Why did you look into the Sun?

Today dg5 told me he was sorry I had to wear glasses.
"It's okay. I don't mind. I've had them since I was a little boy."
"Why did you stare into the Sun?"
"I didn't. My eyes just didn't grow right."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I wish I didn't have to wear them, but I'm glad I have glasses since my eyes didn't grow right."
Silence.

It's not you, it's me.

Most of our problems have everything to do with us. Nh and I discussed this tonight a little. When we lose it because our three year old can't keep it together whose fault is it? Not the three year olds that's sure.

Last week I visited with a very nice woman whose mother wants nothing to do with her.
"How am I supposed to lover her?" she said. I said, "It really isn't about her, it's about you. God didn't ask us to love our enemies because they were nice, he just said love them. It doesn't matter how others behave, our capacity to love them has everything to do with us." I'd never thought about it before, but I think that's right.

KM17 hates college, wishes she had done x, y, z. I think it's within her power to change it. I don't know if she can yet, if she's where she needs to be, but it's not anybody but her.

I trust your papers are in order.

We sign the papers to sell and buy Thursday. What a headache. Holy Moly. There have been many blessing on the way, but I'll be happy when I lie down in my bed in my unpacked house for the first time.

The family we are buying the house from have been very nice and have actually let us begin to move some of our things in early. Bless their hearts. We are actually getting lots of help. Lord knows we need it. My good wife is working very hard and making great progress.

A few of my favorite things

Irrational Kids
When dg5 was little he was afraid that he would go down the drain. For a time we seriously couldn't pull the plug until he was out. Reason and time proved he was safe. Today wg3 told me he couldn't go down the drain and only the little drops could. Though nh reminds me that there was a time when wg3 would freak out because he thought his toys would go down the drain. I wonder at the difference.

Kids Wanting to Be Included
Whenever someone whispers in my ear wg3 also wants to tell me a secret. His secret is always the same and it's a suggestion. "Let's go to the park." The kid loves the park.

Kid's Prayers
We end our family prayers each night "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Last night, after a long litany of blessing and thanksgiving for every relative he could remember wg3 ended with, "and that's all I have to say!" We redid the ending.

Are you going to die?

That's what he asked her, "Are you going to die?"
It's an uncomfortable question with an obvious answer under every circumstance, of course we're going to die. He had already held her hand for awhile, his eyes level with hers as she lay in bed.
"Are you going to die?"
"No, I'm not gonna die."
"No, she's not going to die, that's why she got her surgery, now she just has to heal."
"Oh."

Of course we've talked about it. He's been present while we talked about it. She was doing well that night, but her post operative wound leaves a lot to chance.

They left and I continued to read to her from Moby Dick. She enjoys it I think, at least she asks me to keep reading when I ask if she wants me to stop. I asked if the boys were too noisy. She said, "No. I like having them here." I think that night it was true, questions and all.

They went up on the mountain

nh took the boys up onto the mountain. I worked and decided to sleep in a bed. I began to miss them long before I got off of work. Now I'm here and they're not. I'm going to try to rest and get ready for what purports to be a long, long week.

Before they left dg5 was worried they would be killed.

"By what?"
"Bears and snakes and mountain lions."
"Well, they do live there, but I've only ever seen one bear on that mountain." Then, the inevitable quesition...
"How big was it?"
"It was about half of the size of the jeep, but he was scared of us and ran away when he saw us. If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone so have fun exploring, but only go with Mom or Grandpa or Grandma."
"OK."

Scripture Reading - Revisionist History

Tonight we read scriptures as a family. We tried to teach the kids what the word "mock" means.
I asked nh to tell a story of when she was in high school and stuck up for a girl that other girls were picking on.

Afterwards, wg3 shared a story of when he was in high school and got picked on. It was an interesting story.

dg5 The Dinosaurs: Part One

Dg5 wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up. He can't remember it. He often says he wants to be an archaeologist.

The other day at his birthday party some friends gave him an egg from which he excavates a full dinosaur skeleton. It is very similar to the real deal and it took his Grandma MM and his Mom quite awhile last Sunday to do just part of the skeletal excavation.


