My name is Levi and I am a child of God

We had our primary program yesterday and Levi did a great job with his line.

But he said it even better today. He gets home from school about an hour and a half before Maddy so he always comes out with me to meet her bus (sometimes in his underwear despite my warnings). Today Maddy was off the bus and walking up the driveway as I was coming out the front door. Levi skipped (because he never really walks anywhere) passed Maddy and climbed straight onto her bus. I got to him just in time to hear him telling the bus driver:

My name is Levi and I am a child of God.

It doesn't get any better than that. My sweet son knows who he is! I love him so much and I hope his testimony of this truth grows as he does. I love you Levi and you are a child of God.

*art by Greg Olsen

Heaven Help Me....

I just took Dan to the airport a few hours ago and this is how I look already:

Image courtesy of Google images
Dan is on his way to Sunny Arizona for a week of job interviews! Yes you heard right: job interviews. Unlike other jobs, when you finish residency you can actually apply for jobs 10 months before you start work! Woohoo! Finally we are in a position to be in control of our lives! No more applying and begging and applying and waiting and letting some computer "match" us with a city on the other side of the country! Hooray! So Dan has 5 interviews this week and is gone a full 7 days. I love my kids but they are INTENSE! Even when they are on their best behavior it is exhausting! I love them and love being with them but Dan is my wing-man, my #2, my Dwight! Can you imagine Michael Scott without Dwight? It's just pathetic! Well that's me! Pretty pathetic. But we will survive, it is for a good cause. All day yesterday Maddy kept wishing Dan to have lots of fun on his "vacation" and behind laughs I was definitely feeling a little jealous! So wish me luck everyone and we will keep you posted on the job outcome.

Phoenix here we come!!!

(in 9 months and 2 weeks, but who's counting?)

Every day is Earth Day!

Yesterday, Maddy got home from school and said to Dan “I want to clean the earth”. After watching her pick up the garbage in the church parking lot on Sunday morning, Dan knew what she was talking about. So he put Elsie in the kiddie backpack and armed with three grocery bags walked with Maddy and Levi to the park. The plan: to clean the earth, starting with the park and all the streets between the park and our house. So off they went and as they arrived at the park, Maddy decided they should have a contest to see who gets the most garbage. Just one catch- nobody is allowed to beat Maddy! She refused to let Levi pass her on the sidewalk.

So as if the story isn’t cute enough already, picture this: her Daddy had the sweetest little grandmother who used to walk around her neighborhood picking up garbage and she was affectionately known by her neighbors as the “garbage lady”. She was even in the newspaper once. He told me this story years ago but I know he was very fond of his grandmother so to see this connection between his daughter and grandmother melts his heart. He is putty in his little girl’s hand! Just how it should be.

As for "cleaning the earth", you rock Maddy! Thanks for being beautiful you! You make me want to be a better person and take better care of this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for us.