{five things • xxvii}

- one -

I am terribly slow at posting this Five Things, but it's for good reason.

Last week, Bryson got really sick. It started just like any other stomach ailment, but quickly escalated until we were fairly certain he was suffering from appendicitis. So we spent the greater part of Valentine's Day getting him tested for a bunch of things and having a CT scan at the hospital. He was in a great deal of pain and unable to sit at all-- he either had to be laying down or pacing while we waited for results.

And then after all that, every test and scan came back totally clean and clear. So the doctors gave him a tentative diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis-- which basically means "we don't know what is causing this." He had to stay in bed for awhile and keep to a bland diet, but he is doing a bit better now. I wish he would take it a little easier, but yesterday he insisted on attending all his meetings and today he is at work as usual. It's still not gone, but he is no longer in constant serious pain, so I am tremendously grateful for that.

Now I just need a few days convalescence to recover myself!

- two -

This little munchkin is officially a baby on the move.
He started army crawling a couple weeks ago, and already he is getting up on his knees and motoring around the house pretty quickly.

I can't leave him alone for a second.
But I like spending time with this little guy, so it's all good.

- three -

Rounding the corner of my neighborhood and seeing this every day always makes me smile.

The work on the temple is coming along quickly, and they just brought in a new crane to start on the stone facing this week. Pretty exciting!!!

- four -

I'm going to try and post a couple of playlists here in the next few days. One is my standard go-to when I'm having a rough day, and the other is a collection of Easter-appropriate contemporary Christian tracks. I love, love, love Easter time, and I hope that you will enjoy bringing Christ-centered music into your day as much as I have! Here's one of my favorite songs just to whet your appetite. Bethany Dillon & Matt Hammit's version of "In Christ Alone."



- five -

There is a storm brewing in our house of late. You see, tomorrow is the Big Game.
BYU vs. USU basketball.
Have mercy.

My parents were able to snag some tickets last minute, and already the kids have taken sides. Taylor is a true blue dyed in the wool Cougar, and Reilly is passionate about her Aggies. Seriously.

Being that I am the only member of the family who has actually attended both schools, I am always caught in the middle. And honestly, it doesn't matter one bit to me who wins or loses. But you may want to batten down the hatches if you're in the area...

• • •

And those are my Five Things for the week!
Thanks to Heather for hosting our regular blog hop! 
♥

{five things xxiii}

Per Heather's request, I'm posting a Five Things-- Halloween Style. :)

Now, truth be told, Halloween really isn't my favorite holiday. I have fun dressing the kids up and usually myself as well (although sleep deprivation won out to getting a costume for me this year!), but as for the creepy and gory aspects of the day I am just not a fan. I don't like violence... and scary movies are r-e-a-l-l-y not my thing, unless you're talking about old classics like Wait Until Dark.  (The last scary movie I watched was 2002's The Ring... and I'm pretty sure it will be my last. Scared the living daylights out of me, and I think I only watched about half of it-- the rest of the time I covered my eyes!) There's enough darkness in the world without me seeking it out for entertainment.

I've enjoyed hearing ideas on alternative ways to celebrate the day from interesting people from various corners of the web, including Heather, Misty, and Jen. Perhaps next year we'll incorporate some of their ideas with our own traditions to add a little extra depth to the holiday.

At our kids' charter school, instead of a traditional Halloween party, the elementary grades put on a History Fair. Each grade dresses according to the historical era they are studying in their classes and they visit all the grades to learn a little about each time period. I really love that idea, and it was a lot of fun for Taylor and Reilly.

So, without further ado, here are my five little trick-or-treaters!

- one -

Taylor's class is studying the War of 1812. In his class there were soldiers, pioneers, pirates, elegantly dressed ladies of the era... but Taylor was the only Red Coat! 

After researching a little on what the soldiers' uniforms looked like, we decided with a little modification that a marching band costume would make a great British uniform. He was quite debonaire, don't you think? 

That crooked smile. It kills me. :)

- two -

Reilly's class is studying ancient Egypt, so she went as an Egyptian princess. At first she was really excited to get dressed up and do the eye makeup, and then after she saw herself in the mirror she wasn't too sure anymore. I think she was a little nervous of being the only one decked out quite like she was. Once we arrived at the school and she saw all her classmates she became very enthusiastic again. She had lots of other Egyptian princesses, pharaohs, and mummies to keep her company. Taylor said that if he had been in her class he would have gone as Joseph of Egypt or an Israelite slave. That made me smile.

