On Saturday, while Rob was home with Avery, I took the other three kids to the library. We perused the shelves for books we were interested in and spent a little time reading there. Unfortunately, the library closes at 6:00 on Saturdays, so we couldn't stay as long as we would have liked.
Alex recently found he has a love of reading! (Yeah!!!!) I've had a hard time even getting him to listen to books up until now, much less read on his own, so when he checked out his first "Magic Tree House" book (by Mary Pope Osborne) and read the entire chapter book in one evening, I tried not to get too excited. Incidentally, this was the first chapter book he read. Since then, he has read several Magic Tree House books as well as picture books and other books, too. I'm so, so happy be has found how interesting books can be.
(Above) Olivia started reading the novel she chose, but didn't get too far. She wanted to follow me around upstairs, where I was looking for American history books. She also chose some books about volcanoes because she thinks they're interesting.
(Below) Ashlie checked out another Harry Potter book on tape - even though she has read them already. She LOVES the Harry Potter series. She also got a couple of DVDs on ancient Rome and Greece and some other books I didn't pay attention to.
Alex simply could not wait until we were done at the check-out desk before finding a spot to read some more. I think it's so cute!
The problem with the library is that I LOVE books. Although I rarely actually sit down and read a book from cover to cover, I do LOVE reading and am interested in reading so many books that I always walk away with far more books than I can actually read before they're due. I have a terrible time balancing reading books with keeping up with the rest of my life. Once I start reading, I don't want to stop, so I end up not letting myself start reading. I also have the problem of getting super sleepy when I read, so I want to read and then still have time for a nap! And what mother has time for both? And so I wind up feeling bad when I have to return books unread. What a dilemma.
Olivia decided she wanted to cut off an inch or so of her hair and get some layers. Our fun neighbor, Alaina, cut her hair and taught her how to fix it. Olivia is getting old enough to take care of her hair on her own and I'm excited she has a fun new style she can fix all by herself. Today (Sunday) fixed it by herself and it looked SUPER CUTE!
Below: My cute little Alex loves to wear ties, but he doesn't really like putting them in the traditional location. Here's how he looked, just before we left to church this morning!
Ashlie always gets ready with time to spare, so she helps us get Avery ready and helps pack the diaper bag. Boy is it helpful to have older kids!
Olivia (above) and Alex (below) watching a movie after church.
Our stake has an annual V-day dance for the adults. Now that my dad lives with us, he's in our stake. He invited my mom to go to the stake dance with him and on our way out, Rob and I snapped a couple of pictures. They aren't very good, but at least I got a couple of pictures.
And, yes, several people asked who it was with my dad. And then other questions, like, "Is that a good thing?" and "Wow, my parents won't even speak to each other." My parents are actually pretty good dancers - they should do this more often!
Rob and I had fun playing board games (the activity for those not drawn to the dance floor). They also had lots of treats and stuff and we had a good time. Rob wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse instead, but I insisted this year on the dance. It was our first time and we've been in our ward for 5 years! Good job, honey.
Ashlie wrote the following "I Have a Dream" speech after studying Martin Luther King, Jr. and his speech by the same name. Her teacher had her read it to us for the first time at Parent/Teacher conferences. I echo her words.
I Have a Dream
I have a dream that the hurricane of war will cease. I have a wish that there will be many rivers of peace that will drown the earth. I wish that the tsunami of divorce will be stopped. I hope that someday the weeds of depression will be plucked out of the earth to make room for the blossoms of happiness to grow. I have a dream that the mountain of drugs will swiftly be chipped away. I have hope that the terrible disease of cancer will leave forever. I have a dream that the valley of worry will be flooded with the waters of confidence. I wish that the fog of bad air will be lifted from this world forever. I hope that the tempest of blackmailing will quickly die away.
The other day my sweet Avery was playing with some toys I got at a garage sale a couple of years ago. It has a little crane with a strong magnet on the end of a string, then a truck pulls a trailer that holds a bunch of blocks with large, strong magnets on one side. Avery had a good time connecting the magnets, then pulling them apart. He also enjoyed putting the little blocks into the trailer, then dumping them out. Repeat.
I love classic toys that allow kids to learn and be creative. Toys have become too darn electronic if you ask me. Although I am not yet disciplined in keeping the many, many low-quality toys out of my house I believe it's wiser to give kids fewer toys, and make sure the ones they have are worthwhile and foster creativity. Seeing my angel playing so well with this simple toy encourages me to dejunk our toy collections!
After repeatedly insisting, Avery finally flashed me this (below) "smile" - he didn't want to stop his playing to smile for his nagging mother.
