Today’s reminder is quite a bit deeper than I had intended. I am exhausted and don’t have the mental capacity to do the rest of it justice. So instead, I found reminder #13 to be appropriate for the occasion:
Say a short prayer even when you are too tired to pray.
G’night.
Jayce learned a few concepts this week that I found humorous.
Déjà vu- We were driving to piano and he quick turned to me and said, “whoa! That was so weird. I just saw… all of these things on the freeway, in my dreams last night. I think.” I laughed and tried to explain what he was experiencing (how does one really give an explanation?). It was really fun to be able to see him try and figure out what he was feeling.
Also on this same drive we discussed armpit hair. His legs are getting quite hairy and I mentioned as much. I told him hair would be arriving at some point, under his arms. He laughed and said, “I already do!” (baby hair. Peach fuzz.)
Irony- The kids and I were discussing as we passed a CVS pharmacy, what exactly a pharmacy was. That they sold drugs. The good kind, that doctors give you to feel better. A few minutes passed and Jayce started to giggle. He said, “we just passed a store called smoke shop, the kind where they sell the bad drugs, like cigarettes, and they had a no smoking sign in the window.” I had to laugh that his 9 year old brain caught the irony.
In an effort to re-boost my desire to keep blogging, I have decided to use a little book of “reminders for Latter Day Saints” as a guide for idea starters. Todays reminder is:
Share your hymnbook with the person next to you.
When I was young, singing along with the hymns in church was mandatory. We are not a musical family by any stretch, but I do believe singing in church is a form of worship, and I need all the help I can get. As a youth I remember my dad’s rendition of well… any song we sang. He was forever ‘forgetting’ where we were in the song and would (along with the correct tune) sing something like “ IIIII don’t knowww where we aaaare. Thiiiiis song is realllllly looooong.” To which we would respond with either a burst of giggles (as smaller children) or an eye roll as we got into our teens.
Today I love singing the hymns. A few years ago I joined in with the church choir. I figured I could be one of the filler voices. I could read music and learned how to harmonize. I love to sing and just as my mother did, once my kids can read, they can and will sing the hymns.
My butter is melting on the counter.
I refuse to turn on the air conditioning in March.
On the up side, my trees have exploded is green sensationalism. (is that a word?)
It’s officially Spring!
Summer in Arizona
Friendship has been on my mind today. I have been blessed throughout my life with more dear friends than I am sure I deserve. At each milestone in my life I have had a friend by my side to laugh, cry, or carry me through. I was made aware recently of a situation of a woman I know feeling very lonely. Feeling as though she doesn’t have a friend, and feels so isolated at home with her children. This is when it dawned on me. How ungrateful I had been. Here was a gift I had been given my entire life, and I had rarely given it any thought in gratitude. First, I was brought up in a church where your social framework is practically set up for you. Second, I was given the gift of gab. And third, the opportunity to have friends in my home nearly everyday, for hours at a time to talk and get their hair done. What a giant pile of friendship I have been given! So to all of you who are my friends from the past or present. I am grateful for you. And to my Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the gift of friendship.
I thought I would wait until things calmed down around here and when schedules slowed down I would get back on the blogging horse. Well, that’s not happening anytime soon, so when I caught my kids all gathered ‘round a book of photos and memories of themselves, I knew it was time to make time.
We just came home from a week long trip to visit my parents in CA. It was a week filled with hiking, trips to the park, many hours with feet propped up on the couch drinking in my latest book, many many moments of scolding my children, and laughter, naps, waaaay too much fast food, and much needed relaxation.
Never did go to the beach. Minutes from the ocean and my kids practically begged to avoid to altogether. I think we have been in AZ too long.
I miss my mom and dad. I was ready to get back to the grind after a week though. It’s nice to stick a pin in the crazy for a few days, but I’m happy to be home.
Jared: (hugs me) When I’m a dad, I want you to be my wife.
Me: (melting) Ok, but what about dad? Who would be his wife then?
Jared: He could just find a new wife.
Me: You won’t want me as a wife by then anyway. I’ll be old and wrinkly.
He just smiled.
When we were kids, well probably closer to teenagers, we were traveling in the car together as a family. I’m probably wrong, but I envision that we were somewhere between California and New York on one of our annual cross country road trips where all the best memories are made. We took to traveling car games and often read the passing signs. Shannon read one once that she will never live down… A sign that read Army Supplies.
Shannon asked, “Mom? What are army… sooplies?” Supplies Shannon, I remember my mother saying through a giggle. The word supplies has always been connected to that silly little memory. Not too long ago I heard this from my 7 year old daughter, Lainy was reading the words written on one of my spray bottles. "Sally beauty supply" But she read it, "Sally booty sooplee. Mom? What are booty sooplees?"
