A Week of (Likely) Lasts

This week felt like a week of several lasts, Jay's last swim lesson, my last presidency meeting, my last ward council. I also had some fun firsts, and some fun repeats. 

Jay wrapped up his last day of swim lessons last week. He had to sit out for not listening and touching the wrong kid. I say the wrong kid because some kids will act like nothing happened and just ignore Jay. Other kids will cry, fuss, and whine...Jay chose that kind of kid to touch, so he got in trouble. Overall, it's major improvement over last year. He didn't cry, and he mostly went to the teachers when they asked. 

I know I'll be released soon as Primary President, so I most likely had  my last presidency meeting and ward council meeting. My presidency has been a great blessing to me over the past two and a half years! They have been there for me when life has been really great and when life has been really hard. After I had Hugh, they took the reigns and led without any hiccups. In our presidency meeting they shared how they appreciated the way I was respectful of their time and allowed us to do virtual presidency meetings, and how I tried to keep them as close to an hour as possible. They also shared how I did a good job of listening to everyone's opinions and taking them into consideration before making decisions. Those were two focus areas I had throughout our service, so I was grateful to hear they felt that. I learned from them about boundaries, about how to speak up when things aren't going well or I feel like I am not being heard/seen. I have loved getting to know the children, and I know Heavenly Father has helped me remember their names. Names are hard for me, and I remember my first few weeks I was very overwhelmed. I have seen God's hand guiding me and inspiring me constantly throughout the past two and a half years. 

Matthew was able to take a couple hours off on Saturday so I could attend Women's Conference. I took a couple pieces of fleece to make two blankets for donating. We finished one right away, but the other we had to wait until the guest speaker finished and we finished with lunch. I was very grateful Anna was willing to stay and help me get it all tied together. It took us about 45 minutes to do the whole thing ourselves, and it surely would have taken me a lot longer alone. The speaker was the mission president's wife, she did an amazing job talking about how we should help others along our journeys in life. Sometimes we are running with people, sometimes we're cheering them on, sometimes were running alone, but we should always be ready to act on the nudges given to us by our Heavenly Father. He will use us as an instrument in His hands to help those around us. I want to be someone Heavenly Father can nudge! 

Matthew got to take off Friday and Saturday night this weekend! We made the most of it by baking triple chocolate scones, watching the live action Little Mermaid, and playing Pandemic. We haven't baked together or played a game other than Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter for a long time. We had a great time, and I love having some 1:1 time with M. 

Sundays are extra special during busy season. M has chosen not to work and thankfully his team fully supports him being off. He works extra long hours during the week to make it possible, and our family is very blessed because of his sacrifices. This past Sunday the weather was perfect, we went for a long family walk. Walking gives us time to talk, laugh, and share about everything happening in life. There's something about walking and talking that does my soul good. M grilled a delicious chicken dinner, and we wrapped up the evening with the Blaylock family chat. We've started meeting together on zoom every month, and it's been a lot of fun to see everyone and stay better connected. 

Daylight savings time hit this week, and it's been so hard to get to bed early and to get out of bed in the morning. The mornings are dark, and I've been exhausted. Monday being cloudy and the day after daylight savings started, it made a great excuse to go to the Merrill's for a playdate. I played pickleball here, then met Katey at her church building for another round of pickleball. The kids were super troopers, and we had a great time playing! Kade and Abby did a great job letting Jay play with them, and when Jay asked them to play outside they obliged. Someday those three are going to be besties, they continue to get better at playing together and I love watching the friendship bloom. Tia's 4th grad choir concert was that evening. She did a great job, she even rocked the drums for one of the songs! She's such a great girl! All the Merrill kids wanted to ride there and back with me, so I loaded everyone in the van. It's a good thing we bought the van, we wouldn't be able to haul all the fun in our Forester! 

Today I got to make butternut squash soup for my friend Anna. She had mouth surgery, so I took her and Ethan dinner. I've never made butternut squash soup before, but I got to use the squash from my garden! I've been saving it in the basement, and I still have more. I need to continue to experiment and use it. While prepping dinner during naptime, I helped Katey (via FaceTime) learn how to make a hooded towel. I am so grateful for technology that allows us to connect with each other whenever and wherever we are!

Matthew has been reading my childhood journal this past week. He's been loving it, sharing moments with me that I've totally forgotten. This morning I shared a few with Oma, and she in turn shared a strong testimony with me. She said she has seen God's hand in my life from the very beginning. He's been there every step of the way, giving me experiences to help me learn and grow and get to the place I am now in life. Right now, life feels a little overwhelming and I often don't know what to do to help Jay with the many challenges he faces. Oma testified to me that Heavenly Father sent Jay to me, and He will continue to give me experiences and help with Jay just as he has for every previous step and phase of my life! 

I'm a glasses 100% of the time girl now. They are prisms, and I am hoping they can help me have less headaches. They should help my eyes focus without having to constantly use the muscles. My eyes don't naturally align vertically or horizontally, so by the end of the day they can be very tired. Luckily the boys have been very respectful of not touching, and I think they are helping some. 

Jay loves taking care of things, his animals, his baby, me, Hugh, you name it. Here's a sweet picture of him carrying his baby. He wanted Olivia to have a shirt on, then he wanted to carry her. He accidently got some slobber on her head, so he ran to the bathroom and you can see he's wiping it off her head. 

Hugh continues to be a light. He cut through another molar on the top, so he has two molars, 4 on the top in the middle, and three bottom center teeth. He loves getting into things, being silly, and HATES when I leave his sight. He cries when I go upstairs, use the bathroom, walk into the garage, anything...it's a little rough, but I am grateful he knows and cares for his mama. 

Occasionally they'll play together and it's a beautiful thing! This moment made my mama heart full. It only lasted about 30 seconds, but still provided hope that someday they'll play together.