“Parents can offer a unique and wonderful kind of prayer because they are praying to the Eternal Parent of us all. There is great power in a prayer that essentially says, ‘We are steward-parents over Thy children, Father; please help us to raise them as Thou wouldst want them raised.' " -M. Russell Ballard

When in Doubt, Turn on the Television

Little Boy is having the worst day ever. I don't know what the problem is; all I know is that he doesn't have a fever and he's not throwing up. He's just crying about everything. And that's not like him. I don't feel so great today, either, so I'm letting Little Boy watch waaaaaaay too much television (Pokemon, at the moment). And I don't really feel guilty about it. It's not like we do this every day.

The glazed-over television face makes me laugh every time.


Pikachu's so funny.


Pokemon is way more interesting than I am. I don't blame him for not paying attention to me.


Hey, Mom has the camera out!

And that ends our photo session--I can't take pictures when the subject is trying to grab the camera out of my hands.

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less' (Loud and Clear [1004], 10-11)." -"Daughters of God," M. Russell Ballard

I'm Baaaaaaack...I Think.

I've mentioned before that I don't blog much when I'm not feeling well [or, if I do blog, it's memes and Wordless Wednesdays.]. And I haven't been feeling well. But I'm feeling better now. So far. And even though I didn't blog, I did manage to take a few pictures last week.

I found this note on the fish tank when I came downstairs one morning. The other fish, Ron Weasley, is blurrily alive and well.

 
My sister sent me a recipe for microwaveable chocolate cake. I tried it. I failed. [I may have altered the ingredients a little bit.]

 
This is Little Boy's "silly face". Or, as he says it, "thi-thee" face.

Which just goes to show that even when the fish die and the chocolate cake fails to be chocolate cake, a thi-thee face can still cheer me up.

“To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them.” -Thomas S. Monson