Christmas 2013

This year we were alone in TN. We were excited to do our own thing again and it was very relaxed. Ben and Samuel were sick most of the break. But other then that our time was well spent. 

We went to the temple, ate lots of junk, and watched tons of Christmas movies. 

I think it is important to make an effort to see our family at least once a year but I am not looking forward to traveling with little ones. It's a 5 hour flight to UT and how do you carry/watch 3 kids, luggage, and 3 carseats? 

My boys were so excited for Christmas and Joshua was super excited about going to bed early so Santa would come sooner.  

We had a tornado warning that weekend so I'm glad we were here because if we had been gone I would of been incredibly nervous about our home. Tornadoes and Christmas ... Wish it was snow though. 

It has been a great year and I cannot imagine what the next year will bring. I really have no idea what is ahead but  grateful for what I have experienced and who I've has in my life this year. 

Like I said, they all love to take pics together. 

My little elf. 

I just LOVE this boy! 

I live for moments of cuddling with little ones! 

Probably the best picture from our break. 

Who doesn't love playing with ribbons? 

Presents! 

They really are best friends! 

Trial Talk

I just read this amazing talk and thought I would share it. Definitely adding it to the list. The list just seems to be getting bigger. But here are some highlights from the talks.

This talk is a great one to keep tucked away for those rainy days that we all have. Fabulous talk! 

Trust In The Lord

Elder Scott 1995

The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord’s own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing. (Trust in the Lord)

He will place in your path packets of spiritual sunlight to brighten your way. They often come after the trial has been the greatest, as evidence of the compassion and love of an all-knowing Father. They point the way to greater happiness, more understanding, (Trust in the Lord)

Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain (Trust in the Lord)

They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love. (Trust in the Lord)

His invitation, “Ask, and ye shall receive” (3 Ne. 27:29) does not assure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father that loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than do you. (Trust in the Lord)

Book #25

So I did it! 25 books in a year! Not 50 but still an improvement from not reading anything, minus scriptures. 

Daughters of God

S. Michael Wilcox

This book was a perfect cap stone for this goal. It's all about the righteous and unrighteousness women in the scriptures. 

It taught me about the women of the Old Testament, which I definitely needed. 

I learned so much about Eve and Mary. Which is why I bought the book. I wanted to know more about those women. 

I learned a greater appreciation for motherhood and the daily sometimes mundane tasks that are associated with my job. It also helped put in perspective the importance of not judging others and their actions. How we can add to someone's burden that might already be too much to bare by our actions and words. 

Fabulous book! Beyond 5 stars. Highly enjoyed. 

Some highlights. 

"Women sacrifice much physically, emotionally, and spiritually to bear children. The sacrifice, love, devotion,and labor of righteously reading children to The Lord helps to mold and refine a women's character. It amplifies all that is Godlike and noble within her."

"When a women lives in such a way that the Lord's Spirit and influence are with her and she can be called to further the Lord's work, then she is truly highly favored and blessed." 

"Every act of immorality is inherently selfish and therefore not an act of love but of folly." 

"A man courts of woman for a short time to win her for time, but he must court her for a lifetime to win her for eternity."

"'Oh my mother! And Joseph, 'how often have your prayers been the means if assisting us when the shadows of death encompassed us.'

"A spiritual experience is like a living thing: the more we nourish it by reflection, meditation, and pondering, the more it can give back to us. As we cherish these moments and ponder them, the Spirit will teach ever increasing truths." 

Book #24

Remeber that goal of reading 50 books in a year...yeah well I changed it to 25 about half way through the year. I now have 15 days left to read my last one. 

This book was free and was provided by my RS presidency. It made missionary work seem realistic and possible. It answered all of my concerns and I laughed through most of it because I thought the exact way he explained about people's apprehensiveness of sharing the gospel. 

Learning how to just talk about religion in general can help lead people into inquiring about the gospel. Also not being afraid of the chance that people will say no to our invitation helped to put things in perspective. 

Matt and I have adjusted our family misson plan and now hope we will find some success. 

