Youth of the Nation

So, I have to vent a little...and try not to get too upset in the process. In my ward, I'm the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidency, which means that I get to deal, primarily, with the beehives in the program. AJ, as of yesterday afternoon, is the Young Men's President. I should start off by saying...I love my beehives. I think that this is partially due to the fact that they are somewhat new to the program and are therefore, for the most part, still excited about being in the YW program. They have, thus far, remained untainted by the attitudes of the older girls in the program. Right now, I have 4 active beehives and one that is very inactive (she is a convert to the church who never comes too church on Sundays - because she's busy - and rarely comes to any activities, although that has changed a little since we now have someone that shows up to pick her up each week, whether she wants to come or not). There is currently one Mia Maid and then 3 Laurels. The biggest problems in our program are the one Mia Maid and then one of the Laurels. Talk about attitude!! (Mom and Dad, trust me...I had nothing on them when I was their age. They put your daughters to shame).

Now, I know that every calling that we get in the church is going to have it's own unique and individual challenges...but at times I'm so overwhelmed by the challenges that we face that I wonder if it's really worth it. It's like the youth (ok, so really just *certain* youth) in our ward have this sense of entitlement to them. I think our Bishop very eloquently and accurately described it when he told the youth in our ward that they are like a Nirvana song..."Here we are, now entertain us". They feel that the sole purpose of the YM and YW programs in the church is to entertain them. It is not to instruct them for good, or to help them gain their own testimony of the gospel, or learn how to be a positive example to their friends and peers. We are simply there to entertain them. They hate that we remind them how important it is to be modest in the way that they dress (even when we are at the beach, or swimming in a pool)...and then they mock us for it (sometimes behind our backs and sometimes not so much). They hate us for telling the Bishop about the 13-year-old who was using her older sister's dance card to get into church dances (ok, so really, they just hated me for that one). They don't want lessons on Sundays...they want food, fun and games and if you don't provide that they instantly tune anything and everything you say out. They don't want to do Personal Progress, or read their scriptures...or pretty much do anything that we have planned for them (unless it involves the beach or the water in some way...usually). They are easily offended (mostly, I think, because they are looking for any sort of excuse to be offended and then have someone to blame for the way that they are) and yet, don't think twice about the fact that they themselves are being rude and offensive to their leaders.

Am I making too much of this? Is this how all of the youth in the church, worldwide are, or is it simply my lucky lot in life, and it's something that is unique to our ward/stake? Seriously, where did this sense of entitlement come from? Why do they think that the world owes them something...when they have done nothing to earn anything?

Now granted...I had my bikinis growing up (once I was old enough to buy them with my own money)...but I would never have worn them to a youth activity...especially if I had specifically been asked by my YW's president to please NOT show up in one, and while I might have complained to my mom about how much I didn't like my YW president (especially when I was a Laurel), I hope that I never mocked her or tried to get the others in the program to not like her, especially when she was simply doing her calling, and living up to the responsibilities of said calling. And I know that I wasn't always the most stellar example in my life of a righteous Young Woman (or young adult for that matter), but I would hope that I did not treat my YW leaders (and even my other leaders in the church) with such a lack of respect (and if I did...I am really, truly sorry). And while I know that I made some major mistakes in my past, and was definitely not perfect myself (and really, I'm still not)...I also know that I have done all that I needed to do in order to repent of those mistakes and earn the Lord's forgiveness for those mistakes.

There are some positives, though, I guess...like the fact that thus far, none of our YW have managed to get pregnant (at least not while they were actually in YW), and none of them have ended up in juvi (yet), which are problems that another ward in our stake is having at the moment...and they don't openly swear at us, and try to walk home from an activity in Vista (which is like 40 miles from here) which is something that the YW leader in the Spanish Branch had to deal with this past weekend. And, again....my beehives are really, really cute, and sweet, and not attitudey (yes, i know that's not really a word) at all. I just hope that they stay that way as they get older.

And, I know that I am lucky to have a husband who is worthy, and so willing, despite his insane and crazy work schedule, to serve the Lord in whatever capacity the Lord sees fit to call him too, and he supports me in my own calling, and does all he can to help with Keegan and take care of our house and everything that comes with home ownership (all without complaining), but still...sometimes, it's a little too much to handle.

