What we've been up to . . .

We've been up to a lot. It has been busy. The kind of busy which is so relentless that I have to stop to take deep breaths now and then so I don't get stressed. I consult my calendar and to-do lists on my phone many times a day to make sure I'm not forgetting something important. It's been so busy that Dan and I have to schedule time to talk to each other. And I have had some things on my list to talk about for the last three weeks - there hasn't been a long enough stretch of time to finish an in-depth conversation, so I haven't tried.  (The good news is that when I have to wait to discuss something I'm unhappy about I usually forget why I was upset in the first place. I seem to have discovered a secret for marital harmony.  ???)

Sometime I want to blog more in depth about some of what has been going on. Sometime I want to do a lot of things, like catch up my digital scrapbooks, write emails to friends, edit home movies, make it to the gym more often, read the pile of books I checked out from the library a month ago, and so much more. But I'll just have to wait. For now, here is a peek into life at the Porters these days . . .

Joseph: wrapping up indoor soccer, beginning baseball, ongoing basketball, new Cub Scout, first Pinewood Derby,  birthday (8 years old!), big birthday party that completely wore out his aged parents, a narrator role in the Three Piggy Opera, constantly playing ball of some sort. 

Aubrey: musical theater/vocal/dance classes 10+ hours a week, Mathletes, a role in Little Women (to be performed in May), plenty of homework, babysitting, birthday (13 years old!), two birthday parties.

Bailey: driving as much as possible (after taking a break for a few months), parties with friends, joined the tennis team, lots of homework, YCL (youth camp leader) meetings for Girls Camp, awesome Faith value project, babysitting.

Brandon: birthday (21 years old!), working hard and sounding very happy in Ukraine, home in 43 days!

Tiffany: driving kids here, there, and everywhere, four book clubs, school volunteering, busy church calling (Relief Society), helping with the stake Life of Christ event, meetings to plan Stake Girls Camp, coordinating the universe. Or maybe it just seems like that.

Dan: early morning Seminary (those three words don't communicate well enough how busy this has been), the busiest he has ever been at work, a new daily workout (Crossfit) which is making him walk like an old man and is helping him "rediscover muscles I haven't met in a decade."

As I write all that, I'm thinking that it doesn't sound all that busy. But it feels busy enough that we are all really looking forward to our upcoming trip to the beaches of Mexico. Woohoo - time to re-acquaint myself with the sun and read my backlog of books!