I love them, I hate them

I hate Sunday mornings and running around like a crazy getting everyone ready for church.  Especially when some kids are not to excited to get out the door. 

I love actually getting to church.  I have never, ever regretted going to church once I am there. (Ok, maybe once or twice when I am like 9 months pregnant.)  I need to recharge my spiritual battery.  It just doesn't last longer than about six days.  I love seeing the members of my ward.  I love the children that I get to work with.  I love taking the Sacrament, singing hymns, recommitting myself to do better the next week.  I love how everyone seems to be in a better mood when we leave than when we arrived.  

When we lived in California, I loved driving up to Lodi to have dinner and relax and visit family.  We are blessed to have family here too, and we get together at least once a month to eat and catch up.  Sometimes we invite friends or neighbors over.  I might hate the prep for hosting a Sunday dinner, but like church, it is always worth it.  I love Sunday visits!

Jennifer and her family came up to see us the Sunday we came back from California, and who knew, we were twins!  I look like the tall twin, thanks to my shoes. 

I love that Sunday's usually mean some sort of tasty treat.  I love that on Sunday's calories don't count.  Did you know that? 

This past Sunday we had one more relaxing Sunday at Grandma's before school started.  Michael came in while I was talking to the adults and put this snake RIGHT in my face.  I was too surprised to be mad. 

Uncle David told us that riding horses is probably not the most Sabbath Activity, but if it is a nice "stroll" with Grandpa, it seems just right. 

I am so glad Grandpa got this horse.  These two really like it. 

I am just savoring these fleeting summer evenings.  I know there are not many more Sunday evenings like this...

I love Joshua's face in this picture.  I think he was more excited about Luke doing a backflip than anyone.  I didn't catch Luke in the air, but he did it!  

All over the internet I read everyone hailing the arrival of Fall.  Don't get me wrong, I love Fall, but I am always sad to see Summer go. 

 I love that the kids get to bond with their cousins on Sundays.  With school, sports, and the business of everyday life, Sunday's give us a chance to stop and spend time with those we love. 

David just purchased a horse too.  Grandpa is showing him all the horse gear.  Two cowboys at heart. 

This picture cracks me up.  Later in the evening last Sunday, we headed back over to the church with Luke's best friend Gunnar to have his interview to be baptized.  While I was chatting with Gunnar's mom and the missionaries these two were across the room chilling.  They look so little and I don't know why I just think this picture of them is so funny. If you knew them both you would too. 

 Ahhh, I love Sundays.

What do I hate?  How can you work ALL week to get and then keep your house spic and span and then on Sundays it all goes to POT!  I swear the entire place gets bombed.  And what other day do you have so many people in your house?  Today we had home teachers, even the bishop.  And I swear, it was bad! (I must clarify..having visitors is not bad, we love it.  Just that the only time we seem to have visitors is on the day of disarray!)  I try not to care, but messy house equals stressed out mom in these parts.  I just feel so much better when everything is tidy.  Tidy and Sunday evenings do not seem to go together around here.

I also hate that Sunday evenings means that tomorrow I must wake up early.  I am just not a morning person.  I am trying to force myself to go to bed earlier.  I so would love to be one of those productive people that wake up and clean their house and work out at like 5am.  Reality?  I roll out of bed, slide on the most comfortable thing I can find, and slowly, slowly, slowly start moving.  Getting five children out the door smoothly in my house is no easy task and just thinking about it makes my blood pressure rise.  Wake them, get them dressed, hair, lunches, breakfast, drive them to school.  It seems so simple.  Not so.  But I get to do it, and that is what I try to focus on.  I would be so sad if I didn't get to be a part of that morning routine.  So even though I really am grateful, I can't help it, I sometimes just dread waking up the monsters on a Monday morning.  Is that so wrong?

Guess what though, even though I hate those early hours of the morning. I secretly kind of love Mondays.  I am so productive.  I rush around and put the house back together and get laundry done and it just makes me feel good to have some sort of order in my life until about 3pm when the chaos resumes.

Overall...Sunday love definitely wins over messy house/grumpy mom Sunday.

Monday...bring it on!