Honestly, I'm not even sure what brought about this whole "vent-session". It could be that I'm just really tired after having to deal with Youth Conference this weekend...or just because it was a rough week overall. Keegan got way off of his schedule on Wednesday because of our combined mutual activity, then he got his 6 month shots on Thursday and had a pretty bad reaction to them, so he was SUPER fussy (which has never happened before)...or maybe it's just because I'm worried about how much time AJ is not going to have. I mean, between YM/YW for both of us on Wed. nights, the temple for him on Thurs. nights, his insane work hours, home teaching and now all of the additional meetings and responsibilities that come with being the president, I seriously wonder if Keegan and I will see him at all.

What I do know is that it's not going to get any easier and it's for sure not going to be changing any time soon...so it looks like maybe I simply need to suck it up, ask the Lord for some help with the whole patience and understanding thing, and just go with the flow. Here's hoping it works! :)

A letter to my baby...

Dear Keegan,

Do you remember when you were born? (probably not, but I do)

Your dad and I were so glad that you were finally here. You were so soft and cuddly (you loved to sleep against your mommy or daddy's chest). You pretty much just slept and ate and made a mess of your diapers, but we sure loved you (even when you would pee on me at 3 in the morning - which actually happened a lot but you couldn't help yourself...you were so young and still half asleep).

Do you remember when you were 1 month old?

You had already gained 3 (!!) pounds...you really loved to eat, and you had already started to smile and laugh (especially when you were asleep). I was still a little tired, and I was still getting the hang of this whole mommy thing, but I loved being home with you all day long, because it meant that I got to see so much through your eyes. It was amazing.

Do you remember when you were 2 months old?

We went to the zoo for the first time with Aunt Becky and your cousins Aiden and Reilly (and daddy, too!). You were trying really hard to hold up your head (and you did a great job) and you liked being on your tummy, but only for a little while. Mommy was scared because you had to get your first shots but you did great at the doctor's office. You barely even cried.

Do you remember when you were 3 months old?
You started sleeping in your own room because you had gotten way too big for your little bassinet, and you finally figured out how to suck your thumb (although thankfully you don't do it a lot anymore). You were taking your baths all by yourself (although you still preferred to take them with mommy) and some of your Aunts and Uncles and cousins came to visit you and play with you when we blessed you.

Do you remember when you were 4 months old?
Lots of things happened. You had your first trip to the beach, you learned how to roll from you back to your tummy and you took your first long car trip up to Utah with mommy, Grandpa and Grandma Leach and Aunt Emily for your cousin Berlin's blessing and you started eating solid foods. You started with sweet potatoes and rice cereal with bananas. You could even sit up, as long as you were supported a little bit, and you started sleeping on your side and tummy (just like your mommy).

Do you remember when you were 5 months old?

You went to your first baseball game (the Padres lost), and you learned how to roll from your tummy to your back. We got to see Aunt Emily graduate from high school and you and mommy were all by yourselves for 5 days while daddy went camping with the scouts (we didn't like that at all). You love to play on the piano (with daddy, especially) and you started pushing yourself up onto your knees and rocking back and forth. You can totally sit up all by yourself, and you love to laugh at your mommy and daddy and at all of the silly things they do.

And now you are 6 months old...

and you have gotten so big. I love your chunky little legs and the way that you snort sometimes when you are laughing. I love that your cheeks get all big and round when you smile. You have learned how to crawl, and you even have 2 teeth. You love to stand on your daddy's hands and you are totally Mr. Independent. You are not afraid to let your feelings be known and you totally flirt with the ladies (no matter what their age might be). You are my even-tempered, amazing, happy and wonderful little boy (even when are waking up 3 -4 times a night or growling at me...or even biting me).

I love you. You made me a mom.

I love you.

I LOVE YOU!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

There are a lot of amazing and wonderful things about being a mom that I have discovered over the past 6 months. They are things that I know I took for granted before I had Keegan or maybe didn't even recognize their importance until Keegan came into our lives. Naptime just happens to be one of those things. Don't get me wrong...I've always loved naps. I'm a huge advocate of them, especially on a Sunday afternoon when there is nothing better to do but take a nap after coming home from early morning church (a luxury I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy in another 5 months or so when our ward returns back to the early schedule instead of the dreaded 1:00 pm start time).

