"The Thinker"

Thinking beyond her years

I have three daughters.

Three very different daughters.

They each want to have their own claim, yet love a lot of the same things.

As a mom it's tricky to highlight and praise their individual talents. We recently got a chance to highlight our Alex on her Kindergarten Special Day. Alex loves to create. Often times I will find her quietly drawing or coloring, when the other kids are off doing something else. My grocery list often get compromised with sketches and it's nearly impossible to find a notebook without her "touch".

For her special day she wanted to make a mural of all her favorite things. She worked so hard on it and I think it turned out great! She included the mountains, one for skiing and one for camping (she even drew a tent for us and one for Max and Kaysie). She drew our house with a long road to Utah to see Papa and Chicky. She is a long time BYU fan so a "Y" was included. She drew two missionaries representing Uncle James on his mission, her flying a kite, and of course Mickey Mouse.

Like all artists she signed her work. But it didn't end there. She started writing something under her name in her very best handwriting.

"You never know what you can do".

I asked her where she heard that and she just said it was in her head. I didn't know what to say. Here I have this amazing 6 year old given to raise and she is raising me.

I don't share this story to brag or boast but to pass on her message that we truly never know what we can do until we try.

She is such a special girl to us Everyday!

The First and Last

FIRSTS and LASTS

As parents we often celebrate the many firsts in our children's lives. They are Huge, Important, Monumental and life changing. I'm talking about the first cry, first steps, first day of Kindergarten, first lost tooth. My kids are young so I will stop there as I can't bare the many many more firsts we have coming. I have the most well documented firsts for my children, but what about their lasts? They often happen and we don't even realize. As my baby's 2nd birthday is approaching I realize this next year will be a year of lasts for her. With potty training & Binky disappearance coming, I'm not especially sad but in a way I am because it just means she's growing up too fast.

I love the way she wraps her arms around my neck when I get home, even if I've been gone only a little while. It always cracks me up how when she hears Ben in the kitchen after the big girls have gone to bed, she runs yelling "popcorn". She is usually right and she always gets some. She will watch and listen for the school bus so she can hide in the front closet and scare B & A. And somehow they are always scared. I love rocking her to sleep while she pats her blanket looking for a tie to twirl in her fingers. I love how she says "sorry" after an intentional hit to her sisters head with a brush. I am going to miss all the babyish sweet things she does but I am so excited for this next year too. Maybe that's why we celebrate the firsts more than the lasts it gives us something to work towards and look forward to.