Halloween

Happy Halloween! 

 

This year our family dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Count Dracula, a baby bat, and Spiderman.

(With our pet zombie in the background).

I hope you enjoy this day of playing dress-up and eating your children's candy as much as I do.

All the Kit-Kats are mine,
The Brown-Eyed Girl

Being a Girl

I used to think I would have to teach Baby Blue Eyes about a being a girl.

Turns out, she was born knowing.

Before she was a year old, she was snatching shoes whenever she got the chance.

Now she loves walking around in her cousin's pink heels.

And my heels.

Brown-Eyed Boy never gave a second thought to the clothes I put on him, except to maybe exclaim over the monster trucks on his shirt. But Baby Blue Eyes will dig an outfit out of her drawer and insist that I put it on her, refusing everything else I offer. Then she will strut off down the hall to show Daddy.

Yes, she struts. Who taught her that?

She loves having her hair combed, getting her toe nails painted, wearing hats, and dancing.

I guess boys and girls really are different after all.

Of course, I already knew that.

As the Family Proclamation explains it, "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

So while I don't have to teach Baby Blue Eyes how to be a girl, I hope I can teach her--and show her--how to love being a girl, to cherish that spark of divinity in her, to walk happily and confidently in the knowledge that she is a daughter of God, and to never, ever, think that she needs to change who she is to fit the trends and whims of the world.

But for now I will watch her strut in my high heels and wish that she could stay little forever.

Girls Rule,
The Brown-Eyed Girl

Phoenix Temple

Since I posted this a few months back, I thought I would let you know about an exciting opportunity to view the inside of a Mormon temple.

For those of you in the Phoenix area, the Phoenix Temple is complete and open to the public through the end of October.

Free tours are available Mondays from 8-5, and Tuesdays through Saturdays 8-8. You can go here to make a reservation, or just show up. (But be sure to park at Wet & Wild, not the temple, unless you need handicap parking. There will be buses available to shuttle you to the temple.) There will be lots of friendly people there who will be happy to answer your questions.

Mr. Brown Eyes and I spent eight hours at the temple on Saturday, helping with parking. Man, did my feet hurt. But you know what? The spirit of peace I felt just being near the temple more than made up for it.

And so did the sushi we ate afterwards.

The temple is an amazing place. I hope you feel that as much as I do.

With all my heart,
The Brown-Eyed Girl