My Kids Are...Special

Let me tell you why they are so special. Apart from being especially active, cranky, and opinionated, they are also especially gifted. Just ask Mikayla. She will tell you all the ways she is more special than the average child. You know what, I believe her. She is more special. But that brings us to our next point. What is our definition of special. Let me tell you...or rather show you through Mikayla's eyes.

Example 1
Yesterday night, Mikayla burned her pinky finger on a hot pan at dinner. After making a huge deal out of it and demanding a band aid she calmed down. About an hour later, she was playing in her room with Andrew. She called for me to come and get her old band aid. I am used to this so I got up and went to grab the band aid she wore for less than an hour. As I was walking away I saw her studying her hands very intently. Then she said to herself,
"Wow, my hand must have super powers or something. My owee is all gone."
You may think she was kidding, but she is totally serious. She is convinced that she has powers.

Example 2
This leads us to example two. A couple of weeks ago while riding in the car, Mikayla was explaining to me that she has special eyes. I asked her what that meant. She went on to explain to me that she has "super eyes." No joke, that's what she calls them. I asked her what her "super eyes" could do and the conversation went down something like this:

Mikayla: My super eyes are really special, even more special that all the super hero eyes.
Mommy: Really, how so.
Mikayla: I can find things that are really far away; things that no one else can see.
Mommy: Really, like what?
Mikayla: Anything you want. But it is tough having such special eyes sometimes.
Mommy: Why?
Mikayla: Everyone always wants me to find things and it just makes my head hurt. I can't use them all the time.
Mommy: Really...so you can find anything I want you to find?
Mikayla: Yep!
Mommy: Okay, we're on the way to pre-school Mikayla, so where is your pre-school?
Mikayla: Wait a second...I have to put my super eyes on.
Mommy: Wow, that's pretty intense Mikayla. Are they on yet?
Mikayla: Yep. I'm looking really, really hard. ( When I looked back there her eyes were bulging out of her head)
Mommy: Have you found it yet? (It was right around the corner)
Mikayla: Almost...there it is! I see it! I see it! I found it with my super eyes. You probably can't see it yet though, Mommy, because you aren't special like me.
Mommy: Thanks Mikayla. I feel awesome now.

She has also used her super eyes to locate Andrew's sippy cup as well as grocery carts on several occasions. We are so blessed to have her super eyes.

Example 3
Mikayla is also capable of making doors open with her super powers. When we are waiting for an elevator all she has to say is "Abra Cadabra" and the door will open. Sometimes her magical powers are a little rusty though and it could take up to four intense shakes of her wrist to get the door open.


Now don't you think that Mikayla is my only special child. Andrew is very special, but in a different way.

Example 1
I am convinced that Andrew might actually be the one with real magical powers. He is capable of escaping from even the most tight seat belt. At the tender age of nine months he mastered escaping from our monster high chair. We moved him into a big saucer thing for meals where his feet couldn't even touch the ground. We thought without the leverage he would never be able to get out. Wrong again. He would bend over with his head down as far as possible until gravity started to take effect and knock the saucer over. He nearly died like three times from his little dive bombs. We decided that extreme measures had to be taken to ensure his safety and nutrition. We decided that the only way to keep him seated long enough to eat was to duck tape his legs to his high chair. You think I'm kidding...but I'm not. He was wearing pants of course, but we literally had to duck tape him three times a day to his high chair. We have had several people over for dinner who have witnessed this. Nonetheless, his little monster legs were able to eventually tear right through that duck tape with sheer muscle power.

My parents felt for us, or rather Andrew and his duck taping...and decided to buy us a high chair that had the most intricate belt system there is. It had shoulder straps and everything. It has worked for a while, but alas, in the last week, the little stinker has figured out how to escape even out of these jaws of death. Exceptionally skilled future green beret, or America's first real live Harry Potter. You decide.

Example 2
Andrew also has a few other issues. He is kind of obsessed with his eyes. He likes to take objects and stick them very close to his face to examine their every little detail. This wouldn't be a problem if he would stick to regular objects like baby toys. However, he especially likes to do this with food. I can recall one instance where he decided to take a potato chip, split into two jagged halves, and then slowly come in straight for his eye balls. I told him to stop it, but he got very irate about it. He managed to jab his eye a few times, but this did not interrupt him. I hope he learned something, other than never to do it again.

Example 3
This is perhaps the thing that makes Andrew the most special little boy on the planet. Indeed, it may lead to future rides on the short bus when he is old enough for school. Since he was able to crawl, Andrew has believed that his head is a personal weapon of mass destruction. He may be right. When he is mad, be prepared for a good head butting from the little tike. You will walk away with a goose egg and a migraine (or even a bloody nose), and he will walk away unscathed and laughing.

However, he has discovered other uses for his monster noggin. He has found it particularly useful on carpet. For the past year I have witnessed him crawl with his butt in the air and forehead/top of head down. Apparently he likes the feel of the carpet on his face while going five miles and hour toward a wall. Bumping into walls does not deter him though. After all, his head is a weapon of mass destruction. To be honest, I am more worried about my walls then him. Thank goodness he is walking and I now only have to witness that beautiful sight once a week instead of three times a day.

Finally, you know the expression people use when they are frustrated where they say they would like to bang their head against a wall. Well, Andrew is not a thinking sort of boy; he is a doer. When he gets mad, he will bang his head against things. Sometimes it's against the carpet, sometimes against his crib or high chair, and my personal favorite, against a hard slate or tile floor. I have tried to teach him some more therapeutic and less dangerous anger management tools, but alas, he is a work in progress. Right now my goal is to just prevent permanent brain damage. Baby steps...


I believe that all parents believe their children are "special." Maybe some of them are misguided, but I am certain that all of you will agree with me...my children are definitely special. I am just not so sure if it is a good thing. :)

Why I Sort of Love my Stretch Marks

I have officially decided that swimsuit season is an evil time. I have never hated the way my body looked, but I have never really loved it either. I guess you could say I had accepted it for it was. Well, that all changed this weekend.

I used some of my birthday money to go shopping for a swimsuit. I found a pretty cute one at Target and quickly ran off to the dressing room to try it on. That was a mistake! The lighting in that dressing room was evil! There was a three way mirror in there that showed me every single mommy mark on my body. Why would they do that!! Don't they want people to buy their clothes?

I will be honest. I have spent most of the weekend analyzing my imperfections to no end. Poor Jon has had to listen to me talk and talk about how my body isn't what it used to be. I was being very selfish. Then, yesterday as I was sitting in fast and testimony meeting, a whole bunch of people from the ward went up and bore their testimony about parenthood and how lucky we are for the children in our lives. As I sat there listening, I began to think of all the things my children have taught me. I began to think of all the wonderful times we have shared and how I love being a mother so much. Then I realized how blessed I was to have been able to have my kids. Yes, it took a toll on my body. Yes, it gave me a few stretch marks and loosened my skin a little, but when it comes down to it, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, and probably will sometime in the future. My kids are worth every single one of my mommy marks. As I got dressed today, I decided to take another look in the mirror taking all of this into account. And you know what, I felt prettier than I ever have before.