If You're Happy and Your Daughter Knows It...

Preface: to understand this story, you have to know that one of my wonderful friends who sometimes watches my kids taught them to sing, "If you're happy and you know it say, 'Amen!'"

I decided to let one kid sleep in my big bed each night this week. Tonight is Madeleine's turn. As she lay next to me and I wrote out tomorrow's "to-do" list, I rubbed her cheek. After a moment of this, she sat up and leaned next to me, reached up her hand and rubbed my face. It was so sweet, I started to cry a little. Madeleine noticed and asked, "Mom, why are you crying?" I said, "Because I'm happy." She responded, "Could you say, 'Amen'?"

Unrelated but another happy moment of the day:

As part of Warren's Cub Scout requirements, he planned our meals for the day and then made breakfast all by himself--well, of course, Abigail the event-planner was there to help out, but he was in charge. I laid in bed :) He made scrambled eggs, toast with jam and apple slices. He even had to slice the bread himself. As they started eating breakfast, these were a few comments made: "Breakfast just is so much better when you plan it!" "These eggs are the best I've ever had." And they all ate it happily and energetically. I think I might start having him cook breakfast every Monday morning.

Moments from September

One day school was canceled for my kids, so they all got to have Tutu day and go to the splash pad with my mom. They were so excited waiting for her to come!
It was WWHS 50th Anniversary and I took my kids one afternoon to work on the 2000-2011 float. I was drawing this big Warrior emblem and having a hard time with proportions, so I laid Avery down and just traced her, then added some more muscles.
Abigail was so thrilled to get to help on a float. "Mom, I've been waiting my whole life to work on a float." Hilarious. She was really helpful, too. In fact, all three girls painted these feathers. Madeleine still has the blue paint in her hair to prove it.

Now that the 3 older kids are all practicing piano, Madeleine has jumped in right with them. She often insists, "I'm doing my practicing!" or "I need to do my practicing." In the picture above she is playing and singing, "DO is home."

I found this picture on the camera. I think Avery took it, but I'm not sure when. But those are M.'s pajamas, so I think it is one morning before I got out of bed. I don't let M. play the ipod, hence the total look of adoration in her eyes. She often protests, "I'm not 2, I'm 4!" since Avery is 4 and gets to play sometimes.
My kids enjoy pointing out Papo's political signs all over town. They get really excited when they see them, so naturally, Abigail made one of her own and stuck it in the yard. Referring to the side that is pictured first, she asked, "Are you allowed to do letters like this on signs?" You can see she decorated each letter with a different embellishment.
Today was our ward's Primary Children's Program in sacrament meeting. Kids 3-12 are the singers, speakers and even the piano players. Avery's part was, "There are many things we can do to gain a testimony of the scriptures. We can search, ponder and pray about the scriptures." Avery was very reverent and knew the words to the songs. Abigail could be heard over the primary on some of the songs and sang with gusto. No other word for it. She also played the violin for "I am Child of God" and was so cute standing on her little blue step-stool to make her visible. Warren played "Search Ponder and Pray" on the piano as all the kids walked up and he was great. He also gave a short talk about his baptism. It was all so sweet and I was very happy for them.

Answers to Prayers, Mother and Daughter

This morning after family scripture study, Abigail said, "I wish I could know if Jesus is real." I told her she could know, and asked Warren to tell her how she could know. He is learning the song, "Search, Ponder and Pray" on the piano, so I knew the answer would be ready. It was. He sang--improvising applicable words a bit:

Search, ponder and pray are the things that I must do.

The Spirit will guide, and deep inside I'll know that {Jesus is} true.

(It usually says, "scriptures are" in place of "Jesus is")

We compared the process to finding out if a note I'd left after school was really from me or not, or whether it was a made up note. Each time, there was a mock phone call (to represent a prayer) at the end to confirm what she thought about the validity of the note I'd left her. Then, we talked about Elder Bednar's counsel on receiving answers to prayers: sometimes it is like a light switch going on, and sometimes it is like a sunrise over the soul. We read a portion of "The Living Christ" and I asked her if she would pray about what she thought about Jesus sometime today, and said I'd check in with her at bedtime.

So after family prayer as she lay in bed, I asked her how her prayer went. She had forgotten and said, "I'll do it now." I was a little nervous; I wanted an answer for her right away that she could understand, but I know that it is up to God how He answers prayers, so as she prayed, I knelt next to her bed, and prayed alongside her that she could receive an answer as she prayed. When she finished, she was smiling; I asked her, "What happened?" She said, "I felt it." Big smile. "What did you ask?" I queried. "If Jesus was real and if the Book of Mormon was true."

I was so grateful for the answer to both of our prayers. I know it is a question she will ask again and again in her life, that one prayer at 6-years-old is not enough to last a lifetime. But I am so grateful that she has begun a foundation of her own now. She can build on that over and over again as she matures and grows. Each answer will come in a different way, but the answer will be the same. I am grateful for the faith, and the willingness to act on faith, of a 6-year-old girl.

Avery's Artistic Evolution--Going Backward in Time

August 2011: All of these were drawn in a 24 hour period; and there were more.
Late Spring 2011: "Mom, this is you and we are standing on your nose."
Early Spring 2011: We had just seen Star Wars, so I thought maybe she had drawn Princess Leia, but I think that is just my interpretation.

Slips of the 2-Year-Old-Tongue

One day I said, "No way, Jose!" (pronounced "hoe-say"). Madeleine grinned widely, giggled and repeated back, "No way, hay-so, hay-so!" It's my favorite expression as of late. Until...

Yesterday. On vacation I taught my kids to sing the hymn, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," an LDS classic. The pioneers sang it crossing the plains, we sang it crossing CA to OR. the first lines of lyrics say, "Come, come ye saints, no toil nor labor fear." So fast forward to yesterday. Madeleine is sitting at the piano and she sings: "Come, come ye saints, no toilet of a neighbor."