Wed May 20th

I just had an epiphany this morning at 5:34am. I was thinking back on how the evening went last night. Ella had been cranky and tired and whiny. I had been mad at her for it. What was a lot more difficult to see in the heat of the moment, was that I was ALSO cranky and tired and whiny. What I realized this morning, was that sometimes as adults we expect our kids to act perfectly. We hold them to a very high standard. That is all well and good, but sometimes, just like us, they are just cranky and whiny after a long hard day and need to be given a little slack. 

Poor Ella had told me yesterday that the Texas Motor Speedway garage was so loud that she felt like crying. I should've bundled her up in my arms. Instead I just agreed with her. It's my job as the mom to comfort and help uplift. As mature as Ella is sometimes, she is still just a little girl who needs a mom to comfort her and give her a little slack when she's just tired and cranky. This scripture in 3Nephi 14:3,5 sums up the situation perfectly: "3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye." I had the beam and Ella had the mote. 

Alright. Attitude check. Today will be a good day. 

I woke up very early and took a shower before I took Ella to school. We couldn't find Ella's toe token necklace this morning(it's a necklace with little feet on it for gym that shows how much she's run).  We decided to pray and within minutes we found it. I very much felt it was divine inspiration because I would not have looked there if it wasn't for the Holy Ghost telling me where to look. Oh the faith of a little child. Ella said the sweetest thank you prayer afterwards. She is such a nice little girl and a very faithful little girl. Keep holding to that rod little Ella. 

After we took Ella to school, I took link and Lisey on a walk to the splash pad playground. Lisey had a grand time climbing on the rocks around the pond and running around the playground. She refused to wear her shoes and got bit by some ants. I am not going to miss these Texas ants. They are ferocious, mean and terrible. Lisey is pretty tough about these ants. They definitely don't scare her into wearing her shoes in the future. She's just very very tough. And very stubborn. No crying for her... At least not about bitten up feet.  

There's no bathroom at the park and of course Lisey needed to go poop. So she went in the bushes. This is the second time she's pooped in the bushes at that park. At least we were alone haha. 

The walk back was very warm and I was wishing I hadn't already taken my shower because I got good and sweaty. Lisey had a good time running on the path and climbing on all the exercise equipment that's on the Greenbelt. I talked to my mom on the walk back. Sian got her surgery today. Mom is in Utah with her. Surgery went well. She just has to have a feeding tube for six weeks. Poor Sianny.  

I got a lot done while Lincoln took his nap. I packed a lot of boxes and got the garage organized so I'd have a place to put the boxes once they were packed. I got even more hot and sweaty in the garage. Unfortunately by the time we pick Ella up from tutoring it was overcast and not super warm like it had been earlier. Still we went to the pool so I could  wash off some of that sweat from the day. Not the warmest day for the pool but it was still nice to be outside. Lisey and Ella had a great time running around the splash pad. I got the girls some new goggles and they both enjoyed using them,  Lisey inparticularly. I think she could learn to swim this summer if we get to the pool enough :).