Agency Bites Me. And then teaches me.

Yesterday we had the missionaries over and watched the film, The Testaments: Of One Fold & One Shepherd. Powerful teaching tool... we've watched it several times before, but the kids grasp different lessons from it every time. And I bawl like a baby every time when it gets to the part depicting Christ in the Americas loving, talking, and blessing all the children.

Lexie sat there next to Curt the whole time and just soaked the story line in as she fired question after question putting the pieces of it together. She was trying to understand "why that guy, Jacob, would even want to make bad choices and follow Korihor and the adversary." A good lesson in Agency...

Fast forward to tonight....

Curt asked Lexie to say the family prayer. She declined and threw somewhat of a fit. I then went into that little lecture we've all given about obedience... that when Mom & Dad ask them to do something, they don't question, don't argue, and don't throw a fit, but happily say 'yes' {like the obedient little robots we were when we grew up kind of thing}...

So after Monson then says the prayer, (we were gonna be kneeling there for hours if we held her to it) I go upstairs to tuck the girls in and have a little conversation with Lexie.

".....Lexie, when Daddy asks you to do something, you need to make good choices and not follow the adversary" {interrupted}

"Well, Mom, you're the one who is following the adversary by not giving me a choice. He doesn't want us to have choices and you didn't want me to have a choice either." {pinky promise...exactly the words she used}

I've got nothin'.

What do I say to that? She's FIVE. She's one of those kids that just has a keen awareness of simple truths and principles... it's like she remembers things from her pre-mortal existence and grasps and applies them easily. Again and again. It was a special Mommie-moment of gratitude for these special children that have been sent to our family.

At the end of a day full of teaching, correcting, nagging, loving, and often times more than frustrating day of just working... for them, it was a tender moment for me to have this reminder that children have so much light, faith, and truth. And they need to be treated as such. {Not like the little robots that we sometimes think they ought to be}.

She just gets it. And she sure put me in my place with that simple reminder of Agency. Guess what lesson I'm teaching in Relief Society on Sunday? The Freedom to Choose. Thanks for the opener, Senorita Snappy Pants!

~Funnies~

~funny~ "This milk would taste much better if Mom made some cookies!" {that's my kind of girl...Lexie}.

~funny~ Viviana was yelling 'help help help' ... so I run upstairs to see what's going on.. find her stooped over the toilet with a princess tea cup in her hand just about to dip it in the lovely {& freshly cleaned} toilet bowl, and she says, "mom, I'm firsty...need a cup of wawer" She couldn't reach the sink, and it was the next logical place. I mean, it has to be good for something since she doesn't use it the same way big people do yet...

~funny~ Ama was tucking the girls in and Izzie was telling one of her famous stories... and then Izzie started showing some hand signs... she flashed the 'peace sign' and said, "this is the peace sign... like a 'peace' of cake or a 'peace' of pie." I think I like the 'peace' sign more now.

~funny~ As part of our nighttime ritual (a tradition passed down from my mom), I asked Izzie, "What was your favorite part of the day?" She thought for a minute and ran through all the things we did... responded, and then said, "and mommie, what was YOUR favorite part of the day?!" {It tickled Ama to pieces when she turned it around & asked her too}.

~funny~ with a long face & sad eyes Lexie came home from K so deflated because "Luke won't be my dog at school anymore. He wants to be Paloma's dog instead." Excuse me? I wonder if the teacher knows the girls have 'pet' dogs... that are boys. They are doing a pet unit at school this week. Makes perfect sense to me.

~funny~ She's her mother's daughter...{I said the same thing at her age} The other day Lexie had finished her homework, had watched one of her shows, cleaned her room, and it was raining pretty hard outside, so she was stuck indoors... we all laughed as she exclaimed, "mom, I'm bor-ing!"

Wedding Bells

Dress-up is one of the loves of any girly-girl... I happen to have a few of those over-the-top-girly-girls and they crack me up daily. I especially love their sophisticated voices as they played this wedding out this afternoon...

Mother to Mother? Woman to Woman? or Husband to Wife? hmmmm...

Lex: Tonight are you going to the royal ball?

Iz: I need this {veil} so I can get married tonight. And we need a pillow for the ring!

Iz: Am I the queen?

