aunt jan

Kim's Aunt Jan was a big fan of this simple, little blog. So it seems fitting to record a conversation we had around the dining room table this afternoon.

While the older girls did homework, Audrey played with a gospel-themed felt activity board Aunt Jan gave the girls years ago. I mentioned to Audrey, "Aunt Jan gave that to us, but now she lives with Heavenly Father." She gasped, then smiled, and her huge eyes grew even larger than usual as she exclaimed,
"That's nice!"
"Actually," Lauren explained, "It's not really nice because she's dead."
"She's not dead!" Audrey was quick to correct her. "She's still alive. She just lives with Heavenly Father."

So, this post is for you, Aunt Jan! I knew you would appreciate it.

busy body

As Kim read aloud during family scripture study Audrey flipped through the pictures at the back of her Book of Mormon. She pointed to Samuel the Lamanite high on the wall and whispered to me, "That would be really busy with so many people throwing arrows at you."

seminary blessings

Kim started teaching early morning seminary recently, as the scripture mastery teacher who teaches on Fridays. He loves it, which is great. But what has me excited are the "seminary blessings" our stake high councilman and our ward's former seminary teachers keep telling us about. The blessings are different for everyone, they've explained, and they're very real.

I wasn't so sure this morning when Kim accidentally woke up the girls while getting ready to leave and I found them awake with their bedroom light on at 6 a.m. I told them they could either go back to bed, read, or play quietly until 7, when I would be getting up.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up later to see Audrey at my bedside, completely dressed for preschool with her hair done. Curious, I walked downstairs to find Ella and Lauren both dressed and ready for school, and apparently working together to put things away in the kitchen. "We did our assigned reading for school. And then we had breakfast," Ella told me. "And scripture study. And I packed the lunches."

I told them how amazing they were, how much I appreciated them, and how happy they'd made me, and then I hugged and kissed them until I was certain they'd had enough. "It was fun, actually," Ella beamed. "We're just practicing for when the baby comes."

Seminary blessings, indeed.

tender mercy

I was so tired last night, but I couldn't get to sleep. Instead, I lay awake thinking of everything I could be doing better. I worried that I'm not giving the girls enough of my time and attention, that they don't have enough fun, that in some ways they're not having the childhood I want them to have. Eventually, rest quieted my thoughts.

Then this afternoon, as Audrey and I walked hand-in-hand to pick up the girls from school, she suddenly said, "I love my life so much."

"What?" I asked, wondering what I'd heard. She repeated herself clearly.

"My life. I love my life."

And just like that, a tired mother's prayer was answered.

second annual

Tonight we had our Second Annual Back to School Dinner. I really struggled with the theme this year. After considering several options, I was still trying to come up with just the right one even as I set the table. When I realized I'd forgotten to pick up flowers for the centerpiece, I looked around for what I could use instead. I focused in on my white ceramic owl and it hit me -- Mosiah 4:27.

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

I put my owl on top of a Book of Mormon in the middle of the table, and used them during dinner to explain the theme to the girls. I'm not sure how much Lauren understood, since every time I asked her a question she asked, "Is the owl our clue?" But I'm sure the girls will come to understand the meaning of the scripture more throughout the year.

To be honest, I think this year's theme is as much for me as for them. It will be a good reminder for me as I work each day -- sometimes against considerable resistance -- to help the girls learn the value of daily scripture study, family prayer, jobs, homework and (new this year) piano practice. If we are diligent, it will all be worth the effort.

sorry, kim . . .

This one will make you sad.

Lauren recently said to me, "Mom, church day is my favorite day."

"Really?" I asked, thrilled at the thought of her growing love of the gospel.

"Yep," she said. "It's the only day I get to see Daddy when I'm not sleeping in my bed."

Tonight during dinner Lauren burst into tears. "I wish Daddy was here for di-i-i-nner!"

I tried to console her, then carried a few dishes into the kitchen. When I came back she had gone into the living room and returned with a framed picture of Kim kissing her cheek. She arranged it next to her plate, then ate a few more peas.

We'll all be glad when these long days apart are behind us.

Update: After dinner it was bath time. I started the water, then turned around to see Lauren holding the picture. "Can we put this on the toilet?"

how do they know?

