Emma Smith's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

 A few years ago I was in a book club that I loved & I really miss it :(  We read the books 'Emma & Joseph- their Divine Mission' & 'The Holidays with Joseph & Emma'.  Both are by Gracia Jones.  She is their great, great, great....grand daughter & one of their first descendants to join the church.  Well, I was talking to some friends one day about the books & how much I enjoyed them.  One of my friends started laughing & said 'Well, if you want to meet her I could arrange that...Gracia is my step-mother'.  What?!  I couldn't believe it!  Crazy coincidence huh?  So, we arrange to have her come talk to our book club & it was an amazing night.  The spirit in that room was tangible.  Her testimony of both Emma & Joseph's divine missions were inspiring.  She brought several heirlooms that she had handed down to her including a brush & Joseph's death mask.  The death mask proved that Liz Lemon Swindle has done the best job of capturing what Joseph really looked like.  Gracia shared so many insights & stories...we didn't want the night to end.  Anyway, another thing Gracia shared was this recipe from Emma.  She was famous for these cookies & they are pretty delish!  I love making them & thinking of her & all the other strong & courageous pioneer women.  What a legacy!

So, for this week's featured recipe click here:

Emma Smith's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Mosiah 29

So, in my recent scripture study I was reading in Mosiah chapter 29.  Let me set the stage:
King Mosiah is getting old & since none of his 4 sons wanted the throne (they walked away from it to serve missions to the Lamanites-very admirable!  These were the same boys who tormented the people of the church with Alma the Younger before they were visited by an angel) he sent out a letter to his people explaining why they should have a group of judges instead of a king.  He gives the example of King Noah vs. his father King Benjamin to show the difference when the people are ruled by a wicked king instead of a righteous king.  Huge difference!
Anyway, the people agree with him & choose judges to rule over them instead of a king.  In the Book of Mormon study guide I use, it points out that up until this point the people had recorded time in reference to when Lehi left Jerusalem, but now, since this was such a significant change for the people-to have judges instead of kings- the time will now be recorded in reference to the beginning of the reign of judges.  Quite amazing the impact that a righteous king can have on his people & history!
I am sure that one of my awesome seminary teachers taught me this back in my good ole high school days, but I had forgotten.  Hopefully, now I will remember!

Mosiah 12-17

I love the story of Abinadi & wicked King Noah.  He was such an amazing prophet with such a strong testimony!  I love that he uses the 'word traps' set by the priests to prove that they don't know the scriptures & the words of the prophets.  In Mosiah 12:27 he says that 'ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.'  We can read & study the scriptures, but if we don't apply our hearts-if we don't exercise faith- then we will not be wise. 

Also, as I read this story I love to think of Alma, one of King Noah's priests.  He listens & believes Abinadi's words, then becomes a great man, & prophet who leads the church.  I can just imagine him sitting there in King Noah's court listening to Abinadi & his heart burning with the knowledge that what Abinadi was saying was true...he just needed to hear it.  Then he acted on it...that's the important part.

Mosiah 2-4

With what I refer to as the first General Conference, King Benjamin addresses his people.  He is getting old & fears his time is coming to an end so he wants to make sure his people know of his testimony & the truthfulness of the gospel.

I can just picture the families pitching their tents around the tower, & gathering food & supplies so that they could sit & listen to the prophet.  He teaches them so many wonderful things: service-to each other & to God, keeping the commandments, no fighting & contention, repentance, the power & goodness of God, Jesus Christ & his atoning sacrifice, salvation, overcoming sin, not judging others, SO many wonderful teachings!

He ends by saying 'if ye do not watch yourselves, & your thoughts, & your words, & your deeds, & observe the commandments of God, & continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, O man, remember, & perish not."

AMEN!

TOFW

Time Out For Women (by Deseret Book) came to St. George! I love this kind of thing; I always feel so refreshed and renewed after hearing all the wonderful speakers. I want to be better & do better in every aspect of my life. And this year I got to enjoy it with my Mom and sister Alesha. We had a great time...maybe laughed too much? Is that possible? I just love my sister cuz she can always make me laugh & we have such a similar sense of humor-we totally get each other. We haven't really had much of a relationship for the past 8ish years due to her life style & life choices. But now she is such an amazing person that has completely turned her life around for the better. She is so brave & strong, I can't imagine going through the transformation that she has undergone. But I am so glad she did, cuz I finally have my little sister back & I love it! Love you SHMEE!!

