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We woke up this morning to the scene of an eh-loaded (exploded) bird in our yard.

What the heck? No body, no head, no wings, just a pillow’s worth of feathers.

Maybe the black cat with the mean face really is mean.

This is an older video of Ava dancing when we were on the cruise. I love how she trips while she is clapping.

Ava Dancing on the Cruise Ship

Don’t know why there isn’t any sound.

“Mama, I want to be a Narnian.” I guess she’s really taken to her Daddy-Daughter time, reading The Chronicles of Narnia series.

It was 100 degrees here for the last 3 days and she came home from school and announced that she was, “Super-duper sweaty and that that makes (her) allergic.”

“I want to be the Crocodile Hunter when I grow up.” Yet when asked what she would do if she had to capture a crocodile or a huge snake she replied, “Oh, I will just have the real crocodile hunter help me.” Yes, I said that would be a good idea except for he died in an accident. “Yeah, Mommy but it’s okay because he is up in heaven with Heavenly Father.” Glad she’s got it all figured out.

Grace has been having some trouble going to sleep at night. What 4 year old doesn’t? Part of the problem is that she stands on her bed and opens the blinds to see what the neighborhood kids (who don’t go to bed at 7 PM) are doing.

Recently, she came up with a new excuse for not going to bed based on what she saw outside. The black cat outside scared her. Her exact quote was “there is a black cat outside, and it has a mean face!”

If Grace sees a camera, she asks to take a picture. In her latest photoshoot, she had some interesting pics, as evidenced below:

I could be wrong, but I think Grace could use some weight lifting in the arms region.

And just for the record, Sally hates the shirt I am wearing.

I could be wrong, but I think Grace picks her nose.

She obviously hasn’t mastered the toilet paper as Kleenex concept.

Grace and I were reading the scriptures tonight. We read about Alma’s teachings about faith. I asked her if she knew what faith was. She replied that she didn’t, so I told her that faith was believing in things that are true, but that you can’t see.

She said, “Oh, like Heavenly Father…”
I said, “Yeah,” inwardly pleased that I was able to get the point across.
She continued, “and unicorns and Pegasus’s…”

Almost.

A recent conference talk got me thinking about these verses:

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy , and without guile —

43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost ; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-44

I have read these verses many times over the years. As I was reading them today, however, I asked myself how one recognizes when they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost to reprove with sharpness? The default is to reprove mildly, with kindness, love, and long-suffering. The long-suffering part is hard, especially as a parent because you want to deal with the behavior in the NOW (for example, my wonderful first born’s incessant screaming when she is excited or playing).

But how does one recognize the prompting to reprove with sharpness? Generally, reproving in this way is done in a spirit of frustration or anger – not exactly the right frame of mind to be in tune with the spirit of God. In thinking about the scriptures, the only time I can really recall this type of reproof is when Christ cleaned the temple. Certainly, he was full of the spirit of God, and certainly he was sharp in that instance. In nearly every other example of the Savior’s life, however, we see a gentleness. My favorite example is repeatedly finding Peter, James, and John asleep in the garden while he paid the price of all of our sins – in each instance when he returned to find his disciples asleep, his reproof was mild and loving.

In what instances is sharpness appropriate, in light of the default prohibition to reprove with long suffering, meeknees, and love unfeigned? How do we know it is the spirit moving us and not a spirit of frustration or anger?