Namaste

This summer has consisted of endless yoga for the girls. They are so much more consistent with the yoga thing than I am. I know I should be doing it more often, but sometimes it's impossible to find the time. Okay...I'm making excuses. I know I can find the time. I just need to prioritize exercising more into my life. Although I feel great at almost being 40, I still need to exercise daily.  

My yoga girls.

Instead of taking pictures I should just jump right in and yoga with them!

Temple day with our girls

Today was officially the first time to attend the temple with our daughters to do baptisms for the dead. It was an amazing feeling to have sat in with our girls to perform confirmations and baptisms. The spirit was as strong as our faith and seeing the look on our girls faces afterwards was priceless....

An impromptu dinner

I don't know the feeling of how one feels after returning back to visit their mission where they once served. 
I can only imagine having a wonderful feeling of fulfillment.
After today...I felt as if Sister Barton (Becky) never left.

Becky let me know a month prior that she was visiting our ward on the 14th. It was 11:30a.m. and sacrament meeting was about to begin. I wasn't sure if she was still coming. Then I turned and noticed her sitting in the back alongside three unfamiliar faces. She was with her family.

After Relief Society was over she asked if she could come over to visit with our family. Of course I said YES and ended up inviting the whole clan over for dinner.

There was lots and lots of entertainment including Lexie playing her violin and Sierra playing and singing a few of her songs on the piano. Becky wanted to watch her in person instead of listening to her on YouTube or Facebook. Sierra obliged and felt like someone famous!  Laughter filled up our house and it was an amazing feeling. We do have fun in our house when it's just the six of us, but we still miss having extended family around. Today it felt as if we did have family, and

we enjoyed every minute of it! 

Besides the full- time missionaries, we rarely have anyone over at our house for dinner. I need to entertain and host more parties at our house. I realized that a smaller house with a small kitchen really brings out the best in people, and our true colors come out. Even though I met her family that day...we instantly felt like kin. 

Becky fiddled a little on Lexie's violin. She obviously has a hidden talent that we didn't know about. She played really well, and Lexie said she would like to fiddle like her someday!

Becky's friend Celeste was hilarious and we really enjoyed her company. She was trying to teach Chelsea how to swing dance.

Chelsea is fearless and she will try anything!

Here she is about to be flipped over by Celeste!

Chelsea seemed to be the center of attention that evening. 

She became instant buddies with The Brother's Barton.

Chelsea has been writing to her since the day she went home last summer. She is her best friend and still says she is her favorite missionary. I still can't believe it's been a year since Becky's been home. It sure was nice to have her back in our area visiting and meeting her family was a riot!

We feel really blessed to have known such a wonderful sister missionary and to have met her family. I am lucky to have her in my life and to know that our list of family and friends living in Utah continues to prosper. It is also nice to know that no matter where we've lived we've always managed to meet people who are like family...and that is what makes any move easy!

Let the Holy spirit guide.

Circa, 1998-Sharon and I in her little apartment in Texas

A month after I started my blog I decided to call one of my dearest friends whom I hadn't spoken with since moving to New Jersey. I know...shocking right. Those of you who know me look at me as the 'keeping in touch person'. It's true. Long before Facebook came into play I've managed to stay in touch with friends through handwritten letters. I know most of us don't keep in touch with every single person we meeet, but I try my very best to stay in contact because you never know when the last time will be before you talk or see them again.

I had her most recent phone number and called the nursing home she was residing in. As the nurse told me she was no longer a resident there and had no idea of her whereabouts, I had this feeling of nervousness and worry inside. I had this feeling she had passed. I decided to call her mother in Texas in hopes that she'd still be alive, and she was. I was so happy that she never moved or changed her phone number. I asked her about Sharon's whereabouts, and sure enough my feeling was correct. She told me that she had passed away two years ago in March. She was 54. That  feeling of nervousness no longer inhibited my soul and was replaced with calmness. It was as if Sharon was there in spirit preparing me to hear the news of her death from her mother, hence infusing my mind and soul with calmness.

