Grins turns 7

In August (let's pretend I'm not so far behind in my posts, OK?) Grins celebrated 7 years on earth!  He is my all time favorite little guy on the planet - I love this little man!!!

We started with the traditional favorite cereal for breakfast!  (Lucky Charms were my favorite as a child, too!)

For dinner, he requested Pancakes with nutella.  So we had some friends over for a fun pancake dinner (complete with all sorts of toppings - and some fruits and veggies on the side!)

Someone's excited!

Summer was SO crazy busy that we couldn't find a day to have a birthday party - so we finally just invited a couple of friends over for cupcakes and a football game.  (Luckily the Mr. was around to help with the football game, since I don't know the first thing about football!)

7 years has FLOWN by since this guy joined our family!  He is our peacemaker and troublemaker, lover and teaser, hard worker and energetic player.  We love you GRINS!!!

Keeping us laughing

Last night while reading the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Bible, we were discussing the sacrifices anciently made in fulfilling the Law of Moses.  Grins asked, "Why does Heavenly Father like dead bodies so much?"

Then tonight, after we reminded him to include "GG and GGPa" in our evening prayers, he asked, "Please bless GG and GGPa to have a good life, for the rest of their life."  That pretty much covers it...

Grins the helper!

Grins brought home a note from church today, which said:

• I helped a friend at school feel better.
• I helped my Mom by making my bed and picking up my toys.
• I helped at church by listening.
• I helped my Dad by making my Mom happy.

The last one made me laugh!  I guess he's picked up on the age old saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Morning Devotional

Every morning at 6:30am, the children and I (and the Mr. if he is still home, which is rare), hold a morning "devotional".  We sing a song, say a prayer, read scriptures, quote a verse we are working on, and then read a story from the Friend magazine.  It is a wonderful time that we look forward to each morning.  Lately, Grins has been particularly excited about it, and I will come around the corner to see this:

Grins carefully lays out each person's scriptures and even opens them to the correct pages!  What a helpful little darling boy!  We are so blessed to have him in our family! :)

An Injury and A Date Night

Today was a beautiful example of how a challenge can, in reality, be a blessing in disguise.

This morning, Grins sustained a sizeable injury to his toe.  He was wearing flip flops and standing next to the door, knocking.  When the door was opened, it met with his toe, slicing it in 2 places as a result.  A much larger injury than you would imagine given the mechanism of injury.  He cried and refused treatment for a good hour but finally, after some lunch and a chance to calm down, he consented to a gentle cleaning.  (Only after many attempts.  What finally worked was me offering a baby wipe embedded with a small teddy bear pattern - I told him the teddy bear would be kissing his 'owie'.  And magically, he allowed it!)

Interestingly, he would only allow cleaning if he could do it himself!  Most people I know are better off when they can't see the injury - they'd rather look away.  Grins, however, insisted on watching - and then doing - the cleaning himself.  He even giggled and said "The Teddy Bear's kisses really tickle!"  He especially like shooting (aka irrigating) the wound with the 'squirt gun' (a medical syringe).  Amazing how terminology is everything in an injury!

Aside from his good attitude about his injury, what made the day so special was the 'date' he and I shared as a result.  We had planned to go swimming as a family, but this plan was thwarted by Grins' new open wound. So, it was decided that Daddy would take the girls swimming, while I had the pleasure of a date with Grins (a much too rare occurrence lately!)  This proved a special treat indeed!

No sooner had the girls and The Mr. left than Grins wanted to write them "I Miss You" signs.  Then he wanted to pick some raspberries from the garden.  And then make them cards.  What a little dear!  Instead of relishing his 'alone time', he spent it in the service of his sisters!

In case you have trouble reading words in which the letters are scrambled :), Grins wrote our names and then "i miss u".  While writing, he said "I never knew I had a 'NO' in my name!"

Next, we spelled our names with dominoes.  Actually, Grins spelled while I watched.  He is SO entertaining to watch - his tongue protruding between his pursed lips while he's concentrating, and his dimples when he's proud of his work.

