Love and the Double Sunrise

Last night at 5:00 am I came to some (I'm just sure) very profound conclusions as I lay in bed, watching the Caboose systematically push the Handsome Prince off the edge.  It was difficult to return to sleep, as she was using me as her kicking post.


I've been reading Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From the Sea in bits and snatches as I could steal the time.  (OK.  It's always behind the locked bathroom door, and sometimes it involves chocolate.)  This is a good book to read in bitefuls, as it gives one a lot to ponder.
I'm only on pg. 95, but I can already recommend it as a "Must Read" and give it a rare 5 star rating on goodreads.

I've also been really studying the Book of Mormon, and writing my insights as I go, and after two months can say that I'm in 1 Nephi, chapter 8.  Maybe slow, but I'm not planning on going anywhere real soon, so I have time.  This also is a 5 star, and has changed my life more than any other book.

Maybe my deep insights last night are only meaningful because I came to them myself.

Anyway.  In the Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindberg reflects on a Double Sunrise shell that was given to her by a stranger.  Both sides of the beautiful bivalve shell were beautifully, perfectly matched, with "three rosy rays that fan out from the golden hinge binding the two together."

This shell caused her to reflect on the pure unity in the beginning of a relationship.  The high of finding a new friend, or falling in love, or the first days of a new baby.  The time when it seems as though it is just the two of you--when you exist only for each other.

She went on to say that this doesn't last, couldn't last and shouldn't last, as the relationship deepens and changes, etc...  I agree.  But I was thinking about this beginning love, and how sweet it is.  It is the solid, foundational binding that even deeper love can build upon.

The author spoke of our desire for this "one and only" kind of love, how our kids want to be "the baby" again.  How we sometimes struggle to keep the first love and mourn its loss in marriage, when we need to merely revisit it occasionally and move on to deeper, maybe more functional love. 

I then reflected on the counterfits of this love.  How, when it changes in a marriage, some seek another "first love" experience and leave their companion.


Anne Morrow Lindbergh spoke of our need to periodically revisit this foundation with our husbands and children, to strengthen the foundation and renew the relationship, but that we shouldn't try to stay there.

This is where the Tree of Life, and the Living Waters analogy enters into my thinking.  John's vision in Revelations speaks of it, as well as Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon which expands on it and explains it a bit.



The pure love of God. 

It's a powerful force that no one can live without, even if it is mislabled or unrecognized as such.
I think it's profound that the Savior would offer the living water to the woman at the well, who had gone from man to man seeking it unsatisfied. 

We should grow from the little seed that needs "one and only" love, to the mature plant that can give this love and teach others how to give it.

I've felt that pure first love many times as a daughter, wife, mother, sister and friend.  It is a physical, emotional, spiritual ONENESS that can't be described or improved upon.  It is a time when Heaven seems so close.  Things are so right.


I've also felt that love from my Father in Heaven, and it is the same love. 

Except in the situations where I've felt my Father's love, I have found that it is the most satisfying when I am the giver--though many times it is impossible to seperate and distiguish a giver and receiver--each of us plays both roles.

So, my worn out conclusion, that is new and exciting only because I finally discovered it, is that we all seek that love because the pure, undiluted form comes from our loving Heavenly Father.  He wants us to experience it because it leads us to Him.  He wants us to be happy! 

He wants us to experience it in appropriate ways over and over again so that our capacities for love can grow.  So we can feel His love on a greater scale, and we can be an instrument in transferring His love in greater measure to all those around us, who are loved by Him, also.

This kind of love is paradoxical.  The more I give, the more I have to give and the more I can contain in my own vessel.
   
All this from a seashell, the Spirit and a sleepless night!

Niko

She came to us as a 6 month old puppy, fully potty-trained, beautifully marked with a black heart on her back, frisky and funny and already showing signs of sneaky and naughty.

She had five jobs:  1)  Alienate the neighbors, 2)  share food with the toddler (we went through four of them with her), 3)  lick small chilren, or really, any victims on the face--especially during family tussles when the weaker person was pinned by the victor, 4)  push basketballs around the yard, 5) poop in high-traffic areas. 

