Lately

There have been sleepless nights... many sleepless nights, busy days that have left Justin and I exhausted, there have been doctor visits and many discussions about Hyrum's health, there  have been hours of homework, there have been errands to run,  lots of endless dishes to do, and mountains of laundry.  There have also been moments that make the mundane worth it.  There have been moments that make me want time to stop forever!

True Love

Kaden and Carianne are married!  We were so grateful to be able to share in the excitement of their wedding day!  

Just after they were married!  

The Reception.

Preparing for the reception.

At the Temple.

 Our family.

Photo courtesy of Aunt Allison

The Reception.

 The Luncheon.

Their Happily Ever After. . .

Happy With Life

Today I just want to write about what I feel.  I am happy.  Not just the kind of happy when you get a cute new shirt or when the dishes are done.  I sincerely feel so grateful for life, for my husband, my family, and extended family.  I am so grateful for inner peace and comfort knowing that I am spending my life doing what really matters.  I love being a mom, I love being home.  

This past weekend we were able to listen for two days to our church leaders teach us at our annual General Conference.  I love to listen and learn from amazing men and women that pattern their lives after Christ.  I try to soak every word they say into my mind and heart.  

As a family, one way that we prepare for General Conference is we each come up with a question that we need answers to in our own personal life.  As we are listening to General Conference we listen for ways that our question is answered.  It is amazing, but our questions are always answered!  I had a few questions that I needed answers to, but one of my questions was, "What can I do now to establish traditions and habits that will bless my family now and in the future?"  

One of the talks that most directly answered my question was a talk by Tad L. Callister.  It is less than 10 minutes long, and worth listening to.  As a mother it was so inspiring that the simple things we do with our children can have a long term lasting effect on their lives and many others that they come in contact with.  

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I love at Conference time that we all come together and focus on learning and growing in the gospel.  I love the church so much, and I love to share it with my friends of any faith.  I love this talk by Elder David A. Bednar and he explains why we want to share what we are learning at church with our friends around us, we share it because our knowledge of the Gospel brings us so much joy!  

I am looking forward to this weekend because we are planning to go see the new movie called, "Meet the Mormons."   From what I have heard, it is an inspiring movie.  

Choose to be Grateful

Monday night was a typical night.  My daughter had voice lessons, we did homework, and ate dinner as a family.  After dinner on Mondays we have Family Home Evening. Our oldest son taught a wonderful lesson.  Before going to bed that night I said my prayers and thanked Heavenly Father that I have everything that I ever wanted.   I have a good husband and wonderful children who are learning and growing.  My heart was so filled with gratitude.  

The next morning I attended an exercise class and we started visiting about what we wanted to get our kids for Christmas.  After the class the little kids and I ran errands.  As I shopped I started to think about all the things we don't have and all the things we want.  Suddenly, I realized how discontent I am when I focus on all the worldly things we lack: flat screen TVs, lap tops, and new clothes in the latest fashion. 

We are approaching Thanksgiving, a time of year to realize how blessed we are.  It seems Thanksgiving is being overshadowed by the glitz and glamor of Christmas; not the focus on Christ Christmastime, but the commercial craze of "I want."   I don't want to forget to be grateful for what really matters.  I don't want to forget to focus energy and effort on what will last.  When we are chasing the latest and greatest in "worldly stuff" we find ourselves chasing our own tail.  You can never catch it.  

I love these quotes from President Thomas S. Monson's talk, "Finding Joy in The Journey":

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.” 

(Sarah Ban Breathnach, in John Cook, comp., The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd ed. (2007), 342.)

General Conference Traditions

General Conference weekend is something that we look forward to.  I try to get laundry and cleaning done so that we can just sit and learn from our church leaders.  We have Bingo sheets for the kids to color in every time they hear a certain topic talked about.  They also love to have a coloring sheet of the apostles that they color in what their tie looks like when they speak.  

We keep the meals simple, but delicious.  

The Monday after General Conference for Family Home Evening we bring our notes and discuss how we can live what we have learned in General Conference.  

Yesterday we were so excited about President Monson's announcement about the change in missionary's age for service.  We are excited that young men can serve at 18 and young women at 19.