Then the conversation turned to his upcoming birthday, and the potential of a party to celebrate.  I asked who he'd like to invite, and I had to laugh at his responses:

"Alden, Angel, Isabelle......I have to invite Isabelle, because Angel said she will only come to my birthday party if I invite Isabelle (Isabelle is one of Angel's friends from school; Grins has only met her once!)....Chloe and Inara.  And that's 5, and I'm turning 5, so that's all." (Our family rule is you may invite as many friends as you are years old.  I was surprised he remembered this, as I've only ever discussed this with Angel.)

When I explained that he could invite anyone he wanted, and was not constrained by Angel's requests/demands, he said "OK, then I will take Isabelle off the list and add....what is the boy's name in Angel's class who wears glasses?  I want to invite him."  

It took me a moment, but I finally realized he was talking about Joseph, a special needs boy in Angel's kindergarten class.  When I asked why he chose Joseph, he said "Because he always seems sad and I think he might need friends, so I'll be his friend!"

Seriously, could this little man of mine be any sweeter?  Grins, you are such a joy and blessing in my life!  You warm my heart more than I ever dreamed possible.  It is a privilege and honor to be your mother.  This little alone time was so precious, and the perfect reminder that we ought to schedule time together more often!  We'll certainly not wait until the next injury to plan a date!!

Stars

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post about our camping trip...

One evening while camping, we lay on the ground, looking up at the stars.  We asked the children what they thought might be looking down on us from the stars (hinting at Heaven, angels, etc.)  Grins immediately said, in all seriousness, "The great Kings of the past."  The Mr. and I laughed when we realized that he must be quoting the Lion King book (he's never seen the movie).

Love is in the air

This morning I walked into Grins' bedroom to find him dressing in his suit.  I asked why he was dressing up and he replied "I'm going to marry (Angel)!"  A few moments later I found Grins and Angel together in the front room, with Grins trying to fit Angel with a 'veil'.  They then said "Clap for us - we just got married!"  (I later asked Angel why she already had a baby at her wedding, and this was her explanation: 'I adopted her from one of my friends, because she was my friend's ninth child, and my friend said that eight kids was enough.  She didn't want to take care of more than 8 kids.")  Where does she come up with this stuff?  Hilarious!

They are so adorable, entertaining, inventive and fun!  I often wish I had no other responsibilities than to simply sit and watch them and play with them all day long...what a wonderful life that would be!  I am very glad, however, to have my kitchen in the center of my home, which enables me to watch them almost all of the time (since the kitchen seems to be where I spend 95% of my time....if I installed my washer and dryer in one of the cupboards, I might never leave the kitchen!)

My children bring me more joy than I could ever have imagined.  I can't think of anything which brings me more happiness than watching them love one another and peacefully play together.  Life is good!

Mr. Photographer

I picked up my camera this morning and, lo and behold, there were 27 new pictures on it that I didn't take.  Grins has apparently been busy.   It is always fun and interesting to see life from the view of a 4 year old! There were about 19 of a candle, and it took me a moment to figure out that his shirt was reflecting on the picture of Angel as a baby.  Overall, though, I was entertained by, and impressed with, his pictures.  These were my favorites:

Grins saves the day

Today was somewhat difficult for me. The Mr. hasn't been around much for the past several weeks, and then he had TWO days off in ONE WEEK! IN A ROW! Pretty much unheard of in our family lately. So, we took a little trip down to Boston, saw the temple, visited some friends, watched a parade, and, most importantly, spent time with our ENTIRE family. BOTH parents. It was lovely (for me) to have an additional set of hands, a stronger (and more revered) voice, and someone to prevent the children from destroying the house while I showered! And, because of how thoroughly I enjoyed having the Mr. around, his return to work today left a more noticeable void than I'm used to - sort of like waking up from a fantastic dream and realizing you're really in jail. (OK, maybe not that extreme, but you get my drift.)

