Can I get an Amen?!? And Katy Perry: Our Sunday at Church

So I am LDS. AKA:  A Mormon.

 If you have never attended one of our church meetings let me give you a little back ground. It consists of 3 different classes each about an hour long. We have Sacrament meeting first. This consists of an opening and closing prayer, songs, talks, and the Sacrament. Generally this is a very quiet meeting. No clapping, dancing, and the congregation usually just listens. I say usually because the only time I have seen this different was in Hawaii and when a speaker would say "Aloha Brothers and Sisters" the congregation would reply "Aloha!"

Anyways you are probably wondering how this all relates to Katy Perry. 

 This Sunday it was my Hubby's and I who were assigned the opening and closing prayers. We sat on the second pew as to be close to the front and after the opening song he gave a beautiful prayer.
As he finished with Amen, AJ our oldest twin, wanted to let his Daddy know how proud he was of him.
 He stood up, cupped his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Good Job Dad!" 

Alex smiled as his face turned bright red.
He walked across the stage and down the stairs to the sounds of the congregation laughing.
 Luckily he didn't have far to go.
As soon as he reached the pew AJ again loudly but not as loud as before said:

"Good Job Dad!"

Setting off a brand new set of laughter.

The Bishop got up and said:
 "What would it be to have a cheering section like that?"

Before continuing on with the meeting. 
I thought it was absolutely adorable.
Poor AJ got embarrassed and hid in Alex's lap for a good part of the meeting.
I am glad to say my prayer went well too, but with no cheering section.

After Sacrament meeting classes are divided into age groups for one hour and then a meeting just for Ladies and one just for Men. Any children ages 18 months to 3 years attend Nursery. They play with toys, have a snack and a very short lesson. During play time, Alex who is one of the Nursery leaders caught Austin, the other twin walk up to a girl in the class say something and then kiss her on the lips!

My 3 year old baby boy and his first kiss.

Oh dear.

When Alex told me what happened when we got home I asked him why he kissed her.

His response: I don't know but I liked it!

To which my 5 year old screams:

I know that song!

and proceeds to sing Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" chorus word for word.

I was shocked she knew the words! She told me she learned them from our friend's Eight year old son.

As for Austin he said he asked her first.

Well, at least he was a gentleman about it.

As for me I can only imagine what next Sunday will bring.

"The End of the World as I know it..." Kindergarten here she comes! Lydia's First Day

In my mind I found my self singing

 "It's the end of the world as we know it."

 As I was watching Lydia ride her bike tonight.

She stopped in front of me and asked

"Why have I seen you watching me

 these last few days before kindergarten

with a sad kind of smile?"

I just hugged her.

"It's the end of the world as I know it......I WILL feel fine."

This was my facebook post on Sunday.

My baby girl started school yesterday....she was so excited and happy! Alex was able to be off work to help take her to school and my parents came to watch their first Grandbaby go. I was excited for her! I will miss having her with me in the mornings, she is such a big helper to me. But she is so ready for school, SO READY. And so I have to let her go, it makes it a little bit easier. I think the poem below best describes how I feel.

Lydia your Dad and I love you so much! We are so proud of you!

We know you will have a wonderful school year.

Here we go Baby Girl, the next chapter in our lives!

Tonight I laughed to keep from crying...because Accidents Happen!

After putting my little darlings to bed this evening I decided to do something for me. I took a nice LONG and HOT shower with just me. No little hands poking me, or little bodies to wash. Just me and the water falling onto my head. Washing away the days stress and easing me into a state of calm, relaxation, and sleepiness.

I got out to hear a siren blaring...Alex left on a fire call and forgot to clear the page. Quickly turning it off I say a quick little prayer to the effect of "Please don't let it wake the children." I snuggle into my chair and open the laptop to check on the world of FB. While waiting for my Hubby to come home so we can have some Mommy/Daddy time watching shows together, talking, sleeping. Just being together with out the constant interruption of  'He hit me!' 'He hit me first'  'Thats my toy' and the all time favorite checking to see if all the kids are playing nicely sneaking down the hall to the bathroom and before I can even lock the door. MOM! I gotta pee! Me too! and of course the previously mentioned ones as well. I hate only having one bathroom.

