The Day For Lovers

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  I had to laugh when I heard Brian say to me (just the other day)--

Brian: I have never gotten a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day....ever.
Me: Would you like some?
Brian: No, not really.
Me: How about some roses, too?
Brian: Nah, that's okay.

I have never thought that maybe a man would like a nice, big, red, heart-shaped box filled with chocolates and some beautiful, red, fragrant, roses that carry the meaning of I LOVE YOU on lover's day....ever.

Hmmm.....just a something to think about. By the way, any good ideas?

From the Mouth of Thomas

Oh, Thomas.....he did not want to go to school this morning even after all of the effort of getting dressed, putting shoes on, combing hair, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, loading his lunch into his backpack, putting on his coat and walking out the door to the car. His mood changed from walking out the door to getting to the car door. I actually had to honk the horn to get him to move! That made things even worse for his sudden change of attitude.

I pretty much had to push him out of the car at the school drop off point--sheesh! He would NOT go inside the school even with some coaxing from classmates. I ran an errand to the bank and thought I had better check to see if he was stubborn enough to remain outside the school doors.  Sure enough, he was standing against the cold bricks, arms folded with a scowl on his face. Nothing was going to break this kid this morning!

I packed him to the car and drove him to the front entrance of the school because, by now, he was late and needed to pick up a tardy ticket at the office.  On our way around the corner to the front entrance of the school, he stated,
"I am going back in time to find the guy who invented school and I'm going to tazer that guy!!"

Oh, Thomas.....

Growing Boys and Ramblings

I've been thinking about my little family lately and how much they are growing up.  My "baby" is 7 and will be eight years old at the end of this year.  That means my oldest will be an official teenager this September and Thomas is turning 9 next month!  AHHHH!  (good thing I have lots of nieces and nephews who keep the babies in stock).

I had a thought the other day, that all of my kids will be AT the age of accountability by 2012--that means I can stop being a parent, right?  Just kidding.  In fact, I read the Family Proclamation with Thomas yesterday and was reminded that it is parents' (quote:) "sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live...mothers and fathers will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations." It is pretty amazing that these words were proclaimed not only to our Church, but to the whole world!

My Sacred Responsibility

Those statements hit me yesterday. A few weeks ago, while visiting another ward conference in my Stake, their bishop said something like--don't worry so much about if your children are hearing what you tell them, worry about what they are watching you do. This reiterates that our actions speak louder than words and that as a parent I need to practice what I preach--I need to lead by example more than lecture.  

I have been keeping tabs on the NeiNei Dialogues blog (http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/)  lately and it inspires me.  Stephanie Neilson and her husband and family were spotlighted on Mormon.org in the Mormon Messages recently and she said a few things that I really liked. She said that she looks at motherhood in a different light since her near fatal accident. She has learned that motherhood is a privilege above anything else--that view of her parental responsibility has changed her life (in so many words). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E. I hope I can acquire that belief as firmly as NieNie.

I have always looked forward to the day of no more diapers, when the kids can fix their own breakfast, when I don't have to hire a babysitter for date night, etc. And guess what? I'm there. Now the boys just need to grow some inches so they can ride all the rides at Disneyland! But at the same time I feel a bit sad that those innocent days/years are gone.  

My ambition? That I will succeed in raising loving, law-abiding, service oriented, spiritual, wise boys.  The test? It all starts with me.

More Mini Books of Mormon

This past weekend I gained some sanity back into my life by making these cute little Book of Mormon covers.

I made these for my (yes, you take ownership of the girls you grow with) graduating Laurels when I was YW President in Santaquin, once upon a time.  I made some more last year for the graduating Laurels (who were my Mia Maids) and Priests and I just finished these up for this year's graduating class (who were also my Mia Maids).  Even though I am no longer a ward YW leader, I still got to participate in this delightful project. I hope the girls (and boys) know that this gift comes straight from the heart. And I am back to normal after a little crafting.

What a Fruit!

We made fruit pizza the other weekend and it was soooo delicious!!!