8 years ago
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Passing it On
I LOVE Back to the Future. When I saw that it was on tv a few weeks ago, I shared this movie with Kyle. Maybe we can quote it together sometime.
We Are the Aggies
I was able to go to my first A&M game in something like......5 years!?! yesterday {Has it really been that long?}
Stephen, Kyle, and I saw A&M play Arkansas. It was rainy. Kyle got sick, but made it through. We won---convincingly. I had a great time!
Here's the whole fam before 3 of us left for the game.
The rainy game--
Kyle under the big ring.
Gig 'em.
Trip Gifts
When Stephen and I went to San Fransisco, we picked up some gifts for the boys. Chinatown provided us with a plethora of ideas, and we mostly had our souvenirs taken care of after the first night of the trip!
We got some little outfits for the boys. They can do kung fu now!
Evan got some pjs that said, "Alcatraz Reject: Too Cute!"
How I love these boys!
We got some little outfits for the boys. They can do kung fu now!
Evan got some pjs that said, "Alcatraz Reject: Too Cute!"
How I love these boys!
Evan Crawling
I think I better document that Evan has graduated from the army crawl to the real crawl before he starts walking. I'm pretty sure that day is coming up sooner than later!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Kyle at Kyle Field
Saturday, September 22, 2012, was a red maroon letter day in our family. It was Kyle's first trip to see an Aggie football game in Kyle field!
I really don't think they could've picked a better game for Kyle's first experience---a night game and a total blowout with lots of scoring and action.
The Spirit of Aggieland got to Stephen a little as he experienced this milestone with our first born son. Memories of our time at A&M came rushing back.
I'm so glad that we are able to pass a little of our Aggie traditions on to the boys, starting with Kyle!
I really don't think they could've picked a better game for Kyle's first experience---a night game and a total blowout with lots of scoring and action.
The Spirit of Aggieland got to Stephen a little as he experienced this milestone with our first born son. Memories of our time at A&M came rushing back.
I'm so glad that we are able to pass a little of our Aggie traditions on to the boys, starting with Kyle!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Black Eye
One great thing about Kyle's preschool this year is that we know several people there and get to carpool. Usually it's just one other boy who is in Kyle's class, but there are some other friends in the younger group that Kyle is always wanting to have come over to play. He got his wish on Tuesday!
We had 3 big boys playing and running around upstairs, so Ryan--of course--wanted to play, too. Things got a little crazy, as they tend to do with boys, and Ryan tripped right into the corner of a windowsill.
He woke up the next morning with a huge scrape, his eye swollen halfway shut, and a great shiner.
Oh, boys!
We had 3 big boys playing and running around upstairs, so Ryan--of course--wanted to play, too. Things got a little crazy, as they tend to do with boys, and Ryan tripped right into the corner of a windowsill.
He woke up the next morning with a huge scrape, his eye swollen halfway shut, and a great shiner.
Oh, boys!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Messes
Evan and Ryan are quite a pair. They are having a great time playing together while Kyle is at school. Usually this playing involved making big piles of things---blankets, pillows, all the bottles and sippy cups from the bottom drawer Evan is OBSESSED WITH, every puzzle and puzzle piece we own, all the blocks/mega blocks/legos, etc.
Here's one pile from a few days ago---all the diapers I'd just organized by size in the downstairs basket, along with everything else from that basket.
And here's the builder of that pile, complete with guilty grin.
I've had to tell myself several times this week that these moments will be gone in the blink of an eye. I've been reminded of something one of the women at TOFW said. I didn't write it down, so I don't know who said it, but it went something like this:
We should thank God every day that He allowed us, as mothers, to get to know our children AS CHILDREN. When compared to the rest of life, childhood is but a moment. We will know our children as adults for eternity, but only as children for this small moment in time. And that small moment should be cherished.
So, here's me cherishing these moments. Before I know it I'll be able to dress Ryan in real clothes again and not just underwear in order to cut down on laundry. Before long Evan will be running around and into even more than just his favorite kitchen drawer. Before long there won't even be sippy cups, bottles, or diapers with which to build piles all over my house. Before long, these tiny smiles of my baby and toddler monsters will no longer be tiny and will be found on young men.
Oh, and we got a new couch. I've been asked for pictures, so you can see it in the background above. I"ll do a living room post soon. Maybe when I'm NOT off to check every 20 minutes to see if I need to dig some underwear out of some pile of clothes and blankets upstairs in order to replace a wet pair on my toddler.
Here's one pile from a few days ago---all the diapers I'd just organized by size in the downstairs basket, along with everything else from that basket.
And here's the builder of that pile, complete with guilty grin.
I've had to tell myself several times this week that these moments will be gone in the blink of an eye. I've been reminded of something one of the women at TOFW said. I didn't write it down, so I don't know who said it, but it went something like this:
We should thank God every day that He allowed us, as mothers, to get to know our children AS CHILDREN. When compared to the rest of life, childhood is but a moment. We will know our children as adults for eternity, but only as children for this small moment in time. And that small moment should be cherished.