Elder Beau Jones

Congrats to our nephew Beau! He will be serving in the Little Rock, Arkansas Mission. He leaves after Christmas. His parents, Danny's brother Todd & his wife Michelle, threw a fun 'mission call' party. Everyone got to guess where they thought Beau would go & boy where the guesses all over the map! Then when Beau finally opened his call & read Little Rock, Arkansas, we were all surprised & excited! His mom thought he was kidding :0) Beau is an awesome guy & will make a great missionary. We are excited to have a missionary in the family to write & send packages to. Good Luck Beau- we love you!!

Some thoughts of Taytam

Dear Family & Friends,

Now that the dust has settled a little, we wanted to share the wonderful experience of Taytam's funeral. It went perfectly-we wouldn't change a thing. It was short, sweet & beautiful, just like Taytam's life. We kept it a very small gathering of just family. We hope that no one is hurt by this, but that is what felt right for us. We took our children a little early to the mortuary, so they could see Taytam again & take a few pictures with her. It was a precious experience to have our little family all together. Then the rest of our family gathered for a beautiful family prayer, given by Danny's brother Todd. Then we went into the chapel for the funeral. We knew that none of us would be able to sing, so our good friend Tiah Wright played the piano while her girls, Hailey & Brinlee sang 'I am a Child of God'. First, Danny spoke & he did a wonderful job. Still not sure how he made it through that? Then President Terrell Lamereaux gave a beautiful talk that brought us a lot of peace. He spoke of our Heavenly Mother, whom we hadn't even thought of yet. Even though we know that Taytam's spirit is an adult, it brought much comfort to think of our baby being taken care of by our sweet Heavenly Mother. Next, our Bishop Brad Nelson gave some comforting closing remarks. Then, Danny & all the worthy Melchizedek Priesthood Holders held Taytam in their arms to give her a name & a blessing. It was a very beautiful & spiritual moment we won't soon forget. The girls closed by singing 'Families can be Together Forever'. We went over to the Tonaquint Cemetery where my dad dedicated the grave-another beautiful prayer. Lastly, my sweet sister-in-law Shannon, brought balloons for all the children to let go & send up to Taytam. Reese didn't want to let hers go, but we finally talked her into it. It was the perfect ending to a perfect ceremony. Went spent the rest of the day with our families-eating delicious food, swimming, talking, & just enjoying each others company.

A couple days later, on Monday, we headed out to San Diego! It was an exhausting, but fun trip. We went to SeaWorld, LegoLand, San Diego Zoo Wild Safari Park, San Diego Zoo, The Mormon Battalion Historical Site, & of course the beach. We had a great time & enjoyed spending time together as we try adjust to life without Taytam.

Now, we are home & trying to adjust to life without Taytam here. It wasn't as hard to come home as we expected, but it will definitely take some time. We just try to stay busy & think happy thoughts. 'Happy thoughts' is why I am writing to all of you again. We have felt so many prayers & so much love & concern that we wanted to share a few thoughts, experiences, quotes & scriptures that have brought comfort & peace to our broken hearts. We hope that you will feel the same comfort & peace...

Danny shared this experience in his talk during Taytam's funeral. Up until that point I had not told anyone else. It is hard to talk about & I worried that people might think I was a little crazy, but this experience was as real as I am sitting here. After learning how much this helped family members who heard it at Taytam's funeral, I have decided to share it with all of you:

