Coming back from Mrs. Willey’s house this week Lizzie said, with great earnestness:”Do you know what I am really, really, really going to beg for and hope you give me when I turn 16? A really nice car, a bright red one, those kind where the top comes off. I would like a car just like grandpa’s car (Audi TT). If you gave me one of those cars I would put in really big speakers, so I could drive with the music really loud and a lot of bass. I would drive with the top down, my music playing really loud, something like “Dynamite” (the kids favorite song). And people could hear me coming from down the road. I would wear nice clothes and wear my hair in a high ponytail then I would pull up next to a cute guy and all my friends and tell them to get in and I’d give them a ride!”
I was taken aback that 1) She had put that much thought into this dream of hers and 2) That she actually thought if she begged enough she might get it! I told her that if she was lucky she would get to drive Grant’s Subaru which would be nearly 20 years old by the time she is 16 and that the only sound people would hear from down the street would be the breaks squealing, the engine backfiring, and the muffler dragging on the ground.
On this same strain of predicting the future, Sam and I had a discussion today about his future. It started with him saying, “I can’t believe that William will be 8 in just three years! Next thing we know I will be a father and then a grandfather!” I protested, “Whoa Sam! You just took me from a mother of a five year old to a great-grandmother in the space of two minutes! You are starting to make me feel old!” Then I asked him if he was excited to be a father. He said yes, but that he is nervous about it too. He is nervous that because he will be so successful in his career and will make so much money (he says millions), and so many people will seek his expertise that he will have a hard time not dedicating all his time and efforts into it and that he will not spend enough time with his children and family. I told him that if that is the case, then he will have the same challenge that his dad has with balancing all the demands on his time and talents (we don’t have the millions though). Thankfully Grant is the perfect example of balance! He also mentioned that he is nervous about working with so many atheists since he is planning on working in a scientific field. I think he is realizing that he has a lot of work to do in fortifying his testimony so he can be strong enough to counter the attacks that may come on his faith.
I love the glimpses in the lives and future of our children. I may complain about all the hours we spend in the car, but it is giving me such precious time with my children to listen to their hopes and dreams and concerns. I love that they fight to sit in the front seat next to me because that person gets a better chance of a conversation with mom since the competition is all in the back of the car. I am a lucky, lucky mom! I also think I need to spend some time before bed just talking to each one of them individually.
Now, a few other things I want to remember from this week…
Lately we have been doing a half hour of reading together each night. Last night I read, “I Love You Forever” and made Sam cry.
Wednesday, William spent about an hour working on his grave site in our backyard and instructed me that that was where he was to be buried.
Today Anna was looking through a bin of clothes the next size up that I pulled out of the shed. She found an old blue and white dress that belonged to Rebecca. She said, “This is super cute!” (I’m not kidding! Hearing the words “Super Cute” coming out of her mouth was super cute!) Then she asked if she could wear it. It was 9 am and we were on outfit number three…not unusual for her- I’m just glad she is wearing clothes now unlike a year ago. I put the dress on and then suggested that we take a picture to show Rebecca. Anna hates having her picture taken as much as she loves clothes. This is what I got…
And one last thing…
I was talking to William today about being better behaved in class as his teacher told me he was a little too chatty. William told me that he couldn’t be better behaved because Satan makes him misbehave. I explained that he was more powerful than Satan. He excitedly stated, “Because I have the power of God inside of me!” I think he is still working out the whole good and evil concept. To add to the confusion he mentioned that the teacher told him that when children misbehave they will have to go to the BISHOP’S OFFICE! I’m pretty sure she said Principal’s office. I’m also pretty sure that for a child who’s dad is in charge at school and at church things can get a little confusing.
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