Ussins

Oh this poor neglected blog. And still so many posts at social media I mean to copy here 🙁

But these utterances I feel quite compelled to write down.

Nem, before saying goodnight (with my replies, and the conversation), sadly and very tenderly, almost in tears:

“Dada?”
“Yes?”
“When my tooth comes out, I won’t be able to make the temple with my tongue anymore.”
“Well, you can make it other ways.”
“No, I put my tongue down like this, and that’s the bottom of the building, and the gap in my teeth is that tall, what do you call it?”
“Steeple.”
“So I won’t be able to make that anymore.”
“You know the conference center has a lot of wide steeples. It’s a huge building in Salt Lake where people go to listen to conference.”
“But I won’t be able to make the temple anymore.”

I’ve never known any soul so very sweet and tender. When she hears tragic stories about people, she simply feels their experiences as her own; she is devastated. I have tasted the fruit of the Tree of Life. This little one leads me on to the tree. The fruit is sweet.

Tangent: so much hilarity in videos playing imagination and goofing off with Nem are due here. ASAP…

I’ve neglected to repay thanks for a certain miracle, so I’m glad that the following, which so easily writes itself, reminds me that I ought to.

Every evening that she can, Nem* exchanges Eskimo and butterfly kisses with me, followed by a (rather funny) thing she calls “Smooshy Eyes,” which is to stare intently into my eyes as she smashes her nose against mine and tilts her head back and forth (and I believe she’s said her Grandma Betsy invented this, though I really wonder), and then lastly, she kisses her hands, extends them toward my heart, exhales as she flutters her fingers, and says “Twinkle Heart! Good night, I love you, sweet every color dreams, I love you!–” etc.

On several occasions as she has done this, she’s added explanations such as: “The twinkles go into your heart, and remind you to love me.”

Me, to Tia, this morning: [Something blah blah frustrated probably unnecessarily unpleasant query something, some other maybe unduly unpleasant query something.]
Nem: (mildly stern) Daddy, stop fighting. Remember: (clearly enunciated) ‘Twinkle Heart.’

I laugh.

Nem: (as in: ‘what’s funny?’) What?
Me: Okay, Nem.

I laugh more.

Nem: What?
Me: That was very good of you, Nem.
Nem: (mildly stern) Twinkle Heart.

I laugh more.

Duly and perfectly instructed, little one.

—
*So nicknamed, and my daughter for whom I wept for joy when I was surprised to learn that Tia would give birth to her, a girl, a little girl sent to me!–and so soon (or at this writing), Nem is six years old!