Those same friends have a son, Creedance. Creedance also wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up. They tell the story of Creedance and kindergarten. One day he asked when they were going to get to the paleontology stuff and why did he have to go to kindergarten if he was just going to be a paleontologist. Dg5 caught onto this idea very quickly. I've heard the question multiple times.




Here is Dg5 with a dinosaur skeleton upon which he has poured a body. His mother helped him.

Holy cwap

This morning I woke at 5 am as usual. I shuffled into the living room and tuned in to Fox News coverage of Govenor Palin's 1st interview with Charles Gibson as John McCain's VP. I left for a shower when the Hurricane Ike coverage came on.

A little while into my shower wg3 entered the bathroom.

"Dad, there's a tohm on tv."
"Is there?"
"Yeah. It's a townado and water." (How he came to this I'll never know)
"Yes, it's called a Hurricane."
"A huwwicane? Holy cwap! It's coming to Awizona."
"No. It's going to Texas."
"Texas? Whewe ag6 lives?"
"You're right. She used to live there, but she doesn't anymore."
"Oh. She's at Grandma mm's house?"
"No, she's in Korea."

dg4 comes in. Uh-oh I think. Nh isn't going to be happy. It is now 5:30am. It's a ridiculous hour for the little ones to be up. I try to get them to go back to bed. They are groggy yet engaged. My efforts are fruitless. I'm all wet and half blind without my glasses. A few minutes later I see nh and she mumbles something about it being 5 in the morning. I know. I know. Sorry.

Consequences

dg4 kicked his brother after he fell down in church. He lost the privilege of consuming special treats for one week. He's weathered it fairly well. On Monday we went to Applebees at his suggestion. They sang he and his brother a happy birthday song and provided ice cream sundaes - a special treat. What would you do?

One true thing: he's stopped whaling on his brother, for now.

dg4 & I

Monday dg4 and I ran some errands together. It was great to have time alone with him. He asked one question after another and another and another. "Dad?" "Yeah?" "Dad?" "Yeah?" etc...

We talked. I loved it.

Lately he's been wanting to make a movie. He keeps asking and we just haven't put the time together. During our errand run dg4 suggested we make a commercial.

I said, "Okay, what kind?"
"A no smoking commercial."
"I think they already have those."
"Yeah, but everyone would watch this one."
"But maybe they won't quit even if they see it."
"No, they will."

We played at the mall play area. Kids make friends so easily. dg4 ran and played. Then we shared a piece of pizza. I love that kid.

Sleep Routine

Sleep routines are common with me. Lie on the right, on the back, on the right, on the back, sleep.

Tonight I lay down with wg3 to try to get him to sleep. His routine is a lot like a gymnastics tumbling event. The bed isn't really big enough now, but if he doesn't grow out of that sleep routine we'll need to put him in a gym to sleep.

Scary Eyes

When wg3 misbehaves I give him the evil eye. The other day he said, "When your eyes pop out they're scary." I said, "Like this?" He said, "Yeah, like a scary monster." "I'm sorry buddy," I said.

A Good Man

My church calling is Ward Mission Leader. In this role I have responsibility to work with Ward Missionaries and Full Time Missionaries. In my years I have met many good and faithful people. People who love one another and love their fellow men and want to share the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Recently a Ward Missionary was called. He is a good man. He arrives early at our meetings. He fulfills his assignments and then returns and reports. He gladly accepts assignments and then does more than he's asked to do when he can. If all men were like this man this place would be a better place. He remembers all those souls we talk about and when no one else remembers them he reminds us. He is one of the faithful. I'm grateful for his example and service. He is a good man.

Summer Wanes

Tonight after leaving Grandma D I walked to the car. The summer air was warm. I put the windows down, all four of them. No radio. It was a nice drive home.

Tomorrow is the appraisal on the home we live in. A few days later we'll know whether or not this is all going to be a done deal. We both feel positive about it, we both are thinking it's going to happen. Here's hoping.

Grandma D has moved

Two days ago my Dad went early in the day to visit my Grandmother. He found her in the dining room, hunched over in her chair. Worried, he immediately went to the nurses station to get help. Upon arriving he spoke with Kim, the head honcho.

Now as a little background, my grandmother has a huge open wound on her tailbone. When I go to visit her she is begging me to put her back in bed at just over an hour.

