Eavesdropping

I know I am not supposed to eavesdrop, but I think there is an exception when it is your child having a conversation with one of her toys. I sure hope so, because I eavesdrop on the best conversations. Today I heard this:

Donald Duck: First I’m going to marry Daisy.

Elle: Where are you going to marry her?

Donald Duck: In the temple.

Elle: What are you going to look like?

Donald Duck: A prince.

Elle: What’s Daisy going to look like?

Donald Duck: Princess Daisy.

Bump on the Head

Hudson received his first bump on the head yesterday. Elle was making him giggle in his jumper, when she accidently got too close and bumped his head—hard. Hudson screamed and cried, and so did Elle (although I think Elle was only crying, because she was both shocked and scared that she hurt her brother). Hudson was over it quickly—quicker than Elle—and has a nice red bump above his right eye to remember the incident by.

Love

Four-Months-Old

Hudson is now a four-month-old. It is hard to believe that he is that old. It does not feel that long ago that I was bringing him home from the hospital. However, our family has enjoyed every moment he has been with us—well, maybe not the sleepless nights. Those were not so enjoyable. But everything else has been pure bliss.

Hudson has been growing and changing in so many ways. He seems to be learning new things at a rapid pace. I love how he sings himself to sleep for every nap and every night before bed. I love how he never really cries, just squeals or talks to us. I love how much he loves his sister; she is his favorite person. I love how he lays on his back and just holds his feet. I love how ticklish he is. I love how quickly he rolls over, and scoots forward. I love his content and happy nature. I love his open smiles, and his low-voiced giggles—they make me smile every time. But mostly, I love how happy he makes me, and what a joy and blessing he has been to our family.

Loving to Jump

Hudson loves to jump in his jumper; and he is really starting to find out how fun it can be to jump over and over again. When we first placed him in his jumper, he would take a jump here and there, but now he jumps consistently and consecutively. It is really fun to watch him get excited, and have fun doing something all on his own.

"Heel Highs"

Elle went for an entire walk, up a hill, in her "heel highs." Silly girl.

Elle Can Ice Skate

I have to say that after the first ice skating lesson, I was a little bit of a skeptic as to whether or not Elle would actually learn to skate. It just didn’t seem possible. There were so many kids—none of which could even remotely stand up by themselves—and the instructions from the coach seemed too basic. However, after Elle’s third lesson I am no longer a skeptic. I am a believer. Elle can now skate by herself. Granted, it is not for very long or far, but she is skating all by herself without her father’s help. It is so cute seeing her on the ice, ice skating. She looks so tiny. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished. I guess all that marching was worth it after all.

Prayers of a Child

As any parent can attest to, children—especially young children—say the sweetest and most honest prayers. Lately, Elle’s prayers have all brought a smile to my face. I am always amazed at the things that go through her mind.

One day she said, “Please bless that my lunch is not grody; and that it does not taste like broccoli” (She actually likes broccoli).

Another time she said, “Please bless Mommy to be grateful” (I guess I am not grateful enough).

Lastly, she said, “Please bless that Jesus won’t cry for me.”

This last prayer has really made me think. When I was a student at BYU-Idaho, I attended a devotional where a speaker told us that we should be happy and not let Jesus bear any more sorrows for us. When Elle said this in her prayer, I could not help but think about that specific devotional talk. Her words held the same meaning as that message. I could not believe that she would think to say something like that. It truly touched my heart.

No More Marching!

Elle had her second ice skating lesson yesterday, and let’s just say she was a little frustrated. As I was watching her skate, I could tell that she was not happy about something, but I could not at all tell what it could be. After the thirty minute session, she was more than ready to be off the ice, and away from her lessons. I was completely confused as to why she was frustrated and not having fun. All she would tell me was that she was done for the day. When I asked if she had fun, she said yes. That confused me even more. I gave up on trying to figure her out, and decided to just let it drop. There are just times when I have to say she is three, and doesn’t know her own mind (Johnny likes to say that she is a girl, and will never know her own mind). However, thankfully, the mystery of Elle’s frustration was solved later that day.
Elle asked me during dinner why her ice skating coach wanted her to march on the ice. I told her he had each student do this in order to get them more comfortable with the ice and their abilities on their ice skates. I tried to explain and stress the fact that she has to practice small skills in order to be able to skate on her own. Elle was not impressed with my explanation, and simply told me that she was not marching anymore. When I asked why, she told me that she was tired of marching, and was ready to go and ice skate like the princesses from Disney on Ice. It was hard for me to keep a straight face as she was pouring out her frustrations to me. How funny that the whole time during her ice skating session she was frustrated, because she had to march, when all she wanted to do was skate like a Disney princess.

Slimon and Judas

The other day Elle asked me if I knew about Sliman and Judas. I stopped, thought and asked her to repeat what she said. She repeated, quite exasperatedly, "You know, Slimon and Judas." It took me another minute, and then I knew what she was talking about: Simon and Judas—Jesus’ Apostles. How funny that she thought—and still thinks—it’s Slimon.

Playing With Friends

Our good friends, Brittany, Mike and their children, came to Boise on Monday. It was so good to see them, seeing as how we had not seen them in such a long time. Brittany and I took the kids to the zoo, and spent the entirety of the time talking and laughing, and watching the kids interact. We used to get Elle and Ella together once a week when they were both 1-year-olds. Now they are almost four, and it was fun to see them playing once again. I hope that we can do this more often. It is always a pleasure to spend time with close friends.

Almost 2-year-olds


Almost 4-year-olds