Brownies for breakfast & The lost blanket

This is what we had for breakfast today.

The kids were thrilled. It made Monday morning a
little more exciting. But then.....

After breaking the terrible news about his baby blanket....

Absolute despair.

A new blanket to make it all better....

Around 3:00 today Joseph asked if I knew where his blue
blanket was....he wanted to be a super hero and
needed to tie the blanket around his neck.

We had gone to This is the Place State Park this weekend.
As usual, we took the kids baby blankets. But, this time we didn't
bring Joseph's blanket home. I realized we didn't have it last night and
was waiting for the moment Joseph realized it too.

I had to break the bad news to my boy that I'd lost his blanket.
He called Neal crying hysterically and telling him it was my
fault his blanket was lost. Guilt. A lot of guilt because I was the one
who brought it for him....and I'm the one who is always telling
him he can't bring it because it will get lost!

I finally convinced Joseph to come to Target with me to
find a new baby blanket. He wasn't going to let me
escape this mistake easily. He found 2 blankets he
liked, AND 1 for Olivia. I was surprised that he found 1 let alone
2 that he liked, so I wasn't about to argue.

Maybe I have indulged my kids a little too much today.......

Nah.

Olivia's Hard Day

Olivia had a really hard day yesterday.

It started out okay. We took Joseph to school. We came home and watched "Between the Lions," which is her favorite TV show on PBS kids. She played well with her little friend Eve. But when it was time to pick Joseph up from school, our day suddenly got interesting.

When we got to the parking lot of Joseph's school Olivia said:

"Mom, I don't want Joseph to be my brother anymore."

Me: "What? Why not?"

Olivia: "Cause. It's okay if Joseph gets lost today."

Me (now completely shocked): But, don't you love Joseph?

Olivia: "NO."

Me: "Well, I love him. Don't you want him to be part of our family"?

Olivia: "Fine."

I realized she must be getting used to having alone time with me at last and doesn't want Joseph coming in messing with her "mommy time."

I sent both kids downstairs to play while I made lunch. All I heard was:

Joseph: "Stop it Olivia, that hurts. Hey, that was my toy. Don't! I am

playing right here." And on and on and on.

Until I heard:

Olivia: "Mommy, I'm poopy."

I ran to Olivia who was standing in the middle of the family room with poop running down her pants onto her feet. The site of poop and getting all messy and stinky made Olivia scream bloody murder. I stood there for a moment trying to decide what to do. I could try and clean her up right there or try and get her to a bathtub upstairs. I decided to take my chances, picked her up and rain upstairs as fast as I could. Lucky for me, I didn't spread the mess....until we got to the bathroom. Taking her clothes off was no easy feat and she ended up covered in poop. (anyone grossed out yet?)

I cleaned her up as well as I could with wipes and then stuck her in the tub and doused her with water. It was rinse and repeat for about 5 minutes. Finally I got her cleaned off and then had to make her wait while I cleaned the tub so she could take a "real" bath. As the tub was filling up, I was thinking how lucky I was to have missed making a bigger mess going up the stairs.

Then Joseph came in the bathroom. "Mom, there is poop on the stairs."

Sigh.

I put Joseph in charge of Olivia while I ran downstairs to inspect the damage. What a mess. Poop everywhere. (I did rent a steam cleaner today:) Just when I thought things were calming down, I heard Olivia wailing her head off upstairs. I ran back upstairs and found out that Olivia had been jumping in the tub, (at Joseph's encouragement) fallen, and hit her head. So, to say the

least, washing her hair was quite a challenge.

To make a very long day seem shorter, I will tell you the rest of the day was just the same. Lots of crying, a lot of hurts, some macaroni up Olivia's nose, but a lot of funny moments. Surprisingly, I had a good sense of humor about it all.

I couldn't help but laugh my head off when Olivia finally calmed down, came and sat on my lap and said, "Mom, I need to put some SUN SCREAM on your face." So cute.

I think most days as a mom are like this. But this one seemed to stick out more than the rest. Maybe it's because all the great moms out there, who are great examples (& whose blogs I stalk) are finally wearing off on me. You are all great examples and wonderful mothers!!!

Now, if I can get Olivia to sleep in her own bed tonight, life would be almost perfect!!!!

Joseph's 1st Day of Kindergarten

It's finally here! The day I dreaded all summer finally came.
Neal and I did everything we could think of to get him ready...
including a Family Home Evening lesson on stranger danger
that scared Joseph half to death. My biggest concerns are not
that he will be safe in school, but wondering if we prepared him
enough to be out in the big world. I've always heard that what
you teach your kids before the age of 5 is what will stick with them.
I really hope we taught Joseph well....there's no turning back now!

So far Joseph loves school. After asking him about what
he likes the most, he enthusiastically replied "RECESS"! I
was surprised when he was saying his morning prayer yesterday
and he asked that he could be nice during story time instead
of mean. I asked him what happened at story time and he said,
"oh nothing Mom..it's no big deal." Sigh...he is growing up
way too fast!!

