Glimpses of Sanity...

Like I said in our last post, it seems like there is a lot going on and it's been kind of stressful.....well, I'm tired of that so I'm choosing to focus on the positive things that have been happening and "breaking the cycle" of bad things happening. (thanks, Roxanne, for giving me this phrase) There have been so many fun and wonderful things that have been mixed in with all of these other things and it seems like the bad things are completely overshadowing the good. I guess that's life, huh? It seems like when we're on a certain path and things just aren't completely going our way, it's a lot easier to focus on that because it seems like that's what needs attention. Well, there's a lot that's good too and I definitely am ready to break the cycle so here are some of the positive things:

• Girls Nights!! We had a girls night with our ward, which was sooo fun, even though we talked about washing machines instead of gossip and men, :) but it was so fun to get out and hang with some great girls. We ate at Panera Bread and then went to see 27 Dresses, which was a total chick flick and it was okay because we were a group of chicks. No one complained that it was too slow and there wasn't one gun or scene of violence. It was great and we all carpooled over and we had 7 of us in our car and there was a lot of laughing and about 5 different conversations going on all at the same time. It was all that a girls night should be. So much fun....a great way to forget about all that is going on for a good 5 hours.
• Another Girls Night!! We went to dinner the next weekend with another group of fun, hilarious girls who definitely know how to have a great time! It was so fun to get out and we ate at Las Casuelas and then went bowling. My Grandma and Grandpa Smart would've been proud because that's what they used to give us for Christmas every year was a trip to go bowling with them. It was so fun and I haven't laughed that much in a long time. It's so fun to have all of these wonderful people around me to bring me up and help me remember the positive things in life..... I really needed it! For Real! (some of you know what I mean by this!)
• We had the track meet, which was so fun for all of the reasons I said in a previous post and it's one of those times that make you so proud as a parent. I love watching the kids grow and succeed and even if we don't all win all the time, it's nice to see that they're good sports and keep cheering on the other kids and are happy for each other. Those are good moments as a parent.
• We had fun with friends after the track meet too, which made our weekend so fun. We had great company, great food and we bowled again, Wii-style. We have so many wonderful people around us and laughing and having a good time makes everything else bearable. Thanks guys!
• My walking buddies don't know how much sanity they've given me as we walk and talk and sometimes vent; it seems like we're solving all of the world's problems and it's a great outlet for me in the mornings. I'm usually half awake when I walk out to meet them, but it doesn't last long! I feel ready to take on the day when I walk back inside so that's been a very positive thing for me.
• This last week, our kids have given us a little sanity break as well. On Tuesday, Brit offered to take the kids to the park. We've never let her do this by herself and Carson wanted to ride his bike and so did Bailey and that made me a little nervous. Well, they decided to go get another girl from our neighborhood that could help and off they went with Avery in the wagon. It turned out great! They took my cell phone in case they needed us and they had a wonderful time! Brittany is so responsible and I had no doubt that she could do it, I guess it's just "letting" her do it and letting go a little as a parent. She did a wonderful job and passed with flying colors! It was so great for me because I'd been going all day and I had a chance to get dinner ready and play my music as loud as I want, I definitely sound like the responsible mother of 4 children, don't I, and just hang out by myself for a little while. Sometimes I need that and when they got home, I was ready to be a mom again! It was wonderful! Thanks, Brit!
• We also left the kids home a couple of times this week as we went to a neighbor's house. The first time we were only gone for about 1/2 hour. We got home and Brittany was dishing all of the kids some ice cream and had them on the couch with blankets and she had started a show for them to watch. The next night, we left for a little longer than we thought and we called to check on them and everything was fine. We got home to Brittany on the couch with Avery asleep on her lap, the kids were in their jammies and ready for bed! I can definitely see a glimpse of getting out a little more in the near future. Loving that!
• Do you ever have days that you just need to get out.....doesn't matter where you go, but just need to go? I needed to clean the house so bad, but I just couldn't take the step to do it. Carson and I decided we wanted a cheeseburger from McDonald's (I can hear some of you gagging, but that's a treat because I love them) :) so we splurged and got out a little bit, even though it was just through the drive-thru. I stopped by Alysa's house just for a minute and she invited us to stay for a little bit and so we did! We had a great time and just hanging out for a minute was exactly what we needed! Our friends have saved us more times than we can count and we love that we have so many wonderful people around us! Thanks, Alysa! We really needed that!
• We ended with a wonderful, relaxing Sunday! It was way to early this morning to get up, but we almost made it to church on time (I said almost, we're still trying) and came home, took a nap, played with the kids outside, visited with Bryce and their kids, and then took a walk to the park. We played tag, ran around and laughed A LOT! I was cracking up when we were playing tag and Carson would chase us and say, "You want a piece of me?" and then laugh like crazy. That really makes for a great day!
• Another little bit of sanity always comes from Cody! He was on a roll this morning; he can make me laugh like no one else. All the way to church he was making jokes, making fun of me or the way I was driving or the music we were listening to or whatever, but he was doing it with love! :) (sure) but he was making me laugh. I know he's stressed out but he always manages to make me feel better! What would I do without him? He was so fun with the kids today and I sat on the bench at the park watching them run around and watching him riding around Bailey's bike as she ran after him (he's trouble) and thinking what a lucky girl I am! I love him so much and appreciate everything that he does for all of us.

We have a wonderful friends and family and we love our kids and we have so many positive things happening all around us......we hope to be able to "break the cycle" and look to the positive and hopefully what goes around, comes around! We don't know what we'd do without all of the wonderful friends that we have and all of our family. We don't go many places that people aren't asking us if we're doing okay. We've had so many nice things happen and we're grateful for everything and for everyone who has helped us along. It's really hard to be in a position where people are serving you. I'd much rather be the one to serve and it's been a very humbling experience. This has been a great week and the glimpses of sanity have helped us through! Thanks for helping us "break the cycle" and we're looking forward to another wonderful week, PLUS my sister's coming in 6 days!!!! YEAH!! We're all looking forward to that! Lots of reasons to smile.....