Reflections of the Rasmussens: October 2012

Lately at our house we have been discussing The Golden Rule: which is, basically, treat others the way you want to be treated...or better! Kind of like karma. If you treat others well, you will be treated well. If you treat others poorly, expect to be treated poorly by others.

For example, if you hit your brother in the face repeatedly with a stuffed rabbit while he is trying to read, you can probably expect that said brother, at some point, will turn around, grab it, and punch you in the face with it.

At some point during my pregnancy with Brinley, I decided that a great equalizer at the hospital would be if I made each child their own quilt. I imagined Alex and Grace meeting Brinley and then opening their beautiful quilt gift at the hospital which would immediately eliminate all jealousy issues or behavioral problems associated with bringing a new baby home. Well...it didn't happen.

I am happy to say that I did finish the quilts. And for some reason, this morning seemed like the perfect morning to give the kids their gifts. This last week at our house has been rough. We have been running around ragged, in and out of the house, routines have slowly started to slip away, and tantruming tired children have moved in.

Wednesday nights are crazy because we are gone from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

But last night, things seemed to somehow be getting back on track...

Just before I went to bed, I forced myself to keep my eyes open just long enough to get the quilts wrapped. For some reason, I really felt like this morning would be the morning to give them their gifts...for no reason at all! (I love that idea!)

So, here they are!

To my surprise, when I heard Alex's alarm clock begin to beep this morning it was quickly turned off. I heard rustling in his room of covers being smoothed, and sounds of jammies coming off and school clothes going on. I, too, jumped out of bed and went into the kitchen so I would be ready for him. Sure enough, he came out with a smile said Good Morning, Mom...I love you!, and we were off to a great start!

We again talked about the Golden Rule and I was so excited to prove to him that it worked! After breakfast he noticed the presents on top of the piano and quickly finished the rest of his responsibilities. Grace was right behind him and when they were all ready for school, they opened their gifts! (And yes, it was still dark outside!)

You may have noticed that Brinley isn't in any of these pictures. That is because I, too, got to see The Golden Rule in action. Brinley gave me the gift of sleeping through the night for the very first time! That's right! OVER NINE HOURS!!! It was so awesome, and I was not about to wake her up! When she did finally wake up, she was smiling happily!

So, we opened hers up after we got back from taking the kids to school. I don't think she minded. :)