New Member Moon

Dear Ella,

 

Yesterday we had a new member baptism for a woman named Moon. Her full name is Monica .... (Something long and exotic), so we all just call her Moon.

Today in church the missionaries were going to confirm Moon a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when you whispered to me that you had to go potty. I took your hand, and we walked reverently to the restroom. 

Normally, you go potty by yourself without any problems, but this time you accidentally got some pee on your underpants. Fortunately, I had an extra pair in the diaper bag. Unfortunately, the diaper bag was still in the chapel. I wrapped your undies in a plastic bag, washed your hands, and we headed back to the chapel.

When we got to the chapel, they were just finishing the confirmation prayer. We slid back into our bench as quietly as possible. As I'm digging in the diaper bag for your undies, the Bishop comes to the pulpit and says, "We would like to welcome our newest member of the ward Sister . . ." As you shout, "Look!" And then you proceed to moon us. Although I was grateful that I was the only one who saw your lovely display, the irony of the moment was not lost on me.

Welcome to the ward Sister Moon!

Sincerely,

The lady on the third row with the three crazy kids

Gone Fishing

Dear Ella, Charlie, and Lily,

Shortly after Dad came home from Texas, he spontaneously decided to take the whole family fishing.  Well, it was mostly Ella and Daddy fishing.  Lily hung out in the stroller most of the time.  I took pictures, and Charlie liked to throw rocks in the river and scare all of the fish away.  Even though we may not all have been interested in catching a fish, it was such a special time with all of us together.  I love that you have a Dad (and I have a husband) who will just announce, “Let’s go fishing everyone!”  Then we hop in the truck and go.  How cool is that?

  

Just as we were packing up to go home . . . (drumroll) WE CAUGHT ONE!

Love,

Luckiest wife and mom ever!

Ella’s 3!

Dear Birthday Girl,

For your third birthday, Daddy was away in Texas.  We waited to have the big birthday bash until he came home, but we still wanted to have a little celebration for your big day, so we went to San Diego and celebrated with your grandparents.

All the grandparents were working in the morning, so I took you and Charlie to Hilltop Park for some fun.

Then Grammy watched Charlie and Lily while I took you on a date.  We stopped at Barnes and Noble to get a free cupcake for your birthday.  You ate the frosting off of the top and left the cupcake. 

Then we went to Target to get you a new backpack for joy school and some new clothes.  You picked out this backpack and this dress.  I think your cousin Adelyn picked out the same backpack too.  I was pleased with your choice.  (I may have influenced you a little.)

Then, your Daddy made sure that I take you to get your nails done.  Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t like it, but your Daddy knows you well.  It was your favorite part of the day.  You had a huge grin on your face the whole time.

 

Then it was back to Grammy’s house for a few presents and cake.  You were pretty tired from skipping your nap and having such a long day.  There were some tears at the beginning of your party, but your Papa took you in the backyard and played with you until you cheered up.

 

I am going to make the Mommy/Ella date an annual tradition.  You are such a special girl, and I am thankful that you are ours forever.

Love,

Mom

Tell Me The Stories of . . .

Dear Ella,

I am terribly behind on my letters, but I had to write this down while the memory is somewhat fresh in my mind.  I'll play catch up with my letters soon.

Over the last week or so, we have started a new tradition.  Whenever you go poop, you call me into the bathroom, "Mooooom, can you come in here a minute?"  I walk into the bathroom, "Are you all done?"  "No, I want you to read me a story."  "OK, let me go and get a book."  "No, I just want you to tell me a story."  "OK, what animal would you like it to be about?"  Then you proceed to tell me the type of animal and its name.  (So far, I have told you a stories about: Jasmine the giraffe, Ella the giraffe, Lily the frog, Sherry the kitty, and George the Crab.)  I sit down on the edge of the tub and tell you a story, while you listen intently with your elbows on your knees and your hands holding up your head.  Sometimes, there is crying and banging on the outside of the bathroom door, but we continue our stories and take off to some magical place where there are no crying babies.

Today, you asked me to tell you a story about Jesus.  This is the story I told you:
Once upon a time, Jesus was walking with his friends.  He was tired from a long day at work.  Some of the little children, who loved Jesus, came up to him and wanted to play with him.  His friends told the little children that he was tired and tried to make them go away.  Jesus told his friends, "Don't make the children go away.  I love the little children."  He then played with them, told them stories, and held them on his lap.  Jesus loves the little children.

You added the perfect ending to the story by exclaiming, "And Jesus loves me!"

I love these little bathroom breaks with you.

Your Potty Pal,
Mom

(Side note: You did ask me once to tell you a story about a frog named Jesus.  I told you I would have to change his name to Jesus /hay-soos/ in order to feel good about it.  You were satisfied with this answer.)

Meekness Is Not Weakness

Dear Ella, Charlie, and Lily,

This letter to you is one to show you that I am not perfect, but I can be perfected through Christ.

I really believed that after watching other parents and teaching in a classroom for so many years that I knew all of the answers about parenting.  I knew what it took to be a great mom, and I was promised that I would be a good mother to my children. Of course, like so many other things in my life, I thought that my greatness would just flow naturally.  I would have babies, and poof, I would be perfect.  Sadly, that is not what happened.

