Little Lemmings

When Claire was just learning to crawl I was in the kitchen working when I got an incredibly distinct impression to not walk but RUN to find her. I did so, and literally slid in order to be in time to save Claire from falling down the stairs. The gate had been left open, and she was just about to go down head first and land on our tile floor at the bottom. Thankfully, by listening to this prompting, we were able to avoid disaster.

Ben came home that night and I told him how I saved our daughter's life. He shrugged and said, "well, I feel like we save their lives everyday. They are like little lemmings- constantly about to kill themselves if we are not there watching and protecting them."

Countless stories can be told by us and by you of how we, as mothers and fathers, have saved our children from hurting themselves. That is our #1 job, and one I know none of us takes for granted and are very diligent in accomplishing.

This morning, however, I learned (again) an incredibly valuable lesson: There are times when our efforts are not enough and when divine intervention and miracles are needed. I realize miracles come in all different shapes and sizes and look different for different people. But, today we had a miracle that may have indeed saved our children's lives- and at the very least saved us some serious injuries.

In the morning when the girls wake up we let them play while Ben and I sleep for a little longer. They always play great and we have never had any problems.

In the midst of this morning's ritual, however, Ben and I suddenly heard a huge "BANG!" with Claire's earth-shattering cries after. Immediately Ben jumped out of bed, with me slightly behind him as I was too stunned to move as quickly as him.

The girls had decided to climb into a large wardrobe in Claire's room. They were taking out all the clothes and climbed to the top. This wardrobe is incredibly heavy- it is made of solid wood and is quite large. Well, you guessed it- the wardrobe fell on top of them.

To my eternal gratitude, a miracle occurred. As the wardrobe fell, the doors opened up in such a way as to catch in between the bars of the crib and the falling motion of the wardrobe stopped as the doors wedged themselves into the crib, causing it to not come crashing all the way to the ground and squishing the girls.

What is the likelihood that the doors would be open at the exact position to fit exactly in these small slats between the bars of the crib? Not very likely at all. I consider this a true miracle.

***UPDATE: In looking at the wardrobe, it looked to me as if it was too short to have had the length to be able to get the doors caught in the crib. I measured- I tipped (slowly) the wardrobe down to see if it was possible. It wasn't. Based on the height of the wardrobe, it should have gone crashing to the ground- with or without the doors open. It was at least 2 inches shy of reaching the crib. Yet somehow, it did. If that isn't a miracle, I don't know what is. I'm crying tears of gratitude right now just realizing how much my girls were protected this morning.***

There are several lessons to be learned here:

1. Fasten all furniture to the wall (we are actually going to be removing the wardrobe from the bedroom today and switching it out with a small dresser that does not have the weight or capacity to hurt our children)

2. Despite our best efforts, I need the Lord to be watching over my children as well as just me. This is not to say that we will be spared every injury and every accident- but it does mean that I need to put my trust in Him. I have prayed ever since Audra was born that my children would be watched over and protected by His hands. Today they were- of that I have no doubt.

3. Miracles are still alive and well. Sometimes the miracle is one of comfort and peace when things do not turn out the way we wish they would. I am grateful today that we had the "Miracle of the Doors." This is a day that I will not soon forget!

Swim Love

I told the girls we were going swimming, so Claire immediately ran to the swim bag and got ready:

Look very closely to see why I had to run and get a picture!

(Plus, how on earth could I pass up this adorable pictures of my two favorite girls?)

Joan of Arc and The Fly Lady

 

I was reading a book the other day and it talked about how some children are more spirited than others. But, the author asserted, that is a wonderful thing because the world needs spirited people to accomplish great things in the world. He said that Joan of Arc was certainly a spirited child. 

Not surprisingly, I liked that thought. Claire is without a doubt her own person. She is spunky and energetic and assertive and curious about the world around her. Of course I am biased, but I think the author is right and that Claire has the perfect make up to do something fantastic in her life.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily make raising her any easier, but it does help to put things into perspective. I know, for example, that when she is a teenager she will never do anything just because the other kids are doing it- she will be able to stand up for herself. I know that because she stands up to me all the time! I know that she will gain her own testimony and not rely on mine because she is curious and will need to know the truth for herself. I know that because she is curious and must always find her own way.

I checked out a book called, "Raising Your Spirited Child." (what do you think of it, Jenny?) I haven't read it yet, but so far it describes Claire pretty well, although it appears she is on the "mildly spirited" side as opposed to the "extremely spirited" side which is nice.

Either way, she's going to make a great Joan of Arc in the future!

Then, completely switching gears, have any of you heard of The Fly Lady? I stumbled across THIS blog and I love how on the homepage she asks:

Are you living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)?

