Like father, like son (lucky boy!)

Tonight Sammy and Stephen gave a lesson on how a little kindness can go a long way when someone is being grumpy. To illustrate the point, we role-played some different scenarios where someone would do something that made someone else grumpy, but then would do something kind for that person to help them feel better.

So Mason barged in when I was having quiet time (then rubbed my back), Sammy woke up Mason when he was trying to rest (then quietly asked him to play later) and Sammy interrupted Elise when she was reading a good book (and then offered to do her chore for her).

Then Sammy wanted someone to do something to make him grumpy. So I went off on how he needed to unload the dishwasher for blah, blah, blah reasons. Sammy's response? He perked up, jumped off the couch and went running into the kitchen calling, "Okay! I'll unload the dishwasher!"

I had to call him back and remind him that he was supposed to be grumpy with me--and that he had already unloaded the dishwasher today. :)

Lucky boy, he's just like his Daddy--nothing rattles him!

Playing catch up!

Mason helped me with the captions. Enjoy!

Sammy has some awesome outfits...

double yolker!

Trevor is helping by setting the table (don't you love his squat?!)

Sambo and Mr.T are helping clean at ballet (it's how we afford for Elise to dance, and free child labor is hard to beat!)

Twinkie thinks something is loud (the oven mitts are for his quesadilla--it is hot so he puts on the mitts...3-year-old logic, don't ask me!)

having fun! (A beautiful December day, before the snow fell)

Edison is cooking an orange peel (after spraying the oil to make it flame)

low gas! (I couldn't believe the price so I took a picture to document it)

The Nutcracker

Ballet is pretty all-consuming at our house--Elise is at the studio 5 days a week, for a total of about 8 1/2 hours a week of dance time. During Nutcracker season our entire Saturday afternoons were spent at the studio for rehearsing different parts. It was a great opportunity for her, tho, and I'm glad she could do it! Here are some pictures of her different parts...

Harlequin Doll

Party Scene Child

Chinese Dancer

Soldier (that's her in front)

I have some videos of her dancing, but can't find them at the moment...stay tuned!

QOTD - Sammy

Just about everyone in the house has been sick in one way or another the past couple of weeks--teething, ear infections, the flu, colds, tummy aches, ear aches, fevers...and all the joys and sleepless nights that go along with those things. I'm awake so much during the night that I feel like I have a newborn again! ...yawn...

Anyhow, Sammy was lying on the couch after church today with an upset tummy, falling in and out of sleep. At one point I went to snuggle with him and asked him if there was anything he'd like to do with me. As Sammy does, he took a minute to consider the question, then replied:

"Why don't you read a Bible story to me and then we can share our favorite scriptures."

And we did.

QOTD

Tonight for dinner we had a delicious baked potato bar. Bacon, sour cream, gravy, cheese, corn, broccoli, green onions, salt & pepper...along with a amazing green salad (if I do say so myself...and I do). Lincoln isn't a fan of eating pretty much anything except noodles & beans or shredded wheat, so I served him a small piece of broccoli, a couple kernels of corn, one bite of bacon, one bite of potato and a pile of cheese (he likes that). I told him he needed to eat everything so that he could have dessert. He cried, "NO! Shredded wheat!" I said that would be fine, once he ate what was on his plate.

He wouldn't eat it at dinner time, and still didn't when dessert was served, but cried and sobbed on my shoulder, poor guy! When everything was cleaned up he came to the table and asked for shredded wheat. I told him he needed to have a bite of potato, then he could have his shredded wheat. He couldn't bring himself to do it, which led to him crying in bed,

"I hungry, Mommy!"

I kind of wish I hadn't made that ultimatum, but I really thought he would at least try the potato and then he could fill up on his beloved shredded wheat. Well, maybe next time he'll try the potato...or maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut and set a bowl on the table for him. :)

Faith - or - More of the Gerbil Saga

Last night I was reminding the kids that today was Fast Sunday when Sammy piped up about the three times in his life that he has fasted. Once for my Grandma, his Mormor, once for a woman in our ward who the kids call "Aunt Jana", and once for George, our she-gerbil.

A little over a month ago Nancy, the other gerbil, got out of the cage. Sadly this escaping was turning into a regular event (under the fridge is the favorite hiding place). Needless to say, I wasn't very happy, especially when it was going on a week and she was still on the lam.

One morning we were all ready for our school Opening, a rare event when all the morning chores were done, the baby was napping and we had nothing scheduled for the entire morning except to read some books and play some games that I had pulled out. Just as I was getting settled in, Mason came sobbing to me holding a very cold and lethargic George.

I was certain that she was a goner. She had recently been on the lam herself (found UNDER MY BED), and I thought that perhaps she had gotten injured in the recapture. I had Mason put her under his shirt next to his skin to see if he could warm her up, but really that was more so that he would feel better giving him something to do to try to help her. I tried to prepare the kids for the inevitable demise of their beloved she-gerbil, and we all (including me) took turns holding her and trying to make her as comfortable as possible for when she would leave us. I found an old, soft sock that we put her in so that she would be easier to hold, and we passed it around every so often, telling things that we remembered about George.

After over an hour of this, I stepped out of the room to call Stephen and let him know the state of our kids, and while I was gone, every child said a prayer for George. Also, I found out later, every child decided to fast so that George would get better and not die. Soon I was called back into the room, "Mom! She's moving!" Sure enough, she had a little more life, but I was still convinced she wasn't going to last long, so tried to keep the kids from getting too excited. However, as I held her and felt her moving all around and saw her eating again, my hard heart was softened and I realized that God really does hear the pleas of his little ones.

Not every prayer they offer will have the same results, obviously, because neither my Grandma or Aunt Jana are still here, but maybe my kids needed this small miracle to look back on to realize that God does hear and answer their prayers.

We later found out from our veterinarian friend that she possibly might have been going into hibernation, and warming her up was just what she needed to snap out of it. Even if that was the case, I still choose to believe that a loving Father in heaven was showing some of his faithful little ones that he cares about what is important to them. And that is knowledge worth having!