The Hard Questions

Bracken had two blankets that he got when he was a baby that he became very attached to.  He would hold the silky tags up to his nose or lips to fall asleep. When he was two they fell apart and I gave him similar blankets to replace them, but he cried during the night for his tags, so I ripped the tags off the old blankets and sewed them onto the new Light Blue and Dark Blue.  They've gone pretty much everywhere with him.

Excerpt from Bracken't Journal:

May 21, 2012 -- "I like my blanket 'Light Blue' a lot...I lost Light Blue one day and I cried a lot.  I said a prayer we'd find it. My Daddy came home and looked for it in the darkness at SUU. I was so glad he found it.  It was cold when he found it."

The morning after Brian found 'Light Blue' Bracken told me, "Look Mom! I asked Heavenly Father to help me find Light Blue and He did! He answered my prayer!"  It was a pretty special day.

Fast forward.  Bracken lost Light Blue again...but it's been over a month and we haven't found it.  Last night he was especially sad and had big tears.  "Mom, I'm just thinking about Light Blue.  Let's say a prayer that Daddy will find it." He asked Heavenly Father to help him find his blankets, then I helped him ask for comfort and understanding too. A few minutes later after I finished singing to him he said, "Heavenly Father put a light on in my heart."

I thought things were all better, but this afternoon Bracken was sad about something and he cried to Brian, "I'm feeling sad, why didn't Heavenly Father find Light Blue for me when I asked him?" I don't remember exactly what Brian said, but he reminded Bracken that Heavenly Father helped him feel better after his prayer, and that maybe Heavenly Father gave Aunt Linsy the idea to make him a new special blanket, the one he has now, to help him feel better. That Heavenly Father loves him, but He doesn't always say "yes" when we ask for things, just like Brian and I don't always say "yes" when Bracken asks for things.

I think it's the first time I felt a little bit of panic at one of Bracken's questions.  How to answer to strengthen his testimony, not hurt it.  To comfort but strengthen him.  I'm glad Brian was around.  He's a pretty awesome Dad!  I'm sure we'll have many more hard questions come up as time goes on.

When I grow up...

Bracken a year ago:  "When I grow up I'm going to take hard classes and drive an ambulance like Dad."

A few months ago: "When I grow up I'm going to be a cashier."

Last month:  "When I grow up I'm going to build houses with Grandpa Rob...and build roads."

Another day: "I'm a photographer."

A conversation from last week:

Brian: "Bracken, are you going to be a gentleman when you grow up?" 

Bracken:  "No, I'm going to be a farmer."

Then today he said, "Mom, I'm going to be a farmer AND a gentleman when I grow up."

Know that whatever you decide to be, we'll be proud of you.

Hobos but happy...

It's 6 or 7'o'clock. Chandra is in the same thing she wore to sleep in the night before.  Bracken chose to wear pants that are a little too small. :)  Instead of dinner we had popcorn.  They're playing in mud right by the road. We never got our hair done that day. At least you can't see me in the picture! I'll be a better mom tomorrow.

Pioneer Day

Bracken told his uncles about our Pioneer Day FHE last year, and they thought we’d better celebrate our own Pioneer Day. 

We sang pioneer songs and shared our favorite pioneer stories while we made cookies.  If it had been left to me we would have pulled around a cardboard box with a rope for our handcart, but Sarah made a great handcart out of a dolly and a laundry basket.  The little boys rounded up button up shirts, cowboy hats, bandanas and boots.  Sarah found skirts and bonnets for the girls.  When we left the house we almost had our own Pioneer Parade!

Then we went on a little trek to share cookies with some of their neighbors, where the kids explored their backyard and watched the farm animals. It was a fun afternoon! We have been having a great time in Richfield and I'm so glad Bracken and Chandra have been able to be around my family.  We miss Brian though and are SO excited to see him soon.

Manly Adventures

When I was a little girl, I'd go on "Daddy Daughter Dates." So when Bracken left on a special outing with Brian, I'd say, "have fun on your Daddy date!" I have now been corrected. Apparently, that is a very unmanly name for a guy outing. So Brian and Bracken have coined the term "Manly Adventure" for their not-Daddy-dates.

Bracken went bat researching with Brian again last night. He prepared by dressing himself in pajamas, blue rain boots, his super hero cape, and filling his Cat-in-the-Hat backpack with cookies, popcorn, books, and a dry erase board. He was so excited to go, and stayed outside and had Brian pull him on his little blue bike with a rope until it was time to go.

And here's an excerpt out of Bracken's journal from their last bat researching trip, just because I think it's cute:

"I went on a manly adventure with Daddy to do bat research. We went up a high mountain in the truck and I got to sit on his lap in the front seat on the dirt road. When we got to the main road I sat in my caarseat because sometimes a main road is pretty dangerous...

I saw lots of deer too. Not a hundred billion, just a little bit and some more. Probably only almost twenty-thousand deer...

I want to go bat researching with Dad again. We didn't see any bats though. Daddy said we were listening for them but I didn't hear any either."

Bike wreck and family.

I wrecked my bike a week and a half ago and ended up with a broken collar bone and a gash in the back of my head.  I’m really grateful it wasn’t worse and that no one else was hurt, but the injury has certainly been limiting.  After Glade and Shaylee’s wedding Brian had to go back to Cedar for work, but the kids and I stayed with my family for a few days so we could have the help we needed. 

Chandra loved my mom’s raspberries and would search for and eat raspberries for an hour at a time. Bracken had fun doing the chores with my little brothers, jumping on the trampoline and playing in the sandbox. Mom and Grandma made sure I was resting and that my kids had food and love. Thanks for all your help family!

Here are some portraits of my good looking siblings.  I took these under my parent's car port, the background is just the concrete floor.  I was super happy with how they turned out!