At the ER, they continued to administer CPR to Taytam. I was able to sit by her, hold her hand, & talk to her. Of course I was begging her to come back, to wake up, anything! I was petitioning God-I wanted a miracle. My miracle. The doctor told me that because of the recent lab results there was nothing more they could do for her & that they would stop doing CPR when I was ready. I laid my head down on the bed next to Taytam & I received my miracle. I closed my eyes & I saw her. She was standing on a beautiful green hillside, the grass & flowers were knee deep. She was wearing a light colored sun-dress, she had waist-long, blond curly hair that was moving in the breeze, the sun was shining behind her so I couldn't see her face very well but she looked about 8 years old. She was so beautiful, happy & peaceful. Words cannot do it justice. Then she spoke to my mind "I'm okay Mom, I'm okay." It was the hardest, but most spiritual experience of my life. It was my miracle. I will be forever grateful for the peace & reassurance I received in that moment & I think of it often.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said "In my leisure moments I have meditated upon the subject, and asked the question, why it is that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem to be the most intelligent & interesting. The strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these: The Lord takes many away in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, & the sorrows & evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, & we shall soon have them again."

The Prophet Brigham Young said "Leaving this world to go to Spirit Paradise is the greatest advantage of our whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish & disappointment into a state of existence where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is free, I thirst no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weakness, I am full of life, full of vigor, & I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father, by the power of His spirit."

Alma 40:12-And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

We know that Taytam will be ours to raise during the Millennium, if we are true & faithful. The Prophet Joseph F. Smith taught: "The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth or development in the grave. As it is laid down, so will it arise, & changes to perfection will come by the law of restitution. But the Spirit will continue to expand & develop, & the body, after the resurrection, will develop to the full stature of man."

The Prophet Joseph Smith also taught that: "The mother who laid down her little child, being deprived of the privilege, the joy, & the satisfaction of bringing them up to manhood or womanhood in this world, would, after the resurrection, have all the joy, satisfaction, & pleasure, & even more than it would have been possible to have had in mortality, in seeing her child grow to the full measure of stature of its spirit."

We know that if we live according to the commandments of God, we will have the opportunity & privilege to raise Taytam, to see her grow & develop, to see her baptized & receive all the essential ordinances of the Holy Temple. What peace & comfort this gives our broken hearts. We look forward to this with hope & faith. The joy of that day, gets us through this day.

Now, for the question everyone wants to ask, but no one dares: Will we try to have another baby? The answer for now is probably. We have talked a lot about it & right now we just don't feel like this can be it, the way we end our 'childbearing years'. We feel like adding to our family would help us all to heal, & feel happy again about babies in general. We don't want to end on a sad note, so to speak. But we are going to take some time to pray, fast & attend the temple, to decide if this is really the right decision for our family. Danny had a feeling years ago that we would have 5 children, but now we wonder if that was to have 5 children or raise 5 children? We also know that we would never regret having another child, but years down the road we might regret it if we don't. There are many questions, thoughts & feelings that we need to sort through, it will just take some time.

Averee (8), Adelyn (6), Owen (5) & Reese (2) are doing really well & asking lots of questions-which has been a great learning experience for all of us. The hardest question is WHY, especially when the answer is BECAUSE. Taytam has made the Plan of Salvation a much more real concept for us & we are grateful for our testimonies of this wonderful gospel truth. We miss our sweet little Tater-tot so much it hurts, but we pray that through this experience we can all learn, grow, & feel the comfort of the Holy Ghost & the love of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. This has been, without a doubt, the hardest thing we have ever experienced, but also the most spiritual. It is quite amazing what you can survive if you rely on the Lord. Heaven has never felt closer.

Thank you again & again for all the prayers, thoughts, hugs, cards, gifts, acts of service, flowers, texts, & emails. We could never repay the kindness we have received. We love you!

Love, Danny & Maren

Our Sweet Angel Baby

I just have to tell you all how overwhelmed we are by all the love & support we are receiving. It has been amazing. We are humbled to know how many people love & care about us so much. We are doing a little better each day, for me everything doesn't feel quite so raw & agonizing. The pain is more than I can bare at times, I feel completely empty & lost, but its gets a little better everyday. I am having an easier time controlling my thoughts, which has been a blessing. The Holy Ghost is carrying us thru & we can feel all the love & prayers sent our way.

