Ben and Courtney earn their orange belts

Last month Ben and Courtney started karate. I wasn't sure how Courtney would like it, but she is having a lot of fun. I wanted to get the kids into an activity, but I wasn't thrilled with juggling two different schedules. With this, they are in the same class, so all I have to do is keep Johnny busy for an hour each time we go. And you can choose which days (and how many days) you go. Heaven! Anyway, yesterday they both promoted and earned their orange belts. It was exciting! Here are some pics from the day:

Benjamin was first to receive his belt. Renshi (master instructor) tied it on for him. Renshi is an all star and is the state rep for New Mexico. He has a lot of patience with all these kids! They have fun in class.

After putting on the belt, Renshi bows to them and they bow back. Then they bow to the black belt next to him. Renshi calls Courtney, "Courtney San". I think it's cute, but she won't let me call her that. Just Renshi gets to.

Next they face the class who all bow to them . In Japanese tradition, the deeper the bow, the more respect you have for a person. They learn culture and vocabulary as part of their lessons.

Their favorite way to end the class: sock ball. Ben is throwing a sock at Courtney who is bending down to pick up a sock. This was before the belt ceremony, so they still have their white belts on. White is the first belt. Then orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and black. It will be a few years yet until we get to the black belt level....if we stick with it that long. They love it. We'll keep up with karate as long as they are still having fun!

Cute words from Jonathan

That kid is too much! When you offer him something he wants (like chocolate milk, or as he likes to call it, coclate water!) he says, "Thank you much!" If he doesn't want it, he will say, "No thank you much!" Even if it is something like when I tried to cut his nails last night...he was mad and crying out "NO THANK YOU MUCH!!"

When I tell him he needs to go take a nap, or come inside, he will huff or put his head down and pout, and go marching away...to obey! Crazy kid. :) Not that he obeys all the time...not in the least! I think this is the first time the terrible twos has hit one of my kids while he was still two. The other two got it more around age 3. He is so animated and dramatic...a hoot to watch his facial expressions!! This pic is one of my favorites of his. This is his "Please??????" face that is so hard to say "No" to.

New insight from Book of Mormon

This morning I read something that made me go hmmmm. Abinidi, who preached before the wicked king Noah and was then put to death, only had one convert that we know of...Alma. Abinidi was a martyr, not even knowing that he got through to anybody. One one soul saved by his preaching. But yet, Alma went on to teach and baptize many, many people. Puts a good perspective on the work we do here on this earth. We should do our best doing what we know to be right and good. The results of our work aren't what matters. Our intentions do matter. Some good will likely come from our good actions. But what others do doesn't impact our own salvation. What we do, and why, is the only thing of real import.

Learning to let go.

I like to have control over my life. And when I live with four other people (husband and 3 kids) my life is affected by what they do. SOOOOO...I tend to try to control what they do so that my life is how I want it.

I'm learning, slowly learning, to let go. Let go of trying to MAKE them obey, especially. I am realizing that my kids will not learn to make their own decisions if I am forcing them to make the right decisions. Yes they need to be taught, but not in a dictatorship. They need to learn responsibility and consequences. I want them to be happy, which I know comes by making righteous choices. But THEY need to learn that. I am afraid to lose them to "the dark side." But it isn't really up to me what they do.

It is coming out all jumbled on the screen. In my mind I know exactly what I mean! I think what I want to say can be summarized by this prophetic quote: Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves. It's so hard to let them fall and make mistakes. But in the end, if I don't let them learn now, they will fall harder later. Am I making sense? Thanks for listening!

I know it's been one of those days...

...when the only reason I unload the dishwasher is because my 22 month old son starts unloading it for me. He will unload the entire thing, with or without me. I'd rather it be with me so things get put away! AND he brought me his full laundry basket of dirty clothes, so I washed them. Otherwise, I doubt I ever would have gotten anything done yesterday!

Lice Life Lessons (say that 5 times fast!)

You know, I'm not the only one to learn a lesson from lice. One of my favorite books is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. It is her story about being a victim of the Holocaust. She learned to be grateful for lice because the guards didn't want lice too, so they stayed away from the prisoners.

My story isn't so compelling, but I learned from it, nonetheless. Last night before bed (just before midnight...) I discovered that I have been reinfested with lice. Or more accurately, for Dad's sake, a louse. Hopefully just one. After a couple arduous hours of combing and shampooing and changing bedding and checking the kids...we discovered that I am the only lucky one. Wahoo. Then, finally came bedtime. At 2:30. Double wahoo.

This comes on the tail end of almost two months of torture at our home. It started, and hopefully will end, with lice infestations. Benjamin went back to school today after a week of sickness. He was sick of it; I am frustrated by all of it. Last night I went to bed praying for answers. "Why? Why me??"

This morning, I have the answer. Make that a few answers. The first answer was that this is teaching me patience in suffering. And gratitude that I can be a stay at home mom and take care of sick kids or just be there for them. Then I thought about making mountains out of molehills. This is suffering? Not really! There are so many people in the world who are so much worse off than me, in health, living conditions, financially...every such way. (Like Corrie ten Boom, for example.)

One last answer to my question of WHY...specifically, why lice? And why twice?? It didn't take long for me to make an important realization: If my kids hadn't brought it home from school 6 weeks ago, I wouldn't have the lice comb and I wouldn't have had any reason to check my hair. I check every so often now. If we hadn't had the first bout with lice, how long would I have gone before checking my hair? Until I had a whole colony living and breeding in my hair? EEEEEW!!!

I am grateful my kids brought home lice last month. I hate to say it. But it's true.

One of my favorite quotes

The first time I encountered this quote was on a handout I received from a church friend, (my vistiting teacher, maybe?) while I was attending college. About 3 months ago I searched for it to use on a scrapbook border for some friends. Two nights ago I heard the quote on a movie called "Akeelah and the Bee" (about a girl winning the national spelling bee--very good!) Every time I hear these words, they hit home.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. - Marianne Williamson