So, here's me cherishing these moments. Before I know it I'll be able to dress Ryan in real clothes again and not just underwear in order to cut down on laundry. Before long Evan will be running around and into even more than just his favorite kitchen drawer. Before long there won't even be sippy cups, bottles, or diapers with which to build piles all over my house. Before long, these tiny smiles of my baby and toddler monsters will no longer be tiny and will be found on young men.
Oh, and we got a new couch. I've been asked for pictures, so you can see it in the background above. I"ll do a living room post soon. Maybe when I'm NOT off to check every 20 minutes to see if I need to dig some underwear out of some pile of clothes and blankets upstairs in order to replace a wet pair on my toddler.
PLAY OUTSIDE!!!
Time Out For Women was great and much-needed, but I've had a hard time getting back on track since then. I'm sure it doesn't help that I have all these things I want to get done, plus the daily ups and downs of life's regular schedule.
Potty training, blogger issues, Walgreens' photo site not giving me access to a completed photo book that was already late for a birthday gift, juggling soccer practice into the mix, the power going out for over four hours one evening, regular house cleaning, trying to decorate for fall/Halloween, trying to get party invites sent, more potty training/cleaning up hidden poop messes......all these have kept me on my toes, gotten me behind on some things, and have led to just a bit of frustation in the past few weeks.
I've also been trying to do more activities with the boys--crafts, games, "school" stuff. That hasn't always gone as planned, either.
There comes a point in some days where a mom just needs a few minutes of downtime. And my pediatrician has told me that children need an hour of exercise a day. I put those 2 together and had a brilliant idea. It was time for the boys to play outside. alone. with the door locked.
Last week I did just that.
Even though they kept pressing their hands and noses on the door, waiting for me to open it, I kept that door locked for 30 minutes and made them just play. They even had bottles of water outside if they got too hot and thirsty. I'm not uncivilized, after all.
I got a few things done--laundry put away, dinner ready, and all without having to stop every 2 seconds to get Evan out of something or entertain anyone.
I only stopped long enough to grab my camera and document the emotions--Kyle hated it. Ryan was jolly, as always. Evan was just along for the ride.
Potty training, blogger issues, Walgreens' photo site not giving me access to a completed photo book that was already late for a birthday gift, juggling soccer practice into the mix, the power going out for over four hours one evening, regular house cleaning, trying to decorate for fall/Halloween, trying to get party invites sent, more potty training/cleaning up hidden poop messes......all these have kept me on my toes, gotten me behind on some things, and have led to just a bit of frustation in the past few weeks.
I've also been trying to do more activities with the boys--crafts, games, "school" stuff. That hasn't always gone as planned, either.
There comes a point in some days where a mom just needs a few minutes of downtime. And my pediatrician has told me that children need an hour of exercise a day. I put those 2 together and had a brilliant idea. It was time for the boys to play outside. alone. with the door locked.
Last week I did just that.
Even though they kept pressing their hands and noses on the door, waiting for me to open it, I kept that door locked for 30 minutes and made them just play. They even had bottles of water outside if they got too hot and thirsty. I'm not uncivilized, after all.
I got a few things done--laundry put away, dinner ready, and all without having to stop every 2 seconds to get Evan out of something or entertain anyone.
I only stopped long enough to grab my camera and document the emotions--Kyle hated it. Ryan was jolly, as always. Evan was just along for the ride.
Kyle--Fall Soccer
On the way to Time Out for Women, some of the other moms were talking about how they kind of hoped it rained on Saturday, so they didn't have to miss their kids' first soccer games. They all had children who played for the Y. Kyle was signed up for soccer at the Y, yet we hadn't heard anything about out time. A lightbulb when on in my head, and I realized that something was wrong.
Stephen, in the meantime, just happened to be checking things out and came to the same conclusion. He called the Y and was told that I wasn't receiving emails because I didn't give them an email address. Really?!? Just tell us you dropped the ball and lost it because there's NO WAY that I didn't give them a way to contact me. Plus, we went down IN PERSON to sign up, so if there was information that I left out, they could've recognized it then.
Anyway.....aside from being ticked and already missed 2 practices, Kyle was able to go to his first game. Stephen not only had all three boys for the weekend, he got them all to the game.
Kyle's team is the Dallas Tigers. It's an interesting mix--we have Kyle and one other boy who are the oldest and tallest; A set of twins that are small 5 year olds; a few 4 year olds; and a wiry, little 3 year old. We killed the other team at the first game.
Kyle was a little rusty at every position except goalie, which is his favorite.
Kyle's 2nd game was last Saturday. He was pretty much the star player, scoring 2 goals! He had SO much fun and was excited about playing another position. I'm glad he's having a great time and getting more practice at team sports.
We lost our 2nd game, but I think losing is a great teaching opportunity for kids. It saddens me that our society tries so hard to shield children from the ups and downs of life. It's ok. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't.
We're looking forward to another season.
