Just Because I was Born Second

Pick one of the below.  Any will work.  They pretty much all say the same thing.

https://www.facebook.com/9NewsPerth/videos/1834161389929346/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/5241774/Second-born-children-really-are-more-rebellious-study-confirms.html

https://www.simplemost.com/study-finds-second-born-children-likely-criminals/?partner=scripps&partner-sub=KNXV&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=scripps&utm_content=KNXV

I'm gonna be a criminal.  Basically that is what all these articles say.  And you're probably thinking, "Cami, you already are a criminal.  You are a troublemaker and impish."  You're right; I am mischievous and cause many a problem.  I was once told that I caused half of the trouble in the house (and I was only 1/7th of the people living in that house).  But just because I'm bad, doesn't mean that I can't be useful.

How to Utilize the Second Child

1. If you want to put someone in a headlock, just choose the second child.  Chances are they deserve it anyway.

2.  If you want to shoot something, the second child has probably already made himself/herself an easy target.  They're just waiting for it.

3.  If you have a dumb idea but don't want to look like a fool, just tell the second child to do it.

4. Need to look cool?  Just take your awkward younger sister.  She don't got shades.  She don't have nice, wind-swept hair.  You lookin' fly.

5.  The second child is good for blaming terrible pictures on because she started that chain of terrible faces.  She probably taught the other kids just how to ruin pictures.  Also, I can't help laughing whenever I see this picture.  It's just so terrible.

6. The second child is also good at not matching.  Then your family pictures don't look too uniform.

7. Second siblings are also good to do 5Ks with because then you always have someone slower than you, and you don't look as in terrible shape because your face isn't as red as hers.

8.  Everyone needs that person that makes them look good in pictures.  The second child is great at helping people look more intelligent and put together.

9.  Also, if you need someone to push down a mountain, second children can be fairly resilient.  How do you think they get away with so much?  They just live for forever.  Also, another picture where the second child just looks a little more stupid.

10.  In the end, I think the first child actually likes the second child.  They get along okay.  The first may have better grades and a better job and better income, but the second provides a lot of comic relief.  When the first child needs someone to listen to her, the second child is usually there.

P.S. Both of my parents are the second child, so I think the whole lot of us were bound to be criminal.

Thanksgiving with the Bro

If anyone in this world has ever thought for a second that I am funny, they should definitely meet my youngest brother.  He is so weird.  I can't help but laugh whenever we are together.

First thing my brother does when I get home is ask for a haircut.  Since I got home so late on this trip, he was already in bed.  Nevertheless, he got out the box of haircutting supplies and had them sitting out for whenever he first saw me.  He refuses to let anyone but his sisters cut his hair.

Our Thanksgiving day started with a Turkey trot (a first for both of us).  I went into his room to wake him up. The conversation went a little something like this:

Cami--Get up.  You can take a nap after the race.

Griffin--No.  Chicken nuggets are food.

He wasn't asleep either; he fully intended to say those words.

Within the past month, my family has also gotten some cats.  My brother messes with those cats all the time.  While I was home, he was making the cat have squinty eyes.  Then he said, "Now it's an Asian cat."  I replied, "It's a Siamese cat; it was already an Asian cat."

Also, here's a great picture of my brother bonding with one of the cats.  Not very good resolution, but it shows the awesomeness of the bonding.

Does God Love Me?

Growing up Christian, I heard a lot about Jesus being crucified for the sins of the world.  When we would talk about it at church, I often heard people say that God must have been so sad and heartbroken to see His Son, Jesus Christ, assaulted and killed.  It always made me wonder, "Is God not sad or worried about the rest of us?"  I knew that God loved Jesus Christ--His Beloved Son.  But, did God love me?  I took it upon myself to find out.

At the age of 12 or 13, I started doing Personal Progress--this weird value program that helps teenage girls become stronger in the gospel.  (It wasn't my favorite thing to do.)  I started with the value of Individual Worth because I did not see my worth.  I didn't fully believe that God loved me, and I thought this would be one of the best ways to find out.  I completed a project on family history.  It taught me a few things.

Just ignore the little "Add Husband" rectangle.  I mean, if you have any suggestions, I'm open.

As I worked on family history, I realized that there are so many individuals on this earth.  And God counts all of them.  He cares that each person is accounted for.  He knows all of His children.  (Moses 1:35)  As I read Doctrine and Covenants 121:45 and John 13:34, I understood that as we serve God's children, we will feel His love for them.  Of course, there is also the scripture that everyone knows from sporting events: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Prayer
One of the greatest ways that I have come to know that God loves me is through prayer.  If you pray to God, He will let you know that He loves you.  Prayer is the way that we talk to God.  He will put feelings in your heart and thoughts in your head that will confirm His love for you.  Often my prayers take the form of a children's song--A Child's Prayer.  Below are the words that mean most to me.  I tried to create pictures to show the spacing of the words that give me the most meaning.  I truly feel God is there when I sing/say these words.

God is our loving Heavenly Father.  It's the thing that we must learn for anything in this life to mean anything.  Sadly, I sometimes forget this.  I find myself wondering if I mean anything to God.  Moses 1:39 says, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."  God's whole purpose is to help his humans.  You give purpose to the greatest Being.  You give purpose to God.  You are not nothing.  He loves you.  He loves me.  And though you may forget it and may fall short of expectations, you are still loved.

The answer is yes.  God loves me.