thoughts on parenting and God

*Both of my kids have nightly homework. My 4th grader, who has to work a little bit harder to understand certain concepts and to read fluently, is required to sit and finish her homework. Then I go over it for mistakes and she redoes the problem until she gets it right. I often will read the instructions to her out loud because it helps her understand what is being asked. I also have her read aloud to me several times per week. This isn't because she has made bad choices and I am punishing her (though sometimes she views it as such). It is simply because her circumstances require it. My 2nd grader, on the other hand, is different. The academic portion of school comes very easily for him, but as a little introvert that he is, I recognize the need for him to have more down time. I set the timer for 20 minutes and as long as he is working diligently, he can be done with his homework when it goes off. He reads every night too, but mostly to himself after he goes to bed. It may seem that I am partial to one child. It may seem that I am punishing one child for something that isn't her fault. But as the parent, I have a deeper understanding of the needs of my children, and I require different things because of it. That being said, the standard is the same: they must learn reading, writing and arithmetic. That won't change, even if my homework policy seems inconsistent.

*Charlie, after being a fabulous sleeper from day 1 and sleeping through the night for the first 6 months of his life, starting waking up 2-3 times a night and I had to nurse him back to sleep. So, we are having him cry-it-out at bedtime. Every few minutes we go in and check on him and comfort him. The first night it was torture. The 2nd was slightly better. But by last night (night #4) he fell asleep after only 15 minutes and slept all night long. Despite having 4 kids, this was a new experience for me. I let Ana cry in the night once and after that she slept all night. When I tried it with Jack he would scream so hard he threw up and I couldn't do it anymore. Katie was such a snuggly nurser that I got a lot of joy and satisfaction of nursing her to sleep and I brought her to my bed if she woke up in the night. It wasn't a big deal. Our particular circumstances allowed for that, so it worked. But with 4 kids and Dave gone a lot at bedtime, I simply can't spend 40 minutes nursing Charlie to sleep and anyway a lot of times he doesn't fall asleep nursing. Of course, I love all of my children the same. I don't love Katie more because I rocked her to sleep or love Charlie less because I don't. Different circumstances call for different actions. I love all my children.

*My kids love to watch this one channel on TV that has some ridiculous "as seen on TV" commercials. It is a kids' station, so all of the things are geared towards kids. They are always asking for the stuff. In fact, I think 95% of my interactions with my kids is them asking me to buy them junk. Of course, I don't just give in. They are harmless things, perhaps, but certainly giving them everything they want when they want it isn't the best way to raise them. Sometimes I will give them a treat at the store or let them earn a toy from the dollar store. But I certainly don't let them eat candy for breakfast or spend all day watching TV or let them hit each other, even if they say I'm mean and unfair and I must not love them.

*Being a parent has taught me so much about the way God works in our lives. He is, after all, our Heavenly Father. He is a father, first and foremost. He knows us. He knows our needs, as individuals and collectively. I don't pretend to be a perfect parent. I don't always act in the most Godlike ways and many times I question my own methods. But I do love my children in a way that is perhaps a shadow of the way God loves us. We don't always understand his methods. We may think his standards are too high. We may not think it is fair that we have to work so hard when others seem to have it easy. We probably cry in our beds and wonder where he is, when what he is doing is teaching us an essential lesson that will help us eternally. Are 95% of my interactions with God asking for things? Maybe even things that the world has packaged to look enticing or harmless or fun or even good, but that are not eternally good for us.

*These 3 scriptures have come to my mind a lot lately:

*Ephesians 4 :14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

*1 Nephi 11: 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

*Proverbs 3:  5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

faith

Today I want to write about Faith. Specifically, my faith. By "Faith" I mean my religion, but I also mean my personal belief in God.

The last few years have been both faith-strengthening and faith-questioning. I had never before known what it meant to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (source) until I watched family and friends grieve in so many different ways over the last 36 months. I have come to understand that scripture a little better now. I have had experiences when I know that the hand of God has been guiding me and others. I have also had experiences when I have asked difficult questions, some of which don't have good answers.

