Prayers

When I first saw this picture, I had to have it!!  It hangs nicely in Jaycee's room and I think of it every time she bows her head, folds her arms and says a prayer.  I don't know if my child acts older than the typical 4 year old or I just don't know what a typical 4 year old does.  What I do know is that I LOVE THIS AGE.  (although I think I've been saying that since she turned 6 months!)  She is a little sponge to every word, action.  With that I try to teach her things and she QUICKLY learns.  Last year when her earring fell out of her ear and in a panic to find it before her hole closed up, I taught her to say prayers whenever.  She said 2 that day and we found it on the patio in a spot that I swear we looked over a billion times.  Well now she's pretty good at prayers.  (this is more for my records so sorry if it's not funny but I want to remember these)
-She got assigned to give the opening prayer for the first time in primary a few weeks ago.  I was excited and was ready to go up and help her.  It was her turn and she nearly didn't remember and with being new & having a 150 kids in primary they almost didn't have her do it.  Luckily, her teacher got her attention.  She ran up without shoes on.  She could've cared less that I was in there to help her.  She got up grabbed the podium (no arms folded) and stared at every person and said a prayer...Eyes wide open.  haha.  So this last week on the way home from church (I like to ask her what she learned) I asked what she learned.  "Mom, we got chocolate bears and they are no gluten.  Maddie can't have gluten because it hurts her tummy.  Gluten is bad mom"  Hmmmm..okay so she learned about gluten and I'm having a conversation with a 4yr old about gluten.  She goes on to tell me that her friend Bre said the prayer like she did.  "When I said the prayer (and she is saying this with her hand held out-prissy like) the kids weren't closing their eyes.  And I was like (YES, SHE SAID LIKE haha) quit staring at me."  Appearantly, she didn't like everyone staring at her and that's why she didn't close her eyes.
-The other day she was saying a prayer for dinner and stops in the middle and whispers "Dad, do you have to work tomorrow"  Craig nods yes.  "Please bless daddy will drive safe to work tomorrow"  Such a tender moment.
-We had friends over on Sunday for dinner and she said the prayer.  She asked "Please bless we can have a fun day tomorrow."  Oh about 10 times, no joke.  I'm pretty sure Monday was a SUPER FUN day thanks to her prayer.
-Last week I was having a bad day and Jaycee and Hadi weren't adding to the bad day.  Jaycee came in and saw that she poured sunscreen on Milly.  I was so mad and already so done with her that I quickly said, "Now she's going to die!!!"  I realize, that wasn't nice.  That night in her prayers "Please bless the sunscreen will melt so Milly won't die"  Good one mom.
-Craig was about to go to his work trip and she said the prayer.  "Please bless daddy will be on his work trip for only 4 days"  I think she misses him just a little bit when he's gone ;)
-I've tried to teach her that we also tell Heavenly Father in our prayers that we are thankful for things.  She was going on about "bless this....."  So I whispered "thank you for our friends"  She quietly whispers I can do it mom  "please bless our friends"  I don't think she's learned the thank-you part quite yet. 
-Oh funny...tonight we went grocery shopping and she's become quite the helper and to find good things.  So in her night prayer tonight she says "Bless Fred Meyer will have sugar-free food.  Bless we can have healthy foods with no bad sugar" 
-She always asked to "Bless that I can be nice to my baby sister"  She truly has a sweet, tender heart for her little sister.  Even today Hadi fell on water while I was exercising and Jaycee quickly jumped up to help her up and kiss it better. 

I just love the innocence of Jaycee and many other little kids her age.  I can only imagine how it makes our Heavenly Father feel to hear those sweet words directed to him.  If we can all be like the little children!