Quotable Quotes and Sweet Moments With the Kids

A few weeks ago, Joseph was looking at Mandy who had enraptured him with her soft features and beautiful, expressive eyes. He said, “Mandy, what are we going to do when you aren’t a baby anymore? Should we have another baby?” And she said definitively, “No! I be the baby.”

We were sitting in Sacrament Meeting two weeks ago and I was trying to help Joey be reverent. I took one of my primary visual aides, a frog on a stick, and put it in his shirt pocket. I explained that if he was reverent, the frog would stay. Several times I had taken it out and he had to earn it back by showing me what it was to be reverent. He seemed extra thoughtful that week as they passed the sacrament and I reminded him to think about Jesus. When the sacrament was over he said, “I know Jesus has a tender heart, and he would be very sad to live on the Earth today and wouldn’t like us to get hurt.” I couldn’t help but think of the war in Iraq and all the places where people are killing other people. I couldn’t help but remember the last time I spanked Joey and he told me, we couldn’t live together forever if we spank our kids. I can’t help but think of so many times when I have gotten angry with him and he cries, and throws his arms around me and says in sobs, “I love you so much!” Is that the sweetest ever? He is such a good example to me of love.

A few nights ago Emily was playing with her cousin, Jaxon, when I pulled her away to finish homework that was due the next day. She had spent her normal homework time playing and it was now 8:00 p.m. Her homework had waited long enough. She wanted to play and was in no mood to be doing reading worksheets. She complained of her responsibility and accused me for her unfinished work. When I had suffered enough of her wrath, I left her room with the words, “Just turn it in blank and see what [her teacher] Ms. Wilson says about that.” Cold and frazzled, I entered my bedroom, locked the door, turned off my light, and curled up in my bed. Only moments had gone by when Emily, with a soft voice, came to my door and said, “I have something for you.” For Valentine’s Day I had given each of my kids a book of coupons to express my love. “It’s a coupon,” she said. How could my heart not soften? I turned on the light and read the coupon she had slid under the door, “one hour of my time.” I went to her room where she willingly read me the remaining story. She then told me, “I was saving this coupon for something really important. I knew something like this would happen.” Very appropriately, her book was entitled, Loving, and related the many things parents do for their children that show they care. Her worksheet instructed her to list 10 ways her parents show their love for her. At the bottom the instructions read, “Now go give them a hug.” And she did. I couldn’t have been happier with my Emily than I was that night.