She also protected everyone from the vacuum, ate cat poop, barked at visitors as they left our home, hid at bedtime to avoid the crate, and met every person at the door as though they were long-lost friends.

She climbed a tree once, played one-sided fetch (I'll fetch, all right, but you have to chase me around to get it back) and was able to escape any fence.



The lawnmower and any moving vehicle were subject to attack at any time when Niko was on duty.

These previous two "skills" were the Darwinian personality quirks that finally did her in.

Last Thursday as we piled into the van, Niko piled in, too and was ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's home for dinner.  No way!

So we chased her around the van and tossed her into the back yard.  (I really don't know why we even bothered--we all knew it would only be a matter of a few minutes before she was free to roam the neighborhood.)  All of the bricks around the bottom of the fence were secured, and the previously used 'stepping-stones' for climbing over the fence had been cleared, but unfortunately the gate was not tightly locked.  Really, though.  It didn't matter.  She was Houdini.

We weren't surprised to return and find the back yard empty, though it was weird that she didn't show up to greet us as we pulled in and tumbled out of the van.

After the dust settled, Handsome Prince went out to look for her.  Nothing.  Stupid pooch; must be out gallivanting.  Bet she'll show up about 2:00 a.m. and wake us up. 

Nope.

So the next morning I made a few phone calls, and sure enough, she'd gotten herself arrested without a collar.  I tossed the three Littles in the car and we went to bail her out of the clink.

They were sober when they met us--I was too embarrassed at first to notice.  We had never licensed her when we moved in, and she was a couple months late for a rabies shot.  They were very understanding as I shelled out $50 bail--just like Monopoly--and they took us back to a quiet cell, and finally stopped us to gently tell me the news.  Niko had been hit by a car.

Oh.

I carefully carried a sad, sorry dog out to the van, loaded the kids, and headed for the vet.  Caboose threw a tantrum as we slowly made our way into the vet's office; she wanted me to carry her.  One lady said to me as she held the door, "Oh, I am so sorry for you!"  Nice.  Me, too.

True to form, they had to sedate her to even handle her.  Niko has always had vet issues.  It was encouraging to see that she still took nothin' from nobody.  $380 later, we learned that her useless front leg was not broken, but paralysed, and her back hip and leg were broken, and she was a mess...

Everyone got a chance to visit and say good-bye.  L Nellie came back with me and held her while they put her down.  (By this time we had racked up another $130 and we were NOT shelling out another $60 to have her creamated.)

She was nippy at toddlers, stupid-selfish with bones and squeak-toys, woke us up almost every night, stole food and gum from the trash and drank from the toilet.  (But I must say that she showed promise as a writer...)

She was a twit and a pest, and I can't deny that her passing brings me a lot of relief.

Still. 

You can't be all bad if so many cry when you're gone.  We're gonna miss that crazy dog.

Good dog, Niko.  Thanks for everything.

More About the Swiss Cheese Kid

Last night, I lay pondering the post I made yesterday, and Kristen's article.

I thought about Mr. Cool, and the year we've had together.  I couldn't believe the range of emotions that he has provoked just this year alone.  I've been more frustrated than I ever thought possible, and yet more amazed and inspired by his wisdom and maturity.  I've been richly rewarded by his actions, and have also encountered huge anxieties for him.  Heaven has never been closer as I've hit my knees in his behalf.  I'm honored to be his mother, and hope I can keep my cool so that he can live another day.  (Kidding--about the live another day thing.  Mostly.)

Then I took each child in my mind's-eye and had the same year-end review.  I'm amazed at the progress they have each  made, and overwhelmed by my concerns and hopes and love for them.   How can I hold all of these people in my heart?  It threatened to burst and I had to quickly give them all back to God and just trust that He will use me as his instrument in their behalf.

 It's painful to me that each one of them has choices and could choose unwisely and experience harsh consequences.  And yet I can't take this away from them, and wouldn't even if I had that kind of power, because I would also take away their growth and joy.  I have to trust the Lord to help me to teach them and then trust them to choose wisely and then just be so very grateful that the Savior bridged the gap for all of our imperfections.