Great easy read. Five stars for sure. Well worth the money and time. 

As Time Goes On

This week was one of the worse all around. But it is about to get better because Matt will be off for the next 9 days then a few days here and there til January. 

After the horrific embarrassment at the converts baptism we worked on our family's service project, the twleve days of Christmas for a neighbor. The boys were so sweet and willing to help. You would of thought they were two completely different children from that morning. 

We went to a play place this week, where we always have gone, and some mom was so rude. I don't want to dwell on it but needless to say I left crying and cried all the way home. 

But the evening turned up when I went to a Relief Society activity. Our president shared a thought about Mary and how peculiar and treasured we are as women to our Heavenly Father. It was exactly what I needed to hear. It's amazing how The Lord extends tender mercies when you need it most. But I almost didn't go because I was too worn out to go and be social. When we make an effort to be in the right place, doing the right things, The Lord does bless us. 

Hope everyone has a great break! I know we will!!!! 

The finished product for our twleve days of Christmas gift. I took a picture becaue I'm not crafty and this ended up looking really good. 

Joshua always wants to lay down and take pictures with Ben. Ben most of the time is happy do so but not this time. 

Joshua at that awful play place making the most of what he could play with. There were so many people there I bet it violated a fire code. 

Look I have a kate Spade bag named after me! 

Little boys helping. They really love to help me. 

More pictures before bed. 

High point and Low points

My friend does these high/low points post and I love them! So I am following suit and doing my own high/low points of this week. 

High

-spending the day outside in 75 degree weather. Seeing all our neighbors outside again 

-having the boys ride bikes together

-going to a fun ward party

-watching my boys try and take off my boots after the ward party

-making forts in the play room

-dancing in the play room on Friday while waiting for dad to come home

-reading a talk given by President Packer, "The Shield of Faith"

Neighborhood playtime. 

Boys taking off my boots

Forts 

Dance party! 

Lows

-attending a baptism where my children laughed after the person came out of the water 

-trying to help them understand what they did wrong 

-going home and crying because I was SO embarrassed 

I really hope one day my kids will sit through church. But until they do I will just keep trying to pretend like its no big deal and keep pretending I have it all together. 

PJs, Tree, Parks, and More

I LOVE this time of year!!! It is even better now that my kids are getting older and enjoying the holiday as well. Here are some random pictures and thoughts about our life. 

Christmas pjs and our tree. Had to hurry and take a photo before benji outgrew his. He's kind of a chunk. But I LOVE it!!! 

Joshua is THE best big brother! And Benji loves him!!! 

Melts my heart!!! They love mommy's new toy and are so gentle with it. They also must have music to play when playing the piano! Haha! 

Love this little climber! 

Samuel is determined that his age will not hold him back from anything Joshua does. I keep telling Matt we need to look out for him because he is going to keep Joshua on his toes in everything. 

Love this little guy more than I can say!!! Best baby ever!!! 

Tracks in the park with our card. Probably one of their favorite thugs to do when no one is there. People in TN think when it's below 60 that they can't go outside so we are now usually alone at the park. 

This guy hordes cars. I find them everywhere and he takes them everywhere. 

Life gets so crazy I often forgot about the importance of the eternal work I am doing and get down on myself for what I am not doing--or able to accomplish. I know it's so important to keep perspective. Here is a quote I found from a talk I read today. It was sooo good! It's called, "the shield of faith," by President Packer. 

"The plan designed by the Father contemplates that man and woman, husband and wife, working together, fit each child individually with a shield of faith made to buckle on so firmly that it can neither be pulled off nor penetrated by those fiery darts.

It takes the steady strength of a father to hammer out the metal of it and the tender hands of a mother to polish and fit it on. Sometimes one parent is left to do it alone. It is difficult, but it can be done.

In the Church we can teach about the materials from which a shield of faith is made: reverence, courage, chastity, repentance, forgiveness, compassion. In church we can learn how to assemble and fit them together. But the actual making of and fitting on of the shield of faith belongs in the family circle. Otherwise it may loosen and come off in a crisis."

