Post-Library Peace

The Process

I'm trying to help a child take ownership of his homework. I'm sitting near him, encouraging him, refocusing him, discussing with him, growing increasingly frustrated, preparing to send him to bed before he finishes.

It's not going well.

Facing a Fear

Peter gave his first talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. He was completely terrified. Peter is my only child with stage fright and apparently he got a dose large enough that it could have been shared among all the children. Bryan and I insisted that Peter write his own talk, though we were available for questions and edits. The process was torturous. He took ten hours to write a three-minute talk. He even asked if there was a backup talk if he didn't finish his in time. Nope, I told him, no backup.

When it came time for him to practice saying the talk on Saturday night, he wouldn't. It took at least five minutes of back and forth for him to even start reading it aloud, and I was the only other person in the room. On Sunday morning before church I found him reading a book. I plucked the book from his hands and told him he should be reading his talk instead.

After the Sacrament was passed in church yesterday, it came time for Peter's talk. I discovered, as I watched him climb the steps to sit on the stand, that I was incredibly nervous, probably more nervous than when I am the speaker. I had been praying that he would be brave and articulate.

He did a wonderful job. He looked up several times while he spoke and didn't stare at his pages as I feared he might. His voice sounded lower than it had before. He had one small snag near the end when his pages got shuffled, but he recovered nicely.

Here's the talk. We were happy that he was able to make it as long as it is since he wanted to stop writing at the one-minute mark.

The Covenants We Make at Baptism and Blessings They Bring

When we are baptized, we make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. We can find these covenants in Doctrine and Covenants, Section twenty, verse thirty-seven: “And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.”  

We covenanted to become members of the Church of Jesus Christ, to be called after his name, to serve God and keep His commandments, to serve each other and bear each other’s burdens, and to be witnesses for Christ and His Church.

The blessings of these baptismal covenants are that if we keep our covenants, then the Lord promises that we can have everlasting life in Heaven, that we can be forgiven of our sins, and we can have the Holy Ghost .

In Robert D. Hales’ talk in the October 2000 General Conference, he says: “ At baptism we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father that we are willing to come into His kingdom and keep His commandments from that time forward, even though we still live in the world. We are reminded from the Book of Mormon that our baptism is a covenant to “stand as witnesses of God [and His kingdom] at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life” (Mosiah 18:9).”  

Just over four years ago, on January 19th, 2014, I was baptized. When I was eight, I didn’t know how special it was to be baptized. Sure, I knew it was special, but I didn’t fully know why. I now have a better understanding that baptism lets us make covenants that allow us to return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.

If we keep our covenants, Heavenly Father promises that we’ll have the Holy Ghost with us to comfort and direct us. There have been times where other people around me have been goofing off and I’ve really wanted to join them, but then I’ve had a prompting that I should walk away and do something calm. I’ve followed the promptings and left the room and a few minutes later the friends that were goofing off would get in trouble. If I hadn’t listened to the Holy Ghost, I would have gotten in trouble too. This is one small blessing of keeping my baptismal covenants.

I bear my testimony that I know that if we keep our baptismal covenants, we can have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to comfort us and guide us and  we can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Aggressively Affectionate

We loved having my Grandma Bonnie visit us during November 2016. While she was here, Sophie would happily climb up and down from her lap. grab her hands and arms a little too roughly, and generally treat Grandma like she was the best jungle gym ever. It got to the point that Grandma would announce, "Here comes Tough Love" when Sophie would enter the room.

We're excitedly preparing for another visit from my Grandma. We talked about it while in the car this week. This was Sophie's response.

Sophie: I LOVE Grandma Bonnie! And this time, no...hmm...no love puff! Wait, what was it?

Me: Do you mean tough love?

Sophie: Yes! No tough love. (after a moment) What is tough love?

We talked about the need to be gentle with Grandma, and Sophie is now a mature four-year-old rather than a two-year-old, but I don't think we'll know how much of the lesson sunk in until the visit actually begins.

Don't Shy Away From the Tough Stuff

A few weeks ago a friend shared a news story on her Facebook page about the Tide Pod challenge. I showed it to Peter and he was shocked that anyone would do anything as stupid as eat poison intentionally. We talked about teenagers and their proven lack of good judgement and Peter expressed his own worry about becoming a teenager. I told him to remember that feeling and keep trusting his parents while he's in those crazy teenage years.

