Surprises

I am often surprised by my kids. Surprised at what they could do. I have found on several occasions that they can do way more or understand more than I thought they could. For instance, we have a FHE wall. We are currently learning about different people in the Book of Mormon and what they did. We then put up a picture and a little phrase to help us remember something about them. Like Nephi " I will Go and Do". Well I was moving stuff to another wall and James just started telling me all the stories that we had been going over and I was so surprised that he actually remembered them so well. It made me happy to think that he was actually listening. Also, When he was a baby he had a pacifier. And took it everywhere with him. He woke up in the night when he lost it and wouldn't go back to sleep until you found it for him. He was getting older and older and i kept thinking that I needed to take it away but I was so worried about the tantrums to follow and the crying all night and everything without a pacifier. When James was almost 18 mos old we lost his last one. And I had said when he lost that one we were not going to replace it. I was shocked when James could not have cared less that it was gone. He slept all night long and never missed it for a moment. Once again today James surprised me. Church always seems to be somewhat of a struggle with baby and toddler and trying to keep the noise level down. I always brought a bag of snacks sippy cups, crayons, quiet books, and other stuff to keep them entertained. But once again I have been thinking that James is getting too old for this and should be sitting without all the extra stuff to entertain himself. I was really worried 2 weeks ago when I explained to him that he woudl have to be a big boy and just sit reverently the entire time. It was stake conference and so it was 2 hrs instead of the 1 hr sacrament meeting. I was absolutely shocked at how well he did. He asked a few times for things but when I reminded him that he was a big boy now he didn't complain. The nest week when we went into church he said "If I be reverent we can go to grandma's tonight?" I of course said yes. And he sat on the chair with his arms folded the entire time. I was absolutely shocked. We went to gma's right after church, he definitely had earned it. Again this week he was unbelievably good. Ben was gone today, so i had harrison on my lap and could not give the sacrament to the people at the end of the row, so James very carefully carried it to the family sitting at the end of the row. He was so good, I was just beaming. Now, I realize that there are many a rowdy days ahead of us and that the novelty of being a good boy will probably wear off and all that stuff. But I am once again surprised by my kids abilities and realize that I hold them back sometimes because I am too afraid of how they will do. Kids are a lot tougher and more capable than we give them credit for.