I've also gotta stop having these little thoughts at night because I get so worked up that I can't relax and go to sleep.  This Motherhood thing is not very conducive to a well-rested existence!  (Everyone slept through the night last night--when has that happened last!?!--and instead of sleeping I was winding myself up with these thoughts.  Sheesh!)

(Also, it's a good thing Mr. Cool is at school and not following me around today with a video camera, as all I have done thus far is sit in the chair and 'play' on the computer!)

A Friend's Response

From my friend Kristen:


My mom found this on a quilting site and sent it to me. You'll see the wisdom in it.

"author unknown" 

"I just realized that while children are dogs -- loyal and affectionate -- teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knees and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it. 
Then around age 13 your adorable little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. 
You won't see it again until it gets hungry -- then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen to turn up its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare as if trying to remember where it has seen you before. 
You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings. Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. 
Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave. 
Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps the counter. The more you go toward it wringing your hands, the more it moves away.

Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you have to learn to behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and affection too. Sit still and it will come, seeking the warm, comfortable lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it. One day, your grown up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.” 

"Then you will realize your cat is a dog again."

Mr. Cool and His Swiss Cheese Brain

Several recent scientific findings show that the average teen-aged brain has a hole in it.  For example, a Pediatric Neurologist in Boston, Dr. Frances Jensen was quoted in an article by Richard Knox,

"Scientists used to think human brain development was pretty complete by age 10. Or as she puts it, that 'a teenage brain is just an adult brain with fewer miles on it.'
But it's not. To begin with, she says, a crucial part of the brain — the frontal lobes — are not fully connected. Really.
'It's the part of the brain that says: "Is this a good idea? What is the consequence of this action?" ' Jensen says. 'It's not that they don't have a frontal lobe. And they can use it. But they're going to access it more slowly.'"

Uh, huh.  Yep.  I could have saved the researchers a whole lotta dough if they had just asked my opinion.

Here's the story:
So.  Mr. Cool came home from school yesterday, and I greeted him with homemade cookies (healthy and tasty!) and a,  "How was your day?"


After listening, empathizing, and just slathering the boy with love, I gently asked him to do two things:

1)  Go next door and help the sweet elderly lady in her yard for 30 minutes, and

2) Clean his job and bedroom.

I left to pick up the elementary school kids from school.  As I left I added that when he was finished, he could go to his friends house and stuff his brain with video games.

When I returned a little while later, Mr. Cool was on the computer checking the latest sports news. 

I opened the discussion with a letter I had just received about a HS that had sent us some info.  It works with an adjoining college, which allows the students to earn credits for both schools, and graduate from Hs with an associate's degree from the college.  I talked him into letting me put his name into the lottery for the school, while he applied online for another similar school nearer to our home.  He's a smart kid, and could save himself a TON of time and money if he does it this way. 
 
So far, so good.  Then...

"Son, did you go next door?"
"Nope."
"Is your job done and your room clean?"
"Yep."
"Great!  I'm going to vacuum, so stick around a minute in case there is more that you need to do in there, and then when you're finished next door, you're free."  I said all of this very brightly, with only kindness.


(Artist's Rendition of what I found--minus the candy wrappers and crusty dishes.)

So, I put on my authoritative voice and called Mr. Cool to task.

After twenty minutes of nagging and cleaning (I worked right along with him), the Family Room was done, and the bedroom was coming along.

Then the friend called, and the battle ensued.  (Red ink is Mr. Cool speaking.)

"Mom!  You LIED to me!"

"What?  I told you that you could go when you were finished.  Finish your room, and then go next door and work in the yard for 1/2 hour, and you're done." 

This is what I said, but what he heard may have been more like, "BRUHAHA!!!  YOU'LL NEVER BE FREE!  YOU'LL BE TRAPPED IN THIS WHITE-SLAVERY RING UNTIL YOU'RE TOO OLD TO HAVE YOUR OWN TEETH!"