Stephen, in the meantime, just happened to be checking things out and came to the same conclusion. He called the Y and was told that I wasn't receiving emails because I didn't give them an email address. Really?!? Just tell us you dropped the ball and lost it because there's NO WAY that I didn't give them a way to contact me. Plus, we went down IN PERSON to sign up, so if there was information that I left out, they could've recognized it then.
Anyway.....aside from being ticked and already missed 2 practices, Kyle was able to go to his first game. Stephen not only had all three boys for the weekend, he got them all to the game.
Kyle's team is the Dallas Tigers. It's an interesting mix--we have Kyle and one other boy who are the oldest and tallest; A set of twins that are small 5 year olds; a few 4 year olds; and a wiry, little 3 year old. We killed the other team at the first game.
Kyle was a little rusty at every position except goalie, which is his favorite.
Kyle's 2nd game was last Saturday. He was pretty much the star player, scoring 2 goals! He had SO much fun and was excited about playing another position. I'm glad he's having a great time and getting more practice at team sports.
We lost our 2nd game, but I think losing is a great teaching opportunity for kids. It saddens me that our society tries so hard to shield children from the ups and downs of life. It's ok. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't.
We're looking forward to another season.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
TOFW-4
I'm going to try to finish up Time Out For Women, especially since it's been days since I last posted, thanks to issues with Blogger. I should be cleaning bathrooms, but I think I need a little bit of inspiration before hand.
John Hilton III spoke about questions.
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us lots of answers, but Jesus also asks us searching questions. {Neal A. Maxwell}
Bro. Hilton has done much study of gospel questions, particularly in the Book of Mormon. There are 543 questions in that book, and he focused his message on 5 of those questions.
1 Ne 7 has this questions 25 times! Over and over we seem to forget all the blessings we have been given and all the signs and miracles. We may forget, but the Lord NEVER forgets us:
1 Ne 21: 15 For can a awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have bcompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may cforget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
1 Ne 11--Do I KNOW/am I acquainted with the atonement? Do I just know about it, or do I partake of the goodness therein?
Jacob 1: 7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to acome unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his brest.....
2 Ne 4: 26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
We need to appreciate the little things.
Alma 32: 5 And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, awhat shall these my brethren do, for they are bdespised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have ccast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have dno place to worship our God; and behold, ewhat shall we do?
Helaman 5: 40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: aWhat shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?
It's not always what we KNOW that counts; it's what we DO!
John 7: 17 If any man will ado his bwill, he shall cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
WHAT WILL WE DO????
Merrilee Boyack:
Deut 6: 6-9
We can help others in their "middle moments," especially when we follow promptings.
Abraham and Isaac: "Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham." {Hugh B. Brown}
We are blessed with miracles in the moments we choose to withhold nothing. He will bless us!
Isaiah 43: 1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
FEAR NOT: for He has redeemed us!
We can make it through our "middle moments" because He has overcome all.
I am so grateful to have been able to have this experience. I learned so much, felt inspired and uplifted, and recharged in order to return to my middle moments of motherhood.
John Hilton III spoke about questions.
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us lots of answers, but Jesus also asks us searching questions. {Neal A. Maxwell}
Bro. Hilton has done much study of gospel questions, particularly in the Book of Mormon. There are 543 questions in that book, and he focused his message on 5 of those questions.
- 1. How is it that ye have forgotten?
1 Ne 7 has this questions 25 times! Over and over we seem to forget all the blessings we have been given and all the signs and miracles. We may forget, but the Lord NEVER forgets us:
1 Ne 21: 15 For can a awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have bcompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may cforget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
- 2. Knowest thou the condescension of God?
1 Ne 11--Do I KNOW/am I acquainted with the atonement? Do I just know about it, or do I partake of the goodness therein?
Jacob 1: 7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to acome unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his brest.....
- 3. Have ye inquired of the Lord?
- 4. Why should my heart weep?
2 Ne 4: 26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
We need to appreciate the little things.
- 5. What shall I do?
Alma 32: 5 And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, awhat shall these my brethren do, for they are bdespised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have ccast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have dno place to worship our God; and behold, ewhat shall we do?
Helaman 5: 40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: aWhat shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?
It's not always what we KNOW that counts; it's what we DO!
John 7: 17 If any man will ado his bwill, he shall cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
WHAT WILL WE DO????
Merrilee Boyack:
Thomas S. Monson: “Along your pathway of life you will observe that
you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help.
There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to
inspire, and souls to save.”
We are not the only traveler!
CPR: "Caring PLUS Response" caring about something is important, and the first step, but it is the response that makes the difference.
Christ ministered to people one by one, moment by moment.
We give away "SPLIT SECONDS" each day {compliments, smiles, small gestures of help, etc.} and they can make ALL THE DIFFERENCE!
Why does the Lord want us to serve?
Matthew 25: 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.
He uses us to help others, BUT he also wants us to be blessed through service. We'll feel the Lord's love for that person and for us!
How do we help others?
1. Open our eyes to see.
2. Open our hearts to feel.
3. Take action in our own way--using our own talents. Pray to find the answers.
4. Lead others in taking action--invite.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
One person can change a Home, a community, the world. Each of us doing a little can accomplish great things. We could change the world!!!
