Top 10 Bedtime Excuses My Kids Use

1. I need a drink!

2. My ______ is hurting!

3. I forgot to ________ !

4. I can't sleep.

5. But, I'm not tired.

6. Can I just stay up until ____pm?

7. I need to tell you one more thing.

8. I'm scared.

9. Can I read in my bed?

10. ________ won't stop talking!!

Feel free to comment and add your own excuses your kids tell you!

© Wendy 2012

Miracles

Recently, in our Sunday School class, part of our discussion was about miracles. Do they happen today? (YES. Yes they do!)

I have actually thought a lot about this. I had this similar question posed to me by a friend of mine once--about how miracles seemed to occur on a larger scale is scriptural times, but don't seem to now. 

I think miracles happen every day, some on a larger scale, some on a smaller scale.

Big miracles that we know about in history/scripture:

• God, the Father, and Jesus appearing to Joseph Smith when he was 14 years old (read about it here).
• Jesus healing the sick and disbled, raising the dead, and feeding 5000 people with 5 loaves and two fish (all of which have accounts in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
• What about the atonement? I'd say that was pretty amazing--a feat which only a person who was part human and part God could not only do for all of us, but also endure such an intense magnitude of pain.
• The resurrection--never in history has anything like that happened before or since the resurrection of Christ--dying, and then rising again after three days.
• Multiple occurences of angels appearing in the scriptures.
• Moses parting of the Red Sea. 

You might be thinking, sure, but what about today? Do miracles happen today?

I think there are miracles all around us, some of which we take for granted, some of which we dismiss as lucky, or a coincidence, like:

• Healthy babies born every day. With all of the intricacies of the human body (organs, mucsles, nerves, brain, bones, etc.) there is so much that could go wrong, but usually much more goes right.
• Premature babies. I know of many babies that have been born between 20 and 30 weeks--about 3 months early--and they have lived. Not without trials and tribulations, but they have made it through. Miracles.
• Plants and flowers--have you ever noticed how intricate they are? Do you really think it was "by chance" these came about and grew as perfectly and beautiful as they did?
• What about all of the different species--animals, insects, spiders (now, I have heebie jeebies)? There are so many different forms and they are each so unique. Big bang theory? Not a chance.
• I think of all of the miracles that happen during natural or other disasters. Babies that have been found miles from where they were lost--hungry, but unscathed. People who have survived in horrible circumstances. Lives that have been preserved. 
• I personally have witnessed the hand of God in healing the sick and afflicted through Priesthood blessings. 
• People surviving terrible diseases like cancer. Defying odds.
• How many times have you seen what looks like a horrific accident, yet the people survived?

Does an angel have to appear to denote a miracle?  Does it have to be something that does not happen every day? I don't think so. Look around you.

There are very real miracles all around us, daily. Look for them. Seek them out. You will begin to notice them more and more. Start here:

YOU are a miracle.

You ARE a MIRACLE.

What else?

I have 6 children--each a beautiful and wonderful miracle. If you have kids, look in their eyes. Could such a creation be merely science? No way!! Sweet miracles.

Go outside--feel the warmth of the sun, feel the breeze, see the bees and the birds, the trees and grass and flowers. Hear the sounds.

Taste different fruits and vegetables--not only are they miracles, but so is your sense of taste! 

I love the song, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." It talks about all of the things God has created for us, and how it denotes that He loves Us. I also believe these are all miracles-- ways he pours out His love upon us.  You can listen/watch on Youtube this song put to pictures, and of course, sang by my favorite group, Mercy River. 

God is a God of miracles, and I think that those who fail to recognize miracles and see God's hand in all things, are in a sad state of unbelief, and thus will have a lack of miracles in their life--but perhaps only because they refuse to see and acknowledge them.

Could you argue that some of these things have logical, scientific explanations? Yes, but don't you also think God uses such natural laws to do His work? Yep. What I have written may not be popular in today's society, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Study it, search for it, find the miracles for yourself. God is a God of miralces who loves us and is aware of us and our needs. We can converse with God on a daily basis through prayer. What a miracle that is--right?! 

© Wendy 2012

A Day in the Life--With Kids

I know you've all been waiting for this one: True life captions from our actual life. These really all happened. Some are funny, some are tender, some are, well, painfully honest. I hope you at least get a laugh out of it! You'll probably notice that one particular child happens to be in the center of most of these stories.

When I say my kids are 'climbing the walls', I just may mean it literally.

