A new name & a lesson taught

Everyone knows how I have described this kid in the past. Wall and carpet artist, smearer, squirter and dumper to name a few. He has recently decided it was high time for a new name. He has been far too quiet around here lately. Well, actually that is a complete lie, it is more like I have gotten use to his naughtiness and he has just decided to up his game.

His new name is loser - loser of a diamond stud earring. That just seems to fit right in with the rest now doesn't it.

Owen likes to push our chair over to our dresser and "play" with anything up there. I have some diamond stud earrings in their own box that I forgot to put away at a higher elevation (for this exact reason). Last night I noticed the box was not sitting exactly where I left it. I got nervous. I shook the box and I heard noise. I just about set it down thinking I was safe when I decided I had better open it just in case. What I found were 2 earring backs and no earrings. Deep breath. And why couldn't the backs be missing and the earrings safe inside?

I immediately get down on my hands and knees and start looking for the lost earrings. I figured that he probably didn't have a real interest in them to actually take them somewhere. He probably opened the box, dumped them on the ground and then moved on to his next naughty act. I found one right off the bat right in front of the dresser. The next one was nowhere to be found. I went to bed very grumpy thinking of ways I could sell him without getting in trouble.

The next morning right after Owen woke up, I showed him the recovered earring and asked him where the other one was. It wasn't like I had any confidence that he could actually tell me, but I was desperate so I decided to ask him anyways. All he could tell me was that it "jumped" out of the box and "it was running down the street." So he was no help at all. Surprise surprise. I felt every inch of the carpet. Scott looked in all of the dresser drawers. Even Bennett and Taylor came in to help me. No luck.

After awhile of hunting it dawned on me that maybe this would be a good time to teach my boys a little lesson. So I asked "What is something else that we can do when we need help finding something." Taylor immediately responded "We can pray and ask for help." Thank goodness something Scott and I have taught has sunk in.

So we all get down on our knees and Taylor says a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help us find my earring. In the back of my mind I was hoping that he would immediately help us so that I wouldn't have to try and explain the whole concept of sometimes prayers aren't immediately answered. I didn't want to confuse them at this point.

We started looking again. A few minutes later it occurred to me that maybe we should look on the chair that he drags over to the dresser to see if it somehow got wedged between the seat and the back of the chair. And sure enough there it was shinning in all it's glory!

We all got down and thanked Heavenly Father for helping us and I immediately got up and put my earrings away in a very high spot.