Marie Hearts Diet Coke

We have FINALLY found a game my children and I can play together and nobody ends up in tears! It's a miracle!

We are not amazing game players. We are casually working on it, though.

The Double B accidentally set his alarm clock to the wrong time and headed into work two hours early last night. So after starting his commute, he turned around for home and slept on the couch for a hot minute. Basically, he got about four hours of interrupted sleep. Yikes! He took it like a champion. We had a little date today going to different tool stores, while he looked and hemmed and hawed over different paint sprayers and I stared at his cute face and the way his hair is really going silver on top. Then he bought me a Diet Coke, so it was a big success.

Tonight Benson was playing like he was a waiter and was taking Olivia's order, writing it down on his little notepad with his crayon. It was so stinking cute. She ordered a Diet Coke but then looked at me seriously and we had the following conversation:

Liv - Diet Coke has caffeine in it.

Me - I know.

Liv - Caffeine is bad.

Me - It can be, it's not very good for you if you have too much of it.

(Olivia looks at me like she fears for my eternal soul.)

Me - Drinking caffeine is not against our religion.

Liv - It's NOT?!? Oh, phew!!

And... scene.

What the heck, people?! Who is teaching my child this??? I have fought against this culture-confusing-itself-as-doctrine for twenty years, and here it is in my own house! Dadgumit. The great news is, I have a whole case of Diet Coke in my garage, and when fast day comes to a close, I will go and get a can and enjoy it mightily. With some lemon.

I am such a rebel.

*Actually, I'm not, because drinking Diet Coke is not against my religion.*

Sometimes I'm amazed at the things I'll really take a stand on. But this is one of them, because I LOVE my religion, and get seriously annoyed when someone tries to push culture as doctrine. It's yucky and happens more then it should.

Moving on.

This afternoon I went for my walk (trying to take a little better care of my vessel that I love and appreciate so much) and was listening to conference talks, 'cause that's my jam. Elder Holland started in on "Behold Thy Mother" from October 2015 when he compared a mother's love to the Savior's. By the time he got to this quote, I was a blubbering mess:

"What mothers do is an essential element of Christ’s work. Knowing that should be enough to tell us the impact of such love will range between unbearable and transcendent, over and over again, until with the safety and salvation of the very last child on earth, we can [then] say with Jesus, ‘[Father!] I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’"

Boo hoo tears as I walked briskly down the street. Ha! They were happy tears, though, because I get to be a Mother. And I want nothing more then to have the opportunity to finish the work God has given me to do with these four amazing humans.

We all voted to watch Pooh Bear tonight, but it wasn't long before Benson and I were the only ones in the room, having a great cuddle on the couch. He thinks Pooh is very, very funny. I do, too.

KJ spent the day at a merit badge clinic.

Kate and Liv took turns nicely sharing devices and drawing and chillin' out at home.

Benson went potty some more!

And winter break is almost over. And that's just too bad! It's been pretty dreamy.

Church tomorrow at one. Nobodies favorite. New year, new church time. But! Big benefit of one o'clock church: easier fast. My sis Trina pointed that out to me, and the girl is right.

Nighty night!