Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

The Best Sunday of the Year

This past Sunday was our annual Primary Program. This was Peter's first time that he could remember being in the congregation. He kept leaning over and asking if they're usually so funny. Yes, I told him, they are.

Cooper went the extra mile by brushing his teeth and combing his hair. He smiled while he sang and did an excellent job delivering his two spoken parts. While I watched him sing I had the thought that he will make a wonderful missionary. I told him that after the program and he grinned with happiness.

Cooper wrote his part, then I shuffled and padded it a bit. I guess I forgot to tell him because before the program he commented that someone had taken his part and changed it into a talk. I asked him to tell me what was different about it. As he began I recognized what I'd added. I told him that I'd changed it and asked if he liked it. "Yeah, it's really good!" Here are the parts he delivered:

Part 1

On May 15, 1829 Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery prayed in a quiet spot of woods in Harmony, Pennsylvania. They wanted to know about the authority to baptize. Their prayer was answered when John the Baptist, a resurrected being, came and restored the Aaronic Priesthood to the earth. This is the same Priesthood that Aaron, Moses’ brother, held, the same Priesthood that John the Baptist had during his lifetime.

Part 2

To prepare to be a good father I can be kind to my siblings and be a good brother. I can also serve my family and help in times of need.

Phoebe really does shine. Her smile was radiant while she sang. She was pleased to be included with the older Primary girls by singing the descant to I Am a Child of God. And she did a great job on her two speaking parts as well. She had invited her second grade teacher to come to the program. Imagine Phoebe's delight when she saw her teacher in the congregation. Another little boy from our ward is in her class at school and they had both invited the teacher. She had many kind and complimentary things to say afterward.

Phoebe wrote her lines, with some editing from me. Here they are:

Part 1

After Jesus was crucified, a woman named Mary Magdalene, who Jesus had healed before his death, came to the tomb where Jesus’ body was. She saw that the stone had been moved. She was surprised. She went to tell Peter and John that the Savior’s body was gone and that she didn’t know where it was. Peter and John went to the tomb. They found the clothes Jesus had been buried in, but they did not find the Savior’s body. They didn’t know what to do so they just went home. Mary started to cry. Then she saw a man in white. She thought he was the gardener. He asked why she was crying. She said she didn’t know where the Savior’s body was. He said, “Mary.” And then she knew it was Jesus.

Part 2

When I got baptized I was excited. I remember that the water was unusually warm and I felt happier than I had ever felt before. I really want to remember that feeling.

And then there was Sophie. Oh Sophie. I'm not sure who decided her class should sit right behind the short wall of the stand on either side of the podium. Four of the kids sat on house left, Sophie and a little boy that hid most of the time sat on house right. That means that Sophie was directly in front of us and she enjoyed being so close to her captive audience. She smiled and sang as well as her siblings, at least until she got distracted by something, let the smile drop for a few seconds, then with wide eyes noticed the room full of people in front of her. This happened a few times. She also went cross-eyed for us several times and leaned so far over the edge of the wall I was certain she was going to land on her head. She also danced a bit.

Her class had been given the assignment to complete the sentence, "My name is _______, I like to ________, and I am a child of God. The first four kids spoke sweetly and quietly into the microphone that their teacher was passing in front of them. They liked things like playing with family members and helping others. When it was Sophie's turn she marched to the other side of the podium to join the rest of her class and said in a loud, clear voice, "My name is Sophie, I like to sing and dance, and I am a child of God!" It was awesome.

It really is the best Sunday of the year.

Mobility

Topher is mobile! He figured out how to roll around the room and now we need to up our cleaning game. Also, none of us know how he got under his play-mat like this, but it's connected to the rolling skill.

You Get What You Need

Yesterday was not a great day. Everyone was tired and grumpy/sassy/mean/argumentative. Bryan had to work late so I was faced with four very loud children who all needed me to pay attention to them at the same time. On top of that, there was a meanness that just wouldn't go away. I begged that we stop the bossing and the critical words, but I was met with deaf ears. It got so bad I didn't something I'd never done before: I told the kids I was done for the night.

At 5:50 I took Topher upstairs, locked my door, and got him into his pajamas. I sat and tried to do his bedtime routine. I was determined not to go back downstairs until either Bryan was home or the kids had found their way to bed. While Topher ate, I thought about what I would read or listen to or watch to keep my very tired self awake. That's when I remembered that I needed to go over my Sunday School lesson for this coming Sunday. I opened the material on my phone and started to read.

One of the talks I was supposed to study wouldn't download from the link in the lesson manual. I tried four or five times and the connection kept failing. I finally decided to go find it a different way. I opened what I thought was the correct set of General Conference talks and started looking for the speaker.

