Picture a Christmas

Cozette is doing ASL to Away in a Manger.

Every day I have the privilege of working with children. I ponder the words of our Savior, "Suffer the little children, for such is the kingdom of heaven." These children love me unconditionally. I love teaching music to them. Children say the sweetest things. One of my little girls told me during the middle of our rehearsal that she was hungry. I told her we had just a few more songs to practice. At the end of our practice, she raised her hand and asked, "Ms. Jeannie, can I be hungry now?"  Children are kind, generous, forgiving, innocent, and trusting. No wonder He told us to be like them.

The theme for the Pre-k Christmas program was "Picture a Christmas." Each child had a speaking part. They were darling. They sang a variety of different Christmas carols including two from the LDS church, a Jamaican Christmas carol, Fum Fum Fum, Milton, the Dancing Christmas Mouse, which was their favorite, and a few others. We concluded with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The children always laughed when they sang the words, "figgy pudding." They made such a big deal about the words, that it made me question what figgy pudding is. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it is actually a type of bread pudding that is more like spice cake!

Cozette spoke her lines like she was a professional.
"And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes,
and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the inn."

 

Joy

There are moments in life we hope to never forget. Nikki's and John's wedding is one of them. I do not think I have the ability to express the joy our family felt that beautiful day. I believe that my sisters and I are blessed with a special gift-- a bond of sisterhood that the truest of sisters share. As I think about that day, there are special moments that have left an indelible impression upon my heart.

I want to share a few.

I loved looking at my parents. They were glowing. Mom was radiant. The absolute love they have for Nikki was not only visible, but I could also feel it. Mom was stunning as the mother of the bride. Dad was as dapper as always.

During the ceremony, I held hands with my own true love. It seems like yesterday, we were the happy couple. I also held hands with my dear sister, Quincy.  We had hoped for this moment for so long.

After their beautiful ceremony in the Atlanta Temple, I went to the dressing room with Quincy to be with Mom and Nikki. My mom was helping Nikki get into her wedding dress. It laced up the back. It took my mom over 10 minutes to lace her up. As I watched my mom, I was struck with a feeling of gratitude for her. We have a mother who has dedicated her life to us, a mother who daily blesses our lives. It's interesting how simple moments trigger such emotion.

Right before the wedding, Quincy commented to me, "I sure do hope we get to play Blokus today!" I laughed out loud.  I recently came across a quote that expressed sisters are a glimpse of your childhood. It is true.

It was a pleasure getting to meet some of John's family. I spent some time with his Uncle Raoul. He commented that a person also marries their spouse's family. Yes, we do. I thought of my own dear in-laws and sister-in-law who came to celebrate with our family, because they love Nikki so much.

Perhaps my favorite moment of the day was when my dad welcomed our guests at the wedding luncheon. He was kind and gracious. His words were perfect. After he prayed, I looked at my sister and said that I was proud to be his daughter. 


A few days before the wedding, Nikki asked me and Quincy to say a few words. Honestly, I feared that I was going to faint before I spoke. I wrote my words and memorized them. I labored over it. I lost sleep over it. Quincy was nervous too. She was lovely as she spoke from her heart to Nikki and John.

Here are my words to them:

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my sisters. All week I have been thinking about the eternal nature of love, and what a blessing it is to have a family.

 I was almost 14 years old when Nikki was born. I was convinced she was going to be my baby brother. I remember like it was yesterday running home from school to find out the happy news. I burst into the house, and my dad was on the phone saying, “Oh, yes, we are so happy!” I couldn’t believe it, because I finally had my baby brother. I then looked over at the kitchen table only to discover a pink “It’s a girl” card.

I started to cry.

But, when we went to the hospital that evening, I will never forget how I felt when I saw Nikki for the first time.  I can truly say it was love at first sight. She instantly became my baby. Because of our age difference, we didn’t grow up together, but she was 14 when Brad and I were married, and she grown up with us. Brad and I love you dearly.

And we love you, John. We waited a long time for you to get here.

Nikki and John, I’m not going to give you any advice, I couldn’t say anything that you don’t already know, but I do love these words:

“True love ‘beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ So Christ loved us, and that is how He hoped we would love each other.”

My sincerest hope is that your marriage will always be a reflection of this perfect love.
You are both worthy of it, and you deserve it.
I love you.

Cozette could not take her eyes off of Nikki's dress.

Kayleigh recently said that she could not believe the day has come and gone so quickly. I explained to her that's how it usually is.

The newlyweds are currently vacationing in Spain.

And we get to look forward to them coming home.

Here is a link to some bridal photos of Nikki.


