Valentine Week

This week was filled with candy hearts and a red hot fever.   Last Valentines week Austin had the stomach flu.  This year he had a 4 day fever of 103.  As soon as his broke, Ash's started. Yeah!  

Jonathan is in Africa with the President and Sec State.  Dar es Salaam, Tanzania today and tomorrow he gets to go to our old haunt-Nairobi!  He will be at the Embassy and is looking forward to seeing some of the FSI's that are still there.  We left and Austin was only 2!  Jonathan's going to show pix of how our little guy has grown.  It's amazing how even 3 years ago, how much simpler life was.  Before we had Ashley, before we knew of any illness Austin had.  Wow.  I told my brother Grant that while I was in Nairobi for those 2 years, it was like a 2 year volunteer camp.  The amazing things I got to see, do and people I met.  Then Grant said, for you Ang it was like a 2 year fat camp (since I'd lost about 50 lbs of baby weight that I'd gained with being pregnant with Austin while I was in Africa!)  Leave it to Grant.  

We keep in touch with a lot of friends we made there, we keep in touch with the locals there as well.  Phanice our househelp/nanny and Michael our driver/gardener.  Even people from the church there.  In fact, the Sitati family from our branch in Nairobi are mission Presidents and were the ones that translated the LDS temple sessions into Swahili.  Even though there's a lot of political unrest in Africa and specifically Kenya right now due to the re-election, I love the people.  I feel bad for them, the situation they're in, and know that due to the parliament and government that rules, the people really can't get ahead.  I pray for them and hope all the aid the US gives will go to the right places/people.  

The kids' favorite babysitters in the whole wide world are Maggie and  Megan (whom we adore!)   Megan sat the kids on Valentines and Ashley got all dressed up like a princess and of course Austin got all decked out as a Pirate to show off.  

Austin loves to help me cook, set the table and run little errands for me.  Ashley loves to be mommy's "helper" and assist me in tasks around the kitchen,  laundry etc.  A lot of the time I am hurrying to get dinner ready and cleaned up and when the "help" it normally means spilled food, a huge mess, half the silverware out and dirty and sometimes glasses broken.  But I just need to remember that I won't have a 5 and 2 year old that want to be with mommy all the time.  

I will miss these times when they're older and don't care to be around mom at all, much less help with dinner/setting the table.  Over the past little while I have been savoring the time I have to be with  my kids.  I love being a stay at-home mom.  I love it that my kids always want to know where I am-even inside the house (yes, that includes even when I'm going potty).  I used to get bugged.  But why?  They think I'm the best thing in the world.  I know they'll grow up and that's the Lord's plan.  Life is short and I'm savoring every second of motherhood.  I love my job.  

Angie

2 quick Austinisms:  "Stay out of my puberty Ashley!"  (instead of "property")

Also, he was tormenting Ashley the other day and suddenly she retaliated and started chasing after him with a pretend sword screaming bloody murder.  He actually looked fearful even though she's a quarter his size.  He was yelling mommy!  But I shook my head no.  As he's running circles in the living room away from Ashley he says, " I guess I deserve this don't I."

I had to chuckle.