Our weekend

Will you just look at this weather? 

The crocus are coming up!

 Here is the first daffodil in our yard!

This past few weeks have been busy, and I hate being too busy. I take issue with my friends who are "so busy" all the time. Why can't you just stop once in a while? Lets grab lunch or go for a walk! Stop and TAKE A BREATH! Some people seem to always, always, be busy going in a hundred different directions. Even in the summer!
For myself, I can only go so long that way and I start getting cranky real quick.
Nathaniel made the tennis team. They had their first meet on Thursday. He has practice every day after school. He also does ultimate frisbee. I spent over an hour last week signing him up for the ACT. On Wednesday he went to school, then to tennis, then frisbee, then mutual. Sarah is doing track. She takes piano and has ongoing recitals and competitions. She's also in tumbling and wants to run for student council for next year. Rebecca, who has been taking violin, wants to move to voice. She is in the school play again this year and they have practices a couple of times a week. John just started piano lessons-- which he has been bugging us about for months-- and is in cub scouts.
On Thursday after school we had track, tennis, tumbling (what's with all the "T's"?) a piano peer/recital meeting and parent/teacher conferences. I told Sarah something had to give and she missed tumbling. I can't spend 5 hours in the car and keep my sanity.
Oh, and also? I have a baby.
I know lots of mom's have this life. I really, really do. But I just don't want that life. Peter and I have vetoed a number of activities over the years. I'd be a terrible mom for a kid wanting to go into the Olympics.
Now that the kids are getting older they are involved in more things and I've been telling the kids this is pushing the limit. I encourage the kids to do as President Uchtdorf says and try to filter out the good things for the best things. Like when Nathaniel's chemistry study group is consistently falling on Monday nights? That's a problem.
Easier said than done, I know.

Here's the good news: This weekend was great! For one thing, we had Friday off. John and Rebecca went out to lunch with me, then to the library and out for ice cream. With the snow completely melted I went over to the other house and got everything out of the backyard and trimmed all the perennials and rosebushes up while John and his friend played in our old sandbox. The kids all had friends over that night and we watched a movie and ate candy and popcorn. Saturday morning I got up to this:

Mom,
I am at the old
house jumping on the tramp with Spencer. I
will be home soon.
From John
To Mom




















I got to sleep in, finish my book, paint my toenails, and take pictures of Will in between cleaning the house and picking up Peter up from the airport. Today we went to church then waited for Peter to get done with his clerk duties and took John and Rebecca out to fly their kites out on a great windy day. We came home and played games, watched a few YouTube videos, got some laughs, and I made dinner and then we watched a movie. (Not as Sabbath Day as it should have been, I know.)
It wasn't like it was perfect. There was fighting, sassing, teenage eye-rolling, and other miscellaneous kid-related obstacles, but overall it was very nice.

Next Saturday Nathaniel has the practice ACT (the same one I mistakenly got him up for on Saturday--woops) Sarah has her piano competition, there is mutual temple activity and our good friend, Mason's dad, is getting married.
But a week from then is spring break and guess what I have scheduled?
Nothing!