Recess: the Kindergarten Years

I think I should have a new category devoted to "Maddy Moments"- since they seem to happen so regularly...

Yesterday Maddy came home from school and told me about recess that day. She said she was chased by some boys, but she ran away and then her friend gave her a makeover (her words). Sometimes she talks to me and I have serious fear about her teenage years.

Blessings

I got this for Christmas it's been fun to listen to middle of my January gloom. The girls like dancing around to the music too - Ella calls it the "Mommy Mia" music, which I think is really funny for some reason.

Anyway...there's one song that always makes me sad "Slipping Through My Fingers"

Slipping Through My Fingers lyrics

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when shes gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I cant deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...

Every mother knows the conundrum of time - how it can go by so fast and slow at the same time. It seems like you spend all day with a two year glued to your side, just wishing for a few moments to yourself only to turn around and find the two year old is now ten and doesn't need you around much anymore and you just wish he could spend a little more time with you. I do spend lots of time with my children and try to remember what's the best use of my time, but still I find myself often worrying about the things I didn't do, the memories I didn't make, the things I didn't teach.

A few years ago in General Conference Elder Richard H. Winkel gave this talk about eternal families and this thought still gives me comfort:

"I'm one of those parents who ofttimes wishes he could go back and do some things over.

Like you, I don't want to lose any of my children. I want to be together forever with all of my family. The temple gives all of us extra hope of continuing and improving these relationships, even after this life. Sealings bestowed in the temple promise additional blessings."

I've always understood that relationships sealed in the temple can continue beyond this life, but I had never thought about them improving. I feel a little less pressure to do everything now. If somethings don't get done now I have time to do it later and I still have eternity to continue to get to know, love and enjoy those I'm working on knowing, loving and enjoying now.

So my blessing for this week is the blessing of eternity.

Reverent Carter

In an attempt to achieve an easier transition between Sacrament meeting and class time our ward began singing a hymn after the closing prayer while the teachers leave to set up their classrooms. To help with this transition time our primary assigns two children to stand at the front with their arms folded to be "Reverence Children" while we sing the song.

This Sunday was Carter's turn to be the "Reverence Child." He was not very excited about this honor, but to his credit he got up and walked to the front without too much coaxing. I have never seen reverence look so painful. I really wished I could take a picture - picture in your mind a tall almost-eight-year-old boy who doesn't want to be there standing next to a grinning four-year-old girl who can barely see over the wall and facing the entire ward. You could tell he didn't want to be there, but was trying to be good. It was funny and sweet all at the same time. I can hardly wait to see Ryan do it!

Snow Fun

Yeah! I finally got pictures to load. So here are some from before Christmas on one of our snow days when we all went outside to build snow piles (it wouldn't stick together to make a snowman) and have a snow fight. This is the first year I bought boots and snow pants so I feel good that we actually went outside and used them. And just so you know - the snow is all gone now and it's back to brown and gloomy.

A Good Day

Last Sunday I was talking with Carter about his upcoming baptism. I asked him if he knew all the things he needed to know to be baptized and he said yes. I asked if he believed in God and Jesus Christ and he said sure. I asked if he believed Joseph Smith was a prophet and he gave me his mischivious Carter grin and said, "On a good day."

January

I've been very lazy about blogging lately. I can't get my pictures to load right, which makes posting about pictures less effective, but mostly I think my problem is January. I never feel like doing much in January. In fact I prefer not to even leave the house. (I do continue to shower and get dressed everyday so I'm not completely crazy!) Anyway, that's January for me.

I do have a Maddy moment to share. Yesterday she was supposed to tell about her family in Primary. I was trying to help her figure out what to say so I asked her what kind of things her family liked to do. Her reply? "The kids play by themselves or read while Mom does the laundry and Dad goes to work." Lovely Maddy, lovely.

Happy Birthday