The Little Things

So this month has been a little overwhelming. I have had meeting upon meeting (don't forget the one in Spanish) and LOTS of training meetings that I am over through both Scouting and Primary. PTA has had their cookie dough fundraiser ($10,000 less this year than last) and now we are off to thank everyone's support with a free Fall Festival. I just have to make it to the holidays... For those of you that think that we over-active mommies are superwomen my house and meals have reflected those abilities. Let's just say without JP none of this would be possible.

So realizing that I am not superwoman (though I am divine by birth-learned that at one of my meetings) I have come to a crashing halt. This morning I rolled out of bed (please don't ask what time) and made it just in time to breath and slap on my happy face before the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program started. As a Stake Primary Representative I get to go to them -7 total - the other women in the presidency took pity and I was assigned just my own ward. Knowing that none of them would be dragging all of their children to than much church I grabbed and ran with that suggestion.

I always love these programs and recognize the intense efforts that go into planning and executing them. It can be very intense, especially when your stake does TWO a year and have any amount of Sunbeams (the three and four year olds). So bravo to all those leaders involved.

Any way, after a beyond crazy month I got to see my 7 and 5 year old twirl and dance their way through another awe-inspiring program (no - twirling and dancing is not actually part of the program, it's just what you get when the Packers are on stage). The real tear-jerker was when my 3 year old stood up by our pew and started singing all the songs with the primary! I think that Book of Mormon Stories was his favorite. We were sitting next to the music leader and he was doing all of her actions fervently. He has now found the woman with the real power. After I Love to See the Temple (of which he sang every word with robust) he turned to me and said, "Mom! Mom! They know your favorite song!" He is so ready for primary next year.

They are why I do all this craziness and in the end they are what keep me sane.

¿Dónde esta el baño?

Okay, so most of you all know that I speak fluent "Dora" Spanish. I have also retained quite a bit of high school Spanish, but drop me off in a Latin country and I would only be able to find the bathroom and stinky green cheese. Keep this in mind.

Any way, I am the 2nd Councilor of the Stake Primary Presidency and I am required to attend a few meetings, some of which are meetings about meetings. One of said meetings was last week. It had been a long day and I dreaded leaving the clutches of my 6 mo. old. It would also require that I apply make-up and a dress, both of which require the use of heavy machinery.

So I put in a real effort, kiss my ninos adios, and head to the meeting. The meeting lasts a mere 90 minutes or so and was chased with refreshments. Not bad...except that the whole meeting was in SPANISH!

Now for those of you that roam the earth and check into church in whatever language, knowing that the spirit will be the same, you at least have the heads up that you are going into a situation that requires a different ear. It is like watching Evita for the first time thinking that you are going to see an action movie about the revolutionary Argentina only to find out it is a craptastic OPERA! You keep watching to find out when the cast is going to drop the bravado and just speak, but they never do. It is a little traumatic.

So I sat through this meeting, it is late (it started at 8:30pm) and all I can understand so far is a word that I would swear was ice cream (helado). We had been prepped that we each might need to say a thing or two as well and I was wondering the whole time if they would get the spirit of what I was saying (some say that I convey more with my hands and eyebrows than all the words in the world). Luckily the meeting ran long and we did not all have to do our part. But in the future I will be a lot more sympathetic to those people with glazed eyes in meetings. Maybe we just aren't speaking their language and hopefully they will get the spirit of the message.

Perspective

So Sunday I was subbing in the Valiant 10 class. These are nine and ten year old boys. I walked in and the class was empty and the lights were out (no windows). So I promptly went looking - no way could that many boys be gone on the same day right?

I talked to the primary secretary again and we started peeking into classrooms and restrooms (not me a male teacher). I ran into the parents of one of the boys and they assured me that their boy was ... somewhere. I checked the room again, still no kids, no lights.

Ten minutes into class I decide to go set up any way. I found four boys strategically hiding behind chairs and tables, absolutely still and quiet. I recognized their prowess and named them king of the hill and proceeded to teach them the gospel. They are good kids and followed along and asked and answered questions.

The lesson was on Jesus Visiting the Nephites. At one point we were talking about how the Nephites were so happy that they cried. The boys so did not relate to this. They could not fathom how the two reactions could happen together. We discussed it some and then one of the boys remembered a time when something "exactly like that" happened to him - he had laughed so hard he had wet his pants. Since it was the closest to what we were talking about the perspective stuck and suddenly all the boys understood. The Nephites must have been really happy.

I do believe that a gentleman out in the foyer had a coughing fit at this point (I had the door wide open). I don't have all the answers and it is good when they can relate the world around them to themselves. I do believe that they will remember 3rd Nephi for awhile at least. We left it at that.