Quote of the Day

Quote of the day-
"A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment ." -Luke 12:15

Children

 “Children are an heritage of the Lord: and … happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”

 

"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children."

 

We have been taught both in the scriptures of old and by the later day prophets that children are important. As a mother of 4 young children, I am reminded every day how important my children are in my life. They help me grow spiritually and emotionally, they show me Christ-like attributes of forgiveness, simple joy and unconditional love. Christ taught...

 

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

 

These small ones that run through my home creating noise and chaos, are also the ones who have provided me the greatest example of what it means to be like Christ. Makenzie is no exception. As she folded her arms tonight during family prayer my heart melted and I wondered at her sweet innocence. I couldn't help but catch a picture to always remind myself. May we all do as Christ has commanded and "become as little children".

 

 

 

 

Create

There are 2 weeks left in my health challenge. My desire to win is waning, but I'm in second place (behind by 6 points) and I'm hoping for a small miracle. It's only $60, but I would love the extra cash to put towards some new shoes. :)

I don't have much to blog about tonight. It was another busy day, I cleaned and went for a walk, took mom to her doctors appointment, made dinner, had FHE, etc. So since I don't have a lot to share about my day, I thought I'd share my favorite church video. I have never thought of myself as a creative person, but after watching this for the first time a few years ago I realized that I am creative, but it is a different type of creativity. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and feel as reassured as I did that we are all creative beings.

Create

Wrong Roads

Found this awesome video on lds.org tonight that kind of goes along with my post about faith from a few days ago. It explains that sometimes we have to make a choice, and although it may not be the "right" choice, there is a reason behind it and eventually Heavenly Father will lead us to where we need to be.

I have made a decision and although I'm not positive it's the right decision, I know without a doubt that it will help guide me to the place I need to eventually be. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will not leave me helpless, they will always guide and direct my path.

Check out the video, it's worth the time. :)

Wrong Roads

Jail Breaker

Tonight as I was putting Makenzie to bed she was acting super cheesy. (Which I sorely needed because I had a rough day.) I wanted to capture some pictures, but she continued to laugh and squirm while I did so. Then she decided to try something new......

 

 

Looks like my little Jail Breaker will be moving to a big girl bed sooner than I thought. 

Faith

I read Elder Nelson's talk last night for my scripture study, it's called Let Your Faith Show. I remember hearing parts of it in the midst of crying kids, but there was so much I missed and it is such an amazing talk. I think it especially hit home last night because it talked about "faith being the antidote to fear". My Dad used to tell me that faith and fear cannot abide together. I thought this applied to moments of life-threatening type fear, but not until recently did I think about how this applies to me right now.

One thing you must know about me is that I am an indecisive person. I become anxious over even small choices, it has gotten better over the years as I have grown into my own skin and have gained some confidence. But, when it comes to big decisions I stress and become worried and fearful I will make the wrong choice.

Last month I was offered a promotion at my job. It came right after Wes and I held a fast that he could get a new job that would better support our family. I have turned down 2 other promotions because I wanted to put family first, and thought I'd turn this one down too, but I decided to pray about it first. After many many weeks of praying, studying, pondering and praying some more, I received no answer, or at least that is what I thought. Lately most of the time when I pray for things I'm devoid of any feeling. It's felt kind of aweful, kind of lonely, and somewhat depressing. I have had plenty of spiritual experiences especially when it comes to studying about Christ and His atonement, but when I try to seek for answers, I feel...well I feel nothing really.

So today, as I pondered this talk and spoke with my wise sister Sarah about these feelings. I realized that perhaps Heavenly Father isn't answering my prayers with a "yes" or "no" because he is expecting me to utilize my faith, stomp out my fear, and make a choice on my own. Perhaps that is my answer. Maybe He is making me dig a little deeper. I know I have definitely studied more than ever lately in hopes to receive answers. Here is what I also know- I know that as I do what is right, as I try hard to make a good decision, He won't let me fail. Perhaps I will make a choice that will be hard and bring a little sorrow, but I know that even in my trials I can grow and He will be there for me, always guiding me.

At the end of Elder Nelson's talk he quotes President Monson who states, "Of course we will face fear... Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with [faith] have courage as well.” What is courage? It is "the ability to do something that frightens one".