I was reading through some of my "notes" on my phone a few weeks ago and I came across one that I wrote late at night a few months ago. I was reminded of it again the other night as I read the talk "Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth" from this last General Conference. I want to share my note here.

Thoughts on faith (August 3, 2014)
I have no idea how computers work. I know how to use them, and I know general concepts like electricity and things but I have no idea how binary code is translated to my being able to send data hundreds of miles in merely seconds. Some people do understand that. They have studied and worked and know all of the processes that go into that machine. Not only that, but the technology used to improve computers is growing exponentially. But of course, it had to start somewhere. The first computers would be useless today. Does that make the principles they were built on any less true and valid? Of course not. They were the building blocks.

My faith is a lot like that. There are so many things that I do not understand. But I have seen time and time again what happens when I rely on faith and tap into heavenly power. There are things even in my own religion's history that are perplexing and I wonder "why did they do it that way?" But truth isn't learned in one glorious moment. It is learned as we test and try principles. It grows little by little by little as we study and try and sometimes even make mistakes-as individuals and collectively. And I believe there is a tipping point where the truth becomes evident faster and faster and we become better versions of ourselves. Not because what we know now is more true than what we knew then, but because we are building on the truth we have already learned.

It would be silly to say, "until I understand it completely, I will not use a computer." So why would I wait until I understood God completely to utilize His Power and Goodness? The more I turn to Him, (and study His Word) the more I understand Him.

Though I express it differently than I did before and even sometimes look at it from a different perspective, I feel my faith in God is stronger now than ever. I am a witness of the Power of God, in my life and in the lives of others.

shout it out with joyful voice

About a year ago, I got a phone call from a good friend who happened to be serving in the bishopric at the time. (The Bishopric is the local leaders of our church, comprised of three men, a Bishop and his counselors, who lead the congregation. For more information about our local organization see HERE or just ask.) He asked me to speak in church on Easter Sunday on how the Resurrection has blessed my life.

Though I have a firm belief in the reality of Christ's resurrection,  I never really applied it to my life now. Studying for the talk deepened my testimony of not only the Resurrection, but also in his Atoning sacrifice. I learned that time after time in the Bible, Christ testified of his mission to heal us spiritually by healing others physically.  "For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" (Matt 9:5)

A year has passed, and with it experiences that have taught me more about the amazing power of the Resurrection. That same friend and his wife, Christy, lost there little girl in November. I have thought of them so many times this week as I have thought about my Savior. The reality of the Resurrection has become so much more real for them. It means that they get to see their little girl again. Jane will live again and they will see her and hold her! Even though my heart still aches for them and their two little boys, I am so happy for them that they have Hope in Christ. The sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

For all who have lost, the Hope is the same. Christ lives! Though I have spent my week sewing Katie's Easter dress and dying eggs, the glory of this holiday is the glory of the Lord.


Hallelujah. He is Risen!

how an ice storm didn't ruin my weekend

And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. - Moroni 6:5

 
On Sunday Church was cancelled due to an ice storm.

Being home all day as a family on Sunday really made me think about the 4th commandment,  as we read in Exodus 20.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Now, I know everyone interprets that a little differently. For us, Sunday is a day for worship. We go to church, we serve God through our church responsibilities, and we spend time as a family.  We try to make Sunday different. One of the ways we have done that is by not shopping, doing play dates, and especially by not working or studying on Sunday. (Obviously as a doctor there will be times Dave has to work on Sunday, but when we have a choice, we choose not too.)

I am so glad we have done this. I love having a day where we can relax. A day where we can push aside the things that worry and stress us and just focus other things. Sometimes those things are really important. Sometimes they are not. (Like football). I know it has actually helped Dave do better in school to take a break from studying.

I love going to church. It feeds my spirit. (Even when the kids are crazy and I can barely make it out the door.) And I especially love going right before Christmas because it keeps me focused on the real reason for the season. So I was disappointed that church was cancelled. However, because it was Sunday, I didn't have a long list of to-dos in preparation for Christmas. I wasn't planning on cleaning house or running errands, so the ice storm didn't throw me off.  We went outside and marveled at the awesome ice. We drank hot chocolate and played games and watched football and video-chatted with Dave's parents. I even found time to pause for just a minute and think about the life and mission of the Savior. I talked to Jack about it for a few minutes. 

