All about Xiana

• One day there was a man running from a police officer on our way to my parent's house. Xiana asked what was going on and I explained that the bad guy was running away from the cops. She replied, "Well that's not naughty cause I wanna run away from the cops too."




• She regularly tickles my stomach gleeful about tickling the baby.




• She adamantly insists that E.T. is PG13. As a result, she is convinced that she should be allowed to watch PG13 movies. We have argued about, not only the fact that E.T. is not PG13 but also that she is not allowed to watch PG13 movies. It's funny. I always knew this day would come... I just had no idea she would be 3.




• She got strep throat and the doctors and nurses were so great with her. On our way out the door she remarked, "I didn't know it would be so fast. And I didn't know they would snuggle me!" She was an exceptional patient that seemed to compel all who came in sight to give her a hug.




• One night we watched Stripes as a family before bed. In her prayers that evening she said, "thank you for letting the zebra win."




• After a persistent rain following a serious sidewalk chalk adventure she told me, "that naughty rain erased our lizard!"




• She sounds more like me daily. She came into the kitchen one evening wagging her finger at me exclaiming, "for Pete's sake mom, what were you thinking?"
  

• One night we were getting ready for bed and I looked at her. She was getting ready to cry because she didn't want to go to bed and I was scolding her that if she cried tomorrow night she would have to go to bed even earlier. I caught this tiny little moment where her expression looked so vulnerable. She was trying so hard to be strong, or right, or defiant, but really she just wanted to cry. Her eyes were pleading with me, "please agree with me, please let me, please reassure me." It was beautiful, heart wrenching, and crushing all at the same moment. It was such an evidence to me of the little person she's become. She knows so much. She feels so much. It's extraordinary... and fills me with guilt sometimes when I fail as a mommy.
  

• There was a show on t.v. and the characters were drinking glasses of wine. She asked me what they were drinking and I told her. She asked, "are they getting drunk?" How did she know to ask that? I have no idea. She followed with, "Cause it's bad for our bodies God doesn't want us to drink and He doesn't want them to drink either." So smart. I hope she remembers that in about 13 years.
  

• Ever since watching Tangled I ofter hear her starting make-believe games with, "this is the story of how I died..." It's kind of jarring.
  

• We have had a few trampoline weather days that reminded me how sweet she is on the tramp and what a wonderful gift that was for her. She loves to jump and play and run on it. I'm thankful for it and nice weather. One day she said, "come outside and watch me mom, the lion is chasing me!!!"
  

• At dinner one night I was teasing Brian about being a redneck. He agreed and Xiana followed suite teasing him. He told her, "you know that since you're my daughter that means that you're a redneck too." He left the room and she lifted her chin saying, "my neck is not red... see?


• One morning I explained to her how fortunate we were to live in this free country where we are so privileged and blessed. Later in the week she reassured me, "Some mommies and daddies and sweeties don't get to go to school or church or work cause they live in different countries." I'm glad to know she's listening.


• She brought me one of her church movies and told me, "they killed Abinidi because they were bad. But that's okay because he returned to live again with the MASTER. Do you know who the master is? The master is Jesus and he will ALWAYS be our master." So insightful... yet so adorable. If you could have heard her inflections it would be even better.


• She has been sleeping with mousy regularly and has gotten to where she won't go to bed without mousy being tucked in next to her. She told me one night, "I'm gonna let my baby brother sleep with mousy cause I bet he will love Mousy." About an hour later after thoroughly considering this generous offer she recanted, "I'm gonna put mousy in with my baby brother until he falls asleep then I'm gonna get him out and put him back before my brother wakes up." Generous, but not insane!


• We had a lot of family in town for our sealing and her cousin Isaac was playing SO nicely with her. Cami told him, "Isaac you're being such a good cousin to Xiana." He replied, "well she is so sweet."


• As we were walking into the temple to be sealed she said, "one mommy, one daddy, and one Xiana." That is the truth!