midnight thoughts

It's midnight, and I don't want to go to bed! Once the kids are asleep in bed, the house is actually QUIET and I get some alone time and down time. If I go to sleep, it will end! So, I decided to write a post and then go to bed:).

-I am so proud of my boys! We've memorized all 25 scripture masteries from the Book of Mormon, so now we're going back and reviewing them and making sure they can match the reference to the scripture. We're also learning the articles of Faith. Alex knows the first seven already. We've been playing games to review them and they are amazing me. They love it and ask to do it, too! I thought about writing what we do on my homeschool blog. Today I gave them a story or question and they had to give me the reference and say the scripture. For example, one was "Are Mormons Christians?" and they said Article of Faith 1 and said it. It's made me happy all day:).

-I let Alex blow in my flute the other day and he's a natural! He made a beautiful sound! Amazing! so piano will be his main insturment, but I'm going to teach him the flute. It would be a waste not to!

-After going on the church history tour and learning about the pioneers, I've been interested in me and Todd's geneology and learning about the pioneers in our ancestory. I got a family tree chart for me (15 generations) and the boys (8 generations). The boys are almost done filling out their charts. I've been collecting personal histories so I can read them to the kids. I was so surprised to find that we are living either next to or ON my ancestor's family farm! My mom's dad's side of the family all were pioneers that settled in Spanish fork Utah! As I learn more about that side, I tell the kids the things I learn as we drive around town. Some of our ancestor's pictures are in the town history museum (daughters of Utah pioneers spanish fork).  Tonight we were at Todd's grandparents' house and they were telling us stories about ancestors, and what they remembered about their parents and their grandparents. We were also talking about how everyone was at one time a child at the end of the line. But when the boys showed the grandparents their charts, they (being the boys' great grandparents) were higher up the line. All those names high up in the line, at one time were our age and were real people. It makes me think about what kind of legacy I want to leave for my posterity. It makes me have a better perspective about my life when I think of it that way. What things will I do that will have a lasting impact on my kids and their kids, etc? Grandpa said that all he remembers about one of his grandmas is that she was fussy about everything being in order and her doilies she had everywhere not getting messed up. Not the kind of legacy that I'd want to leave. He talked so highly of his mother, going on and on about how she, as a single mother in the Depression, raised 4 boys who were smart, great men. That is a good legacy. Being a mother is SOOOOOO important!! A friend of mine's son (he's around 5 years old) was just diagnosed with cancer. On her blog she said how her perspective as a mother has really changed. Everything is so simple now: family is everything and nothing else really matters. She said they saw a butterfly and her son was looking at the butterfly, and she let him watch it for a really long time. Before the diagnosis, she wouldn't have spent so much time on such a "trite" thing, there were things to do and busy lives to live! I've been thinking about that a lot. Why is it that this sounds good? Maybe it's not about the butterfly, but about having a bonding moment, and stopping to have that moment to share together. Maybe it's stopping to appreciate, finding joy and happiness and contentment in the small and simple things that we already have if we stop and look for them. And there's just something about nature, that is so peaceful, that when I stop and appreciate it I feel God's love.