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A Christmas Carol

Kayleigh made her debut in Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol" tonight. She was magnificent! We are very proud of her. She was a "Londoner" in the play. She even had a few lines, participated in a dancing scene, and sang Deck the Halls. She was in the play with her best friends Sydney, Homoira, and Hannah. They all did a fabulous job. The high school did an excellent job producing this Christmas classic. We attended the play with Mommom, Papa, Nikki and John. After the play, we went to my parents to be with Quincy's family who had just arrived for the wedding, which is in less than 48 hours.

We all say we can't wait for the weddin' day!

On Saturday, it is closing night, and we are happy that most of our family will be in town to see Kayleigh's performance. Quincy, Kirk, Zoe, Kaija, Bill, Shirley, Barbara, and Mary-Faith will all be there for her.

Her red hair was very striking on stage.

Sydney is to her left and Homoira to her right.

On the way home, Everett announced that he is playing Ebeneezer Scrooge in a scene for his Language Arts class tomorrow. I couldn't believe it when he told us. After seeing Scrooge on stage tonight, he came home and practiced his lines for tomorrow. It was the cutest thing ever. I told him he should audition for a play when he gets to high school.

He kindly responded, "No thank you."

Bah humbug!


 

Ode to Charles

11/11/11 is a day I will never forget. It is the day that my four year old daughter declared her love for a little boy. Cozette was sitting on top of the kitchen table, while I was sweeping. I heard her talking to herself. She kept repeating over and over, "I love him, Oh, I love him." This caught my attention, so I stopped and asked, thinking that she was talking about her daddy, "Cozette, who do you love?" Well, she got this little sly expression on her face and said, "It's a secret!"

I was absolutely flabbergasted.


This is how our conversation went from there:

Me: Cozette, is it really a secret?

Cozette: Yes.

Me: Cozette, you can tell Mommy? It's okay.

Cozette: Nope.

Me: Can I guess? Is he in your class?

Cozette: Yes.

Me: Is it Isaac? (she answered no) Is it Cooper? (she answered no) Is it David? (she answered no) Is it Anthony? ( she answered no)

I named a few other boys, and she said no about all of them. I had to pause...

Cozette; MOMMY, THERE IS ONE MORE BOY IN MY CLASS!

Me: I know. I'm trying to think. Cozette, Is it Charles?

Cozette: YES! I looooove him, Mommy.

I just about fainted from shock. I was processing that my four year old is in love, and that I have two much older children who never had any crushes this early-- or perhaps at all!

Me: Cozette, does Charles know?

Cozette: Yes, I told him yesterday.

Me: What did he say?

Cozette: Nothing.

Me: Well, what makes Charles so special?

Cozette: His dot is by mine, and we sit by each other in circle time.

Me: Oh, I see. Do your friends know?

Cozette: Yes. I told Laney, Reagan, and Ruthie.

Me: What did they say?

Cozette: (She laughed) They said it was disgusting.

Me: It's not disgusting. Did that hurt your feelings?

Cozette: No, I love him.

Cozette continued to talk about Charles for the rest of the evening. She even colored a picture of him. She told me that she was going to wear a special head band to school on Monday. I acted like it was no big deal. In truth, it is a big deal. She's growing up too fast--and I don't want her to.

It was a shock that only 11/11/11/ could bring!

I do love this little boy.
He makes class so much fun.
He decided to break dance right in the middle of our concert.

Cozette's preschool class.
I was getting ready to read a story to them at the pumpkin patch festival.
They also performed for their parents.
The skeleton twist was a big hit!

Cozette with her music teacher a.k.a Mommy.

 

The Happy Bridal Shower

I decided long ago that nothing is better than the anticipation of an event. It's hard to believe that Nikki's bridal shower has already come and gone. It was a joyful day for our family. We feel so very blessed for the generosity of our good friends. I have to share that Nikki is a beloved person. Everyone who knows Nikki loves her. It's difficult for me to describe the emotions I've felt as I have observed the complete joy and happiness that others have for my sister. All I know is that one of the greatest gifts in life is to be blessed with good friends.

I love my sisters.

Kayleigh and Sydney. They are inseparable.

Only 33 more days until the big event!


 

That's My Girl

She is 15 now.

I like her a lot.

She makes me laugh.

She's one of a kind.

She will be driving soon.

Everyone loves her.

The world is a better place because of her.

Kayleigh pictured with Nicole, Sydney, and Emily. 

They have grown up together.
They are very special girls.

Here are some photos from Kayleigh's 10th birthday:

Kayleigh and Sydney.

Kayleigh and Nicole.

Sydney and Emily with Kayleigh.

Kayleigh's 15th birthday party.

Happy birthday, Kayleigh!