A week later he came home from a Young Men activity and reported that two of the boys had been boasting that they tried the challenge. He was genuinely concerned for them. I know these boys and I know their moms and I suspect that they were all talk and no action. Nevertheless, we talked about the experience with Peter. We told him that sometimes kids will say they've done something to seem cool, whether it's wise or not, whether they've done it or not. He concurred with us that nothing about this internet fad is truly cool.

Then a letter came home from the Principal at the boys' school warning parents about this same challenge. We talked with all the kids about it and everyone agreed that it was a dumb thing for anyone to do. Sophie even talked through what she would do if someone offered her soap to eat.

We've had these same talks about alcohol and pornography and drugs, both prescription and otherwise.

I hope that as my kids get older, we can continue having open discussions with them about scary and important things. Not that we want to worry our kids unnecessarily, but we also don't want to send them out into the world unprepared. We want them to be ready if they come face to face with these situations.

Bipedal

Good news: I can walk again! After spending most of Thursday and Friday off my injured foot, it felt much better. I was concerned about my big driving/walking adventure on Saturday, but my heel didn't seem any worse for wear. It was feeling good enough that I attempted a slow walk on the treadmill last night. It took me thirty minutes to do a mile, but I didn't re-injure myself, so it was worth the slow pace.

Hooray for being mobile again!

Organic Cosmetics

"Does this look like lipstick?" Sophie, asking if the grape jam she had just smeared onto her lips could pass for makeup.

Saturday at the Temple

Saturday was an important day for two members of our family. Our ward had a planned Temple trip for that day to the Philadelphia Temple for the Young Men and Young Women. This was Peter's first opportunity to attend and do baptisms for the dead. He was nervous and excited beforehand. He drove down with a friend, had lots of help in understanding where he needed to go and what he needed to do, and had a wonderful experience.

While Peter was on his way to the Philadelphia Temple, I was driving down to Washington D.C. I made the drive to attend my almost-sister-in-law's bridal shower in the late morning, then I had the lovely experience of being with her when she went to the Temple for the first time. It was a blessing being in the Washington D.C. Temple with Leah, my brother Jordan, Leah's mom, and two of Leah's friends.

Yesterday, after sleeping on my brother's couch in Maryland and making the drive back to attend morning church, Peter and I talked about the Temple. We discussed the feeling of peace, calm, and love that fills the Temple. And I was able to connect that feeling back to what we want for our home. Peter understood in a way that he hadn't before. He's been to several Temple Open Houses, but once the Temple is dedicated, it feels different. He now has first hand knowledge of that feeling.

I love that he and I both were able to attend the Temple on Saturday. We're both eager to go back soon.

Future Cousins

My brother Jordan will be getting married in a few weeks. Sophie and I were discussing his upcoming nuptials over lunch today and the following information was shared.

Sophie: I'm going to name their children you know.

Me: You're going to name Jordan and Leah's future children?

Sophie: Yes, I am.

Me: What will you name them?

Sophie: Rose and Joy. No. The boys will be Hav and Dav. And the girls will be Rose. And Cute Baby Soph. (cue sneaky grin) No, Flower. How about Charlotte?

So there you go Jordan and Leah, Sophie is offering her services to help you with future major life choices.

Sit Down, Put Your Feet Up

I've worked to stay active and exercise during this pregnancy. I haven't been able to do as much as usual, but I still like to walk a mile or two at least four days per week.

Last week I decided to push myself a little and increase my speed. This worked well the first day. I felt more energized afterward and liked finishing in a shorter amount of time. The second day, however, didn't go as well. I noticed that my left foot was getting really sore while I walked. I finally slowed down my pace (which didn't ever get very fast) and the discomfort passed.

Later that day that same discomfort came back, but this time as pain in my heel. I had trouble putting weight on my left foot and limped around the rest of the night. The pain would increase and decrease based on activity, but, as long as I put pressure on my heel, it hurt. It's continued to hurt all week.

Last night after scouts and several hours on my feet doing my normal mom stuff, I decided I needed to do something about my foot. After a Google search (yes, I took a medical concern to Google) I suspected that I had badly bruised the pad of my heel, or possibly the bone. This can be a precursor to a stress fracture, so I made the choice to stay off my foot as much as possible today.