Anyhow, I hit an all time low this morning when, while Mr. Exterminator was explaining how he was planning to eradicate our carpenter ants, I suddenly noticed white, greasy footprints all over the carpet in the front room. After tracing them to Wiggles' room, I opened the door and found Grins and Wiggles covered with diaper ointment. Have you tried washing that stuff off? Pure grease. Non-removable. Fantastic. Lucky for them Mr. Exterminator was still in the house, so I used my very calm Mommy voice. But it seemed to set the tone for the day.

(Self Portrait, by Grins)

Fortunately, though, Grins managed to save the day later on, with his adorable little remarks.

First, he told me that "I can't wait until I get to Heaven and get resurrected, because then my body will be perfect, so I'll be able to eat 100 candy bars and not even get sick!"

Next, after waking up from his nap in a foul mood, he followed me around the house, screaming. I kept asking him what he wanted, and when he finally calmed down enough to answer, he said "All I want is for you to hold me!" (Does it get any sweeter than that?)

Then, while the Mr. and I were out digging dandelions in our front yard and Grins was playing baseball, he accidentally hit a ball which hit the Mr's face. Feeling bad (but not bad enough to apologize, apparently,) he said "Daddy, when someone hits you with a ball in baseball, you get to walk to first base. So I just gave you a base. Isn't that awesome?!"

But the icing on the cake was what he told me as I tucked him into bed this evening: "Angel went with Daddy on the School Bus on her first day of school. So she was lucky, but not the luckiEST. She should have picked you because you're even a little bit better than Daddy. But actually, you're both pretty great!"

What a sweet little boy! How did I end up with such darling children!?!

Boys....

I'm still (relatively) new at mothering a son. We often speak of privacy, modesty, etc. Grins is generally very private, often saying "Mom! Can you please close your eyes?" if I happen to be using the bathroom mirror to do my makeup when he needs to use the bathroom. He's become concerned enough that we even moved his sisters into a separate room so he could have his own space.

So imagine my surprise when, earlier today, I noticed he had a different shirt on than the one he started with. I asked "Why did you change your shirt, Grins?" to which he replied "The other one had potty on it." "How did that happen?" I wondered aloud. "When I was going potty under the trampoline, some got on the shirt." Surprised at this (since it hasn't been an issue for at least a year), I reminded him that urinating in the yard is inappropriate on several levels and must not happen again. I then asked him if he had put his soiled laundry in the hamper, to which he replied, "I'll go get it from under the trampoline!" He then proceeded to bring an entire outfit - underwear and all - in from outside. "How did your dirty clothing get outside?" I asked and then began putting it together..."Did you change your clothing outside?!" I asked, horrified. His

response: "No! I couldn't wear wet clothes inside so I took everything off and came inside to get clean clothes."

How did I miss a streaker running through my house? (I must have been downstairs doing laundry.) We spoke again of the importance of modesty, and he agreed to refrain from indecent exposure in the future, though he insisted that, since our yard is fully fenced, he felt he'd had adequate privacy.

Couple this scenario with the way I found him asleep at nap time (above), and I'm feeling a bit out of my league on how to culturally refine my son. Sigh. I suppose I will never completely understand boys or their preoccupation with their bodies and their unique abilities.

Boys and Bras

Disclaimer: Do not read if you are easily offended or embarrassed at the mention of human body parts.

Last night, Grins was helping me fold the laundry, as he often loves to do. When he came across my unmentionables, he informed me that Wahl-E wore a bra on his head. (Thank you Disney/Pixar, as if children need encouragement in such antics.) He then informed me that Mrs. Incredible doesn't wear a bra. "Really?" I asked, "How do you know?" To which he replied "Her chests bounce when she runs."

"Please bless Daddy..."

For the past two weeks, the Mr. has been working 'Night Float', which means he goes to the hospital at 4:30pm and returns at 8:30am in the morning. If you do the math, that means he has 8 hours to eat, shower, and sleep before he has to head back to work. He's been trying to sleep less so that he can squeeze a little family time in - but even getting 6 hours of sleep a day, he still ends up sleeping most of the day and, as a result, we haven't seen much of him for the past few weeks.