I have mixed feelings about whether or not every parent should feel the way I felt this afternoon.
Lainy and Jared ride scooters outside on a regular basis. We live on a quiet street and I just keep the door open to listen for them. Today was no different. Well, yes it was. Today I lost and found Lainy. I came out to Jared telling me that he couldn’t find Lainy. He said she had crossed the street to pet a dog. She isn’t allowed to cross the street. Red flag. He said she followed it. RED FLAG. He said it was a dad with the dog. At that point I was a wild screaming desperate mother running and yelling my sweet girls name. I called 911 immediately. They ask you seemingly simple questions. But when you have to tell a 911 operator that your daughter has blonde hair blue eyes and what she is wearing, it is the most terrifying feeling I have EVER felt in all of my existence. Jayce took off on his bike to scope the closest streets. He found her around the corner and down the street. She was petting a cat.
10 minutes.
She was only gone 10 minutes and it changed me forever. The police came in record time just to make sure all was well. He said that there were 30 units en route before we had found her. My sweet baby. All 3 of my children came into Lainy’s room while their very emotionally charged mother said words that I am sure they will forget. But I am sure none of us will forget the feeling we had as we all cried and hugged together in realization of what could have been. I am immensely grateful for the outcome. I am grateful that I could learn this lesson without losing my Lainy for longer than 10 minutes.
When we were first married and had moved out here to AZ we lived near my sister Shannon and her family. We had gone to a meeting together about how to start, store, and utilize a year supply of food. It was a lot of info and my head was swimming. I felt excited, anxious, and overwhelmed. I had a small stack of papers in my hand and I knew they would be useful at some point. Shannon gave me my very first nugget of info for doing something with all of that information… She said, start a food storage file. Stick those papers in it, it will grow. Now, 10 years later as I have pulled that file out of its place countless times, I remembered what she had said. And that file has grown. It’s a nice big fat file of beautiful information.
Many of you have heard, or know that Mormons have a goal to store a year supply of food. It’s quite a task! In fact, it took me 5 years to even begin because there were so many different ways of planning for it. Plan by pounds (get 400 lbs. of wheat, get 100 lbs. of corn meal, 150 lbs. of sugar, etc.) plan by meal, (get everything you need for a spaghetti meal and multiply it by 52.) And then somewhere in between. Then you have your 72 hour kits, your water supply, toiletries, medicines… the list goes on.
I am at a point in my life where I just get what I can, when I can. Sometimes I get ambitious and I organize and plan, roll with it for a while, and then I scrap that plan and try something else! But, I am getting somewhere.
Now we have been married for 10 years, I still have my food storage file of information, and I still feel excited, anxious, and overwhelmed by food storage. It is one of my 2012 goals to get a concrete plan to continue storing and using my year supply.
“Remember, a year’s supply is not so much a matter of dollars and cents as it is of faith and obedience.” - Unknown
***Lainy’s birthday post quite a bit late!
Lainy turned 7!! She started piano lessons nearly a year ago and sits at the keys every time she passes by. She sings every chance she gets. I had to remind her that the whole congregation could hear her continuing to sing after they had finished the song. Lainy speaks her mind whether you would prefer her to or not. For example: I asked her if she knew if her teacher drank coffee so I could get her a gift card. She said yes. I said, are you sure? Her reply, “Yes, I was talking to her and I smelled her breath and said, ‘ew! You’re breath stinks!’ She said it was her coffee.” Lainy adores her brothers. And is a great balance between a big brother who likes to be in control, and a soft spoken little brother. If there is an adult around who even remotely tolerates her, she is quite literally a magnet. Tucked up under their arm, or plopped right on their lap if they let her. She has been that way since she could make a decision to like or dislike someone. Actually, she likes everyone. Except the scary lady with the giant black drawn-on eyebrows and witch voice we saw at Fuddruckers when she was only a baby… she did not like her. But other than that, she can find something she loves in just about everyone. She let’s me yank,twist, and twirl her pretty blonde hair into any fashion I choose. She is my sweet little princess and I am grateful for the gift of being her mother. Love you Lainer.
Some of our traditions have started and ended or phased out, and some that we never planned have stuck around. I love our traditions and the memories that come with them. If I can remember to see through the craziness of the season, and enjoy the time spent with family and friends it really is the best time of the year.
