Debts

I had an awesome talk with Hinu the other morning. Several times in the last couple of months, he has asked me to buy him things (like books) and then he will pay me back later. He does a great job of paying me back, but I was starting to worry that he was falling into the "credit trap" of buy now, pay later. He asked me again yesterday, to buy him a book on sale and he would pay me back. I started to explain to him about debt and then realized that he would need more from me than just a lecture. So, I explained to him that one of my greatest regrets in life was running up debt. When BYUman and I got engaged, I owed several thousand dollars in credit debt, and I was humbled and forever grateful that he was willing to love me and marry me in spite of the AWESOME wedding present I was giving him... debt. My debt days are not yet over, but it is one of the wishes of my heart... that I had never started with debt, and that I will be able to pay it off. My beautiful son listened to my story and before I was even done and getting to the "moral of it" part, he smiled at me, gave me a hug and said "I understand Mom". What a gift. I did make him a deal that if he would earn the money for the sale price of the book, I would make up the difference. But he already understood and accepted my words and so I felt OK to offer him that small gift in return.

I have seen him grow and mature in numerous ways this past year. When his Aunty Hanu was here, she taught him that he needed to start preparing to receive the priesthood. What a great lesson for me as a mother, and for my son who took her words to heart. She was such a gift during BYUman's illness... she gave my children the love and attention they were desperately missing. She told me later

"i was so impressed with hinu and how he stepped up and never complained and i LOVED just hanging out with him on saturday-he is so fun!" I totally agree.

The debts I will owe people are too many too count.... when I stop to count my blessings, I am truly overwhelmed. Especially with BYUman's illness, but that's a WHOLE other post. Love you all!

Fun

So I have been thinking a lot about how to protect my children. My favorite scripture is in Alma where it talks about Moroni building defenses... he digs a trench, builds earthworks, puts a fence above that, builds a tower and then puts people in the tower to warn the city. Dude is not messing around! I get that part, and I am slowly working at our defenses. But I wonder about those families that seem to be doing everything right, and yet their children go astray as they grow up. That idea terrifies me, as I am sure it does everybody else. I was listening to my sister Hanu talk about the "graduation party" that they threw for her husband Dave, who has just finished his Masters (Congrats Bro!!!), and it occurred to me that maybe one of the defenses is fun. We have been counseled to have FHE and activities and spend time with our families, but what if one of the keys is to HAVE FUN as a family? I'm guessing that it doesn't have to be expensive, but there should be a lot of laughter and goofiness and adventure and fun. And THEN if your kids resent the fact that you are strict, that resentment can be mitigated by the fun. I'm not very good at fun, I'm not creative like that, but I am sure I could learn right? Its not brain surgery... I can have fun. I'm sure I can! :) Right??? What do you think? Is that part of the formula for defending our families?

INIKI

So, Fred, who we have affectionately nicknamed Iniki (name of a hurricane that hit Hawaii when I was a girl) because of his ability to affect widespread Destruction has learned how to climb out of his crib. This has greatly interrupted his sleep pattern (and MINE as well). So we decided to rearrange his room so that he could no longer flop out of his bed onto his brother's bed. Not THIRTY SECONDS after we put him in his crib, this is what happened:

Harry is yelling from the other room "EPIC FAIL, MOM!!!" and laughing his head off! :) So in desperation, this is what we did....

 

Take that you little squirmer! :) It worked last night, we'll see how long it can hold up to the unstoppable force of BABY INIKI!!!! 

Love that kid! 

 

PS This is a repost... the first one seems to have disappeared! Sorry Jo! Thanks for all the comments too, I love them! :)

Protected

Fred has been a TOTAL adventure these last couple of weeks. On Sunday, he learned to climb out of his crib. On Monday he went to potty all by himself (true story)! On Sunday, we also had a near catastrophe. BYUman and I were sleeping downstairs (terrible parents!) and the boys were playing upstairs. Fred found the toilet bowl cleaner which had been left on a counter, and left open. Without being there to witness the event, it seems that he was pouring the pretty blue liquid on the bathroom floor, and then fell face first into it. His older brother, Ron, heard him crying and walked in to find his face covered in the cleaner. He quickly (without any direction) wiped it all Fred's face, carefully wiping it out of his mouth, and then gave him a drink of water. The cleaner is very caustic and could've done a lot of damage to Fred, but I know there were angels watching him. By the time Ron came to get us, I threw Fred in the shower and then we coaxed him in to taking a bottle and then called Poison Control. We told them what happened, and what Ron did, and the lady told us that Ron did everything right. Fred is totally fine. I am so grateful for Ron being able to listen to the Spirit, and for the angels that watch over my children every day.