It's 11:00pm. I got back about 45 minutes ago from the Temple and I am wide awake. My kids are wide awake, and my heart is full. I was able to go to the Temple tonight with my Visiting Teachers. But these girls are not just my vt's--they are two of the closest friends I have made out here in Parker.

I have always had kind of a tough time with Visiting teaching. I am not good at making appointments. Sometimes I find it hard to make friends with the girls I have visited. But these girls have strengthened my testimony of this program of our church. They have been my good friends. They have welcomed me into this new ward with open arms and have loved me for who I am. I don't know how I got so lucky to have them assigned to me, but I am oh-so-grateful because they were exactly what I needed here.

We went to the Temple and then went out to dinner and talked for hours. Nothing about our friendship is forced--it has all come so naturally, and I seriously think that friends like these are heaven-sent. I can count on one hand the number of friends I have felt this connection with--but to me, they are all evidence of the hand of God in my life.

I spent 5 hours with them tonight, and I seriously could have gone another hour or two. Isn't it grand when you find friends like this? Isn't it even grander when you have a husband who will let you take 5 hours out of your night to go spend with these friends and not utter a single complaint about his night? All-in-all, one of my most favorite nights EVER!

And So It Begins

Lola got off the bus a few weeks ago and the first thing she said to me as we were walking home was: "I've decided I'm going to date Oliver." in a matter-of-fact kinda way. I tried so hard not to react, but to just take this info in and to let her keep talking. So this is kinda the way our conversation went:

Me: So you're dating Oliver?

Lola: Yeah. Jillian said she was going to date him but then she changed her mind. So I think I will.

Me: Does Oliver know you are going to date him?

Lola: I think so. I don't know.

Me: Is Oliver nice?

Lola: Yeah I think he is. Joshua said Oliver was a stink-butt, but I don't think he is. He helped me up when I fell, so that's nice, right?

Me: Yes. That's nice. Are you going to tell dad?

Lola: Nuh-uh.

So a few weeks went by and it wasn't really spoken of again. Mind you, I should've seen this coming cause a week or so before this conversation she had mentioned to me that Oliver had been chasing her on the playground. Turns out, this chasing has happened pretty regularly, and when I asked Lola if Oliver ever caught her she answered "Yes" in a very timid sort of way. Then when I asked her what Oliver did after he caught her she responded that she didn't know...

I often hesistate to let Curran in on all this just cause he seems to overreact to anything that might remotely point to Lola actually being a girl and the fact that she is growing up and will one day notice boys and DATE them. He's been quite vocal about his objection to Lola marrying before he's in the grave and not dating till she's 40, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. But I tell him because I want him to know what Lola is experiencing. Except for last night...

She got off the bus after a 2 week fall break very happy. And as we were walking down the hill she says: "I need to tell you something but you might say 'eewww' when I tell you." My curiousity was piqued and I encouraged her to tell me anyway. So this is what I heard:

Lola: "I kissed Oliver twice today" (Hides face with her little hands)

Me: You did? Okay...ummm...where...did you...kiss...him?

Lola: (whispers) On the cheek and on the mouth...

At this point I don't know what to say. How do I convey to her how special her kisses are without making this huge deal about it. I know as a kindergartener it was completely innocent and that this is just how she shows affection, but I need to say something right? One of my biggest fears is that she will grow up way too soon. I want her to have an innocent childhood, and as my mind races to the future and I start to imagine her teenage years I begin to break out in a cold sweat, and try to calm myself by taking deep breaths, and making a mental note to check out boarding schools online.

We did have a little talk about it later, and I tried to keep it as casual as possible. She also did tell her dad about it even though she had earlier told me there was "no way" she would. Am I freaking out over nothing? Do I just let it go? I gotta be honest--I woke up in the middle of the night and my mind was just racing with what I should do/say. And then I would tell myself to do/say nothing for fear of making more of this than it really is. This is unchartered territory for me!

Ah...Priesthood Session...

Last night was Priesthood session and not wanting to waste a couple of good hours with no husband around I got together with two of my good friends, Jessica and Claudia (and their corresponding children). By the way, it's kinda weird to bring together two friends from two different parts of your life, isn't it? Jess is from my former, apartment living life. Claudia lives down the street from my new home. The two had never met, and I didn't know how they would jive. Am I the only one who worries about stuff like that?

The night went splendidly--minus a couple of mishaps and accidents. So here is a recap of our night...in pictures:

The kids had Red Baron. We had Carino's. Unfair? No way! When I picked up the Red Baron at Wal-mart Lola said "Pizza?! This is the best day ever!!"

That's supposed to be Noah. But he didn't take a bite out of a corn dog. He opted for Chewy's arm. And Lola got a monster splinter in her thumb--though by the sounds of her incredibly high-pitched screams you would think her whole hand had been gnawed off by a ravenous wolf. The shrieks ended thanks to Jessica's sweet skills with the tweezers.


Once the kids were fed and catastrophes taken care of we made some killer desserts: pumpkin pie milkshakes and pumpkin roll...mmm...and this is what my kitchen sink looked like at the end of the night:

But THIS is how my heart felt after spending a couple of hours with two of the bestest, strongest, most beautiful girls I know!