Kim responded, "I know she hasn't been put back in bed since breakfast." That was about five hours previous. My Dad lost it. Kim was intimately involved in the treatment of Grandma's wound and she knew that Grandma had been there for 5 straight hours. Grrrrr. No wonder my Dad lost it. She moved that day to a new facility. Her surgery is scheduled for the 15th of this month. How can we set up a system that allows for human beings to suffer needlessly? When is that ever okay?

My knee

I've been exercising and yesterday was a good day until... I was just doing an easy exercise and my left knee, on the second set, first rep felt strained. I stopped immediately and gave it up for the day. And then OUCH. I can walk on it fine, but I don't dare try steps or even standing from a sitting position. I'm hoping it isn't serious and it will just heal. Here's hoping.

Happy Birthday wg

Today we celebrate wg2's birthday. I asked where he wanted his birthday party and he said, "Aunt G's." As it turns out Auntie G wasn't going to be there. I asked him to pick again. He said, "Maw Maw and Paw Paw's." Today we're off. Here is a picture of the dinosaur cake he made with Mommy and dg4. It should be a fun day. He is bubbling over with excitement and I mean bubbling over.

Last night nh took dg4 to purchase the presents. wg2 and I were on our own. wg2 said he wanted to go to the mall and play, "you know the one with the movie theaters." I got the idea to go visit his sister first, so I asked him, "wg2, would you like to go see your big sister first?"

"No."

"What? You don't want to go see km17?"

"Ummm. No."

"Well we're going. We'll just stay for a minute okay?"

"I don't want to go!"

"Well, were going," says I and we did.

A tender mercy for a little criminal

A while back I was leaving the courthouse downtown. I was fighting a ticket I felt was unjust. See the earlier post titled "I fought the law and the law won" where I whine about it. I left and was upset. A little less than a mile away I was surprised to see police lights in my rear view.

Momentarily I thought about throwing in my chips and beginning a life of crime. Instead I took the high road and pulled over. When the officer came up to my window he asked if I knew what I had done.

"No."
"I paced you for about a mile, you were doing 40 in a 30."
"I'm sorry officer, I just lost a decision in court and I was distracted. It was unintentional, I'm sorry." I must have looked pretty upset.
"Were you the lawyer or the defendant?"
"The defendant."
"Slow down and be careful okay?"
"Thank you officer."

It was a tender mercy I was in need of.

I just finished traffic school on-line for the great state of Utah. More money, but heaven's-to-Betsy no points. I've begun to use my cruise control everywhere I go.

Attention Span

The housing stuff is obnoxious. I can't stand waiting. Can't it be done already!! Our realtor says, "We're in cruise mode now." Which doesn't mean anything except we are waiting and waiting and waiting and wait.... Bleecchhh.

An edge to my voice

When I get worked up there is an edge to my voice. I don't know it because I hear it or do it, but nh, dg4 and wg2 are quick to note it.

Yesterday nh and I were talking at the dinner table and there it was. wg2, squints, points his finger and tells me, "You don't talk to Mommy like that." What a saucy dude, I actually kind of like it.

I looked him square in the eyes, squint, point and say, "Don't you talk to me like that."
He puts his finger down, continues to squint and purses his lips a little. What a saucy dude. This picture is only a close approximation of the real thing. I'll try to capture the real deal later.

Violence and a win-win

Last weekend dg4 straightened his arm, twisted tight at the waist and unsprung a full fledge smackdown on his brother, connecting open-handed right in the face. To his great misfourtune I saw the whole thing. His brother's only offence??? Squeezing by him to get through the doorway he was standing in.

Needless to say I didn't like it. I was angry, which is the worst state to punish a kid in.

Afterwards, during the "I've just punished you and it's over" cool down period, I was getting dg4 ready for bed. It was hot in Uncle jg's house. He wanted to wear pajamas with long sleeves and pants. I said no way and gave him two choices. He could wear his underwear or he could wear the shorts he'd worn that day.

"I don't want to wear my shorts."
"Good, underwear then."
"No. Dad."
"C'mon dg4, choose or I'll choose for you." He paused, thinking, then asked if he could wear one of cj's shirts as a kind of nightgown. A win-win. Thanks for the lesson kid.