Standing in Holy Places

Every couple of months, I write a bishopric message for our Ward newsletter. In this month's message, I muse about Joseph, Kindergarten, and our parental protection instincts, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Standing in Holy Places

This week, I stand on the edge of one of parenting’s greatest precipices: Sending a kid to Kindergarten. This is a new experience for me, and I’ve never handled “new” particularly well. Of course, we all experience a million “new’s” in our lives, so all of that practice should steel our resolve against even the most daunting of new’s, right? I really hope I’m not the only one who often responds: “Wrong.”

To be a parent is to be a worrier, and believe it or not, the thought of Joseph in Kindergarten has me a little nervous. He’s a fantastic kid with all kinds of smarts and friendly exuberance, but I’m still hesitant to send him out into the world on his own (even if it’s for just a few hours a day in a very safe environment). I suppose that’s because one of parenting’s first instincts (besides worrying) is the desire to protect. Until now, that’s been relatively easy. Joseph has spent the majority of his life under his parent’s watchful eyes. Starting next week, we won’t have nearly as much eyeball time, and after Kindergarten, we’ll only have less and less.

How, then, do we ensure our loved ones’ protection when we can’t always be there to gather them under our wings? How on earth do we find reassurance that all will be well with them, no matter where they go? And how do we personally find spiritual security in a world of treacherous evil? The answer is simple: Take protection with you, and give that protection to those you love.

I could mention many ways we can strengthen our defenses. I will focus on one: Standing in holy places.

A holy place is an oasis in a sea of unholy places. It gives us a chance to feel peace, to rejuvenate our world-weary spirits, and to refortify our courage for another swim in raging waters. It is a place of defense, where Babylon and its influence cannot reach us. Holy places give us serenity, perspective, and the Holy Spirit’s power. Depending on the length and quality of time spent in holy places, the influence of such places can stay with us long after we leave, and that influence provides protection.

Perhaps this is why the Lord commands us: “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen” (D&C 87:8).

What are these holy places? Temples are certainly among them. How blessed we are to live so close to so many edifices of incomparable spiritual refuge. The Lord’s promises for regular temple attendance are powerful and unequivocal. President Gordon B. Hinckley here addresses priesthood holders, but I believe his counsel applies to all of us: ““If every man [or woman] in this church ... were to qualify himself [or herself] to hold a temple recommend, and then were to go to the house of the Lord and renew his [or her] covenants in solemnity before God and witnesses, we would be a better people. There would be little or no infidelity among us. Divorce would almost entirely disappear. So much of heartache and heartbreak would be avoided. There would be a greater measure of peace and love and happiness in our homes. There would be fewer weeping wives and weeping children. There would be a greater measure of appreciation and of mutual respect among us. And I am confident the Lord would smile with greater favor upon us.” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 53)

Church meetinghouses and stakes are also holy places. The prophet Moroni recorded that “the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls” (Moroni 6:5). When we as church members “meet together,” we build each other’s spiritual resolve with gospel instruction, testimony bearing, and encouragement. We also “partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus” (Moroni 6:6). This too fortifies our spiritual defenses.

Our homes represent a major source of spiritual refuge, and we should strive daily to make them holy. James E. Faust counseled: “If we really want our homes to be places of holiness, we will try harder to do those things that are conducive to the Spirit of the Lord” (“Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62). The adversary knows of the home’s central role in fortifying families, and he is deviously employing every means at his disposal to weaken what is meant to be a spiritual stronghold. We must vigilantly stand fast against his efforts to infiltrate via internet connections, television broadcasts, and magazine pages. We must also remember that the devil uses contention as a means to destroy our peace and harmony (See 3 Ne. 11:29).

To maintain our homes as sacred places, I recommend a thorough spiritual spring cleaning. Peruse your video collections and book shelves. Remove anything with content that would bring an unwelcome spirit into your home or promote unwelcome thoughts. Monitor your internet connection tirelessly and place your computer in a well-trafficked area. Exercise restraint and seek to replace harsh words with kindness.

After your spring cleaning, prevent dark influences from re-entering your home by filling it with light. Adorn your walls with pictures of the Savior, temples, your family, and other sacred images. Pray and read your scriptures every day. Say, “I love you” and “thank you” liberally.

Of course, we must do more than stand in holy places. The Lord said that we should “be not moved” from those spots. I don’t think this means that the Lord never wants us to leave our temples, meetinghouses, and homes. I think what the Lord wants is for the spiritual influence of those places to follow us long after we’ve re-entered Babylon.

Inscribed on every temple are the words “Holiness to the Lord.” President Brigham Young said, “Every moment of [our lives] must be holiness to the Lord, … which is the only course by which [we] can preserve the Spirit of the Almighty to [ourselves]” (Deseret News, Apr. 2, 1862, 313). In other words, if each of us inscribes “Holiness to the Lord” deep into our hearts, we can preserve the spiritual strength received in holy places. We can be a holy place unto ourselves, taking a living portion of our holy places with us. If we strive to make our holy places clean, and strive with our might to keep ourselves clean, we will find the promised fortification that holy places offer, wherever we may go.

