The Toy Soldier

Ever since Christmas, Jay has loved The Nutcracker. Taking down the Christmas decorations and returning all of our Christmas books to the library did not affect his love. He always wants to watch the ballet on Netflix. So I recycled an idea and made him some Nutcracker toys:

Last summer’s sickness provided 15 prescription bottles, and Google Images provided the characters. Print, cut, tape, TOYS! We made: 1 Nutcracker, 1 Clara, 1 Mouse King, 6 toy soldiers, and 6 mouse soldiers. We used the prescription bottles because we’re running out of megablocks from all of the Star Wars guys we’ve made.

Remember these guys? I made them last MARCH, and now, nearly a year later, they are still Jay’s favorite toys.

The Nutcracker guys have joined ranks with Jay’s beloved Star Wars guys and now he plays a “Nutcracker-Star Wars game” constantly. He loves it when I get on grooveshark.com and play a mix of Tchaikovsky and John Williams music (aka Nutcracker and Star Wars music). Jay has epic battles: the Whiteguys and the mouse king’s army vs the rebels/jedi knights and the Nutcracker’s toy soldier army.

When we visited Grama Meri 2 weeks ago, Jay carefully packed his Nutcracker guys in a bucket and brought them to show her. While we were at her house, one of the toy soldiers got lost under the couch and we left without knowing it. The next day at home, we discovered that TWO toy soldiers were missing. We looked everywhere, and then I said we should just wait and see where and when they turn up. Well, my sweet Mom mailed Jay the toy soldier that she found under her couch. Then Jay started really wanting to find that last toy soldier again. Monday night this week for FHE, we had a lesson about prayer. We told Jay that Heavenly Father helps us find things when we pray and ask him for help, and we said he could even help Jay find his one missing toy soldier.

SO, that night in his prayers, Jay said “please help me find my toy soldier.” It was SO CUTE and completely sweet to hear him ask for something that was so important to his little 3 1/2-year-old self. Well, all day Tuesday, Jay kept asking me if Heavenly Father was looking for his toy soldier. I kept explaining that JAY had to do the looking, and Heavenly Father would help him know where to look. I heard Jay saying little prayers every now and then all day Tuesday. He’d tell me, “Mommy, I just said a prayer for Heavenly Father to help me find my toy soldier!” Tuesday ended with no sign of the toy soldier. I was feeling kind of anxious about the situation, because I knew that Heavenly Father would help, but I didn’t know if the toy soldier was even in our house or if it had gotten lost somewhere between here and Grama Meri’s house (250 miles away). Tuesday night, Jay prayed again for help finding his toy soldier. And when Jeff and I said our prayers together, I prayed for help to find the soldier too!

Today (Wednesday) after lunch, Jay asked me if I would help him look for his toy soldier again. Out of the blue, I said “Let’s look underneath both of our couches!” We looked under the upstairs couch, and there was nothing there. We went to the basement and looked under that couch and I saw nothing at first, but Jay popped his head down and said “I FOUND MY TOY SOLDIER!!!!” He was so completely excited and happy, and I was so completely surprised and happy (and relieved and thankful). I’m so glad that Jay was the one who found it, because he’s been praying for it all week. I had to make sure and teach him to do the thing properly, so after we had hugged and celebrated a little, I said, “You know what you need to do now? Kneel down and say a prayer to tell Heavenly Father thank you for helping you find your toy soldier.” So Jay and I knelt down together and he said the dearest, simplest little prayer; “Heavenly Father, thank thee for helping me find my toy soldier.” It was such a sweet moment. I had to share it.