A few days ago, one of our primary teachers had a baby girl. Little Vera Harell was born at 24 weeks weighing just over a pound, and faces a long road ahead of her. Today we let the primary children color a banner that reads, "We love you, Vera!" and make cards for Vera's anxious parents. The children seemed to know just what to write.

One little girl wrote, "Dear Vera, my family fasted for you. Grow big!"

Ella drew a mother, father and baby and in bold capital letters wrote, "LOV IS WITH YOU."

My favorite was one little boy's inspired contribution. He cut out a small piece of green paper and simply wrote, "hope."

by small and simple things

As I cleared the breakfast dishes, Ella sat down to do some writing practice. A few minutes later, she brought me a sheet of lined paper that read: I bleve that the Gospl is troow. I bleve in Gob. I Love subbas. I Love to Go to trch. I Love (heart) to Go to here the Profts.

She read her translation: "I believe that the Gospel is true. I believe in God. I love Sundays. I love to go to church. I love to go to hear the prophets."

And she meant it.

ella home evening

We've started using the Church's new children's manual for family home evening, and it is wonderful. We're using the scriptures more and, whether reading or listening, Ella is proving herself to be an enthusiastic little scriptorian. Lauren enjoys herself, too, but so far most of her participation involves sharing completely unrelated comments about Jonah and the whale. She knows they're unrelated; she just can't get over it. "He was in the whale! And he spit him out!"

Last night I read the story of the loaves and fishes, then asked Ella if she could tell me what had happened. We were pleasantly surprised to hear her retell the entire story without missing a detail. She even quoted the scriptures a few times! It was so fun to watch, and helped us realize that it's time for the Moore family to (sometimes) move beyond simplified Gospel basics. 

Equally amazing, I learned that one can be inspired to snatch cherry Nibs and Swedish fish on the way to the Target check-out. Loaves and fishes!

The Lesson of the Pink Boots

Today Lauren chose to wear "the boots" -- the hot pink cowgirl boots worn by Ella nearly every day for two years and now handed down (quite happily, I was surprised to discover) to Lauren. The only trouble with the boots is that they often do not stay on when worn by legs dangling from a shopping cart seat. So, after picking them up from the floor of Target several times I put them in the bottom of our cart and made a mental note not to forget them there. Well, you know what happened. I had just pulled into our driveway, after a fifteen-minute drive home from Target, and unloaded Lauren and Audrey when I remembered.

Back to Target, just hoping that the cart was still in the parking lot corral where I'd left it. No such luck. Still in the car, I called customer service. As I explained our situation, I heard Lauren in the back seat: "Um, tell them they look like my pink boots. And also, they are my pink boots." Still no luck.

"Well, Lauren," I sighed. "Should we go in and see if we can see them?"
"Yes." So, I put the girls in the cart and pushed them toward the entrance, envisioning a circuitous route through Target staring underneath shopping carts pushed by people staring back at me, and saying a silent prayer. Please, Heavenly Father. It would really be nice if we could just find these boots and go home.

We hadn't even crossed the threshold when I saw them, peeking out from underneath one of many shopping carts pushed into rows at the store entrance. "Lauren! Look." She squealed. We happily plucked our boots from their place and headed for the car. As we made our way across the parking lot I asked Lauren, "Do you know why we found the boots?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Because they were lost?"
"Because I prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him to help us find them."

Tonight when Kim came home we recounted the story and Lauren added her own conclusion. "We prayed and Heavenly Father helped us!"

And that's worth an extra trip to Target.

likening

A friend gave us a DVD depicting the animated story of Nephi and the brass plates. While I hoped the girls might be inspired by Nephi's courage, I was amused when they played pretend today and I overheard Ella say to Lauren, "C'mon Lemuel, Laban's going to kill us!" I suggested they pretend to be Nephi and Sam, too, but apparently that didn't seem nearly as interesting.

holy halloween

This is the first year the girls have specifically requested halloween decorations. I opted for fake cobwebs covering our wrought iron railings outside. We were on the stairs, working together to get them just right when an elderly man with white hair, glasses and a cane shuffled past the house. Lauren saw him and announced, "We're putting on spider webs!" The man, surprised to be spoken to, looked up at her briefly and replied, "Oh," before continuing on his way. He was just out of sight when Lauren looked at me with a smile and said, proudly, "The prophet said, 'Oh.'"