Emily Freeman:
Lessons from "The Middle Moments"
What happens on the way:
- 1. The Lord is aware of us--trust Him.
He will get us to where He wants us to be/where we NEED to be.
Deut 2:24 ¶Rise
ye up, take your journey.....- 2. Trust His word.
Deut 6: 6-9
7 And thou shalt ateach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt btalk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt abind them for a bsign upon thine hand, and they shall be as cfrontlets between thine eyes.
- 3. Trust His timing.
Seek for peace/contentment within adversity. There is hope in the end.
"Trust God enough to also trust His Timing." {Neal A. Maxwell}
- 4. Trust His Example.
Matt 9 is a day in the life of Christ.
Often things happen while we're on the way to somewhere else.
1 Ne 4
7 Nevertheless I went forth.....We can help others in their "middle moments," especially when we follow promptings.
- 5. Trust that the sacrifice will lead to miracles.
Abraham and Isaac: "Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham." {Hugh B. Brown}
We are blessed with miracles in the moments we choose to withhold nothing. He will bless us!
Isaiah 43: 1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
FEAR NOT: for He has redeemed us!
We can make it through our "middle moments" because He has overcome all.
I am so grateful to have been able to have this experience. I learned so much, felt inspired and uplifted, and recharged in order to return to my middle moments of motherhood.
Monday, September 24, 2012
TOFW-3
Saturday was an inspirational day. We all stayed up WAY too late on Friday night, and were WAY too tired on Saturday, so it's a good thing there was so much positive energy in the room.
Hillary Weeks was the musical person of the day. She spoke about how our thoughts can change everything. After hearing a study of how many negative thoughts the average person has a week, she decided to test that theory. She got a clicker and tried to keep track of all of the negative thoughts. However, at the end of the week she realized how depressed she was! Hillary changed the experiment into tracking her POSITIVE thoughts, and was amazed with the change in her life.
"Every person has thoughts, but no everyone takes full advantage of these thoughts.
We accomplish what we think about!
Hillary also spoke about miracles, or "tender mercies." Through these, we are led to Heavenly Father. He loves us so much that the things that are important to us become important to HIM, and we become "living proof" that He exists.
Mariama Kallon, a survivor of war-torn Sierra Leone, spoke about giving thanks in ALL THINGS! When she was growing up in Africa, she had a zest for learning and was able to accomplish much, even through war, watching her family slaughtered, abuse, etc. She often wondered, "Doesn't God love all of His children? He seems to love them in America, but what about His African children?"
Then, her outlook changed.
D&C 46:32 And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
We must GIVE THANKS in ALL things. We grow as we learn to appreciate the little things--bosoms--she's very grateful for them, especially in Africa, where they are used as pockets!--, shoes, lights, the toiletries in the humanitarian kit she received that kept her alive.
After finding out about the gospel of Jesus Christ, she was reading about the story of Esther.
Esther 4: 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there aenlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a btime as this?
She came to realize that through her trials, she was being prepared "for such a time as this." Everything she had experienced had prepared her, strengthened her.
She learned to taken nothing we are blessed with for granted. Do not take the gospel for granted!
She referenced Matthew 11: 28-30
Kris Belcher lost her sight while still trying to mother young children, and what an inspiration she is! While going through her physical trials, there was a point when she didn't really feel Heavenly Father in her life. She was a bit lost. However, she knows that even when we don't always feel Him during our trials, He IS there.
She asked if sometimes we "go through the motions" without truly being committed. For example, her son will go as far as turning on the water and pretending to shower without actually showering or making all the sounds of brushing his teeth without actually brushing his teeth, just so it seems as if he's doing what he's supposed to. Are we guilty of this in life?
Kris had to learn to listen, especially after losing her sight. She related this to listening to promptings from our Heavenly Father. If it's a righteous thing, JUST DO IT!
Life can be challenging, be we can still be happy even when things are difficult. It's worth the struggle to become a strong, righteous woman. Just follow Dori's advice and "just keep swimming...."
On that note, I have to go clean up a poopy mess, so I'll have to continue with Saturday's speakers another time!
Just keep swimming.......
Hillary Weeks was the musical person of the day. She spoke about how our thoughts can change everything. After hearing a study of how many negative thoughts the average person has a week, she decided to test that theory. She got a clicker and tried to keep track of all of the negative thoughts. However, at the end of the week she realized how depressed she was! Hillary changed the experiment into tracking her POSITIVE thoughts, and was amazed with the change in her life.
"Every person has thoughts, but no everyone takes full advantage of these thoughts.
We accomplish what we think about!
Hillary also spoke about miracles, or "tender mercies." Through these, we are led to Heavenly Father. He loves us so much that the things that are important to us become important to HIM, and we become "living proof" that He exists.
