Living Full on Life

Worth

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Recently my half-sister Megan (Greg’s eldest daughter) and her family stopped by for a brief visit. She has been wonderful about keeping in touch, which I really appreciate. It was nice to talk with her and her amazing husband and sweet children and to get to know them all a little better. She told me that when they were going through our Dad’s (Greg) drawers at work they found a pile of letters from Lex and I from our high school and college years. I was shocked and moved. With this little bit of information I feel like she has given me a little treasure that I can keep in my pocket. A treasure of love, worth and acceptance. Oh how important it is to give our children a place in this world! 
Today in Sunday school we talked about the difference between “worth” and “worthy” and how we need to understand that even when we are not “worthy” we have divine “worth” and that our worth in the eyes of God will never change based on our worthiness. I believe that when we are unworthy Satan’s favorite tool is to make us feel like we do not have worth. I made a goal then and there that I would help our children feel my unconditional love even when they fail, or fall, or disappoint. I can love them by allowing them to understand consequences to their actions and not by withholding my forgiveness, attention, or love. Being a parent can be scary business! I really feel like it would be very easy to mess up these sweet children because really I’m just trying to understand big lessons myself! Thank goodness for the Spirit, for Grant, and for a host of other people who love and guide them too!

Biological Warfare

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When I go downstairs to tuck the boys in, Sam has the habit as I bend over him to kiss and hug him, to wrap his arms around me and grab the waistband of my pants so I can’t escape. Usually this ends in me tickling him, pretending to be a dead body and squishing him or doing the dog sniff in his ear, all of which usually get him to let go. Last night I tried a different tactic. As he was clinging for dear life I let my hair fall on his face, (he is super ticklish) which drove him nuts but he still didn’t let go, then I accidentally passed a little gas (it really was an accident!), and then I said in an obnoxious breathy voice right next to his nose, “Do you like my brhhhhheeeath??” (we had had a strong smelling soup for dinner that still lingered a little). Sam was squirming by this time and finally let go saying, 
“Mom! Will you stop with the biological warfare!”

Mommy Moments

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I was folding laundry and William said:
What if all of our clothes turned into bees?
ME: That would be great! Then they would all fly away and I wouldn’t have to fold them!
WWB:  Then we would be naked all the time! Actually I would have to just wear this uniform over and over.
ME: Did you know that in the olden days people had just one pair of work clothes and sometimes one pair of church clothes?
WWB: With great enthusiasm, “They had clothes that could go to church for them???”
Yesterday I drove for Lizzie’s field trip. She was so happy to have me along! And she held my hand all day as we toured the capital and the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum.  I felt honored by her attention and excitement.
Anna has been such a joy lately. She started Ballet (she calls it her “Tippy Toes” Class) and loves it so much! The only thing she doesn’t like is that the other girls don’t talk to her during class. I think we have another social butterfly in the family. I told her that they were there to dance and that the teacher doesn’t really want them to chit-chat during class. So she replied with a plan, “I know! When the snow melts we can go to ballet class early with all the other girls and sit on the grass and talk to each other!” 
I love this picture of Anna in the snow. I had her all bundled up in her snow clothes. She got really warm shoveling all that snow and so she went inside while I was shoveling (for the third time that day) and changed into the most natural thing in the world for snow playing…a princess dress! I especially love the look- princess dress, snow boots and a yellow shovel.

Influenza

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We have been sick, sick, sick! This week has been a week of laying around, fevers, aches and pains, chills, runny noses, sore throats, coughs, throwing up, lethargy and sleepless nights. Today I overheard Sam and Lizzie trying to express how sick they are:
Sam: I’m so sick that if I just relax everything my eyes CROSS!
Lizzie: If I just relax everything my eyes CLOSE!
See? Aren’t we sick?!

Service

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Lizzie is sick. She is laying in the parent bed because everyone knows that is the best place to be when you are sick! She is achy, feverish, and has a huge headache. I left her in there with the blinds down and the fan blowing on her in a cooling, comforting way. While I was getting her a piece of toast, a drink and a book to read Sam slipped in and started to read aloud to her from a book he enjoyed and just finished. They both looked so content, Lizzie in her comfort, Sam in the joy of service.

