I am really proud of Chaz for a lot of reasons. One of them is that he is 2 weeks away from graduating with his Masters Degree in Healthcare Administration. It was a 2 year program through Weber State that he mostly did online. It was a miracle that he got into the program, to be totally honest. He has done so well with it and I'm so proud of him. Every night after we put the kids to bed he helps me clean up the house and then spends a few hours on his laptop doing homework. If you would have asked Chaz when we first got married if he would get his masters degree, I can almost guarantee he would have told you that you couldn't pay him to get it. But when the need for our family arose, he stepped up.
He is a good dad and makes time to play with our kids and teaches them. I am especially grateful for how he has taken care of the kids lately because I have been really sick. He has woken up with the kids basically every morning for the past 3 months and has gotten up with them in the night. He has taken over a lot of the house work a long with his full time job and masters program- believe it or not. I don't know if you have ever tried working full time, while doing a masters program, taking care of a wife and two kids, being in the elder quorum presidency, and fixing up an old house, but it is really hard.
Not only that, but he has started being really healthy (probably because he tells people how they need to be healthier everyday for work and he may not have been practicing what he was preaching.☺) He makes a smoothie everyday for breakfast and then pre-makes his lunches for the whole week. They usually consist of a lean protein with vegetables. I am really just so impressed.
As for myself, I have been learning a few things about myself and about life in general. A wonderful counselor opened my eyes to the perfectionist ideals I had created for myself. And my family. So I've been practicing being un-perfect. Not purposefully trying to be a worse person. But realizing and accepting where I am and accepting that life is about making mistakes and growing and learning. Life doesn't have to be "perfect" to be wonderful. I don't have to have lots of money and an always clean house that is humongous and I don't have to always look perfect or eat perfect or do educational activities with my kids in all our spare time.
We have been eating on paper plates. I have been cooking simpler meals. The kids watch more T.V. Our house is messy sometimes- even when people come over- heaven forbid. However, we have been going on more walks and reading more stories. I taught the kids about Christ over Easter week. They took so much from that. I have been trying to just sit down and play with Boston and just let him choose what we do and be in charge. I have been really trying to heal my relationship with him. So I am rejoicing in those successes and not worrying too much about the other seeming failures. When I start to feel anxious about not being good enough, I ask myself if God would be proud of the things I did that day. When I can do this, my anxiety always leaves and I am able to see a little more clearly what matters most.
In this world of social media, I get so caught up in constant comparisons. I am such a mess when I am constantly worrying about other peoples opinions of me. I have found that true confidence comes from God: my relationship with him, and trying to see myself through his eyes. Magic happens when you can let go of caring about what the world thinks of you and rivet your focus on what God thinks of you. That is where true confidence comes from.
To get a little newsy, I am pregnant! Hooray! With a girl! Due September 24th. Boston turned 4. Lucy started climbing out of her crib and is now in a big girl bed. Lolo had another litter of puppies last week. We bought a van...We have officially arrived.
Life is truly wonderful. Truly hard right now. But truly wonderful!
Boston's Bday:
From the past few months:
