Wrong Roads

Today I decided to do something a little different.  I have been thinking a lot about this Mormon Message that I watched on www.lds.org.   I have been thinking about how sometimes the Lord allows us to make wrong choices so that we can turn around and get back on the right path.

I find this to be true in many things in life.  Sometimes the Lord wants us to be able to distinguish the good from the bad.  I'm grateful for my agency and the gift that the Lord has given me to choose.

This year I chose to spend 24 hours a day with all of my kiddos.  It was a crazy thing to do, and sometimes I feel like this was a crazy idea; but then we get to do such fun things together, and I get to watch my kids learn and grow, and I am thankful that I made this choice.  Here are some choices that I am glad that I have made, and some that I wish I would have never made this year...

I am so thankful that I chose to marry Justin.  He helps me, loves our kids and makes up for the things that I am lacking.  He works hard for our family and allows me to fulfill my dreams.  He steps up when I am to scared to step up, and I just don't know what I'd do without him.

I'm so thankful to have this little girl.  She helps us all stay on track.  The other day while Dallin was complaining about something being too hard to remember.  Elise gave him some advice.  She said, "When I need help memorizing something I sing it."  That was a happy moment for me to watch the kids help eachother in their learning.

I love this little boy.  He is such a hard worker.  He definately has extreme amounts of energy, but he has a strong desire to choose the right.  He wants to be a missionary, and everywhere we go he will ask people if they are a member of the "True Church".  

I'm so glad that we made the choice to have this little girl.  Our lives would be so sad without her.  She is crazy, but so much fun.  Here she is trying to do my elliptical.  

I'm so glad that I have gotten to spend time with this kiddo.  He grows by the minute.  Last year I felt like we weren't getting to spend as much time together, but now I feel that we can talk and talk for hours, and I just love developing a better relationship with this kiddo.  

Making a piñata with my kiddos was a very, very bad choice.  It made the biggest mess ever, and we had glue in all of our hair.  Sophie was walking in paper mache, and it was so stressful for me.  I promised myself I will never do this again.  The kids of course said, "This is the most fun I have ever had!"  We are going to have a party at the end of the year and break the piñata though. 

Getting a hamster was another very, very bad choice.  It stinks really bad, and the kids don't like to play with him.  Don't think we'll do that ever again.

Going places with all of these guys and spending lots of time with them was a very, very good choice.  We have been to the Pumpkin Patch, the airport, and the Planetarium on field trips so far, and I just love going places and learning new things with them.  

Gratitude Post Number 6

Today... I am thankful for the Summer.  We had such a wonderful time at Nany and Papa's swimming pool this Summer.   

Jayden Working with Fernando at Nany and Papa's House

I'm also very thankful for Jayden.  He is a very hard worker. 

Gratitude Post Number 5

 I'm thankful for our cousins (The Pittards).  We had such a fun time with them this Summer.  Here we are watching the fireworks at Nany and Papa's house, and on a hike at Bridle Veil Falls.

Gratitude Post Number 4

I'm thankful for a wonderful Summer.  I can't even believe that it is already Fall.  

This Summer we got to spend some time with Mama Nelda in Utah.  It was so good to see her and talk to her.  She told me so many stories.  I need to write them all down.  I'm thankful for her.

Gratitude Post Number 3

 Today I'm thankful for good books.  I just love to read books. Which is one of the main reasons that I wanted to homeschool.  I just love going to the library and reading lots and lots of books.  Sometimes we think of fun things to do.

We read "Caps For Sale", and had to do this with Dad's collection of hats.  These are some fun memories I won't forget.

Gratitude Post Number 2

I am Thankful For Music.  One thing that I do miss about school is the music program.  It was really fun to watch the kids sing.  They still play the piano and we do a lot of music at home, but I did love watching them sing in their music concert once a year.

NOVEMBER 2013

My life the past year has been one of the craziest years of my life.  Somehow I am getting things put together and I feel like myself again.  So, since my blog is kind of like a journal of our family I really want to catch up that is what I intend to do.

I read a quote in a book that I found at my hubby's house.  I was rummaging through books and I found a "Richard Paul Evans Quote Book"  , this book used to belong to Justin's Mom.  It has some amazing quotes, but one that I read to my kids the other day said, "It is easier to keep up than to catch up."  I find that to be so true, and so that is what motivates me each day.  The fact that I don't want to have to catch up later on because I haven't kept up.  Dallin agreed with me, and so we work each day to keep up with school work, housework, scripture study, anything that we don't want to fall behind on.

However, I have neglected my blogging, and so I have to suffer the drudgery of catching up.  I decided that for the rest of the month of November, I am going to post every day, with something that I am thankful for this year in order to catch up on blogging.  I loved a quote that a brother from our ward read in Sacrament meeting,( I really need to get it from him).  But, the main idea was that the month of November is a time year where we can truly focus on what we HAVE and what we're thankful for rather than on what we wish to get next month.  It's sad that the true meaning of Christmas is being fizzled out and we focus so much on receiving rather than on being thankful for what the Lord has given us.  So, I am determined to focus on what I am thankful for this month, because I have been so very blessed.  Here goes my first post on Gratitude....

GRATITUDE POST NUMBER ONE

I have to start out with Dallin's Birthday since that is about where I left off.  I am so grateful for Dallin.  This past year Dallin turned 9 years old and it hit me really hard that in 9 years he will be going on a mission.

 Dallin is an amazing older brother.  He especially loves Sophie and I am so thankful for all of his help.

 Dallin also started Flag Football this year.  It was so fun to watch him working so hard.  He is a great kid.

This year Dallin decided to do homeschool.  I have always wanted to homeschool, but felt very inadequate.  Last year Dallin told me that he really wanted to spend more time with our family and that he was getting to stressed out with all of the tests that he was taking at school.  I was feeling sad for him and feeling that I needed to do something different with our family, and so.... I took the leap of faith into homeschooling.  I truly believe that I had no idea what I was doing, but as I prayed more and more ideas came into my mind.  It was so amazing to see how everything unfolded.  It has been so hard learning how to homeschool for all of us.  But, I feel so blessed that Dallin is here to help me.  He pretty much learned how to teach himself from the beginning.  There are days that seem to drag on forever, but he just seems to know what to do.  I truly believe that the Lord gives us the kids that we have for a reason, and that they come to us in the order that the Lord would have them come.  I truly believe that the Lord sent me Dallin first to help me in raising a family and in all that I do.  I feel very blessed that the Lord sent me Dallin to help me on this journey through life.