morning questions

We had a very casual conversation about death moments before the girls walked out the door this morning. I know, not really the topic I would choose to send them out the door with, but it was such a wonderful teaching moment I almost didn't get anxious as I turned around, shut the door and walked back in the house alone.


[taken last night during dinner, but looked a lot like this morning]

It all started after reading in Alma 11 (book in the Book of Mormon) where Amulek is teaching the people about our temporal death and how Christ overcame it through resurrection and so will we.

Megan: So mom when I die my spirit can't get sick?
Me: Your body is what gets sick so no, after you die, you can't get sick.
Megan: laughing - That means I can eat all the candy I want and I won't get sick.
Me: Well if you don't have your bodies I don't think you'll need to eat.
Megan: But I'm going to want candy, I just know I will.
Tess: I want food. I can't live without food.
Bella: But your spirit won't need the food...see?
Tess & Megan: no.

There was some giggling at this point and then the conversation moved on from there.

Megan: Mom when I'm really old you'll be dead?
Me: Yep, I'll be in heaven.
Megan: Will you be there to meet me when I die?
Me: Yep, I'll be there and your dad will be there and grandma and grandpa and nana and papa and...
Megan: and grandma Dot?
Me: Yes grandma Dot too.
Tess: and your brother Alan?
Me: Yes, Alan will be there too. Even members of our family you didn't know like my grandma will be there, but you will know them after you die.
Bella: Megan we'll be together forever...all of us.
Megan: I will be sad when you die.
Me: I know, but I will be old and it will be time.
Megan: I love you mom....up to heaven.
Me: I love you, all the way back.

Of all the mornings the girls have been distracted while we've read scriptures and I've walked away discouraged wondering why I attempt to do it, it suddenly becomes crystal clear after moments like I had this morning why.

They are listening.
They are watching.
Our efforts are not in vain.

xoxo,
amy

on the other end...

Remember how I talked about getting a prepaid line for our home phone, well I finally bought it and am in the process of switching phone numbers etc... and that's where my story begins.

I was looking everywhere for this phone. It's small, but no one has used it so I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I put it. I kept calling it and walking around the house listening for a ring, but nothing. Mid search a little voice in my head said, Megan may know where it is. She was eyeing it a few days before and even asked if it was for her. So I called Robyn's (she was at her house) to get some answers, but no one picked up so I went on searching. About the tenth time I called, right when I was ready to give up figuring it was turned off and lost, I suddenly heard the ring on the other end stop and the phone clicked. Someone had picked up the phone.

There was a long pause and then a giggle. It was then that I knew...there is a reason we mothers have instincts.

I said, "Megan is that you?"
I heard, "Megan it's your mom."

Pause

Megan: "Hi, Mom."
Me: "What are you doing?"
Megan: "I'm playing."
Me: "No, what are you doing with the phone?"
Megan: "Oh that, i don't know."

She had packed her bag to spend the night with her cousins and for reasons, still unknown to me, she packed the phone as well. Only Megan would decide that was a good idea. Oh dear. I think we may be in some trouble.

here are just a few photos from the other night...

snippets from this morning in my bed

One minute I was lying in bed in the quiet trying to not wake up and then next I had three little girls next to me. These are the pieces I heard...



"What if this was the only bed in the house? That would be really squishy for dad." -megan

"Megan you smell like Marigold." -tess (Marigold is our friends dog)

"Don't bite me." -tess
"Than get your fingers away from my mouth." -megan

"I see a bunny rabbit on the ceiling...sorry that was random." -bella (she was referring to the texture on the ceiling.)

"What are you doing?" -me
"Enjoying your bed." -megan

"It's all your fault!" -tess

"Mommy, I'm stuck on you." -megan

"Stop! I'm trying to lay in peace." -bella

"Come on Tess let's do our jobs. I'm doing the dishwasher." -bella

"I'd rather play than work." -tess

"I'm so tired I feel like I can't even get up." -megan

"Sorry I didn't know." -tess
"Ya yuh did." -megan

"UGH!" - tess

"I want my own grapefruit." -megan

"What are we doing today?" -megan

good for a laugh...