On rare occasions, you can get compliments about your children in public. One such occurrence happened while we were at dinner at a restaurant. Now, this was AFTER getting pictures taken. Three separate people (two patrons, one server) complimented us on our “well-behaved” children and our “beautiful family”. Ah, it’s the little things. 

Normal crazy time. :)

Aaawww...how cute (insert sarcasm here)! My 2 and 4 year olds were playing so cute together downstairs! ... Too bad that involved about 10 Board games, 2-3 puzzles, various playing cards and two bags of Christmas bows all mixed together on top of the pool table.... 

KM had a ball under her shirt--her "baby". It fell out and she said, "My baby fall out!" I asked her if it was a boy or a girl and she said, "No, it a ball!" I should have known. 

If you are missing something and have kids, go check in their bike seat. Just found the TV remote in TD's seat of his bike. We had been missing it for several days. 

KM and TD have a ritual of watching CD and SB walk to the bus stop while yelling “bye” the whole time. Now, my 2 year old yells after her 6 and almost 8 year old siblings to "watch out for cars" as well. 

And this is really how KM fell asleep.

KM was saying the prayer for lunch today. I wonder what exactly the "cackle" she made in the middle of her prayer meant exactly...it would help if the words she were saying were not in broken English. 

Little 6 year old, SB, started crying on her way to the bus stop. I asked what's wrong and she said "I'm really going to miss you while I am at school." What a sweet girl. 

Nothing says "I love you, mom" like getting pooped on by your newborn. 

First thing done this morning: made juice and gave KM a cup full. Second thing done: Cleaned up the remaining full pitcher of juice from in, under and in front of the fridge. 

While doing some kind of balancing act on her chair and table whilst holding her cup of smoothie, KM had a miscalculation.

I was telling CD that he didn't have to get baptized if he didn't want to (in our church, we get baptized at the age of 8). And he was surprised. And I said it's your choice whether you want to or not. He then said to me, "And Mom, just to let you know, I want to get baptized." Love these moments.

What you can't tell from this picture is that there actually is a frisbee under KM's bottom.

I was telling my husband all of the "wonderful" things KM had done that day, one of which was getting into/destroying some of my make-up, and she said "Naughty KM. Get in Mommy's make-up." Well, at least she knows. 

KM loves to bring up all of her ouches—weeks after they have happened. One particular time, she had a small scrape on her back from falling off of a wagon. She came up to her daddy and said, “I have a owie on my back.” You do? “Yeah. I need to go to the chiropractor.” Then I got accused of coaching her (which I didn’t!) 

I'm raising readers--in case you couldn't tell. 

One night SB was crying in her bed. I asked her why she was crying. She said, “I’m just sad that all of the people that were alive before Jesus won’t be able to come alive again!” I told her that they will because everyone will be resurrected. “They will?!” she says as she immediately stops crying. 

SB was crying in her bed once again, sad that she won’t be able to take all of her things with her when she dies. And, she will miss her things. 

After CJ was born, we were leaving the hospital and one of the nurses was holding TD’s hand as we walked out. She asked, “Are you 4?” and Ty answered, “Yes, and I am going on a mission!” I love the growing testimonies of children! 

So I made sandwiches for dinner--ham, cheese, tomato. (The hubby was gone and the kids wanted that.) KM just wanted a peanut butter sandwich. Well, then she hands me her top slice of bread and asks for mustard. I tell her no--that's gross. I give her another slice of bread with mustard on it, which she promptly adds to her peanut butter sandwich. "Yummy!" she says. 

After finishing finals week, my sister, her friend, and SB and friends’s daughter went out for dessert. After dessert, we get in the car to go (our girls in their pajamas), SB exclaimed, “Are we going to the opera now?” 

You ever have one of those nights? I guess TD has.

KM was throwing around her attitude and I remarked that I was scared of what she was going to turn into as she gets older. SB, trying to be funny, says, "I think she's going to be a mean Mom like you!" Ouch. She did come up after being tucked in, with tears in her eyes, to say that she was sorry and didn't mean it. 

I had been doing the laundry all day...just found a FRISBEE in the washer. That was a first. 

KM: "Daddy, I want a spider to eat Mommy!" 

I was talking to TD tonight about his day and I told him I thought he was a neat kid. He put down his drink and was hugging me and I asked him what he was thinking. His answer? "Crocodiles eat us." 

Last night we were reading scriptures and we let CD and SB read some. We were amazed to hear SB (6 years old) to breeze over words like wherefore, abridgment  Lamanites, prophecy, revelation, thereof, and remnant (well, okay, she said rememnant, but still!). 

