Beginning of a Testimony

Tonight while laying down with Jacob and Bryson Jr. for our bedtime routine, I sang some of the songs they had performed in the Primary Program yesterday. I finished with the hymn, 'I Stand All Amazed' - and right as I finished, Jacob asked - "Mom, do you cry when you hear that song?"

My mind flashed back to the program yesterday - the children were singing that hymn for the closing song, and I noticed that Jacob had started to wipe his eyes - palm open, trying to wipe "something" out of his eyes. I remember wondering 'was he was crying'? My heart wanted to know if he might be feeling the spirit, or I reasoned that perhaps his cold was bothering his eyes. I didn't follow through & ask him - the program finished and after the prayer, the children came into the congregation and we were wrapped up in telling them how much we had loved the program & then we were whisked into the gym where cookies were laid out, and in the commotion and chocolate overdose I didn't take a moment to recognize the spirit at that time. However tonight - it all zoomed in and I realized - he HAD felt the spirit.

I finally replied, "Sometimes I cry when I hear that song & sometimes I just feel the spirit really strong in my heart. Do you cry when you hear it?"

"I don't cry the tears out, but my eyes fill up when I hear it and sing it," Jacob sweetly said.  

My eyes definitely filled up with tears at that moment. We then had a sweet talk about how the song is a testimony of how much Jesus loves us, and a way we share our knowledge of Jesus as we sing the hymn. We talked through many of the lines of the song and what it means to us - how we know that Jesus loves us. I reminded him that if he were the only boy on the entire earth, our Savior would have come to save him. He would have died just for him. He would have done the same for any of us. And in fact - He did die for each and every single one of us. It was such a simple and sweet moment with both boys - particularly Jacob. That boy has a spirit as large as a giant. I definitely marvel at the love my Savior and my Father in Heaven have for me - that this boy was sent to me to be my son, to have me for his mother. What a blessing. Jacob definitely teaches me, amazes me and enlarges my heart on a very regular basis.

I Stand All Amazed at the love Jesus offers me. 
Confused at the grace that so fully he profers me. 
I tremble to know that for me, He was crucified. 
That for me a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. 
Oh, it is wonderful, that He should care for me, enough to die for me. 
Oh, it is wonderful! Wonderful to me.

Conference Weekend

The first weekend in October is one of my favorite weekends of the year - it usually starts feeling a little more like fall, or at least the colors start to look like fall!  It's also an incredibly spiritual weekend where we hear from our prophets and leaders in the church.  We still are watching Conference on a little laptop - we try to remember to hook speakers up so we can hear better than we might be able to see, and we spend a lot of time snuggling up while listening, kiddos playing Conference Bingo & learning and growing in ways that will bless our lives.

This was Emilia's first time where she is very, very mobile and she was everywhere during both Saturday and Sunday morning sessions - however, she also must have felt something in her little spirit, as she stopped to listen to this speaker & gave him a big smile....
                                     

 ....and then tried to get in closer to watch and listen to him...

 ...and finally gave him a kiss to show her love.  We all love General Conference - Emilia just took it very literally!

Daddy and Emilia had a little cheer practice in between Conference sessions on Saturday and before Emilia's nap.  It was a beautiful, fall day --- hooray!

 {how fitting that her shirt say's Daddy's Little Butterfly'!}

Between the Saturday sessions and when the Afternoon Session was finished, we went outside to work - Dad and the boys took all the wood that had been taken down from around the door frames, and leftover from the new walls that had been put in, and took out the nails (smart thinking...our carpenter Dave already put a nail through his finger!).  There were nails left all over the driveway and we needed to get them cleaned up - Bryson Jr. went way beyond my suggestion of a broom and dustpan, and while he pushed Emilia on her bike around the driveway - he tied a rope around his waist and hung our large magnet from it.  He went up and down the driveway and had dozens and dozens of nails hanging from the magnet by the end of his "sweep!"  I love his creativity and ingenius mind to think of that idea!