 I am building their shield of faith daily by the little things we do. Love these boys. Love being a mom! 

Thanksgiving 2013

This is our first Thanksgiving all by ourselves, And it was fabulous. I kind of feel like a grinch saying that but have always had to run everywhere to meet and spend time with everyone. Which I know is a huge blessing but because I'm a scheduled mother with my kids, it always causes headaches and sleepless nights for days after. 

We ate what we wanted, when we wanted, and started our own family traditions. Matt is never home, so when he is home we try and spend as much time together as a family. Which is why we are lame parents and never go on couple dates. 

We just like being home and playing with each other. After dinner we played football as a family and then, of course, biked. Samuel decided he would peddle today (wahoo), and Joshua finally rode his bigger bike we got him last year. 

It was a blast! We also now have all our Christmas decorations up. This is such a fun time of year! 

Joshua on his new bike. 

Playing football. 

Me and my extra player. 

Love these boys!!! 

Yes we are eating our dinner on paper plates. I don't think of myself as very domestic so don't judge. We ordered all our dinner except the pies and rolls. I do NOT do store bought pies or rolls. I only did one load of dishes today and the food was amazing! Will have my dinner catered from now on. 

My pie makers. 

And of course we had to build lots of LEGO towers. Thanks to Samuel's destructive nature we have built several. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! 

Family Photos

We finally received our family photos back!!!! I am so happy with the way they turned out. I think this is the first time we all have coordinating outfits. I need to do it more often! At least for my boys!

The Call...

I am a conference talk junkie. I love general conference! Elder Scott said that, "Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high." I use most of these talks on a regular basis to help me deal with life. I had thought I would print them all out one day and give them to my boys as a kind of text book (I probably love text books too much), to teach them how to be men. But after working on compiling them I realized that it might be good to have them in this format so I can reference them on a daily basis instead of googling a phrase I loved most from the talk.

As I continue to serve in callings and am called upon to speak in church I know that this will also be a good reference for me. Kind of a long post so get ready, but I'm not really sure anyone reads my blog anymore. Except for my sweet Sister Becky, Karen, and Hillaree. Sure do love you girls!

Post of my adorable children coming soon!

PS I made a beautiful hand out of this if you would like me to email it to you (This is what happens when I am sleep deprived, I try and focus my energy on something that doesn't make me feel exhausted). Looks much better than it does here. I am all about aesthetics.

Where to Call When...


1. Where to go when you are feeling down.
a. President Uchtdorf, “Happiness Your Heritage”
b. President Uchtdorf, “Forget Me Not
c. Elder Wirthlin, “Sunday Will Come”
d. President Hinckley, “Live Up To Your Inheritance”
e. Elder Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel”

2. When you are feeling ugly.
a. Elder Holland, “To The Young Women

3. When you feel under appreciated.
a. Elder Perry, “An Elect Lady”
b. Elder Christofferson, “The Moral Force Of Women”
c. Elder Kopischke, “Being Accepted of The Lord”
d. Elder Holland, “Laborer in the Vineyard
e. Elder Holland, “Because of Your Faith”
f. President Monson, “Pathways to Perfection”

4. When you need courage as a Mother and a Woman of the church
a. Elder Holland, “Because She is a Mother
b. President Hinckley, “Bringing Up a Child The Way He should go”
c. President Monson, “Hallmarks of a Happy Home”
d. President Hinckley, “Our Solemn Responsibility”
e. President Hinckley, “Great Shall Be The Peace of Thy Children”
f. President Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of The World”
g. President Hinckley, “Walking in the Light of the Lord”
h. President Hinckley, “Your Greatest Challenge, Mother”
i. President Hinckley, “How Can I become the Woman of Whom I dream?”
j. President Monson, “Precious Children—A gift from God”
k. President Monson, “Teach The Children”

5. When you need to be reminded about the importance of family relationships.
a. President Eyring, “Our Perfect Example”

6. When you feel you have been offended
a. Elder Bednar, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them”
b. President Benson, “Beware of Pride”