While I love spending practically every moment of my day with Keegan, watching all of the fun things that he does on an hourly basis and watching him as he discovers all of the new and interesting things that he can do, when he's finally napping, I can't help but get a little giddy. Maybe it's because he is so stinking cute when he's asleep (I think he looks like a little angel), or it's because I know that I can *finally* take a shower, or get some bills paid, or even get a quick nap myself, but lately I have found myself looking forward to the times of day when I can finally get him down for one of his naps. Now that we are on more of a regular routine (meaning that I can typically plan on him going down for his first nap somewhere between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and then down for his second nap sometime around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.) I know that there are definite times during my day where I finally get to have a few minutes of blissful "me time", which is something that is very rare these days. And I love the mood that he is in when he actually gets his nap. He's at the point where he just lays in his crib and plays quietly for a few minutes after he wakes up. His usual routine upon waking consists of him turning on the little turtle mobile that is in his crib so that he can sit and watch the little fish "swim" around while listening to a little music and playing with Bear and Monkey, his two stuffed animals that are always in his crib. When I go into his room to get him, I love the smiles that he greets me with once he finally notices that I'm in the room (that turtle can be pretty mesmerizing so he doesn't always notice right away). What can I say? I'm easily won over with his little smiles. The only thing that would make me happier than naptime would be if he would start sleeping through the night again (yes, I know...wishful thinking, but I got really spoiled early on when he would actually sleep 8 hours at night, instead of waking up at least twice which is what he's currently doing). I guess that I can't really ask too much of the little guy...with all the energy he's got I suppose he needs as much food as possible. Man this little kid is constantly on the go...even in his sleep he is still moving all over the place.

So that's the first of many things that I love about being a mom...stay tuned for future ones. What are some of your favorites?

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

I seriously can't believe that Keegan is now almost 6 months old. 6 MONTHS!!! Where did all of the time go? How could it have gone by so fast? I still feel like it was just yesterday that I was HUGELY pregnant and wanting him to just hurry up and come because I was as large as a house and wanted to be able to see my feet and ankles again, and I was sick of people commenting on how gigantic I was, and people asking me if I was having twins or more. Now he's almost 6 months old and I can't help but wish for the days when he was still my "teeny, tiny" baby (even though at 9 lbs. 1 oz. it's hard to imagine that he was ever "teeny").It's hard to believe that he can sit up on his own (with the occasional tip over or fall backwards), and that he's eating solid foods and learning to drink out of cups (we've completely given up on the whole bottle thing). He is fiercely independent and thinks that he is much older than he really is. He's constantly grabbing at the food on our plates (and unfortunately AJ and I aren't always as quick as we like to think that we are) and would much rather eat our food than his own.He brings so much laughter into this home, I really wonder what we did before he was here. He's got so much energy, it's really no surprise that my ribs are still sore after almost 6 months. It's all I can do to get him to settle down and take two 1-hour naps a day (trust me, not the ideal situation in any way, shape or form in my opinion).

Now that it's summer and way too hot (I know, I know, "hot" is a totally relative term) in our house, Keegan and I try to find ways to beat the heat.

We've made numerous trips to the zoo and Sea World (although it's not the same without our regular companions, Becky, Aiden and Reilly there with us) and we make the occasional trip to the bay or the beach to try and get a walk in (I still need to lose quite a few pregnancy pounds that are being very stubborn) although not nearly as often as I would like. He's very unaffected by all of it, but he seems to like his stroller, and he loves being outside, so I'll take what I can get. Even when we are home, he's constantly looking out the open windows and loves to go out and water the plants with his daddy when AJ gets home from work.

So, this is a relatively long post to simply say...Hi, and welcome to the crazy (and at times, mundane and boring) adventures of our life. We hope you enjoy the journey...I know that the three of us are!

Let's see if this works

Ok...time to hop on the blogging bandwagon with the rest of my family (or at least some of it). Let's see if this works.