On Sunday, the boys worked on their Conference Bingo....we had the alphabet cookies from Trader Joe's to help sweeten (ha ha) the game :)

Between Conference Sessions we decided to go up to walk around Silver Lake up at Brighton.  The day was gorgeous!  The aspen leaves were golden amber and sending out a beautiful glow!  We walked around the lake which is an easy walk for everyone & realized that we live too close to the mountains to not go up there more frequently.  I think a break/mountain retreat between sessions each Conference time is a perfect tradition to start :)

Emilia found the pockets in her jacket after watching Madeleine put her hands in her pockets.  Emilia is at the perfect stage of imitation and that she is still doing so many firsts & exploring what is around her.  It is so wonderfully fun & precious to have her young spirit and life in our family!

 

It was a great weekend and while there was a lot of time sitting and listening/watching the messages (therefore sometimes antsy little children) - we felt the spirit many times in our home from the truly inspired messages.  We feel uplifted and know that by using the messages in our own lives, home & family we'll be blessed.  There are times when I wonder if anyone in the family likes one another - we get frustrated and snippy & short of temper....however, during and after Conference we pull together and make necessary changes to improve our family & I realize there are times where it might be hard to like one another - but there is always the deeper family love that binds us together.  It's great to have a 6-month boost of spiritual messages delivered that we can apply and feel the difference with immediately.  Conference always impresses and works in it's divine ways to help our family improve.  We are the best family that we have - we need work like most families - and that is why we work to build together from the messages that have been given.  What a blessing Conference weekend is!

Of six-packs & being sick

*Jacob is obsessed with having a six-pack right now.  He asks all the time if we can see his six-pack, lifting up his shirt and pointing out where he believes his muscles are developing.  He has been doing sit-ups, and he likes to put the bar up on the door way and do pull-ups when he can.  I'm quite impressed with his desire on this!

When I told Jacob that he could help be our instructor, he said, "Girls can get muscles?!"  Um yes, son - of course girls can get muscles!  Obviously I haven't been the greatest example of this, but it makes me laugh and wonder if I have gone wrong in not talking about the many wonderful ways that boys & girls can have similarities, and all the wonderful ways that we are different as well.  There is always much to work on in the parenting department!

*We have been so sick for the past week - all of us, and even longer for Bryson Jr. and Madeleine.  It turns out that we all - all 6 of our family - have walking pneumonia.  I'm not sure if we got it from someone in the play (there were so many people not feeling throughout the last few weeks), or if was from when I got sick over Memorial Day and never got better....I came down with a wicked round of the flu or what could have been Walking Pneumonia while we were in St. George over the Memorial Day holiday.

We had a very busy schedule - myself, Madeleine and Bryson Jr. -  during the month of June with our rehearsals for OLIVER!  We had rehearsals nightly from about 6pm until midnight & didn't get to bed until 1am almost every night once we got home and ready for bed.  I think our immune systems were just tired and overworked, and while the play was absolutely incredible and I'm so grateful for such an amazing experience to be in for the three of us - I do wish that the schedule could have been different during the last 3 weeks.

I feel so badly for our little Emilia who came down with this sickness as well - when she coughs her whole little body shakes, and she has the hardest time catching her breath.  She has just wanted to be held and cuddled and as a whole - our family has watched so many movies during the past week.  We have not had the energy to do very much - we do try to pack a few boxes and we are still going over the new house often to let in the people working on projects and to do a few things ourselves.  However, I feel badly if I pushed the kiddos so much with some of the projects when we should have been resting more last week...before we were diagnosed.  I thought we were just fighting a very vicious cold virus, so I thought that we could do some of the things around the house and yard...such as we tried to clear most of the huge weeds out of the front yard.  We actually did quite well getting most out - although we were completely wiped out afterwards.  This week, the boys and I went over one day to let in the plumbers and they had been waiting to start whacking away at the wall between the kitchen and the Dining Room/Living Room combo that we are taking down.  We put on our masks and laid down the tarp and the boys and I went to town hitting the drywall to bring it down.  For being really sick - we did a great job in 30 minutes to take most of the drywall along the wall --- we still need to work on the top and the bottom and to do the other side of the wall, but that was a day before we went into the doctor's to get checked...so considering that was the day that Jacob really fell ill, I'm impressed that we did anything without falling over!

