Hmmm...

Do you ever get so far behind on blogging that you just don't post for a while because you don't know where to start? That's kind of where I am. Sometime early next week will there will possibly be some catch-up on Christmas/Anniversary, a super cool invitation, maybe an Elena update, etc. We'll see how it goes. But for now, here are some random thoughts (warning: these are long and VERY random.... read only if you are bored):

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-For Christmas, I received several books, including the last three of Jane Austen's books that I hadn't read yet (Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion). Over the last few weeks, I've gotten to do a lot more reading than usual and it has been fantastic. I really love to read and there is nothing like a good book to help you unwind and give you lots to think about. I've finished Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey and am now working on Persuasion. I was a bit nervous to start these books because I had heard such poor reviews about them and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her other books. But, I have been pleasantly surprised about all three of them so far. They certainly don't compare with the awesomeness of Pride and Prejudice or Emma, but they have all been really ingenious, captivating, and entertaining in their own way. Jane Austen is brillant. Has anyone else read any of them? Thoughts? Feelings? Reviews?

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-Lately, I've been doing a lot of pondering. Having lots of friends and family members who are pregnant has been making me reflect. Since I had Elena, I've thought a lot about how much free time I really did have before she was born and what would I do with myself if I could go back and have a week's worth of time the way it was when it was just me to take care of. I wonder a lot just what I did with my time back then! Honestly! Now, I just absolutely treasure the two hours every day of Elena's nap when I get a little "me" time. So, looking at a lot of my first time pregnant friends has brought all of this to the front of my mind again. And I just want to go up to them and shake them and try to make them understand how precious and rare and fleeting this time that they have to themselves is.

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But then, I've been looking at a lot of my second, third, or fourth time pregnant family members and thinking - "gees, I'm so lucky to have my "me" time during Elena's nap or if I wake up before her in the morning - they probably don't get that a lot because sure, one kid is sleeping, but the other is on a totally different schedule or in a different developmental stage and is awake while the other one sleeps". All of those with multiple kids probably want to come up and shake me and try and make me understand how precious and fleeting my "me" time is. How it will change (and probably disappear) with each subsequent kid. They probably have days where they would long to go back to the (relative) ease of only one child and want to just kick me and make me appreciate the time I have. :) So, in the spirit of trying to learn from experience and not have regrets, I am trying to make the most of the time I have now. Sure, I have a lot less free time than I did before I had Elena, but I have a lot more free time than I will have in a long while. So, I should treasure and make the most of the time I have now.

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-Can I just say that the Lord loves us and know us! He is aware of our situations and what we need. I came across some quotes this last week and got other advice and words of encouragement along the same lines, unsolicited, just when I needed them. They're so good, I thought I would share a couple:

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"I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent's life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child's life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent's normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. This eternally important work falls to mothers and fathers as equal partners. I am grateful that today many fathers are more involved in the lives of their children. But I believe that the instincts and the intense nurturing involvement of mothers with their children will always be a major key to their well-being. In the words of the proclamation on the family, 'Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children' (The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102)."M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 108-109

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and

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"I take great delight in my role as a nurturer, which allows me to express my deepest identity as a woman. I never fail to be struck by the way that women, young women, and even little girls seem to have an instinctive interest and ability in nurturing. It is not only a mother's primary responsibility but also part of our 'individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose' ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). To nurture is to teach, to foster development, to promote growth, to feed, and to nourish. Who would not shout for joy at being given such a blessed role? "The scriptures use the word nurture only twice and in both cases speak of the responsibility of parents to raise their children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4; Enos 1:1).Susan W. Tanner, "My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord," Ensign, May 2008, 82