So, I stole the pic from Mc. I am not a "baker". MC it "baker-extraordinaire" I appreciated her willingness to help me with these yummy pretzels. I can't believe how many we made, but it was so much fun to spend time with my BFF in her kitchen. Thanks!

I am almost ready to be nearly done shopping for Christmas.....next, I'll wrap. I love Christmas. Even though each year it gets a little more stressful, I am trying to keep things in perspective. I look forward for months about getting together with our families. I also am glad to have church on Christmas this year. Katelyn and I are playing a flute duet with the choir. She is so talented....me on the other hand haven't played since I was her age. But it's working out.

Merry Christmas!

2Corinthinians 12:7-10

7 And lest I should be ^aexalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a ^bthorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My ^agrace is sufficient for thee: for my^bstrength is made perfect in ^cweakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may ^drestupon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in ^ainfirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in ^bpersecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am ^cweak, then am I am ^dstrong.

I have been thinking a lot about this scripture lately. Paul is bothered by what he terms "a thorn of the flesh" He asks the Lord three times to take it away, to which the Lord replies,"my grace is sufficient for thee".

The Lord doesn't expect us to be perfect. He knows that we are fundamentally flawed. But, it doesn't matter. His grace is sufficient as long as we do our part. We can take Pres. Hinckley's advice to "try a little hared to be a little better". It's what the Lord expects. I am taking comfort in the last line of the scripture "for when I am weak, then I am strong"

Tyler's baptism

Tyler's baptism was incredible! He had a great day. It's had been awhile since we had a baptism in my family. I had forgotten how amazing they can be. Jason isn't pictured with us because he was being difficult and didn't want to stand in the picture. Katelyn and Jared spoke and bore their testimonies, it was beautiful. I am constantly a inspired by their testimonies.

We love the Gospel. I have a testimony of the Holy Ghost. To receive the gift of the Holy Ghost is such a blessing in my life and I have enjoyed teaching my kids about how much love I feel for the gift. I am thankful that my husband baptized Tyler. He is a good example of what a leader in the home means.

4.0

I had to document Jared's 4.0

Loved this quote

"Christ taught that we should be in the world but not of it. Yet there are some in our midst who are not so much concerned about taking the gospel into the world as they are about bringing worldliness into the gospel.They want us to be in the world and of it"


(Ezra Taft Benson Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 11).

whaaat?!?!

Seriously, it's September.....in one hour. This year is flying by.

I've been thinking a lot about time lately. I have felt so rushed for some time now and am realizing that you can slow down time.....stay with me.

Have you ever noticed when your child is falling and about to get hurt your mind seems to slow down, you can't move fast enough and in an instant you process what is about to happen. Time seems to slow down, and our ability to process the situation speeds up. At the same time...weird.

My Tyler is amazing. He struggles with anxiety (at 7) and it's hard for me to watch him being so worried all the time. However, I have noticed an incredible ability/gift that he possesses. He loves sports and being an active kid. When he is in a sport situation he has an ability to slow the game down in his mind and observe everything around him. He is very observant. (when it suits him) It reminds me of the scripture in Mormon 1:2 where Ammaron is talking to Mormon when he is ten. He says, "I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe". What an amazing gift of the Spirit, being quick to observe. It takes a disciplined eye and mind to slow down the situation so you are able to see everything around you in great detail. Which seems to me to be the opposite of anxiety. So, as a mom, I am trying to find ways to help Ty develop this gift so he can not only control anxiety but also develop his ability/gift of discernment. I may be wrong but the two gifts seem to go hand in hand. When Tyler is in a leadership type of situation, he takes control and things flow smoothly for him. When he is not in control (school, church, bedtime) his mind races to fix the perceived problem. (the problem being that he is not the mom) I have been worried about his anxiety getting in the way of him enjoying life, but what I'm finding is as he gets older and has more control I think things will smooth out. I think of it as harnessing his powers for good. He is about to be baptized. I have never felt in such a hurry to have one of my children receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's a reminder to me that we need the gift and power of the Holy Ghost every day. It's a great comfort to me knowing that I am given this gift, based on my worthiness, and can access any gift of the Spirit that I need in any given situation. As a baptized and confirmed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we are all given this gift. It's up to us individually to receive the blessings our Father in Heaven has in store for us.

