Just Go Around.

After we got home from church last Sunday

Me: Peyton, what did you learn about today?
Peyton: (shrugs and speaks nonchalantly) Eh, just the Holy Ghost.
Me: Oh?  What does the Holy Ghost do?
Peyton: (Matter-of-factly) He makes me be really reverent.
Me: Really?
Peyton:  Yes!  He's not scary, though!

If you knew how concerned Peyton has been about ghosts lately, you'd know that this is a big deal.

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Loralie was sleeping in her room and Peyton was on the couch doing her own thing.  I decided to run downstairs really quickly to tell Emily something.  As soon as I got to Emily's I could hear Peyton coming down the steps.  A few seconds later she was screaming, "Mom!  Mommm!  MOMMMMMMMMY!" 

I looked outside and saw Peyton....holding a 5 ft long tree branch.  She looked startled to see me.  I looked at her in confusion.  Searching for a way to explain, she paused then said, "I  be worried so I got a big stick!"

**********

The girls and I went on a walk the other day.  I put Juju in the stroller and Peyton walked beside me.  About two minutes into our walk, we came to a truck that was parked in a driveway, but covering the sidewalk.  Peyton gasped and with wide eyes said, "Oh no!"  I feigned outrage and replied, "Oh no!  What are we going to do!?"

Peyton looked at me like I was nuts and calmly said, "Not shreak out.  Just go around."

During our walk, we happened upon several other vehicles parked over the sidewalk.  Each time, before I could even say anything, Peyton would utter the reassuring words, "Not shreak out, Mom.  It be ooooooooookay.  Just go around."

Shinger Tacos and Shorks

So, I'm sure that most of you know that Peyton recently got stitches.  Again.  Second time in 3 months.  Here is how it happened...

Peyton had spent most of the morning "making pizza" out of her Play-doh.  She wanted to cut it but I sort of blew her off and told her that I needed to change Juju.  As I was putting Juju's pants back on, I heard a scream, followed by a crash, followed by panicked crying.  I rushed to the kitchen and found Peyton gripping her hand.  I asked what happened and she uncovered her hand.  Blood started gushing.  It was like a bloody finger version of Old Faithful.  When she saw the blood, she freaked out.  She started screaming, "I need a bandaid!"  I tried to apply pressure to it but she just kept flinging her hand around, getting blood everywhere.  It was on my kitchen floor, the refrigerator, my cabinets and counters, and on my bathroom floor and a little in the hallway.  Even now I keep finding tiny random blood speckles in weird places, like under the trash bin and on a box of cereal.

I pounded on Emily's door and she was kind enough to watch Juju so that I could take P to get stitches.  She even cleaned up nearly all of the blood.

The last time Peyton got stitches, she kept picking at them, which made the removal process nightmarish.  This time, we kept her finger wrapped.  She loved the bandage.  She called it her "finger taco."  She showed it to everybody and they always would ask, "How did that happen?"

Here's how.  She cut herself with a long, pronged knife, which she got out of the dishwasher because she wanted to cut her "pizza."  It has the two prongs on the end, and in Peyton's mind it must look sort of like a fork.  Peyton can't make an "f" sound.  It always comes out as a "sh" sound.  She has had the same conversation with dozens of people for over a week.  It goes like this:

Peyton: See my shinger taco?

Random Person: What happened?

Peyton: I cut myself.

Random Person:  How?

Peyton: On a shork!

Random Person: A shark!?

Peyton: (Slightly annoyed) A shork.  You know, like a dinglehopper.

Random Person: (Nodding like they understand, just so they can make the conversation stop)

The first time I heard her have this conversation, I laughed and laughed and laughed.  She got her stitches removed this weekend, but even as I type this, I am laughing.  I am laughing because my kid calls knives "forks."  And she calls forks "shorks."  And she calls shorks "dinglehoppers."  Kids don't come any cooler.  They probably do come with less scars, though.

Random Acts of Kindness

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to report back to you all on this.  I still do not have all the data, as reports of RAKs still trickle in, little by little.

First of all, you guys are amazing.  How can I ever thank you all for keeping my family in your thoughts and taking the time out of your day to do and share your RAK with me?  I never expected such a huge response and my heart is overflowing with love and gratitude for each of you.

