No, I have not dropped off the face of the Earth...

I haven't written a proper blog post in ages. Not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that life got kind of crazy once Simon turned one. Now it's almost six months later. It seemed like any time I'd find a moment that I could sit down and type, one or both of the little boys would start crawling all over me and want to commandeer the computer so they could watch something on Netflix.

We had a busy summer. We did a lot of fun things with our friends. I would have blogged about it, so that I could remember what they were, but I didn't, so I don't. Such is life. There was a last minute trip to Utah near the end of it. It was so nice to see family and hold my newborn nephew.

Then school started up again. Moses started kindergarten and is thriving. His two best friends from his brief stint at the preschool here ended up in his class. They are a pair of twin girls. He keeps waffling about which one he might marry someday. While I don't really want him to think about marriage at such a tender age, it's still pretty cute.

Akiko started third grade. It's been harder for her because that's the grade when you really start doing work and have homework every night. A lot of her best friends are in older classes that have different recess and lunch times, so she doesn't get to hang out with them at school. Otherwise, she's adjusted well to her new class.

Asher has entered the thrashing three's with gusto. Having had a worse experience with Akiko at that age, I feel better prepared to be able to deal with the tantrums and emotional outbursts. On the other hand, when Asher is happy, he is the sweetest, cutest, cuddliest, silliest, helpful, most adorable thing on the planet.

Simon is still a mama's boy, though he's starting to get over his extreme distrust of others. Everyone in our ward tries to get him to at least sort of crack a smile and if they're successful they feel like they won the lottery. This kid gets into everything. Cupboards. Drawers. Unrolling the toilet paper. Emptying tissue boxes. Chasing the cat. The other day, I caught him laying on his stomach drinking out of the cat's water dish! He loves to help me unload the dishwasher and is less helpful in the same way when I'm trying to load it back up again. He's starting to talk and says "Hello" and "I yuh you!" He loves to "go bye bye!" and tells jokes and laughs at himself all the time. This guy is learning tons of stuff every day and I love watching him grow.

Joseph is still working hard trying to get his business going. We're truly grateful to everyone who has helped us out. This has been a test of faith like I've never experienced before. Prayers are still appreciated. I don't really know what else to say on this subject because we're still in the thick of it. And it's late and I'm typing when I should be sleeping. Is any of this coherent?

So, I guess the biggest news lately is about me. No, I'm not pregnant. That seems to be the first thing everyone asks, so let's just clear the air on that one. Anyway, last week I was sustained and set apart as the new Relief Society president in our ward. It's been an interesting ride so far. So many people say things to me like, "I don't know whether to tell you congratulations or send my condolences" or "I'm glad it's you and not me." I know nobody's serious when they say these things, so we all just laugh it off. When the bishop first called me, honestly, my first thought was, Oh thank heavens I'm not playing the piano. But then I was like, President?!?!?!?!?!

I've been a counselor in Primary and a secretary in Relief Society (very briefly) and I feel like I'm very good at supporting the person in charge and giving my opinion on a given subject, but I've never had to be the accountable one; the one in charge, so to speak. However, having had about a month to mull this over and especially now that I've been set apart, I'm really excited that I have this opportunity to serve in this capacity. Do I feel overwhelmed and under-qualified? Absolutely! But I am not alone in this calling. I have the Lord on my side. I am simply the means that He needs to get His work done in this area.

I also feel that this calling is going to help me be a better member of Relief Society. I've been in Primary for 7.5 of the last 10 years or so and for a while, I thought that's where I belonged and I was fine with that. But really, I had become stagnant. I was not growing spiritually and I was often ignoring my role as a member of Relief Society by solely focusing on all things Primary related.

Whenever I was visiting another ward, I had a hard time sitting in the adult Sunday school classes and Relief Society and my mind would often wander to Primary. As soon as my baby would fuss, I'd be out in the hall walking with him towards the Primary room so I could listen to the kids sing. In our last ward, after I got released right before we moved, I could not bear to leave my Primary kids. I'd gotten to know them for the last three years and I love them so dearly and I think of them and still pray for them so often. I was so happy when they almost immediately called me into Primary in our current ward.

But for now, the Primary chapter in my life is closed and I have other areas where I need to grow and learn to thrive. There is so much work to do here and I feel like I have so much to give. The Primary kids know that I love them, now it's time for the Relief Society sisters to receive that love, too.

So, now we're sort of caught up. There's still so much more that I'd like to catch up, but that's likely not going to happen. I'm going to be busy. I don't know how busy. I don't know what to expect or what's in store for me, I just know it's going to be busy. If I can, I'll try to write, but please don't be surprised if another few months go by without a peep on the old blog. I don't even know if anyone has checked to see if I've written anything in a long time. But don't give up on me. We're still here. Just pray for us.

I love you all, dear family and friends!