The prompting

I so often think that I want to write something down so I will remember it... but then a couple of days go by and I keep putting if off, until I forget that it ever happened. That makes me sad, because I feel like writing it down helps me to solidify and internalize what I learn. I wonder how much better I could be as a person if I wrote down, and therefore internalized, the promptings and impressions I have during lessons at Church, or during conversations with friends, or during ordinary moments in my ordinary life.

I had one such experience this past week. I'm not blogging about this so that anyone says, "Oh, you're so wonderful for helping." I'm writing it because I want to remember that I have been an answer to someone else's prayer. We can ALL be the answer to another person's prayer. So many times, we are the means through which the Lord cares for His children.

Over the past week or so I had been thinking frequently about a new sister in my ward. She and her husband have three young children (2, 3, and 4), and their fourth is due in about a week. Her husband is in the National Guard, and he was supposed to be out of town for the last week. I kept thinking I should probably give her a call and see how she's doing, but I just kept putting it off for one reason or another. On Friday, I couldn't get her out of my head. So I texted her. I told her I had been thinking about her, and I knew her husband was out of town. I told her that Jeff had gone out of town the week before I was due with Faith, and I knew how stressful that was. I offered my help in whatever she needed.

She responded and said she was "super stressed out," and asked me if I would take even one of her kids for a few hours. I said of course, I'd take any and all.

So that's how I ended up with three extra kids for the afternoon. When I went to pick them up, she told me that her husband's travel schedule had been changed, and he had actually just left that morning for 12 days. Before he left, she asked him to give her a blessing. He promised her that she would have help in the time that he was gone. That was comforting to her, because she was overwhelmed by her circumstances and wasn't sure how things would go.

Her dad had been planning to come help her that day. But that fell through. Her mom couldn't come because she was grading papers for school. Her visiting teacher came by, looked around and commented that it looked like she could probably use some help, then left. (WHAT!?!?!) Her sister was not available. She said that she was literally in tears when she received my text. Me taking her kids for a few hours allowed her the time to clean her house, which helped her feel in control of her surroundings and better able to cope with the demands of motherhood. (I can SO relate to this.)

I am so grateful that I took the time to follow a prompting. She is a neat person, and is becoming a good friend. I am also grateful for the opportunity to serve. As I find and act on those opportunities, I feel a greater desire to be more available, to be more observant, to be more conscientious of the needs of those around me so that I can be a means through which the Lord can bless their life.

Isn't the Gospel wonderful? I find it so satisfying that we have the great blessing to serve each other and serve our God in this way.

Faith's sixth birthday

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe Faith is 6 years old. She is seriously one of the most delightful people I know.

Her birthday was actually on February 10, so I'm kind of late getting this update in. My friend Rachel has a tradition she does where on each of her kids' birthdays, she asks them the same set of questions. The idea is to see how they change over the years. I stole her questionnaire and thought it would be fun to do it too:

Questions about: Faith Sabin

Date: March 2, 2014 (yeah, a couple weeks late)

Age: 6

Nicknames: Doopster, Faythie, Doopsie Daisy

(All questions strictly according to their verbal answers)

What is your favorite color?  Pink

What is your favorite toy? Littlest Pet Shops

What is your favorite fruit? Orange

What is your favorite TV show? He-Man (Yeah, we're on a Netflix kick lately.)

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and cheese

What is your favorite outfit? My nightgown

What is your favorite game? Superhero Pet House (a game that Michael made up)

What is your favorite snack? Applesauce

What is your favorite animal? Flamingo

What is your favorite song? He Sent His Son

What is your favorite book? Pinkalicious

Who is your best friend? Ben (Cash)

What is your favorite cereal? Marshmallow Mateys and Coco-Puffs with Marshmallows in it

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play games

What is your favorite drink? Soda

What is your favorite holiday? Easter

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? A stuffed animal

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza

What do you want to be when you grow up? Illustrator

What do you want most for your birthday? Toy sewing machine

What is your favorite candy? Candy canes

What is your favorite sport? Soccer

What makes you sad? When somebody bees mean to me

What makes you happy? Getting gifts

What is your favorite movie? Frozen

Her birthday was on a Monday this year. The night before, we had the Sabin family over for cake and ice cream. Here she is with her "water slide" cake.

She got a lot of fun presents. Grandpa and Grandma Sabin gave her a little Lalaloopsy doll. Kari and Rich gave her some paints and canvases, and we gave her a rubber band loom and a set of My Little Ponies.

On her birthday, she woke up and informed me as she kicked off her covers that her legs were now longer because she was six. Haha.

My mom came up with my Aunt Judie and they took her to brunch at Denny's. Grandma and brought her a sticker and coloring book shaped like a purse, along with a pack of erasable crayons, and Aunt Judie brought her a necklace with a penguin pendant.

She chose to go to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. She told me a couple of days later that it was really fun to be 6 years old.

Just a couple more shots of the 6-year-old. This is her doing her "Am I cute?" pose. (Yes, that's what she calls it.)

And this is her on her 100th day of school. She thought those glasses were the bomb.