Sharon converted to the LDS church in 1992. She was a stalwart member through and through. She had been battling with Multiple sclerosis since she was in her mid twenties. When I met her she was 37. Two years younger than my age today. She was one of my very first friends who fellowshipped me, and was there for me in times of need. As a new member I remember looking up to her as an older sister. She had a heart of gold and a very firm testimony of the gospel. She was a great example of someone who attended the temple on a regular basis. Since she could no longer walk she had a van with hand controls that were made for her to drive. She literally ran her van into the ground driving eight hours to the temple almost every other week! Back in 1992 the only temple available near Corpus Christi was in Dallas.

She left behind two wonderful sons who also joined the church with her at the same time. Her oldest son does the MS walk every year in memory of her. Her youngest is in Japan going to school. I asked her mother if I could send flowers every year to her gravesite, and that is when she mentioned to me that she was cremated. Her family gathered her ashes, went on a boat, and scattered them all over Padre Island. They also threw roses in the water in remembrance of her. Her mother mentioned to me how they do that every year and how next time she will throw a few extra roses in the water on my behalf. I thought that was so sweet and thoughtful.

As much as I felt bad for not keeping in touch with Sharon for the past three years,  I now know to never ignore that feeling of itching to call someone, or to send a note. When I moved up here I had the urge to call her, but ignored that prompting. Had I called her in the year of 2008 or early 2009, that would have been the last time I spoke with her, and I probably wouldn't have felt as bad. As I'm writing this story and after speaking with her lovely mother today, I don't feel as bad. I was actually happy for Sharon. Happy to know she's no longer in pain. She had nurses writing letters for her because she could no longer use her hands. Her knees contracted which made her immobile to do anything on her own. I know she's in a better place clapping her heavenly hands and running around up in heaven. I know she knows of my love for her, and how I never stopped thinking of her. I know that she is smiling down on me right now and thanking me for attempting to track her down even though the news was not in my favor. I know I will see her again and that we will laugh and share our spiritual experiences like we used to here on earth.

Sharon & I, circa-Summer of 1992

God Bless you Sharon-besides the LDS missionaries- you were my very first true friend in the church. God be with you until we meet again.

I am a child of God

These are the faces that lighten up my day as soon as I wake up:

Noah

Chelsea

Alexandra

and Sierra!

She has been at girls camp all week and comes home tomorrow! We've missed you Sierra!!

*Listening to this message is a reminder to me that no matter who you are...we are all children of God.

Helping hands

The past two days have been really nice to do yard work. The weather has been at about 85 degrees with very little humidity. Our grass has to be mowed at least twice a week! We love the rain and having green grass, but it's a pain to be mowing it all the time. Jon mows it on his days off, and today was the day. He planned to do it on Tuesday, but we both tended to Noah instead due to his illness (which was more important!) I should probably do my part in mowing the lawn too, but in my opinion...that's a man's job. I'll stick to the raking, planting, and pulling of weeds. Luckily I have my little helper who likes to pick up the clumps of grass afterwards. She says it's good therapy for her. (I think she's heard that phrase from me.) Lexie will sometimes help, but today it was just Chelsea and she didn't mind. 

She was glad it wasn't too hot and humid today. On days like today she didn't mind picking up the clumps of grass. The best part of helping out in the yard are the little $$earnings$$ she gets from helping out in the yard. 

I also explained to her that it's part of service in the Lord's name, and how she is serving both her Father in Heaven and her father here on earth.

A long night

Why is it that whenever Sierra goes off to camp or any other church related activity one of the kiddos becomes ill. What's more bizarre, (and I see this as a positive thing) is when one of the children do become ill...my husband is off of work, and that is a huge blessing for me. Especially when you have two other children in the house to take care of.

This time it was little Noah. He began throwing up late Monday night, and we tried to figure out what the culprit was. It turned out to be milk that was left out all night without being refrigerated. I was surprised he drank it because usually he will take a sip of his cup, and if it tastes bad he won't drink it. As I re-tracked back to what he ate earlier in the day... that is the only thing that turned up which was yucky!

He was still throwing up yesterday, but still doesn't seem like himself today. Jon was my hero in staying up all night while he was throwing up. They both stayed in the living room and slept on the yellow mat. This is the yellow mat that is used when one becomes ill, and has the need to throw up. We are slowly giving him fluids and some crackers. My poor babe, he's probably lost a pound or two with all the hurling he did. I know there will be a lot of sleeping today. 

The girls and I have learned our lesson in making sure to check all the cups for spoiled milk before handing it over to him. This rarely happens in our family among the kids. I think all of our girls have had their share of eating or drinking something bad which caused them to become sick. Let's hope this doesn't cycle! It's exhausting when you have a little one sick.