That's when my eyes fell on a talk title that sounded familiar. It wasn't the one I'd been looking for, but I got the distinct impression that it was the one I needed. I listened to the first few minutes of Jeffrey R. Holland's The Tongue of Angels from the April 2007 General Conference, then paused it and decided that I needed to share it with the kids. At that moment Peter knocked on my door. I answered it and he asked if he could give me a hug. I said yes. He told me that while I'd been upstairs the kids had cleaned the previously messy first floor. Topher and I followed him down the stairs and I thanked everyone for cleaning. Cooper had even served the leftovers I'd been preparing when I'd retreated to my room.

Then we all watched the talk together. I paused it halfway through and we talked about what we'd heard, then we finished it. We discussed more about how the teachings applied to us and what we could do to be better. We said family prayers and headed off to do the bedtime routine.

I don't want to have another day like yesterday (though I'm certain we will), but I am thankful that it ended well. And I'm thankful that I was still able to hear the Spirit whisper that we needed to listen to that particular talk. I'm going to count it as a tender mercy.

The Ninja

Cooper could not decide on a Halloween costume this year. When I asked what he wanted to be he said things like, "A blade of grass" and just two days before he needed a costume, "A fidget spinner!" He also wanted to be an inflatable car. I couldn't make any of those happen. I knew time was counting down to when he would need a costume, so on Monday Sophie, Topher, and I hit the picked over shelves of Walmart. After much searching, we came home with three possible costumes: the Flash, a vampire, and a ninja. I told him to pick one and I would take the others back.

He picked the ninja.

We went to Cooper's costume parade yesterday at his school. After waiting in the cold wind for twenty minutes, Cooper's class walked by our spot. I called out to him to come closer so I could take his picture, but apparently he took his role as a ninja very seriously. Can you find him in these?

He's a black and blue ninja. And part of him is visible in every picture. The last two are the best I was able to get.

 

He's a sneaky ninja.

"Quick, I'll Distract Him With a Book So I Can Snuggle Him!"

Dissection of the Specimen

I taught our preschool co-op last week. We studied the letter p, the number 6, and pumpkins. This included cutting into a pumpkin and pulling out the gooey goodness inside. Everybody stuck their hand in at least once, but two of them were more willing than the others to get messy. Sophie, as a happy participant, still washed her hands several times. I'm not sure why I decided this was an activity we needed to do since I don't like carving pumpkins with my own kids. Maybe because there was only one pumpkin to deal with? Maybe because we weren't carving it into a jack-o-lantern? Maybe because it was in the name of science? Whatever possessed me, it went well and was a successful diversion.

On Fasting

At General Conference a few weeks ago, President Nelson challenged all the women (since the talk was delivered during the women's session) to fast from social media for ten days. I started that night and deleted Facebook from my phone. I don't have other social media accounts (with the exception of Pinterest, which I don't use as social media), so Facebook was the only one I had to worry about. My fast ended up lasting eleven days instead of ten and I finally logged back on late Wednesday night.

I fast from social media about once a month on a regular basis, but only for a day at a time. I know that there's a feeling of peace that comes with it. And I felt that this time as well. I'm more focused, more present, a better listener, and more patient when I'm not thinking about what I read on Facebook. That held true for this extended fast.

Another thing that I realized: I'm pretty isolated as a stay-at-home-mom. Add to that the facts that I'm an extrovert and that my husband was out of town for half the fast. I was lonely. I didn't have time (when my hands were free) to write emails or the quiet needed to call people, so I was even more aware of it.

I was pleased to discover that I use my time pretty well on a regular basis. I thought I'd discover more time since I wasn't staring at Facebook, but I didn't. It turns out I only look at Facebook when I'm feeding Topher or holding him while he's asleep or while doing other waiting types of activities. I had setup social media rules for myself long ago that I still follow. The rules include staying off my phone or computer while my kids are awake and making sure my scripture study is done before scrolling through updates.

At the end of the fast I wasn't sure that I wanted to log back on to Facebook. In reality, I needed to check it because all three of our schools use it to communicate with parents, but I was concerned that I'd get sucked in. Because of the fast I think it's easier to check what I need to check and put the phone down again without feeling the need to read every update.

I'll continue to fast Facebook on the first Sunday of each month. It's a good mental reset.

Candid

Cooper swiped my camera yesterday for about five minutes. I discovered lots of blurry images of my less-than-tidy house, a few crisp clear ones showing the same disorder, and some cool outdoor shots. My favorite, though, is this one. I'm sure you can tell why.

Delighted

As I walked Sophie to a friend's house today, we looked for pictures in the clouds. Sophie saw a dragon and I saw an island.

Sophie: Is it by my dragon?