I wanted to explain a little of what happened wednesday since I am sure everyone has a million questions. Around 10 I fed Taytam her bottle, I burped her, & she fell asleep on my shoulder. I laid her on her tummy, on my side of the bed, so she could smell me. This was only the 3rd time I had tried to put her to sleep on her tummy, but all my other babies had eventually preferred their tummies, so I thought I would try it again. It breaks my heart everytime I think of it-if I could change just one thing...I would give anything to go back in time and put her to sleep in her bouncy seat like I usually did. When I went in to check on her around 12:15, she was face down. I picked her up and started screaming. I called 911 immediately and the dispatcher talked me thru infant CPR. It still amazes me that I was able to do that, but adrenaline had taken over. My 4 other children were home and very scared so I asked Averee to take the younger kids back in a bedroom. When the ambulance arrived they took over CPR & I called Danny. He was in Park City working. He immediately headed home. I rode in the ambulance to the ER. I am so thankful for how quickly people were there with me at the ER & my other children at home. Doing all of this without Danny was horrible, but so many people came and it meant the world to me. After awhile they let me come in the room where they were working on my sweet little Taytam. I was able to talk to her & hold her hand as they continued CPR. I am told they worked on her for over an hour in the ER. I think all along I knew she was gone, but I just couldn't accept it & I kept hoping & praying for a miracle. I have never prayed harder in my life. When the lab results came back, the Dr said that there was nothing more they could do & when I was ready they would stop doing CPR. Nothing prepares you for the pain & agony of a moment like this.

Later when they had cleaned her up, I was able hold her in private. Taytam was gone, but it was still comforting to hold her little body again. Other family and friends were able to hold her as well. The nurses made molds of her hand & feet, which we will treasure with all our hearts forever. They also provided a photographer to come and take some pictures of Taytam and me. I wanted Danny there so badly, my heart ached for him, but he was still driving home from Park City. Being surrounded by family and friends is the only way I got thru this. Danny met Taytam and I at the mortuary, where he was able to hold her & say his good byes. We are having a small family ceremony Saturday morning at 10. I hope everyone understands & isn't hurt that we are keeping it just our families, but that feels right to us. Before the ceremony, a photographer is going to come take pictures of our family & Taytam. The other children haven't seen her yet. I look forward to & dread this at the same time. It is going to be a hard day. As part of the small ceremony Taytam will be given a name and a blessing by Danny, her uncles & grandfathers.

We went yesterday & picked out our plots at Tonaquint Cemetary. We chose 3 in a row & our sweet baby girl will be laid in between us. The past 2 days have been filled with hard questions that you never imagine having to figure out or answer. But we feel the hand of the Lord guiding & helping us thru it all. The kids are doing okay. We just all try to stay busy. Owen & Reese are a little too young to really grasp what is happening. Averee & Adelyn have taken it pretty hard, but they seem a little better each day. The more we talk about it, the better we feel. It is just going to take time. We are so grateful for our testimonies of eternal families. We know that Taytam will be our guardian angel as she waits for us. I know with a surety that we will all be together again one day. The joy of that day gets me thru this day.

Again, we are eternally grateful to all the prayers, calls, cards, gifts, treats & food. It is hard for me to be at home right now, so I am sorry if you stop by & we aren't there. We feel so loved & taken care of, it is overwhelming. We love each & everyone of you.