I told the kids that I would need to spend most of the day sitting with my foot up. They rolled with it pretty well and were helpful when I asked them to fetch me things. And good news, the few times I've walked today, I haven't been in as much pain.

When I was pregnant with Peter I had to spend the last three weeks on bed-rest. I had no children to chase or taxi, so it was a pretty relaxing deal. This self-imposed bed rest of sorts is not quite as restful, but hopefully it'll do the job.

A Proper Snow Day

It snowed overnight and we got the call around 5:30 this morning telling us there would be no school. I decided to brave the cold and told the kids I would take them outside to play. They were thrilled. We got between 4 and 6 inches, so there was lots of cold white stuff to tromp through.

Snow angels are popular round these parts.

Cooper found the cleanest patch of snow, filled up his container, and ate it like ice cream, which does not appeal to me. Then he went for a not so clean patch and I had to point out that that was the snow the plow had pushed onto the sidewalk from the street.

See the boots Peter is wearing? They're Bryan's. And they're only a half size too big for Peter.

The kids kept asking if I was going to make a snow angel. I don't own snow pants, and even if I did I don't think they'd fit right now, so I declined. In fact, instead of my normal base layer, I wore Bryan's because there was more room to accommodate my growing girth.

The snow was quite dry, so the few snowballs that were attempted didn't work out very well.

However it was perfect for sledding. Cooper discovered that he didn't even need an actual sled. I caught him mid-run on his way down the hill, right on his knees. He was the last kid out and only came in because I didn't want to leave him out on his own.

We followed our outside play with baths and hot chocolate, which is just how a snow day should go.

They Don't Wind Down

My hat goes off to those parents that are good at bedtime. I look up to the parents that can maintain patience and calm until after their kids are asleep. I suspect these parents may be fictional, but perhaps some of them do exist.

Bedtime is not my strength.

Happiness

Phoebe is the first person in our family to speak in church in 2018. She gave her talk yesterday morning in Primary. She did well, though I did mouth the words "slow down" the few times she looked at me. She was uncharacteristically nervous, I'm not sure why.

For your reading pleasure, here's the talk she gave:

The Great Plan of Happiness

Last week Claire and Deanne gave talks about the Plan of Salvation. The Plan of Salvation is when Heavenly Father gathered us all together in Heaven before anyone was born and said he had a plan. He said he would send us to earth to have bodies, live in families, and learn things. Jesus would come and take our sins upon Him so that we could repent and return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again.

Did you know that the Plan of Salvation is also called the Plan of Happiness? But why?

When we are obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, we are happy. We will have the Holy Ghost with us and He gives us peace and comfort. When we choose the right, we are often kept out of dangerous situations, and that makes us happier. Because of the plan, we can live with our families forever. And that makes me happy.

The Primary Song I Will Follow God’s Plan says:

My life is a gift; my life has a plan.

My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began.

My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth

And seek for God’s light to direct me from birth.

I will follow God’s plan for me,

Holding fast to his word and his love.

I will work, and I will pray;

I will always walk in his way.

Then I will be happy on earth

And in my home above.

I know that we will be happier by following this plan. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Song of the Righteous

Peter has taken to keeping a Hymnal next to his bed and reading through the songs before he goes to sleep. When I come to tuck the boys in and sing to them, he asks me to sing a hymn. I suspect this is because he no longer goes to Primary, but to Priesthood as his third-hour church meeting. And in Priesthood they sing hymns.

I love that he's trying to commit the hymns to memory. They are a great source of comfort to me and a boon to my testimony, and I believe they can be the same for him.

Perfect Timing

Phoebe came running into our room at five this morning, crying. We roused enough to ask what was wrong and then to quickly direct her to the bathroom when she said she was going to throw up. Sure enough, within seconds she followed through. Bryan and I both got up to offer help. I was helping Phoebe get into the shower when Bryan stuck his head in the bathroom door to say that Phoebe wouldn't have school today.

Phoebe: Because I threw up?

Bryan: No, because a water main broke at your school and it's closed today, we just got the call.

Pennsylvania has a rather intense absence policy, so we were glad to have today as a freebie. Sophie was thrilled to have her best friend home all day and Phoebe is feeling much better tonight than she was this morning.

While it's sad that she was sick, her timing was impeccable.

The Great Pretender

One of these kids is having a sick day at home. The other one is pretending to be sick. Can you guess which is which?