It's time for me to put my fears aside and make a decision. I need to have faith in Christ and with that faith will come courage. I can do this. I can grow. I can become the person my Heavenly Father sees in me. I know He is there, even when it's quiet and there seems to be no answers, for He is always there and always will be. For this knowledge I will be eternally grateful.

Truth

"Truth is truth! It is not divisible, and any part of it cannot be set aside."
-Elder Nelson

This quote reminds me of something my Dad said to me while walking together one night. He said to the effect, there is no such thing as half truths and there is no need to say the "whole truth", because either it is true or it is not, and either you are being honest or not. There is no in between when it comes to truth and honesty. He was so wise and how I miss his counsel and wisdom. I can only pray to live up to the kind of person he was and I'm sure is on the other side.

Selfies

We live in an age of selfies. What is a selfie? Wikipedia explains, "A selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Instagram, Twitter, Vine,Snapchat, and Tumblr. They are often casual, and are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror."

There is a quote that I've seen roaming around Facebook that goes something like, "I can't cook, I can't sew, and I can't knit, but I can take an excellent selfie." I know that's a little extreme, but I often wonder where people find the time to take so many of them much less get ready for them. Or maybe I'm just jealous because everyone else knows how to take cute selfies and mine always turn out less than desirable. So in my case I can't cook, I can't sew, I can't knit and I can't even take a selfie. Looks like I need a different hobby. :)

With that being said, I found a few selfies tonight. The best part, I took 3 at slightly different angles with my hair moved in the faintest or ways. Who knew I was so vain, or maybe it's not vanity, maybe I just adore the sweet girl next to me and all of her cute faces. Love her. Enjoy!

Cooking

I would not consider myself a cook, in fact I would probably rather clean a bathroom than cook. I believe it's a Wasburn trait since not one of my sisters enjoys cooking. However, with that said, I do like it when I try my hand at something new and my family loves it. Tonight was one of those nights. I decided to try a new recipe for roasted sausage and potatoes. In an attempt to make it healthier I added a lot if extra vegetables. I was worried it wouldn't turn out, but it did and it was fabulous! It was nice to have so many compliments from my family, including picky little Gideon.
The best part of the night was when I was prepping and Lily said, "I like this Mom, we should do it more often." So new goal- cook more with Lily. :)

Because of Him

April19th-
Today Mom and I took the kids to the park across the street for a ward pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt. Then Mom so kindly watched them for a few hours so that I could get some chores completed. Wes got home thuds afternoon and we went to out family dinner at Peter Piper Pizza. Afterwards we did a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt. The kids had a blast all day long and although it was busy it was worth every fun-filled minute.

April 20th-
Today is Easter. I have had a lot of thoughts go through my mind and the Spirit has been close to the surface for a week or so now. At the Easter pageant this week I watched the parable of the 10 virgins scene and thought to myself how hard it must have been for the 5 who had enough oil to leave behind the 5 who didn't. They were probably leaving friends and family, but they had to press forward, they could not wait and possibly lose their salvation. We have to do the same, we cannot let those who are not prepared keep us behind.
Then today as I watched the #BecauseofHum video on Mormon.org I was filled with so much awe and wonder and saw the atonement as I never have before. I would share those feelings, but they Are tender and everyone should see it themselves. The following is the link, happy Easter.

Because of Him

More Reminders

Things that I was reminded of today....
1) Never judge, we never know what others are going through. Sometimes even those we are closest to have trials we will never know of or understand.
2) Sometimes it requires every waking moment in order to focus on not yelling at your kids, and even then it's difficult.
3) Michael's and 4 children do not mix well. (Hence the previous comment.)
4) One on one time with a child is amazing and needs to occur more frequently in our home.
5) I miss my husband and do not sleep well when he's not home.
6) Love is something we need to consistently work at, it is not always something we say, it is something we do.
7) Perfectionism hurts and should not be forced on others.
8) Cleaning and organizing a closet while the kids play, means the other 95% of the house is trashed.
9) 5 Guys has delicious hamburgers and fries (and are better when eaten with friends) and Mi Amigos fajitas are fabulous (and are better when eaten with family).
10) The atonement is real and applies to all of us!!!!

