Kept an eye on Sally

During family prayer, DH noticed 3-year old BBG opening her eyes and motioning to no one to close eyes and fold hands. Afterward, he asked me what she was doing. I said, "Oh! You haven't met Sally!" Sally is the new girl that our dear daughter has invented. She only appears during prayer time. Apparently, this smart girl had figured out that everyone has to close their eyes during prayer except for mom, who keeps her eyes open to tell everyone else to close theirs- ironic, yes?

Well if BBG can't seem to keep her eyes closed, she devised a way to justify this- she's making sure that "Sally" is keeping HER eyes closed and arms folded. See? All better.

When I shared this hilarious tidbit with my mother, she mused aloud about what would happen if I informed BBG that since I was watching all the children during prayer, I would keep an eye on Sally too, so BBG can close her eyes. I tried it. Surprisingly, she was willing to let me, and even laughed that I was wise to her. Smart cookie!

Prayed First

I'm a little behind on posting because of the funerals, sick kids, and this:


We have been without a dog for a little over a year. Now, you might be like my neighbor and scoff at me, "What are you thinking? Five kids AND a dog?!?" Yes, I thought the same thing as we drove the hour and a half to get her.

I have been seeing my otherwise sweet kids turn into selfish, whiny brats this past year. If I have them get up earlier than 8:00 on a weekend, it's as if I put them on the rack. My neighbor informed me that it's natural, "Kids are naturally selfish." Well I don't think I have to let them wallow in it. Therefore, we got a dog so they can take care of something else before they think of themselves.

We had to start with a puppy so my girls can grow with her and not be afraid as they were with our last dog. I wanted an Australian Shepherd because they are quick learners, can handle hot summers and cold winters (something I felt so guilty about with Shazdeh being a Husky in the hot Utah summers.) Aussies are also good with kids if they are raised with them.

Now a name. She looks like she has eyebrows, so we looked up "eyebrows" in other languages. Nobody liked Augenbrauen (German). French and Swedish interpretations were just as painful. The Spanish word for "eyebrows" is "Ceja", which is pronounced "say-ha". I thought it was cute and changed it a little. The vote was unanimous to name her Ceja, pronounced Asia with an "S" in front, "s-Asia".

Then the REAL work began. I had to be the where-to-poop trainer, the get-off-her-leg grabber, and the nipping-the-heals nipper. It's been a month and she's doing really well. The kids are coming along as well. It is as every mother knows; it takes longer to train a child than to just do it yourself.

If I hadn't prayed about getting a dog now, the type of dog, and whether it was best for our family, I would have broken down long ago. That goes for getting married and having each of our children too. I would have waited indefinitely until I felt I could handle it. Then, I would never have kids. When you feel that something is right, you also have the support of heaven through each difficulty.

This has been a good experience, and I am seeing the benefits of having this new responsibility in our family.

Listened

Have you ever felt prompted to turn down a different road, or go check on a kid, or call someone? Many times we feel these whisperings. When we do what we are prompted, oftens we never find out why we felt to do what we did. It could have been a test or the Lord helping you to avoid something physically or spiritually dangerous.

Today while driving to pick up my son, I felt an urgency to pray for him. I could hear him crying for help and felt almost panicked that I couldn't help him. I prayed the rest of the 5 minutes until I drove up. When he came outside, he was fine and happy. After casually talking to him, I realized that the promptings and my following through with the prayers saved him from something dangerous that even he was not aware of at the time.

I am so grateful for the Lord and His still, small voice. I am grateful for the POWER of prayer. I am grateful that I could gain the knowledge that the Lord loves this son that I get to take care of. I am grateful that He heard my prayer and acknowledged such a weak, fallible person.

Pray for your kids. The Lord loves you, and He loves those kids that you are babysitting for Him.

I Quit My Job

I have been praying about what I should improve about my character. Be careful what you ask for. I have seen MAJOR character flaws. For example, today while driving the kids to school, I was following an annoying driver. You've seen them- the type that you wish would turn the opposite way just so you don't have to share the road with them. I happened to follow him the whole way to school, and into the school parking lot. As he pulled to the curb, and I drove past him, I found my self looking at him. "Why? Why do you need to see his face?" I asked myself. As I pulled to the curb, and my kids shuffled out, I realized that I am a vindictive, mean, grouch who can't let things go. So, why I wanted to see his face? Because I wanted to keep score about what the idiot looked like so that the next time I saw him in the school, around the neighborhood or at the store, I could give him his well-deserved scowl and feel better that I had delivered justice upon this unsuspecting person. Yes, I was keeping score. Who am I to play traffic cop to all the idiots who forget to put on their blinker, forget to turn it off, go too fast, go too slow, or just do anything that I deem annoying? So, I decided to quit my job as traffic cop and stop keeping score. After all, I don't need ANOTHER job. Especially one that doesn't pay.