Mind games and a song.

The day Lars was born I got to direct a children's choir at stake conference with 60 kids in it ages 8-11. We had 3 practices and the kids did so well! They sang all verses of "I Am a Child of God," "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," "We'll Bring the World His Truth," and a medley of "I Will Be Valiant" and "Called to Serve." When the stake Primary president asked me in December if I could do it in June, I told her that even though it was 2 days before my due date I wanted to do it. Of course by about April or May there were a few times that I wished I hadn't committed to it, but in the end I was glad I had. I enlisted a backup chorister just in case, chose the songs, planned the practices, and showed up 9 months pregnant to each one. So many things about being a Primary chorister just go against all the natural inclinations of my introverted and disorganized personality. I get nervous every time I get up in front of kids I don't know--I got SO nervous before each of those practices. But ultimately I love it. The stake choir was one of the best things I've ever been a part of.

I also learned a lot about music, organization, and keeping kids in line from the other adults involved, including the stake Primary pres, the backup chorister, and the pianist. I realized recently that I hadn't blogged about any of this at all. It was really so great to get to know all those kids, most of whom I hadn't met before--they were so funny and fun. I loved how they belted out each song and really seemed to understand the lyrics, which they all memorized. I love our stake and I love kids that age. So funny.

During the month or so leading up to the stake conference, I sang the songs around the house a lot. Ida became a little bit obsessed with "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" and asks to sing it every night before bed. I think I have probably sung that song about 100 times at least. Kind of getting tired of it at this point but Ida is not. Usually we sing it together but she decided she wanted to try singing it on her own. This (very dark and shadowy) video is probably going to be boring for most people but it is so funny and a little bit sad to me starting at about 2 minutes in. I filmed it right before bed so she was admittedly pretty tired, but seriously I have conversations like this with Ida multiple times a day. Matt calls them her Mind Games. She just can't make up her mind and sometimes the only thing to do is ride it out.

I also enjoy how at about 3 minutes into the video she decides she wants to calm down and takes a deep breath. She also does this at least once a day after a tantrum. And then after that she just can't focus anymore but is determined to keep trying. Oh how I love that girl.