The Big 0-4

A certain golden-haired girl at our house turned four last month! The night before we prepared with our standard streamer decor.

I baked and decorated her cake. When I asked her what she wanted she said, "Pink, all pink." She later specified that she wanted a pink, candy-covered, marshmallow adorned, heart shaped cake. Bryan figured out the marshmallow placement, I took care of the rest. She was quite pleased.

She loved the birthday outfit she picked out.

She also loved getting cards from her brothers and sister.

She had a common, expressive reaction to the gifts she opened.

Amazon packed their gifts tightly this year, so big brother came to the rescue.

Cake!

The next day she put together her very first Lego set. She's built with the boys' Legos for years, but this is the first time she's owned her own. She did a great job following the instructions. Phoebe was eager to help and wanted to take over the project. I sat with them to ensure that didn't happen and the only help I would offer was, "Can you find the brick that looks like this?" and "Try again" when something was attached incorrectly.

Sophie is still full of personality and energy. She always has an opinion and mothers everyone around her. She loves bedtime not at all and enjoys being my shadow. She insists on practicing her piano even though she hasn't started lessons and is certain she can speak several languages, including Spanish and Portuguese. She is an almost constant source of entertainment for us and everyone else she meets.

And now, what you've all been waiting for, Sophie's latest birthday list of favorites!

FAVORITE FOOD: Macaroni and Cheese

FAVORITE ANIMALS: Red panda and giant panda

FAVORITE CANDIES: Candy canes and candy corn and chocolate

FAVORITE BOOKS: Christmas books like The Grinch, Pinocchio, and Silent Night

FAVORITE COLORS: Pink and purple and yellow

FAVORITE SHOWS: Little Einsteins and The Cat in the Hat

FAVORITE MOVIES: Beauty and the Beast and the other Beauty and the Beast
FAVORITE SONG: Silent Night
FAVORITE BOARD GAME: Clue (which she kept calling Mystery, so that took some figuring out)

FAVORITE CARD GAME: Uno
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: The Princesses
FAVORITE THING TO DO: Play with my family
FAVORITE MEMORY FROM BEING 3: Thanksgiving! (What about Thanksgiving?) The pie and the parade.
FAVORITE PLACE: The theater
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Watching movies (Hmm...)

FRIENDS: Lily, Logan, Peter, Cooper, Daddy, me, Mommy, Phoebe, Sophia, Hank, Nathan, and Sam

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP: A hair cutter, a doctor, a teacher, and a mom

The Primary Comedian

During Primary yesterday the Presidency introduced the 2018 theme: I am a child of God. The counselor in charge of this portion asked the kids to close their eyes and think of the person that loved them most in the entire world. Without being asked, Sophie yelled out, "Jesus!"

Clearly amused but trying to stay on track, the counselor then asked the kids to think of the person they loved best in the entire world. Again, our girl called out, "Jesus!"

At this point the rest of the room was in giggles. The counselor called Sophie up to the front and explained how wonderful it was that at such a young age Sophie had already learned this important truth. Then she asked Sophie how old she was.

Sophie's answer? "Seven."

Now our giggles became laughs and I held up four fingers from my seat in the back of the room to correct the count on Sophie's age.

Finally, after returning Sophie to her own seat, the counselor taught the kids that Heavenly Father and Jesus are always aware of us and that they know us by name.

Counselor: They know when you're sad or happy. They even know if you made your bed this morning.

Sophie: (as an aside to the whole room) Well, I did not.

There's never a dull moment when Sophie is near.

Song of the Snow Day

As a way to pass the time on our second snow day in a row, Phoebe composed a short song on the piano today. After playing it several times she announced that she wanted to write it down. We located some blank sheet music paper and then slowly talked through what she was playing on the piano. She automatically played the timing this way, then kept insisting that the right hand was playing whole notes. It took some time to convince her otherwise. We discussed time signatures and measures and lots of other music related items.

When I asked her if I could post this on the blog she said, "Yes! I felt like being creative and I sat down at the piano and started playing!"

This is the final result. She did all the writing, and erasing, and rewriting.

An Automatic Best Friend

On Monday evening Sophie asked me if Phoebe was going to go to school the next day.

Me: Yes

Sophie: (in a dejected manner) Aw!

Me: Why? Did you want her to stay home?

Sophie: Yeah, I wanted to play with her cause we're BFFs!

