish us luck. Seriously. We need it. 

Dutch got a haircut last Sunday. I kinda love it even though, to me, he looks like such a big boy now. Which kind of makes me feel sad and long-ey for the new baby days again. Love his dopey little right ear (he got that from me--sennah gets my crooked pinkies and dutch, my dopey ear....these kids hit the gene-pool jackpot, wouldn't you say?)

My kids look alike. This picture certainly proves that point.

Sennah continues with her mildly OCD tendencies. She is consistent, if nothing else.

She took this picture of Dutch and I love it.

And to end this incredibly boring rant....I leave you with a quote I wish I had come up with I found on the blog of a friend. It is so true.

We just gotta keep walking--hopefully we have some really cute galoshes though.

 

 

The assessment.

Every New Year it comes around like clockwork.

There is something about January 1st that makes me reflect on EVERYTHING in my life that needs improvement or that has needed improvement since I was in the 8th grade rather...

My body. My sleep. My spirit. My mind. My attitude. My words. It all needs work.

It's very overwhelming how inadequate the assessment can leave me feeling about the job I do. I could work until I am blue in the face and it seems that I am NEVER happy with how I do it. 

But this year I was resolved to look at things differently.

Do I want to be skinny and fit? Yes I do. Very much. Do I want to get more sleep and wake up singing happy tunes and whistling while I work? You bet.

I want it all. I want happiness and health and wealth and the whole kit n' kaboodle. I could drown in it, I want it so bad.

But 2012 has me wanting one thing more than anything else. I want to be a patient mom.

I want to really dial it up in the motherly-patience skills department.

To do this, I realized I needed one very specific presence--GOD.

So this year I am going to make a concious effort to invite him into my life every single day.

And that is it.

Pray daily to ask for help. Read the Book of Mormon daily. 

It seems like I should have already been doing this, I know. But I wasn't doing it at all. 

And now I am excited at the prospect of having the additional comfort I believe it will provide me. I haven't read the Book of Mormon in over ten years and I really thought I didn't need to...I thought that it wasn't a necessary thing for me to do.

I am pretty certain I was wrong. 

It is simple. It is satisfying. And I believe at next years assessment I will have some smiling to do.

Here are some recent favorite pictures of mine. Hope you like them too.

I have been waiting for the day when they could finally get in the tub together--makes life a little easier.

"Look Mom--S, like SENNAH JOY POWELL"--she loves to say her full name.

He loves his Clifford dog...especially when Sen is not tearing it out of his hands and saying its hers.

Playing with my camera in Dutch's room-I got this shot and loved the lighting....her chappy lips and too-long bangs make me smile.

Kris took this picture of Dutch and I love it. The remnants of yogurt still on his face and the longing little look in his eye....when he is 25 years old and I think of him as a baby...this is exactly how I will remember him, I think.

She's got loads of love....boat loads and loads of love for him. He just needs it in smaller doses most of the time.

Here's a good one...

This last one is a real favorite of mine. Sen loves to line everything up. From the food she eats to every last junk toy she has...they all end up in a line at some point.  

For Christmas she got two more monkeys to complete her happy family. I will find them lined up like this ALL OVER THE HOUSE...in the funniest places.

And just in case you were wondering??? Spaceman is their Dad....and sometimes their Grand-Dad.

Always makes me laugh.

Love this quote too.

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered around the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will - to your surprise - miss them profoundly."

- President Thomas S. Monson

 

It was such a great day.

Christmas Jammies

And stockings filled with all manner of junk toys and goodies....

Ebelskivers filled with Nutella for breakfast (with my brand new pan)

Cozy Christmas tree

Snuggling with Dad to try and maintain composure upon hearing that present opening is being post-poned until Dutch wakes up.

Dutch using his iron grip on the candy cane.

Traces of Snowman poop all over her mouth....(powdered donuts). If Sennah walks down the stairs Christmas morning and sees that our snowman has pooped in his bowl--then she knows that Santa has been here.

I am just really glad Kris took about 30 pics of me looking this fantastic....see what I mean about my uncanny resemblance to the late Kurt Cobain.

It's not exact...but pretty-derned close.

Santa left a note for Sen on her new art easel.

I actually managed to suprise Kris this year. It was awesome. I pulled a "Tyrone" and went out the day before Christmas Eve and just went nuts buying random things for him, but it was perfect cause he was happy with everything and was genuinely suprised.

Plum-tuckered out from all the holiday cheer...

We had such a great Christmas. I am bummed we didn't make it to church on such a special day. I really regret not making sure we were up and ready in time....but there is no use in crying over spilled milk. Next time Christmas falls on a Sunday, you can bet your bottom dollar we will be the first ones in the church ( :

A couple days before Christmas we had my sister and her family over for a little Christmas dinner.

We read the Christmas story from the bible and it was really nice to start a tradition with them.

They gave Sennah a Mr Krabs & she LOVED it.

Love this picture of the two of them.

This is a favorite pic of mine too...she LOVES having him sit on her lap.

Dutch ALWAYS has his left hand in an L like this--it is SO cute to me. 

Hope you ALL had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS too.

Now its time to set goals and, glumly, reassess those goals in the coming months.

I wish I was good at accomplishing goals. YAHOOOOOO for 2012. I want to read the Book of Mormon (I haven't in ten years). Wish me luck.