It's late, I may not be making any sense....I may even delete this post after I re read it tomorrow. All I know it that right in this moment I am feeling the influence of the Comforter and I hope you who may read this feel it too.

My Katelyn is preparing to receive her Patriarchal Blessing. I am so excited for her. I am also excited for me because when my son received his blessing it was one of my mothering highlights.

I wanted to post a summer recap but as I sat down and typed, this is what came out. Our summer was just normal fun summer stuff. But, the best thing was the spiritual growth I saw in my children. I am a grateful mom. I am sad to see summer end, but at the same time I look forward to the fun things our family has coming up from now until Christmas.

The kids are back to school, and loving it! Jason starts preschool next week. It's a weird/nice thing to wind up the baby portion of my life. (sigh) I look forward to the years ahead of me and am excited to see how things roll.

I should label this "random, long post" :)

love...love...love honest John

My beautiful daughter turned 14 yesterday (sigh). I am constantly amazed by her maturity, wisdom and over all amazingness. I feel so lucky to have her in our family. She has a strong testimony of the Gospel, she is a wonderful friend, she tries hard to say kind things to and about anyone she knows and last but not least she is an incredible helper. I depend on her so much. Her attitude is usually good about helping at home with babysitting or chores. She just does what we ask with little complaining. I feel lucky to have one more girl in our boy-filled house. She loves to shop with me and is great company. I have told any one who asks about the ages of my kids that she is fourteen (for about six months now). She just seems older to me. She is beautiful, talented and sweet. Since she is now fourteen, she can go to stake dances and youth conference. So far, she hasn't given me anything to worry about with boys (which is another thing I like about her). I love you Katelyn!!!

honest John

I linked to this blog from another friends' blog. It's always good for a laugh.

http://honestjoncomics.blogspot.com/ check it out.....

New chapter

Lately, it's not that I have no time to blog...I just haven't felt like doing it. I enjoy reading "all-ya'alls" blogs, just don't like to post on mine. Tonight I make an exception because I changed the background. That's all...just the background.

It's summertime for the big kids, but Tyler is still on track. It's been good, but I look forward to sleeping in (ya right).

Today my baby turned 4. It's weird to me because with the gap I have in my family, I have had all my kids in school, but I knew we weren't finished in the baby stage of life. This time....I'm pretty sure we are done. I am looking forward to sending a missionary out in 2 1/2 years and having my second child drive in 2 years. It's time to turn a page. Make no mistake, I'm glad to turn the page...little kids are hard for me. If you yell to loud, sometimes they cry....weird. But, it's feels different to be needed in a new way. Not less needed like I once assumed...just different.

Well, I need to put the finishing touches on my...I mean....Tyler's Great Brain project so that's all for now. Except one funny family thing.

-Tonight we were looking at pictures of Jason and came across his first day of preschool picture. He used to call it "pretty school" instead of preschool and since he's the 4th kid we didn't correct him. Anyways, Tyler said "I almost went to pretty school, but they took one look at me and realized that I didn't need it". He is so quick, he also has the delivery down cold. He didn't smile, just looked at us as if he was saying, "you know I'm right". He's 7. I'm in trouble. :)

The role of motherhood

AAAHHH....37!

So I turned 37 a few weeks ago. That sounds much older than 36 to me, for some weird reason. However, in the spirit of the birthday I will do the "list" of reasons I am grateful to be 37 and things I didn't know when I was younger.

-I had a rough year, I am grateful I will never be 36 again.

-hopefully I learned the lessons so I won't repeat all of my mistakes

-I am grateful to have teenagers. ( if I weren't so old, I wouldn't have them)

-I am grateful to still have small kids too, now that I'm older, I let some of the small stuff go

-I am learning that most things that upset me are small things

-I am working on letting go of the things that bother me about myself that I know I will never change.

