MY MADISON

My small plates, the moments that mattered most from this week.

I made sixty quarts of applesauce yesterday and this girl stayed by my side until bedtime. Before I started, I needed the dishwasher loaded. I needed pans washed. I asked her to help and she was complaining and throwing a bit of a tantrum. One thing Madison is really good at is asking stupid why questions, that she already knows the answer to, to get under my skin. She was asking why questions until I was ready to punch something. She ended with, "Why do I have to listen to you?" Why mom? Huh? Why?" I said, "I don't know, why do you have to listen to your mom? Why don't you answer that question? Can you think of a good reason why." She dropped her head and said, "Because when you are obedient to your mom, it teaches you to be obedient to Jesus." I almost teared up, I tell you, I went from a red hot engine to a weeping willow. I was so proud. Proud of myself for not punching anything or yelling, but listening to the Holy Ghost and asking her to answer her own question. Proud of her for being wise beyond her years. After that she didn't complain or ask why, she just helped me wash all the pans that had piled up from the last several days. She pushed apples through the processor until bedtime. I was so filled with love for this little girl for her willingness to be obedient and to help me. The thought came to my mind, this girl is ready for her baptism.

James also said something profound this week that touched my soul. We were walking through the Sam's Club and he was being rascally and I said, "If you don't knock it off James, I am just going to quit being your mom." He looked at me in a way only James can and he said, "Mom, I need a Mom really bad. You need a James really bad, so don't quit." I loved his sweet sentiment. If we could all remember his sweet words on those hard days. All precious children really need a mom to nurture and love them and we really need them. My arms would feel so empty without my little ones. I don't ever really want to quit. 

Tonight we were talking about conference as I tucked my sweet little ones into bed. I was telling them how worried I am for our nation and how I want our Savior to come again. I said, did you know that was what conference was all about? Did you know they told us what we need to do to prepare for him to come again. He will not come until his work is done. Then I told them about this quote, "but the truth of God will go froth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." (History of the Church 4:4540).I said missionary work is the key to ushering in the second coming of our Savior.  I said an apostle of Jesus Christ asked us in conference to we a witness of God. I said, "What does that mean to be a witness of God." Sierra said, "Stand by. Doesn't a witness stand by the person they are witnessing for?" She caught me off guard. I said, "What?" She said, "Stand by." She made me think of witness in a way I had never thought of it before. She was picturing a witness in a courtroom. She made me think of a witness in that way. In the courtroom there is a jury that doesn't know the person on the stand. They don't know His story. You need to convince them by your witness that He is who He says He is. They say justice is blind, but it isn't. (Spoiler Alert!) Everything the witness says, his or her appearance, or the way they act is up for questioning. If the witness lives their life pure and you feel they are an honest person, then you are more easily convinced of his testimony. I encouraged my girls to be a witness for Him and to not be afraid of speaking of Him. I said, "How can we fill our lives with statements about Him to witness of Him?" I said, "Sierra, what if you run into a girl at school and she say, I am so fat or ugly. What could you say to witness of Him?" She didn't know, so I suggested, "What if you said, you are a daughter of Heavenly Father. He loves you and He wouldn't be pleased if he heard you talking about yourself like that. You are beautiful, because you are His." I role played a few more scenarios and they went to bed. I am not sure who taught who tonight but I was grateful to be in that space with my babies tonight. 

Alma 32:23 ...little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. 

I would add... if we will take the time to listen. 

MY BABY

This kid cracks me up every day. He has so much personality. Heaven help me raise these two little boys. He fake cries constantly when you won't give him his way. He wanted to wash his own face after he ate applesauce.  My favorite is the last picture, WHY? I love this little one.

I made cinnamon rolls for Nate's office this week. I have been promising to for some time but have never found the time. James asked if he could help deliver them, of course I let him come along. When we got there Tish, Nate's office manager, asked James how old he is. Very properly with head held high he said, "I think you should say, James McKnight." She giggled and said, "James McKnight, how old are you?" Then he shied away into my pant leg. He has noticed that grown ups use their last names and he is determined to be grown up.

After dropping off cinnamon rolls, I came home to no water. The water line was severed and there was a crew out trying to fix it. Nate came home and I told him, we can have cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs for super or we can go out to dinner. I just couldn't think of what to cook without water and it was late. We went to a Mexican Restaurant and Nate ordered something new. It looked gross. He ate it anyway. On the way home he said, "My stomach isn't feeling well. The food was gross, why did we go out to dinner?" Then Sierra says, "I am going to puke." I said, "Are you serious?" She said, "I am serious." She hadn't been feeling well for the last twenty-four hours, so I wan't surprised. Nate rolled down his window and stuck his head out of it and tried not to listen to her puking. I was laughing hysterically. He was say, "This isn't funny.Why are you laughing?" It just felt like something out of a comedy sketch. 

