Funny Kids and Perspective

I think this must be the age where I laughed the most with Andrew and Bev. Kiki is saying the funniest things. Last night at dinner he announced that he knew where milk comes from. Of course he said it comes from a cow. Then I asked him how we get chocolate milk. With the most serious look on his face he said, "From rabbits." He insisted that he heard that on t.v.

Before bed we were reading stories and Jessica started to giggle (she has a really cute, contagious laugh.) Christian leaned over to me and whispered, "She has a beautiful laugh." He is very nurturing toward her. He calls her "sweetie" and notices new hair accessories, telling her that her hair looks pretty.

I know that I often quote my kids on this blog. I try to keep a little journal of their development and of the "moments" that they give me. It really helps me keep perspective and be grateful for being their mom.

I just got the Ensign yesterday, and immediately read my FAVORITE talk from Conference. Elder Ballard, in his talk "Daughters of God" says, "Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

If you have not read this talk, you must. He also quotes Anna Quindlen:

"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."