 

 

I am so glad for the reminder I got this weekend of why I love Sundays.

a child of God

Dave got home last Saturday. I was planning a post about how happy I was to have him home. I also have a list of other things I want to write down, but I haven't been able to sit down and write quite yet.

We have met amazing people during our time here. One of those amazing families is the Clark family. For 3 years they lived just down the street. Our kids played together all the time. Over those 3 years, we became like family. In May they moved to California. They are close to family, which is great, but we sure miss them. On Saturday they lost their sweet little baby Jane (13 months old) to meningitis. To say we are heartbroken for them is an understatement.

All the other things I was going to write about seem trivial. There is little that brings peace stronger than the hymns and the scriptures. This is what is running through my mind:

Sweet is the peace the Gospel brings.

Families can be together forever.

I know that my Redeemer Lives.

And this scripture found in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 11:17)

"And I said unto him: I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."

Sunday was our annual Primary Program and it was so comforting to hear almost every child declare "I am a child of God." What a powerful knowledge that is.

We will miss sweet baby Jane.

on change

An unrelated picture of the kids eating dinner at the farmer's market

I've taken up listening to music on the radio while I am driving around. Usually I listen to ESPN, but I don't really follow baseball so there isn't much to listen to in the summer. Anyway, it makes me happy to hear fun, singable music. All growing up I listened to country music, but the country radio stations here just don't do much for me so I've been listening to "pop" or whatever you call it.  I actually really like some of it, which surprised me, and even Jack has been known to get his groove on in the back seat.

Not everything on the radio is good, though. The other day I heard a song that made me sick. I don't know who sings it or what it is called, and I don't remember the exact words, but I remember the message. This is what I am. You must embrace everything about me because I am not changing. I cannot change.

I felt sick. I quickly changed the station as a very distinct, spiritual thought came to mind: 

That is a big, fat lie.

Lest  you misunderstand me, let me be clear. I strongly believe we should love others regardless of their choices and weaknesses. I believe that there is One Judge, and that it is our job to be loving and kind and merciful. We do not know the trials that others are asked to pass through. Jesus Christ taught us  "Judge Not" and "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone."  I am not condoning putting people down and treating others with derision because of their lifestyle. 

The lie is that we cannot change. The wonderful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that WE CAN CHANGE. If we turn to Christ, He can take our weaknesses, our struggles, and our temptations and help us become better people.


"I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

 Christianity is full of weak people. Some of us are judgmental. Some are addicted to pornography. Some of have a temper. Some have negative thought patterns. Some are materialistic.  And a million other things. Despite the charge to "be ye therefore perfect", we are not there yet. But we can turn to Christ and through His grace and power we can overcome our weaknesses. This doesn't mean that we should all be the same.  A symphony wouldn't sound as beautiful if it was made up of only violins. As we turn to Christ, our own gifts and talents and strengths are tuned and refined.

In a moment of frustration with myself a few weeks ago, I made a side comment to Dave that I thought I was broken. Immediately the scripture came to mind, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick."  Christ wants us to come to Him. He wants to heal us and change us. 

It is not an easy process to change. In fact, right now I am working on changing some things and it is hard and frustrating. CS Lewis said, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 


Don't buy into the lie. The truth is so much better.



*If you haven't read the Book of Mormon and want to, go HERE. It's a great book.

God be with you til we meet again

This is a very awkward photo I took with my kids and Dad and Grandma Phippen right before we moved to Vermont.

Today was my Grandma Phippen's funeral. She passed away last weekend at the age of 93. She had a hard life, and I am glad that she is finally at peace. I wish I could have been there today, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings peace in knowing that I will see her again.

Things I remember:

*For a lot of years I got birthday card from Grandma with five dollars inside. She couldn't give much, but she did what she could.

*She always wore shoes. Even in the house, which I thought was strange. She also insisted that we wore shoes all the time. I suppose Grandma had days when shoes were a luxury and she never took them for granted.

*Grandma loved sports. When I visited her as a young girl clear up to when she lived at my parent's house, she always had a game on TV.  I like sports, too, so I guess that's something we have in common.


I am glad I stopped to see her in May when we visited. She didn't remember me, though after a while she remembered that my husband was tall and going to medical school.  My sister wrote a touching tribute to Grandma back in July.  Rest in Peace, Grandma.

inspired

General Conference always leaves me feeling inspired and motivated to "try a little harder to be a little better."  I am already planning on studying in depth some of the talks on parenting and marriage. My favorites were Sister Dalton and Sister Wixom and Elder Holland. (View them all here.)

Saturday morning as we were sitting down to watch, I saw my little kids sitting on the couch ready to listen to the prophet with excitement. It was a touching moment. I love the Prophet and am so grateful that I can listen to his words and other servants of God every six months. Granted, the excitement waned and by halfway through the second session on Saturday they were running amok. But for a moment it was perfect. I hope as they grow they know that I have a deep and abiding testimony of God's holy work, and that I feel I am a part of it. I hope they know that God loves his children and does not leave them alone, but has sent a Prophet to teach them. I hope they turn to his words and the words in the scriptures for peace and comfort in times of need.

The rest of the day was mostly peaceful, and included a daddy-daughter dance, catching some fireworks that were going on down the street, and then tucking the kids into bed.

Sweet is the peace the Gospel brings.

 What was your favorite talk?

happy easter

This is the first year I made Ana's Easter dress. I always wanted to, but somehow it never happened. Katie got a cute dress when she was born and it just happened to fit her now so I made Ana's dress to match. But then it was too short, and I ran to the fabric store on Thursday night to get a strip to lengthen it. I love how it turned out. I also made Jack's tie.

Trying to get 3 children to all look at the camera and smile their best at the same time is tricky. Especially when you are walking out the door for church.









Apart from cute children in new clothing and baskets full of candy, we watched THIS video as a family.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

one change

Sometimes I feel like I'm hanging on for dear life.

I like four seasons. By the time summer ends, I generally welcome the cooler weather, the color change, and eventually the falling snow. This year was no different. Fall was divine, and our white Christmas and snowman-building adventures did not disappoint.

Until February. Hell may very well be an endless northern February... or March.

And now we are a week into April and today may very well be one of the first nice days we've had in weeks. This spring as been slow-emerging to say the least. Even when the temperature crept into the 40s last month, it was too wet and slushy and melting snow-y to really do much outside. Now the only snow left is what had been piled from the roads, and today is promising to near 50 degrees.

This spring has not agreed with me. February gave me the grumps. I was frustrated with almost everything: my house, my children, my husband, my wardrobe, the snow - you name it, it annoyed me. Then we got a blizzard the first week in March, and it plunged me even further. My emotional self got the better of me, and I was a wreck. I didn't want to get out of bed. I yelled at the children. I just wanted to sit around and do nothing. It wasn't pretty. Then one night, after an emotional torrent, I was lying in bed wondering what was wrong with me. And I heard a voice.

It was my own voice from about 5 or 6 years ago. Back when I thought I had it all figured out. (Before motherhood stretched me in ways I never thought possible.) I had been talking to one of my sisters who had been struggling with life, and I had said to her (or thought to myself afterward), "Are you reading the scriptures and praying? Life is better when you do."

And that is what I heard myself say a month ago. And I realized, pathetically, that those things had been sketchy at best.

So I committed. I would stop trying to change everything at once, and just change one thing: read and pray every day.

The outcome:

*My children did NOT magically become more obedient.
*My house did NOT magically become cleaner and more organized.
*It continued to be cloudy and cold for weeks.
*And I am still in the annoying "maternity clothes are too big, regular clothes are too small" stage of pregnancy.

And yet:

*I feel better. I have been more patient, more willing to serve. I have more motivation to do housework. It is easier to smile. Life has been better.

And the only thing that changed was that one, essential thing.

Now I am ready to change one more thing.

so we watched TV all weekend

We spent the weekend lounging about watching TV.



