Settling back in

Our vacation went well. There was a mix up on our staying arrangements so we ended up having to cut the SD part of the trip a bit short which was a shame but hopefully we'll be able to go down for a visit later when there isn't all the craziness of the holidays. The boys all had a good time getting to play with their cousins. There are two other boys that are around Nico's age so that was nice for him. It was very cute to watch him engaging them and playing their own games together. BIL and the gang came down so Matthew and Jonathan got to play with their girls and there was another girl cousin there that was close to Christopher's age. The only downside of the visit was when everyone went swimming and poor Matthew couldn't go. I had intended to stay out and spend time with him but Mark wanted me in the pool to work with Nico so there went that idea. Matthew came out and sat there for a bit and then started crying. He so desperately wanted to join in and it's the only time I've seen him be so down about having broken his arm. :( I told Mark to get out and get him out of there for a bit so they went off to Fry's and to go get some shorts for him and Nico for Easter and just hung out. When they came back he was in a much better mood.

Easter was lots of fun as always. The Easter Bunny came and visited our hotel room to fill the boys' baskets and hide some eggs for each of them. Unfortunately, they started getting up at 4:30a which did not sit well with me since we hadn't arrived at the hotel until about 3:30a the previous morning and I was still exhausted. After the excitement of finding the eggs we headed over to Mark's grandparents house for the day. All 5 of MIL's siblings were there and most of their kids as well so it was a full house with aunts, and uncles, and cousins galore. I can only hope that when my boys are grown with families of their own that we can have gatherings like that. It's so wonderful to see a family that remains so close.

We left for Visalia on Monday to visit with my Godparents and had a marvelous time. The only bummer there was that Kim had to work so we got to spend very little time together. I'm hoping to find time for a longer visit soon.

We came home on Wednesday so we could try to get a few things done while Mark was still on vacation. We've had no time to get or keep caught up on the house stuff and have been in perpetual fire-fighting mood and we really want it to end. Mark also has his World of Whiskey thing this weekend so that is taking up a good portion of his weekend so we don't have that time. We did manage to get the truck unloaded already, the laundry is now all done and almost entirely put away, and most of the unpacking is done. Unfortunately we had a pipe break under the kitchen sink last night and much of today has been devoted to repairing and cleaning up from that. Thankfully that is all done now too so maybe I can work on a few other things.

We did manage last night to go through the Master Chore List and I'm hoping to get the Activities Worksheets done tonight so that Mark and I can go over all that tomorrow before he leaves again so I can get to work on the Chore Packs and our MOTH Schedule. I really want to have a family meeting to go over everything on Sunday and start working on putting it into practice starting this week.

Speaking of which, I can't believe it's only a week til Jonathan's birthday! Where has that time gone??? I know, I know, I say that of all the kids when their birthdays are upon us but seriously, I really don't know how it happens. It seems that quite literally I blink and I go from pregnant to newborn, to toddler, to now 7yr old! It just seems surreal how quickly they grow up. You can be sure I'll be writing more on that in the coming week.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and is enjoying their Spring Breaks (those without snow that is). Pictures from our trip coming soon!

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Insight from the Dalai Lama:
People once considered that religions were obsolete and that material science would solve all human problems. Now they have become disillusioned with materialism and machinery and have realized that spiritual sciences are also indispensable for human welfare.
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It is quite simple: if you do not smile at people, but frown at them, they respond similarly, don't they? If you deal with other people in a very sincere, open way, they behave similarly. Everybody wants to have friends and does not want enemies. The proper way to create friends is to have a warm heart, not simply money or power.
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The essence of all spiritual life is your emotion, your attitude toward others. Once you have pure sincere motivation, all the rest follows. You can develop this right attitude toward others on the basis of kindness, love, and respect, and on the clear realization of the oneness of all human beings.
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Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister.
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In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. Thirdly, I am Tibetan and carry the name of the Dalai Lama. Tibetans place their trust in me. Therefore, my third commitment is to the Tibetan issue. I have responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice. As far as this third commitment, it will cease to exist once a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and the Chinese. However, my first two commitments I will carry on till my last breath.
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Compared to physical and verbal activities, mental activity is more subtle and difficult to control.
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State of my sink: Ummmm...you did read about the broken pipe right??? It will be back to shiny tonight tho! I was shining it when it happened last night so it's only todays mess to take care of now that everything is working again.