Elder Tanner Latham

My awesome brother Tanner was just dropped off at the MTC today!  I'm so proud and excited for him.  He really is such a wonderful example of a righteous young man and I love him for it.  I know that he is going to make an amazing missionary and that he'll have a great time teaching the people in Texas the gospel.  I hope he always remembers that he is wonderful person and child of God and that whenever he needs help for anything that the Lord is always there for him to turn to. 

WE LOVE YOU ELDER LATHAM!!!

We heart cupcakes

So in case anybody out there didn't know, I really enjoy making cupcakes.  It's one of my most favorite things to do.  I love how versatile they are,  how I can pretty much do whatever I want with them, try whatever I want to try and just make them as cute or as funky as I wish them to be.  Plus all of these cupcakes that I make are gluten free, so that's an added bonus when I want to eat one myself.

A Daniel Post

Age: 4 years and 2 months
Weight: 38 lbs
Height: 3'3
Eyes: Hazel and green
Hair: Blonde
Favorite Food: Toast with applesauce
Food He Hates: Broccoli 
Favorite Treat: Doughnuts with sprinkles and popsicles

Favorite Color: He loves red
Favorite Game: Legos
Favorite Toy: His orange helicopter
Favorite Book: Monsters Inc.
Favorite Movie: Tarzan
Favorite Show: Phineas and Ferb
Favorite Activity:  Playing outside
Best Friend: A.J. Chandara
Favorite Animal: Bears
Favorite Blanket: His cuddle blanket and his Buzz and Woody blanket
Favorite Song: Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam

Daniel is so much fun and so much trouble at the same time right now.  Not so much trouble as he just thinks he's independent and can do whatever he wants. He likes to do everything all by himself, always all by himself. Brushing his teeth, getting dressed, getting his own water or snack, everything is all by himself.  Plus he talks and talks and talks and talks, he could go on all day and night long.  If I ever need a break from him it's just cause I need a little silence, just for a moment.
Daniel right now loves his Sunbeams class and loves going to church.  He loves playing with friends, any friends, even kids he doesn't know because everyone is his friend. He loves being outside more than anything he would rather do everything outside if I let him.
He loves his Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa and prays for us to go and see them in every single prayer that he says. Daniel tries really hard to be a good boy. The other day when he got upset that I wouldn't let him have cookies for breakfast, he started to cry for a second then stopped and said "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be good" and stopped whining.
Daniel really is such a good boy and Shaun and I couldn't be prouder of him and the wonderful little kid he is and what a joy and blessing he has been to our little family.  He makes it so we never have a dull day.

WE LOVE YOU DANIEL!

A Change Up

So lately I've been feeling quite emotionally conflicted and depressed. I don't mean to and a lot of the time I'm not even sure why I'm feeling down, I just do.  Even though I know that my life is quite wonderful and that I have been so blessed, sometimes I give into my natural man and decide to feel sorry for myself and all of the things that I don't have and then whine and complain about how hard my life is. 
Thank goodness I'm not one to dwell on the negative so usually my pity parties don't last too long but the past week has been for some reason a little harder then others.  I have had a few people reminding me and telling me all the things that are hard about having an only child, how my it's going to be when Daniel grows up and it's only him, and commenting on how lonely it's going to be.  I know that a lot of these people who are telling me this aren't trying to make me feel bad.  They love and care for me and don't mean to make it harder.  It has made me think a lot though lately about my life and has kinda thrown me into a little rut that I've been struggling to climb out of for over a week now.
It has made me wonder if I'm not a good mother, and maybe like I'm not a good wife either.  It has made me wonder where I'm supposed to go from here, what am I to do with my life?  All this week and last I've been praying and crying. Trying to figure out why I'm feeling this way, why I'm suddenly feeling so lost and out of control, I've been fine with my life and how it's been going since I had my hysterectomy, why all of a sudden am I struggling now? 
Last night Shaun, my wonderful husband, gave me a pep talk and pretty much told me that it was time for me to start getting happy again, that I had to be done with being sad, mopy and just down right depressing.  Shaun is right, I've realized that I've starting doubting the plan that the Lord has for me and when I do that I'm opening the door for all of the negative thoughts and feelings about myself and my life to flow out and knock me down. 
So after Shaun's pep talk I opened the scriptures to a spot without even looking or thinking and just started reading hoping maybe I would find an answer to the way I was feeling, like when I hear stories of people saying they opened the scriptures and there was their answer waiting for them. I wanted that to happen to me, I wanted to be able to just find my answer.  I ended up in D&C 123 and as I started reading I was wondering what this chapter could possibly hold for me.  It was Joseph Smith telling the saints to keep a record of all the sufferings and abuses done to them by the people of the state.  As I kept reading thinking that I for sure wasn't going to be getting anything out of this chapter, I took notice of some of the grief and sorrow that it stated these pioneers had to go through.  How hard their trials and lives where and how much pain and suffering they had to endure.  Then I found it, my scripture, my answer, in the very last verse of the chapter. D&C 123:17  "Therefore, dearly beloved brethern (and sisters) let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." 
I am still not quite sure what the Lord has in store for me, but this day forward I've decided to live my life the best and happiest I can and with the "utmost assurance" that I will soon see the salvation of God and that what I'm going through is to better me and that he will never give me more then I can handle. I will cheerfully do all the things that lie in my power and then leave the rest to the Lord for he is the one in control. I will do my best to be patient and put my full trust in the Lord knowing that he is always there for me no matter what I may have to go through. Starting today I'm going to be grateful and happy, very happy about how blessed I am and what a great life I lead, knowing that it's only going to continue to get better so long as I have faith and trust in His plan for me.

Mission Call

I know I should have totally posted about his sooner, but my tiny little brother who isn't so tiny and little anymore got his mission call a little bit ago and the little brother is going to Mcallen Texas!  To top it off he is going Spanish speaking!  I am so proud of him I don't have words to describe how awesome that boy is.  He has always been such a good kid and just an all around good guy.  I am so excited for him to have such an amazing opportunity, he is going to be such a great missionary and bring lots of people to the truth with his wonderful personality and dashing smile. 

The icing on the cake is that Jaci my beautiful little sister, is going to be getting in her papers this week to serve a mission at the same time as Tanner!  Jaci is so strong and kind and loving of others and I know that she is going to reach many many people on her mission that others couldn't due to her shinning personality and beautiful spirit.  It's going to be so strange having both of them gone at the same time for so long.  I'm going to be super lonely for them while they are gone but I couldn't be prouder of them and the choices they are making in their lives!