Conversations and Church talk

We went to the temple on Saturday. A short visit. Just thinking that I've taken every child in womb to the temple...I can't wait til I can take them for real. Luke can go to part of it when he is twelve so he will be first.

Also, maybe because I especially like going to the temple, besides it being very peaceful and serene with everyone all dressed in white...is that they totally were buttering me up on Saturday!

(ps. Laura, I saw you as you were leaving but you didn't see me, I was waiting for Jason)

Ok, back to the compliments. First when I walked in, the big tank version of myself, the first woman I saw a few feet in said, "You look just great, your face is glowing!" and I say, "Thanks, I'm here for my final visit before the baby." (there are no rules about how pregnant you can go, but this body has told me not to push it...) Love that lady who said that!

Next, I go greet the ladies in the dressing room (remember, where church clothes in, then change into while temple clothes inside, just go ask your local LDS friend if you have questions), they say,
"Is this your first baby?"
and I smile big and say, "No its my fifth!"
And they say, "Get out! (not really but something like that), you look like you are twelve (really did say that)." and then I say, "Okay, thanks, I'll pay you later."
Cause at the moment all I'm seeing is wrinkles and sun spots on this tired face.
Then I show them my 'belly button' and say,
"and see this, its not my belly button that everybody thinks it is, its my hernia, because i've had so many kids!" (yes I tend to share too much)
And they laugh and then I tell them I won't stay long cause I fainted this pregnancy at the temple and have to take it easy and then the woman gasps and goes in another door and pulls out her secret stash of chocolate and gives me one just in case?
See?
What did I tell you, best time ever! I even got chocolate!
That has never happened before.
Thank you lovely temple ladies, for making this swollen girl feel special.




Another conversation that is on my mind lately is one Luke and I had in the car on Saturday leaving a baseball thing. Cause ya know, part of my job is to prepare these kids for what life has in store for them.

And now Luke is an official member. The real deal.

So I sometimes I tell them what its like to be a Mormon (member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS we are supposed to really say).
"Hey Luke, you are going to be asked some wacko stuff about being Mormon, so you better get used to it...like just a few minutes ago, so and so's mom just asked me if we (meaning my people, wink wink) were allowed to go rollerskating."
Luke said, "What? Rollerskating? That is so funny!" and laughed it off.
"Ya, just because we don't drink or smoke, why wouldn't we rollerskate?"
And then I just said that is going to happen his whole life and its okay and people are just curious and questions are great (or by the least really amusing).
and then I said, "and guess what, so and so's mom doesn't even drink either, not for like12 years, so she isn't much different!"
What I really was thinking when so and so's mom asked me if we allowed to rollerskate was that shoot, Mormons are the ones you find rollerskating into adulthood! Cheap and fun, we flock to it!

I don't know why I feel like sharing, but just been thinking.

My kids are going to grow up around alot more LDS kids than I did, which I'm glad because its nice to have friends with similar standards, but at the same time, I wouldn't ever change the way I grew up, because it made me who I am. My sister and I were discussing this in raising our kids, because we don't think we get as ruffled when we hear negative or completely false comments about the church because we heard it so much in Bama. Its like, whatever. But I still want to parent my kids with that perspective. I don't think I can't. So someone thinks your weird? Who cares? Someone wants to know if you wear holy underwear? (at that one in 8th grade all I was thinking was 'holes?" I don't got no holes?) Maybe I'll teach my kids just to say, "Not yet" with a grin.

At my first job (and last, okay my work experience is pretty limited) in CA, my boss wanted to see my under things. I was like "What?" How not appropriate. So I just said "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Okay, maybe not the best response but it pretty much stopped it. Hey, I was like 22 or something, I've learned.

But as a mom, I wish there was a secret answer, how to raise your kids. How to not screw it up? How to not muddle the whole thing? Just because I want so much for them in there life, so much potential. And yet, they get to make their own life. Own choices. How do you instill them to be confident, fearless, brave, and not caring a hitch if they fit in but being friendly to every person they meet and caring about more than just themselves. I feel like my parents did that. Not sure how (and much of it I was too boneheaded to do it) but eventually I got it. Eventually, all my siblings did too.

When I hear the words they spoke in the temple on Saturday, with my little baby girl kicking in my belly, all I could think was, that is what I want for her too. To be here with me. Blessed with temple blessings and worthy of every bit of it. For all of them. Cause then I will know they finally got it too. Its too special to write on this blog exactly what is said, but I truly believe that the temple is the Savior's house. Every one of them all over the world.

Did you know you can be LDS your whole life and never go to the temple? Or you could go once and never go back. There is no pressure. Its your choice. But what is big thing you'd be missing.


Ok, now lets switch gears.



Like drastically



and maybe not appropriate to fill the same place, but freaking funny lest you think our family will be swept to heaven soon (although I'm sure they are no doubts about that, thank you neighbors who can hear me yell).



Ah, wish I could remember all this stuff.




Dang melting brain.



Here is the complete opposite, other funny things I heard at my house recently.




From Baylie, my beautiful, newly four year old.
She screamed, "I have the meanest family in the whole world!"
Can't remember what context this was in but she apparently wasn't getting what she wanted.

From Luke, "Why do you tell me not to yell when you yell at me?"
Errrr...I'll get back to you on that one kid, busted.

Where is my motherhood award I tell ya? Aren't kids required to do this at some point?

Fortunately those zingers aren't always the case.

This morning I was woken up to Luke giving me a hug and telling me he loves me. (Jason let me sleep in til 8 a.m., a rare thing, love ya, hon!) and not asking me for anything at all. Even better than sleeping in I tell ya. Or at least tied. Shoot, now that I think of it, maybe Jason had him go in and say that to wake me up :)