Mariama Kallon, a survivor of war-torn Sierra Leone, spoke about giving thanks in ALL THINGS! When she was growing up in Africa, she had a zest for learning and was able to accomplish much, even through war, watching her family slaughtered, abuse, etc. She often wondered, "Doesn't God love all of His children? He seems to love them in America, but what about His African children?"
Then, her outlook changed.
D&C 46:32 And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
We must GIVE THANKS in ALL things. We grow as we learn to appreciate the little things--bosoms--she's very grateful for them, especially in Africa, where they are used as pockets!--, shoes, lights, the toiletries in the humanitarian kit she received that kept her alive.
After finding out about the gospel of Jesus Christ, she was reading about the story of Esther.
Esther 4: 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there aenlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a btime as this?
She came to realize that through her trials, she was being prepared "for such a time as this." Everything she had experienced had prepared her, strengthened her.
She learned to taken nothing we are blessed with for granted. Do not take the gospel for granted!
She referenced Matthew 11: 28-30
29 Take my ayoke upon you, and blearn of me; for I am cmeek and dlowly in eheart: and ye shall find frest unto your souls.
Even when our burdens seem great, we can let the Savior make them light. He KNOWS our burdens and how to succor his people:
Alma 7:11-12
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and aafflictions and btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose
the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him
their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according
to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities.
The Savior knows us, knows what we need, and knows how to prepare us for what He has in store for us.
Mel and Anh-Thu
Allison and Me
Kris Belcher lost her sight while still trying to mother young children, and what an inspiration she is! While going through her physical trials, there was a point when she didn't really feel Heavenly Father in her life. She was a bit lost. However, she knows that even when we don't always feel Him during our trials, He IS there.
She asked if sometimes we "go through the motions" without truly being committed. For example, her son will go as far as turning on the water and pretending to shower without actually showering or making all the sounds of brushing his teeth without actually brushing his teeth, just so it seems as if he's doing what he's supposed to. Are we guilty of this in life?
Kris had to learn to listen, especially after losing her sight. She related this to listening to promptings from our Heavenly Father. If it's a righteous thing, JUST DO IT!
Life can be challenging, be we can still be happy even when things are difficult. It's worth the struggle to become a strong, righteous woman. Just follow Dori's advice and "just keep swimming...."
On that note, I have to go clean up a poopy mess, so I'll have to continue with Saturday's speakers another time!
Just keep swimming.......
Thursday, September 20, 2012
TOFW 2
Our next Friday night speaker was James Ferrell. I loved his talk about how the Savior truly saves us.
When we have burdens, they are made easier by taking on His yoke, which is light.
We must believe Christ in order for the promise to work.
Mark 9:23--A man asks Jesus to cast a "foul spirit" out of his child.
3 Traps:
1. "I don't have holes in my boat." {aka: I'm right and you're wrong.} We are all imperfect, so we ALL have to rely on Christ to make us perfect.
the truth: HE'S right & I'm wrong, but He can help make us right.
2. "My holes aren't as big as yours." {aka: I'm better and you're worse.} Again, if we have even ONE hole, if we offend in ONE point, we are guilty of all, so there's no point in trying to justify and compare to others. We're all going done without the Savior.
Truth: HE'S better & I'm worse.
3. "My holes are worse than others." Sometimes we feel helpless, that we are SO much worse off than others that there's no point in trying.
Truth: HE's here to heal ALL.
We ALL need the Savior infinitely!
The Tree of Life
*I loved his perspective on Lehi's dream from the Book of Mormon from 1 Ne 8
A father has a dream which leads him to rejoice for a few of his sons and their seed and fear for some of the others, because of their choices. He sees a tree with wonderful fruit, desirable to make one happy {the love of God.} He sees a rod of iron {word of God}, a strait and narrow path {our path through this life to eternal happiness}, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men and keep us from reaching Him. There are people in different places on the journey. Some are lost in the darkness, some are still pressing forward, some have fallen away, etc.
There are 2 types of people who partake of the fruit, receiving the love of God in their lives.
1 Ne 8:24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the bfruit of the tree.
This first group makes it to the tree, but then....
1 Ne 8:25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were aashamed.
They were ashamed of Christ and were led off by the world and fell away into "forbidden paths" and were lost.
Another group:
1 Ne 8: 30 ....he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the arod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
I picked up on 2 points from this: 1) Once we hear the word of God, we must continually hold fast to it--"endure to the end!" 2) Those that fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree--aka humbled themselves and fell at the feet of the Savior--were the ones who truly received His happiness.
Secret of Happiness:
James 5:16 aConfess your faults one to another, and bpray one for another, that ye may be healed. cThe effectual dfervent eprayer of a righteous man availeth much.
It's important that we confess our faults and remember that none of us is perfect.
Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are atrue, whatsoever things are bhonest, whatsoever things are cjust, whatsoever things are dpure, whatsoever things are elovely, fwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any gvirtue, and if there be any praise, hthink on these things.
Sometimes we have to look for ANY praise in people, but that's what we should try to focus on.
We were left with 2 questions, which pertain to these scriptures:
1)Whose faults am I confessing?--my own, or someone else's?