I was waking up KM this morning for preschool and she said, while rubbing her eyes, "My eyes are broken!" Later she told Dad the same thing and added, "Yeah, and I fix them!" 

Apparently, TD has much faith in his mother's healing skills. He said to me yesterday (while being told no more candy!), "I don't care if I get sick, you can feel me better!"  

KM just came upstairs and said to me, "Mom I can't go to sleep because my hair is all crappy." 

Probably the cutest way to start your morning? Getting raspberries blown on your arm and stomach by your one-year-old and listening to him giggle.  

CJ asleep. Comfy, no?

Last night tucking in the girls:

KM: "Mom, how come we never watch pee and poo?"

Me: "What? How come we never watch pee and poo? Because it's gross."

KM: "But I want to watch pee and poo."

SB: (giggling) "She means Winnie the Pooh."

Me: "Oh! You mean Winnie the Pooh?" 

K: "Yeah. We never watch that." 

KM: "Mom, rub my forehead and see what happens."

Me: (rubbing it)

KM: "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. See? It hurts inside my forehead."

This girl kills me. 

SB (crying): "Mom, I'm just feeling sad because I don't want CJ to grow up." 

SB (7yrs): "KM won't play with me. She just keeps walking away."

KM (4yrs): "Well, Sorry."

SB: "You're acting like a teenager, KM!" 

Partners in crime, partners in nap time.

Me (attempting to get out of the car while VERY pregnant): "Ugh. I'm so fat."

CD (my oldest): "Well, at least you're not fat in real life."

KM-isms while at McDonald's playing (for TD's birthday):

KM: "I'm getting tired from this busimess." (pronounced with the 'm')

She comes up, grabs an apple slice and says, "I need this to keep me going". Now for the no words obscenity: She got a Zooble (some little toy that is a ball, but turns into a pet-looking thing). She was storing it in her stretchy pants--at first on her side, but then it ended up in front. Yep, she looked like she was male. 

KM: "Is this dress my size?"

Me: "Yes, but you need to wear a shirt under it because it's not modest." (sleeveless and practically shows her chest).

KM: "I can do whatever I want with myself!" 

KM: "When Dad saved you, did you like him?"

Me: "Saved me from what?"

KM: "Uh, the tower."

SB: "KM thinks everyone is a princess before they get married."

I'd like to think I live a fairy-tale life! 

After buying a new bathing suit, I had the girls try them on to make sure they fit well and appropriately. KM said, "I look cute, and I look modest!" (Whew! What I'm teaching is sinking in!)

We like to do fun things--this is us after winning 2nd place in the Red Wagon Parade for the boat and water skiing float we made.

We were talking about how SM is losing all of her hair. CD says that pretty soon she isn't going to be a mammal any more. 

Me: "A mammal???" 

Cooper: "Yeah, mammals have hair." 

Too funny, my kids. Too funny. 

Me: "TD, why are you wearing shorts?"

TD: "Because it's Spring."

Yeah, but it's still below freezing!!! 

Kindergarten registration today for KM. She, of course, knew everything she was supposed to (and CJ knew half of it too--kept answering the correct letters on the flashcards. So hilarious!). 

CD photo-bombing SB's picture before her first ballet class.

You know how little girls always undress their Barbies or other dolls, but can't redress them? It's the same with boys, except they take the tires off of their cars and can't get them back on. 

My 7 year old just rode his bike off the back of a trailer. I'm not sure which hurts worse: his pride--or his face? 

Just a few minutes is all it takes for a 3 year old to take his poopy diaper off and take his 1 year old sister's diaper off and to make a holy mess. I'll let you imagine the rest. 

I was just helping CJ say the prayer at lunch--telling him what to say and he repeats--but he slipped in a line of his own: "Help my butt to get better." 

I was changing CJ's diaper and he says, "Look at my Big Black Butt!" ???? Where do they get these things?? Only thing I can think is it was because of the ahem, mess, on his bottom? 

KM's blanket + hot fireplace.

I'm officially old. KM says: "Mom, we're you alive when this happened? It was WAY back then."  

So funny! SM won't drink her cup, go to sleep, etc without her hand in someones shirt--it's so odd. But, right now, she is walking around drinking her sipper cup with her hand down her own shirt!  

4 of my kids are downstairs right now watching two spiders victimize an earwig. Listening to them is hilarious. One of the things I heard was them chanting "Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!"

