Letter - Chad's Birthday, Essay, The Potty Train

Saturday, May 17, 2014

I missed writing my letter last weekend.  I needed a break.  Monday, May 5^th was a sad morning.  I found out that my cousin’s toddler was killed in an accident.  It was on my mind all day.  Sometimes it helps me to write to get my feelings out so I wrote this blog post about trials. 

Tuesday I spent the afternoon at our rental home running the weed eater and lawnmower in the front yard to get it cleaned up for the next owners while I waited for a glass repairman to come and fix a loose piece of glass in one of the windows.  The grass in that front yard was mostly dead, but it had grown over a foot tall in the cracks of the sidewalk in some places.  We are supposed to close on the sale of that house next week.  Oh how I hope and pray that everything will work out with the sale and that we will never, never, never be land lords ever, ever again.  Tilly was supposed to have her first swimming lesson that afternoon, but we didn’t get finished in time and so she missed it.  For YW we did a fun service scavenger hunt.  The Mia Maids were in charge and had everything well organized.  The girls did a lot of nice service for the bishopric and other members in our ward. 

Wednesday the girls didn’t have Grammy days because Brenda was on a cruise with Anna for Mother’s Day.  FUN!! The girls and I took the van to get the oil changed, went shopping for mother’s day gifts, and went to eat at Taco Bell/Long John Silver's for lunch.  We of course at off the taco Bell menu.  We're not seafood fans in the this family.

Thursday was Chad’s 35^th birthday.  When Chad came home from work he told me that one of his friends at work told him that he’s now old enough to run for President of the United States.  I’d vote for him, but I don’t think either of us is cut out for politics, so he won’t be putting his name on the ballot.  Shocker I know.  I gave Chad the remote control airplane that he asked for.  He and Spencer have had a lot of fun with the airplane Spencer got for his birthday, but crash landings and running into trees and stuff like that have taken quite a toll on the plane and so it was time for a new one.  I also made Chad this little movie of me playing the piano.  I came up with the idea a week or so before his birthday and practiced really well for two days and then I got busy and forgot to practice.  Late in the afternoon on his birthday I remembered my idea and practiced a very little bit and had Spencer record me.  I needed more practice; my performance was a pretty rough around the edges.

I’ve got to quit writing for now.  Chad and I get to go watch a Diamondbacks game this evening in a Chase suite as a team building activity so I need to go get ready. 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

I’m back now.  We had a good time at the game.  It was fun meet Chad’s coworkers.  But we only stayed for a few innings because we had been invited to play volleyball with some of our friends that night and because it’s nice to get out of there before people get too drunk. 

Friday the 9^th we had a rough morning getting ready for school with Karalee.  Again.  When our stake president’s wife spoke in our stake conference she shared that in their family if a child gets into trouble they have to write a 400 word essay about the subject before they are allowed the privilege of being with friends again and then child share his/her essay in their next family home evening.  I thought the idea was genius.  Karalee isn’t quite old enough to writing an essay so I came up with these questions for her.

In order to get your privileges back, you need to answer these questions in Complete Sentences.

Why is it important to have a good attitude and to not whine?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I whine and have a bad attitude how does it affect me?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I have a bad attitude and whine how does it affect others?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What does contention mean?  (Write the whole definition from our red dictionary.  I’ll give you a hint, it is on page 175.)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read 3 Nephi 11:29 in the Book of Mormon. (It is on page 429.)  Who wants us to have contention in our home and family?  Who do you want to follow, Jesus or Satan?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How can I have a better attitude and not whine in the morning?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I like this type of consequence because the preaching of the word has a great tendency to lead people to do that which is just and is more powerful on the minds of the people than the sword or anything else which happens to them. (Alma 31:5)  Karalee wrote some very thoughtful answers.  However, when I was looking up articles on lds.org about helping children have a good attitude I found this article that helped me realize that I could change some of my behaviors too.  I also found this fun display about attitudes to share with Karalee. Friday evening Chad and I went to his favorite Chinese restaurant for his birthday dinner then we went shopping for my Mother’s Day present.  Since I asked for clothes he wanted me to be with him and help pick out my gift and try it on.  I got a nice new skirt.  Friday evening the kids and I slept outside in the back yard.  Sadly we’ve never done that before.

 Saturday the 10^th I was asked to sing in a small group for a special number at our Stake RS Meeting.  It went well.  Our stake RS president, who happens to be a good friend from my ward, shared about trip that she and her husband went on.  He traded some work for some cruise tickets and some standby airline tickets.  They were shuffled from city to city on their flight.  And ended up in the wrong city in Florida, had to rent a car, then take a cab, and when they were close enough to see their ship their cab started smoking and broke down.  They started walking with their luggage since they were about to miss the boat and were kindly picked up by some other people headed on the same cruise.  She shared how we don’t have to fly standby to their Celestial Kingdom.  We can stay on the covenant path.  It was a great RS event.  Saturday afternoon I was assigned to go help decorate for the “Mormon Prom” which 10 stakes in the area host each spring. 