In the three years of being a mother, I feel that there are many times where I have failed at my job.  There was a period recently where I felt as though I was losing control of my home and my children.  Temper tantrums were rampant, you three were hurting each other: biting, kicking, screaming, pushing, scratching, you name it.  When I would tell you to do something, you would disregard my commands until there was a threat attached to it.  You wouldn't listen to me unless I used my "angry voice."  In an attempt to take control back of my home, I decided to fight fire with fire!  I was not going to allow my children to behave this way, so I fought back.  I started yelling and spanking in hopes of becoming the boss, the master of my house.  My whole life I have been so passive that people have walked all over me.  I couldn't be a doormat for my children.  You needed discipline!  I felt completely justified for my actions.  While trying desperately to gain control, I completely lost control..

After a few months of this, I knew that my home was not what I wanted it to be.  I wanted to have peace in my home, but I didn't feel as though being soft-spoken would solve the problem, in fact, I was sure it wouldn't. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that what I was doing wasn't working. It was then that I started praying for help.  I was reluctant at first because I already knew that yelling and spanking are not the Lord's way. Because I knew that was not what he wanted me to do, I started asking questions like, "What tone of voice should I use to discipline my children?  How can I learn to control my anger?  What kinds of consequences might be effective to change their behavior?"

I wish I could tell you that immediately after I started praying for help, I stopped my bad behavior, but I didn't.  I had to repent every day for losing my cool, but I kept trying to be better every day.  Then in October, we had General Conference.  Although I didn't hear all of the talks live, I read them later.  One of the talks stood out to me as an answer to my prayers.  It is titled, "Be Meek and Lowly of Heart" by Elder Ulisses Soares.  As soon as I read it, I knew it was meant for me.  He states, "Meekness is the quality of those who are 'Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering.'  Those who possess this attribute are willing to follow Jesus Christ, and their temperament is calm, docile, tolerant, and submissive . . . Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control . . . Upon acknowledging our dedication and perseverance, the Lord will give us that which we are not able to attain due to our imperfections and human weaknesses."  I have read this talk many times over the last few months, and I know that the words in it are true.  I can't say that you children obey me all the time, but I can say that I feel like I have more control over myself.  My home is a much more peaceful place than it was.  I feel better about myself and the kind of mother I am since reaching out to the Lord for help.

I want you to know that I love you three so much.  My goal and my desire is to someday be a perfect mother to you.  Unfortunately, you have to forgive me while I'm working on that goal.  I know that with the help of the Savior, all things are possible. I'm so grateful for our church leaders who are prayerful about what talks to give at General Conference so that I can be inspired to be a better person.

Love always and unconditionally,

Your humbled mom

Disneyland!

Dear Ella,

This year for your Papa’s birthday (May 9th), your Nana and Papa took us all to Disneyland for the first time!

We stayed in their timeshare which is located just down the road from Disneyland.  Nana brought a cute little tent for you to sleep in at the timeshare.  We swam in the pool and ate at PF Changs the night before.

  The next morning we got to ride on a bus, which was also a first for you.  Then Papa carried you on his shoulders into the gates.

We stopped for a photo op.

We started off at California Adventure.  I was with Nana at the time, but Daddy said that when you saw the Mickey Ferris Wheel you slapped your hands on your cheeks and made a face like this :0.  The first ride we went on was Toy Story, and you had a blast!  Next we went on the ferris wheel, which made my stomach do some flips, but you didn’t seem scared at all.

Next we went on the rockets and The Little Mermaid.

 

When we got out of The Little Mermaid, we got to stop and dance with Phineas and Ferb.  You started off dancing, but then I think you were a little intimidated by all the strangers dancing around you.  You just stopped in the middle of the dance floor and looked at all the crazy people dancing around you.  You had not seen the show at that time, but you are a BIG fan of the show now.  Maybe next time we go you will appreciate it more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw a sign that said “Mater’s Petting Zoo.”  I was fooled by the name, and you were quite disappointed that it wasn’t an actual petting zoo.  Fortunately, you got over it pretty quickly.

Then we went on a few little kiddie rides in Bugs Land.

 

My favorite story to tell is when we went into the Magic Kingdom, you just happened to run into Cinderella and Belle when they were on their way to their next “appearance.”  Much to your dismay, it was Belle who took your hand and not Cinderella as you had hoped.  So you held Belle’s hand with your head sunk down to your chest.  It was hilarious!

 

Luckily Cinderella was headed off to her home where you got to meet her, Ariel, and Aurora.

 

We went on some more rides.

  And then you got to meet your favorite princess of all MERIDA.  She was my favorite princess that we met at the park.  You fell asleep in Daddy’s arms while you were waiting in line, so you were pretty out of it when you finally got to meet her.  She was very nice to you and even mentioned that you were going to look like her when you grow up.

 

The funny thing is, I think of all the rides we went on, your favorite was the carousel.  You could’ve ridden on that all day long.

I will admit that I can be a bit pessimistic at times.  I was anticipating a long day with some tantrums and possibly a potty accident or two, but you behaved so well.  You were excited to see all of the fun things, you didn’t have any accidents, and even though you didn’t get a nap, you were joyful the whole time we were there. 

The last time we had been to Disneyland before that was five years ago.  I remember your Uncle Kurt telling me how much better Disneyland is when you take your kids.  I have to agree with him that seeing your cute little face light up was my favorite ride.  You just make everything in life better.

 

Love,

Mom

Devin Gerard Griffiths

Dearest Ella,

While I was searching for the words, this is what I came up with:

Devin taught me to appreciate family, life, the Lord, temple covenants, and all of the little things that make life sweet.  He did so much for me and many, many others in his short beautiful life.  We love you so much Devin.

Love,

Auntie Shelley