A while back The Lazy Organizer took away more and more of her daughter's toys because she couldn't keep her room tidy. Eventually she took away almost all of the toys. And her daughter didn't seem to mind one bit. She just used her imagination and was probably happier because she didn't have so much STUFF to keep track of and put away. This is a good lesson for most of us! The story is told in her more detailed words here: Getting Rid of the Clutter.
Here's a picture Ashlie and I took of ourselves - just after I got my hair cut. Isn't she beautiful? I cannot believe how old she's getting. Ashlie is very mature for an eleven-year-old, and is delightful to have around. She is helpful, pleasant, and optimistic. She is talented in many things and never afraid to try new things - a quality I wish I possessed. I am so proud of her and so glad she is a part of my life!
I cut off about 12 inches, to be donated to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to the treatment of illnesses such as Cancer.
Last week I turned on the TV in the middle of the day to find something to watch as I sorted papers and organized my filing system. I excitedly realized it was 11:00, which is when the BYU devotional comes on. That day it happened to be a talk entitled, "Selective Attitudes and The Happy Life", by Rex and Janet Lee, given at BYU in 1993. Overall, the talk was mediocre, but there were some very true principles presented. It seems that right now everyone I know is dealing with something really difficult in their lives and felt that these selections could be of benefit to everyone I know, myself included.
The speaker was recently diagnosed with some kind of illness that caused walking to be difficult and sitting to be painful, through which he was struggling to maintain a positive attitude. He talked about how he hears two conflicting inner voices (this part is kind of lengthy, but worth reading).
"The first says, on a daily basis:
'Isn't it a shame. You'll never run another marathon. To put it bluntly, you have become to the marathon what Bart Simpson is to the Benson Scholarship. You remember all those roughhouse games you used to play with your children, and how many pleasant memories you and they associate with them? How much of that can you still do? And how about that week-long hike you took with your son Tom and the other Boy Scouts into the Uintas, and you'd always planned to do the same thing again with the entire family. Forget it. And what about Lake Powell? It will never be the same again. Cliff jumping and waterskiing are out of the question. So are the long hikes that include climbing on steep sandstone hills. Things are really bad.'
"The other voice, which speaks to me with equal regularity, says:
'Things are really good. You are alive. You have a job that you love. Even better, because your central nervous system is unaffected, you can still perform that job. There are still games you can play with your grandchildren, including many of the same ones you used to play with your children. And Lake Powell? There are lots of things you can do there: you can drive the boat, you can ride on the water weenie, you can laugh and joke and play with your children and grandchildren. And, come to think of it, it isn't all that bad to be the one who stands on the bow of the boat and yells out instructions as to where to put the anchors. What you now have is a legitimate excuse to pick the cushy jobs and leave the tough ones to someone else. Moreover, you can still attend BYU plays, concerts, and musicals. Just never mind those people who'll be saying, 'Who's that weird guy who continues to stand in the middle of performances?' '
Of course, we all have these two inner, conflicting voices every single day of our lives. We all choose - many times every day - whether to listen to the positive or negative voice. Of course, few people can be positive all the time, but the point isn't that we become happy to the point of annoyance to everyone around us, only that we try to remain positive about what is good about our situation. "The grass isn't always greener on the other side" and we should try to see and be grateful for what's good on our side of the fence. While I'm on this subject, allow em to add that when a person is looking for problems, he or she will find them. The same is true when a person is looking for the good in other people or circumstances. Believe me, I've done it both ways many times.
Here are some more quotes from the talk referenced above:
"Each of us comes to this existence with a certain set of circumstances with which we deal. Some of you are smarter than the rest of us, some more healthy or witty or coordinated or artistic. Most of the differences are largely outside of our control. But we do control what we accomplish with what we have been given and, even more important, the attitude we have about the circumstances with which we came into life. At stake is nothing less significant than the difference between happiness and self-pity."
"The nature of challenges, as well as their magnitude, will vary from person to person, but there is not a person anywhere for whom selective attitude would not affect the quality of life. And it is equally true that for every one of us the job is easier if there is someone who can help us."
"Just as we seek out people who have successfully met challenges similar to ours and find comfort in following their example, we need to seek and follow Christ as our example in all things. When our challenges seem overwhelming, when our choices seem to be taken away, when we don't know where to turn, the one thing we have left to do is to follow Christ's example of selective attitude. As he told us, 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world' (John 16:33). "
"Selective attitudes - particularly when combined with the truths of the restored gospel - affect the quality of life itself."
These selections may or may not seem insightful to you, but I appreciated hearing these reminders again this week and I will try to be a little more positive when facing the challenges that life has for me because I truly believe that a positive attitude makes all the difference.
