Yesterday I made her scrambled eggs for breakfast. She decided she didn't like eggs anymore. Since she requested them, I told her she needed to eat them.
When her plate went missing from the table I asked where it went...her response:
Hmm (scratching her temple)...let me think...I think they may have slinked over to the pantry.
Sure enough. There was the plate of eggs in the pantry! Who knew eggs could slink?
(And yes, she did have to eat them after we rescued them from the pantry.)
Kendall has been asking for a while now, when is she going to be able to READ. She's very interested in reading and getting closer and closer to being ready. Well, this afternoon she wanted to eat some of Riley's gummy worms. I have the gummy worms in ziplock bags for when he's reading, he can eat a "bookworm." I told Kendall if she wanted to eat them, she had to read. She went to get a book when I decided to change the plan.
We headed into the playroom to the magnet board where we keep our magnet letters. I decided to see how close we were to reading...
Well, you guessed it! She's actually reading! We did _at words and _ot words then she read the first two BOB books from our library. I don't know who was more excited! Riley even came down to give her some words to try. He was just as thrilled for her. He even suggested she start reading books to him at night instead of him reading to her!
This is an example of what she's capable of reading. Similar to the old school Dick and Jane type books.
I'm so excited for my baby! She's growing up so fast!
Today was my bible study so Kendall went home from school with her friend Hayden who lives nearby. When I went to pick her up, it was close to lunchtime and I knew my cleaning lady was at the house so we decided to go out for lunch before running to the grocery store. I convinced her that Cafe Rio would be a great spot for a lunch date. We pulled into the parking lot right before Mitt Romney's bus pulled into the lot!
Now if you've ever been to the Draper Cafe Rio, you know how NUTTY that parking lot is with all the other restaurants there sharing the same parking area. I was in the lot looking for a spot when I saw his bus pull in and my first thought was "Crap! I'll never find a spot now!"
Luckily I found one and we headed in for our lunch. Afterwards we walked around the parking lot to see if his bus was still there and sure enough...
People were getting on the bus but I erred on the side of caution - with my luck Kendall would have been trying to climb in the driver's seat or check out the bathroom! Too bad Riley wasn't with us. I would have taken him in for sure. He'd love the bus itself but he's also started to take an interest in the election because he's learning about it in social studies.
I have this friend Tonia who goes to our church and runs a ministry called Holding Out Help. She helps women, children, families leave polygamy. I met her a few years back at MOPS and got to hear first hand her friend's story of life in polygamy. That was the first time I had ever heard about it first hand - not from Big Love on HBO. It made an impression on me to say the least. I started to help Tonia's ministry when I could, donate at Christmas, getting on her email list for needs, etc.
Over the summer I read a number of books about the FLDS and polygamy: Escape by Carolyn Jessop, The Prophet's Prey by Sam Brower, and Stolen Innocence by Elisa Walls. I really enjoyed the first two a lot and would recommend them both if you want to learn more about the sick and twisted world of the FLDS. I have tried to explain the concept of polygamy to my kids - not an easy task at ages 8 and 4.
My friend Tonia sends out emails from time to time with needs of families she is helping. This time it was one that I could help with immediately! The kids she's housing were wanting some bikes and scooters to ride. We happened to have an extra scooter in the basement that wasn't being used very often. I was happy to see it bring a smile to another child's face. These kids haven't grown up with toys, books, music, tv, etc in their community. Warren Jeffs saw to it to take everything away from them. According to Tonia the latest is that they aren't even allowed to laugh anymore!
Both kids took it upon themselves to find some toys of their own to donate to these kids. Kendall found two baby dolls to give to the two little girls while Riley went through his matchbox cars and picked out a bunch for the 3 older boys his age.
On the way to Tonia's house, Kendall kept asking why these kids didn't have any toys. Who was the "Bad Guy" who took them away? When we got to her house to drop off the scooter and bag of toys, we were lucky enough to have the pleasure of giving these items to the family themselves. Kendall got to give each little girl (ages 3 & 5) a doll and see them smile from ear to ear and hug their new doll as if it was a golden treasure! The boys dove right into the bag of cars and divided them up amongst themselves and started playing right away. I got to meet mom and dad (they got kicked out of Short Creek) and dad was just so surprised by the love of others. They have been brainwashed to believe that everyone outside of their church is evil and wants to bring them harm. I was happy that we could show them the love of Jesus - just by bringing such small items to them. Dad kept thanking me. Mom was a sweet thing and was heading out that afternoon for a "make over." She was ready to shed her FLDS attire and wear a pair of jeans! A big step for sure!
What a great experience for her to meet them - to put a face with the story. She got back in the car and said "Mom, we need to find them more stuff!" My heart was full of joy that my kids were able to put someone else's needs above their own and want to share their toys out of the goodness of their hearts. We have talked for a few months now about spending less on ourselves at Christmas this year and more on gifts for kids like these who have absolutely nothing instead. Thankfully Tonia said she is planning to set up the giving tree at church this Christmas again. You can pick a family or item off the tree to purchase for a polygamist family in need.
If any of you feel led to get involved in this ministry, let me know and I can put you in touch with Tonia. I am happy to get your name on the email list or forward needs in case you think you might be able to help out. These families are often in need of rentals, jobs, clothing, furniture, bikes, cars, food, toiletries, etc. Many times they leave their communities with nothing but the clothes on their backs if they are escaping and don't have the skills to find jobs, etc. Many of the children have never even been in school.
This is a video for Hold Out Help. I know the mom with the twin boys in this video. Her boys were in Riley's scout den and attend South Mountain Community Church. If this video touches your heart, in any way, consider how you can be a part of changing lives.
Riley missed a "tip" test for karate while we were on vacation and was behind his class. Thankfully his instructor wanted Riley to stay up with his class and bumped him up this month to take his belt test with the rest of his class so he wouldn't have to wait another three months to earn his next belt. I was a little nervous that he might not be ready since we missed over 3 weeks of karate this summer with vacation and holidays.
Thankfully we now have a happy (serious faced) brown belt in our house!
Congrats Bubba! We love you and are so proud of you!
...To be okay with being an "outcast" here in Utah. Never felt that way anywhere else I've lived. It's made life here lonely, especially with a hubby who's gone more than he's home. I heard this song on Air1 the other day and the words as well as the beat caught my attention. Wow! If I could have heard this song a year or two ago, huh? But I think it's taken me until now to be comfortable in my own skin here, to be an "outcast." It's not a feeling I've ever experienced before - being totally out of my element. Now, for a multitude of reasons, I feel more like myself than I have since we first moved here. I have to remember to look up when I'm feeling down.
Living here in Utah, I realized how much I could relate to these lyrics. Never before have I ever felt like an "outcast" but I realize now, I'm good with it!
Our Chunko family was created in October 1995. Penton was our first addition in Sept. 1998. Riley was added in April 2004 and Kendall in July 2008. Our journey started in Millersville, Pennsylvania and has taken us to Albany, NY, back to the 'Ville, then south to Jacksonville, Florida, and now we've settled down in Utah, just south of Salt Lake City. Who knows where God will lead us next, but each time, we grow closer to Him and life just keeps getting better.