Ana ate doritos on a ... fishing pole thing. (And snuggled Daddy, which they both loved.)



Jack did lots and lots of puzzles. We bought each kid a new one for the weekend. (Actually Ana's was a pack of 3 puzzles.) Jack mastered his fairly quickly.



So he moved on to Ana's. He really is quite the puzzle master.



We were watching General Conference.

It was incredible and uplifting. They are inspired words of God, both spoken and sung. I am excited to read them again. I love conference weekend. If you want to know what Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) believe and what our leaders teach, pick any talk and listen to it. We learned about how to be better parents. We learned about loving others. We learned about the importance of covenants. We learned about prayer and how to receive our own guidance from God. We talked of our Savior Jesus Christ. It was beautiful.

I love conference weekend!

Need some inspiration today? I've probably read this a dozen times and it never gets old:

The Joy of Womanhood

happy week-after-easter-sunday

Today during the rest hymn in Church, Ana was singing along. She didn't know the words, so she made up her own. "Jesus is adorable."

I just let her sing.


Oh, and I made that tie. It was almost a shame to cover it up with the vest. (almost).

slow down

My job is important.

I was reminded of that last weekend when several talks during general conference mentioned parenthood. I was also reminded of it when I read this in the Book of Mormon just the other day:

Mosiah 4: 26
And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.

I realized I do that every day.

And it seems mundane and tedious most days. Especially when "noisy children are clamoring for attention." (see Julie B Beck's talk)

So, I decided to slow down. And I have noticed some things. The other night Ana and I were playing together and I noticed that she runs everywhere. There is so much life and energy bursting out of her. And yesterday I noticed that Jack says "Hey, Mama" a thousand times a day, just to hear me say, "what, Jack." And I noticed that he gave Ana a big hug when she was in time out and said, "I love you, Ana." And I noticed that Ana makes up nonsense words all the time, but that she always follows it with "that means ____".

On the way to dance I turned off the radio and just talked to Ana. She said she wants to live on a farm with pigs (just pigs) and that she wants to name one "Kris" and she wants to ride them. Then she also said she wants cats and asked why her cousin's cat died. And I noticed that she's really curious about death.

There are a thousand things to notice. A thousand reasons to find joy. A thousand reasons to not envy those with great jobs or who travel the world. A thousand reasons to take advantage of these "protected years" when "Satan's use of the mists of darkness ... is blocked." (see Henry B Eyring's talk)

My job is important. And that is humbling. I hope I'm up to the task.

here goes nothin'

After my rather embarrassing experience last Sunday, I was quite surprised when I was asked to meet with the Bishop on Tuesday evening. I was so sure he was calling me in to make sure I was still sane - And that Dave hadn't decided not to come to church anymore. I was freaking out all day worrying over how I was going to calming and coolly tell him that really everything was just fine I was just overly emotional from having Dave gone and the kids acting up and... PMS ... can you say that to the bishop? But that really we were fine and Dave was home and we were all happy. I had practically prepared a speech about it.

That isn't what he was concerned about. Instead I was called to be in the Relief Society Presidency.

I have gone through many emotions such as: "but I'm not even that great of a visiting teacher" and "I'm way too young for this" and "it'll be fun to get to know everyone in the ward" and "at least its only for 8 months."

Mostly, I'm excited now. It'll be something new.

But man, I'll miss my primary kids.

in praise of single moms - and my husband - and relief society

Dave right now is getting on a plane to fly back from Philedelphia. Tomorrow he has an interview at U of U and then he's coming back to me after 5 L.O.N.G days.

I went to church by myself for the first time. It started out just fine. I got there 5 minutes early, and the kids were sitting there mostly reverent, except for Ana's loud call to her friend in the middle of the sacrament. But just about the time that the fruit snacks were all gone and Jack's stickers ran out, I lost control. Ana was rolling around on the bench and kneeling up and talking really loudly to the girls behind her. Jack started crying and I had to take him out. But Ana didn't follow me like I thought she would. So I went back in. Then they both went crazy and I picked Ana up to carry her out, but Jack didn't follow me, so I had to half drag him out. Then I thought the meeting should have been over so I went back into the chapel, but it was still the closing song. Jack was screaming and I was trying to collect several books, colored pencils and cereal from off the floor. Then the lady behind me told me that she'd keep an eye on Ana if I took Jack out. So I did.