Pitter Patter...Pitter Patter...."Mommy? I need you to hold me." Out of the kitchen comes my oldest son by 19 minutes. AJ, or as he is wanting to be called this week Alex Joshua sleepily crawls into my lab mumbling over and over. "J, whats wrong?" I asked. More mumbling and he starts twitching. "J do you need the bathroom?" He shakes his head yes. "Okay buddy go potty and go back to bed, I love you." He sleepily walks away. A few seconds later I hear someone cry out. But then no more.

Since I was getting a little sleepy I decided to watch the news in our bedroom and try to stay awake till Alex would get home (You never know with fire calls, could be 10 minutes or 12 hours). I turn on my bedroom light to find none other than my little boy sitting wide awake on my side of the bed. "J what are you doing, you are suppose to be in bed." He looks up at me with those big brown puppy dog eyes and lashes that would make any girl jealous and says "I need you to cuddle me" insert pout lip here. And just like that I go to cuddle him before sending him back off to bed. As I get closer though I realize he is wearing no pants. His underwear definitely was not two shades of blue when I put it on him after his shower this evening. And that wet spot definitely was not there last time I checked. Deep breath in, and exhale. "J did you have an accident? Did you have one on Mommy's bed?" His brown eyes look up at me through the longness of his lashes and with the saddest look you have ever seen he replies:

"I am so sorry Mommy, I got lost and couldn't find the bathroom.I am really sorry, are you mad at me?"

I felt like crying , my clean sheets, my pillow, my clean son who is now needing another shower at 10:30 at night.

Then I looked at his little face, so vulnerable. It wasn't intentional, he really couldn't find the bathroom in his sleepy state of mind. He looked so scared, like he was going to be in trouble. Instead I laughed. I told him that I was sorry he couldn't find the bathroom but next time to come tell Mommy if that happens again so it can get cleaned up. Accidents happen. I walked him to the shower and started the water, more screaming from my youngest but equally handsome boy Austin. He wants to shower if his brother gets to. Talked him out of showering again as he just had 2 hours ago but he did get to watch while AJ had a quick shower not a play one. Hugged and kissed and tucked back in. My Fireman is home and asks how I have been. As I pulled off our bedding and explained the day. I laughed again. (Or maybe, have I finally lost it?)

On evenings like this I can sometimes (okay most times) become very VERY VERY Very stressed out and causes a little bit of severe anxiety. But I am trying harder, you know that country song "Let them Be Little". I am trying to do that. My "little" girl starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks and I am in denial. No Back to School shopping done, panic attacks picking up her registration folder and teacher information, that she is going to be gone most of the day. I want to make a video of her life from birth to school age but again if I do that then it becomes real.

We don't drink very often and it is rarely in the house. But on nights like this I was grateful for his fire call and the fact that he brought back a nice.............cold...............root beer.

Hey Honey! Could you bring me another cold one?

Daughter of a King

I love this song, I first heard it sung by someone I love who is now struggling. It helps me remember who I am and where I am going. I hope you like it. And to those who sometimes doubt your purpose (I think we all do at times don't be afraid to admit it), remeber You ARE A DAUGHTER OF A KING and He LOVES you!

The "Greats" Memories of My Grandma and Grandpa Greer

Every Saturday evening my parents, Lydia and I would watch "The Lawrence Welk Show" on PBS with my Grandma and Grandpa. Lydia was just a toddler and would dance and sing along and it brought my Grandparents such joy watching her. Lydia called them "The Greats" and would help put them to bed every night. My Grandpa passed on Lydia's 3rd birthday and my Grandma the day before the Twins and Taylie's birthdays this year. I miss them very much.

I had the privilege of living in their front yard growing up. My Grandpa sold the front of his property to my parents for a dollar so they could build a home. It was such a blessing be so close to them. The relationships that were developed between them and my Siblings and I are my most cherished memories. We saw them every day. And we knew that we were Grandma's Sunshine and she would give us anything she could. And Grandpa had better listen when it comes to the grandkids. I can still her saying "Oh, Gene let them be" When we went to Disneyland and the ocean for the first time they had decided they didn't want to come. Grandma quickly changed her mind, she didn't want to miss us seeing the ocean for the first time so she had Grandpa drive her all night to meet us there. He loved her so and would do anything for her. I don't think they missed a vacation after that.

