3.5

That rollercoaster life analogy i am finding out is a real thing. you start going up and feeling great and then everything happens at once and you come speeding back down. or you're smooth sailing and life seems to be going pretty good and then a sharp twist or turn comes and throws you all out of balance. So we are back in utah again. which i am totally happy with because we love the mountains...its just not exactly the place we see ourselves living long-term, and its definitely not where we dream of raising our kiddos. but we are here for the time being. and if we have learned anything at all, it is to make the best of life wherever you are at the moment, because life happens all too quickly and changes at an alarming rate. so who knows where we will be in a year....but the husband still works for doterra, which we love, because i don't think a day goes by without me using one or ten of their products. he will just be traveling a lot more, but our base camp will be in utah for now. looking back at korea, i am really thankful for the experience. it was dang hard, made me grow more than ever, and gave us a ton of fun memories i will hold in my heart forever. we also got to travel and see places i never would have even known about if i didn't live in korea. but now our family is all together (referring to the dog-child) and we have our little girl coming this fall, and i couldn't be happier. life is crazy, but good. crazy good.

with that said, my baby boy is three and a half! What?! i am always so much more shocked when i actually write it out. i keep finding myself looking back at his old baby pictures and videos, and then i might start crying. i am missing his little two year old voice real hard right now. probably because i know once baby girl gets here he is no longer going to be my baby (he will always be my baby, but you get what i mean). so if any of you moms to multiple kiddos have any advice on a smooth transition i am all ears. i am already starting to prepare, because lets face it, this little river monster has had almost four years of his mom's undivided attention and september is going to be a rude awakening;)

currently, river is at such a fun age, and seriously the most challenging. like so challenging the husband and i are seeing a parent/child psychologist to help us figure some stuff out. this kid is smart. too smart for us at times. ha. he is also hilarious, kind, super aware, wild (like i have daily heart attacks when he's cruising down the mountain on his balance bike), sensitive, strong willed, and still such a mama's boy. he loves pretending, mostly with his stuffed animals and race cars. he loves building things and setting up crazy cool contraptions...like all over the house. there is currently a kitty cat house set up in my closet, some cardboard box/tape colored fort house in the living room, and he has about five stuffed animals "guarding" all the rooms at each door...and if i move anything...he knows. it takes all my self control to not let my ocd kick in and clean it all up. he did help his dad build our couch, his bed, a desk, and drill in some shelves. like he legitimately helped. he also can sit and build legos all day if i let him. his imagination is endless. its my favorite part. he can make even the most mundane tasks an adventure with his creative mind. like when grocery shopping we are usually at a construction site and he is the dump truck and i am the excavator. or going to our storage unit we turn into ninjas and go unseen all throughout the halls. or he is usually spiderman most of the day and i love watching his battles as he fights the imaginary bad guys. pure entertainment. he gets a massive energy high right before bed time. is bedtime suppose to take over an hour for one child? sometimes its hilarious, but mostly i am exhausted.  i just don't understand how some one can have so much energy all. day. long. where can i get some of that? please. river just told me his favorite animals are cheetahs, cougars, kitty cats, and hyenas. and his favorite color is still black and also blue, but more of a mint blue. he's my favorite. i don't know how i can love someone so dang much, but also that same some one can make me feel like a crazy person most of the time. mothering this little rivermonster is such a balancing act that most days i am just trying to hold onto the tight rope and not fall off.

i love you river. more than life itself. unconditionally. and forever.

xo