Sunday thoughts

I wanted to stop and record some of the things that have been happening around here spiritually. My current calling as Primary president has me thinking a lot about where my testimony began. I have been recalling those early memories of my experiences with the spirit. Today, for example, I told the kids about an early girls camp experience of reading the Book of Mormon for most of the night with a good friend. The Holy Ghost filled the tent as we read and I knew, at that tender age, that I was reading God's word. Thinking about these experiences has me keyed in to the experiences that Luke and Noah have been having.

The above photo was taken as they watched Mormon Messages on YouTube with Nat this afternoon. Luke has always been spiritually inclined, praying in public when something was lost or begging us to keep reading the Book of Mormon at night. Noah, on the other hand, doesn't have the patience to say more than two lines of a prayer. But today I watched the wheels turn as he listened to stories told by the apostles. He listened, asked questions, and I could see him starting to spread his spiritual wings just a little more. It was one of those moments that a mom lives for. He also has started getting serious when he slows down at bedtime. He makes promises like "I will never, never, never do anything that Heavenly Father doesn't want me to do." Here's hoping...

Luke's prayers have been increasingly sweet (and long) lately. He has started to get very specific in his prayers. He thanks the Lord for things like "answering our prayers that the air conditioning could get fixed". He also is showing increasing concern for those who are less fortunate. He gathers up things that he doesn't need anymore and wants to find someone who can use him. This sort of awareness makes my heart squeeze. He gave a talk in Primary today about the Holy Ghost. It was special to type his feelings as he told me about the times when he had felt the Holy Ghost. He also really wanted to include the line, "Raise your hand if you have ever felt the Holy Ghost" and I went ahead and let him.

Even little Isaac is growing in his awareness. He loves to pray and while his emphatic "Amen" is less than reverent it shows his enthusiasm. He has also recently started loudly exclaiming "Desus" when he sees a picture of the Savior.

I just hope (and pray) that they are laying the spiritual foundation that will hold them steady through the storms of life. My excellent parents set the stage for my spiritual life. Here's hoping that our stage has been set as well. If there is one thing that I want to give my children it is the deep satisfaction of having a good relationship with their Creator. I am surely blessed to know Him.

Happy Sabbath.

I bet you wish you were this tough...

Nine Years

Photo courtesy of Emily dear

What a wild ride it's been! In nine years we have lived in seven houses, four states, and two countries. We've endured three terrible pregnancies. But we have also rejoiced at three wonderful births and six years of parenting. We've received two bachelor's degrees and one PhD and have now completed a two year post doctoral fellowship. We've supported each other through callings in nearly every organization in the church. We've made and said good-bye to friends all over the world. We have laughed our way through all the seasons of The Office. We have waded our way through unexpected disappointments, rejoiced at our accomplishments and gifts and have worked our way through trials. What a true companion Nathaniel has been to me through all of it.

Here's looking forward to all the adventures on our horizon! Happy Anniversary, Nat!

19 months and one day

I do have more children than just Isaac, I promise. I also promise that I love them just as much as I love Isaac. I even pay attention to all three. Isaac, however, seems to be the subject of all my blogging lately. He has hit that glorious stage of chattering nearly constantly and I thought that I had better get some of these milestones recorded in the blogosphere (in the hopes that I will eventually do another blog book).

At nineteen months Isaac:

• loves to carry books around the house and periodically sit down and flip through them. His current favorite is Mere Christianity. I love it when he chooses a large book and then stumbles around the house under the weight of his choice.
• loves to heft large objects around. He will not be deterred by his size.
  
• has a mind of his own. I actually really love watching this part emerge. It amazes me to see a person so little making choices.
  
• has an affinity for Noah. Whenever Noah is out of the room Isaac wanders around looking for him and calling out his name.
  
• is a champion sleeper. He has lately gotten impatient with the bedtime routine and doesn't let me get all the way through. If he is really tired and I try to read or sing to him he declares, "nigh nigh" or "bed" and dives at his crib.
  
• talks constantly. He repeats the last word of every sentence you say to him. His sentences are getting longer and the words are more understandable. He does, however, seem to favor the "m" sound the way that Noah used the "f" sound. He says "Muv oo" for love you and calls his pacifier his "ming mink". I miss Noah's days of the "frankie" (blankie) and "faffles" (waffles) and so this stage with Isaac offers some consolation.
  
• watches out the front window for all the neighborhood dogs to pass. When it's been a while and he feels like one should have gone by already he will just start yelling for them.
  
• calls all drinks "milk". We just have to check if he wants water milk or milk milk.
  
• attends nursery each Sunday with his dad (one of Nat's three callings is Nursery Leader-- that's what you get when your wife is the Primary president) and holds his own with the big kids.
• still stuns me with his resemblance to my dad and my side of the family. I am sure that a lot of this is in my head but when I am looking into his brown eyes I just feel a connection to my Donaldson roots.
  
• loves to "help" around the house.
  
• imitates his brothers' play. He's a lego man before his time.
  