So, for all the mothers (and dad's) out there-when you give your babe some milk in a cup... make sure it's fresh, and that it wasn't left out all night!

The Day you lost one of your two front teeth

A couple of days ago Chelsea finally lost one of her two front teeth. She was jumping up and down joyfully when it finally happened! For the past two weeks she had been complaining of spitting blood while brushing her teeth, and how her tooth would hurt when she tried to chew any kind of meat. It was a travesty not being able to finish her bag of doritos because trying to eat on one side of the mouth  was hard. She was also afraid of her tooth falling out in the process while eating and accidentally swallowing it.

There was even an incident where she quietly went into the bathroom to try to pull it out herself. My husband went in to go check on her and noticed that her tooth was backwards. He tried to figure out which way she turned it so he could revert it back to the way it was. He did, and she felt a little bit better.

The tooth fell out that night.

I felt so sorry for her because she is the only one out of all my girls who wants to be cuddled when they lose a tooth. I was also in shock because she is supposed to be my sassy-little tough girl and how "pain no gain" should be her motto. She was a trooper and was especially excited because the tooth fairy finally came last night to give her some money. I told her that the tooth fairy is off on the weekends so she got her money last night.

No matter if she gets a quarter, fifty cents or a whole dollar...she was grateful and appreciative! 

*How much do you think the tooth fairy should give to your child?

Just curious.

Hope in preparing for your future

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

~John Dewey

This summer has been quite different from all the summers we've had before. Different because I see my eldest daughter portray a certain countenance that you don't normally see in teens today. Not only has she been buried with summer homework that consists of endless reading which includes four chapters of AP History, and reading three books for AP English. She's also had her share of being gone for weeks at a time attending various church activities, and having much needed vacation time with us as a family. In a sense I feel that her absence and time being spent in her room doing homework is preparing me for her future. The future that indicates not seeing her for months at a time as opposed to weeks. The future I am referring to is...

college. 

She has been dreaming of going to college since she was in the third grade. She also wanted to find a job as soon as school was over, but with vacation time, church activities, and tons of summer homework...it was impossible for her to work. I appreciated her efforts in wanting to become someones employee, but as a parent I didn't want her to get overwhelmed. She decided that she shouldn't work and that her school and church activities came first.  I was impressed with her decision and supported her through it. It would be nice if she did have a job making her own money and saving some for college, but it wasn't feasible with her hectic schedule. All of these decisions she is making and all that she is doing is indeed preparing her for college.

She began attending Girls camp every summer since she turned 12. I remember being sleep deprived all week worrying and hoping that she was having a great experience when she went for the first time. I missed her and cried off and on all week long. Although I had two younger daughters at home to keep me company our family didn't feel complete. It was hard. I found that after four years of having her attend girls camp it's become a lot easier for me, and her testimony continues to build. I am grateful for all that she continues to learn in school, and for all the church activities that keep her busy and strong in growing within the gospel.

Our Stake Presidency visited our church yesterday and while all the testimonies that were said were very uplifting and true...President Sikahema's stood out to me the most. He was the last to bear his testimony and mentioned a little bit about his college days and how it took him 22 years to finish his education. I was impressed with his diligence, and endurance in finishing his education and playing football for BYU including the NFL for so many years!

My husband and I don't have a lot of money saved for Sierra's college. She'll be graduating in two years and we really haven't build a nest egg for her. It was hard for us to save any money when you are moving from state to state. We've decided to not splurge as much on vacation trips next summer, and to seriously start saving some money from our tax returns each year. Luckily our kids are all five years apart which gives us five years to save for Alexandra's college, and the next kid, and the next (we have four.)

President Sikahema's testimony really inspired me and gave me hope that our daughter will have a higher education and get into a great college. Whether it's BYU or any other university she is determined to get in. She is bright, ambitious, goal-oriented, and has faith and determination in applying for every single scholarship out there, and pray that they will choose her. I've said this to all of my children many times, "if you do what's right and strive to do your very best in living a good christian life, and do excellent in school...the Lord will bless you."

I know Sierra believes that.

 I am also preparing for the four years (or more) she'll be attending college away from me. I know there will be tears, but at least I'm preparing for them now... instead of later. 