I hope that I’ve given my son an edifying holy place in which to live. I hope that he takes that resultant strength with him, and if he does, I know he’ll be protected.

Seek to spend more time in your holy places, and strive to remain worthy of holy places wherever you may be, and I know the Lord will help defend you against all the world’s ills.

With love,

Bro. Jenks

A Week in Neal's Life.

For those of you who care, something happened to me this week: Life. It was, by most accounts, an ordinary life, but it happened. Of course, just because it was ordinary, that doesn't mean that it wasn't noteworthy. Life, because it happens to us all the time, is easily taken for granted, but it's still a precious gift. So I think, from time to time, life's passage deserves some introspection and appreciation, no matter how ordinary it seems. Here, then, is how my life unfolded.

Just in time for my family's return from their long absence, it was my turn to spend time away from home. Not a half day after Shannon and the kids pulled into our garage after a 10-hour drive and eight days away, I was in the office drawing sketches for my next freelance project. I despise freelancing; it dramatically restrains my already limited family time, but Shannon and I both felt like we needed to take the job. I'm designing web marketing collateral (An esoteric graphic design word for "stuff"), for a company called Live2Mobile. They have a subscription service for mobile phone content like tv shows, news programming, etc. They’re a spanking-new company without even a trademark to their name, but I’m in charge of making them look like the Wal-mart of the mobile content subscription world. No biggie. I don’t have the software I need at home, so I have special permission to use my work computer. The only problem is, I have to use it after-hours. That means I had two early mornings, two super-late nights, and five hours on Saturday to pull it all off. I worked hard all week, but I’m still not nearly far enough along. With a little faith and a lot of prayer and midnight oil, I hope to get back on track this week.

If nothing else, this week has reinforced the fact that accomplishment depends more on a decision to accomplish than on available time. Shannon and I decided that, no matter what, we had to attend the temple. Our resolve was strong enough that we invited our friend Todd and Natalie to come with us. So Friday night, despite considerable drowsiness, we made it. I love the Timpanogos Temple, especially the Celestial Room, and after a particularly hectic week, the peaceful spirit in the room was just what the doctor ordered.

I also learned (drum roll please) what my season is. Growing up, I always made fun of my mom for calling one friend a “spring” and another a “summer,” but Wednesday night, I finally learned what the babble is all about. For those of you who don’t know, I’m in my Ward’s bishopric, which means that I occasionally tag along with our young women and their leaders for their Mutual night activity. That night, they brought in a color consultant. I realize that receiving a color consultation puts me in serious emasculation jeopardy, but in the name of finally understanding my mom, I took the risk. Oddly enough, I found it mentally rigorous and surprisingly fascinating. Our young women’s eye patterns were first scrutinized under the largest magnifying glass I’ve ever seen, following which, various fabric swatches were placed under their chins. Several times, I had to scrunch my nose in concentration as we studied the effects of each color on each young woman’s face. Even as a designer, I’m constantly impressed by the very literal effect of color. It was a fascinating study that broadened my understanding of color theory. Oh, and by the way, I’m a spring. They told me I’d look good in peaches and pinks, but I think I’ve already put enough of my manhood on the line.

More life happened this week, but that’s your random sampling for now. Stay tuned for more!

My little boy is 5!!!!

The last 5 years have gone by so quickly I can hardly stand it! Joseph is starting kindergarten this year and while I am excited for him, I wish he could stay home with me forever. I am anxious to see what the next 5 years will bring. Joseph is so amazing. He says so many funny things and is constantly surprising me with his now 5 year old knowledge. I am so proud of my little boy and love him with all my heart. Happy Birthday Joseph!

Things aren't the way they used to be

I went to see my sister's grave today, and I couldn't
help but wonder " what in the world am I doing here?"
Why am I visiting a grave? My sister should be alive
and happy and healthy, not buried in the ground
where I can't see her. I do know I will see her again.
But I just want to see her....here.

I remember thinking as a little girl that I didn't want
anything to change. I felt happy and secure at home.
My family loved each other and had a wonderful time
together. I felt loved. I felt like there was no where
else I ever wanted to be. But time snuck in and I grew
up. As a few of us were getting ready to leave
for college I remember thinking we would all end
up together again. We could all live together in a culdasac
somewhere. It just didn't turn out quite the way I planned.

I still feel close to my family. We talk to each other often.
But we have seperate lives. And that is okay, but sometimes
I still long for it to be just us. We are living our lives the way
we are supposed to. We are still an eternal family. Erin has
died, but I don't feel like she is missing and I don't feel like we
have lost her. She is still very much a part of our family. I know
she will be helping me in ways she never could have on the earth.
When I am impatient with my kids, I feel her right there telling
me to have a little more patience. When I am crying for her, I feel
her telling me it's okay, she feels happy and I should feel happy too.
I feel her encouraging me to pray more sincerely and deeply.

So while things aren't the way they used to be, or what I expected, I
can't say that I would change things. We all have experiences that
put us one step closer to Heavenly Father. I know that I need to
embrace this new change in our family and move forward with more
faith and determination.