For the Love of Laura

 I was blessed to have a wonderful fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hannon. It was the first time that I really remember developing a passion for reading. I discovered all sorts of wonderful books that year. My favorite books were the Little House series. Oh, how I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder. I longed to live out on the prairie and wear long dresses and bonnets. Thankfully, I discovered the books before I found the tv series. I didn’t have any preconceived notions of how Pa, Ma, Mary and Laura should look or act.

That same year, my Papa Jack died. My parents sat vigil at his bedside for two weeks. During that time, my brother and I stayed with a sweet family that lived near us. Jon Spearman was older than I was, but he had the most wonderful book collection. I spent those two weeks reading from his personal library. Jon had the Little House box collection and he sold it to me for $10. I think I used my birthday money to purchase the collection.  It was the best $10 that I have ever spent. I read those books well into my college years. About once a year, I would hibernate in my room and read the entire collection over the course of a weekend.

I was sad when I realized that Jessica didn’t share this intense love that I had. Jess didn’t learn to enjoy reading until about a year ago. Her fourth grade year, she read fluff for her book reports. If she was forced to read, then she would read Goosebumps or The Babysitters Club. Jonathan is in the fourth grade this year. I didn’t even dare to dream that he might enjoy the same books that I did. However, he surprised me and read Where the Fern Grows and he enjoyed it. I cautiously suggested that he might enjoy reading Little House in the Big Woods for his next book report. He agreed, so I pulled out my blue box set. It was still in great condition. We carefully pulled out the first book. The pages were a little yellowed with age, but otherwise it looked great. Jonathan proudly and carefully took the book and promised to be ever so careful with it. It was like a torch was being passed off.

Jonathan is about half-way through with the book. He likes the stories that Pa tells about hunting and he reports that the author is very descriptive (oh, the blasphemy, I would have never referred to Laura as "the author"). I don’t think he will have my same passion for the series, and he might not read the rest of the collection. Jonathan sometimes rejects a book on the single premise that the main character is a female. However, I am so happy that he gave the book a chance. I can’t wait to introduce him to more books this year.  I'm thinking I might suggest Number the Stars or The Great Gilly Hopkins next.  I love fourth grade book reports!

Love is Spoken Here

February 2008 - One of my favorite pictures

It is no secret that my kids have a hard time being patient with one another. My sleepy teenager staggered into the kitchen this morning. She was met by a wisecracking brother. Jonathan stuck his arm out to keep her from getting to her spot at the table. Fred was tired and didn’t feel good, so he reacted pretty harshly.

From the bathroom, where I was getting ready, I could hear wailing coming from Jonathan. He was beyond upset, gasping for air and frustrated by the injustice that he felt. Surely it was all Jessie’s fault that he got in trouble. He wailed, “She gets to act like a princess and I get in trouble all the time.” Of course, this isn’t true. They are equal offenders, and are equally disciplined for their offenses.

One of my favorite Primary songs is Love is Spoken Here.

I see my mother kneeling with our family each day.
I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,
And I am thankful love is spoken here.

Mine is a home where ev’ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow’r,
With father and mother leading the way,
Teaching me how to trust and obey;
And the things they teach are crystal clear,
For love is spoken here.

I can often feel the Savior near
When love is spoken here.

I asked Jonathan if he remembered that song. Then I asked him what he wanted spoken in our home. Sobbing, he mumbled that he wanted love spoken in our home. Then he acknowledged that the Holy Ghost can only be felt in our home when love is spoken.

Those were the words that I wanted to hear, but will they ever truly sink in? I hope so!

Happy Birthday, Fred

Today is Fred's 37th birthday!

After church on Sunday, Jonathan went off to his room and pulled out one of his Nintendo DS games. He said that he wanted to give it to Daddy for his birthday. He wanted Fred to have a game that he could play anytime he wanted to. Jonathan wrapped it in Christmas paper, added a green ribbon and made a card.

Jonathan was so excited that he couldn't wait to give it to him. He decided that Fred could open his present a day early. He also decided that Fred should have his chocolate cake on Sunday night instead of Monday.  The kids and I bought Fred the first two seasons of Burn Notice (one of his favorite shows). Thankfully, Jonathan let us wait until today to give it to him.