Tonight, Grins' solved the we-miss-Daddy dilemma in his bedtime prayer, when he said "Please bless Daddy to have a good night a work, and please bless all of his patients to get better soon so he won't have to go to work anymore."

Why didn't I think of that?

Captain "Ramoni"

Today Grins said "I want to hold my scriptures, wear a cape, and carry a sign, so I can be like Captain Ramoni (Moroni). Will you help me write the sign, please?"

"Sure!" I agreed. "What should it say?"

He brought me a paper and a dowel, dictated the following to me, word for word (in case you can't read the sign): "The one who I love best is my family. The second one who I love is Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father." Then he instructed me on how to tape the sign together. (And notice the spiderman cape he is wearing....)

Where does he come up with this stuff? Man, I love this kid!!!

"Dark Fayter"

Since we've never seen/read/watched or even discussed Star Wars, Luke Skywalker, or The Force, or anything remotely related to it, I have no idea where this new obsession has come from. All I know is that boys have ways of discovering wars and weapons one way or another....

Step aside, Thomas the Tank Engine; Grins' latest interest is Darth Vader.

Suddenly, my little arts and crafts-opposed son is drawing and sculpting masterpieces! A few weeks ago, Grins began drawing "Dark Fayter" as he

calls him - even in church, when he's supposed to draw 'church' related pictures. Last week the playdoh turned into Darth Vader and a red "life saver", and last night as we were writing letters to Aunt Abbie (at

outdoor school), the topic came up yet again. I don't know how long this phase will last, and to be honest, I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but I know it is near and dear to Grins' heart because I haven't seen him this interested in drawing, sculpting or writing since....well, ever!

So, while I can think of things I'd rather have him drawing and writing about, I am always happy to see my children discover a passion - and, though Darth Vader is from "The Dark Side", it seems harmless enough. And, as I've learned with my children, "it's just a phase!"

Phone Etiquette 101

Today I left Wiggles' bedroom after putting her down for a nap, and was greeted by Grins holding my phone, open. (Apparently I had left it in the other room while putting Wiggles down, and I hadn't heard it ring. But he obviously had.)

The following conversation then ensued:

(Grins): "I answered your phone when it rang. I told them you would be right back, but they hung up..."

"Who was it?" I immediately asked.

"Grandma" he said, but when I checked the call history it was not, in fact, Grandma, but actually an important call for which I'd been waiting. Fortunately, thanks to call history, I was able to connect with the woman, who told me my son had said I would come to the phone....but after waiting an extended period of time, she wasn't so sure when that would be, so she had hung up.

I decided it was high time we had a lesson in phone etiquette. I guess that, since we don't have a house phone, and the children are (generally) not allowed to touch our cell phones (except under direct supervision), this lesson has gone un-taught for far too long. And so it began. We spoke of how to properly answer the phone when it rings, how to politely take a message if necessary, what to say when YOU are the caller, and so on.

Then we decided to practice. Grins decided to call Grandma. I helped him dial her number, and left the rest up to him. It was adorable to see how excited he was....we speak with long distance family members on the phone fairly regularly, but he's never been the one in charge of the call, and it made a marked difference in his focus and seriousness. I heard the phone stop ringing and my mom answer "Hello?" To which Grins said "Hello. This is (Grins full name; first, middle, last). How may I help you?"

I couldn't stop laughing, thinking how cute it was that he had obviously remembered how to answer the phone (sort of - I never mentioned using his full name; that was his addition) - but was forgetting the 'caller' role....but my mom took it in stride and said "What can you do for me? How about give me a big hug and kiss?!"