• says "cheese" whenever he is near a camera.
  
• knows exactly what to do with an ice cream cone.
  

Popsicle

Nat and I have watched this little clip about six times tonight, giggling each time. It's so illustrative of Isaac's personality right now. He's charming, willful, bright, independent and very funny. He's also still the center of attention and knows how to keep it that way.

Farewell Kindergarten

We said good-bye to kindergarten with a half day today. The morning was full of chocolate chip pancakes and lots of comments like, "this is the last time I'll put my thermos in my lunch as a kindergartner." I then watched Luke and Nat disappear into the woods one more time together. It's been a good year, full of growth. Now we've got some summer routines and rhythms to get figured out.

Peek-a-Boo

We found ourselves wondering what had happened to Isaac the other day. We found him hiding on the couch. When he realized we were looking for him he peered over the cushion and peeked out, smiling around his binkie.

Award Ceremony

When I picked Luke up from school on Monday he was anxious that I open his take home folder, as it contained a surprise. As I pulled out the yellow piece of paper with his name on it he couldn't contain himself any longer and beamed, "Mom I am going to get an award! There is going to be a presentation. Can you come?" The paper indicated that there would be an end of the year awards ceremony and that Luke had been selected to receive the "Core Values Award". (His school focuses on the core values of respect, safety, responsibility and dedication and kids receive recognition [called "high flyers"] based on their adherence to these values.) When I read that he would get an award I thought that all the kids would be getting an award. I was happy that he was pleased with himself but didn't think that it was a big deal. When we got to the ceremony today I realized that there were only four kids from each class selected to receive any kind of award. As I watched him march up to get his award and then wait on the stage I felt, like I have felt so many times, what a gift this boy is to me. It is a privilege to watch him grow. Way to go, Luke!

Working

Eighteen months is a delightful age. I would love to freeze so many parts of where Isaac is right now. I love the way that he chatters constantly, is obsessed with Noah-- saying his name all the time, and cheers for himself when he gets something right.

He has deemed himself my "helper" recently. Whatever I am doing, he wants to be a part of it. In fact, he is doing his best to "help" me compose this blog post. He lays down next to me and imitates me while I do crunches, he loves to sweep, puts silverware away (it doesn't matter if it's clean or dirty), and busies himself rearranging books.

I was doing the laundry this morning (you can find me doing laundry most mornings-- it's endless) and went around the house to gather up stray clothing. When I returned I found that Isaac was pulling all of the clean clothes out of the basket and putting them back into the dryer. I caught him about halfway through and ran to grab the camera. I should have grabbed the video camera instead so that I could have documented all the grunting and heaving that went into this effort. He was so pleased with his efforts and sighed contentedly (I think he learned that from me) as he slammed the dryer shut. I waited until he was busy with something else before I snuck the clothes back out and up to my room to be folded so as not to destroy his sense of accomplishment. I would eat him if I could...

You will have to excuse the pictures, laundry room lighting is less than ideal.

After the storm

We all stayed home from church today to recover from the various symptoms we have associated with the virus that invaded our lives this last week. Luke had every symptom; fever, aches, terrible sore throat, red and swollen eyes, and a rash. The rest of us just had a symptom or two. We all seem to be on the mend and should be back to normal soon. To escape the house we ventured out after the summer storm. I just love a summer storm.
The pictures are a little Isaac heavy-- he's the apple of my eye currently. Next week I'll be over the moon for another one. They just take turns being my favorite.
For some reason, all the boys have wanted to put their heads in puddles when they were around Isaac's age. I don't get it. Maybe next time I will join them and see if it as much fun as they make it seem.
Looking through this pictures I was taken aback by the depth of green in our forest. Amazing.

Field Day

I just love this boy. We got to go and watch him perform in his kindergarten field day a few weeks ago. I walked the other two boys over to school and as soon as Luke saw us his face lit up, he ran over to us and hugged Noah. I hope that lasts forever. It might be to much to hope for but I hope that he always greets us with the same enthusiasm. I still feel that way when I see my mom and siblings, I always have.
The school had put together a bunch of darling activities for the kids and then paired two kindergarteners with a fifth grade mentor. Noah wanted to participate and so he ran alongside Luke whenever he could. There was a moment when my heart just about burst while watching them together. Luke and Noah were running laps and Isaac and I were watching from across the field. Luke burst off the starting line and was halfway around the field when he realized that Noah was way behind him. He stopped, spotted Noah and then ran back to him. Then finished the lap holding hands. They are a team.

Park

Children's Beach

There is a beach in La Jolla that was originally intended for the area children. The seals have taken it over. It's an amazing sight as long as you keep your nose plugged because it is rather stinky.

My dad is a sweet grandpa. He and my mom have different approaches. My mom is of the "sit back and watch the kids play while showering them with affection" camp. My dad wants to show the kids all the neat things that he can. He loves showing off places he has discovered. It is endearing to me to think of him planning out where he will take the grandkids when they come to visit.