Spencer had an over-nighter with the Deacons on Friday and didn't get much sleep.  He fell asleep before dinner and fell back asleep at the dinner table waiting for the blessing.

Sunday, May 11^th was mother’s Day.  It was a nice day.  The kids gave me some nice handmade gifts and cards.  I gave my modesty lesson that day.  It went well.  We invited Brenda and Anna over for dinner that evening.   

Monday of this week I had a YW presidency meeting at my house.  We planned out details for our upcoming combined YM/YW Grad night luau.  I started potty training Tilly after the meeting was over.  For the last few weeks when I change her diaper I’ve occasionally said to her, “We need to potty train you!”  Last week she told me, “Mom, I want to ride the potty train.”  It was so cute.  Monday I put her in the laundry cart and told her that was the potty train and then we put big girl underwear on her.  She is doing pretty well, but I am so busy that I end up putting a pull up on her a lot of the day when we run errands.  The process is going to take longer that way, but I don’t want to have an potty accident while we are out running errands.

  

The potty train

Tuesday Bryant finally got his tongue rake out!!  It didn’t do quite what the doctor hoped, but after almost one year of having it in the doctor said if it won’t work it a year, it won’t work.  We’ll have to see what the next step is in about 6^th months at our next visit.

Wednesday the girls had Grammy Days and I went to the temple.  That afternoon the Beehive counselor and I went to welcome our newest Beehive into YW’s.  As I was saying the closing prayer I had an incredible experience.  I was thanking Heavenly Father for Gracie coming into YW’s and for the contribution she will make in our YW’s program and I felt such an overwhelming feeling of Heavenly Father’s love for Gracie.  I had never felt anything like that before.  Today as the young women were reciting the YW’s theme I felt a part of that again.  Heavenly Father loves his young women immensely.  Wednesday evening Bryant had his last football practice. 

Thursday morning I went visiting teaching.  Tilly had her 3^rd swimming lesson that afternoon.  She doesn’t like swimming lesson all that much, but she’s doing well and progressing.  She does like the part where she gets to do “monkey walks”.  Spencer had a doctor’s appointment that afternoon.  I took him out of school a bit early.  He was worried he had a hernia, but the doctor thinks he’s ok.  He wants Spencer to go have an ultra sound since we have such a family history of hernias, but I haven’t set that up yet.

Putting on makeup before going to my visiting teaching appointment

Friday morning my visiting teachers came to visit me.  That afternoon Spencer met with the merit badge counselors for the photography and woodworking merit badges and turned in his blue cards.  He has earned enough for his Star now.  He just needs a board of review.  Friday night Chad and I drove over to Phoenix near the I17 and Dunlap to watch my nieces Tyler and Tori play for the Lobos in the semi-final state championship round of their softball tournament.  Sadly they lost, but the girls did a good job. It was fun to watch them play.  Trey and Trevin came to stay the night with us and play with my kids.

Shadow dunking

Yesterday was Bryant’s football tournament.  They got out the first round and had a completely winless season.  So sad.  I had to miss his game because I got asked to play the viola at a funeral in my old ward.  They were really hurting to find someone to play.  I had hoped to catch the first part of Bryant’s game before I had to leave for the funeral, but there were no parking spots at Discovery Park since it was tournament time and I couldn’t find a spot fast enough to catch part of his game.  I felt really guilty about it all the way to the funeral wondering if I made the right decision to play for the funeral instead of watching Bryant.  I had a talk with Bryant about it when I got home and he was ok with it.  He didn’t seem to care at all since his team isn’t very good.  It’s hard to choose between two good things.  Sometimes it’s good for your children to see you make sacrifices to serve others, but sometimes you just need to be there for your kids too.  Balance is important.  Yesterday afternoon we took the kids and Trey and Trevin swimming at the Lamoreaux’s.  Then Chad and I went to the Diamondbacks game and to play volleyball.

Well that has caught me up.  If you’ve read this whole epistle you must really love me and I love you for it!!  Today has been a nice Sabbath day, busy, but not without time to rest and relax.  My quote for today is from the funeral yesterday.  “Most human misery represents ignorance of or noncompliance with the plan [of salvation].  A cessation of such mortal suffering will not come without compliance to it.  Hence, the Lord, who has freely shared this vital knowledge with us, has urged us to teach the fundamentals of this plan ‘freely’” (Elder Maxwell, April 1984).

Love,

Mindy