Lex: Hey, Mom... can you be our audience too?

Me: {trying to sew... but this is so funny & they're going all out, so I grab a camera & agree}

Lex: Who should I marry, mom? I wish I had a boy {she says under her breath}. Someone has to walk me down the tile {almost... it does rhyme with 'aisle'}

Iz: You can marry me, Lex, and then we'll just kiss on the cheeks, that would be better. Kay, Lex, gotta say, "this ring I thee wed"

Lex: Now you have to give this ring to me!

Iz: Now let me put it on your finger cause that's what you do... wait wait wait {runs in to watch what's going on with Sponge Bob on TV}

Lex: IZZIE!!!

Lex: {unsure of herself} Should I say mother and mother? or husband and wife? {answers it herself- husband and wife}

Iz: Now kiss me on the cheek {points to those yummy cheeks}

Lex: No, let's just hug. We're girls.

Iz: We don't just hug when we're married {duh we kiss too}

Iz: Okay, FINE! bear hugs. Are we done now? {I think Sponge Bob was calling her name}

Lex: Where's the lipstick, mom? I need more.

I think they watch too many princess movies.... It's funny to see what's important to each of them. For Izzie it's all about the fun & moving on, for Lex, it's all about being 'correct' and getting it just right. But they both sure get into character-- 'the walk & talk' included. My fun-loving girls are so much fun! I'm the luckiest mom in the world!

{meanwhile Viviana was upstairs making giant messes & putting together 'pop-bead' jewelry... Yup, another girly-girl}

Glitter Valley Girls

"Mom, like don't I look puuurty?"

Oh, yes...especially those lovely cheekies.

Santa brought play makeup

and it's already half gone. Don't know why!

2009 McLaughlin Clan Notables

A December to Remember

We kicked December off with a piano recital.

Monson had major stage fright left over from last year, so he chose not to participate,

{and we choose our battles.}

Monson has been giving Lexie piano lessons of her own once a week... gotta love it!

Decorating the tree...

My dear friend gave this to me the year Viviana was born

the kid's favorite ornament...who would have thought.

it's the one our golden retriever, Scooby, used to chew on when he was just a pup many Christmas' ago

Bray always has a good cry remembering his dog when he puts it on the tree each year.

A Weekend in Coronado

Curt's work Christmas party involved a weekend away at Coronado. We couldn't find anyone to nanny our six monkeys with December being so busy for everyone... so instead of missing out, we brought them with us and had 8x the fun.

Also, 8x the noise & commotion.

Dinner at the Boat House

We stayed at the Glorietta Bay Inn & enjoyed the scenery and wonderful beach at the

Hotel Del Coronado across the street.

We didn't take them ice skating---the lines were too long and it was too expensive for all of us... but how cool to ice skate with an ocean view surrounded by palms!

and so the girls did some sand skating of their own...imitating the skaters.

It always ends in a wrestling match

...and two boys walked away with 5 lbs of sand in their hair... and proud of it.

Get your Gingerbread Creativity ON

We were invited to a Gingerbread house making night potluck...

super fun, super messy, super sweet...

Lexie's Kindergarten Performance

A 24-hour visit with Ama

Lexie's Polar Express Train Parade

Dressed in our Christmas Best

Christmas Eve Feliz Navidad style

We had the missionaries over for the eve and I prepared copycat

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa salad & fresh tamales... YUM.

Pops arrived in time for our program

Brayden put together an evening of music

...and stories focused on Christ & his humble beginnings with our traditional puppet show

and performances...

...and of course, Christmas Eve PJ's

and it wouldn't be complete without reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas just before the kids headed off to sleepy town. Pops had the honor this year...

Christmas Morn in all it's glory

waiting until Mom & Dad are up to open presents

and still waiting....

The aftermath... wasn't too bad

Lexie's new eyepatch

Pops playing barbies with the girls

A night out in 'Old Town

and my fave--my gift from Kevin & Brooke was a full-on detail of my ratty kid-abused car

Izzie waxed 'til her little arms grew muscles

Let's go fly a kite

and by the time it was all over the biggest complaint is that

'Mom takes pictures just like Pops' and it's annoying.

I agree--it's annoying, but the expressions and stories are priceless.

Can't wait for what 2010 holds!