Christ- His Last Days

This video explains the last days of Christ so well.

The Last Days

Christ- Was a Little Child

In the craziness of my evening I forgot complete todays Easter week activity with the kids, which was to read Luke 2:40 and 52 and sing "Jesus Once was a Little Child". It looks like tomorrow we'll be doing 2 of the 7 day activities.

However, I did read a few scriptures to the kids about being kind to our brothers that I found in 3 Nephi 12. Steele was shocked when I read him the part about those being angry with their brothers or calling others a "fool" will be in danger of "hell fire". We talked about the need to be kind to our siblings because that is what we are commanded to do by Christ and our Heavenly Father. I think the "hell fire" part might have scared him a little bit, hopefully he will think about it next time he calls Gideon a name or starts to pick on him. :)

I sure love these sweet, but crazy kids. I learn from them daily. I hope every day that I can help them to "increase in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Just as Christ did as a child and also to "[grow] and [wax] strong in spirit". This is my main focus in life in hopes that they will choose the right path and we can eventually be together for eternity with our Father and Jesus Christ.

Christ- Was Born

Tonight for FHE I utilized a link on lds.org that uses scriptures, pictures and songs teaches about Christ and the different stages of His life. Day 1 was "Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born on earth." It also shares the scripture Luke 2:4-7 and recommends singing "He Sent His Son" from the Children's Song Book.

This was such a fun activity, even though it was short, to do with the kids. They love to sing and because the verses were short, we were able to go through and talk about each verse and what the mean. At the end I quizzed the kids a little on what we had learned. I am always amazed at what Steele is able to recall and how well he knows the gospel. I often wonder if he is listening to me, but then he surprises me by answering so many questions correctly. Hopefully as we continue to have FHE and as we continue to teach them each day, they will all obtain knowledge and develop their own testimonies. More than anything else in the life, I want my children to grow and be able to have their own individual testimony of the gospel and of Christ.

Here is the link to Seven Days of Easter. May it be as useful to your home as it was in mine tonight.

Christ- He Lives

In preparation for Easter Sunday, I thought I would dedicate all my blog entries this week to the true meaning of Easter which is Christ. My feelings concerning my Savior have been very close to the surface over the last few weeks. I have always known that He is the Redeemer of the world and has atoned for my sins, but recently my love for Him has grown.

This last week on 3 seperate occasions I have had a spiritual witness that He loves me! He knows me! He has accomplished all that needs to be accomplished for me to have eternal life! Something that I alone could never be worthy of obtaining. I have attended the Easter Pageant many times over the years, but this week as I watched them portray Christ's suffering both before and on the cross, my heart ached like never before. I felt a grief in my soul that I cannot describe. He is truly my Brother and I cried knowing that this man I love suffered for me, has overcome for me and wants me to return to Him again.

I may not know a lot, but this I do know, I...we...everyone has a Savior. He loves each of us. He knows us and He has atoned and overcome the bands of death so that we might live again, just as He lives now. May I do as our Sunday school teacher challenged us today, and that is to make the atonement a part of our lives each and every day. I know as I do this I will draw ever closer to this perfect Man of whom I love and respect with all my heart.

The following link is an excellent video. It is called He is Risen. May it speak to your spirit as it has to mine. Happy Sabbath.

He is Risen

Perfectionism

More than once lately people have pointed out to me that I am too much of a "perfectionist". I know I'm not perfect, but why do I always feel like I should be. I suppose we are taught to follow the Savior's example and He was a perfect man, so perhaps this is were that desire stems from, but I also know that I will never reach perfection in this life.

As I thought more about this, I searched the topic of perfectionism tonight on lds.org. One of the first articles that popped up was the following, Confessions of a Perfectionist. The first  few paragraphs sound identical to my life and state the following...

"I started life as a perfectionist. My mother tells stories of my color-coded closet and sock drawer. If I had order, I felt I had control. Even as a child I was passionate about life and the successes I would make for myself.

I married at a young age in the temple, and we had four children in six years. With the birth of each new baby, I obsessed about losing weight and exercised myself down to my pre-pregnancy size and sometimes even smaller.

