More Humor

Abby has been saying the funniest things lately…

We walked past an elderly woman with lots of wrinkles going in to Macey's as we were coming out. Abby looked at me with wide eyes and said, "I just saw someone who was almost dead!" I just hope she didn't hear!

And as we were running errands last Saturday and drove past the post office I realized I had forgotten a package I needed to mail. I said that out loud and Abby replied with, "It's okay, Mom. Don't give up. Just don't give up! You can still make it to Macey's!" Her encouraging words surprised and entertained me.

A Wise Boy

I began a story about a wise man, Diogenes, to the kids yesterday but stopped to ask them if they knew what wise meant. Kian answered, "A man who saves his money." Abby answered, "Someone who keeps watch of his sheep." I thought those were interesting replies and explained it means very smart to which Abby replied, "Kian is wise!"

Lots of Growing Up Around Here!

Our kids have been growing by leaps and bounds lately! Not only is Felicity (age 1) walking like a maniac (no more crawling at all—and by the way, watching her walk is serious entertainment!), Ella is FINALLY using the potty 95% of the time (very happy parents here) AND Abby is almost 5, learning how to read and writing letters every moment she possibly can AND Kian has mastered reading and is reading everything he possibly can. Matt and I are amazed at how these kids have all grown so much so fast.

Kian asked to go to the library with me last night as I stocked up on books for our next month of homeschool. I consented. He then informed me, "I'm going to get electronics books and stay up all night reading!"

About a week ago after the girls were asleep and he was supposed to be asleep as well, he came out of his bedroom and asked me if he could stay up longer at night to read the Book of Mormon. I gave an enthusiastic response of course. I was happy he desired to read the scriptures on his own and he was happy he could stay up later. He's been reading about a chapter every night, even one during Sacrament meeting last Sunday, and seems to understand some of what he is reading. It certainly makes us happy to have such a motivated son.

You're going to Hell

Yes, some things Kian says truly shock us. While Kian was playing with a friend yesterday (as well as helping me dig a trench in front of our house), he said something truly shocking. This friend somehow mentioned that she didn't go to church. Kian's response was quick. "You are going to Hell," was his reply. "Kian, we don't say things like that to people," was my reply. This friend mentioned what her grandma thinks of those that go to church as being "square". The conversation turned to another topic.

Where did he get this idea??? Rhyetta and I have never said this to anyone and we certainly don't teach this to our kids. We have certainly talked to him afterward about how we don't talk to people like that.

A Man's Job

Yesterday while I was digging this 6x6 foot trench in front of our house to fix a crack in our foundation, Kian was being a great helper. He had a shovel and was helping me dig, as well as push dirt away from the trench so I could get more out without it falling back in. As the morning was turning into afternoon, neighbors and friends of the kids started appearing. One girl that visits her grandma came over. Of course the question "What are you digging for?" was asked by this girl. Questions were answered and she started playing with Kian. She so wants to help dig, but Kian has the second shovel and I was not going to stop digging. She asked Kian several times, and Kian answered, "No. This is a man's job". Now, I did not say that, nor would I say that to him or make him feel like there were boys jobs or girls jobs. I was not raised this way, and so this came out of no where, especially since Rhyetta helped me dig for a portion of the morning.

The things Kian says sometimes just shock us.

Bad Turns Good

The Bad-
Last weekend, when we got back from St. George, our tenant informed us that there was a leak somewhere behind the north wall of her living room. The carpet was ripped up and evidence of black mold was seen. What a way to end an already crazy holiday weekend. On Wednesday night, Rhyetta and I went down and started ripping holes in the wall (This was the living room that we did so much work on to make it look nice a year or so ago. Very sad to be ripping up the wall.). While cutting holes in the wall, mold was between sheet rock and wood paneling. We eventually had to cut over 16 feet of wall. We found a crack in the wall right next to the main water line that comes into the house. We called a water damage company to give an estimate on what it would cost to remediate this problem (talk about almost $3,000. Not what we wanted to hear.).

The Good-
Even though we found a crack in the foundation of our house, it was not an active leak and so a leak in the water main was ruled out. Rhyetta called her dad and brother for advice on what we should do and if we could do it on our own. We decided to do it on our own. Warren called us earlier in the week informing us he was coming up to help us. We also called a friend that used to work with concrete to see if he could help. We decided Saturday (yesterday) was the day we would get started. Rhyetta and I started digging up the flower bed in front of the house (too bad for the tulip bulbs that got dug up) around 8:00 in the morning. I spent most of the morning digging down almost 6 feet until I got to the footing of our foundation. Our friend came by and helped digging the hole. Kian helped dig the hole. We located the entire crack in the foundation. Warren got to our house around noon and all of the digging was done. What really was a good blessing is Clarence, our friend that worked with concrete, brought over foundation tar, sheet rock, and 2x4's so we got done much more than I was even expecting. The crack was sealed and the wall replaced in one day. Warren helped fill the trench in front of our house and we were finished by dinner time.

What was initially extremely bad news, turned into huge blessings for our family. Thanks to Clarence and Warren for their help. Thanks to Rhyetta and Kian for their help. Lastly, what makes this even sweeter: my body is not sore from digging all day long.

Ups and Downs

The week before last was a really good week. I got sleep at night, I was exercising, I was reading a lot, I felt on top of all of my responsibilities. I was full of gratitude.

Last week was not so good. I had a very sick baby which means not so good sleep which means sleeping in as much as possible in the morning instead of waking early to read and pray and journal. I did not feel on top of things and I did not exercise every day. It ended in St. George Friday night with a baby who did not sleep THE ENTIRE NIGHT. Matt and I felt like zombies and I was cursing and hating everything I could think of, even God.

Why do we so easily forget the blessings and good moments of life when we are faced with the bad ones? How can I ride out those bad days and difficult moments without feeling so witchy?

I read Thomas S. Monson's general conference article from November 2008 and he addresses this very problem. These are words from a prophet speaking directly to me about my concerns.

He says time marches on… "Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now." And with the passage of time comes change. "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now."

Specifically for parents he says, "If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly." This is hard for me to believe right now but it must be true.

He quotes Sarah Ban Breathnach, "Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend…when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth."

I am thankful today for this article from the prophet. I'm thankful that he spoke these words and that I can read them and be uplifted by them today. I'm thankful for real answers and insights to my real concerns and problems.

What am I thankful for? A sweet juicy orange for a mid-afternoon snack, healthy and creative children, a full night's sleep, books to read, family that loves me, a most excellent husband, quiet time to read and write, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Oh yeah, and the prophet!