Love, Maren & Danny

BYU Womens Conference

I recently returned from the BYU Womens Conference. It was awesome of course! I get the opportunity to go each year (thanks Hot Stuff!) with my sister-in-laws. 2 of them are pictures above. Michelle is in the middle-she is married to Danny's brother Todd. Kim is on the end-she is Danny's oldest sister. Usually my sister-in-law Shannon comes too, but couldn't make it this year due to family responsiblities, i.e. her daughter had a dance recital. Oh how we missed her! This was our 4th year & the first time that one of us couldn't make it :0(
I wanted to share a few of the tidbits I learned. Plus, since this is my journal, so to speak, I wanted to record my thoughts & what I learned & the personal inspiration I felt.
It started Thursday morning with Sister Julie B. Beck-isn't she just amazing! Everytime I hear her speak I want to be better & do better. Here are a few of the highlights from her talk:
* We are only limited by our faithfulness
* The most important skill we can gain in this life is to discern & use the spirit (personal revelation)
* Mothers are the Lioness at the gate of the home. We need to guard our homes just like a Lioness would guard her cubs
* What matters to the mother happens in the home. If FHE matters to the mother-it will happen in the home. Where are our priorities & what matters to us?
*If our priorities are out of order we will lose our power
* She mentioned that when she was a young mother, and sturggling with balancing & juggling it all, she came up with a system that helped her keep her priorities in line. She made 3 lists. The first list was the Essentials (essential to eternal life & exhaltation): prayer, scripture study, temple attendance, FHE, fulfilling callings, church attendance, service, visiting teaching. The second list was the Neccesary (neccesary to sustain home & family life): cooking, cleaning, laundry, homemaking, homework. The third list was the Nice To Do: hobbies, crafts, recreation, girls nite out, lunch with friends. She promised that if we will make the Essentials our first priority then we will always have time for the Neccesary & even a few of the Nice To Do, but if we focus on the other two first, then we will never find the time for the Essentials. How profound! This was my most favorite insight of the weekend. I can't wait to implament this in my life-I think it will make a huge difference. I am embarrased to admit, but the Essential were probably the last things that I worried about doing. The Neccesary seem to run my life-leaving little time for much else. I am excited to put her ideas & promise to the test :0)
Thursday I chose several classes on scriptures & how to study them. Here are the highlights from those classes:
* Show children how to use the scriptures to solve problems or answer questions
* Keep scriptures in your car & purse-when you have a moment waiting in line at the drive up window, waiting for children etc, use that time to read the scriptures
* Patient Persistance...it takes time & effort to understand & enjoy studying the scriptures
*Are our children spiritually starving? We are the mothers-it is our responsibility to teach our children the gospel. We can't leave it up to the primary, YM/YW, or seminary. It is up to us!
* Our testimony is the greatest gift we can give our children...do they have it?
* It is thru rearing children that a mother works out her own salvation
* Repeat the scripture stories over & over until children know them by heart
* Expect more, not less, from our children & ourselves. Children can read & memorize scrpitures from a very early age. Take the time!
* A wise parent never misses a chance to teach of Christ
The thursday afternoon speaker was Sister Forste. She talked about being united in the gospel. Here are the highlights from her talk:
* We all share a testimony of the restored gospel
* We are individuals united in the gospel
* When we all come together it creates a PERFECT 10
* We need to sustain & respect each others righteous choices
* My personal revelation is only for ME! Don't push or judge others based on our own personal revelation (this was an A-ha moment for me)
* Our righteous differences can bond us together
Friday morning started with Sister Allred & Sister Thompson (from the general Relief Society Presidency) talking about all the humanitarian efforts made by the church. They showed several video clips of some of the ways our church is able to reach out & help people all around the world. It was amazing & awe-inspiring. I felt so blessed to be apart of a church that does SO much good all around the world-for member & non-members alike. My favorite quote from Sister Allred: 'We are commanded to become self-reliant so that we can help others'. My favorite quote from Sister Thompson: 'Pray to be the answer to someone's prayer'.
My first class on Friday was 'Selflessness & Sacrifice in Marriage'. Here are the highlights:
* Be united with spouse against Satan
* Selfishness gives Satan power
* Sancification allows unity
* The spirit will not reside side by side with worldly desires
The next class was 'Giving Children the Gift of Work'-this was a great class. One of the presenters was a guy I went to high school with: Hank Smith. He is a seminary & institute teacher now. Apparently he speaks all the time & even has a few CD's out. Pretty much the next John Bytheway. I went and said hi after & it was fun to catch up. He especially made my day when he said 'How come you still look 18 & I look 40?!" Oh Hank, always a charmer! :0)
* The surest way to make it hard for our children is to make it too easy
* Recogize limitations
* Have realistic expectations & give clear instructions
* Teach by working together
* Give praise & give it often! Positive reinforcement yields positive results
* Give service
* See work & the ability to do work as a blessing
* Balance work & play
* The Lord works! 'This is my WORK & my glory'
* It is not fair to judge past decisions with current knowledge (loved this-thanks Hank!)
* Successful parenting is not judged by the righteousness of our children (thanks again Hank!)
* Sweating is as much a divine command as is prayer
* D&C 59:10-we can't rest if we aren't working
* The 3 P's of Helping: Partner Up (don't push, pull or tell, work with them), Positive (consider what God could say vs. what He does say), Patient (we are growing children, not vegetables)
* Consider the difference between Good Success & Bad Success
The next class was 'An Educated Women never ceaseth to Learn', here are the highlights:
* Learn the doctrines of the kingdom-get the understanding in our lives & the lives of our children. Elder Nelson: 'Get the doctrine into our bones'
* "Getting" of the world doesn't go with us. Proverbs 4:7, D&C 130: 18-19
*John Taylor: "It is true intelligence for a woman to take a subject that is mysterious & great in itself & to unfold & simplify it so that a child can understand"
*D&C 93:36- the glory of God is intelligence
* Moses 1:11-use our spiritual eyes. The more pure we are the better our spiritual eyes will work & the more spiritual things we will see
* True knowledge-remember & understanding things we already knew in the pre-existance
* Scriptures are the source of all blessings, answers & happiness
* Act on personal revelation-heed promptings quickly
* We will not recognize big promptings if we are not listening & heeding the small ones
The final talk on friday afternoon was Elder & Sister Oaks. They were incredible! I couldnt take notes fast enough! What a wonderful spirit they brought to the conference. From Sister Oaks:
* We can make a difference only to the degree that we are different
* In the resurrection we will be a product of our choices
* Seek for an increase in spirit & avoid worldly distractions
* Counting calories vs. counting blessings
* Time & age may ravish us, but our core beliefs & knowledge of the doctrine will remain intact
* Rise above form & meet the function
Elder Oaks:
*Our world today is summed up by 'American worship of Individualism' (Selfishness, self-centered, living unto self)
* Frank Sinatra's 'I did it my way' will NOT be sung in the Celestial Kingdom
* Being a mother is a cure for our own self-centeredness
* The Lord knows our heart & the reasons we serve. Why do I serve?
* Work for a condition of less concern for self
* Obsessive concern for self is destructive (where does a "bad hair day' fit into the eternal scheme of things...besides-no one else cares!)
* Without service our spiritual growth is stunted
* It is amazing what you can get done when you aren't worried about who gets the credit
* Weak marriages are caused by putting our own needs above our spouse & family
* Marriages are al iving thing-if they are 'sick', we try to heal them, not give up on them
* Selfishness weakens family bonds
* Never forget Who you serve & Who is in charge. Trust in His words, promises & blessings
It is such an awesome experience to be there with 15,000 women who have the same concerns, hopes & fears as you do. That many women singing the hymns together is quite powerful as well! Anyway-that about covers it. Sorry if this is long & boring-or makes no sense! But I hope to never forget the things I learned & the feelings that I had. Thank heavens for Womens Conference! It is always the boost that I need to recommit to the things I know I should be doing. See ya next year!

