Brown Eyed Boy

Noah turned six. I think because he's my oldest I am always looking at him as such a big boy. I recently looked back on other past birthday posts and kept thinking...he was so little, how did I think he was so big...I'm sure I'll do the same with this one.

 I adore this boy. If I am not in the same room with him every few minutes I get a call, "Mom, where are you?" After I answer, he ALWAYS answers, "I love you". He lets Scout in and out without being told. He is protective of Rowan, and often very understanding of Clara...getting out of the other door of the car, switching seats when she has her ideas. He laughs with ease, is sensitive, and passionate. Noah is such an example of being friendly to everyone. He does not pass a person with out saying hello and usually some cute comment or question."I'm six." "Nice day for a walk." "Let me guess, you were rock climbing." These are just a few from the past couple of days.

He loves bear, lullabies, lego city, lego star wars, playing with friends, riding bikes, using the ipad, chocolate, the color green presents, and Kindergarten. Daddy dates, especially morning bike rides are a favorite. Actually, anytime he can get in boy time makes him happy. He is not a fan of veggies, the dark, collared shirts, socks, and anything sticky. He is a good little salesman: his birthday invitations had no references to legos or star wars yet he must have been soliciting at school because that is all he got, which made him sooo happy.  He is a great athlete (flips on the tramp, tricks on his scooter and bike), great singer, lego builder, wii player, brother, student and buddy.  I love this boy SOOO much!

Now to the party.  This was his every other year friend party.  The last friend party I went all out for and then we only had a few kids come.  So I had decided on all the kids in his primary class (there are two classes) and any from the other class that were also in his kindergarten class.  While I was away at a Relief Society meeting Josh passed out the remaining invites with the kids and just decided to include all the kids from the ward his age or grade.  (This meant the possibility of 18 kids!) Josh meant well...to make sure no one felt left out. We got the invitations out the week of.  I was so stressed but in the end in all turned out great. There were about 13 kids.  Aunt Beck and Grammy Pat came to help.It was a beautiful fall day. It seemed like everyone really had a great day.  

the lego loot

bounce house of fun

parachute games

pinata



nice kids, yummy treats



kindness matters

Yesterday I had my first parking lot altercation.  I pulled  between two cars (not my best parking job) but it didn't seem like anything that would warrant parking again.  I began getting Clara out on my side when a woman started screaming at me. I stood dumbfounded.  In the minutes thereafter her rant included what an idiot (in many forms) I am, how her car was worth more than twenty thousand dollars more than mine, she pointing out scratches that were already on my car (indicating what an incompetent driver I must be.)  By this time I still hadn't spoken, but I was shaky, and my eyeswere filled with tears.  All that came out of me was a warbley, "you're mean".   I walked around the car to see how badly I had parked, only to see my back, right tire grazing the line on my inside.  I could easily walk between the two cars with my huge (giving birth in two weeks) tummy,  holding a sick three year old.
Of course, I couldn't get it off my mind the rest of the day.  I was wrestling with how I should of handled it, and was worried to see her again around town, or worse, at some school function.  It was probably six hours later when it came to me what I would have done. I wish I had just said, "I'm sorry, this wasn't my best parking job, let me re park, you must be having a really hard day to treat a stranger like this."  Then I wouldn't feel like such a victim, fear her, etc.  Other lessons learned from this...

• kindness matters--with whoever we interact with family, strangers, friends
• make opportunities to show kindness in little ways to stranger: in line, while driving, or even just give them the benefit of the doubt when a mistake is made.
• a greater reverence for mothers, women, and our divine role.  As I stood being verbally attacked with a babe in arms and one in womb I really felt so sad that another woman would talk that way to another woman, and especially in front of children.
•   I have always been too sensitive,  I care far to much what others/anyone thinks about me, dwell on/ worry about it.  I served with a woman who is a therapist that always says, "save the guilt and worry for sin."  It seams like mean and hurtful words are more a reflection of those saying them then to those they are directed to.  So forgive and forget.