Solo Play, Necklaces, and Overhead Lights

I've been a little MIA this week.  There have been a lot of things constantly pulling at my time.  I've been dreaming some big dreams and doing some intense research.  And that's usually good. ;-D  And I taught the lesson in church today -- on Honesty.  I learned a lot, reflected a lot, repented a lot (at least, I am working on that one), and have a new respect for what it means to have an honest heart and a new determination to have one.  I also realized, among other things, that I need to be more deliberate about making my children a priority and not treating them like they are in the way of me getting "things I need" done.  They are very much not in the way!  And I realized that I have too often been treating them like they are lately - or trying to find things for them to do to give me time to do "me" things.

Isaac and Abby have been going through some hard phases lately.  Abby is becoming so independent and so very into her little sister!  And Isaac has been left out quite a bit.  Sometimes he wakes up and immediately goes looking for Abby to play.  And Abby, instead of welcoming him, literally yells at him to go away and leave her to what she was doing.  Then a rejected Isaac comes to find Mommy.  This week he even took the phone with Grandma on the other end of it out on the trampoline and said, "Grandma!  We jumping trampoline, Grandma!"  Oh I almost stopped making breakfast right then to go and play with that little man!  I'm trying not to make too much out of it, though -- I'm sure it's just another phase!  And she is really cute with Brianna - getting down on the floor with her and laughing hysterically every time she gets in her face.  Or surrounding her with all the sofa pillows and putting a blanket on her to send her "night-night."

And don't forget the independent little girl who now wakes up and gets herself dressed before she leaves her room!  Not to worry - she also changes those same clothes a few times a day.  And it's a good thing her wardrobe is so well matched. Cuz she always goes for pink, pink, and pink! ;-D  It's her favorite color -- and Dave often remarks on how her bottoms and tops so often end up being pink on pink or changing to . . . pink on pink!  It's fun to see her so grown up!!!  Well, most of the time! :-)

Today in church, we were singing the opening song, Dave holding Brianna, Abby between us, Isaac on the other side of me.  Abby was holding the hymn book between she and I when she suddenly realized that Daddy didn't have a book.  She said, "Oh - " and quickly moved the book so that Daddy could see it, too. Then she sort of bowed her head, like she KNEW she had just done something really nice! Dave beamed and gave her a hug and told her thank you.  It was so thoughtful it made my heart smile.

An older lady - a lot like Great-Grandma Larson - sat on the other side of us and helped entertain the kids through Sacrament Meeting.  She had a pocket-sized folding mirror that she let them play with.  And she even gave Isaac her necklace from around her neck.  It made me cry - it was just the kind of thing Great Grandma Larson would have done.  And she would have laughed when they got really excited and screeched at the top of their lungs, "Look, Mommy!!!"  She would have even chuckled, her eyes dancing, when Abby turned off the lights when the Bishop was welcoming everyone.  I was totally caught off guard and took longer than the rest of the congregation to realize why the lights had just gone off and remedy the situation.  The Bishop said we were apparently ending a little early today.  "Granny" said that sounded good to her!

Isaac took that long necklace she had given him to play with and walked deliberately over to me, getting up on his tiptoes, placing it gently around my neck, and then lovingly running his hands down to the curve to straighten it out and tapping it.  "There go, Mommy!" he said, as he lovingly and sweetly looked at me like, "So pretty!"  I said, "Thank you, Isaac!"  He beamed back at me, "You welcome, Mommy!" and he gave me a big hug!  I told him to tell "Granny" thank you for sharing her necklace with him - I said, "Say thank you, Granny!"  Dave tapped her arm and said Isaac was trying to tell her thank you.  She said, "Oh. Thank you?"  Isaac said, "You welcome, Granny!"

And Brianna?  Well - Brianna hasn't said Ma-ma-ma-ma since last Sunday.  I guess that was her Mother's Day present to me!  But Miss Brianna did have to go to the doctor for a double ear infection that had kept us up at night for too many weeks.  And that means we found out that she is OFF THE CHARTS in height!!! 32 inches at 7 months!  And her weight is just above the 70th percentile - 18 pounds, 5.6 ounces.  We're so proud!!!

Is it any wonder why I love my kids?