2) Whose virtues am I praising?--my own, or others'?
The best answer is in the truth of Christ:
Jesus, who has NO faults, took on all of our faults. He confesses them to our Father, and He praises all of our virtues to the Father.
I gained so much from this talk. I need to remember that my burdens can be light if I keep my focus on the Savior. I need Christ infinitely, just like everyone else. It's so important to continually hold on to the word of God, and keep Christ as our focus in all we do. And, the secret of happiness is to praise the good!
Brad Wilcox also spoke on Friday night.
Names
Our names all have meaning.
We take on the name of Christ, but He also gives us His name!
We should do all things in the name of Christ, for there is no salvation by any other name.
3 Ne 20: 39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.
Do we KNOW His name?
*Jesus: "God is Help/Savior"
*Christ: "Messiah, anointed one." {Christ is a title, so Jesus THE Christ is correct.}
*Son of God/Son of Man: He is the Son of God, and Son of Man is actually a shortened name from Son of Man of Holiness {God}
*First Born/Only Begotten: He is the First Born of the spirit AND the Only Begotten of the flesh
*Son of the Blessed--son of the Virgin Mary: Even though we don't pray to Mary, she is Blessed, the mother of our Savior, and we should have great reverence and respect for her.
*Jehovah: His covenant name
*I AM--ONLY He can say that!
*Bread of Life/Living Water: related to Bethlehem and how this place truly fed the people
*King of Kings/Lord of Lords: Handel's Messiah was originally a charity concert. The King {of the people} stood to acknowledge Christ as HIS King. How many leaders of today would do that? He is also called King of King/Lord of Lords over us--kings and queens of righteousness.
*Emmanuel: "God with us"
HE KNOWS OUR NAMES!
The atonement parted the veil, but also allowed Him to reach through the veil to help us. He's not just content to open the way; He wants to make us Heavenly, to help us back. He led the way, but turns back to help us along.
God loves us just the way we are, but loves us enough to not leave us like this. {Analogy: A friend who uses the excuse that God love him just the way he is, so he can live however he wants! Yes, just like a grandfather loves his grandchild, but he doesn't want him to stay a poopy/whining/spitting-up/screaming baby forever!} God wants us to change, move forward, improve. We are His work and His Glory! But, He's not done with us yet.
In the same way that great artists sign their work, the Savior signs His. He gives us His name. What will we do with it?
After being so spiritually fed, we still needed to feed our bellies.
We walked over to try the Cheesecake Factory, but it was crazy/busy. PF Chang's was no wait. {I LOVE PF Chang's!}
Me, Jan, Ashley, Dolly, Brenda, Allison, Mimi, Emily
Then, it was back to the hotel to {try to} rest up for Saturday.
Burdens
Each of us has burdens, trials. Some are "heavy laden."
Matthew 11: 28-30:
{When we are already heavy laden, Christ asks us to take even MORE upon us. How can this make sense? How can we take His yoke in addition to our own problems and still find rest? The answer is found in verse 30.}
When we have burdens, they are made easier by taking on His yoke, which is light.
We must believe Christ in order for the promise to work.
Mark 9:23--A man asks Jesus to cast a "foul spirit" out of his child.
{ALL things are possible!}
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine aunbelief.
{Straightway--immediately--the father states that he believes. Then, he hesitates, and asks Jesus to help his UNBELIEF. Even when we have doubts, the Savior will STILL help our unbelief. We must be willing to show our weakness to allow the Lord to work through us.}
The Paradox of Man
Elder Uchtdorf: “This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.”
The Sinking Boats
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the awhole law, and yet boffend in one point, he is cguilty of all.
{We all sin--have holes in our boats--and because if we have even ONE hole, we are guilty of all. Everyone is sinking; the speed doesn't matter. There is no point being caught in a comparison trap, which can prevent us from coming unto Christ.}3 Traps:
1. "I don't have holes in my boat." {aka: I'm right and you're wrong.} We are all imperfect, so we ALL have to rely on Christ to make us perfect.
the truth: HE'S right & I'm wrong, but He can help make us right.
2. "My holes aren't as big as yours." {aka: I'm better and you're worse.} Again, if we have even ONE hole, if we offend in ONE point, we are guilty of all, so there's no point in trying to justify and compare to others. We're all going done without the Savior.
Truth: HE'S better & I'm worse.
3. "My holes are worse than others." Sometimes we feel helpless, that we are SO much worse off than others that there's no point in trying.
Truth: HE's here to heal ALL.
We ALL need the Savior infinitely!
The Tree of Life
*I loved his perspective on Lehi's dream from the Book of Mormon from 1 Ne 8
A father has a dream which leads him to rejoice for a few of his sons and their seed and fear for some of the others, because of their choices. He sees a tree with wonderful fruit, desirable to make one happy {the love of God.} He sees a rod of iron {word of God}, a strait and narrow path {our path through this life to eternal happiness}, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men and keep us from reaching Him. There are people in different places on the journey. Some are lost in the darkness, some are still pressing forward, some have fallen away, etc.