I am not very good at blogging.  I was trying to figure it out and came across a statistics button.  I clicked it and discovered that my average post gets anywhere from 3-128 views (almost always closer to 3 than 128).   My blog about Kristi's birthday received over 1,000 hits in just 24 hours.  Thanks to you all for sharing the word.  My goal was to get your help to do 23 Random Acts of Kindness.  You exceeded my goal.   Forty-one RAKs were reported to me, with an additional 84 people pledging to do an RAK.  I also suspect that more people did them without telling me, which is perfectly fine:)

Your support in exceeding my goal made September 12th a wonderful day of celebration for me.  Every time I received a message or text or e-mail, I cried.  Seriously.  I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of each one of you.  I got messages from friends, family, Kristi's former classmates, people I haven't spoken to in years, and even total strangers.  I pray that each of your lives may be touched by Random Acts of Kindness and that you are able to feel the joy and love I feel when I think about this.

I am compiling all of your responses into a book that I hope to add to in the coming years.  It will be a source of joy, hope, and inspiration to my family.

I would like to tell you a little about one of my experiences doing Random Acts of Kindness.  I gave myself a budget of $23 (because it seemed appropriate) and did a total of 106 RAKs.  My favorite experience involved Popeye and Juj.

Peyton and I went to the store (with coupons in hand.  Autumn, I can't thank you enough for introducing me to couponing.) and Peyton picked out her favorite snacks.  Once we had exactly 100 snacks (mostly fruit snacks, we are talking about Peyton, after all.) we loaded the goodies (and Juju) into a wagon and headed for campus.  I thought, "Hmm...who could use an act of kindness today?"  I instantly thought of the poor souls who had to endure the nightmare that is the BYU-I financial aid office.  It was the first week of school and people were scrambling trying to get their loans and finances in order.  Anyway, that morning Peyton made two signs encouraging people to "Please Accept a Random Act of Kindness."  We tied them together with pink, polka dotted ribbon so that she could hang them over her shoulders and she wore the signs as she handed treats out to very happy recipients.  The first 10(ish) times that she handed treats to people, she ran back to me with a huge smile on her face and said, with her hand over her heart, "Mom, that makes me feel so good!"  I had told her earlier that we were doing it to make people happy.  She was pretty tired toward the end, and each time she handed a snack out she would say, "Not be sad, okay?"  She said it very quietly, almost mumbling, and people couldn't always understand.  They would ask, "What?"  Peyton would scowl at them and scream, "I SAID NOT BE SAD!"  Haha.  It was so funny.  I think she may have missed the point, but a girl can only hand out so many of her favorite snacks before it starts affecting her :)  As for Juju, she also did her part.  She waved to people and said, "Hiiiiiiii," while throwing treats out of the wagon at anyone who waved back.

We are really looking forward to next year.  Thanks, guys.

I'm sorry if  this post sounds like just a bunch of unorganized, incoherent rambling.  I'll do better next time.

Kristi's Birthday Gift

I have a sister who died several years ago. Her name was Kristi and she was amazing. Full of attitude. Full of passion (some would argue a little too much passion). Full of this amazing ability to befriend new people and to help those around her. Tomorrow would be her 23rd birthday. Usually I find myself getting really sad around Sept 12th. I think of all that she could have accomplished, all the good she would have done, all of the things that we have missed out on doing together. This year, instead of being sad I have been inspired!

I read an amazing blog that was written by somebody I know. You should go to http://adventuresofscottandcarrie.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-birthday-of-kindness.html#comment-form really quickly and read it.

No, really. Go there and read it. Then come back here.

Did you do it?

Okay. Isn't that great!?

Tomorrow, instead of being sad on Kristi's birthday, I am going to honor her by doing random acts of kindness! I am asking each of you to please do the same. Please find a moment in your day to do a random act of kindness in honor of Kristi's birthday. Then, e-mail me, or comment on this blog or on Facebook and tell me what you did.

I want to make this a yearly tradition. I like the idea that, even though she isn't here, the world is continuing to be a little bit brighter because of her.

So, let's go, everybody! Do your RAK and share it with me!