The Lamoreaux Family: Miss Mally Munchkin

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Miss Mally Munchkin

A month ago (what a great blogger I am!), Mallory turned 9. She was so excited for her birthday. She is growing up so quickly.

Mallory, I love being your mom. I remember very clearly when I was expecting you, and I heard the words of a primary song playing on a CD in our home: "My life is a gift, my life has a plan, my life has a purpose, in Heaven it began. My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth, and seek for God's light to direct me from birth." I felt an overwhelming feeling that this song applied to your life. I hadn't expected to have another baby so soon, but your life really has been a gift. You are such an amazing spirit. Even when you were a tiny infant, I would look into your eyes, and I could feel that I was in the presence of a wise and valiant spirit.

When you were a baby, you always made this little sound that sounded like a bird singing. People would hear you and it would surprise them. As soon as you were old enough to make little jabbering noises, you would "sing". Dad called you his little songbird. You have always loved music. Your favorite thing is to turn on music and listen to it, or dance to it.

One time when you were about 3 years old, I came into a room where you were listening to a Roger Whittaker Christmas CD. You were singing along to the words, and tears were running down your face. I asked you why you were crying, and you said: "this man can't give his mom nuthing but clothes." (The words of the song say: "My love, it's Christmastime, and nothing can I give you, more than all the love that's mine to give, For every day we live through.") You assumed he was singing to his Mom. I don't know why you thought he could only give her some clothes for Christmas, but it was so cute to see how touched you were.

This picture is by the Mississippi River. We went on a 3-week trip back East, and you walked miles with us all over the country. You never complained, just happily marched along, usually trying to lead the way.

You are the hardest working person that I've ever met. You just naturally want to help others and work hard at whatever you do. I love to see the joy you find in working and serving. I remember when we all were really sick the winter right before Abby was born. (You were five) I had been really sick, I couldn't get out of bed, and you were sick too. I was laying down, and you came and laid next to me. Then you said: "I can hear that those kids aren't doing their jobs downstairs", and started to get up. I said "Mallory, you need to lay down and rest. Don't worry about anything, I'll talk to them in a little while." But you couldn't stand it, and said "no, I'll be right back". You went downstairs, and then came back up, declaring: "I got them doing their jobs." It was so cute.

You love helping with Abby and Taycie, and will often ask me if certain jobs have been done, or if the baby's diaper has been changed, or ask me what we are going to have for dinner, etc. You love to organize and keep things running smoothly. What a responsible person you are!

I love your laugh - it is so sweet. You have such a fun sense of humor. You are so eager to be involved in fun activities, classes, and anything that your older sisters get to do. I love what a sweet sister you are. You are a true friend to all of your sisters.

I love all these things about you, but mostly I love you because you are you. You are one of my very favorite people in the world! Love, Mom

4 comments:

Gaylene and Emil said...: What a beautiful post about a beautiful child. Mallory we love you so much! You are truly a great soul.

Thanks to the moms for these special posts about individual children--they are fun to read and see the pictures and feel of the love that you have for your each dear child.; October 12, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Gaylene and Emil said...: Good lands...I better start proof reading before sending comments--drop the word "your" from the previous comment; October 12, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Ahren said...: I loved reading this post. Mallory, we think your amazing and wonderful too!; October 12, 2011 at 9:55 PM
Tara said...: Happy belated birthday Mallory! I loved it when you helped the girls in the snowball fight.; October 14, 2011 at 2:52 PM

Fill the spiritual needs

“some parents become so expert at filling every physical desire for their children that they begin to suppose that all is well in this life and that their eternal stewardship is progressing right on schedule. … I believe that we must pause and take a careful inventory to determine how well our families are doing spiritually. We could ask how well are we feeding, nurturing, training, and exercising the spirits of our children; or how well have we taught, trained, loved, and inspired our children to build their spiritual muscles and strength? … Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something else, perhaps something far less.”

–M. Russell Ballard

Pray with your little ones

"Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they also will need a greater strength which comes of a higher power. They must do more than go along with what they find.

They must lift the world, and the only levers they will have are the example of their own lives and the powers of persuasion that will come of their testimonies and their knowledge of the things of God. They will need the help of the Lord. While they are young, pray with them that they may come to know that source of strength which shall then always be available in every hour of need."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Be Wise In Our Diet

“…let us consider our relationship with ourselves. We must each take proper care to see that the little things regarding our personal life are in order. We must learn to care for our health and our mental well-being. Do we maintain proper exercise to give us the energy and alertness of mind necessary to keep our spirit strong & our attitude positive? Are we wise in our diet? Do we avoid the unnourishing snack that might keep our stomach full but our health quite empty?

–Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives, p. 59

Turn it off, walk out...

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“Tragically, the same computer and Internet service that allows me to do my family history and prepare those names for temple work could, without filters and controls, allow my children or grandchildren access to a global cesspool of perceptions that could blast a crater in their brains forever. . .

“Along with filters on computers and a lock on affections, remember that the only real control in life is self-control. Exercise more control over even the marginal moments that confront you. If a TV show is indecent, turn it off. If a movie is crude, walk out. If an improper relationship is developing, sever it. Many of these influences, at least initially, may not technically be evil, but they can blunt our judgment, dull our spirituality, and lead to something that could be evil. An old proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step.” (Place No More For the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010)

Only a teacher

"If any parent needs added inspiration to commence his God-given teaching task, let him remember that the most powerful combination of emotions in the world is not called out by any grand cosmic events nor found in novels or history books—but merely by a parent gazing down upon a sleeping child. That glorious biblical passage, 'created in the image of God,' will acquire new and vibrant meaning as a parent repeats this experience. Home will become a haven called heaven, and loving parents will teach their children 'to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.' (D&C 68:28.)"
--Thomas S. Monson

Quote

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. …”
--C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Raise up patriots

The importance of teaching & training

"In 1904, President Joseph F. Smith said to parents: “Do not let your children out to specialists … , but teach them by your own precept and example, by your own fireside. Be a specialist yourself in the truth.

… Not one child in a hundred would go astray, if the home environment, example and training, were in harmony with the truth in the gospel of Christ, as revealed and taught to the Latter-day Saints.”

The ideal way to transform your home into a house of learning is to hold family home evening faithfully. The Church has reserved Monday evening for that purpose. In 1915, the First Presidency instructed local leaders and parents to inaugurate a home evening, a time when parents should teach their families the principles of the gospel.

The Presidency wrote: “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them.”

President David O. McKay gave the same promise in 1965 and added that the youth will gain power “to choose righteousness and peace, and be assured an eternal place in the family circle of our Father.”

In 1976, the Presidency reaffirmed that “regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in heaven.

Considering these glorious promises, we would expect every faithful member to be exceedingly diligent in following this prophetic counsel. But, of course, we are all human, and our best plans don’t always materialize. Why not? Let it not be for lack of commitment."

--Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Spiritually Strong Homes and Families

Our Health Duty

“I am grateful to understand that my physical body is an eternal component of my eternal soul, and that I have a duty to honor and respect and care for it, and to refrain from knowingly imposing upon it any treatment or substances deleterious to it. While I could not choose nor govern the condition of the body into which I came, I have the responsibility to give it the best care I can, and if I do not I am acting in derogation of a great gift of God.”
--Marion D. Hanks, “For Man is Spirit”

Come to the Temple

"The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Just as this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. There is no safety in the world: wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this church alone cannot bring it. We must come to the temple for light and safety. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over and guarding our temples. There will come a period of time when even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake. The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death: we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountain. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagle's wings."
--Vaughn J. Featherstone