Megan stole this mini book I made for her own creations. The book did have a purpose (for someone else) and I probably would have been more upset had she not put it to good use. She calls it her "scrapbook" and rightfully named. It's full of colors and shapes and little pictures that represent how she sees the world. I love it and have plans to steal some of her ideas for my own.

The other day I was looking through it and found this picture. It was the last entry.



It instantly cracked me up. I was sure of her message, but wanted to find out from her. Later that day I asked her to tell me about the page. She said, "Mom, it's you and dad kissing, you know, but I couldn't put your faces together and me doing this" at which point she lifts her finger to the side of her head and moves it in circles (the crazy sign). Then I asked, "Why would you do that?" and her reply was, "You know, you're kissing.....it's awkward." (she drew out the last word)

and then she laughed.
and I laughed.

I guess somethings kids just know.

four for one

Today is a music day.
I know it probably sounds crazy, but I don't listen to music everyday. Some days I need the quiet, other days I crave the noise. Today just happens to be one of those days where I need something. Right now I'm listening to the Weepies, Adele, and Jem.

She said

[as of saturday. it looks slightly better now...slightly.]

Me: "Tess, have you seen my red marker?" (said while fumbling through my studio looking for marker)
Tess: "Maybe you could find it if you cleaned off your desk."
What can you say to that, especially since that has been my advice to her?
Me: "touche'!" (is that how you spell it? I never took french.)

Spring snow


It's officially spring as of Saturday and it couldn't look further from that outside. Big snowflakes have been falling since last night and my world is covered in white. While I'm not to happy about it, I want 70 degrees again, it does look beautiful. I'm enjoying it like it's the last time I'll see it until November comes around. Hopefully that will be the case.

She made my day


We spend most of the day together yesterday while the other girls played chess with their dad. She told me lots of things like the meaning of the word "crush". Apparently it's when two people kiss. Should I be afraid that she knows this word even if she got it wrong? Then she told me she loves me because I take care of her, and that I'm good at it. It felt important for me to hear and definitely saw it as a tender mercy from above.

a family portrait

[who knew we had a cat.]

the same girl that drew this family portrait also said this morning while trying to figure out what she wanted for breakfast, "Mom, I don't know what I want for breakfast, I just want it."

Poor megan unfortunately inherited my indecisiveness. Let's just hope she's got some of the good stuff too, to outweigh the bad.

she said

M: "Tess, you need to go get ready for dance."

T: "I feel too tired to go."

M: "You really should go because you're not going to be there next week, plus you're always tired after school."

T: "Mom, I know. Wherever I am I'm tired {pause} except in bed."

her show

Adam and I were talking the other night about how we don't have many videos of our kids. We are actually quite disappointed we've missed so many great opportunities to capture them with their funny sayings and personalities. Well, there's no time like the present to get started, after all they are still young. So Thursday while Megan and I played go fish or rather "gold fish" as she likes to call it, she was cracking me up by saying things like "hideous" that I pulled out my Nikon coolpix with the video option and captured the video below. I hesitate to share it because I know I think it's hilarious because she's my child, however, I do realize it may not be funny to anyone else....though by watching it you now may understand what I mean when I talk about her way. Yes, I thought the video was funny, but it was more the way she reacted to it that cracked me up.


[ps this is probably our 8th game of the morning, but our 100th game of the week.]

She loves this video. Loves it. I was working on some tags yesterday and she sat in front of the computer and replayed it over and over. She kept saying, "I want to watch my show". I think we listened to it at least 20 times while she sat there.



It was cute to see her giggling about stuff she would say and it made me happy to think she will have this memory forever. It definitely made me see we have missed out by not pulling out our video camera. I've actually wanted a flip for a while now so maybe I'll invest in one soon.

P.S. After playing 'go fish' all week I have been dying for some new card games. Please share some that would be fun to play with only 2 people. We played war, but it wasn't as fun as I remember and now I wonder if we were doing something wrong.