Prayer of the Children

We just found out that Dave's nephew went in to have his wisdom teeth removed and had a seizure.  His wife, who also had her wisdom teeth removed, posted on Facebook to request prayers in his behalf.  I called all of the kids in to kneel down and say a prayer.  I showed them TJ's picture, Beau's daddy, and Shaylee's picture so they would know who they were.  Then I explained that TJ was sick and in the hospital and needed our prayers.  Of course, they ALL wanted to say it!  So we knelt in a family circle and I let each of the kids say a prayer for them.  We talked about praying for Shaylee as well that she would have peace.  Isaac asked me what peace was.  I explained that peace is happiness, when the Spirit touches you and helps you feel good and know that everything is going to be okay.

It never ceases to amaze me how mature my kids are.  That Isaac asked me what peace was and then took that prayer VERY SERIOUSLY!

Each prayer also touched me.

Isaac: Please bless that TJ will be okay and won't be sick anymore and that Shaylee will have happiness from the Spirit.

Abby: Please bless that TJ will get better and that Shaylee will be happy.  And please bless we can get in our new house and have flowers and horses.

Brianna: Please bless that TJ will get better and that Shaylee will have the peace.

Happiness from the Spirit.  That was Isaac's take-away understanding of peace. And isn't that so fitting?  And as he said it, he was sincere and focused -- no lightness or laughter in his voice like he often has when he's praying.  I guess maybe he feels like daily prayer is a dress-rehearsal or redundant.  But when it counts, he's present.

Abby remembers to ask for our new house and flowers and horses in EVERY prayer!  She is so focused on what she really wants and needs, and she takes it to Heavenly Father in faith every chance she gets.  It is no wonder that we have had miracle after miracle in the timing, signing, and closing of our new house.  Another example from my life of people saying, "It's impossible -- it probably won't happen -- be prepared," and things being POSSIBLE, HAPPENING, and getting prepared being a waste of energy and time. I am SO THANKFUL for that constant pattern in my life.  And that my kids are LEARNING it in theirs as well!

I was very touched and actually started to cry when my little 2-year-old was the only one that simply asked that they be blessed with peace.  I often think she is too little to understand and remember things.  She was the only one who didn't ask.  The only one who didn't jump in on the discussion about peace and clarifying language.  And after the discussion and two prayers from her older siblings, she still simply asked . . . for peace for them.  I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say, except that I am amazed by her love.  I am amazed by her simple understanding.  I am amazed that she remembered and . . . obeyed isn't the right word, but something along those lines.  And I was amazed at her focused, humble, quiet, reverent tone. 

I love my children.  I am so thankful I get to be their mom.

Sunday with Daddy

The kids woke up around 5:30 this morning . . . which was actually 4:30 with the time change.  Isaac woke up Abby, and downstairs they went to take advantage of their new "freedom/talent": turning on the television and Netflix all by themselves.  It was a while before my tired mind cued into what was happening, and I got downstairs to bring them back up and put them in bed.  But Isaac never went back to sleep . . . Abby didn't sleep for long.  Brianna, who had been asleep in our bed since 3:00 with nightmares or who knows what, also woke up.  And Mommy never got back to sleep.

Two hours later, we realized there had ALSO been a time change.  So I went to church by myself; and Dave stayed home to put all the kids down for a nap.

When I got home, I found that NO ONE had slept yet!  Instead, they'd had a Daddy day:

They ate Daddy's homemade pumpkin/raisin muffins.

They read stories.

They learned to take pictures of each other.

They played Memory Match with the Animal Cards.

And they watched Veggie Tales.

It was a fantastic day!  When I got home, I had eyes peering down from the upstairs window and was greeted with huge hugs and bursts of excitement!  Now I know how Dave feels when he comes home every day.

We continued to play games.
And we had lunch.
And we ALL took a nap . . . all except Brianna.

Then Abby woke me up, asking if she could lay with me.  As we cuddled, she told me, "Mommy, did you know that I LOVE that there's a baby in your tummy?  And did you know that the baby in your tummy has a little egg around it to protect it?  Daddy showed us all the babies of the other Mommies in the book.  And they have an egg around them and are floating in water.  And then, they're going to come out of the egg.  Ummmm . . . I'm not exactly sure how they get out of there.  But the doctor takes them out, right Mommy?  And then we get to have a baby BROTHER!  I'm so excited for our new baby!  It's going to be SO CUTE!"  Dave bought a book on babies at D.I. and showed them all the pictures of what is happening inside my tummy!  And Abby is now ALL-KNOWING on all things baby!  Except how the doctor gets it out of there . . . . I think that one's going to remain a mystery for a while! :-)

After we cuddled and talked, we went down and played the matching game with Brianna.  And Daddy and Isaac sat on the sofa and talked and played games on the Tablet.  Until they watched a Living Scriptures DVD while Mommy and Daddy played Scrabble at the kitchen table.