Fathers and the Little Joys

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boysinigloo
Yesterday while I was at an all day Feis (I’ll save THAT for another post) with Lizzie,  Grant and the boys built an igloo and then decided to sleep in it! I love my husband who is willing to spend his free time recreating with the children. I also love that he is willing to give up a comfortable night’s sleep to give them such an amazing experience. Just look at those faces! They are so happy! Just before going out Grant said, “I feel like Grizzly Adams! I haven’t even shaved today! ” I laughed and decided I really needed to take a picture of him in the pink hat he had found to wear to bed since his was wet from the day’s igloo building. Grant and Sam lasted until morning when Sam came in a little cold. William came in sometime in the night saying that he was cold. I was really relieved since I had sleepy-mind worries about him falling to sleep and never waking up from hypothermia as he is so little.

How can our children not believe in a loving, caring, concerned Heavenly Father when their earthly father is all of those things? Tonight Grant showed us this video that made me cry. I feel so full of gratitude for my husband who is such an amazing father, for an earthly father who loves me so much and for a Heavenly Father who is in the details of my life and whose tender mercies fill me with joy. I also loved the video because it helps me celebrates the little joys of parenthood. What a blessed time in the life of our children. I need take advantage of every little thing, the snuggles, the accidents, the fits, the conversations, the practicing, the deep thoughts and developing testimonies.

William asked me last Sunday during the sacrament if I believed in Jesus. I emphatically answered, “YES!”  He then asked, “How can I believe in Jesus?” (meaning what does he need to do to have the same belief that I shared with him.) I need to never forget Anna cheerily responding, “I’d be happy to!” with our every request since Grant told her that is what princesses say, and her sweet “I love you Mother” every five minutes, William’s quiet observant nature and priceless snuggles, Sam’s never ending quest for truth and knowledge, Lizzie’s ability to make true friends and allies in everyone she knows most especially her little sister and the pleasure I feel in hearing their happy voices when they play imaginative games together in their room.

Mother Pride

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Today Sam had his Suzuki Viola Book 1 Recital. Sam has been taking violin/viola lessons for 3 1/2 years. At the end of his first two years he was halfway through book two. THEN, he started taking lessons with Denise Willey.  His first teacher Carrie was marvelous because 1) she came to our house 2) was very inexpensive 3) Did not require much out of Sam or me  and 4) instilled in him a love for the violin. We switched teachers because I could tell that it was time to take Sam to the next level and he wanted to play the viola instead of the violin. Mrs. Willey required perfection and knows how to teach it! She started Sam again at the beginning of book 1 and 1 1/2 years later  he JUST FINISHED the book. He has been the best sport. I am shocked by how long it takes to unlearn habits and re-learn new ones! I am amazed at the precision with which he plays and yet with all the demands placed on him for perfection he still loves to play. In my opinion that balance is the mark of a good teacher.
I loved watching him play those 26 memorized songs. He did such an amazing job! I felt so grateful for his patience and determination. I saw that his arms were getting a little tired yet he persevered. In French there are two words for “Proud”: “Fiere” (pronounced fee-err) and “orgeuilleux” (or-goy-you). I always loved this distinction because for the French it is ok to feel the pride a parent feels when their children work hard and do well. (fiere) Of course even the French aren’t allowed to feel ok about the other kind of pride where they feel that their children are the smartest, best children in the whole world and therefore they must be the best parents in the world!! (orgeuilleux)
Today I was proud (fiere) of Sam for who he is. I am thankful for his talents and hard work. Music and the discipline of the Suzuki program are molding our children into individuals who can do hard things. Best of all it is helping them to have humility. Who can be proud (orgeuilleux) when you are risking failure while performing for an audience? Who can be proud when they are overcome with the beauty of music? It is so much bigger than ourselves. Like looking at the night sky, when we are listening to (and performing) inspired music we can feel small and insignificant yet lifted to the highest heights through the spirit!

Car Talk

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I overheard Anna in the car saying, “I’m a good girl! I don’t say potty talk! I say, ‘I’d be happy to!'”

Lizzie shared this joke:
Q. What do you say when you get 100% on your math test?
A. It’s a mathterpiece!

I just read this post to Grant and he added his own math joke:
Q: What did the math book say to the pencil?
A.  I’ve got lots of problems.
Q: What did the pencil say back to the math book?
A: I’m not a therapist. Solve your own problems!

Apparently every child he has told this joke to at the door entering school this week has loved it. 

My Little Scientist

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Sam went outside to feed the animals and came back with a bleeding tongue. Of course it is easy to figure out why…He wanted to be a Myth Buster! He wasn’t sure if putting your tongue on a pole in freezing weather was a myth or not and so he did what every good scientist would do and tried it out for himself! Myth…not busted. Even with the pain, he still wants to be on the Myth Buster show when he grows up. It combines science with explosions and excitement! Every boy’s dream come true.