He then went on to talk to her for over an hour, while I prepared for dinner (all the while thinking - this is Brilliant! Why didn't I think of this before??!!!) I didn't hear her side of the conversation, but chuckled frequently as he told her things from his point of view - how he was hoping to watch a movie if his mom would let him (ha!), how we would go pick up Angel from school at 3 (wow! first phone conversations, and now telling time, too? When did my little guy grow up?) Telling her about skating and sledding, and reassuring her that he was saving his money to buy a plane ticket to Oregon. And recommending that, if it ever did snow in Oregon, she try sledding down her big hill, since he strongly endorses sledding, now that he's a 'pro'. He mentioned things he's been working on, books he's read, gifts Angel and Wiggles got for their birthdays, and more! He just went on and on, pausing to listen, then answering her questions and even turning the conversation in new directions. I couldn't believe how at ease he spoke and at such length! It made me realize that, between his two sisters and me, the poor kid often can't get a word in edgewise, but actually has quite a lot to say! And that, despite how busy our life seems to get, I should take more time to just sit and talk with him. He is really very interesting, and a fine conversationalist! (Incidentally, he and I did enjoy quite a lovely conversation this morning as we washed dishes together. He has a new found love for handwashing dishes [the warm, soapy water feels SO good when it's as cold as it's been here lately!] - and we spent most of the morning doing just that together (since we had a big baking day yesterday and someone - ahem - shirked a certain dish duty last night. But it made for a wonderful morning chat for Grins and I.)

What turned into a simple little lesson in phone etiquette taught ME much more, as my children often do. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pick his brain about politics.....

Holding Hands

Nothing brings me more joy than the love my sweet children have for one another! These 2 in particular are the best of friends (most of the time). Today Angel had a little meltdown after school (didn't think it was fair that Grins got to choose where we went skating first - SHE wanted to be first!) and no amount of love, snuggles, reasoning, joking, kissing or ignoring that I did could seem to snap her out of it. But as I looked over while making dinner this is what I saw: Grins' magical touch - just the holding of her hand - and her mood was instantly changed. The whole feeling of our home and family literally transformed in a second or two. Amazing. Nothing can take the place of the love of a sibling! (Keep in mind that the Mr. was on call so this was a SUPER simple meal; crepes! With no tablecloth! :) But I'm still posting the picture online; that's how comfortable I am with myself!)

Grins

Have I mentioned that I'm grateful for Grins' dimples? I love them. Every time I look at his smile, I want to eat him right up. Sometimes I actually do - he's delicious!

Today, as we were getting in the car, he said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mommy!"

This little man melts my heart! I am SO grateful for my children, grateful to be a mother, and grateful for the honor and priviledge of being with my children (almost) every waking moment!

Another "prayer" post...

Lately, Grins has been frightened at night, and has taken to saying "Please, please, please, please, please......(more pleases than we can count) help me be safe." I finally said "(Grins), you need to limit yourself to 3 pleases per prayer." That night, he said "Please number 1, Please number 2, Please number 3 help me be safe!" The Mr. and I got a good chuckle over that one.

POWER and Prayer

My Grins may be small but his faith far exceeds his size! He is always the first to suggest that we pray (when lost, when something is missing, etc.) It brings me so much joy to see his little budding testimony grow, and his childlike faith is such an example to the doubter/skeptic in me.
Friday, I was in charge of a large activity at our church, and was in the middle of a very busy day. I had run some errands, returned home briefly to unload the car, then needed to quickly head back out the door. But I could not find my keys! I frantically searched, already running behind, but knowing they had to be nearby since I had just used them to drive home. Then suddenly, dread filled my heart as I realized I could have accidentally locked them in the car. I began to panic, then decided again to enlist Grins' faith in my cause. "Grins, I need to find my keys. Will you help me pray?" He was, of course, eager and willing. But after our first, brief prayer, we had no success. Frustrated and stressed, I began thinking of other options, when he suddenly said "Mommy, wait, let me say one more prayer!"