A Bubble party

Since the weather was nice yesterday the kiddos decided to venture outside around the house and have a little bubble party. Noah has had a lot of bubble fun indoors in nursery lately, and loved it even more because this one was done outdoors. They were all having fun blowing bubbles and having them float all around them. 

 They didn't care that we were being eaten alive by mosquitos (we ran out of the OFF spray.) Mosquitos were loving my spanish blood as well, but I didn't care. I loved taking these photos of them. It was worth watching Noah grab the wand away from Lexie so he can blow his own bubbles,

 Beside blowing bubbles he also enjoyed putting the wand in his mouth. Good thing it's non-toxic!

 It was a great outdoor, overcast, getting eaten by mosquitos, a little bit of sweating, with a bit of humidity kind of day for a mini bubble party!

And.They. Enjoyed. Every. Minute. Of. It!

Challenges

I asked Jon the other day(since he was born and raised in Salt Lake City), why so many youth in the church in Utah rebel, and don't truly follow the standards and teachings of the LDS church. The reason I asked him this specific question is because he was one of the majority in Utah who experienced rebellion, and at one point in his life... didn't attend church too much as a teenager. He said that he wasn't given enough challenges, and because everyone was practically a Mormon it seemed that it was just part of being who you are.

He also said he had a choice.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are good LDS families in Utah who have raised great children, but I have witnessed some of the youth between the ages of 14 -18 (even those in their early 20's) who have the most wonderful parents, not follow the teachings of the church, and it saddens me. Having lived in many different states, I see it everywhere. It's not just out west. As much as I love the mountains, miss my husband's family, friends, and being so close to the temples....I am grateful to be raising my kids outside of mormon territory because they seem to become stronger when they are faced with challenges. They also appreciate the gospel more.

I have seen the youth in various states we've lived in go through more challenges. Some are strong in facing them, and some are not. The majority of the youth are strong. Fortunately for us, moving from state to state in the past 17 years has been a blessing. We have all faced challenges, and yet overcome them with faith and fervent prayer. Our kids face challenges every day. Especially when school resumes. It's not easy when you attend a high school where there are 1300 plus students, and only five kids are LDS. I believe the youth that live outside of mormon populated states have to work twice as hard to live righteously. We have seen our oldest daughter go through trials and when we talk about them, and I mean really get into a discussion about the situation, she becomes more strong and confident. As parents, we strive so hard to keep our children on the right path without becoming weary, and to keep that open communication active.

I know all about agency and how children have to govern themselves and learn on their own. But don't you think that as a parent, we should be there for our kids and constantly be a reminder to them that although they have a choice...they have a chance to make the right one from the start?

I've made a lot of poor choices in my life as a teen without growing up in the LDS religion, but by the grace of God he saved me from becoming a mental case. I was an inactive catholic who at the age of 16 began searching for a higher divinity. It's ironic how I was searching for that light of happiness at that age, and my daughter who is 16 already has it, believes it, and recognizes the light of Christ. I believe that I am who I am today because of what I have been through in my life. I've faced many, many challenges, and grew from them. I still face challenges today at my age, and although it can be so easy to just give up, to hate, not forgive, be depressed, and feel sorry for myself...I make the choice to be strong and fill my life with pure bliss.

It's been a little over a month since Sierra returned from EFY and she continues to be the best example to us all. I have heard the old cliche, "the youth come back from girls camp, youth conference, pioneer trek, EFY or any other church affiliated activity and their spiritual high only lasts for a short time." Not true. At least not my kid. I don't mean to boast but she truly has a talent for being obedient and at her age that can be rough. She is the key to having her siblings follow in her footsteps, we are the key for our children to follow our example, and Christ is the key for all of us to follow His.

I give thanks to my Father in heaven who guides and helps my children to deal and overcome adversity. I see in them a strength, an enthusiasm, that I didn't see in myself as I was growing up. They all go forward with faith and no matter how hard things in life become...I always remind them that they are children of God, that He is always there to hear their prayers, and that we as parents are always here to listen to them.

"One of the greatest challenges for all of us is to learn how to live in the world without participating in all that it offers. Worldly standards will always be in a state of flux. The only true and unchanging standards are those set by the Savior and His teachings of the restored gospel."

~Donald L. Staheli, Ensign Feb. 2009