So I can remember...

Having our friend Katy pass away has been the closest experience my girls have had with death. They've known great-grandparents (and even one great-great grandma) who have died but those were expected because of age. And of course we talk about the fact that my dad passed away as well, but having known Katy really well, and the fact that she was my age, has been harder for the girls to comprehend (especially Nora). When we first told them they took the news fairly well, but later that day Nora said to me, "Katy's not really dead, is she mom?" then on the way to the funeral we were talking about how it would be Katy's birthday at the end of this month and Nora said, "Well, I think Katy will be back for her birthday." and then at the funeral I was in the primary room with the kids listening over the speakers and Sophie and Nora were both having a hard time. Nora kept running into the corner or burying her face in my lap and saying, "I'm not crying. I'm just tired. I'm just tired!" It broke my heart. She kept saying that over and over when she'd cry and I kept telling her it was okay to be sad and to cry because we'll miss Katy. At another point at the funeral Sophie was hiding under the table crying and wanting Brian, I did get her to come out so I could hold her and Nora both. Nora looked up at me with huge tears in her eyes and a quivering voice and said, "Do you really think Katy will come back to life?" It was a great opportunity and a sweet moment for me to bear my testimony to my girls that I do know without a doubt that Katy will come back to life someday, and we'll get to see her again because of our Savior. When Nora said our family prayer later she said in it, "We're thankful to know that Katy will come back to life someday because Jesus died for us." And although it's been a hard experience for my sweet girls I hope it will be one that helps build their budding testimonies of our Savior and the Gospel.

Weekend Shenanigans

This video may be a bit long for anyone other than grandparents but it made me laugh. Sophie was keeping score of Nora and Miles' jumps off the couch. Whoever got the most jumps wins!

Nora & Miles

Tonight while we were reading scriptures as a family Miles climbed up on the top bunk and during family prayer he yelled, "Watch Me!" I was sitting on the bottom bunk so I instinctively reached my hands up when he yelled, I looked up just as he leaped off - he hit my arm and flipped into Brian's lap. Luckily no serious injuries were sustained... this time.

Nora, Miles and I spent about 2 hours outside playing in the large puddle at the end of our driveway. Nora had a small Ariel doll, and Miles had Cinderella. Nora would stand on the snowbank and put Ariel in a cup then launch her out of the cup while yelling, "Firebomb Strike!" Then she would search through the puddle and find Ariel and do it over and over again. There is nothing quite as fun as watching kids be kids - carefree and happy.

Another sign by Soph

We had the neighbors over to play for a bit and because none of them wanted to play "Scouts" with Sophie - which is their little club... she wrote this sign and hung it on her bedroom door:

do NOT com in here
or you will
be SORRE

I needed to put some things in the kids' room so I ignored the sign and walked in twice and each time the sign fell down and Sophie stomped over both times and hung it back up. The funniest part was that all the other kids were in the basement playing - completely oblivious to her and her sign.

Head banger

Tonight we were watching the American Girl movie Kit Kitteridge as a family - I thought it was such a cute show - it was set up on the coffee table upstairs. Miles spent most of the movie jumping from the table to the couch, holding one arm in the air and shouting, "Pirate.... Matey!!!" and then jumping back to the couch and then going over the back of the couch and around to the table again... you get the idea! Just near the end he jumped to Sophie - smacking her head with his - then immediately jumped to Nora -smacking heads with her... which sent them all into immediate tears. Brian paused the movie while we held all three of them between us as they were bawling - and we couldn't stop laughing! Of course we felt bad they were hurt, but it just happened so fast and suddenly we had 3 bawling kids. We finished the movie once they calmed down... and Miles went back to playing pirates again.

Eariler today he head butted me so hard that I sat down and cried! He got me right below my eyebrow and it hurt like crazy. We were playing baby and mommy monster so we had a talk about being nice even though we are being monsters. He felt bad and after a few minutes he said, "Me not nice." Cute boy.

Just one...

Today's best moment was when we went bowling as a family - which we haven't done since Nora was a little baby. Brian was helping Miles bowl and Miles decided to chase his ball down the lane. Brian barely caught him at the 1/2 way mark.. those lanes are so slippery it was hilarious for me to watch Brian trying to catch him. Nora was quite upset she was the only one who didn't get a strike or a spare and would hang her head and sulk after every ball she rolled - some ice cream cheered her up afterwards!