Handwritten Sentiments

Yesterday I was a grump. Today I was a grump. Tomorrow? We'll see. I've found myself frustrated with certain disciplinary problems with one of my offspring. The one who sprung mostly from Ryan's spring. My spring wouldn't yield such results (i keep telling myself...). Anyways, in the grumpy, gloomy, majority of the day there were some sunny spots. They came in the form of handwritten sentiments. They made me smile and love my kids. They are fun. They are fun. They are fun. They are fun. (She told herself over and over and over again until she actually believed it.) I love to find things around the house that my kids have written about. Little reminders or stories, the first scratches of learning how to write their names, or just drawings that I want to save because they make me smile. It's such a lovely little snapshot of where they are right now in this very stage of their lives. I know that someday I'm going to miss this and so the sentiments get saved more often than is probably healthy (according to professional purgers and organizers). Here are a couple of today's sentiments. (I can't get my computer to save my scanned files. I'm too tired to figure it out.)

Sentiment #1

Piper has been fasting for the past couple of months. She takes it seriously. I am so impressed with her innate desire to take her testimony and spirituality into her own hands. She isn't flying on any one's coat tails. She wants to feel it all first hand and is doing the work necessary to do so. The rest of us on the other hand...slackers. Her sentiment proves it.

"10-11-09

Today I was the only one who fasted in my family! Crazy, right! So I sat there watching everyone eat there breakfast. At lunch the same thing happened, I sat there watching my family eat lunch. I will not quit because I know that this is the right thing to do." (followed by a smiley face with long eyelashes.)

Sentiment #2

It's fall break. The kids have been telling me for the last few days that they are craving Utah. That they miss their baby Kyan. He isn't even going to know them. That they miss Daysen and wish that they could play with him. That they can barely even remember what aunt Brandi looks like ("I'm serious mom!"). That uncle Jahde may or may not have facial hair. They can't remember. It's getting increasingly dramatic. This morning after I got out of the shower I found this awesome sentiment:

"Dear mom/dad,

We would very much like to go to Utah. If you take us your wildest dreams will come true. What do you want from us? We'll give you anything!

Love,

Crayton Kidd and Piper Kidd

(an active member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Please respond in 10 minutes. Thanks."

Those kids...I love them so much. (She tells herself once. And believes it because they are sleeping over at grandma's tonight.)