September Happenings

Hannah was so cute the other night while she was doing her homework. Math has been difficult for her this year because she's been out of school for so long because of the pandemic. Also, they switched over to a new curriculum that is more the theory behind the mathematics instead of just teaching the formula for solving problems. Anyway, I sat down with her one night and showed her exactly how to work the problem in the traditional way and it clicked. She understood and felt so empowered because of it. Every time she got a problem correct, she would stand on the stool, do a cheer for herself, do a toe touch down to the ground, and then do a dance for herself. It was really cute. I have several recordings of her doing her cheer. She was so proud of herself. It made the homework extra long, however. I told her to maybe do the cheer once every five problems she got correct, but she refused. Who am I to say no to that?

This is a painting that I made for my parents. I called it 4 Sisters and it is Vanessa, Ralae, Lindsay, and Taylor. I really liked how it turned out.

I'm not certain if I added to the list of bad things that happened in 2020 to this blog, but the west coast is on fire. Up and down the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington are all experiencing extra large, catastrophic wild fires. The fires are so large that our air quality is affected here and in Utah and other neighboring states. You can not see the mountains clearly at all. A thick haze hovers over us. It has made for some amazing sunrises and sunsets and super moons. The pictures don't do it justice, but the sun is turned this neon pink/red color and the moon is seriously turned to red. It looks really really cool, but the fires are tragic. 

I went to Goodwill and found some awesome Halloween costumes for the kids.

We went and stayed with the Frosts' up in Linden a couple of weeks ago. The Frosts have moved up there permanently to build a custom home, but they are currently living in their shed. We had a nice trip. We went to a corn festival and parade, and we just hung out and talked. We were only there briefly, just one night, but it was a nice visit. Brian has been excavating their land and has uncovered Native American remains and pottery. He's found bones and grinding stones, and vases, and Luke discovered a piece of jewelry.

These pictures are of the corn festival.

Cub was sad that he wasn't getting as much candy as everyone else. Once we put Joshua on the case, he was getting his fair share.

Luke is such a loving boy. He was going around picking up candy and oblivious to the fact that there were two little girls nearby who weren't as quick and he was taking their share. Jon Mark pulled him aside and explained the situation to him. He nodded that he understood and when he thought no one was watching, he walked over to the little girls, reached into his own stash and then quickly threw the candy their direction. It's moments like that that make me proud as a mom. He didn't know Jon Mark was watching, he did it because he wanted to do it. He didn't ask for credit, he didn't even make it known to the little girls what he had done. That right there is a true sign of Christlike love.

Joshua is too cool for school. ;)

He's such a handsome young man. He's kind and thoughtful, and while we are still working on his responsibility when it comes to his oral hygiene, he's making great strides in taking care of his body. Today I caught him putting a comb in his back pocket so he can fluff his hair throughout the day at school. All around, he's just a really good kid.

This young woman is quite the responsible, safety conscience, straight A student. She is so great at making sure the little kids are all looked after properly. What a great babysitter she is turning out to be. She truly is the most responsible young woman that I know.

I decided to frame the window myself. I think it looks good. It doesn't look like professional craftsmanship, but it's definitely an improvement.

This is the large red moon that I was talking about earlier. The picture does not do it justice. It is the large reddish/orangish ball in the middle of the picture, not the white light at the top. The moon looked so big on the horizon that it seriously amazed me. I wish the camera had been able to capture it.

The girls and I have had fun in our dance loft. I hung mirrors with my dad an Jon Mark's help. We've been stretching, and I have been spotting them on their back walk overs. They're both getting closer.

Mer shied away from the camera because she was in her pj's.

The ladies in my presidency and I put on a parade around the neighborhood. We threw candy, played loud music, and the bishopric threw water balloons. A few of the kids were prepared with hoses to get them back. It was a lot of fun! It was just the experience I needed, and it will stick with me. This was our second parade. The first one we did was an ice cream truck route through the neighborhood. Because of the pandemic, we aren't able to meet as a ward in primary. Church is more consistent, but primary has not been approved. So, we have had to get creative in order to minister to all of our kiddos.

This summer we bought some paddle boards and we took to the river a few times. The kids absolutely love it, and I love being up on the paddle board and out of the water. It's kind of nasty looking. The last time we went paddle boarding, I did a five minute head stand on my paddle board. I wish we had gotten a pic of it.

Flashback! I found this picture of me and Mercedes and I wanted it digitized so that is why it is here.

Cub built this lego car all by himself.

The was the last night that the Frosts spent living down here. We had a goodbye dinner for them and I cried quite a bit. 

That same night, Mommom gave Mercedes her birthday present she had spent so many days working on. It was a beautiful shawl that she had embroidered. Mer was so happy. It was a gift of true love.

This 13 year old gave me so much grief when I tried to catch a nice picture of him on his birthday. He must be 13 or something (eye roll). He's such a good kid and we love him. I love his quick wit and funny banter. He makes me look good as a mom, but it's really just the great spirit he was born with.

 

A Private Conversation With Luke

Luke is a sensitive kid. He is sensitive to the needs of others, he is sensitive to the spirit, and his heart is big. He wants to be a gynecologist someday because he loves babies and wants to be the doctor who welcomes them into the world. Even after I explained what a gyno does (besides deliver babies), he still wants to be one. It is important to him that he gets to deliver babies, so much so that he doesn't care if he has to do the other stuff as well. I think he will make a great doctor. He will have excellent bed-side manner. 

