The things they say

Lately, when it is time for a prayer, Emma says, "Is it my turn to talk to Heavenly Father?"  And last night her prayer went, "Heavenly Father, I know You love me.  Jesus Christ, Amen"

I've been thinking a lot about my prayers.  Do I get excited to "talk" to Heavenly Father any chance I get?

Anger

After a 6 AM morning, a 3 mile walk and regular morning of our good, old-fashioned routine, I was grumpy.  I had a headache, I was sore, my throat was aching, the kids were being whiny.  Those were my excuses.

So after a couple of hours of that, and snapping at my kids more than I should, Madelyn informed me that she would like a new mom.  I calmly asked her if she just wanted me to leave, and she insisted, yes, that is exactly what she wanted.

So I picked up my keys, phone and purse and headed out the door.  Emma was so sad, Maddie kept telling her that it was ok, their new mom would be there soon.  Suddenly, however, it dawned on Maddie that it might not work out the way she wanted, and she was sad, too.  I never even went outside, just stood in the laundry room and listened.

Both girls apologized- I did, too.

As we ate lunch(much more peacefully), Maddie TOLD Emma what to do.  We had to have the "who is the boss" talk again to clear it up.

We tell our kids that THEY are the "boss" of themselves.  Mom and Dad are there to help them make choices, and we are in charge of our house, cars, etc., but they have the final say in themselves.

This stems from a quote my mom has hanging on a mirror in her bedroom.  I don't remember it word for word now, or even who said it, but it essentially says, "No one makes you mad.  Others can't make you angry.  You make a choice."

And it is true.  I have caught myself saying to my kids many times, "You guys are making me crazy!" (Or grumpy or sad)  But the truth is, they don't.  I CHOOSE to be crazy or grumpy or sad, and use experiences or moments with them to blame it on.  That isn't how I want to raise my children to be, so we're all working on it.  My morning would have gone so much differently if I had just changed MY attitude.  Things can be  falling apart, and I have handled it gracefully before(occassionally!!)- so it is especially sad that I was essentially having a GOOD glass of lemonade and turned it into sour lemons...

I'm SO SO glad Maddie called me on it, so we can have a better rest of the day.  And it has already been much better since my realization.  I even have 3 happily content, napping kids at the moment.... (they feel it, too)

PS- I am also taking on this CHALLENGE.

Quiet Moments

Jared was reading to the kids before bed the other night.  I love love moments like this.  I love being IN the moment, too, but this time I especially enjoyed watching it.  These 4 people are my whole world, nothing makes me happier than seeing them altogether, and so content and happy to be with each other.  Love my world! 

Emma: Age 4

This is a little questionaire that I plan on doing with my kids every year on their birthday starting when they turn 3.
1. What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite toy? The horse
3. What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
4. What is your favorite TV show? My Little Pony
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cheese Noodles
6. What is your favorite outift? My nightgown
7. What is your favorite game? Puzzles and baseball
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit snacks
9. What is your favorite animal? Kitty Cat
10. What is your favorite song? ABCs
11. What is your favorite book? Pinkerella
12. Who is your best friend? Lola
13. What is your favorite cereal? "Squares!" (Honey Nut Chex)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride bike
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Princess bear
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Spaghetti
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
21. What is your favorite movie? Mulan
22. Favorite movie character? Cinderella
23. What is your favorite scripture story? Baby Jesus
24. What is your favorite primary song? "I Am a Child of God"
25. Where is your favorite place to go? "The library!"

10

Last night I gave Briggs his 10th haircut!  10!!  That little boy has SO MUCH HAIR!  He doesn't love getting his haircut, but he is patient enough that I am able to get it cut in a fairly short amount of time.  Mainly it tickles him, so he wiggles a lot.

After his haircut, I stripped him down so he could take a bath.  We're on the verge of full-on potty training(with me, not Briggs, being the one holding back), so he gets lots of opportunities to go.  I set him on the potty, and he went immediately, then he took a bath.  But he knew he didn't get to do the potty dance, and was NOT happy.  When we took the girls and the laptop in, they all did the potty dance and it always cracks me up.  I decided that if I let them, the girls would single-handedly potty train him.

Briggs is such a little bookworm.  If he disappears, this is usually what he is doing.

 
We finally just went cold turkey on his bottle.  Guess what?  He really didn't care that much.  I was more attached to the convenience of it than he was.  Night #1 he did it.  The next night, though, he was playing with Jared's basketball and didn't want to let go of it at bedtime.  So we let him just take it in his crib with him.  Guess who won't go to sleep without that basketball now?!  Seriously, it is an obsession!

A taste of teenage?

Today I was in the bathroom... doing my hair, I think, when the girls entered the bathroom looking like this.  They told me I was in "big trouble".  Maddie told me that I hadn't cleaned the dishwasher yet, and that she was "very disappointed."  I managed to keep a straight face and sneak a quick picture of them on my cell phone.  They keep me laughing, that's for sure!

Oh my cuteness!!

After YEARS of me asking for a dog, and Jared never even interested, he has recently decided we can handle a dog now. :)  So we have been passively looking, keeping an eye out for a good one.  

Today we went ahead and went to meet a cute little yellow lab, 8 weeks old.  She is so so sweet, and perfect for our family.  She was actually the puppy the family had picked out to keep for themselves(out of 10!) since they love her mom so much, but a few days ago they changed their minds and decided they should probably keep a boy so they can have one of each.  Lucky for us!

We ended up being the the car a little over an hour, and she did great!  She was sad at first, leaving her mom and brother, but Emma took care of her.  

Pretty soon she was laying her head on Emma's lap and cuddling up to her, she shook and even cried and whimpered for a couple of minutes.

But Emma had her calmed and sleeping in no time.  It was fun to see their bond.

I had to run off to Young Women's and leave Jared to settle her and the kids down from all the excitement, but he said they did great.  She took a little nap and then I took her outside to go potty, and she was great and walked onto the grass and went.  She played for a couple of minutes, and she is sleeping under my chair as I type this now.  It will be interesting to see how dog ownership goes for us.... :)

PS-  Name suggestions?