I worked from sunup until sundown trying to keep my house a place of order. When people visited, I felt sure they thought I was lazy because my home was not perfect. Though my mother often told me, “You wouldn’t worry so much about what people thought of you if you understood how infrequently they do think about you,” I believed that people were judging me as harshly as I judged myself. I would make excuses. It was a source of embarrassment and heartache, so I tried harder to keep things clean and orderly."

 

She goes on to talk about going back to school with children and wanting to keep a 4.0 and then working afterwards to help with finances. She states that there was so much to do and that she would "wake each morning and pray that I could accomplish everything on my “to do” list, only to be discouraged as I dropped into bed after midnight." I was shocked to see how hard this sister was on herself, but realized that she is so similar to myself it's almost unreal.

 

Many days I wake up and one of the first lines in my morning prayer is, "please help me accomplish all I need to do today". I then go about my day in a fast and somewhat obsessive state. I know there is much to be done and everytime I sit down to relax by reading or looking on the internet I berate myself for not working. The thing I realized tonight and probably the worst part, is the fact that I don't want anyone else in my family to relax either. I get irritated when others are enjoying themselves while I'm still working. I want my house to be perfect and I want them to help me make it perfect. But is it necessary? Of course not. Mopping the floor once a week is sufficient, and the other 2 times could be spent playing a game with my kids or spending some extra time snuggling with Makenzie. Wes mentioned the other night that I should spend more time being silly with the kids, he is right and perhaps as I do this there will be less arguing between them and me because I won't be so frustrated when they aren't working.

 

This sister finishes out the article by sharing 7 ways to find peace in this journey to perfection.

1. Pray for guidance. Many of our choices as Latter-day Saints are between good things. Prayer can help us discern our best possible options.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others. Chances are you compare your weaknesses to other people’s strengths.
3. Be gentle with yourself. Christ is a gentle teacher. He is gentle with us, and we also need to be gentle with ourselves. Acknowledge you are doing the best you can. Be accepting of your efforts and those of others.
4. Forgive yourself. If you fall backward—brush yourself off and start where you left off. All is not lost.
5. Don’t worry what others are thinking of you. It is really only important that you know how the Lord feels about you.
6. Acknowledge the fruits of your labors. Write them down in a journal. Even during the Creation of the earth, the Lord acknowledged the beauty and effectiveness of his tasks each day: “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:12).
7. Be thankful. We know that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne. 2:25). Rejoicing in Christ and in our many blessings is the best way to show gratitude. A daily closing prayer is a great opportunity to thank the Lord for all your abundance.

I particularly like number 2 and 6. I know that I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others. This only makes me work harder to be perfect and the problem is none of us can be strong/perfect in everything. There  is not enough time in the day. We all have weaknesses, we will always have things to work on, we have to, if we didn't we wouldn't be here on the earth. I also know that as I have taken the time to write things down the last few weeks, I have felt a little better about myself. Some of my best journal entries have been the ones where I go through my day to see all I accomplished. I may not have accomplished everything, but most of the time I'm able to see what was completed and that most of the time it was a lot! When I do this I'm usually not so hard on myself and am able to have a more grateful attitude.

 

Perfectionism is not a bad thing, in many ways it is exactly what we should be striving for, but we can't let it overtake us and drive a wedge between ourselves and the ones we love. My goal this week is to focus less on perfection and more on just doing my best. I'll finish with Elder Wirthlin's quote for this is my new motto, "We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.” May we all find peace within knowing that none of us has to be perfect today.  

 

 

 

National Sibling Day

Facebook was full of pictures of people's siblings today. I laughed at first, but then realized who fun it was to see everyone's family. I shared my pictures there, but figured I would do it here as well. Here's my FB post today....

I guess I'll join in on National Sibling Day and post some pictures of my crazy siblings, both by blood and marriage. Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly be related to them...other times I don't know what I would do without them! Glad to call each of them family!

Utah

I want to live in Utah. I love Utah. I wish Wes would appease me and let us move our little family there. This picture explains a little bit why I love Utah....

I took this picture on a trip to Utah with my friend Kaylee, these flowers are located on Temple Square. But more than flowers and Temple Square, I love these....

