A Lot to Say About a Few Spare Photos

I have been intending to do a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day post, but first, there are these few extra photos that don’t quite fit into either. So. ...

First:

These two fork princesses. Aren’t they beauties?

In theory, I love my kids using their creativity. In practice, ... I find myself near to cursing every time such creativity begins.

I know.

It’s terrible.

But if you only knew! If you only could begin to know! How many times a day it happens! And how many of them there are to make it happen! And how haphazardly they go about it happening! Tiny offerings like these darling fork princesses (which I do love) generally mean several tables and counters covered in glue, and papers cut to bits, and tape and a thousand things all over the floor, and a thousand other things thrown and dumped, willy nilly, here and there (because they were not the specific craft item they needed and because they might possibly be in the way of some other craft item they don’t yet know if they might need).

But they are quite cute. These fork folk. I think Mette made one first. And then Summer followed suit. (Which, of course, caused Mette to rage that Summer was copying her. Such “copying” is the source of enough fury around here that I recently, in exasperation, made a new family rule: Anyone can copy anything they want and nobody is allowed to get mad or call it copying! ... Naturally this backfired within about a day when one child, tormenting another by repeating every word they said, insisted that it was a family rule that anyone could copy whatever they wanted. And that was not what I meant. But if they can twist my words that cleverly ... perhaps they should be allowed to.)

Anyway.

Second:

This little darling. She drags “blankie and cat-cat” everywhere she goes.

Third:

All of us but Abe the Sunday before Christmas.

Mette’s coat is a bit large. But Summer had grown into Penny’s old red coat (that was Goldie’s before it was Penny’s, and a cousin’s before it was Goldie’s), and Mette was absolutely not having it. I couldn’t blame her. It was the Sunday before Christmas after all. And a red coat for church is particularly charming. And even Starling had a red coat to wear -- one that used to be Mette’s (after it was Summer’s and after it was another cousin’s.) So, I did a little digging in the closet and found Penny’s (and Goldie’s and Daisy’s) more recently outgrown red coat. And Mette was quite happy with that. Even if the sleeves hung six inches past her fingertips.

(It is very fun seeing some of my favorite things move down from one girl to another. Regular clothes often wear out too quickly. But coats and dresses usually last. You can’t see the red Christmas dress Starling is wearing under her coat, but I bought it when Daisy was a baby. It wasn’t exorbitantly priced really, but I was very hesitant to purchase it at the time. It was darling, and I wanted it so much that Christmas for my little strawberry-headed, toddler Daisy! But we were still young and poor — which placed it on the fringe end of what our budget considered a reasonably priced child’s article of clothing. And I looked at it longingly for a such a long time -- taking it off the rack and putting it back and taking it off again -- before giving in and buying it. And it makes me happy, for that hesitant 2003 version of myself, that SIX daughters proceeded to wear that little dress at Christmas time.)

Fourth:

“Ministering” was, for many of us I think, a difficult thing to figure out initially. How to help and develop a relationship without a set monthly visit and message was uncertain. And I still don’t do it very well (mostly because I have so many little people around me day and night [making even simple phone calls difficult]). But! I have grown to truly love the two women I minister to. And they love me. And I’ve found ways to connect with them. A move or change of assignment wouldn’t change it. And I’m grateful to see this initially confusing thing turning into something so lovely.

One interesting thing is that it is primarily Summer, Mette, and Hans who do most of the actual ministering in one instance! They have become this sister's little buddies. And she loves them. When she’s having a hard time, she cries when they bring her pictures. She asks for a Primary song from them to cheer her up. And she laughs and sends me all the videos from her front-door camera whenever the three of them are pounding wildly on her door and ringing her bell without mercy.

For Christmas she brought them each a little ginger bread house to make. (It turned out you practically needed a college degree to assemble them, but, luckily for me, I had Daisy and Goldie here who, while not quite having college degrees, are, close enough to one to spare me from the involved helping. Bless their hearts.) Anyway, it was very sweet. And even though I feel too overwhelmed to minister well to anyone at all, I’m grateful Heavenly Father has slowly shown me ways to do it ... medium well. (And grateful He knew I had just the troop to help.)

("Smile, Hans", I said. "I am," he replied.)

And to end:

Some girls hanging out on couches.