The kids didn't have school today.  Fred took the day off and spent his birthday with them.  It was a special treat for both Jessie and Jonathan.

Happy Birthday!  We love you, Fred.

A Boy and His Dog

Jonathan read Where the Red Fern Grows for his book report that was due last week. As he worked on the project, it made me wonder about our own two dogs. Billy had two hunting dogs that were fitting of a young boy. Jonathan has two girly Shih-tzus that require brushing and fluffing. These girls are two princesses that won’t even think of touching wet grass or going outside in the cold weather.

Have I done Jonathan a disservice by choosing dogs that Jessie and I like? In hindsight, it really was selfish of me. I think that the book made Jonathan think about the situation, too. Afterwards, he asked me about getting a little boy dog. When he is in high school and our oldest dog has left us, I guess I will consider it.

My moment of guilt faded quickly. A few moments after our conversation, I saw Jonathan and little Mollie rolling around on the living room floor. They love each other… even if she is a fluffy/sissy dog and he is a stinky boy.

Girls Gone Wild?

How on earth do I get roped into these things?

A Teaching Moment: Lessons from Columbine

This was the mood in our family Monday night. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a 13 year old and a 9 year old. Somehow, it wasn’t as cute.

Jessica had been grounded earlier in the evening and she was making sure that we all knew how unhappy she was. The two kids were fighting at the dinner table. I think Jonathan decided to dish out some advice on obedience. As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with Jess. The next thing I knew, I had two disgruntled children making everyone’s life miserable.

I came to the realization that I had planned a Family Home Evening and it was looking like a disaster. They were a somewhat captive audience at the dinner table, so I decided to work FHE around dinner. I knew I couldn’t pull off what I had planned. Instead, I grabbed a New Era (a church magazine for youth) from the kitchen counter. I try to keep the latest magazine on our counter, so that I can take advantage of the time that we have at the dinner table. Of course, it was September’s issue and I wasn’t having any luck finding an article that we hadn’t already read. I finally found one, but didn’t even look to see what it was about. I just announced that we were going to have a prayer and read from the New Era. As they moved to get their arms in folding position, I heard lots of grumbling.

When I looked down to start reading, I realized that the article was about the Columbine shootings. I knew that Jess was very knowledgeable on this subject. Her school has taken part in an initiative called Rachel’s Challenge. (Rachel Scott was the first person to be killed in the shootings.) This initiative is very near and dear to her heart. Jonathan surprised me when he let me know that he had seen a video at school about Rachel Scott. Both kids were visibly touched by the Columbine story, which was told by a survivor. Afterwards, I asked Jess to share her feelings about Columbine and Rachel Scott. She cried as she told me of Rachel’s kindness. Jonathan shared his feelings about Rachel, as well. I asked Jonathan how he felt. He answered that he felt good and warm inside. It was nice to have that moment where I could remind him that he was feeling the Spirit. I think sometimes he doesn’t slow down long enough to feel it.

I am so thankful that I was able to figure out a way to pull a Family Home Evening off (even though it wasn’t what we had planned). It completely changed the attitude and demeanor of each family member.

Sabbath Day in the Ozarks

I had a wonderful time with the girls in Eureka Springs. Each morning, we all welcomed the rare opportunity to sleep in. On Sunday, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. I had a slight headache, so I grabbed some Excedrin and a bottle of water. While I nursed my headache, I pulled back the curtains on my window and marveled at the Ozarks Mountains and Beaver Lake.

The other girls slept while I took a shower and got dressed for the day. I had this wonderful opportunity to be lazy on the last morning away from my family. Yet, I felt so compelled to get moving. I showered, did my hair and make-up and packed for the day. As I came up the stairs and saw one of the other girls doing her Bible study, I was inspired.

I bundled up in my sweatshirt and sat out on the porch. There, in the beauty of the Ozarks, I gave a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father. I didn’t have my scriptures with me, but I had one of our church magazines. I pulled it out and read several articles with quotes from our wonderful and inspired church leaders. It had been weighing heavy on my mind and heart that I was missing general conference. However, I was so thankful that I could have my own worship service on the porch of a cabin in the Ozarks.

The Spirit filled my soul and I was edified as I read the words of Thomas S. Monson and looked out over the beautiful lake and mountains.