late night laughs

We were all late getting to bed tonight, but Bryson Jr. was the latest....finally getting a bath in while Maddie and Jacob went to bed.  When he was out of the tub, I walked him downstairs to put a few things away &  went into Maddie's room.  I let out a little giggle at how she sleeps with the blanket still wrapped around her head - she used to wrap her favorite blanket around her head when she was a baby/toddler.  Bryson came in to see what I was laughing at, and started to laugh as well - which I then hurried to shoo him out.  Next, I went into the boys' room & put some things away and then checked on Jacob.  I took out some chapstick to put on Jacob's sun chapped lips, and in his sleep he pursed his lips while I was trying to put the chapstick on and that made Bryson crack up, which then I started to laugh and he laughed more and I did as well.  As he was trying to suppress his laugh, he walked backwards and stumbled on a tote that is out in their room and fell right in - kerplop landing right in.  Then we both started to really laugh, while I kept trying to tell him and remind myself to keep quiet!

It was fun to have a little buddy for the late, late check-in on the kiddos.  I don't want to make this a nightly occurrance, but it was fun to share a laugh with Bryson - his laughs are seriously the best and so contagious!

money man

This week Jacob found $3.50.  Not bad for just going along his everyday business and finding that extra change!

#1 - He came in on Monday afternoon and was holding $2.  He said he had found it outside in our backyard, and since we share the yard with another family on the other side of the duplex, I told him it was probably the mom's money.  I said we needed to go and ask them about the money - which he was hesitant to do.  They weren't home, so I put the money in my pocket for later on.  That evening we were having FHE and the lesson was on Courage - Madeleine was telling a story about a child who had found something that did not belong to them, and had the courage to be honest and ask to find the owner.  Right at the end of the story, our neighbors pulled up - so Jacob and I went out to talk to them.  He asked if the money belonged to them - and they told him no, and that he could keep it.  He got the biggest smile on his face!  I told him not every story will turn out like this when we use our courage to be honest - but he was definitely happy that this experience turned in his favor!

#2 - Jacob was walking to the car after school one day, and found $1 in the parking lot.  At this point, he was thinking that life was really being quite nice to him this week!

#3 - Tonight, after Jacob's baseball game we were leaving the ball park and Jacob was climbing on the bleachers, when he called to me, "Mom, I just found 50 cents!"  Sure enough - two quarters exactly where he was putting his hand down to get his balance to climb down.

When I told him he was so lucky with all the money he had found this week - he replied, "JUST CALL ME MONEY MAN!" 

He is trying to save money for an Air Soft gun - which is THE thing to have as a neighborhood boy right now.  I'm trying to talk him into forgoing the gun, and just putting his money into our trip to Florida and Disney World at Thanksgiving...but I think that is so far away and the Air Soft gun sounds a lot more appealing right now!

Either way - Jacob has not only been lucky to find money, but he's decided to take seriously the job list that we have hanging up to earn extra money.  He actually has asked a few times what he can do to earn more money.  I could get used to that behavior around here!

no...no....no...no

Emilia is 15 months!  Her words right now consist of 'Mama' which refers to me, as the mom, but she also says it to all family members when she's excited to see them.  Her other words are 'Nana' for banana, and any food.  In church today, she saw the bread being passed for the Sacrament and in a rather loud voice she called out, "Nana!  Nana!"  I have got to remember to take little pieces of bread with us next Sunday!

She is also a big fan of the word NO...but doesn't just like to say one "no" - it is strung together with many no's while shaking her head at the same time!  "No...no...no...no!"  And we hear this all the time throughout the day & I try not to laugh at each one - it's more cute and funny than it is to take her seriously!

funnies

The other night it was my (Summer's) turn to pick the song for our scripture read.  I turned to Emilia and asked her what she wanted to sing....I said, "Emilia do you want to sing 'I Am a Child of God'?  And she shook her head no.

I thought it was a coincidence, so I asked "Emilia, do you want to sing 'I Love to See the Temple'?  And she shook her head no, once again.

We started to giggle a little bit, and then I asked her - "Emilia, do you want to sing 'Give Said the Little Stream'?...and she started shaking her head yes over and over again.

We all started to laugh and laugh, while also starting to sing Emilia's choice of 'Give Said the Little Stream'.  I wish we could keep a camera on her 24/7 - so many little things she does, so many adventures and new things she tries that just keep us all in smiles and laughter.  

She brings joy & laughter into the home in so many ways!

