What Really Matters, According to Me

Josh had so much fun with that little carton of chocolate milk someone left JUST within his reach too near the edge of the table. He's not even a year old yet and he's already getting the hang of being a kid. I'm looking forward to many more messes that little guy will certainly make around here. If I must say so myself.... WAY TOO CUTE! Even if the video is a little on the long side... oh, well.

I used to get frustrated when some little kid of mine would paste petroleum jelly all over her head and my bed, nightstand, alarm clock, wall, window... you know? I used to feel slightly impatient when I would find a sweet little brown faced boy on top of the refrigerator with chocolate cake mix all over his face, the top of the frig, down the wall beside the frig, in the rubber gaskets that seal the frig door... you know? Once upon a time I was slightly miffed when I found a happy preschooler filling the drawer of the front load washer with the whole, just opened box of Oxy-Clean. There was even a time when a baby face painted with all-day wear lipstick would have made me sigh. But there's no sense sweatn' the small stuff. If it weren't for the funny things like this, life wouldn't be so much fun. I wouldn't be able to sit around one of these days in my old age and say: remember when? Levi did a good job catching Katherine soon after her little sneaky episode getti...

We came through a difficult few days pretty much OK. My mother is recovering from what might have killed her. We came to a place that was hard to be. The doc said she needed a tracheostomy (tube inserted in the neck through which oxygen is administered). She'd need to be in a nursing home. My mom has said repeatedly she doesn't want to be in a nursing home. She doesn't want to be on 'life support'. So, quickly we came to the crossroads. Was her life worth saving if it might be a life she said she hadn't wanted? Is it better to be? Or not to be? It was a hard place for my sister, who holds my mom's medical power of attorney 'privileges'. My sister asked me what I thought. I said, 'Do it!' Let Mom wake up and tell us she doesn't want to live like this. Let her tell us she'd rather die than live in nursing home. Wimpy way to go, huh? Turns out, we stood at a crossroad that removed from beneath our feet, even as the doctor prepared us for...

I was privileged to visit a sweet young mother today who gave birth to an adorable baby girl yesterday. It was such a nice, if brief, visit for me. I love the sweet spirit present when a new baby comes into the world. I shared a poem by Carol Lynn Pearson that was shared with me when I was expecting my first child almost 22 years ago. I don't know if I remember it completely, as it was spoken to me, and though I have a relatively good memory, I'm not sure if this is correct: Day Old Child by Carol Lynn Pearson My day old child lay in my arms. With my lips pressed against his ear, I whispered softly: How I wish, I wish that you could hear. I've a hundred wonderful things to say, (a tiny cough and a nod) Hurry! Hurry! Hurry and grow, so I can tell you about God. My day old baby's lips were still, And my words only tickled his ear, But a kind of light passed through his eyes, And I saw this thought appear: How I wish I had a voice and words! I've a hundred things to sa...

Charity is so talented. She sings (as do most 11 year old girls, right?) and loves to dance. She is clearly musically gifted, but what I consider to be one of her greatest talents is her ability to learn quickly and her instinctive application of that which she has learned in appropriate ways... in other words... she's pretty sharp. She is learning to play the piano now, which is to say she's learning to read music and coordinate that with striking the correct keys on a piano keyboard. It's a process that takes many people years to get down. She is making amazingly rapid progress. Not only is she learning to read and strike well, but she likes to tinker around at the keyboard and create her own music. She has a very good ear for it. The annual talent show for the fifth graders at her school came around and Charity wanted to be in it, of course. She wasn't sure if she should sing (a capella) a favorite song from the musical "Annie" or if she should play the pia...

Well. It was quite a weekend. We followed Dad (Daniel Sr.) to Ingleside, Texas, where we have a 'second home'... haha... have to laugh at that. It'll be nice, once it's finished. Maybe we can rent it then and it won't feel like a huge weight around our financial necks... but I digress... We went to Ingleside. We planned to be together for Emily's 5th birthday and to take advantage of the long weekend, as there was no school Monday due to President's Day. We picked oranges from our orange tree. We went to the beach. We broke the pinata and had cake. We attended the Portland LDS ward on Sunday and saw some friends we hadn't seen in a while. Then, Sunday night I called my mother. She wasn't well. The short version is that she has pneumonia. My sister took her to the ER, but on the way had to give my mom rescue breaths and call the ambulance to pick her up. It was pretty traumatic for her, for both of them. Now my mom is in the ICU in the Guadalupe Valle...

So... I love my kids. I like to have them around. Back when I worked from 'the' office attached to our shop building, I'd come home and get the kids after school and take them back with me to finish up... from time to time. The video associated with this entry is much like it was on a regular basis when the kids came with me to work. I have to laugh when I watch it. I'm smarter now, I think. I have a little corner in the game room where my desk and files and all are situated. I work late at night or when the little ones are napping... sometimes I plug them in to the TV, I hate to say. I snatch a bit of time here and there and do my best to keep it all in check. My kids can come and go and I can pause as needed to care for their needs... sometimes just their wants. It works. Mostly. I hope, when all is said and done, that my children will each be able to look back on their childhood(s) and say they felt loved and valued. I hope each one knows and feels he/she was cheris...

Philip, my 17 year old son, was backing out of his usual parking place in front of the house this morning, on his way to seminary, and side-swiped his granny's car. So... that set me mood of the day. Poor kid. He always leaves around 5:30 A.M. from the same place and pulls out in the same direction. He had forgotten that Granny was here overnight. So... first fender-bender. Could have been worse, right? It's not like he was speeding down the freeway and barreled into somebody. He was following his routine and was on his way to do something good; to learn the Scriptures. He wasn't out and up to no good. Accidents happen. I had to tell Philip that, when his dad was 17, he wrecked his car near a swimming hole we called 'Sequin Bridge' because he had been trying to fish-tail in the gravel. Daniel/Dad did manage to get the car swinging back and forth for a moment before he hit pavement sans gravel. Then the tires took hold and he ran right into the bridge's cement ra...