This past week,I am sad to say was NOT spent: studying the scriptures, eating right, exercising, keeping on top of my cleaning schedule, or making good use of time in general. But, we DID have family home evening...Yippee, for accomplishing one thing...Oh yeah, I did manage to get Jake almost a whole new wardrobe (he likes to grow in the middle of winter. When I say grow, I mean he wakes up and nothing fits...THANK YOU TARGET FOR YOUR CLEARANCE!), for not much money. I also saved tons of $$$ with my awesome coupon skills too. And the house was clean for almost one whole day...except laundry in our room. Never mind, scratch that off the list, the whole house was never clean all at once. Oh well.
This week can only get better since I was so slack last week, right?! Family Home Evening is planned and tomorrow we are starting a brand new tradition I am calling: "A Week Of Love", as we lead up to Valentine's day. We need a week of love and appreciation for each other! We kind of started today with a "Daddy Appreciation Day". Aaron was too tired to make it to church today (I am not sure how he functions...Thurs. through Mon. he gets only a few short hours of sleep when he gets home at 7am. He only has Mon. and Wed. nights off and he goes to school all day Tues. and Thurs., so the end of the week is the long sleepless part...) because he had to catch up on some much needed z's. When we got home from church, Jake and I cleaned up the living room (so we could hang out in it stress free) before Aaron woke up. We then spent the afternoon bringing him things he needed and taking care of him. What did he think of this? He asked me "What did you guys do? Did you break something?" :) We obviously need to do a better job of showing our appreciation on a more regular basis. What started Daddy appreciation day was when Jake and I were at church. Jake said "Mommy will you bare your testimony? You really should." I sat and thought about it. When was the last time I bore my testimony? I couldn't remember...Sad, I know. So, I did. I needed it. Jake needed to hear it. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as I realized (again) in our crazy, hectic life I had a testimony of how mindful Heavenly Father is of my little family. How Jesus Christ atoned for me and everyone. How my husband sacrifices sleeping and a normal life in general because he loves us. Aaron takes his responsibility of caring for and providing for our family very seriously. I know that the only way we have made it through this year, and we will make it through the next, is because we know what we are doing right now, is what we need to be doing. Is it fun? Nope. Is it easy? Not at all. Am I handling it the best I can? Not even close. But, when I think of what Aaron sacrifices for Jake and me I can't help but want to do better. Is this where we thought we would be 13 1/2 years into marriage and back in school? NO. We are going to be stronger for it. I am even more thankful for my awesome husband than I ever was before. He amazes me every day. I can't keep up with the laundry, but he can ace all his classes (he is a math major people!!!) on little, to no sleep? I can and will do better. It feels good just to make the declaration. Now I just have to do it!!!
While I was laying on the coach being a lazy bones today and drifting off into my much loved Sunday afternoon nap. I caught a bit of Aaron and Jake's conversation. It went something like this: Aaron "So why are you being extra nice to me today Jake?" Jake: "Because we appreciate you. Especially Mommy. She REALLY appreciates you. She bore her testimony and talked about it today." :) I will be a better home maker again. I may not be a home maker full time, but life is so much better when I don't make it so obvious that I am not. Here's to a new week! Here is too a husband who works hard for his family! Aaron will probably get a chance to read this some time in the middle of the night when he has a little down time so Thank you Aaron. We love and appreciate everything you do for us. I love you more than you know. You are my hero. :)
And just because I love pictures...
Jake and Aaron with all our lovely Super Bowl snacks on our cocoa table (isn't it so cool? I saw it at the store and loved how it looked-Aaron realized it pulled up into a table and was sold on it). Smoothies (one healthy thing), pigs in a blanket, cheese sticks, pizza rolls...This is the first year in as long as I can remember that we haven't thrown/gone to a Super Bowl party. (I ended up having Primary leadership training with the stake leaders tonight before Aaron went to work any way.)
This picture?...Nothing to do with what I talked about...just because I love this face! We were sitting and playing with Legos today while Aaron tried to catch an afternoon power nap and Jake just looked so cute in his "lumberjack shirt" as he calls it. It does have something to do with what I was talking about! This is one of the new shirts from Targets clearance rack, it was only $3.98. :)..Notice the full laundry basket in the background...and who knows what is in that grocery bag. Oh I know, it was little trinkets that we were going to trade in at geo-cashing spots when Tina and the kiddos where here...3 weeks ago? That bag stayed on there even when we rearranged Jake's room. Oh yeah add that to the list of things I did accomplish....priorities: laundry or rearranging furniture...hmmm. I may have made a wrong choice there...But Jake's room feels so much bigger now. :)
