Yesterday was a big day for us, because we were able to attend the temple for the first time since Eli was born! Since I am no longer nursing and Eli can handle going away for the day, we knew it was time to get back to the temple, and we were anxious to do so. We planned a session between Eli's naps, thinking that surely he'd take them in the 2 1/2 hour car ride there and back. David's mother was also gracious enough to come and play with the baby while we were in the temple.
I had been planning on blogging about our temple day for a while, but after a rather hectic trip, I told David this morning that I didn't think I could blog about it. I guess too often we think that our blogs have to paint our stories as problem-free and showcase a perfect, exemplary family. While it would be nice if this were the case, I realized I don't want to only remember the experiences that are flawless. For one reason, they would be few and far between, and for the other, I would miss out on recognizing the sweet moments amid the chaos.
Even though I got up plenty early to leave on time for the temple, I still managed to be a little late (typical). Dave was stressed that we were running behind, as we were supposed to meet his mom on the way. He was also trying to (unsuccessfully) convince me not to bring practically everything the baby owns. : )
A little after we picked up David's mom and were on our way, it started to rain. It rained pretty hard and it was difficult to see the road. David already doesn't enjoy driving, and the rain made his stress level rise even more. I said a prayer to myself that we'd make it to the temple safely, and that small act brought me the peace I needed, and soon the rain let up.
I was enjoying playing with Eli in the backseat and watching his face light up as we read books. Then I gave him a bottle and figured he'd quickly fall asleep. He had other things in mind. Instead of sleeping, Eli
pooped. : ( We stopped to change his diaper, and after a few minutes back on the road Eli was sound asleep. Unfortunately by then we were just 20 minutes from the temple, so it was short-lived.
We were hoping to have time to help David's mom get settled where she'd be baby-sitting, but by the time we got there we had 5 minutes until our session was to start. We kissed Eli good-bye, ran in a little dazed and frazzled, and then finally sat down and remembered what we were there for. We were in the Lord's House, doing His holy work. We were able to feel the Spirit and the love our Father and His Son have for all their children. We were also reminded of the covenants we ourselves had made in the temple, and of the wonderful blessing we have to be part of an eternal family.
It was a happy reunion to see Eli again, and to hear he did so well. I was very worried he'd ruin the temple carpet (they stayed in the waiting area) with his spit-up, but he magically did not spit up the entire 2 1/2 hours!! (Hooray!) David's mother was also able to walk him around the temple grounds, so that was special. He was exhausted, though, and conked out almost instantly on the way home. I gazed lovingly upon him as he slept, and wanted to take a picture to capture the sweetness. Sadly his nap again lasted only 20 minutes, which meant I then had the difficult task to entertain a tired, cranky baby.
No, we are not perfect people. Far from it. Attending the temple helps us to reflect on what matters most. We can work each day to do things a little better than the day before. Sometimes we'll take two steps back instead of one step forward, but we keep moving and slowly progressing because we know it's worth it.
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