Family Home Evening

Last night when it was time for Family Home Evening, Daisy suddenly took charge. She sat in the middle of the floor and instructed everyone to sit down by her. When we did, she announced that she was going to say the opening prayer. After that she said, "Now we'll sing ABC's." So we did. Following our song, she said it was time for our game. We played Duck Duck Goose. We have never played Duck Duck Goose before, and I wasn't sure where she learned it. Jeff, Daisy, Levi, and I laughed and laughed as we ran around in circles in our living room. I set the lesson aside and decided that since our Family Home Evening's typically last about 6 minutes, this was likely our most successful Family Home Evening yet. Everyone was involved, everyone was laughing, and we played together for over 1/2 hour.

I have been friends with the cutest girl since 6th grade. She can't blog about her adorable family because of privacy and her husband's line of work, but she told me the funniest story about her little boy, Brayden. He will be 4 in May. They were having Family Home Evening and talking about forgiveness, I think. They stopped and asked him, "Brayden, do you know what a mistake is?" He said, "Yeah, it's that stuff dad likes to eat for dinner."

This morning I was dicing a banana to go with my breakfast when Daisy asked, "Mom, do you know where banana's live?" When I asked where, she said, "They live in trees, and then the monkeys sell them to the grocery store." I'm sure glad she has it all figured out.

My Turn

MINDY, JANA, LAUREN, CHRISTEL: I finally gave in last night and went searching for old pictures. Buried under 7 1/2 years of junk and dust I finally hit the jackpot. I posted a select few. The point of all this is that we are getting together at my house in May (before Mindy moves.) This is required, not optional. More details to follow soon! (I'm not inviting Tiff Dawg because my homeowners insurance doesn't cover fire caused by sleeping with a blowdryer.)

Playing with Friends

Not a day goes by that I don't hear, "Mom, can I play my friends today?" Daisy most often asks to go play at 'their' house, but loves when they get to come here. They love to play babies, kitchen, school, and most of all, dress-ups. I get confused as they run through the house shouting, "Mom!" and I don't know if they need me or if they are talking to the 'mom' in their make-believe world. I think this 'free play' is the best kind of learning. They learn to share and use their imaginations. They learn to interact politely and take turns. They practice apologizing and forgiving. They practice making choices and finding ways to express themselves. They laugh and giggle and just play. I love watching Levi. He thinks he is just as big as Daisy. He is to the point where he actually plays with other kids instead of alongside them and their interaction cracks me up. What a great blessing to have friends and be able to play!

Daisy's Birthday

Daisy celebrated her 4th birthday on Wednesday. We had a great day! She went birthday shopping with her grandma in the morning and then got to go to dancing day (a dream come true!) That night everyone came over for a birthday party. She chose spaghetti for the menu (after I talked her out of shrimp) and helped me make the breadsticks. We ate and opened presents, then she blew out all four candles on her Barbie Cold Stone cake. This was significant because for some reason she thought she wasn't four until that magic moment. The snow storm was so bad that it took Grandpa and Grandma Jones 4 1/2 hours to make a 2 hour trip, and Jamie ended up staying over night at the last minute. Happy Birthday, Princess!

Aquarium

Every year our family travels to Ogden on the second weekend of February for the RMA Horse Sale. This year we stopped at the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy on our way up. It was so much fun! The kids loved it. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. The highlight was the interactive pools where the kids (and Jeff and I) could touch all sorts of slimy things. We felt sea cucumbers and starfish and sea urchins and sting rays. It's worth seeing if you ever get the chance. It turns out the highlight of our trip was still the horse auction. Daisy and Levi both LOVED seeing all the horses at the auction and the stallion preview. Daisy was heartbroken that we had to leave before the auction ended and kept asking to 'go back to the show.'

Fast Food

While there are certainly exceptions, I pretty much think I am the luckiest mom in the world. My kids are so much fun to hang out with and I am so blessed to be able to be with them. The other day we were doing some errands and I asked Daisy where she would like to eat lunch. "I want to go to Old McDonald had a farm e-i-e-i-o," she replied, all in one breath. McDonald's is such a novelty because we don't have one in Nephi. I convinced her that was not an option. Later as we were pulling through the drive thru I handed Levi his lunch. Daisy asked me what he was having and I said, "A grilled cheese sandwich." "A grill cheese?" she complained. "He gets the grill cheese and I get the boy cheese?" Sometimes I wonder if people who don't have kids ever get to laugh.

Sick and Tired

Tuesday morning Levi, my 18-month-old, woke up sick and throwing up. All day Tuesday, all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, and so far today I have been rocking sick children, doing loads and loads of laundry, cleaning up lots and lots of throw up, praying, worrying, and spending a lot of time in the bathroom myself. My 3-year-old, Daisy, got the worst of it, and is not over it yet. As unfortunate as it has been, as I clean up yet another mess, something inside tells me this is all part of being a mom. It feels as though I am somehow connected to a greater motherhood both past and present. I think of all the mothers ever who have comforted sick children and done their very best to care for their families under not-so-perfect conditions. It makes me feel privileged to be a caregiver and a mommy, even when I'm sick and tired.