- three - 

With Dani's current girly-girl fascination with all things princess-y or fairy-related, I thought for sure she'd go with one of Reilly's old costumes this year. However, she was not impressed. Instead, she found Taylor's old horse costume and THAT is what she HAD to be this year. She was pretty adorable, I must say. Although, I kept thinking of Jacqueline from the movie Ever After and chuckling. 

"Honestly, Jacqueline, the horse is one of God's noblest creatures!"

- four -

Logan was our resident dragon this year. He was so excited when he saw the costume and immediately got into character the second he put it on. 

He has been running around the house ever since roaring fiercely, as a good dragon should.

I don't think we are ever going to get him to take it off.

- five -

And to round it all out, one of the cutest little monsters this green earth has ever seen.

I adore this happy little man.

• • •

And those are my five things for the week!

Warm wishes to you and yours.

♥

Nailed It!

The days and nights with a small newborn are a dichotomy between pure bliss and extreme endurance. I find myself always trying to hold on to the quiet moments, the times when I am overwhelmed with love and peace. When I get caught in the vicious cycle of exhaustion and frustration I try to go back to that same quiet, to remember how sad I will be when my little baby is not little any longer.

As I was considering how fleeting time really is this evening, I suddenly became very heartbroken. Knowing that Owen may very well be our last baby, I reflected on all of the previous years now gone by of my early motherhood years. There are so many things I wish I could go back and do better. So many lessons learned. And while that experience has been invaluable and propels me forward in wisdom as a mother of five (!) now, I look back on what was and what I wish could have been.

I have an image in my head of the person I want to be and the life I want to lead. I reach endlessly to that end, only to be frustrated when my efforts seem to come up short daily. I wonder why on earth it is so hard to cast off these bad habits and glaring weaknesses of mine, when I have such a clear image of the end goal. Shouldn't I simply be able to outline the necessary steps and proceed accordingly?

Poof.
Perfection.

If only.

As I considered this, the tears trickled down my face.
I cradled my baby boy, all innocence and light, and held my breath and tried to stop time from moving forward-- if only for just a few short moments.

Talking with Bryson when he entered the room, trying to explain exactly why I was crying-- that, no, I wasn't upset... no, I wasn't depressed... I was just...

Well?
What was I?

As I tried to explain how I was just keenly aware of the quick passage of time and the gnawing sense that I am still really kind of a wreck, a definite work in progress, a pair of images came into my mind.  And I suddenly began to laugh through my tears. Big gulping guffaws that I couldn't control. I'm pretty sure Bryson thought I had absolutely lost my mind, but I couldn't help it. Soon I was crying because I was laughing so hard. 

The pictures that came to my memory were a pair that I had seen floating around on Pinterest over the past couple of months. They so perfectly illustrated how I have felt about my life that I decided to pull them up to show Bryson, and reassure him that his wife had not actually gone crazy.

The first was this image of some impressively decorated Cookie Monster cupcakes. They are incredible! Perfectly frosted and decorated, and most assuredly delicious, to me they represent the way I want things to be.

I showed Bryson the picture.

"So... as an analogy, this is like how I think my life should be. Beautiful and well executed."

"Ummm, okay..." came his reply. I'm sure he had no idea where I was going with this.

"And THIS... well, this is how I feel like my life ACTUALLY is."

I showed him the second picture:

He totally got it.
Suddenly he was laughing right along side me.

He gave me a hug, and looked me squarely in the eye.

"You know, Tiff, they might not look exactly perfect-- but I bet they still taste delicious."

Life is messy. Being weak and making mistakes is part of the human experience.
I will never be perfect in this life. Never.
But that doesn't mean that every day can't be delicious, savored.

Even the awkward, unattractive ones.

So I cradle my baby boy just a little bit closer, and breathe in the fresh scent of innocence. Time may be fleeting, and I may be perfectly imperfect, but at this moment none of that matters.

I have a husband whom I adore.
And five beautiful children that have blessed our lives with more love than we could have imagined.
Our home is filled with love and laughter.

Regardless of all else, that makes this life delicious to me.

He's Here!

Our little Owen was born three weeks early on June 19th!
5 pounds 15.5 ounces-- rounded up on his birth certificate to 6 pounds even-- and 18 inches long.

One of these days I'll get around to writing a new post... I have started several only to be stymied by the newborn-induced sleep deprivation brain fog. He is doing wonderful, and we are so happy to have him here. I am doing pretty well, having had to deal with some minor postpartum complications.

But mostly, I am so profoundly grateful.
It is an amazing thing, being a mother.