 

What I wouldn't give to live at the base of the beautiful Utah mountains. I remember flying into Utah last year and just having a sense of being "home". Utah is definitely not home as I have lived in AZ all my life, but there is something that draws you to the explicit grandeur of the mountains and for me it really feels like a peace of Heaven.

 

I know that it seems silly for me to want to move somewhere just for the scenery, but considering we are a family who loves to be outdoors and exercise, it would be a definite perk to live somewhere with such an amazing backdrop. Who knows, maybe one day I'll convince my sweet, but hard-headed husband that the saying "a happy wife = a happy life" is in fact a true quote...just saying. :)

General Conference

What a great weekend this has been. I love General Conference, so much so, that today I actually cried during the final closing prayer. Part of why I love it so much is the fact that I feel so close to my Dad when I watch it. My Dad loved Conference, he always made it a priority, I loved sitting next to him as he wrote his notes and pointed certain parts of the talks out to me. I know he would have loved Elder Utchdorfs talk today. It enlighten me and gave me new insights and knowledge that I've never before thought of. I will post more on his talk in a future post. I look forward to going to conference in 6 months with Steele, I'm excited to start a new tradition that will hopefully be one that my kids won't forget and will help them grow to love Conference as much as I do.

For more information on GeneralConference go to lds.org.

Missionary Work

Today was the start of General Conference weekend. General Conference is when Mormons across the world gather together to watch and listen to the Prophet and Apostles speak. It is something I look forward to every 6 months because I always feel spiritually rejuvinated. Today's sessions were just as good as ever.

Most of the talks today were on missionary work, both in this life and the next. I couldn't help and think about my Dad, especially when they talked about missionary work on the other side of the veil. I can only imagine how hard my Dad is working over there, he never stopped while on earth, so I'm sure he is going just as strong there. Because of this, I need to do my part here and make sure that I'm teaching the gospel and helping to spread the word to my neighbors and friends. I figure I will start small and invite one of my close friends to the Easter Pagaent. I have invited neighbors and aquaitances in the past, but never a close friend, so this year I will remedy that and see if I can't help someone that I love feel the sweet spirit I always feel when I go.

I'm so grateful to have the Gospel in my life. It has given me knowledge and direction that has kept me on a straight and narrow path. Frequently I think about the blessings I have been given and no matter how I look at it, I realize that all of my blessings come from my Heavenly Father. I will be forever indebted to Him and will continue to try my best to be the person He would have me be.

Makenzie Rose

This little girl brings so much joy to our family. She is loved by all of us and can bring a smile to anyone who is frowning or sad. In her baby blessing she was told that she will bring much joy and happiness to many lives, well she is already doing just that in her own home. Love her!!!

Multitasking and Hello Dolly

Tuesdays entry-
I have learned that my life requires multiple-tasking. For example, I talk on the phone while doing dishes or other cleaning, I do my make-up while listening to the scriptures or conference talks, I exercise and write in my journal (like I'm doing right now) all of these things help me to accomplish more each day. Multi-tasking is good as long as I remember to slow down, allow time for meditation and remember that when it comes to the Lord and prayer, I should not multi-task. :)

Thursday-
Today I went to Mesa High's Hello Dolly with Steele and Lily. I was a bit worried prior to going that they wouldn't like it because it's a musical and frequently the vocabulary is difficult to understand, but to my surprise they both liked it, especially Steele. He was so cute sitting next to me laughing and pointing at the things he thought were interesting. At the intermission I let them each buy a candy to eat during Act II, he kept turning to me and saying, "thanks Mom" and sweet Lily, "this is SO fun!" It was just what the doctor ordered considering Steele and I have been arguing a lot with eachother and he has started into a very "independent" phase that I'm having trouble understanding and dealing with. It also made me think about the kind of entertainment that is bombarding my kids. I want to take them to more wholesome things like plays, musicals, etc. Steele even said he would like to be in a play when he gets older, perhaps he is not too young to look into doing theater, he definitely has the personality and the confidence. As I left tonight I was just so grateful that we still have good things in the world and that I had the chance to spend some time with 2 of my kids doing something that hopefully they will remember for a long time.