- I am learning some lessons in life are about overcoming faults and some lessons are about enduring to the end and always getting up when you fall.

-The lord knows us all individually. my testimony of this is strengthened on this topic almost daily.

-He hears you when you pray and needs our help to help each other.

-I've learned not to ignore a prompting.

-Random thoughts pop in my head for a reason. The only time I ever have regrets about them is when I don't act on the thought.

-It hurts my feelings to hear people criticize others.

-I know I'm not perfect but I hope I am getting better about being more compassionate and understanding about others situations and problems.

-I am trying to learn how to show my children love in the way that they recognize it. I guess it's called their "love language"....I hear there's a book about it....maybe some day I'll read it.

-I've learned that when I say "maybe someday" I might as well say never. :) But it's the thought that counts.

-Sometimes it really is the thought that counts to me.

-tonight my 7 year old said I was an awful mom...10 years ago that would have made me cry. Tonight I simply (for 30 min) explained why I am not an awful mom just because I make him eat dinners that he doesn't like. Being 37 has given me confidence in my mothering skills so a comment like that doesn't manipulate me.

-if the same 7 year old winks at me and says I love you....than let the manipulation begin :)

-I've learned to stand up for myself.

- I've learned that"just because I can, doesn't mean I should"...dang it.

-I'm learning that life isn't only always about the big changes you make but the sum total of all the small ones.

-I love my family more than I ever could have imagined loving anything in my life.

-They are worth all the anxiety, worry or random name calling that I endure.

-it's a reminder that they are acting their respective ages....adjustments usually need to be made on my end.

-I have been with my husband now longer than I was without him, I am madly in love with him.

-over 20 years of being married to him or dating him has taught me that there is no one for me but Brent. I love him more that the day we were married.

I am tired for now, maybe I'll post more later....ya probably not.

you gotta love fast sunday

Prep for fast sunday

In preparation for fast sunday.

love at home

I found this funny....

too much take out...

You know your family has had too much take out food when you three year old says, "mommy, if you were in Heaven, who would pick up our food?" I'm glad food is his biggest concern in this sentence.

The stick broke......

I walked in my kitchen after having a deep talk with another child when Tyler says, "The stick broke....I had to use my finger!" I'm sure it will be green for a week. Who ever invented the Fun Dip is, in fact, a dip.

Sweethearts

Sweethearts was tonight at Riverton High School. Luckily my son dates nice girls so that cuts my anxiety down. I hope they have a blast! It looked like a fun group. His poor date had ginormously tall shoes cuz he's not exactly a small guy. Ahhh, to be a kid again....
A big thank you to Lisl Barney for making the corsage and boutonniere, it matched perfectly and looked amazing! I highly recommend her for your flower needs, she is AWESOME!!!! THANK YOU LISL!!!!

Life....

I have been thinking about the gift of the life that I have been given. It has been full of ups and downs, but I guess never a dull moment. The older my kids get I am realizing how precious time is. My kids will start leaving me very soon, after all this is what I am raising them for. To be productive members of society, have an unwavering testimony of the Savior and His Gospel, and to be kind to others by always returning good for evil. The trick is, have I personally done enough to prepare them for what lies ahead/ The answer....probably not. Not in a bad way, but I realize that personal experience is a far better teacher than parents yammering in their ears about their personal experience.
Over the past several months, I have been experiencing anxiety in levels that I am not used to. It has been a challenge for me to stay calm and hold in words that I wouldn't have said a year ago. Actually, I think things that are not like me either. I feel Satan's pull on me sometimes more than I feel the Spirit with me. And it seems the harder I try to change it, the harder it is to change. Life is a refining process and, let's just say...I am in the fire. And I want out but apparently I am not done yet. I have faith that the Lord knows what is best for me, I also know that I am being prepared for something, I just don't know what it is. That's okay with me, I know the Lord is with me.
Thanks for letting me ramble, I feel better now. :)

Finding 10 things to do:

I wanted to set some goals this year but be realistic about my ability and desire to accomplish the goals. I thought about many things, like organizing my home (which is the bane of my existence). And....okay just organizing. But seriously, I know myself. I can't do it. I lack the "know how" to be 100% organized. There are plenty of thing I want to do....in theory. But realistically, I know they won't happen because I have no desire to follow through. So, I came up with a few thing that I am passionate about that will challenge me a little and I will be able to commit to with integrity knowing that I have the ability and desire to do it. Here goes...