And I cried.

Everyone was really nice about it. I got several hugs, even more "we've all been there, you're still a good mom"s and even a few "you are braver than me, I would have stayed home." One lady took Jack for the rest of church and kept him happy. Another took my primary class into hers and taught the class for me.

I went in the mother's lounge and cried some more. Eventually I calmed down enough to go to sharing time. Now we are home.

When we lived in Rexburg I used to sit by a friend of mine during church because her husband was in a bishopric up on campus. When we left she told me she was so grateful for that. I told her it was no big deal. After today, I realized that it was a big deal.

Often when we talk about Relief Society we talk about relief to the poor and needy. I'm so grateful for those who provided me with relief today at church.

And I'm grateful for my husband who does so much for me! I really should be more appreciative when he's around.

And I'm in awe at mothers who do this every week - whether they are single or if they're husbands are not with them for one reason or another. My hat's off to you.

another bulleted list

*Dave is home. Yay!!! He did really well in his interviews, and he really, really, really wants to get accepted to University of Rochester.

*Loved General Conference.

*When I got home from Poky the other day to a freezing cold house, I learned that the gas got disconnected in our house and I have to wait until Monday to get it turned on. So we spent a few days at the in-laws and are using space heaters tonight. Its still pretty cold in the house...

*My kids are sick. Jack isn't sleeping well, and they are both coughing. Sad.

you know those days when you just feel... bluh...

I've been having one of those weeks. Almost all week last week (and most of the week before that) I felt really down. Maybe its partly the cold shift in the weather. I always get blue in the winter and its been windy and cloudy on and off the last couple weeks. I am so not ready for summer to be over.

But anyway, Dave and I had a good long talk about stuff the other night and I feel a little better. I'm gonna set some goals and make sure I have "me" time every morning. I'm hoping this week will get better. On the top of my to do list for today:

get my kitchen sink unplugged. (that's at the very top of my list. Do you know how gross it is to wash dishes by hand when the water won't drain?)
clean out my bedroom, which hasn't really been done since we moved in.
do some laundry.

Also I get to teach the 9/10 year-olds in primary now. When we moved into this ward I told Dave I really wanted to teach primary, and I kind of set out to do it. (Is that bad?) Mostly, I just volunteered to substitute, and I did for the chorister the very next week and a primary class a couple weeks later. So, naturally I am really excited for it. I thought I was going to teach the sunbeams, which also would have been cool, but I'm excited to be able to teach the older kids.

Jack's blessing weekend

This weekend was a very cool weekend. On Saturday, we went to the Twin Falls Temple Open House. Ana was so excited to go inside the Temple. She was very good during the tour, too. We told her that mommy and daddy got married in the Temple and that she could, too. Since then, she's been saying, "I get married in Temple." I hope she remembers that. It is such a beautiful place. Yesterday was Jack's blessing day. I am so grateful for a husband who holds the Priesthood. With family in town, the whole weekend has been very family-oriented. What a blessing to know we'll be with them forever!

our little man in his blessing outfit. isn't he cute!

siblings

our little family

Ana in her new dress I made (with a lot of help from my mom).

A close up shot

pictureless post

In the next couple days I'll post some pictures, but for now I just wanted to do a little quick post.

*Dave got back from Peru on Sunday. Its good to have him home back. I'm sure he'll be posting about his trip on his blog soon. He had a good experience.

*We're blessing Jack on Sunday. I'm excited to get him all dressed up in his little white vest. He's gonna look so cute. Granny (my mom) is making little shorts to match.

*While at my mom's, and with her help, I made this adorable dress for Ana. I'm excited to get her dressed up in it again for church on Sunday. Pictures to come.

*Jack is sleeping mostly through the night. He's only waking up once from 11:30 until about 7:30, and its around 5, so I'm feeling fairly well rested. Heavenly Father must know that I need my sleep because both my kids are good night time sleepers.

Thats all for now.