The other day he came into my room to talk to me alone. He said that his mind was filled with all sorts of emotions and he didn't know how to deal with them, he felt like the only way to turn off his brain was to fall asleep, but he couldn't. I asked him what was on his mind. There was so much! 

The day before I had told him how babies were made. He had very misconstrued ideas about how the sperm got to the egg. He thought that the husband would tell his wife that the sperm was coming, the wife would open her legs and then the sperm would crawl in. It sounded to me like a horror movie. An X-rated horror movie. When he finally understood what I was telling him (mind you, I had told him in very plain terms all about the act of marriage and the law of chastity, I really don't know how he possibly could have misunderstood) he threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed very loudly how disgusted he was at the thought. And I thought, "well, he gets it now... that's the reaction that lets me know." He was worried because it sounded like breaking the commandments. We talked some more about how within the boundaries the Lord has set, the act of marriage is a huge blessing and gift from Heavenly Father.  

The other thing that was on his mind was his prayers. His prayers had gotten really long because he felt he needed to name everyone by name and ask that Heavenly Father protected them all from kidnapping and getting hurt. Then, he felt like he had to ask all of his angels to surround the house and keep us safe. Then, he told me, "But, I don't just want the people in our family to be safe and the people I know to be safe. I want none of the kids in the world to get hurt. I want all children to be safe. But, I don't know all of their names, and I don't know how to make sure that Heavenly Father keeps them all safe." We talked about that. I gave him some suggestions on how I handle things like that in my prayers. 

Then, he told me he was worried that Joshua and Caleb were forgetting to say their prayers at night. He reminds them over and over, and he thinks that they are lying to him about saying their prayers just so that he will stop reminding them. So, we talked about agency. I told him that mom and dad teach correct principles and give our children all of the tools of the gospel so that they can grow their testimonies and make good choices and return home to Heaven. But, our children still have their agency. We cannot force them to choose the right, they have to choose the right because they want to choose the right. I explained how Heavenly Father has given us the gift of agency so that we can progress, it is the only way that we can grow and learn. I explained to him that it is fine to remind his brothers one time to say their prayers, but that he ought to lead by example and love because that is more effective. I told him that I loved seeing his concern over his brothers, but ultimately the weight of their salvation does not rest upon his shoulders. Luckily we have a Savior who's atonement covers the breadth and depth of all that is necessary to gain salvation and exaltation.

Luke was also very concerned about the violence of the world, the sins of the world, and the catastrophes that we have all witnessed this year. This is difficult for me. On one hand, I want to shield my children from the yucky stuff and let them enjoy their innocence. But, on the other hand, if I don't teach them about how to avoid the dangers of the world, the world will teach them. The world will lead them straight into the dangers of pornography and sexual gratification. The world will teach them the world's values of homosexuality and atheism. The world will teach them that abortion is no big deal, and that democracy is old-fashioned and that we ought to be championing socialism and communism. The world will teach them to apologize for the color of their skin. The world will teach them to objectify themselves and that having any kind of moral base is silly and restrictive. I love my kids too much to let the world have them. I cannot childproof the world, but I can world-proof my children, and that happens through Come Follow Me and scripture study. It happens through open and honest dialogue in the safety of our home. I teach them by example, through the scriptures, and by telling them all about our Heavenly Father's plan for his children. If I don't teach them, the world will teach them through cartoons and music, through liberal teachers, and through peers at school. I told Luke that there is nothing he could say that would make me feel embarrassed, nothing he could do that would make me love him less, and nothing he could ask that would make me judge him. My job is to lead him through his struggles, answer his questions, protect him, guide him and love him. But, perhaps I need to focus more on the faith promoting experiences and less on violent current events and natural disasters that are happening around us. There is a balance that needs to be maintained.

I reminded Luke that Heavenly Father saved him specifically for this time because He had faith in Luke's resilience, valiant strength, and moral courage. He was blessed with spiritual gifts that will help him along on his journey. He is a soldier in the Lord's army and he is a choice son of God. We prayed together. I asked Heavenly Father to bless him and strengthen him and help him know his potential and strength. 

I think I'll follow up in the next day or so. He seems happier today though. I think I will also suggest that he writes down his concerns and worries and writes down a list of people that he wants to bless and pray over.

Happy First Day Of School 2020

The kids were incredibly excited to go back to school. They joke that their spring break was 6 months long. They left excited, and Cubby came home exhausted. He said that it was a very boring day because all they did was color. The other kids had great attitudes about the school year, and Joshua was the only one who had homework. Poor kid had to sit by me as I tried to teach him how to organize his binder. He is such a good-humored, well-rounded, quick-witted teenager. He makes me laugh and exasperate at times. I love him to death.

Mercedes and Hannah had to have their hair curled, it was priority #1 this morning. They looked so cute in their matching dresses and curly hair. Luke was a big helper. I wasn't allowed to walk Cub into his classroom and make sure that he knew where to go (stupid Covid). Luke grabbed him by the hand as they hopped out of the car and told me not to worry, that he'd make sure Cub got to where he needed to go. Sweet kid. He's got a big heart.