This year I am going to read the Book of Mormon 7 times. My old record (set in 2007) was 6, so I think I can add one more time. I need the personal guidance that I receive from the Holy Ghost that only comes through scripture study. I started today.

This year I am going to spend more one on one time with my husband. We don't date as often as we should and life is passing by us so quickly that I feel like our kids will soon start leaving us and we better like to spend time with each other.

This year I will make a more concentrated effort to give my children more responsibilities to help them prepare for their next phases in life. It's a sobering thought that Jared will be leaving on a mission in 2 1/2 years, and Katelyn will be (cough)dating. (makes me want to hurl just thinking about it.) If I knew 10 years ago what I know now, I wouldn't have taken time for granted . Luckily, I have 2 stragglers who will get the benefit of all my wisdom when they start hitting their teenage years in 6 and 9 years. For example, I want to teach my big kids to cook. Just a few meals so I know that Jared on his mission will have the knowledge to do more than make Ramen noodles.

I want to attend the temple more than I did last year, which fortunately for me won't be too hard. :) I haven't set a specific number or am even sure how I will accomplish this but I have a deep desire. When I was pregnant with Tyler I went every Tuesday to the temple. Little did I know that it would be 7 years before I could get back into a regular routine of going. It is a good thing I was comfortable resting on my laurels all these years or I may feel guilt. :)

This year I am going to be better at budgeting our money. I am learning techniques that I think will work for our family, and I would like to increase our saving.

Well, I could only come up with 5 so I guess that will have to do. BTW, I am always open to organizing suggestions. The ONLY area in my entire home that is organized is my phone desk drawers. I learned many years ago some tips from Lorenne (miss her!!!) on organizing your desk and she outlined a plan for a homemaking night. I loved it! It was simple and easy to maintain. I can copy, I just have no ideas on how to start.

finally...

Tomorrow is finally the funeral for Brent's granny. They had a lot of out of town people flying in so it was postponed a bit. I don't love funerals. I hate public crying(just for myself...you cry all you want) I figure if I am a mess I can't help someone who may need help. It's also nice to be in the "in-law" category. When my grandma or grandpa passes I know it will be more difficult.

I am trying to come up with a few goals I want to accomplish this year. I used to love resolutions. I think I out grew the need for them. Or maybe I just changed my focus, I try every day to be a little better. Some days I fail, sometimes I do okay.

Random: my left eyebrow is falling out. I thought it may be my thyroid...it isn't. My Dr. said it is stress. Brilliant...(sarcasm keys typing) how do I change that other than a good eyebrow pencil. It's a good thing that I have relied on my inner beauty for so long otherwise it may bug me. (and bangs) I wished that getting old didn't mean falling apart. I could do without that.

I miss my husband. Life is so loud that I barely get to talk to him anymore. I hope when things quiet down he still wants to talk to me.

Jared asked a girl to a dance, we are waiting for a reply. She wants to do something to his room which is good news for me cuz he finally has motivation to clean it. Hey, I'll take it where ever I can. Also, baseball started last night. we actually had a few months off this year which was nice.

Katelyn is still perfect. She got a cell phone for Christmas and was completely delighted!

Ty and Jason are still Ty and Jason. Except we skipped right over the terrible two's to the terrible three's. So...that's fun. (sarcasm keys are typing again)

Anyway, when I come up with my list of the 10 things I want to accomplish this year I will post it. Until then, I guess you will have to wait on pins and needles :)