"I've been working for you for FOUR hours!  YOU never do ANYTHING!  ALL day long, you're in the chair, on the computer--I'm gonna follow you around with a video camera!"



"Son, you haven't even been home for four hours, and if you hadn't gotten on the computer when I left to pick up the kids, you would have been done with your jobs and could go play.  And, you lied to me when you said your job was done and it wasn't."

What he possibly heard, "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."


"All afternoon I've been helping you and making you feel good about yourself by letting you think you were getting something done!  I should be able to go and relax!  That's all you've been doing today!"




Pretty much all I could do at that point was laugh at that absurd little guy and tell him to let his friend know that he wouldn't be coming.

For the record, Mr. Cool was grouchy for a while longer, but later that night he apologized.  (He never did go next door, but he'll be home from school in exactly four minutes...)

I apologized for laughing at him.  And now I apologize for blogging him, and to all the copyrights I violated in this one blog alone.

SO SUE ME! 

"Hey, SON!..

Christmas Miracles

Christmas 2011 highlights:

The Princess worked hard one day to earn some money for Christmas.  I took her and some of the others to the Dollar store later, and as we were leaving, she showed me all the cool stuff she was able to buy herself.  Uh.  I reminded her that we were there to buy Christmas presents, but she reassured me that she had a great idea and that it was all good. 
Christmas morning, I paid special attention to the gifts she had given everyone.  Several of us received some of her old toys and stuffed animals, some got pictures she had drawn, etc...  Cracked me up.  It was a special Christmas Miracle.  Snort.



The day after Christmas I walked out the front door to find "The Hobo Hotel."  Lil' Mama and Mr. Lamadingdong had build a magnificent structure in the front yard out of all the cardboard boxes from the day before.  It was glorious, and they have spent more hours with those dang boxes than with any of the other Christmas stuff.  Hilarious!  I know what they're getting next year...
(Thanks for the picture, Grandpa!  One might want to ask why we were wearing Halloween capes?..  Nah, goes with the general theme, I guess.)

Mr. Cool came to me after all of the presents were open to comment that his Christmas wish was unfulfilled.  WHAT!!!  Where was the $60 Wii game that I had bought and wrapped?  We looked everywhere.  No game.  The only thing I can think of is that it managed to become a Christmas Miracle for the Sub for Santa 15 year-old boy whose family we helped.  Well, OK.  We finally bought Mr. Cool another copy for himself.  If  the other shows up, we'll return it.  He was a really good sport about the whole thing.  Nice kid.

Service Project

This actually happened before Christmas, and I started to write about it.  I now have two seconds to finish it, but it's worth posting, so...

My mom calls me today and asks if she can borrow the kids for a service project.  I think, "Yes!  This is a fabulous idea!" and I enthusiatically commit their evening for them.  She tells me they need work gloves, rakes, etc... and that she will pick the kids up at 4:30.  They are going to help a lady that she visiting teaches who could use a hand...Hey, who cares?  If it:

1)  Gets them outside and working
2)  Gives them a service opportunity, and
3)  Takes them off my hands for a couple of hours

GREAT!!!


So, at 4:30 they show up and I am agressively "assisting" my oldest 5 with coats and gloves and my parents say, "Let's have a prayer before we go!" 

Uh, OK.  I guess this is a teaching moment?  Whatever. 

So as we're gathering Grandma gives the whole "We're proud of you and your willingness to serve; and we'll all be happy and blessed" pep talk.  (Assuming, of course that my little angels just jumped at the chance to do unpaid manual labor--yup.)


Then she offers a lovely prayer thanking the Lord for this service opportunity and asking that the sweet sister that they're about to serve will feel their love for her and God's love for her and will be blessed.

Wow.  Now we're all in the right spirit, and Grandma and Grandpa start talking about this lady we're gonna serve and how she is always serving others and could maybe use a little help; and again I'm shoving them out the door because I'm trying to wrap some presents; and the house is trashed because of the excessive kid-party we had yesterday and, (let's face it), simply because it's Christmas vacation and we're slobs; and maybe I'll get something done, so--Go!  See ya!  Work hard!

