Today was an unseasonably warm day. Anna in her excitement about the changing of seasons told me very confidentially and with much hand gesturing how spring came about.
She said:
“I know how the green grass comes. While I am sleeping the snow sneaks down into the ground. THEN, the green grass sneaks up. And it is SPRING!”
I have been planning our summer family excursion to the West Coast. One of the places we are going is Yosemite. To get a campsite in Yosemite Valley you have to really work for it! On the 15th of every month at 7am (Pacific) all the campsites five months out become available. Within less than three minutes they are all gone. I’m not kidding! You have to be logged in and ready to go before the appointed time and then be ready to start grabbing a site. I set up four accounts (Grant, Me, Sam and Lizzie) and had Grant, Rebecca, Sam and me all ready at 7:40 to try our luck. I even had alarms and synchronized clocks. When 8 am hit we were ready! Sam was the lucky one and we have a campsite! I couldn’t sleep for the three hours before, I was so keyed up and nervous about not getting a site. Afterward, I was so excited it was hard to calm down for awhile. Here is something I read about the process that put me in the mood I was in: The New California Gold Rush.
Now for some quotes that have touched me in the last little while:
I read this last night from Elder Scott: “The Lord sees weaknesses differently than he does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”
And from our wonderful Sunday School teacher, Ryan Salter who teaches the 12 step addiction recovery program: “I’m on a journey toward serenity, not a struggle toward perfection”
Next, with two children entering the turbulent waters of adolescence and puberty we have been having some really interesting conversations:
The other day Sam and I were sitting in the car in the Walmart parking lot while he downed a few burgers before basketball practice. While we were sitting there we noticed a teenage boy we know hanging out with some other friends in front of the store. He was conducting himself with dignity and so I asked Sam, “What would you do if you saw Jacob light up?” (I meant light a cigarette and start smoking) Sam, ever the scientist, who had apparently never heard that term before said incredulously, “You mean spontaneously combust?”
Whenever anyone in the family messes up an idiom they call it a Candice-ism because I am the queen of messing those up. I mean I almost never get them right. (I have accidentally said eagle ear when I should have said eagle eye and cold towel when I should have said wet blanket). I’m not proud of it, but it is what it is. Sam had one of those moments the other day. He had heard about a senior boy at school who had “passionately kissed” (his words) his girlfriend. I talked to him about gossiping and asked how he knew about it. He meant to say he knew of it by “word of mouth” but instead said that he knew of it by “mouth to mouth.” I had a really hard time not laughing at that one…especially given the topic…ok, I laughed. And laughed hard.
Last month Sam was one of the finalists in the geography bee. He was beat by a friend of his who is brilliant and autistic. Sam said, “I would trade my social skills for a brain like that.”
Anna turned four last month (I am really behind on my birthday tributes!!) She really expected her whole world to be different once she turned four. She finally had to admit about a day after her birthday, “I feel like I did when I was three!” I love to see how her active little mind works. She is crazy about Barbies right now and carries her ice skater Barbie around a lot. Maybe because the Winter Olympics are going on right now. This Barbie is wearing a very short dress. Also for her birthday she got a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal. Minnie is wearing clothes that are modest (and purple sparkly). Grant who can’t stand Barbies and all they stand for said to Anna, “Just because you are four doesn’t mean you need to dress like Barbie. You can dress like Minnie all you want!” Anna who takes things very literally said, “No, her clothes cant get off…look!” (I’m sure she tried to get those purple sparkly clothes off already so she could wear them and found, to her sorrow, that they didn’t come off.)
Lastly, reports from teachers during parent teacher conferences last week:
About Sam, “He is the most conscientious space cadet I have ever known!”
Lizzie’s teacher said she can always count on her to take the discussion to a higher level and that she is spiritually intuitive and mature.
William’s teacher said that he is so sweet and sensitive. She said she loves his hugs. And that he has a keen sense of conscience. She also said he has the best handwriting she has ever seen.
Leave a Reply