"And a little child shall lead them..."

I love how excited my little boy gets over Monday night Family Home Evening.  Last night, for example, we pulled out our "singing tree" (it's just a cardboard tree with leaves on it...every leaf that we pull off has the name of a song on the back that we get to sing), and he sang and danced like a crazy man to every song.  As soon as the song was finished, he ran back to the tree for another one.  After carefully choosing a leaf, handing it to mama, and hearing the verdict, the craziness started all over again.  After utilizing the singing tree, we had a short lesson about obedience.  Amidst many pleas of "F, sit down" and "please listen", we talked about Nephi being commanded to return to Jerusalem for the brass plates (some people in our home think he went back to get the "grass plates").  Then we played a rip roaring round of "Mother May I"--it was a new game to everyone except mama.  Even though I had to repeat the rules every time it was F's turn, he had so much fun.  He spontaneously exclaimed in the middle of the game, "We are playing such a funny game!"  He and Daddy were asked to somersault across the dining room, jump, slither like a snake, fly like a bird, etc.  The evening ended with eating chocolate cake and ice cream--F was so proud because he "dumped" all of the ingredients into the bowl as he and I made the cake yesterday afternoon.  There are times that I wish F would show a little less enthusiasm and Daddy a little more enthusiasm (after a long day of work) for FHE.  At times I think F isn't learning a thing; I wish he would calmly sit and sing or listen to the lesson without being having to be corralled.  Then I pause and realize that he is excited...really excited about FHE.  As he answers questions about the gospel or the scriptures, I realize that he really is listening; and most importantly, I realize that the day will come when I will wish that he'd show just a little more enthusiasm about spending an hour with his family discussing the gospel. Yes, he does need to learn to sit quietly and listen to the lesson; that will come as he continues to grow.  I need to remember to live a little more in the moment and enjoy his enthusiasm--oh that everyone in the world would be as filled with pure, unadulterated joy about discussing truth and spending time with family.  What a different world we would live in if that were the case.  Thank you, F for your enthusiasm!

One more thing of note--my dear husband decided, after seven years of sporting a goatee, to shave it off...it shocked me tremendously! Check out the before and after....

Finished Diaper Bag

So I finished a back-pack diaper bag yesterday--just in time to use it for church this morning. It ended up costing probably $10 total to make ($6 of that being the buckle). I used an old suit coat from the thrift store (I LOVE the look of old-professorish suitcoats) and a plethora of different fabrics that I had and which loosely coordinated with one another. Let me know what you think!

Incisors

Fisher is sick because he is cutting in his top incisors. He has been a pretty whiny, clingy, and unhappy boy for a few days now. I feel so badly for him. I hope it passes soon. Yesterday was a first--he fell down half of our flight of stairs--he's okay except for a bit of rug rash on his nose, but I realize how blessed we are that he did not get hurt.

Voting

I am soooo scared about the potential outcome of the election. Fisher and I went to vote this morning (he got the "I voted" sticker to wear for a few hours until he wadded it up and threw it away). I feel as though I had to vote for the lesser of two evils...I hope our country doesn't suffer too much.

Hole in the ceiling

Mark and his dad are trying to put a light in Fisher's room. The huge duct work is in the way in the attic making it next to impossible to access the area they need. They had a brilliant idea to cut a hole in the ceiling in our loft so they could access the attic above Fisher's room. It didn't work, so we have a obvious hole in the ceiling and Mark still had to do the impossible to get the job done.