  This note was written by TD when he was 4 years old. Can you read it? He was mad that he couldn't have pop, thus, "Giv Me Pop."

My 7 year old is quite the puzzle. When I was forcing him to read his take-home book, he informed that he doesn't like reading "made-up" stories, he only like real ones. He's a non-fiction man. Add this to the fact that he does not want to be in orchestra or choir, and I'm thinking I have a very left-brained child. 

Thought we had lost our cat to predators, when in reality the predator was a certain 3 year old boy who locked him into a tool compartment beneath the camper... filthy and hungry. All is better now.

So last night, while trick or treating, my kids were crazy loud. Keeping with the theme, I told them they were going to wake the dead zombies. This worried KM. She later said, 

"Mom, I'm feeling ominous." Ominous? 

SB: "I don't even know what that means." 

KM: "It means that you feel like something is coming or that something scary is going to happen." 

Impressive. 

What happens when you leave a 1 year old in your bathroom for one minute? She eats your eye shadow. 

CJ: "I'm scared of the Tookie Guy."

Me: "The Cookie Guy?" 

CJ: "Yeah, the Tookie Guy. He comes in our house and disappears."

Me: "Why are you scared of him?"

CJ: "Because he scares me." (me still trying to figure out who he is talking about)

Me: "Why? Does he take all of your cookies?"

CJ: "Yeah." 

Me: "Does he hurt anyone?" 

CJ: "No. He takes all the tookies and he scares me. Monster Tookie Guy."

Me: "Cookie Monster? From Sesame Street? That's blue?"

CJ: "Yeah. He scares me. He comes in our house."

Hmmm....Sesame Street Monsters. Scary, indeed. 

Photo by Nicole Christiansen Photography

That's us above. We're all crazy, but I love it. I wouldn't trade my kids for anything. I am so grateful to be entrusted with these little spirits!

© Wendy 2012

The Goodness that We Are

I've been pondering on talents or things I am good at recently--okay, it was because I was actually dreaming about it a couple of nights ago--weird, right?

 In my dream, I was walking with a past teacher/friend (because I am a nerd and always thought of my teachers as friends) from high school. We were chatting and walking through some fictitious school (that has made appearances in several of my dreams recently). She pointed out a place in a grand hallway and said, 

"That is where you'll be performing in Les Mis."

 I said, "Yeah, I doubt that. Maybe in the chorus or something." 

She looked at me questioningly. 

I responded, "I have realized I'm not really that good at music and theatre, but I am good at writing. I really love it."

The morning after this dream, I went to church and the Relief Society lesson hit on talents, strengths and weaknesses, and not judging others or comparing ourselves to each other. I had a thought that I shared with the class.

We shouldn't compare our weaknesses to someone else's strengths. We all have weaknesses, we all have strengths. We compliment each other and it is through working together that we can achieve greatness.

Think about it.

What if we were all good at the same thing? You'd have billions of doctors and no entertainers. Or hoards of bankers, lawyers, and accountants, but no teachers, writers, or athletes. Wouldn't that be a terribly unbalanced world? Wouldn't it be...well...awful? 

I think God gave us unique talents and gifts that we could use to bring to pass His plan. To do His work. To work together to build up His kingdom on earth. We are to help each other. Lift each other. Strengthen and inspire one another. Some of us do it through music, some through writing, some through healing. Some people are great friends or communicators. Some can build buildings, or foresee the needs of others. 

Here's some things I have realized I am not good at (really, I am just coming to myself and being real): 

Cleaning.

Organizing.

Picturing things spatially.

Music/acting (though I am trying and I am not terrible, but certainly not gifted)

(I know there is tons more, but I can't think right now...I'll probably add some later as I think of them.)

However, I am realizing some things I can do:

I cook good, healthy food (I make awesome whole grain bread--come over, I'll make you some).

I am a communicator.

I really like writing (can you tell?).

I have a good knowledge on how to heal the human body.

I have a really strong desire to help people come closer to Christ.

This all made me think...shouldn't we then help people to recognize their strengths? Shouldn't we help our children discover what they are good at? Can't we all work together, sharing our strengths, to make the world, literally, a better place? 

There is good in each of us. I really believe that God blessed us all with special gifts and talents that He knew we would use for good. Helping. Comforting. Healing. Uplifting. Inspiring. We need not dwell on all we can't do, but find the things we can do, and use them to benefit those around us.

Therein, lies the true gift. 

© Wendy 2012