Where is Spring?

Friday the kids' school had the main fund raiser for the year--a jog-a-thon. Of course it was overcast and cold. When I was getting ready to leave (to go to the school) I noticed that it had started snowing. Once the entire school was outside and ready to start running it was snowing again. They were supposed to run (or walk) for an hour but the weather alternated between snow and sleet for a good thirty minutes and they ended up stopping it after about 40 minutes. Ethan was mad. We were running together and he decided to sneak in another lap while they were holding up the "final lap" sign. The funny part is we hauled all these kids back inside and then they were sent out for recess 10 minutes later, and it was still snowing!

Ethan and Kate both had soccer games on Saturday. I had somewhere to be so Jason was on soccer duty. This is what he said, "Kate's game was just plain freezing. Even I was wrapped in a blanket. Then Ethan's was just plain ridiculous. In the space of an hour we saw rain, snow, hail and sleet. The wind was miserable. I was never so glad to be done with a game." I am glad I couldn't go!


I had a lesson in agency this week. Here are the basics- teenage pregnancy, unwanted baby, no Dad= sad situation. We all make choices every single day and those choices affect others and in this case the choices affected a tiny, sweet baby. I've been all worked up about it but I am not going to go into that. But I have to mention Ethan's part in this. He was with me when we met this little baby and on the way home he was intrigued, asking all kind of questions. Here is a sampling. . .

"What is the baby eating?" He can't figure out how a baby could eat without her mother to nurse her. He doesn't know that you can buy formula, mix it with water and voila--instant baby food.

"Is Tania just pumping?" He also doesn't know that women don't just automatically make milk because they are caring for a baby.

"I don't get how she even had a baby if she isn't married." I love that one. The innocence of youth is so refreshing, and I just squashed it. I said, "She can have a baby because she had sex Ethan." Well, that spurred another conversation! As part of that he asked, "So a five year old could have a baby?" No, I gave a brief and simple explanation of puberty. Then he said, "Oh, I didn't know that happens to girls too." That's right, boys aren't the only lucky ones to get hairy legs.

I changed the subject by explaining that it's so important to follow Heavenly Father's commandments and to think before we act because the choices we make can seriously affect others, as in this case.

It was a good reminder that Heavenly Father gives us enough rope to hang ourselves with our choices and he will stand by and let it happen. We have the right to choose. It must be a pretty important principle for him to stand by and do nothing as people murder, rape, maim, rob, etc.

Quote of the week. . .

We had Bret and Tania over for FHE with Aunt Barbara (Dorothy's sister) and Marianna (Bret's youngest sister). Nathanael was teaching the lesson. A scripture was read and he asked a follow up question. Marianna quickly repeated the answer, as read from the scripture. He looked at her and with his most annoyed voice said, "You're supposed to raise your stinkin' hand!" Alrighty then, don't mess with the Bug when he's teaching.