I'm realizing that I have settled into writing a blog post once a month rather than every other week. I always mean to do it but even with us not attending church in person, for some reason it is still hard to find time for it on Sundays! This is especially true lately because I have been taking an emotional self-reliance class through the church on Sunday afternoons. I have really appreciated this class and like it a lot but we are taking a pause this week due to the holiday. I will be happy to get back to it next week. I feel like the class is a really good mix of gospel principles and sound mental health best practices and education. It is very practical and uses the right techniques for encouraging positive change such as having an accountability partner and setting specific goals for each week. I am not always the best at doing them but I have still really appreciated the invitations. I feel like pretty much every week has something I can relate to or have struggled with. Identifying and changing incorrect thinking patterns, managing anger, coping with anxiety and depression, etc. It is ALL stuff I can use more of in my life for sure. Just this morning I was struggling and lost my temper with Levi. I feel awful about it. Here I am trying to teach him how to manage his intense feelings of frustration and anger and I'm not exactly setting a great example for him. Proof that we all need the power of Christ's atonement in our lives. I pray I can change for the better.
Anyway, the holiday season is upon us now and I feel like the world is grasping onto it and diving into it even more than usual this year. I think we all could use some positivity and cheer after the dumpster fire that 2020 has been. This Thanksgiving was definitely less Thanksgivingy than I'm used to. It was hard not to just mope around knowing that my whole family (Mom and Dad and Katie and Kendall and Eric and Natachia and Patrick) were all celebrating together and Eric and I and the kids were just at home trying not to make it just another Saturday. We did have a good day though. In the morning we went to Hope park in Frisco and played nerf gun wars with Matthew and Valerie and Silva. That was a lot of fun. I LOVE how well Silva and Emery play together and how genuinely happy they are to see each other and spend time together. Levi loved playing nerf guns and Emery had fun driving around Levi's power wheels while we played. I tried to convince Silva to take a turn driving or even to just ride in it with Emery but she wasn't having it. Oh well.
Anyway so then we can home and did lunch and quiet time and then Levi and Eric and I played Smallworlds while Emery napped. Levi is surprisingly good at adult games like that! He beat Eric and we barely had to help or prompt him at all! I think he does extra well because he doesn't play like an adult. For example, he chose squares to conquer or shoot for based on the pictures he liked on them- like a certain farmland that had the picture of a cool city on it or the swamp with what he thought were very interesting animal skeletons on it. I think it kind of helps bring back the wonder of the game a little bit. Makes me realize that the game can be fun for more than just doing well at winning points but that you can let it transport you into a bit of a fantasy world. Levi also does well because he is not afraid to be aggressive! He is a surprisingly aggressive player and good at strategy for his age. Eric started teaching him chess last week and I wouldn't be surprised if Levi gets a knack for it and starts doing well at it young. It would be cool to have a brilliant strategiest as a son... I think. Haha.
So yeah, after we finished our game and Emery woke up, I made us a simple Thanksgiving dinner. Levi had requested mac and cheese and Emery wanted ham so we had ham and mashed potatoes and creamed corn and mac n cheese (and some carrots and celery because I needed something that wasn't loaded with butter or cream haha). It was all DELICIOUS and a pretty easy meal to make really but it still made me sad that it was just us around the table. Even with apple cider in our wine glasses and egg nog and pumpkin pie for dessert it still didn't really feel like Thanksgiving. I'm very grateful that my parents are coming for Christmas. I think that will really help it feel special.
Speaking of Christmas, the last couple of days since Thanksgiving, getting ready for Christmas has been my focus. The kids and I decorated the house on Friday and finished decorating the tree yesterday and Eric put up our outside Christmas lights. It all looks wonderful and I just love seeing our mantel all decorated and our tree all lit up and my favorite Christmas songs playing. It makes me feel calmer and happier. Today, the kids helped me fill the bags for our advent calendar. I am excited to do it with them this year now that Levi is old enough to understand the Light the World better and really participate. I feel like it will help us remember Christ this Christmas season and not get overwhelmed.
So yeah, those are my thoughts today. Now here's a snapshot (actually several) of our life over the past month :)
