Three
Weeks in Review
We
have some big news. Drum Roll… Zachary started
walking.
It’s still mostly just short
distances, but he’s doing better every day.
The delay in the blog has been because I took the kids up to Dallas. We had fun playing with Nana and Papa. We started out with a trip to Joe Pool Lake and
went kayaking with Tim, Christy and Dallin, Des, Stanley and Henry, as well as
Nana and Papa. Bekah Mae really enjoyed
the kayaks except for when they came back to shore. We enjoyed playing at the parks, went for 4
and 5 mile walks along the Joe Pool dam (saw a coyote on one of the
walks). I think the highlight of the
trip was playing Batman Hide and Seek with Papa. Batman (Benjamin) and Batgirl (Rebekah Mae)
were chased by the Joker (Papa) while Zachary was given the role of Robin,
though he was carried by the Joker. We’ve
had numerous repeat opportunities to play since we’ve been home and the one
real benefit is that the kids are at least tired after all that running.
Robert
and Ben have been building a little wooden car this week. Ben decided it should be the Batmobile, so we
are in the process of painting the correct colors. We’ve also done a lot of building with Tinker
Toys, it’s amazing what kind of things Ben and Bekah can come up with to build.
We’ve
done a lot of playing at parks, reading and mostly just having fun together.
Our
Cute Kids
I
have fun listening to Ben and Bekah Mae say prayers. Mostly they are just thankful for whatever
family comes to mind, but occasionally they are a little more unique. Bekah tends to be thankful for her baby dolls
and Minnie Mouse or some of her books.
Ben in one prayer was first, grateful for Batman and then grateful for
the prophet. I appreciate that most of
the things they are grateful for come without prompting, but it would be nice
if they were a little better at blessing the food.
Thought
This
week we finished reading about Alma the Younger and his visitation by the
angel. I enjoy reading this for the
conversion story aspect that in most cases, no matter what your sins, you can
be made clean, but as a parent there is another verse that stands out to me.
In
Mosiah 27:14, the angel is speaking to Alma and says, “Behold, the Lord hath
heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who
is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou
mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have
I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of
his servants might be answered according to their faith.”
I
like knowing that the Lord answers parents’ prayers. There are some days when I feel like I am
constantly asking Heavenly Father for a blessing for either my children or my
ability to raise them right. We’ve been
given such an important responsibility in rearing these precious souls and sometimes
I wonder if I am up to the task and other times I wonder if it is there goal to
make me absolutely crazy. On the days
that seem the hardest for either me or them, I often send up a quick prayer for
guidance and ask that I might be able to recognize and appreciate my blessings. I wonder sometimes if I’m getting the guidance,
though each day that passes gives me better perspective and I think that helps
me to handle everything else, but it’s the blessings that mean the most.
Ben
loves to come up and ask for Mommy Snuggles and he tries to so hard to be a
helpful big brother. Bekah likes to watch shows and cuddle. For her favorite shows, she has given us all
the character names. From Croods, when
she is Eep, Ben is Guy and Zachary is Belt, Robert and I get to be the
parents. On Frozen, she is Anna, Ben is
Kristoff, Zachary is Sven, I’m Elsa and Robert is Olaf. She does this for several other shows
(Zachary always tends to be an animal, which I find pretty funny). Zachary has been a bit of a tough baby the
last few weeks as he’s quickly added four new teeth, but even on the days and
nights that he doesn’t seem to stop crying, he’ll wrap his arms around you and
lay his head on your shoulder or lean in for a quick kiss.
I
guess what I’m saying is that I truly feel like my prayers are being answered
when even on the most frustrating of days, I am able to still appreciate my
children for who they are and love all the little things that make them unique
and special and the best kids in the world.