7. When you need to understand the priesthood.
a. President Uchtdorf, “Pride and the Priesthood”
b. President Benson, “To the Fathers in Israel”
c. Elder Scott, “Honor the Priesthood and Use It well”
d. President Hinckley, “To The Men of The Priesthood”
e. Elder Christofferson, “Let Us Be Men”
f. President Hinckley, “To The Boys, and To The Men”
g. President Hinckley, “To The Men of The Priesthood”
h. President Hinckley, “Our Solemn Responsibilities”
i. President Hinckley, “This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner”
j. President Hinckley, “ Living Worthy of the Girl you Will Someday Marry”
k. President Monson, “The Call of Duty”
l. President Monson, “Do Your Duty—That is best”

8. When we need to know how to be temperate
a. Elder Perry, “Let Him Do It With Simplicity”
b. President Monson, “An Attitude of Gratitude”
c. President Monson, “Patience—A Heavenly Gift”
d. Elder Watson, “Being Temperate in All Things”
e. Elder Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven”
f. President Hinckley, “To the Boys and to the Men”
g. President Monson, “The Path to Peace”

9. When we need to understand and teach the importance of being chaste
a. Elder Holland, “Of Souls, Symbols, & Sacrament”
b. Elder Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste”
c. Elder Holland, “Personal Purity”

10. When you need Hope
a. President Hinckley, “Be Not Afraid Only Believe”
b. President Monson, “Your Patriarchal Blessing; a Liahona of Light”
c. President Monson, “Pathway To Perfection”
d. Elder Hales, “Holy Scriptures: The Power of God Unto Our Salvation
e. Elder Oaks, “He Heals The Heavy Laden”
f. Elder Holland, “The Ministry of Angels”
g. President Hinckley, “Each A Better Person”
h. President Hinckley, “God Is At The Helm”
i. President Hinckley, “The Miracle of Faith”

11. When trials are getting you down
a. Elder Wirthlin, “Come What May, and Love it”
b. President Uchtdorf, “You Can Do it Now”
c. President Eyring, “Mountains to Climb”

12. Understanding the Atonement
a. Elder Scott, “He Lives! All Glory To His Name!”

Photo Journaling

My blog posts are few and far between these days because I use Instgram now. But I am now trying harder to keep this blog updated. It has kind of been a public journal. 

Just a quick update of photos since I last posted. 

Halloween was a blast. We had bad weather here so our subdivision moved trick or treating to November 1st. It was a very nice night and Joshua had so much fun with his neighbor friend. Samuel LOVED Halloween and is constantly saying, "Andy, mom, candy." 

My little dinosaur. Holidays are much better when you have kids. 

Are they the cutest? Oh I LOVE being a mother of sons!!! 

He takes my breath away with his smile. When the other boys are crazy and mom needs a time we go to his room and lock ourselves in. The other two boys yell and camp out til I'm ready to come out but lots of time I really don't want to come out because I love soaking up one on one time with Ben. He's incredibly special. 

One new development is that Joshua and Samuel are playing much better together. They are actually enjoying and preferring each other's company to others. I guess that is what happens when you stay in for a month due to everyone being sick. It makes me ecstatic to see them truly growing up best friends. 

Life is incredibly chaotic but these boys make me so happy! I can't wait for this holiday season. We definitely need a vacation here. Being sick is exhausting! 

Boo at the Zoo and catching up

We are all alive! We survived a spout of pnemonia with Ben, and ear infection with Samuel, oh and a sinus infection with Joshua. 

Did I mention the time when Samuel threw up all over, right before we left for Joshua's preschool? September and October were not so great. :( 

Pumpkin patch time with our good friends. 

15 lbs and 12 oz of preciousness. 

Waiting at 3am with Dad in the ER for his IV antibiotics to treat his pnemonia. 

A day of much needed recovery at chik Fil A. 

He is the love of my life! 

How we spend rainy days, in our pjs and playing with cars. 

Playing games at the Zoo's Halloween party! 

More zoo fun! 

Brothers are the best! 

My little batman 

Best costume because it was only $3, with free shipping! Love hitting after holiday sales!!!