His prayer was so simple and pure: "...Heavenly Father, we know you have SO, SO, SO much power. Can you please let us have just a tiny bit of Your power so we can find the keys? You have SO much and if you just share a little bit with us then we can find the keys...." My first thought was "Well, now I know for certain we'll find them - surely God can't help but honor such a sweet little request?!" As soon as we said "Amen" Grins jumped up and said, "I remember, you put them on the ledge!" I checked the ledge but, when they weren't there, began doubting (oh, how quick to doubt I am!) Then, miraculously, I looked down into a crevace, where they must have fallen from off the ledge, but which had previously been hidden from view. I couldn't believe how quickly they missing keys were found.

This was such a simple, little miracle, but such a tender moment for me to recognize my son's faith, and gratitude that he had the opportunity to experience, firsthand, the power of prayer. It brought me back to my own, very first experience of the power of prayer, as a young girl of 3 or 4 years (just like Grins!) I remember being at a Christmas Bazaar at a HUGE expo center with hundreds and hundreds of people. Toward the beginning of the Bazaar, I had purchased a tiny baby doll that fit in the palm of my preschool-sized hand. It even came complete with an even tinier pacifier (small enough to fit in the very small baby's mouth...smaller than a pea.) Halfway through the bazaar (around and through which we had walked for quite awhile), I realized, with as much sadness as my 4-yr-old heart had known, that my baby's pacifier was missing. I immediately alerted my father to this fact, and he said "That's too bad." When I asked if we could go look for it, he said "Well, that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!" I can't remember whether it was he or I that suggested we pray, but I do remember him (all 6 feet 5 of him) kneeling down in the middle of the walkway with me, amidst hundreds of people walking around us, and praying that we could find the baby binkie. Can you guess where this is going? Yes, we got up, and not 10 steps later, we found the pacifier. And I still remember the incredulous - and relieved - look on my dad's face. But mostly, I remember the power of prayer, and how a kind and loving Heavenly Father took a moment from his eternally busy schedule to answer the insignificant prayer of a little 4 year old girl because it meant the world to her.

And it is so wonderful to see this come full circle, in the life of my own child. Man, I LOVE being a mother!!! And I am so blessed to have been born of goodly parents. My heart is so full tonight!

(Note: because I am currently WC (without-camera), I am using old pictures that *sort of* relate to my post - the top is Grins and Angel snuggling in the morning, just because it's so cute. And last is a picture of my Dad and my children - 4 of the people I love most!)

First Love

(Unrelated, but this is one of my favorite pictures of Grins. Could he be any sweeter?)

Grins has the special opportunity of being surrounded by girls - besides his older and younger sisters, he is the only boy in his church class, the only boy in his preschool class....the only boy - his age - we know. As a result, all of his friends are girls. Which he doesn't mind one bit, and which has never seemed to make any difference to him.

Today he was priviledged to play with one of his sweet little friends named Chloe. We had a playdate with her this past weekend when she stayed over late while her parents were out, and the two of them were up long past their older siblings (11pm!), giggling and whispering together, despite my many efforts to get them to sleep! Apparently they had a lot of fun together again today, because on the way home we had the following conversation:

Grins: Chloe is my best friend. I actually think I am falling love with her.

Me: Well, it's great to have friends and she's a very nice girl. I'm glad you care so much about her.

Grins: Well, I actually want to marry her. Is there a temple in Maine?

Me (trying to be serious): No, not yet. The nearest one is in Boston, Massachusetts. Remember, that's where I went last weekend....

Grins: Well, I want to move to Boston, Massachusetts.

Me: Why? (Trying to see how far this would go...)

Grins: So I can take Chloe to the temple and marry her.

Me: Well, why don't you just be her friend right now, and think about getting married when you're much older. I would miss you too much if you ran off and got married right now!

Grins: Well, OK. But I definitely want to go to her house again.

Me: That sounds great. We'll make it happen soon.

Where does he come up with this? Why are my children going so fast???!! What a sweet little thing, this lover boy of mine! He'll make some woman very happy some day.....but for the time being, he makes me SO happy EVERY day! I am SUCH a lucky woman!