La vida es bella

Yes, I am still alive ( : I know things have been quiet on the blogging front, but I have been obscenely busy with writing a thesis, studying music and keeping 4 children (not including the husband!) alive. Phew. John and I shared a funny thought today. The counselor stood up to conclude the Sacrament Meeting and stated "You can't have come to this meeting and NOT felt the spirit/gained something from everything we have shared today", and John and I just looked at each other. On the way home John stated "He obviously wasn't sitting on our row!" Truth be told, it WAS a good meeting, and the children were pretty good, but nonetheless, there were 4 children, six an under trying to be reverent for 75 minutes at lunchtime. Oh mama mia. ( : I am grateful that John and I took anything away from the meeting!

The children are growing so quickly. They make me laugh everyday (and sometimes cry, or scream, but we won't talk about that right now). Christopher is developing such a sweet little testimony. We still have issues learning to manage anger, but he really is eager to do what is right, and I love having him around. I must confess, I am looking forward to homeschooling him next year, and getting to share the learning journey with him. Remind me of that when I have a bad day next year!

Theodore is a joy, whenever he is choosing not to be mischievous. Christopher and he are inseparable when Christopher is around, and I love it. He still talks like a little German man, he may need some speech therapy, but it sounds so cute. Both he and Christopher are also getting helpful in the kitchen, something I really appreciate. He's really hitting a fun age, where he wants to understand, God, history, and everything that makes the world go round. It's fun to see the world from the eyes of a four year old.

Sophia is talking up a storm. She is really developing her sense of self. An independent minded girl, she still wants to do everything by herself. She is getting quite adept at playing with her sibling, and reasoning with Mom and Dad to get what she wants. Two really isn't such a bad age ( :

Lori, well, I've talked about her recently. I love how her personality is really starting to shine. She is SO MUCH FUN! I love her giggle and will do just about anything to hear it. She finally got teeth, 4 at once, eats table food, and cruises around. Next thing I know, she'll be walking and talking! But right now, she's still my baby.

These little people sure keep John and I busy. Besides caring for these little ones, we have been busy planning our garden (Yeah!), and pursuing our goals for the year. We are looking forward to some travel opportunities, and I am ESPECIALLY looking forward to traveling to Italy this summer, for an Opera training opportunity. I feel so blessed to have a husband who has some leave options and loves me enough to brave the scary jungle that I call life ( : and be Mr. Dad while I pursue a passion. I may never be a star but I sure am enjoying this learning path.

There have been many things on our hearts lately, from homeschooling to foster adoption, to the terrible plight in Haiti, to the crazy political stories all around (my increasing disillusion with both Democrats and Republicans), food storage and more. So, whenever I consider posting, I don't know what to talk about, because I can't possibly adequately cover these topics, and there simply aren't enough hours in the day. Oh well. In a few months *knock on wood* this thesis will be done, and I'll ONLY have music (for some reason, people have the idea that I can play the piano, Ha, Ha ( : )and then there will be more time to blog ( :