Book It

At the beginning of 2017 I was in three book clubs and then was invited to join a fourth. I was excited at the prospect of all that reading and I realized that maybe I could crank out a book each week. I decided, somewhat belatedly, to aim to read fifty-two books by the end of the year. I decided that ebooks, audiobooks, and actual made-with-paper books would all count toward my reading goal.

I started this list to keep track of the books I'd read. Three of them are close to one thousand pages long each, so I wasn't sure I'd make my goal. Then I never ended up joining the fourth book club and at the end of September, the third book club fizzled. Still, I kept reading/listening.

If you've scrolled down to the bottom of this post, you'll have seen that I surpassed my goal and read seventy-six books. Some of those were fairly short, but like I said, I read a few very long books as well, so hopefully that adds some balance. The majority of books were of the audio variety. The titles with stars next to them were not audiobooks, only fifteen out of the total. I listened while I cleaned, sewed, snuggled kids late at night, exercised. I usually listen to audiobooks at nearly double their regular speed, though that varies based on the narrator.

The book titles that are underlined were profound, they stuck with me and I continued to think about them long after I had finished; they are the best of the books I read this year. I enjoyed nearly all the rest. Admittedly there were a few I had to push through, but I finished almost all the books I started this year. There were a handful that I returned unread to the library because of adult content and two that I started and didn't finish in time to put on this list.

I think I'd like to repeat this goal for 2018 and read/listen to another fifty-two books.

Did you read any good books this year? I'd love some recommendations.

1. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wreade
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
3. When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi
4. The Scarlett Pimpernel by Emma Orczy
5. The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan*
6. Daughters in My Kingdom
7. The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti*
8. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
10. In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett
11. John Adams by David McCullough
12. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
13. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
14. Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
15. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
16. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
17. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
18. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
19. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
20. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
21. Divergent by Veronica Roth
22. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
23. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
24. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
25. Parnassus On Wheels by Christopher Morley
26. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
27. Night by Elie Wiesel
28. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
29. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
30. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
31. The Death Cure by James Dashner
32. Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett
33. Road Trip by Gary Paulsen*
34. Poldark by Winston Graham
35. A Blue Spool of Thread by Anne Tyler*
36. Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer
37. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
38. Matched by Ally Condie
39. Crossed by Ally Condie
40. Reached by Ally Condie*
41. The Magnolia Story by Joanna and Chip Gaines
42. The Book of Mormon
43. Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James
44. The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman*
45. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
46. Field Trip by Gary Paulsen*
47. Atlantia by Ally Condie*
48. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
49. The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan*
50. Woof by Spencer Quinn
51. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
52. 39 Clues Book One: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
53. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
54. 39 Clues Book Two: One False Note by Gordon Korman
55. 39 Clues Book Three: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
56. Belgravia by Julian Fellowes
57. The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip Stead, and Erin Stead
58. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
59. The Washington Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard
60. Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew
61. No Ordinary Women by Elaine S. Dalton
62. 39 Clues Book Four: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson*
63. Amazed by Grace by Sheri Dew
64. No Doubt About It by Sheri Dew
65. 39 Clues Book Five: The Black Circle by Patrick Carman*
66. Shepherds, Why This Jubilee? by Jeffery R. Holland
67. Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas by Emily Belle Freeman
68. 39 Clues Book Six: In Too Deep by Jude Watson*
69. Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew (I listened to this twice.)
70. Lieutenant Terry's Christmas Fudge by Gerald N. Lund
71. Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
72. Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
73. 39 Clues Book Seven: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis*
74. 39 Clues Book Eight: The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman*
75. 39 Clues Book Nine: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park*
76. The Christmas Jars Reunion by Jason F. Wright

More Chances to Serve

See this kid? Well, he's not really a kid anymore. Peter turned twelve at the end of the year, which means he's now a young man. And this young man took a big and important step on Sunday. In our church, at the age of twelve, young men can be given the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained to the office of a Deacon.

That's precisely what happened to Peter two days ago. Bryan performed the ordination and it was a very sweet, very spiritual experience. Peter now has the responsibility and opportunity, along with the other Deacons, to pass the Sacrament to the members of our congregation each week.

We are so pleased with Peter and his choices that have led him to receive the Priesthood.

2018

Surprise! Happy New Year from all seven of us! Baby boy will join us sometime around early May.

Can you tell that Sophie's excited?