There are 2 types of people who partake of the fruit, receiving the love of God in their lives.
1 Ne 8:24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the bfruit of the tree.
This first group makes it to the tree, but then....
1 Ne 8:25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were aashamed.
They were ashamed of Christ and were led off by the world and fell away into "forbidden paths" and were lost.
Another group:
1 Ne 8: 30 ....he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the arod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
I picked up on 2 points from this: 1) Once we hear the word of God, we must continually hold fast to it--"endure to the end!" 2) Those that fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree--aka humbled themselves and fell at the feet of the Savior--were the ones who truly received His happiness.
Secret of Happiness:
James 5:16 aConfess your faults one to another, and bpray one for another, that ye may be healed. cThe effectual dfervent eprayer of a righteous man availeth much.
It's important that we confess our faults and remember that none of us is perfect.
Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are atrue, whatsoever things are bhonest, whatsoever things are cjust, whatsoever things are dpure, whatsoever things are elovely, fwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any gvirtue, and if there be any praise, hthink on these things.
Sometimes we have to look for ANY praise in people, but that's what we should try to focus on.
We were left with 2 questions, which pertain to these scriptures:
1)Whose faults am I confessing?--my own, or someone else's?
2) Whose virtues am I praising?--my own, or others'?
The best answer is in the truth of Christ:
Jesus, who has NO faults, took on all of our faults. He confesses them to our Father, and He praises all of our virtues to the Father.
I gained so much from this talk. I need to remember that my burdens can be light if I keep my focus on the Savior. I need Christ infinitely, just like everyone else. It's so important to continually hold on to the word of God, and keep Christ as our focus in all we do. And, the secret of happiness is to praise the good!
Brad Wilcox also spoke on Friday night.
Names
Our names all have meaning.
We take on the name of Christ, but He also gives us His name!
We should do all things in the name of Christ, for there is no salvation by any other name.
3 Ne 20: 39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.
Do we KNOW His name?
*Jesus: "God is Help/Savior"
*Christ: "Messiah, anointed one." {Christ is a title, so Jesus THE Christ is correct.}
*Son of God/Son of Man: He is the Son of God, and Son of Man is actually a shortened name from Son of Man of Holiness {God}
*First Born/Only Begotten: He is the First Born of the spirit AND the Only Begotten of the flesh
*Son of the Blessed--son of the Virgin Mary: Even though we don't pray to Mary, she is Blessed, the mother of our Savior, and we should have great reverence and respect for her.
*Jehovah: His covenant name
*I AM--ONLY He can say that!
*Bread of Life/Living Water: related to Bethlehem and how this place truly fed the people
*King of Kings/Lord of Lords: Handel's Messiah was originally a charity concert. The King {of the people} stood to acknowledge Christ as HIS King. How many leaders of today would do that? He is also called King of King/Lord of Lords over us--kings and queens of righteousness.
*Emmanuel: "God with us"
HE KNOWS OUR NAMES!
The atonement parted the veil, but also allowed Him to reach through the veil to help us. He's not just content to open the way; He wants to make us Heavenly, to help us back. He led the way, but turns back to help us along.
God loves us just the way we are, but loves us enough to not leave us like this. {Analogy: A friend who uses the excuse that God love him just the way he is, so he can live however he wants! Yes, just like a grandfather loves his grandchild, but he doesn't want him to stay a poopy/whining/spitting-up/screaming baby forever!} God wants us to change, move forward, improve. We are His work and His Glory! But, He's not done with us yet.
In the same way that great artists sign their work, the Savior signs His. He gives us His name. What will we do with it?
After being so spiritually fed, we still needed to feed our bellies.
We walked over to try the Cheesecake Factory, but it was crazy/busy. PF Chang's was no wait. {I LOVE PF Chang's!}
Me, Jan, Ashley, Dolly, Brenda, Allison, Mimi, Emily
Then, it was back to the hotel to {try to} rest up for Saturday.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Time Out for Women
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a women's conference with some great new friends. Time Out For Women is just that--a time to meet with other women and be uplifted and recharged through words, song, and friendship.
The theme for this year's event was "Seek the Good," based on Colossians 3:23, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily..." We were encouraged to seek the good things, and even if we only do ONE thing, to do it the best that we can.
There were many speakers, and I took notes that stood out to me. So that I remember them, I'm going to document the uplifting thoughts I heard. Maybe something will touch you, as well.
Macy Robison told her story through music and words, of having her life all planned out, but that plan not turning out exactly the way she thought it would. I related to her on that level, as Stephen and I have been on MANY different plans before getting to where we are now.
Macy spoke and sang about the time before she was blessed to be a mother through the birth of her own children--which I again related to--but encouraged us ALL to develop a "mothering heart," that mothering isn't just about giving birth. It is about the heart.
I also liked her description of what happens "In the Meantime," again through song and her own story. Each of us is being prepared for something better, something more, while we may be experiencing trials or even have the feeling of being stuck and going nowhere. She talked about how the Lord knows where we are going and what He must prepare us for. Even when we think we are 'in the meantime" of life, He knows how to get us where He wants us, if we put out trust in Him.
