Changes 2

I know I've written before about my previous epiphany regarding the understanding that God gives us friendships as blessings. I count my friendships as very personal and intimate blessings given by a loving Father in Heaven to help compensate for the best friendship I've ever ever had, but that is currently suspended, waiting to be continued as soon as my responsibilities in mortality are completed. I was taught as a child to "be careful who your friends are"! Pure friendships are relationships that exist because both parties truly wish for the other's happiness over their own. They trust each other implicitly. The love that should exist in an honest and real friendship mirrors the love that our Savior has for us all, charity. I have been surprised to discover that I actually have friendships like this! I say surprised, because I still struggle to believe that I can be worthy of such love from others. Last week some of my friends asked if they could please have some time with the girls so that I could have some time on my own. All of us Maile girls truly needed that time for ourselves in our own way. If you would like to see pics of the girls enjoying their special night while I enjoyed mine, you can read about it here. They were treated to a special night of nummy food and special makeovers. I came back home to girls, all dolled up and feeling glam. It was so sweet to see them feeling loved and valued, learning without even knowing it what true friendship feels like. Line especially loved having her hair straightened, and REALLY wanted to start learning how to do her hair by herself. When I say REALLY, it doesn't quite cover the amount of emotion she used to express her desire.

Let me clarify...she's done her own hair for quite some time..uses product, does her own hairstyles. What I mean when I say doing her hair by herself is using a blow dryer, round brush, flat iron, etc. all by herself. She has such an enormous amount of hair that she is easily frustrated with the challenge that it presents every time she tries to do something with it.

Now. I have known this day was coming, and have personally dreaded it. Again, it would've been nice when I was wanting to have children so badly if it could've been brought to my attention that I'd need to have beautician training. Seriously. HELP! I can barely make my own hair presentable, let alone needing to be the person that needs to teach others how to make their's presentable, too. But after our friends left that night, I promised her that since there was no school on Monday we could just work on it with my undivided attention...and that is a coveted thing around here.

She was so so so stoked! I had to take pictures of the process, which if anyone wants to know, took approximately a total of 3 hours. We're both hoping that she can cut that time down considerably as she practices...which she is doing as we speak. I was so proud of her, that even when she got frustrated she didn't cry and she didn't quit. I guess that's what happens when you really want something badly. Here are some pics I snapped of the process.








Here she is with the finished product. She was immensely proud of herself, and even though I had initially dreaded this, it was yet another change that I actually ended up enjoying. I love watching these girls of ours learning and growing. It is the most rewarding process for us as parents to know that despite our faults and inadequacies, our children can still feel our sincerest love for them. It is the purest friendship I have, and hope to have forever...the friendship of my children.



We of course had to go out and buy her her very own blowdryer and flat iron, and she is using them for the first time today. Such fun.

And...uhh...not sure how this stinker got in on the fun...