Yes, Moms, you do work harder than your husband

I have always said that I believed it was easier to work a long day than it is to stay home with kids. I have always believed that I was not as tired when I worked. Nor, was I as spent physically, emotionally, or mentally. Sometimes I second-guessed my theory. I thought maybe I was just getting older and didn't have the energy I had when I was working.
Now that I am working four days a week out-of-town and spending three days a week at home with kids, I have discovered the real truth. It is so much easier to work. I can work a 12 hour day in the office, still have energy to go to the gym, visit, shop, watch TV, write, etc. and I find myself awake at 10, 11, or even midnight. I'm not tired. I am full of energy. I still wake up at 5:30 or 6. Can't seem to break that habit.
I usually work a long day on Thursday and drive back home. It is on Friday, around 7 pm that I feel exceptionally tired. It is after chasing 3 children around all day--worrying that they are getting the right food, the right exercise, the right academia, the right spirituality, and of course, the right parenting. It is a full day of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and tending to the less fortunate. It is from carrying kids up and down stairs, and bending over to pick up toys, food, or books. It is cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the bedroom, cleaning the kitchen, and doing the laundry. It makes me tired to think about it.
So to all of the Mom's out there, if you feel tired, old, and worn out--you are. You ARE working harder than your husband. I have proof. I think the consolation of knowing that your job is really hard, is enough to make you feel better. It's really not you, it's them.

Fourth of July Parade

We took the kids to the parade. It was really nice that we could walk to a spot from our house. The kids enjoyed it--at least getting candy. Madison would get upset if a float went by without throwing her candy. It was extremely hot. Everyone was melting. We decided that's the last parade we go to in Las Vegas. Way too hot. I really don't know how the people in the parade did it.

Flag Raising Ceremony

We took the kids to a flag raising ceremony at the church. It was cool. They talked about how the national anthem was written and sang "God Bless America." The kids loved it. There was also a canon that they shot off. Scared the crud out of all us and some guy yelled at the group we were with about how we shouldn't be shooting cannons. We went inside where breakfast was served. We walked up to the place where the parade was going to be.

3rd of July

Our Fourth of July started early. Dad could not wait to break out the fireworks. Lane was already in bed and twins were ready for bed. He

gave them a sneak peek of the fireworks to come!

Little Lane

He is such a cutie! I love him so much. He is so serious, yet so funny. He is very loveable and loves to hug and kiss. He is just barely 13 months old. Hard to believe how fast the time has gone by already.

The Trucks Stopped Here

Brant took the twins to the truck show that was in town this week. They had a great time. I think they liked the goodies in their backpack the most. Brant really enjoyed it as well. I got a whole afternoon with just Lane. It was fun.

What do we do in the summertime?

It's so hot in Vegas. It doesn't cool down at night either. We have to keep the temperature at 78 degrees just to keep the bill down. I always feel sweaty. I hate it. The kids are playing in the water and eating ice cream to stay cool.

R.I.P. Madi's blankie

We finally retired Madison's favorite blanket. It has been old and dirty looking for at least a year and it is almost three years old. Grandma Mimi bought it for her before she was born. I decided to help her give it a proper burial place. We got her box of special things from when she was a baby. It includes her crib card, birth announcements, cards, blessings dress, baby shoes, first outfit, etc. She helped me put the blanket in the wash and carefully put it in the dryer. I folded it for her and she put it in her box. Yes, I know it sounds a little dramatic, but you don't know how attached she is to this blanket. I just don't want her taking it to school with her. She has asked me about it twice today, but she knows where it is, so I think she is okay. We'll see how she does tonight.

Weekly pics

I haven't had a lot of pictures to post since I have been working. It's kind of sad not to be able to see them every day. I hope this will get us to our goals and it will all be worth it. Here's some pictures of the Lane this past week.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Brant. I want to thank you for being such a good father. There is nothing better than knowing how much their children love their father. It is a joy to see your children light up and run to the door when their Father comes home. He is so good at building relationships with them, even at this early age. He changes diapers, babysits all three so I can take a break, reads, plays, and feeds them. He has them convinced that he loves them more than anyone else in the world and that he is their best friend. I am so thankful that they have such a good dad. Today is a day to thank him for every day that he gives us the gift of having him in our lives.

Long distance relationship

It is getting to be hard to be away from the kids. I am gone four days in St. George and home 3 days in Vegas. I know it's only going to be a short time and I get to see them tomorrow. I wish that it was not so far away.

Biggest Loser Seminar in St. George

Travis is a part of http://www.evazing.com/ so this week they did this amazing motivational seminar in St. George. Filipe (right) and Sione (left) were the main attraction of the seminar. It was unbelievable to see how good they look now. These guys were almost 400 pounds when they started BL. I got to meet them--I actually worked with the people that are working with them. It was a lot of fun. Really inspiring. I figure if these guys can do what they did, I can lose 40 pounds.

How Quickly They Grow

It's amazing how much they can change in a week. That's how long I have been gone. I was home for only a couple of hours on Sunday. They already look so much bigger than when I left. Lane has learned how to climb down the stairs by himself. Madison brain keeps getting smarter and smarter by the day. She never ceases to amaze me with the depth of her questions. We talked about grandmas and grandpas who have already passed on today. Porter is still in his own little world. He just likes to be happy and have fun. He hasn't been as whiny. I think that's due to Dad's strict and consistent discipline. I am so glad they seem so happy and well-adjusted. They were happy to see me, but weren't clingy or crying. They love their Dad and their Grandma takes such good care of them. I don't think they are lacking for nurture, love, and attention.

My First Week of Work

St. George, Utah -- I have been working for a couple of days now. It has been really fun. We have a lot of high expectations. I certainly hope everything works our well. It's fun working with family. I don't think I've spent this much time with family for a long time.

I am so excited to go back home and see the kids. It's so hard to be away from them, but I hope this will be temporary and that we can all live in the same place soon! They have been great. They are having a good time with grandma and they love being with their Dad. Madison told me that her best friend is Dad.

Just Stuff

Busy does not even begin to describe the last couple of weeks. I started working in St. George with Travis today. It has been a lot of fun. I drove over from Vegas this morning. I am so sad that I will not see the kids for four days each week, but we really hope this will be short-term and help us reach our long-term goals.
Since I was going to start working, I got all of the doctor appointments and dental appointments caught up. All three kids had to have shots. It was so sad. But the twins are done until they turn four. Lane has to go back in two months.
We had our Lane family reunion in Sierra Vista, Arizona last weekend. Oh I could write so much about the fun times we had. But, I don't have enough time and can only give it a mention. I did get copies of everyone's pictures put on to my Dad's computer. I am hoping to get something put together in a CD or a book to remember the reunion. It was so fun to see everyone. Something about your cousins takes you back in time to when you were young. We acted as silly and giggly as we did when we were kids. It was great. I don't even think I can put all of the pictures on this blog. I'll have to do it somewhere else.