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That same night, before we got to the singing situation - we were trying to get Bryson Jr. to come out of the bathroom so we could start reading scriptures.  He (and other children who shall remain nameless, but I'll give you a clue in that it's all the other children in our family that can read!) love, LOVE to read!  To continue their reading when parents tell them to close their books and get ready for __________ activity, they take their books and go hide in the bathroom.  It's aggravating and yet comical - we love that they are enjoying their books and reading so much, but they need to have a dose of reality and realize that they can't just read anytime they want.

We finally got Bryson to come in for scriptures, and started our scripture reading routine...somewhere in there, Bryson Sr. had to visit the bathroom and came back holding little B's book.  It turns out he hid it under the bathroom mat so that we wouldn't find it...or thought we wouldn't find it!  It then turned into a conversation of other places he has hid his books - in his robe, in Dad's robe ("Ah, no wonder there was a book in my robe pocket one morning!" exclaimed Brsyon Sr.), and each child has tried to hide their books under the bathroom sink in the cabinet, but that hiding place was obvious and they were all getting caught, that they have started to look for other unusual places to hide their books.

It's pretty comical, but again...a little serious in that they forget they have other obligations to do first before they enjoy their recreational reading!  I suppose it's one of the better problems we have to work on in the family!

What Am I?

Yesterday while I was folding clothes in one room, this is the conversation I overhead in the kitchen between Madeleine and Bryson Sr.

"Dad, what am I?"

"What do you mean, what are you?  You're Madeleine."

"No, not that.  I have to fill this out on the paperwork {she was filling out paperwork on what classes she wants to take next school year}, and it asks me to fill in what I am.  So, what am I?  Am I Co-ac-a-sasian?  Or am I Asian?  Or Black?"

I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud right here.

"Well Madeleine, let's go through each one.  What is the first option?"

"Ace-ian"

"That is said Asian"

"Oh, okay am I Asian?"

"Well, where do you think people are from that are Asian?"

"I don't know....oh, are they from Asia?"

"That is correct.  Are you from Asia?  Are you from Japan, or Korea or China or - "

"No, of course not.  Okay, so I'm not Asian.  What about am I Black?"

"Ummmm....well, look at you, are you - "

"Fine, I get it, I'm not black.  What about Native American?  I'm American, but what about this Native part?"

This is where I was laughing like crazy inside - and yet, I felt a little part of me sigh....the part that realizes she is so much like me.  I remember filling out paper work, and wondering the same question - What Am I?
I think I even had some of the same rationale as her for Native American, although I'm pretty sure I knew I wasn't Asian or Black.  Oh Madeleine - such book smarts, but the common sense at times leaves me wondering!

"Well, there is only one option left - it's that Caucasian.  I suppose I'm that, right Dad?"

"Yes, Madeleine - you are Caucasian"

Now I know why in Merrilee Boyack's book on parenting she lists that your children should be able to fill out their own paperwork :)

Thankfully, it was definitely entertaining for the first attempt.  I should have caught it on tape!  

small catch-up

I've been writing more of the day to day snippets on Facebook, but as I've started to write more there, my heart is yearning to write even more and get back to a journaling habit.

The little moments of life and the things the children are saying and doing, continue to be my favorite - and yet I do not remember with the greatest clarity even a few days after they happen.  So, in an effort not to overdo my Facebook posts all about my wonderful and charming children - and to write down the sweet (and often times trying) moments in life...I'm going to attempt coming back to blog :)

Such as two days ago I was out running errands, Emilia had a messy diaper so we went into the restroom to change her - only I discovered that they did not have a changing table.  I laid her on the counter between the two sinks, which was a tight squeeze!  She was not thrilled with this arrangement, and kept trying to get up and would move her arms back - flailing them outwards like a bird in flight.  As she put them back, they actually triggered the sensors under the faucet to turn on the water and the water splashed onto her hands - and she pulled them back in with big round eyes and an "Ohhhhh!" as she was so surprised!

Sometimes the little things in our day to day activities are really the big things that I want to remember.  I love each stage that the children are in for a variety of reasons - they aren't always a perfect stage - we have a lot of bumps along the road of growing up, however they do bring darling comments, things that the children do and a view of who they are!  I need to remember to journal more!