March GBOMB

I feel like March was long and had so much going on but it just flew by! I can’t believe it’s April already! I will say that as I write these I always think of more and more things to add. So sorrynotsorry it’s so long…here’s March in review:)

Good

• For the first time in the history of EVER Ben had a spring break! He went to BYU-I for his undergrad where you never really have spring (❄️☃️❄️) so why bother giving a spring break? We spent this inaugural spring break…not very eventfully, but we sure enjoyed it! We did some hiking and spent a day in the Phoenix area. It was casual but awesome.
• The Great British Baking Show! Where have you been all my life? And can’t complain that the show inspired Ben to make some bomb croissants!
• Poor Jaeger dog seemed really sick on the day we were heading to Phoenix. Under the circumstances, Ben didn’t want him to sit in his kennel all day (which is what he normally would have done).  So we cleaned up our main living space, closed off the doors to the other rooms and just hoped that he’d behave. Jack Russels are notorious for being pretty naughty and while Jaeger has never chewed stuff up, every time we’ve tried to leave him out alone he poops in Ben’s shoe (seriously. Never mine. Just Ben’s😂). When we returned from our day trip we were greeted by a sweet Jaeger dog, a still clean house….and poopless shoes!!! It was a miracle! We inspected every corner and he did an awesome job staying out of trouble. Since then we have let him stay out of his kennel when we leave the house and he’s still on his stellar streak! Hopefully he keeps it that way…
• We recently changed Wendy’s bedtime (I talk about it more later) and for about a week she really struggled with it. She had a cold too which I’m sure made things worse. One night in particular she was crying quite a bit as we went through her nightly routine. Ben started saying our family prayer with Wendy fussing in the background. But Ben prayed very simply asking that Wendy could sleep well that night so she could get feeling better. She stopped crying immediately and went to sleep easily that night! Prayer answered for sure, but I also felt like it was a sweet sign that my little baby understands the language of heaven.
• Every year my dad’s side of the family has a reunion at Ruby’s Inn, near Bryce Canyon. It’s just a weekend of visiting, hiking, eating, and hanging out. The first time Ben and I went together was just a few days after we had gotten engaged. We haven’t been able to go every year since then but this year was the 20th anniversary since this tradition started so we put it on our priority list to go. We missed having most my siblings around but we loved spending time with my mom and dad, a couple siblings and all the extended family that was able to go. We hiked, swam, played games and stayed up too late enjoying everyone’s company. My personal favorite was seeing everyone love on baby Wendy! Makes a momma’s heart happy. We had a wonderful time!
• We had a few weeks of just absolutely gorgeous weather! So much so that I went out and bought some baby sunscreen and a sunhat!

Bad

• Buuuuuut the gorgeous weather did not last! We’ve gotten snow several times in the last couple weeks. It’s been cold and windy. I was doing fine with the snow until we got that taste of spring…now I’m ready for the sunshine!
• I started reading a new book that I was pretty excited about. It had been recommended and had great reviews. I was enjoying it pretty well but several chapters in it had this super sad baby related event and…I just couldn’t. I tried to get over it and continue reading but it was giving me some serious anxiety so I stopped reading, but even then it took me a few days to get off the worry train. I might finish that book someday…just not in this stage of life.
• Colds. All around. Meh.
• Sooooooooooo…just let me say that I know I’ve been totally spoiled with Wendy and her sleeping habits. She’s just naturally a great sleeper and I’m super grateful. But a few weeks ago we had one night where we put her down when we had normally been putting her down (10pm) and for some reason she just cried and cried and would not calm down. She didn’t fall asleep until after midnight and that was with Ben and I using all the techniques we could think of. For a while now Ben has been suggesting we put her to bed earlier and I had been saying no because I was nervous how it would affect breastfeeding (in an “ouch!” kind of way), but that night was a clear sign to both of us that she needed an earlier bedtime. So we switched things up. We had a week or so of adjusting (I’m sure made more difficult because of Wendy’s cold), but we’ve gotten into a good routine (it doesn’t always go perfectly) and I think we’ve all benefited from it. Ben might see a little less of her in the evenings, but he sees a happy her. And I enjoy having a little extra time to myself at night to squeeze in some cleaning or (more often) a few more chapters in whatever it is I’m reading.

On My Brain

• Loved the women’s conference (and general conference too, but technically that should be in April’s GBOMB:)!
• My sister sent me this article on happier/healthier living. I found it very interesting and loved all the ideas he gives about improving oneself (I love goals. Judge me). I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless.
• I reviewed Mindy Kaling’s book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? last week. One of the chapters she has in the book is titled “Married People Need to Step It Up.” The chapter is totally hilarious and totally (sadly) true! She talks about how she knows so many married people who just go on and on about how “Marriage is work” and who just make it seem like marriage kind of sucks. She talks about how most romantic comedies deal with the dating phase and end with a wedding, which kind of gives the vibe that nothing fun happens after you get married. Kaling does give good examples of marriage-like her parents-, and she talks about how she’s sure marriage is work but that it should be more fun and enjoyable than it is difficult and trying. Ben and I recently watched the series Parks and Rec, and I found it super interesting that by the end of the series they had basically every character in the show get married. Tough and manly Ron Swanson gets married. Bizarre and apathetic April gets married. Even Tom who you think will be a perma-bachelor gets married. To me, this means that marriage is still an ideal. I believe most people hope to get married someday. So Kaling is totally right. C’mon, married people, let’s step it up! Let’s try harder to communicate (face to face and via social media) the awesomeness (the hilarity! the romance! the friendship!) of being married! I think the same ought to go for being a parent too! In Mindy Kaling’s words, “Married people, it’s up to you. It’s entirely on your shoulders to keep this sinking institution afloat. It’s a stately old ship, and a lot of people, like me, want to get on board. Please be psyched, and convey that psychedness to us. And always remember: so many, many people are envious of what you have.” From a religious standpoint, Hymn #263 says, “Go forth with faith to tell the world the joy of families.” Holla. JOY. Not “Oh my gosh I cannot live through one more day of Mustache March!” Even though that’s a real thing 😉😂 (Looooooove you, Ben!!!😘) But really. Joy. So this is our challenge. To better portray the joy of marriage. Of momming. Perhaps, even of in-laws. Message received, Mindy.