Then Mom turns to me and smiles and says, "The woman we're actually serving is your mother."  Let's get to work!

Then they proceeded to clean the house and the yard for the next hour or two.  Also, they brought pizza. 

NO WAY!!!

I was able to get my stuff done, and the house was clean, and the yard looked awesome, and I didn't even have to cook dinner!


Hot Dang!  Best night ever.  Plus, I just kept making discoveries all week, like my microwave and stove were shiny-clean. 


I felt so grateful and so LOVED!

Thanks, people!

The Bible

About four years ago, I set a goal to REALLY study the bible (King James Version); searching out meanings when I was unsure, and reading notes and commentary and supplementary books to increase my understanding.  I completed my goal tonight.  (Well...I have gone cover to cover, but now I only know that I know nothing.  I'm still standing under Niagra Falls trying to get a sip.)

I have learned that EVERYTHING written in the Old and New Testaments was placed there to lead us to Christ and to testify of his Atonement.

 I am overcome by His great love for me!  What a miracle that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind can be saved!  I love him!  I want to follow him!  I want to be a witness of God, and to help others to find the peace and joy that only come from Him. 

I am so thankful for the many, many, MANY that have sacrificed so that I might study these words. 

How amazing that I can have such easy access to the word of God!  I can't believe the time and insights and inspiration that has gone into the footnotes and definitions and commentaries.  I can't imagine the anguish experienced by the early saints who gave their lives to share the good news.

 And people like Martin Luther who struggled to bring forth truth when all was against him.   I'm so thankful for modern revelation and the clarity and understanding that it provides!  I'm grateful to know that when I don't understand, that I can ask and seek and the Holy Ghost will help me to find.

And, OK, I get it; there is no "finished".  I'm gonna have to start all over and read it again and again, and each time I'll wonder where the heck I've been, and why I've never noticed _______ before.  I'm a kid coming home from Kindergarten impressed with my own learning.  There is more!!!  Unbelievable.

Most of all, I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. I know He lives! He is the only Way! I know that God lives and loves me and will never leave me. Christ will come again!

2011 Recap Part 2

OK.  Here's the final installation of our year in review.  Has the potential for boring, so skip it if you wish.  (The last two posts were maybe more entertaining.)

Mr. Lamadingdong landed such an AWESOME teacher this year.  He's been memorizing all kinds of things like the preamble to the constitution, the Gettysburg Address, etc...He continues to work hard in spelling and is getting really good at it.  Talk about a weakness becoming a strength! 
He started Boy Scouts, so here we go again!  (Secretly, I love it!)

This kid's name is very special (his real name) and we have talked a lot about why he received the name he has.  We gave him to the Lord when he was a baby, just as another scriptural son was dedicated to God, and his first name reflects that.  His middle name can remind him of a mighty man who gave himself to the Lord, and this has been a theme for 2011.  He's taking his life seriously, and has been studying and praying on his own. 
Some of his church leaders challenged him with a pledge that he can choose to sign when he's 12.  We talk about it a lot.

"As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I will discover the "Divine Power" within myself and:
Honor women, girls and children,
Magnify the Aaronic Priesthood,
Become an Eagle Scout,
Fulfill my Duty to God,
Graduate from High School and Seminary,
Receive the Melchizedek Priesthood,
Receive temple ordinances, and
Serve a full-time mission."

What inspired leaders!  He's thought a lot about what each one of these would entail and is taking the commitment seriously and hasn't signed it yet.

Football is still huge for all the guys at our house.  They spend a lot of time looking at scores and discussing teams and strategies and watching games.  That's about the only thing he and Mr. Cool share--the rest of the time it's like oil and water, or dynamite and a blow torch...
He's also big-time into board games, Monopoly is his favorite.  (Grandpa calls it Monotony.)