This entire fall break my children have been sick starting with the youngest and moving through all of them. Sore throats, runny noses, coughing, puking. Why? I had so many wonderful things planned. I was going to do a few service projects and help Sierra with her Faith in God. Nothing. We did nothing. We didn't even do anything fun. Next year.

MY VIEW

 This has been the view from my kitchen window all afternoon. Sierra and Madison built a fort for them and their kittens. They have been playing under that structure all afternoon. They invited their friends over to play and they played with Sierra long after Madison got cold and came inside. She came in and said, "It is too cold.  Is there anything I can help you with Mom?" I let her put knife marks into the top of our chicken pot pie. Then they went into the oven. Chicken pot pie is the perfect food as fall begins to chill little bones. 

MARBLE RUNS and BIKE RUNS

 Ashton has been miserable for the last three days. He has a bad cough and just doesn't feel well. The only thing that has brought a smile to his face is doing marble runs together. I think Nate was shocked to not hear him crying and came looking and found he and I on the floor putting together the marble run. I think his daddy was impressed that I had helped calm the baby. This morning while I was cleaning the kitchen he was whining after me. I told Sierra go get the marble run and in a few minutes he forgot his troubles again.

Nate arranged for us to have our first family bike ride. It was a lot of fun. I was surprised how well Madison kept up. She was swerving all over the place. She learned to ride a bike not too long ago and she hasn't had much practice since, but she was determined and held back a lot of fear and tears and just pushed through it. At the end of our little bike ride, Nate smiled his cheesy smile and said, "Are we done?" 

I said, "Yeah, I think so." 

He said, "Wow! Do you think we went a whole mile?"

I sarcastically added, "Yeah and I think I burned off half a cupcake!"

I guess from the world of bicycling's perspective that was a pretty shoddy run. But from my perspective, we took four kids on a bike ride for a mile without any real break downs or bike accidents. 

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" 

CONFERENCE, OMELETS, LEAD, and KITTENS

We woke up this morning and made omelets for everyone and started conference on the futon. I didn't realize that it reclines. Sweet baby tomatoes, we felt blessed! Reclining, in our pajamas, eating omelets, and attending church. Who decided to do this every six months? It has to come from heaven, because I can't imagine a more heavenly experience. I have to say my children weren't that great at participating today, but we will revisit conference again and again all week as we make applesauce together.    

 James came in the house after exploring the property this morning exclaiming he had found a skeleton key and a rope. I said, "You mean a chain?" He said, "No, a rope." He hauled it around half the day putting them both on my head and telling me it was a crown. Until, his father realized that it was lead on his key, not a skeleton. Yikes. Dad disposed of the key and the rope. He is the protector and he plays his role well. I was oblivious and excited. I was like, oh my boy, he is so resourceful, creative, imaginative, and curious. This farm is so great. We have so many hidden treasures. It took a father to realize it was really a death trap. Don't cringe looking at the pictures now, cause I do. 

The girls got cats again. Remember this cat and these cats. Well, Edison we had to give away because we moved and they didn't allow pets. Herc and Zues just disappeared one day. Nate thinks a Coyote got them. I am not sure. One day we came out to the property to feed them and they were gone. We are hoping Vu (The black cat.) and Yoshi (The grey cat.) stick around and grow old with us, because they make my girls so happy. 

 I wish I could say these super cute pictures were taken during conference, but they weren't they were taken between the sessions while we watched Curious George. Don't worry we will get there. They will learn to love conference like I love conference, but it may not come till they are older. I never paid attention or cared much at their age either but I remember my parents made it a priority to listen to the prophet and I hope they remember that I listen to the prophet too.

CONFERENCE SATURDAY

 I love conference. It fills my soul in ways nothing else can. I love to listen to it during the week as I clean and do mundane tasks. It makes the work seem easy and dare I say fun. I love conference. I love and support our latter day prophet President Thomas Monson. I love all the apostle and each has touched my heart at different times. I feel blessed to know these men are called of God. I feel blessed to have had the spirit testify to me over and over again of the reality that we are lead by a prophet and apostles in these days. Whenever I become concerned about things that are happening in the world and here in America, especially lately with what is happening on the political stage, I remind myself that I know the prophet, who he is, and where he is. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. It sustains me and strengths me in these troubled times. Anyone who watches the train of the world, filled with drugs, dishonesty, immorality and all manner of evil pass by and doesn't desire to climb aboard and be apart of it and looks around wondering where to turn. I say, turn to the prophets. They will lead you through these trouble times. You can hear their voices with a touch of a button. Go, listen to the prophets voice.