I know that's not a big surprise to any of you that deal with two-year-olds during sacrament meeting, but trying to keep Dylan from escaping our row, screaming when he doesn't get his way, or hitting his siblings is a draining chore. I can honestly say it may be worth it to be in the bishopric again to escape to the stand...
Still, you had to smile when the closing prayer ended on Sunday and Dylan shouted AMEN! at the top of his lungs. As everyone turned to look at our row, Big D was smiling from ear to ear.
Mothers' Day is always a favorite for the kids. They typically get up early and rush up into our room to give Tara a hug. This year Kennedy was the first one up and she ran up to me to suggest we make Tara her favorite breakfast, Egg McMuffins - ok, so that is Kennedy's favorite breakfast. Still, I was glad Kennedy was willing to help with breakfast.
My favorite moment of the morning was discovering that Tara's present was missing. I helped the kids pick out some jewelry for Tara and we hid the items in one of my drawers. I didn't think much of the whole thing until I went to retrieve the necklace Sunday morning and it was gone. I guess Kennedy wanted to play dress up and took the present out for her costume. Tara found the necklace/bracelet and thought Dede took it from her jewelry box. So much for the surprise factor on Mothers' Day!
Besides the kids' present I always try and make Tara something for Mothers' Day. I took a few of our favorite pictures from the past year and created a fun little video. Feel free to check it out....
Last night Tara and I were just settling down after putting the kids to bed. We turned on the TV and were flipping channels when the national news cut in.
"We have breaking news that there will be a press conference from the White House. The President is going to announce that our forces have killed Osama bin Laden."
What?! Really! Unbelievable!
Tara and I just looked at each other. Like most Americans we'd given up expecting to hear any news of finding bin Laden years ago. I mean, it's been 10 years. It just didn't seem likely to happen.
Immediately following 9/11 capturing bin Laden was a certainty. He had killed our people and now we were going to find him and kill him. Finding one man in the middle of Afghanistan proved to be a lot more difficult that imagined.
President Bush spent 7 years looking for him and nothing. President Obama dedicated more resources to tracking bin Laden and still nothing. Then the news broke. Osama bin Laden had been killed in a firefight with US troops in Pakistan. It was surreal to hear the words and watch the President's speech.
I think the best way to describe my emotions is closure. I wasn't affected directly by 9/11 - no one I knew was killed. My daily routine hasn't changed that much. Still, as an American, I felt like my way of life had been attacked. We were changed, as a country. And so yesterday mattered to me. Like many Americans, death of Osama bin Laden brings a sense of closure to one of the darkest events in our Nation's history. It was certainly the darkest day I've ever witnessed in my lifetime.
Today, I'm proud of our Troops. I'm proud of our Leaders. I'm proud to be an American.
Dylan is tough to handle at church.