Mr. L likes to process things and rarely stops on a dime.  Once I figured this out, our relationship has gotten a lot better.  I need to ask him to do something and then count in my head to about 10.  THEN if he doesn't respond, I can take it up a notch.    In my mind I used to accuse him of trying to annoy me and others, but I really think it just takes him a minute to process.  He's such a sweet boy; I need to always give my family the benefit of the doubt.

The Princess had a very fun summer.  She's got some fun friends who are in and out of the house all the time.  Her baptism was quite well attended, and our inspired bishop called her up at the very end and asked her to stand on a chair.  He then asked her to look out at all the people that had come just for her, who loved her and supported her.  She also knew that there were some who were ill and couldn't come, etc...The bishop pointed out to her that she had a lot of people who care about her and will help her to keep her covenants, choose the right and be happy.

Then Princess got put into a 3rd/4th grade classroom with a great teacher and some snotty little girls.  They made her life miserable for a few months until we got things worked out, but by then Princess had decided that she would just rather stay home every day.  She has become the queen of hypochondria--everything from a sore throat, a sore toe, to feeling too crowded--I tease her that she has a bone in her leg.  When she denies that that is the problem, I ask her how she walks without any leg-bones. 

Princess spent a very creative month or two contriving to stay home every morning, and even calling me from school.  I finally took her to the doctor.  It took a higher authority to convince her that she HAS to go to school every day.  She is learning to like it again, and her inspired teacher has introduced some music and acting to the class which has thrilled her to no end. 

I still read to her each night.  We're plowing through the Caroline Years of a Little House series right now, and I love the books at least as much as she does.  This is sometimes the only thing that gets me through the whole bed-time routine.

Now, I know that I am doing a year-end review of each family member, but it's my blog and I can do whatever I want, so I feel moved to register a complaint at this juncture. 
We start with scriptures and prayer about 7:30 p.m. From that point on, my night is dedicated solely to BEDTIME, yet the last person often doesn't straggle in to kiss me goodnight until 11:30 or even midnight.  Then, the Handsome Prince, who takes the early morning shift, starts the whole get-up-and-get-ready-for-the-day routine about 6:30 a.m.  It often takes me until at least 10:30 to complete the task with the little girls.  This means that at least 8 hours of each day is spent just getting people ready for bed or out of bed and ready for the day.  Sheesh!

Little P

She learned how to ride a two-wheeler this fall, and is also getting really good on the roller-blades.  Little P can climb just about anything, and has scaled the lamp-post outside, several trees, and can climb the door-frame of the house to the top unassisted. 

She continues to hold the world record for tantrums, and is really packed with a punch.  The only way to end a tantrum is to distract her in a subtle way.  This kid CAN stop on a dime, and usually does--the tantrums don't taper off, they just end.  She turns it on, she turns it off.  Stinker.

Little K continues to provide comic relief.  She says or does something funny every day.  Today she came to me with a paper and pen so I could write a letter to Santa.  She asked for a sled and some skiis.

Yesterday when I returned from volunteering at the school, she asked me if she had been in charge while I was gone.  (She LOVES being in charge!)

Little K is the supreme helper in the family.  She helps with laundry and dishes and especially baking. 

Every afternoon after we get Little P off to kindergarten, I put the caboose down for a nap and turn on a movie for K (then I clock out for an hour).  It started out the Backyardigans or Barney, but one day she declared that they were stupid baby movies and asked for Phineas and Ferb.  I think big kids influenced this one.  Anyway, every single day she wants to watch a show with an apple cut up into slices and put in a bowl.  It rarely varies, and if we're out of apples I'm in trouble.

She has a couple of cute little friends and has been known to be a little bossy.  The cutest little guy next door sometimes provokes her and they have had knock-out-slam-down fights.   She is P's shadow and is quite interested in spelling and reading right now.  They play together in a super-cute way.

The Caboose has perfected the arts of climbing and naughty.  She can now climb a stool to the stove and access the microwave, climb the toilet to the counter and use the sink, and she was scaling the crib to the top of the dresser until I one-upped her and lowered the mattress almost to the floor.   I have to use a stool to get her in and out.   (HA!  We call it monkey-prison!  FYI:  Little P can escape monkey prison if she is sufficiently furious.  Sigh.)