We finished the night with baked sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, and grilled ham - everyone's favorite!

Before we put them to bed, Isaac started saying that there was a big, SCARY ghost in his room.  So Dave told him that tomorrow, for FHE, we are going to make "special necklaces" that keep ghosts away.

And then he said, "I think we need a story tonight.  Who's ready for a story?" This is a nightly tradition in our house - well, most nights at least.  Daddy reads or tells the kids a story before bed.

So they all gathered around to hear Daddy's bedtime story.  It started out, "Once upon a time, there was a man named Feklehump.  He had a wife - with a HUGE belly with a baby in it - and three kids:  One beautiful, sweet little girl with long, golden hair. One handsome little boy who liked to do things his own way.  And one adorable little toddler who was so much fun every time she got really tired.

One day, Feklehump turned into a ghost . . . . -- Um, Melinda?  Where is this story going?  I need a plot."

"I don't know - but it can't be scary or they'll have nightmares all night long.  Make it kind of funny like Casper."

"Oh - okay.  So Feklehump turned into a ghost.  And everyone knows that ghosts are supposed to scare people.  In fact, it's ghost CODE that they have to scare people, right?  And Feklehump was no different.  But he found out really fast that he had a very. serious. problem.  Every time he opened his mouth to scare people, it came out like this . . . ."

Then he took his hands and started to reach towards the terrified kids before suddenly yelling, 'Hahahahahaha!'" as he started to tickle them!

In seconds, fear turned into surprised delight, and they were ROLLING on the floor, laughing.  Abby was laughing that laugh that only comes to little girls when they are OVERtired and can't keep the laughter from coming out, no matter how hard they try.

And that was just the beginning . . . . .

And the ending of a PERFECT day with Daddy!

I LOVE Living in Utah

NEVER thought I would say that.  But I do. Let me count the ways . . .

1. Dave only works FOUR DAYS a week and gets home just 15 minutes later than he did the ENTIRE time we lived in California. AND we are within five miles of any small town we could ever want to live in.  Which means he can also bike to work - and we save about $200 in gas every month.  PLUS we get to have fun family days EVERY WEEK, no extra sacrifice required.  LOVE it!
2. I am NEVER afraid to open my garage door and see huge cockroaches scatter.  And really, even the biggest spider I have killed here was STILL smaller than the smallest cockroach I killed there. I will actually step outside my door without shoes here because I don't have to be prepared for the worst all the time.  And the only thing I'm afraid of the kids finding in the backyard is mud . . . that they made themselves with the sprinkler.  Not a bad trade, if I do say so myself.
3. We live SO CLOSE to so many temples!  Within 30 minutes, we can have a fun family getaway and be home again in the time it would have taken us to GET to the temple in Spokane or Los Angeles.  HUGE blessing!!!  And I may actually get to go to the temple while breastfeeding a baby this time around without having to plan my entire life around it.  I may go by myself, but with four children ages four and under, I am SURE there are worse things than a temple trip all by yourself!
4. The weather here is getting PERFECT for family outings.  We can take the kids walking, hiking, camping, biking, it's PERFECT!  And great as well for an early-morning getaway before the kids wake up.
5. There are so many things you can do in Salt Lake without having to LIVE like you live near a big city.  We have access to all the cultural and social perks that we could ever WANT to take advantage of without having to live in the middle of all of those who want the ones we wouldn't choose.  We can be to the country with cows, horses, farms, barns, and fields within 10 minutes of our house.  Or the city within 30.  Great arrangement!
6. My sister lives close enough that we can get together once a month.  I don't even have to PLAN a trip to her house if I don't want to.  And since I am pretty sure Isaac is FEELING his lack of male cousins, it's great to be around the only one his age for them to grow up together (however long it lasts) and not get ganged upon or left out by all the girls.

So those are my top six.  And with such a FABULOUS top six, do I really NEED any more?

Last Sunday we went for a family trip to the Salt Lake Temple and took pictures of the kids.  We also ran into some friends who have recently moved here from California as well.  So even the difficult time making friends here so far may have just been solved!  Heavenly Father has blessed us SO MUCH.  Our entire family dynamic has changed.  And I am SO THANKFUL for that.  

Searching for Understanding

I believe my last post was about my nephew passing away.  And I want to say a huge thank you to those of you who reposted it and responded so lovingly and quickly to our plea for help.  Thanks to your support, we received exactly the amount we needed to cover his funeral expenses.  It was truly a miracle - almost the moment we had "sufficient for our needs," the donations stopped coming in.  What a tender love note from Heavenly Father that He sent via so many family members and friends.