I finished reading the Book of Mormon in 30 days earlier this month. Boy, did I need it. A woman teaching an auxiliary training meeting mentioned that she had taken a BoM 30 day reading challenge and that if we felt like we needed a kick start spiritually, she recommended it. If I ever needed a kick start, it was then. Did I have life changing visions, or answers to questions I had had for years? No. Did I feel as though I could move mountains or part seas? No. Here’s what I did have; A clearer view of what my blessings were. A strengthened relationship with my Savior. I hit my knees more often in those 30 days then I can ever remember doing in my 32 years of life. Life was as filled with trials and craziness as it was before I began. None of that changed. It was my perspective that changed. I mentioned to my sister more than once that life just felt richer. I am grateful for that holy book. I am grateful for those who were faithful enough to do what was needed to allow me to have those words in my home. I am grateful for my Savior and for this season to be constantly reminded of His birth and the life He lead and gave for me.
Merry Christmas!
Jared has taken to talking quite often about fighting bad guys. And letting me know what he will do to them if they come around. Today was quite a bit more interesting than the typical, beat ‘em up business. He mentioned he would kick him where it counts and I hadn’t been paying attention so I asked whom he was referring to. A bad guy. I told him he was too young to fight bad guys. He said, maybe when he’s 10. I told him he probably should wait until he is a daddy’s age to worry about that kind of thing. Silence. But mom, I have the scripture Power. (this is a song they learn in primary) And mom, I am growing a bump on my arm. Jayce has a bump on his arm too, to fight bad guys.
Later this afternoon he began talking about how much I like him, (and I do!) and that for that very reason had he been born. He said that we liked him so much, we liked him into this world. So I asked him how he thought babies did get here. Well, first um, it’s a tiny brain. Then it um, grows into a really big brain. Then it um, goes as a really tiny rainbow, then it gets to um, a really big rainbow (hands rainbowing through the air) and then it makes a tiny baby and it grows and grows.
I love this boy.
On the way home from a trip to the visitors center with the kids, we were discussing why it was nice to spend some time walking around the temple grounds and in the visitors center, how the temple is the closest place on earth we can get to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. We talked about how we can pray for those we love or about something we are struggling with while we are there. So, on the ride home it was pretty quiet until Lainy started chattering and Jared whipped head toward her and said, “Hey! I’m trying to talk to Jesus!” A few minutes later Lainy was reading the back of her card she had gotten from one of the women at the temple and teaching Jared some of the Articles of Faith. She is still sounding out bigger words…
Lainy: Ok, Jared repeat after me.
Jared: ok
Lainy: We believe
Jared: We believe
Lainy: in
Jared: in
Lainy: God the…
Jared: God the…
Lainy: International Father
Shelley’s house is 13.9 miles from mine. I have traveled it all too often in the past 24 hours…
Went yesterday to help set up for the party.
Went again later that night for the actual party.
Went tonight to pick up Jason’s phone that we left at the party.
Made Jason go back again when I realized I had left MY phone while we were picking up Jason’s phone…
If you haven’t seen this aired on MSNBC, please take the time to read This article. I openly wept and said a silent prayer of thanks for the hearts of all those involved in helping this man and his family to change his and so many others lives. I couldn’t help but think that Satan had a solid moment of foot stamping and fist shaking when this man left his army of hatred…
I was relatively excited for Halloween this year. All 3 kids are old enough to walk, talk and carry their own candy. Jared decided 2 months ago to be Ironman, and never once wavered. Easy store bought. Done. Lainy begged pleaded and whined to be Rapunzel. I rolled it around in my brain for a solid week and convinced her to be a fairy. Her aunt Shelley had made a beautiful tutu that was begging for public use. So, I figured I would whip up a little sparkly top and wings in a jiffy. A jiffy it was not. Though they turned out pretty cute. Jayce bounced ideas around until he settled on being a trash can. Not sure where the idea came from, but I couldn't talk him out of it.
Friday night was the party for church, which was pretty awesome. Dinner, games and trunk or treating. Jayce’s costume was not “running around” friendly so he ditched it near a table. I guess it was inevitable that someone opened it and dumped a half eaten plate of chili in it… A little rinse with a hose and he was back in business.
This afternoon was school parties, and I was blessed by the assignment of overseeing an hour and a half of first graders bowling. Over and over again. My ab and thigh muscles will thank me in the morning I am sure.
And this evening. Trick or treating. The anticipation had dwindled a bit with Halloween being drawn out 3 or 4 days. Costumes were itchy, heavy, or sweaty. They lasted an hour. I carried the trash can, ironman mask, and fairy wings home. Though the trash can was definitely a crowd favorite. They didn’t even want to hit the houses on the way back home. Just wanted to get home.
So that wraps up Halloween 2011. We did miss our traditional annual trip to Grama Jet’s this year…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
