Cousin Friends

The day my cousin's son Cooper came over, he, Warren and Abigail had all sorts of fun running obstacle course races in the backyard, refereed by my next door neighbor Jim and his super-loud whistle. Then Jim treated the kids to Popsicles. After that, Warren and Cooper went on bug hunts--they were entertained for hours. The culmination of their effort was this slug race down our backyard slide. Even with gravity on their side, slugs don't move very quickly, but this did not deter the boys at all. Look at the delight on their faces.

Beckam is the lone first cousin that my kids have in town. He is 3 months younger than Avery and they have become great friends. When we got separated on a walk--Avery with me, and Beck with G-ma Lindy--Lindy told me Beckam cried the whole time for Avery. They had a blast splashing in the fountains at the MAC. After seeing how much fun the kids had with their cousins, I am more committed to arranging times for them to be together. After all, isn't that why choose to live here in Mesa? It's not the weather, for sure (well, this time of year, it is, but I mean in the 6 month long summer :)

Breaking for Spring

Warren and Abigail are on Spring Break for 2 weeks. Yesterday he made a list of the things he'd like to do during that time. It was totally his project: he got the paper, thought up his own ideas, spelled and wrote them alone. It reads:
BUZZ [Buzz is the name of the free bus that circulates our area; Warren has wanted to ride it for a long time, so we took it ot the library]
HiCiN [Hiking]
PRC [Park. Today he went with my mom and brother to the park to go fishing]
???
WOCH STRS [I think this is WATCH STARS, but I think he means watch the Star Wars movies]
TiM WiTH AVRE [Time with Avery]
PUT UWA [Put away]
HULD MADLIN ]Hold Madeleine]
BASPRO [Bass Pro]
MEOOZEM [Museum]
SPRING BREAK [Spring Break]

Tonight my grandparents stopped by for a visit. My grandpa has "got the punies," as he would say, but my grandma said it perked him up to come over to our house. Warren asked grandpa, "Can you read this?" and to my surprise, my grandpa read them the whole book. Avery and Grandma were off seeing Avery's room so that Avery's excited chattering and squeals would be far away from Grandpa's hearing aids. Tonight Warren prayed for "Grandpa Lewis--or whatever mom's grandpa's name is that was over here." My kids still have all but one of their original great-grandparents alive, plus their 4 grandparents, so sometimes the names are a bit confusing. The other night Abigail referred to these grandparents as, "Grandma Diana and that boy that lives there--I think Grandpa Lewis?" That boy. Ha ha.

P.S. If you love the picture of Warren in the wagon, check out the photographer here.

Little Stories

Avery was so cute, Andy couldn't resist taking a picture. She likes wearing hair flowers for about the first 5 minutes. Then they come out. Last week she had on a really big flower, but then took it off. When it came time to leave, she was looking for it, a bit stressed out, and told my dad exasperatedly, "Papo, I'm founding my flower!"

We played scripture pictionary last week for Family Night. This is Abigail's drawing of a sheep. I love all the little swirls. Next is a drawing of a pioneer and her covered wagon. She really enjoys drawing, cutting and writing right now. And she is very good at it, too.

A few days ago Avery wanted to call my mom on the phone, she wasn't answering. So we called my dad and talked to him briefly instead. She told him she was reading a book and he said that next time he saw her he wanted to read one to her. Well, "next time" turned out to be a surprise visit about an hour later as he traveled between lunch and meetings. My dad has always been crazy about babies, and he is thoroughly in love with his grandkids.

Last weekend we told Warren we'd take him to McDonalds to use a gift card he had. On Friday--the before the planned trip--he asked Andy, very matter-of-factly, "Dad, can we launch a robot into space tomorrow and go to McDonald's Monday instead?" He really sees no limits to what he can do. I puzzle over the fine lines between encouragement, reality, nurturing dreams...
For example. he has been a bit perplexed for a while over who he can marry. Warren is 5. He asks me periodically, "Mom, who can I marry?" or "Mom, how can I ever get married if none of the girls at my school will marry me?" Well, we sat down to dinner Tuesday and he announced, with a great look of content and relief, "I've found found the girl I'm going to marry. [Insert huge smile here with twinkling eyes] Her name is ______ _______." He continued, saying she was a girl who stayed "all day at school" like him, and when we asked him how he knew that she was the girl he wanted to marry he said, "Because she wants to marry me too, and no other girls want to marry me."

I am a Child of God

First family photo. I love it.

Last Tuesday when I was in labor, and having pains, I thought of the Savior suffering in Gethsemane, pleading for relief, but still saying, "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine, be done." He had a choice, and yet he continued on so that each of us could be spiritually reborn. My appreciation and love for Jesus Christ deepened as I experienced my own pains for another, and knew that still, His were far greater than my own, and made all the joy in life that I have possible. I thought of this chapter from Isaiah 53: (underlining is there because I copied and pasted from lds.org, and all of those have footnotes)

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 ¶ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. I love how we become his "generation," his "seed", his children because of the "travail of his soul." There are so many words here that describe giving birth: bear, grief, satisfied, seed, generation, stricken, borne our griefs, carried our sorrows--the imagery really is beautiful to ponder.

Another experience in the hospital. There was a miscommunication about when I needed to check out, and for a while I thought, and had been told that we'd need to check out by 3:07 am the day after I had Madeleine. This was being told me at about 9 pm. I hadn't seen my doctor yet, the pediatrician hadn't been by for Madeleine, there were some standard tests that have to be done no earlier than 24 hours after birth...I was very concerned and stressed and trying hard not to feel like a thief sneaking out in the night and instead trying to be brave. It wasn't working. I was so exhausted, having no sleep the night before, and only about 5 hours that day, all broken up by nurses and feeding Madeleine and visitors. While my wonderful nurse went off to straighten things out, I asked Andy to read something from General Conference. He looked for a moment--prayerfully I'm sure--and then read in a confident voice, "God Loves and Helps All His Children." Just hearing the title, I felt comforted, loved, reassured. Not about the outcome, but that whatever happened, it would be okay, even good. Whatever information the nurse came back with would be okay, because I knew that God loves and helps all His children. (It turned out we were able to stay until anytime that day, so we left comfortably just before noon.)

Both of these experiences deepened my testimony that God the Father and Jesus Christ know me personally, they love me, they have prepared the way to happiness and peace now and throughout eternity for me. I know that the restored Church of Jesus Christ is that plan and holds all the priesthood keys necessary to perform the ordinances required for me and my family to be together eternally.

More Fun than My Remote Control Race Car

The first time Warren held you, Madeleine, he looked up, eyes full of love and wonder, and exclaimed, "This is more fun than my remote control race car!" He meant it. Every morning since we've been home, he comes directly into my room--where I am usually feeding you--to hold you or just be by you.

When we first told Warren that you would be a girl, he didn't seem to mind. But as he got asked more often--"Did you want a brother?"--he began to wish a little bit for a boy. A few days before you were born, though, I asked him, "Warren, how do you feel about getting a new sister? Warm fuzzy, or cold prickly, or a combo of the 2?" He replied, "Both, because I kind of want a brother, but Avery is my friend, and Avery's a sister, and maybe this new baby will be my friend, too." I think he was right.

When Warren visited you in the hospital, he drew this on the whiteboard: you in a baby carriage and him alongside you. He also wrote your name "MALDLiN."

When we came home the first time, dad and I found this on the calendar: "MATILiN BRiThEA." The words from Abigail's favorite primary song come to mind: "God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be. This is how He shares His love, for the family is of God."