Christmas morning we could not open presents until we called them and they would track across the snowy paths between our houses in the dark so they wouldn't miss it. Grandpa was the designated trash bag holder and Grandma made sure we opened them one at a time (sometimes to my Dad's dismay) so she wouldn't miss a thing. She would be up and ready by 4am just waiting for our call, not wanting to make us wait. She also would come over every morning to help my Mom with my twin brothers when they were born and also with my moms daycare. She would be there at 5 as soon as she saw my Dad had left for work.

Grandpa would drive us everywhere and tell us stories of growing up, the war if we were lucky, and of places he helped build. At the time I would think to myself I have heard these stories hundreds of times. Now I wish I could here them just once more. Towards the end of his life he suffered from Alzheimer's and didn't always know who we were. But he always knew Lydia, she was his Pumpkin Roller. She was the last person he spoke to. She had told him that she loved him and his response was "I love you too pumpkin roller." I remember his hands so well, he caught me climbing up the ladder to hand Alex Christmas lights when I was 8 months pregnant with the twins. I don't think I ever seen him so upset (at me anyway) and the lecture from him as he helped me down from the ladder was one I wont soon forget. He loved/loves me so much. He could fix anything. He would help with anything.

Grandma taught me that the Meadow lark song says "Tracie Fern's a pretty little girl" it wasn't till I was a teenager that I learned she sung this to all of my cousins. It still made me feel special though. She would sing songs of "Mares eat Oats", "Donut Shop", but most of all "You are My Sunshine.

I was named after her, Fern. It is so beautiful. I have to admit though it was so much fun when I was younger trying to get classmates to guess my middle name and telling them it was a 4 letter F word. We had a special bond, she was their for all most all of my "Firsts" and I had the privilege of being their for all of her "lasts". The last time she went to the Temple was when I took out my endowments, My children were some of the last babies she got to hold. Children always brightened her day.

 I was there for her last Christmas, I call it our Christmas Miracle. She too had Alzheimer's and dementia and the last few years she wouldn't know who were were. Lydia would cry almost every time we left because she didn't know her. It broke my heart. But on Christmas she was herself, she knew us, played with the children, hugged and kissed them. It was such a blessing as that was the last time they saw her. I started visiting her every Thursday before I would head into work, she never spoke or knew who I was. She would look at you with a blank stare. I was able to occasionally get her to sing with me some of the songs she would sing to me growing up. I could see the little flicker of who she once was. I was the last person she spoke to. As I was leaving I repeatedly told her "I love you Grandma, I have to go now" trying to initiate some response. After several tries I turned to leave and she looked at me, really looked at me, she knew me and said "I love you too, sweetheart" and then I could see the fog settle in again. She passed away a week later.



Grandma and some of my cousins. She is holding me.

 I stayed with my mom, dad, and two of my aunts at the nursing home while we waited for her to go home. My wonderful husband kept the house and the kids together.  It was a long 3 days, the hardest in my life. Trying to contact cousins, and Aunts so my mom wouldn't have to. Staying up late till the time came. I had left the nursing home to clean up my parents home so they wouldn't have to worry about it when they got back. While there I stopped in the room she used to stay in and was looking at some of her trinkets. I found a Hummingbird music box that played her favorite song "In the Garden" I felt very impressed that I should bring it back with me. I did and when I went to show my parents and aunts I found them working on a hummingbird puzzle. Ironic I thought.

She passed just minutes after we finished it, it was one of the most sacred experiences I have ever had the privilege of being apart of. The next few days I went with my mom to help with the arrangements (I am an only daughter with 4 brothers and felt she needed me there and that I needed to be there so she let me come). Everywhere I looked in the Funeral home were little figurines or pictures of Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds. When I got home I decided to Google the meaning of them. Hummingbirds represent the transition from life to death, joy, hope, and infinity. Wow. I still think of her every time I see a Hummingbird, which has been quite a lot. I also was able to help dress her in the temple clothes her mother made for her. Inside her temple bag was the Grandmother ID card they gave her when she came to the temple with me. I put it in my pocket and took it home. It now rests in my temple bag. She looked so beautiful, she looked like My Grandma. I know that she lives, I feel her with me when I miss her the most. I sure do miss her. I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father and my Brother Jesus Christ for making it possible for us to be and Eternal family. It gets me through each day.