Our house is not that messy- generally. I usually keep it mostly clean, and I'm usually not embarrassed to have people over. But, I think Ben would be more than happy if I put a little more effort into cleaning so I thought I would give it a try. I have only been doing it for 2 days, but I LOVE the babysteps, and I love having a sink that shines- it really does make a difference!

So I thought I would pass it on in case you were looking for some motivation- in an easy and friendly manner- to clean.

By posting this, I am now going to be held accountable- further motivation to continue with the baby steps!

A Conversation

Here is a conversation Audra and I had this morning regarding a VERY small cut she had on her hand:

Me: How did you get that cut, Audra?

Audra: When I was carrying knives.

Me: (in shock) When were you carrying knives?!?

Audra: When I was setting the table yesterday. (she was carrying BUTTER knives from the drawer to the table)

Audra, again, in all seriousness: Maybe you shouldn't let me walk around with knives.

Hmm...I hope she doesn't tell this story to her pre-school teacher!

And, not to be outdone, here is what Claire said when Ben kissed me when he got home from work today:

"NO, Daddy no kiss mommy!"

I LOVE these girls!

Talent Show

Tonight was the talent show. The cutest part was before hand I told Audra that we were taking her horse to the church and she started laughing hysterically and said, "WHAT? That is so silly!" I love that girl!

Her artwork was named, "Decorated Horse." She chose the title after I gave her a couple to choose from.

Special Talents

Yesterday Audra was up in her room playing and then she called down to me and said, "Mommy, come here- you need to see my horsie." I went upstairs and saw this:

 Of course, she was dressed up as well (and oh-so-excited for a picture):

I had to take a picture. But then I got to thinking: this kind-of thing (dress-up) is really a talent of hers. I am not expecting her to be a fashion model or anything like that, but for right now in her 4-year-old world, this is one of her passions and talents.

On Friday night, the children at church are putting on a talent show. I was going to have Audra draw a picture, but now I think I am going to bring her dressed-up horse as her talent instead. I bet nobody else will have a dressed up horse on display as their talent!

Temple Promises

I am putting this on here to file away for future use- I don't want to forget this. If you want to read it, feel free and enjoy, but admittedly- this post is all about me wanting this. It's my blog, and I say that I can throw in some things just for me.

President Vaughn J. Featherstone promised if members of the Church would spend half a day in the Temple each month the following blessings would result:

1. A man would become mighty, and a woman powerful.
2. It would serve as great "insurance protection" for your marriage.
3. The blessings of the eternal God will be called down upon you, and great spiritual growth will be yours.
4. Unseen angels will watch over your loved ones when Satanic forces tempt them.
5. Your families will draw close to the Lord and there will be no empty chairs in the Celestial Kingdom.
6. Your children will go on missions.
7. Your children will get married in the temple.
8. The veil will be thin, you will have spiritual growth, and many spiritual experiences will distill upon you.
9. You will be prepared for exaltation-with a celestial body, a celestial mind and a celestial personality.
10. You will become receptive to divine guidance and receive spiritual perception to help you grapple with your problems and cares.
11. You will see clearly how to make critical decisions that weigh heavily on your mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Temple statement for Utah South Area - Given in the Manti Temple April 1987 by Vaughn J. Featherstone

"The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan has unleashed every evil, every scheme, every blatant, vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. We and our wives and husbands, our children, and our members must find safety. There is no safety in the world, wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this Church alone cannot bring it.

As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate to us. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over us and guarding our Temples. Angels attend every door. As it was in the days of Elisha so it will be for us: 'Those that be with us are more than they that be against us.' Before the Savior comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety sake.

I believe we may well have living on the earth now or very soon, the boy or babe who will be the prophet of the Church when the Savior comes. Those who will sit in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are here. There are many in our homes and communities who will have apostolic callings. We must keep them clean, sweet, and pure in an oh-so-wicked world. There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend will feel their strength and their companionship. We will not be alone in our temples.

Our garments worn as instructed will clothe us in a manner as protective as temple walls. The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren waste, sickening plagues, disease, destruction and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagles wings, we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and as clear as the moon.

The Savior will come and will honor His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple loving people. They will know him. They will cry out, 'blessed be the name of He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Thou art my God and I will bless thee, Thou art my God and I will exalt thee.'

Our children will bow down at his feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials ever known to man. His bowels will be filled with compassion and His heart will swell as wide as eternity and He will love them. He will bring peace that will last a thousand years and they will receive their reward to dwell with Him.

Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples. Come, come, come up to the temples of the Lord and abide in His presence."