an update...finally!

Wow-where does the time go? Seriously! I don't even have a good excuse for not updating for so long. I haven't been too busy or anything like that-life just gets away from you sometimes ya know? Then before you know it you haven't updated your blog for like 3 weeks! So what have I been up to? Let's see...
At the beginning of May I had the opportunity to go up to the BYU Womens Conference with almost all my sister-in-laws. It was awesome! We had such a great time. It was great to spend time with these ladies that I love & admire without the interuptions of husbands or kids. You get to know each other on a different level & I have learned so much from them. I am very blessed to have the great in-laws that I have. The conference was amazing-the first day was a little overwhelming cuz there are just so many great classes to try to choose from. Then that night they had a concert for us with a lot of the well known LDS artists. We were laughing & dancing one minute then crying & feeling the spirit the next-it was great! We even got to hear from President Monson-he was the last speaker the last day. What a blessing! As soon as he walked in it was dead silent-you could have heard a pin drop. And there were like 30,000 chatty women there in the Marriot Center! After a few moments of silence someone started singing 'We Thank Thee o God for our Prophet' & everyone joined in. The spirit was so strong-I don't think there was a dry eye in the place. He said some of the same things he said in general conference-but more geared toward all us women. So awesome! On the way home we stopped at Thanksgiving Point to see all the flowers since it was during their Tulip Festival. It was so gorgeous! We had too much fun making our way thru the garden & seeing all the amazing things they have done there with flowers. I definately recommend it! We are going to make the conference trip a tradition every year-can't wait till next time!
Later that next week I got to see a few friends from out of town-love ya Jennie & Carly! It was so good to see these ladies & their sweet little ones- Jacob & Claire. It made me realize just how much I have missed them. We have been friends since middle school & I love that we can always just pick up where we left off. So good to see you guys! Love ya!
Then of course we have had the usual end of year recitals & graduations to attend. I can't believe Averee will be in Kindergarten next year! She can't wait-she actually thought that she would get to go as soon as she turned 5. She was more than a little dissapointed to found out she had to wait till the fall! The girls have loved their dance classes. Averee is getting better all the time. I think Adee justs like to wear all the different costumes! Here are a few pics from Adelyn & Averee's dance recitals...