Caboose now wears a onesie under all her clothes, as she was a little too free and easy about her diaper and its contents.  Eeewwww...

Family Home Evening is her favorite thing ever, and it's so fun to watch her spin around as we sing. We bought her a circle of bells and she rings them as we sing, "Jingle Bells". The Christmas Tree lights are and endless souce of fascination.

If it's organized, she can be depended on to fix that; if it is clean, she'll tackle it, no job is too big or too small.  She does help sometimes, though, and can put things in the trash, down the laundry chute, or into the dryer.  She is just so proud of herself when she's helping.  She also loves to help with baking.

Kid is an amazing snuggler and it just feels so right holding her in my arms.  I mourn each stage as she leaves it, yet the sigh in relief at the same time.  I think being a grandma will be funner in some ways, but won't be the same...

All I know is that this new season in my life is a good one.  I used to hear women say they were done having kids and Hallelujah!  And I felt dismayed.  How could someone feel that way?  Well, now I completely understand--in fact, last night I dreamed that I was pregnant again, and I spent the entire night feeling sorry for myself. 

We've settled into our new home and community and feel so blessed to be here!  We love the Savior!  What a blessing to know that we have been bought with a price and that He loves us with a perfect love!

We have a good income, beautiful home and yard, kind neighbors, peace, safety, enough to eat and what we want and need.  We've been blessed with a huge, loving family and amazing friends.  It was a beautiful, blessed, exhausting 2011!

My Favorite Things

Some idiot decide that the cute Sound of Music song, "My Favorite Things" was a Christmas song. Then another idiot felt that it could somehow be improved (REALLY?  You're gonna do it better than Julie Andrews?) and that  is the rendition our local radio station used to play, along with an amazing amount of Felice Navidad and that stupid song where the sad, sorry guy bumps into an old lover and they drink in his car and nearly have an affair and somehow this makes us think about the Savior of the World and his upcoming birthday?  Huh.  I don't miss that radio station.  I like this new one where it seems to be OK to be Chrisian on Christmas with Kenny Rogers and "Mary Did You Know" and the MoTabs. 

There was a point to all of this ranting, and I'm getting there.  I was thinking about my favorite things, and here is a partial list, in no particular order:

1.  Crawling back into bed in the middle of the night, knowing that everyone is asleep and all is well.  Then Handsome Prince rolls over to snuggle and he is so strong and nice and I know the HE IS SUCH A GOOD MAN and mine forever!

2.  Being able to comfort a small baby, and the feeling of baby melting into me and how soft and sweet-smelling, and I know that little person with such an intimate knowing.  Heaven is so close!

3.  The feeling of catching a teaching moment and knowing exactly what to say. 

4.  The high of finding a really good sale and triumphantly getting off with the goods.

5.  Having the perfect words arrange themselves before me as I try to place my thoughts.

6.  The feeling that God has used me to bless someone else. 

7.  Having a teen confide in me and listen to my counsel.

8.  The feeling of swinging in a hammock.

9.  A really satisfying book.

10.  Hiding with chocolate.

11.  A hot bath with a good book and some ice cream or cold chocolate.

12.  Sunshine.

13.  Writing and knowing that someone was touched by my words.

14.  Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus"

15.  Salty, savory food.

16.  Clean and order and quiet.

17.  The feeling that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do and that He is near.

18.  Large joyful crowds and amusement parks.

19.  Talking in front of a group when I have profound things to say.  (Most of you reading this won't be surprise to know that I often consider myself quite profound and I greatly enjoy hearing my own lips flap. )

20.  Laughter.


Just for fun, a few things I hate:
1.  Static
2. Sticky
3.  Unkindness
4.  Evil
5.  Hearing my name over and over and over from many sources--everyone needing me at once.
6.  Tattling
7.  Exhaustion
8.  Migraines
9.  Failure/criticism
10.  Offending others
11.  Guilt--I maybe choose the wrong profession for that one
12.  Disappointments
13.  When children are hurt
14.  Innocence mocked