These have been low key days with the usual happenings. Summer school is going well, with Gillian doing her homework first thing when she gets up. We are reviewing 2nd grade math and spelling right now. In a week or two, we'll start introducing 3rd grade. She has been reading a lot like usual. Gillian finished Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer," and is looking forward to reading "Huckleberry Fin." Today, she went to one of her very good friends' birthday party which took place at "Build-a-bear" workshop. She had a very good time; my boys were a bit jealous that they couldn't go, but I took them to the Barnes & Noble nearby, where they played with trains for a few minutes, and then rushed and grabbed a high stack of books to read and to be read to. They were pleased with that. They were disappointed in the end, however, when I told them I couldn't possibly buy all of them.
Jefferson is doing well with his homework. His math work gets finished in a few minutes, so I've been giving him harder exercises. His handwriting is his downfall. Jefferson has no patience for writing pretty letters. It matters to him that he knows how to write them, but that's about it. I'll have to have a bit more patience with him. After all, he is 6 years old and still developing. He pays a lot of attention when he reads books or when I read to him. He loves the imagination, the inventions, as well as the funny idioms found in the books. He tries to remember them and often times he uses them throughout the day. The other day, he liked the phrase "jump a mile" found in one of the books we were reading. Later that day, he tried to scare me, which he did, and then asked me if he had scared me enough for me to jump a mile. He is funny like that! He is doing great with reading. Jefferson has been reading little books that I check from the library for a while now, but today he wanted to read without any help some Dr. Seuss long books and one Arthur book. I was so very proud of him. James sat down by him when Jefferson was reading and was excited that pretty soon he would do the same. So, as soon as I was done with Jefferson, he brought the reading primer to me and started reading his lesson. It's not competition that drives James; it's excitement and an eagerness to please. I love James. When I ask Jefferson to write better, James brings me his handwriting book with his very best letters. There again it's not competition or showing off. He just wants to make me happy. I love it when he comes to my bed in the morning and we read books before everybody else is awake. He tells me this is his favorite part of the day, because he gets to have me for himself. He also makes me laugh without even trying. Today, the children were playing baseball in the yard, and James looked adorable in his baseball glove and helmet, and very funny as he would try to chase the ball when it wasn't his turn, or when he would touch base at the wrong places. I was inside washing dishes and didn't feel bad laughing out loud seeing James running around at the wrong places and listening to Gillian telling him to get close to her quickly (with a firm voice). Don't try to grow up too quickly, James. I love you just the way you are,wrong baseball bases and too small- for-baseball-gloves hands.
Charlton has been enjoying life as the most attended baby. He's got not only his three siblings who are on his face continuously kissing him, holding him, or playing with him, but the rest of the world. Anyone who sees Charlton and his adorable face with the constant one-dimple smile flashing every time you look at him, cannot help but fall in love with him. And how much he loves attention! I wonder if that's genetic or nurtured; either way we can't have him be spoiled. The fact of the matter is none of us can help it. He is happy when he swims, dances or eats. The only time when he is sad, and this is driving me crazy, is when he goes to bed. He just doesn't like being by himself.
Today, he tried climbing the stairs once again, and I didn't realize it but Gillian was cheering him up from the top of the chairs. He made it all the way up without any difficulty. He has been wanting to go to the other children's rooms for a long time now, and he finally figured out how. Gillian will regret having helped him come up the stairs when he will start to make his way to her room and disturb her while she is reading. But for now, they are all happy.
I went to the temple this Tuesday, and on the way there I added one more thing to my top 10 favorite things to do: driving on my own. I love the noise of the highway; it is monotonous and gives you that background sound without disturbing your thought process. I think after raising kids, I like silence once in a while, but it has to be a noisy silence. I'm so used to the constant chatter and music of my children, that total silence would do me in. Unless I'm in the temple. I welcome the calmness my soul feels there. Sometimes, I feel that I enter the house of the Lord with all these thoughts, ideas and questions all jumbled up.
But when I'm there everything feels clear and in order. It feels like the 'fog' has been dispersed by the sun. The Spirit of the Lord, like the sun, has removed the confusion and has helped me once again set my priorities right. I'm grateful for this blessing. This is what the sun did to the fog in a matter of minutes:
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