 

Make a Wish

Every year on Nikki's birthday, she makes a wish. Of course, I know what her wish is.  It's the same wish I have made many times on my own birthday--that her one true love will come along. I have dreamed about writing this blog post for years. It delights my soul that I can announce my baby sister happily got engaged on her birthday. She is going to marry John Grimsley in the Atlanta, LDS temple on Saturday, December 10.

We love John. He is funny, and he is jovial. Mainly, he is good--like our dear Nikki. You can always judge a person's character by how your children react to them. Cozette liked John immediately. On the night of Nikki and John's engagement, we had a family celebration. We pointed to John, and asked Cozette what his name was. She didn't flinch when she quickly responded that his name was, "Uncle!" I could tell that it secretly delighted him.

This is a joyful time for our family. Kayleigh said this will be the happiest day of her life, because all she has ever wanted is to help Nikki plan her wedding! We are in a busy wedding planning mode. Nikki even joked that she was going to start a business called, "wedding in a week!" She literally planned the bulk of her wedding in a week. I am amazed at how easily it came together for her.

In less than two months, Miss. Nikki Parrott will become Mrs. Nikki Grimsley.

This is my happiest wish come true.



 

School Girls

Before Cozette was born, I taught music at a local Methodist preschool for three years. I never considered this job as work. Teaching music to those little children brought me joy, and I always said it was a job that fell out of heaven. I have recently been blessed with an opportunity to teach again. It's amazing how it all came together for me. I started considering the possibility of teaching earlier this year. I contacted several preschools, and I received a response from one to follow up in June. I was very disappointed to learn the position was not available when I contacted the preschool in June.

Towards the end of July, I had an impression that I should send another email to the director of that school. Truthfully, I was afraid she might think I was strange to contact her again after she told me the position was not available. It took about two days for me to actually follow through.

The director contacted me following day.

I was pleasantly surprised to read the position was available, and she wanted me to come interview by the end of the week.

We met the following Friday. At the end of the interview, I expressed my reluctance to send that last email. She looked at me with a surprised face and said, "Oh, I meant to tell you how happy I was that you did. My computer crashed earlier this summer, and I lost all of my contacts. I didn't have any way to contact you!" I was speechless. She continued to say that she believed it was God's grace. I agreed. I responded by saying that I liked to call these types of blessings "tender mercies of the Lord." She seemed to like that very much.

This is a special school year for Cozette and me. We get to go to school together every day. She comes to my music class twice a week. A highlight of this position is that in addition to teaching music, I teach chapel weekly. I begin each class with a prayer, and I teach a bible story and lesson. I may be the first Mormon to ever pray and teach bible stories in that wonderful Methodist church! The teachers have been very kind. Last night at the PPA meeting and spaghetti dinner, the director asked me at the last minute to lead everyone in prayer. I must admit that I was nervous.

Cozette loves this school. She talks about it all the time. She even asks over the weekend when we get to go back.

She recently said that she likes it that we are both school girls.

I do too!

 

The Tyrannosaurus rex

It appears in this picture that Everett is tackling an opposing player, but sadly, he did not! There was a 12 year old kid on the other team who was 6' 2". He looked like a giant next to our boys. I even commented to Brad and Nikki that he was bigger than the referees on the field. That boy ran over Everett like he was a freight train. Everett just got up and kept playing. What impressed me most is that Everett never gave up. He even knocked the kid out of bounds two times!

I told Everett after the game he played like a raptor!

He liked that a lot.

Four Cozette

 

Our little Cozette turned four years old. She's only been four for about 24 hours, and she is already asking when she will be five. She wants to be big. She asked me earlier today when she will get to go to high school. I answered, "Cozette, you're only in preschool, not for a very long time!" She recently declared that she wanted to get "holes in her ears." I told her she could get her ears pierced when she's 12 years old. Cozette has been talking about her birthday for the past five weeks. Every day she's been telling me all of the presents she wants for her birthday.

Here are a few of her requests:

a cell phone
a robot

princess conditioner

rain boots

everything

an ipod

and a pet goat.

I want Cozette to know how much we love her. We like it that she is little, and we do not want her to grow up. We love her innocence. She recently said that she was going to marry her daddy, and when he told her he was already taken, she announced she would marry Everett.  Everett is her hero. Kayleigh is her idol. I've said this before, and I will say it again. We are better people for having her in our lives. Cozette is witty, she is clever, and she is funny. We never know what she will say.

I asked her how it felt to be four years old. Of course, she amazed me with her response,"Well, I feel a little bit older, but actually Mommy, I still feel small."

She is also wise, because I've never had a birthday where I've felt older.

Happy birthday, Cozette