This was Adee's favorite costume of the day-what a diva!What a poser!

We got to have a litte tea party together after Adee's recital-she even served us cookies!

Of course Averee is the tall one wearing blue in the middle-look at those nobby knees! Can't imagine where she got those chicken legs from! :0)

Averee was so excited for her dance recital-I think mostly cuz she knew she would get a lot of flowers! She did such a great job-we were so proud of her!

Well, the only other thing I can think of is that we got rid of our dog Sammy. FINALLY! I tried it for a year & just couldn't take it anymore. It is like having another kid! A 'kid' that chews on EVERYTHING (he ruined a couch & more toys than I can count!), barks at EVERYTHING (especially at nite!) & constantly digs up your garden! It was time for him to go & I feel really good about the home we found for him. The kids don't even seem to care so far-I think they were sick of Sammy jumping on them, barking, & leaving 'presents' in the lawn. I will miss my 'floor cleaner' though! He always kept the food under the table cleaned up!

I think that is about it for now. We are headed to Lake Powell tomorrow so I am sure I will have some pics to share next week. Have a good one!

Just what I needed...

I wanted to share a few thoughts & feelings about this past weekend & what a great weekend it was. Conference was awesome-it was just what I needed. My Mom came over on Saturday & we scrapped while we watched the 2 Saturday sessions. Thanks Mom! The kids were pretty good about staying upstairs & watching their movie. I think the Lord helps them behave when He knows we are trying to do something worthwhile. :0) It was so neat to watch the Solemn Assembly-what amazing men! I felt such a wave of reverence & awe come over me to think of the intense responsibility that has come to President Monson. He has always been one of my favorites & now we will get to know him even more. He spoke with such power & authority. My favorite line from him was when he said 'We are fighting a war with sin, brothers & sisters, but it is a war we will win!' He said it with such conviction- I had the chills & knew that he was right. My favorite talk was by Elder M. Russell Ballard at the end of the 2nd session on Sunday. He directed it towards the young mothers of the church & it was just what I needed to hear. I hope Danny was awake to hear it. :0) His story about sitting with his family during Sacrament meeting for the first time in 10 years was hilarious! I think we could all relate to that experience! Everything he said resonated so strongly with me-my heart swelled with gratitude to hear an apostle of God say things that I already knew in my heart-I just needed a little reminder. Elder Ballard made me want to do better & be better-but not feel overwhelmed. As young mothers so much is expected of us & it can be so easy to feel overwhelmed & inadequate. But it is talks like his (& books like 'I am a Mother' by Jane Clayson Johnson) that reaffirm to me that I am doing the most important thing that I could be doing right now: raising & taking care of my family. It really stuck out to me when he explained that children are with us for such a short time before they go out in the world on their own. It is our responsibility to teach them everything we can during the time that we have them in our homes. But of course, I think they usually teach us more. I am constantly trying to be better about living in the moment-slowing down-enjoying the journey. The dishes & laundry can wait-that is what naptime is for right? :0) One of my favorite quotes is from President David O. McKay-'No other success can compensate for failure in the home'. It doesn't get much more straightforward than that. So here is to being a better wife & mother! Thanks to all of YOU-I have been blessed with so many wonderful examples all around me. ChEeRs!