As Abby and Isaac have tried to understand what happened to Jared, and since they are a little older this time around than they were when my Grandma passed away a year ago, we have had a few discussions with them about the Resurrection, where Jared is, and that they will see him again. 

The other night before family prayer, we asked the kids to please remember to bless Uncle Orlan and Aunt Cindy and Kameron because they were having a hard time after losing Jared.  Abby said, "Where is Jared, Mom?"  We explained that he was in heaven.  Isaac asked, "Did he die from a gun, Mommy?" No - he was sick, very sick, and his body needed a rest for a while.  So Heavenly Father decided to take him home to live with Him again.  Abby asked what was going to happen to him.  We explained that Jesus died and was resurrected again - which means that He lived after He died and Jared and Great-Grandma and everyone else who died would live again, too.

Abby: How's he going to do that?  How's he going to live again?
Me: Jesus will bring his spirit back to his body and he will be alive again, just like he was before.
Abby: But what about the box, Mom?  How will he get out of the box?
Me: It isn't locked, Abby - Jesus can open it for him to get out.
Abby: Oh.

Then we had prayer, and this was Abby's prayer:
"Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you that Jesus will bring Jared back and open the box, and please bless that he can come back soon so Orlan won't be sad."

Man, they think about everything, don't they?  Tonight she remembered them again - no discussion prompting her this time.  Her prayer went something like this:
"Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, please bless that Heavenly Father will take his two hands and put them on Jared's head and that Jared can come back home soon.  Please bless Uncle Orlan and Aunt Cindy that they won't be sad anymore."  And Isaac asked the same thing - that Jared could come back now and that everyone would be happy again.

I think I take for granted at times the fact that I truly know that death is not the end.  I remember having some probing questions when my grandpa passed away -- but to hear the questions and the thoughtful, sincere prayers of my children as their three-year-old brains search for answers . . . it has really touched my heart on a deeper level.  I am thankful that death is not the end.  I wish that the pain was easily erased and that the resurrection could happen tomorrow so there wouldn't be sadness or loss or pain.  And I am thankful for the strong spiritual connection I feel from their simple prayers as they seek for understanding.  I have no doubt that Jared has found a peace he has not had for a very long time!  And I pray for that same peace and those same hands to come down and bless his family as they work through the loss, the longing, and the pain.

At Jared's funeral, Orlan wanted so badly to sing "In the Hollow of Thy Hand," which was a favorite of his and Jared's and which he had dreamed of singing at Jared's mission farewell someday (before the strokes made it impossible).  But he knew he couldn't do it alone, so my sisters and I sang with him.  Bless his heart, he made it through the first verse, a prayer to heaven as his son accepted a call home and walks a new path, fulfilling in many ways the mission he always dreamed of fulfilling here on earth and gaining understanding that his brain did not allow him to gain during his life.  For the second verse, we re-wrote it as a prayer for the family, that the Lord would hold them (us) in the Hollow of His hands as we work through it all and move forward.  I am putting the revision here, more for us to look back and remember and in hopes that reading it will bring peace and direction to the family for years to come.

"In the Hollow of Thy Hand" 

By Janice Kapp Perry, Revised for Jared Orlan White's Funeral

Dear Lord who blesses us with love, please send this day Thy Spirit from Above.
As this Thy Son accepts a call from Thee, help him we pray, in great humility.
Direct his footsteps every day, and keep him ever walking in Thy way;
Inspire him as he spreads the Gospel plan . . . Lord, hold him in the hollow of Thy hand.

In the hollow of Thy hand as he grows from boy to man, 
Help his understanding deepen and increase.
In the hollow of Thy hand as he grows from boy to man, 
May he know the special blessing of Thy peace.

Dear Lord who hears and answers prayers, please keep this family always in Thy care
As we prepare to be with him again, please keep us tuned to Thy eternal Plan.
Protect us from all worldly ways, and always send Thy Spirit when we pray.
Give us the courage to return again; please hold him in the hollow of Thy hand.

In the hollow of Thy hand as he grows from boy to man, 
Help his understanding deepen and increase.
In the hollow of Thy hand as he grows from boy to man, 
May he know the special blessing of Thy peace.

As we face this greater plan, and we strive to understand,
Give us shelter in the hollow of Thy hand.

Please Help

Dear Friends,

I have posted on Facebook but realized I have not come into this blog-o-sphere yet.  My nephew passed away a few days ago.  As a family, to literally try to raise money to cover the minimum costs of a funeral and bury our sweet Jared, we created a blog.  I would really appreciate it if you could link back to it on your blogs and help spread the word. No donation is too small.  By small and simple things are great things truly brought to pass.  Thank you so much in advance!  Much love to you all.

Melinda

Jared's Story/Blog - http://helpforjared.blogspot.com