Last night the beautiful, glamorous Olivia was leaning against me talking and started ... there's just no other way to say it ... picking her nose. So I pulled her little finger out and said "Olivia, that's not very lady-like." She nodded her head seriously and said "I know, it's boy-like."
Muh-ha-ha! I'd like to pretend I make these things up so I can take the credit for them, but I can not. They really happen. So thank you, children, for making my life so very rockin'.
Speaking of Olivia the Great, this morning I was doing my chores like a good girl and suddenly Missy Foo-Foo runs in and yells "Mom! I cleaned your room! It's a surprise! Come on and close your eyes!" Sure enough, after a trip down the hallway covering my eyeballs, she ta-da'd her magical work. And she had, in fact, cleaned everything that was on the floor and put it on the bed. Isn't that sweet? I thought it was the sweetest thing to be such a good helper. She gloried in her praise, too. One thing I absolutely love about Olivia is her ability to acknowledge and accept her own goodness. If I say she's so sweet, she says "I know!" If I say she's so funny, she says "I know!" If I tell her she's so beautiful, wonderful, kind and good, it's always "I know!" And it's not like she says it with an ego, it's just a cheerful little acknowledgement that she is pretty much awesome. I hope -- hope, hope -- that somehow she will always know she is pretty much awesome.
Guess what. Little Miss Katelyn Jill is a walking woman. That's right, folks! Over the weekend she just decided it was her time to shine. Granted, she walks like she's under the influence of something fun, but she is walking. She. Is. So. Happy. It's just a very cheerful little/big thing around our house right now. She walks better if she's carrying something in each hand, too. Isn't that funny? When Olivia was in physical therapy to help her learn to walk, they actually told me that would help. And darnit, it does. Funny, huh. Kate figured that out all by herself, though, she didn't need no Mommy telling her how to do her thing. Katee is also our earliest walker. For the record books, it goes:
Katelyn -14 months
K.J. - 15 months
Olivia - 16 months.
Congratulations, third child. Way to shine! To quote Thomas, Little engines can do big things!
I'm going to admit something very shallow.
You know the Kardashian family on t.v.?
I could just watch them for hours. HOURS. And I'm not exactly sure why. I think they're just ... I don't know, funny. Entertaining. And here's the kicker -- we don't have television. But darnit, when I have the chance and they are on, I'm all over that reality t.v. junk food.
I don't know why. Isn't that funny and sort of strange? Please don't judge me. I just want to be honest about myself. And with myself, also. So there you have it -- The Truth.
I thought a lot about 9/11 yesterday, as I'm sure all of you did, too. What a significant event in all of our lives. And no matter how many times I see that footage, it stick shocks me, makes me shudder, makes me cry. I bought a Life Magazine about 9/11 to show to my children -- the pictures are accurate but not too graphic, and I want them to have an awareness of what happened that day. So we sat down on the couch after church and looked through the book as Daddy and I explained what happened. Olivia wasn't too interested yet, but K.J. understood on a very basic good vs. evil level. He especially loved what we told him of the story of flight 93 -- I could hear him explaining it to his little cousin Leighna last night -- that the bad guys took over the plane, but the good guys weren't going to let them hurt anyone else, so they took it back! But they didn't know how to steer it, and they crashed. They died, but they are heroes, so we don't need to worry about them because they were so brave.
I felt thankful to be reminded of how much I value our liberty, our safety, our freedom.
Then this morning I just happened to be in Ether Chapter 8 in the Book of Mormon, where Moroni warns against the secret combinations in the last days, and how we much fight against them. I thought that was ironic. Impresses the point upon my heart. I hope you don't mind if I share those versus with you, but they matter a lot to me. I remember reading them soon after September 11, 2001 and feeling that grim determination. Here they are:
22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.
23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain -- and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.
26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.
Lots to think about!
I am thankful for The Book of Mormon. It has had an incredible influence upon my life -- always for good, so much good that I feel that shining hope when I read it. Hope that one day if I stick with it, it can help me become the person I dream of being.
So I think I'll stick with it.
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