Me: (looking at the clouds, trying to decide which one could be the dragon) You know, it might be your dragon.

Sophie: I'm going to name her Maunschun Sophie. (pause) What does Maunschun mean?

Me: I think you just made it up, so I don't think it means anything.

Sophie: It means beautiful and delighted and funny. And fun. I'm definitely all of those things. I'm always delighted.

Smile for the Camera

Sophie, Topher, and I went with some friends to a local pumpkin patch yesterday. The kids played in what can best be described as a sandbox, but instead of sand there were dried kernels of corn. We also wandered a kid-sized corn maze. The highlight, other than visiting with friends, was that one of the other moms had her fancy camera to practice her photography skills. She took these and shared them with the rest of us. I watched Sophie pose for the camera, so I am extra impressed that my friend was able to get so many natural looking pictures of our girl.

Me and Them

Bryan was in Utah from early Thursday morning until late last night. That was my first time on my own with five kids.

I'm glad he's home.

And I really need a nap.

The Perfect Name

A few weeks ago a large spider decided to make her home right outside our sliding glass door. As we watched her weave her web, Sophie was fascinated by our eight-legged visitor.

Sophie: Can I name it?
Me: Sure.
Sophie: I will call her...Night. No...Black. No...Widow. No...Black Widow. No. Michelle.

And throughout the day she would ask how "Shelley" was doing on her web.

Sup?

Tired and Grumpy

Sophie had a particularly difficult day on Tuesday. There were several meltdowns and fits and proclamations that I wasn't her mom anymore. My great offences included asking her to get dressed so we could walk the kids to the bus, requesting that she brush her hair before preschool, and announcing that it was quiet time when we finished lunch. It wasn't too surprising that this was the sight that met me when I opened my door at the end of quiet time.

She was a very tired girl.

Make 'Em Laugh

One of the Women

Not only was this weekend General Conference, it was also Phoebe's first time attending the Women's Session. That particular session is for girls and women ages eight and up. Phoebe was so pleased to get to stay up late and watch with me.

Our Ward hosted an ice cream social before the broadcast. I contemplated going, but it was during the bedtime hour for Topher, and I'm an integral part of that process, so we stayed home. I could tell Phoebe was just a little disappointed, so I told her we would have ice cream at home while we watched. She was so shocked that she asked me who I was and what I'd done with her mother. I'm not usually the parent that gives sugar.

Conference Roundup

We had General Conference this past weekend. There were some major changes announced, which I think may be the new normal. As always, there were certain talks that stood out to me. They were from:

• Elder Brough (Best quote: Don't throw your food out the window.)
• Elder Rasband (I shed many tears during this one, but that's not unusual.)
• Sister Craig
• President Eyring
• President Nelson
• Sister Cordon
• Elder Holland (Of course. His talks are always at the top of my list.)
• Elder Renlund (I realized this time that his talks consistently speak to my soul.)

The kids and I all enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk. The kids especially liked the graphics that were shown while he spoke.

I was happy to see how excited the kids were in the days leading up to Conference. The Conference notebooks that I put together a few years ago really make the weekend flow smoothly. And having all seven of us watching and listening to the speakers made my heart happy.

During one of the talks on Sunday we were admonished to be peacemakers. Sophie gasped, turned to look at me and said, "Cooper's name means peacemaker!"

"Barrel maker, " I replied. "His name means barrel maker."

She wasn't quite as excited about that.

The Purpose of Drool

I don't yet have photographic evidence, but yesterday I made a discovery. Based on drool magnitude and fussiness, I knew that teeth were imminent for Topher. Sure enough, at not quite five months old he has cut his first tooth. I learned this while he gnawed on my finger yesterday afternoon. I could feel the top ridges of his bottom center-right tooth.

The big kids were so excited for him.

Goodness Knows

In the last few weeks I've had several people ask if Topher is a good baby. I understand what they mean: is he sleeping well, is he a good eater, what's his temperament like, that sort of thing. But I always want to answer, "Of course he's good, he's a baby. All babies are good. They can't talk back, they can't run off, they can't throw anything at you. Yeah, he's good."

Usually I just smile and say, "He's the easiest child in my house."

And that's true.

A Self-Portrait in Paint

Sophie painted this self-portrait at preschool last week. I love it for so many reasons, but one is her birthmark. I didn't even notice it until Sophie pointed out that she created the color for both the background and birthmark by mixing all the other colors she had used previously. I looked at the painting again and suddenly saw the mark. 

The other reason I love it? Sophie got to use paint and I didn't have to supervise!

Life as a Musical

Check out what I stumbled onto last week. I quickly pulled out my phone to capture the awesomeness for posterity.

Big Brother Skills