Vaughn J. Featherstone

We Did It Again

I know you are all thinking, "how could they possibly fit any more fun into their vacation?" Well, we did!!! On Friday we went to Wild Waves and had another fantastic day.

Audra and Ben went on the "Kangaroo Hop"- a ride Audra desperately begged to go on. It was the only ride with a line, so I didn't want to go, but Ben agreed and Audra was not disappointed. It was super cute.

Here we are on top of the Ferris Wheel, which turned out to be the favorite ride of both Audra and Claire. I told Audra I was scared because we were so high, and she said, "don't worry, I'll hold you" and then she put her arm around my waist and kept saying, "don't be scared, mommy!" I will miss these days...

 Ben went on with Claire, with the strict rule that he needed to have two hands on her at all times so she wouldn't fall out. Did he obey the rules? No. But apparently Claire was a perfect girl, sitting nicely while they went around.

Audra and Claire on the Safari Jeeps. Earlier in the day this led to massive tantrums from Claire because she refused to sit down so we had to take her off. She spent 10 minutes on the grass having a full on tantrum. But after that, we had no problems with her sitting on the rides. Sometimes, we just need to let her get it all out and then she's fine.

 Audra and I went on the log ride, which was a little scary for Audra but we still had a great time.

My only complaint is that there was almost nothing that Claire could do- only about 3 or 4 rides. They didn't even let adults go on the train, so she couldn't even go on the train which was really lame. But, we made do and had a great time anyway.

Channeling Inception

On Wednesday we left for a quick 2-day Trip-Within-A-Trip to Leavenworth. We had never been before, even though it is only a couple of hours from FW. We had a great time! It is a really cute Bavarian-themed tourist town. Mom, Dad, and the Younce's came with us which was great. Audra LOVES being with her cousins!!!! I am going to cry when we leave because Audra won't get to play with her cousins again for quite some time.

 We stopped at a Pioneer Village just outside of town in Cashmere, WA. It was really cute and it allowed the girls to run around and get their energy out. Of course, all Claire wanted to do was run in the sprinklers so she got all wet and got to wear wet clothes the rest of the ride home. Oh, well.

 The girls found some hills to roll down.

 We also stopped at Snoqualmie Falls on the way home- it was WAY worth the short detour! 

What a beautiful place!

 You can't see the Falls, but it's actually a great picture of our family, so we will take it!

Audra's 2-0!

Last night we went with the fam to an M's game, and they actually won! Plus, we saw the world's coolest play where the runner stole 2nd AND 3rd because he turned left instead of right on his single and the A's didn't notice (it's hard to explain, but it was awesome!).

We got a sitter for Claire- thankfully. We love her, but we don't think she would have enjoyed the game. We felt like we were missing our left arm with only one kid in tow, but it was a good decision.

Audra had a fantastic time, and was sobbing when the game was over because we had to leave. All the cousins basically played musical chairs the whole time- all begging and asking to move chairs to keep switching which cousin they were sitting next to the whole time. It melted my heart to see Audra having so much fun with her cousins!!! I SOOOOOOO wish we lived closer to them so they could spend more time together. Sigh.

We got to take the lightrail downtown- it is REALLY nice! And, I'm proud to say that my amazingly talented friend Danielle helped design the stations, and they are the coolest stations I have ever seen!!!

 At the game- we had a blast! And, I told Audra if she took a nap before the game she could have some ice-cream. That's all she could talk about, and since it was pink ice-cream, she loved it.

 Audra got to hold baby Makenna, which made her night. She really loved sitting next to the babies.

Even though the 9th inning isn't shown, this was the final score. Another great night!

Just Another Day In Paradise

Beautiful weather, great friends, fantastic family. What could be better?

Here's the Ballard Locks. We spent about an hour there, and that was enough for me- Claire kept trying to climb the fence, and I was incredibly worried she would fall into the Locks- which would have been really, really bad. So I took her back to get the stroller, but then she finally calmed down and let me just hold her.

 They loved looking at the fish in the salmon run.

 Then here we are at Golden Gates Park- I LOVE this place! The weather was unbelievably great, and even though the water was cold (as it always is in the NW- remember, we need to weed out the wimps:)), it was a perfect day. My brother-in-law said it was like Greece, only colder. And without the crowds. I guess we can save ourselves a trip to Greece!

 Claire put these goggles on and then walked up to everyone on the beach and made 

this exact pose- it was really cute:

Seriously, today was a perfect day.

And, Ben and I need to figure out how to put a beach in the backyard. Claire is so incredibly HAPPY when we are at the beach- every time we go she is in heaven. She LOVES LOVES LOVES the beach. It is so fun to see her so happy- so fun, in fact, we are going to another beach tomorrow!