I will continue going through my conference notes in the next few posts.
How grateful I am, again, for this opportunity. I know it was a sacrifice for Stephen, and I love him for that sacrifice. This weekend was exactly the uplift I needed!
The theme for this year's event was "Seek the Good," based on Colossians 3:23, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily..." We were encouraged to seek the good things, and even if we only do ONE thing, to do it the best that we can.
There were many speakers, and I took notes that stood out to me. So that I remember them, I'm going to document the uplifting thoughts I heard. Maybe something will touch you, as well.
Macy Robison told her story through music and words, of having her life all planned out, but that plan not turning out exactly the way she thought it would. I related to her on that level, as Stephen and I have been on MANY different plans before getting to where we are now.
Macy spoke and sang about the time before she was blessed to be a mother through the birth of her own children--which I again related to--but encouraged us ALL to develop a "mothering heart," that mothering isn't just about giving birth. It is about the heart.
I also liked her description of what happens "In the Meantime," again through song and her own story. Each of us is being prepared for something better, something more, while we may be experiencing trials or even have the feeling of being stuck and going nowhere. She talked about how the Lord knows where we are going and what He must prepare us for. Even when we think we are 'in the meantime" of life, He knows how to get us where He wants us, if we put out trust in Him.
I will continue going through my conference notes in the next few posts.
How grateful I am, again, for this opportunity. I know it was a sacrifice for Stephen, and I love him for that sacrifice. This weekend was exactly the uplift I needed!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
5 Year-Old Check-Up
Kyle had a well-check the same day as Evan's. Of course, they just couldn't find an appointment for them together, so we had to go to the office twice! I think Kyle was excited about getting to have his own time at the doctor's, though. He liked answering questions and getting to see all of the equipment. He had a hearing and vision screening, and everything check out okay.
His info:
BP 92/54
Height: 3' 7.5" (58th percentile}
Weight: 44 lb {69th percentile}
He's doing well and was SO excited about NOT having to get any shots. He had a flu vaccine, but is old enough to have the nasal kind. Yay for no shots! {Only Evan and Mom had the actual needle vaccination that day. Even moms have to be tough sometimes.}
In other news, Kyle is LOVING school! I'm reminded over and over that we made the right choice in letting Kyle have one more year of preschool. It's amazing how much he's learned in just a few weeks, and I love seeing how he's maturing.
We love our little buddy.
Monday, September 17, 2012
9 Month Check-Up
I'm quite late on posting these pictures. Time is FLYING by!
Evan had his 9 month well-check at the end of August.
Here's his stats at the time:
Height: 28" {32nd percentile}
Weight: 18 lb. 3.2 oz {10.5th percentile}
HC: 17.72" {35th percentile}
Evan is a healthy, happy baby boy. He's very active, and seems to burn off every calorie he puts in his mouth! He'll be trying to roll and crawl and climb even while he's drinking a bottle!} It's no surprise that he's in the low weight percentile, even though he eats like a horse! The only sad part of the well check was one shot--influenza vaccine. Other than that, Evan was all smiles!
Evan is in to everything--drawers, the pantry, the bathrooms---everything. If he can reach it, he's exploring it! And the areas he can reach are expanding as he pulls up onto everything, has learned to open drawers and cabinets, and likes to pull everything out of whatever container in which it happens to be. He keeps us on our toes, which is extra hard while trying to potty train, etc., in taking care of the other boys. As you can see, my make-shift baby gate on the stairs didn't last too long:
Evan is eating lots of solid food and making even more messes there.
Evan is also communicating much more. He will echo back when he make sounds to him. Most of the time, his "echos" are actually different screaming sounds! We don't like the screams AT ALL, so we are really trying to work on that. {Kyle was a screamer, too. I'm hoping Evan will be more mild than his older brother......}
We love Evan very much, and are enjoying getting to see more and more of his personality. With this age, it seems everywhere we turn, there are messes to clean up, bumps and bruises to kiss, and sweet smiles to melt your heart.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Fall Trees
I've gotten really bad about doing school stuff around here. It's one of my goals to get back on track and start doing activities, crafts, lessons, and songs with Ryan, especially when Kyle is away at school.
We did, however, attempt to do a few little lessons on fall when Claire was in town. We read some books, sang some songs, and made some trees out of the kids' handprints. Later, they used Q-tips {and their fingers} to paint on some fall colored leaves.
We're sure excited for the fall season around here!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Lunch Bunch
I'm having fun getting to know ladies in the neighborhood and at church. It's been fun to have a home where I can host events and have even more opportunities to make friends. During the summer months, there haven't been too many organized activities in our ward, but things are back in full swing with school starting back up. We've already had a play group, book club, and lunch bunch, which I volunteered to host.
Everyone brought a summer salad to share, and we had a great time!
Patrice, Brenda, Katie, Me, Megan, & Laura {photographer!}
I'm looking forward to more fun times ahead!
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