My Favourite Things

The past three weeks have been fairly ‘light on’ as far as news of any kind.

I spent the first of those three weeks in bed with a cold. No matter what I did, my health deteriorated until I lost my voice and could not do anything more than lie in bed and try to rest. During that time, Kylie managed the house and cared for our family essentially alone. I am grateful for a wife who is so willing to sacrifice for our family.

The second of those two weeks was intense as I worked furiously in the office to maintain the wonderful momentum I’m enjoying as I work hard on my Ph. D. Things continue to progress positively with my studies. I feel deeply blessed to be enjoying the successes I’ve experienced in the recent past.

Kylie and I were able to attend the temple at the end of that big week of work. We appreciated mum’s willingness to give up her time to drive an hour to the temple in order to watch the children – all five of them – while we served and worshipped.

This week has been remarkably busy comparatively. I took Tuesday off to visit some friends on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They are visiting from America. After a terribly long drive through congestion we arrived at their home and it was empty. I got my days wrong. We made the most of it and enjoyed a picnic on the cliffs in front of their house, looking down over the majestic ocean. Then we began the long drive home. The picnic was wonderful, and I look forward to remembering it for years to come. I’m pleased to say I’m already forgetting most other aspects of the day.

Lilli Emma has been having tests to discover if there are any developmental concerns. The paediatrician has indicated that he believes she may be having mild seizures. He says she’ll grow out of them. Scans show that her brain is healthy and there are no obvious risks to her health or development. We are concerned for her, but grateful that we have access to well-trained professionals to guide us. And we are reassured that they are not overly troubled. Nonetheless we are booking Lilli in for more scans and tests over the coming weeks.

Ella seems to be going well in some ways, but not so much in other ways. She has finally stopped wetting the bed. It has taken her a little longer than most children - only 6.5 years. We’re grateful she has mastered it before she begins going on school camps, or going on dates! While Ella’s emotional outbursts are still very strong, she has a heart of absolute gold. Ella called to me one afternoon this week. “I love you Daddy. I love you more than anyone. Even Jesus.” She has a big, warm heart. Because her two sisters are learning the piano I asked her if she would like to learn it. Ella said “No. I wants to learn guitar or violin.” I was surprised a little that she was so certain. I asked her why and she responded, “So I can carry it around because you can’t do that with a piano.”

The children have been involved in a skipping fundraiser at their school. We have loved to watch them develop their skills, skipping! They do all sorts of things with the ropes, skipping together, criss-crossing, going backwards, and more. They’re enjoying it so much.

Friday night was our ward talent night. There were some super acts! Our family sang “Favourite Things” from the Sound of Music. The girls were beautiful. Kylie was amazing. The primary children did a dance. It was fabulous. All of the children wore black, and glow sticks were taped to their arms, legs and torso. They wore glo-glasses. The room was black. All we could see were the outlines of their bodies glowing as they danced. Terrific stuff! And Chanel danced with a friend to a song called “Reach”. I watched my little girl and was amazed. She made me so proud. My baby is getting big, and becoming increasingly capable and competent. I feel such deep gratitude for my family.

Saturday this week was the highlight of our past few weeks. After compulsorily voting in an uninspiring federal election where it was hard to justify giving my vote to any of the candidates at all, we drove the family to Canberra. Three hours is a long time in the car! And Canberra in August is COLD! We arrived at Questacon, the national science centre, and spent several hours investigating the amazing discoveries of science with the children, and with our good friends, the Thayers (who have just discovered they are expecting triplets). The children love it there. Our annual pass was money well spent. After several hours, we drove to a nearby restaurant and ate delicious food.

We spent Saturday night at a parenting workshop I was running. Close to 30 parents attended, and listened to what I had to say. It was an inspiring session! I felt like I was being taught as I spoke, and believe that several moments were ‘heaven-inspired’. One father, who at the beginning of the night looked apprehensive, said he felt like the evening was a “revelation” and it seemed as though he and his wife were experiencing a one-on-one parenting session with me. That kind of feedback makes me feel like I might just be on the right path.

During the week I also received a phone call from a friend who is having marriage difficulty. I am discouraged as these issues are increasingly affecting people I know. It seems that as we get older these challenges become more common, and not less. I find this ironic because when I consider my relationship to Kylie I can only see us coming closer together, whereas too many couples seem to be moving further apart with time. I also find these conversations placing me in an uncomfortable position. Once upon a time I aspired to be the kind of person people would see as useful or helpful in trying times. I wanted to be a person who could help and have answers. Now that people are starting to see me in this light, I find that it is not the compliment I had hoped. Instead I feel a burden and responsibility, and wonder how I’m supposed to help them. It has become a humbling situation, rather than the lofty position I had presumed it would be.

Lastly, I have finalised the first draft of a book about the idea of having a calling as a parent. The book is only short, but it’s a book and it’s original. I look forward to finalising an edited draft and making it available.

Today I sat in church without Kylie. She has lost her voice and feels unwell. I sang the hymns but they didn’t sound as good without Kylie’s perfect voice beside me. The children needed some extra attention too. Annie got a lot of hugs, and we went for a couple of walks while she tried to settle herself. We had home-teachers visit us this afternoon. It’s the second visit we’ve had in nearly three years! We hope to see them again soon. We are tired after an enormous week, so that will do for now.