Pure love (7/19/18)

A couple of days this week I have watched some kids (Hannah, Rya, Namia, Mikayla and Quentin) from our ward.  They are newer to our ward and don’t come to church every Sunday because their parents are in the process of a divorce.  And Ryker Thompson comes over almost every day or he calls.
It is interesting how your heart can swell with love for those you don’t know well and those that aren’t your own children.  Every time I have a house load of kids, I feel this swelling love.

I am grateful that people feel comfortable and welcome coming to our home.

Sometimes Porter has a harder time with all these people, so I need to figure out how to still be attentive to him, but also allow him freedom and room to play.  As he struggles, he can be unkind, so we need to work on this.

Jonas is usually pretty easy going and full of love unless he’s following Porter’s lead.

Mason loves everyone and everyone loves Mason.

What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be (July 12, 2018)

I listened to this talk by Lynn G Robbins tonight.  I needed to hear this talk for a lot of reason, but especially for the kind of parent I am.  I need to “be”, not just “do” in life.

Jonas and Mason both have hand, foot and mouth disease, so we’ve been home the last few days. We’ll get outside and run an errand that doesn’t include all of us going inside somewhere, but it makes for longer days.  But, I love the good moments we get to have everyday when we laugh, snuggle, talk, read together and when I can watch the boys play.  I have realized more and more that I need to chill out as a mom and not control everything.  The only thing I need to control is my mouth, my emotions and my thoughts.

Porter and Siri (5/11/18)

Porter loves talking to Siri and asking her questions. Siri is the computer on my phone.  He has listened to me talk to her or tell her to do things.  Today during our walk, Porter was laughing and asking Siri poop questions.  Then I hear him so, "Siri, how do I get a girl to like me?"  Poor Porter still has a thing for Caitlyn from his preschool class.  He thinks she is "nice (kind) and funny".  He has liked her since day 2 of preschool.

Jonas' Bedtime Ramblings (5/11/18)

My brain is saying, "I don't want to go to sleep.  I want to eat breakfast and eat treats and eat sugar."

I'm thinking, "That's because your brain is exhausted and has no idea what's it's saying."

Seeing God's Hand (5/9/18)

Today was a great day.  There were a couple things that happened that reminded me that God is in control and His hand is in our lives and the details of our lives.  Since the church has made this change to ministering, I have been praying about how I can minister to my sisters.  I was assigned two new sisters, Roxanne Berg and Kristen Reynolds.  I have been trying to figure out what to do specifically for them.  It's been on my mind and I've been praying about it.  Over the years, including just a couple of weeks ago, I have given Roxanne my number.  Well, today I got a phone call.  It was Roxanne and she asked if I would check on her mom.  She said she was unable to get a hold of her so she didn't know if her mother had fallen or if the phone was off the hook.  I rounded up the boys and we walked up the street.  (Roxanne and her mom, Myra, live at the top of our street.)  We knocked on the door and Myra answered.  Fortunately she had not fallen and her phone was just off the hook, but she invited us in and I was able to sit and talk to her.  She was so welcoming and seemed excited to have visitors.  She didn't mind my crazy boys and we had a short visit and I asked if we could come another time to which she said, "yes".  This was an answer to my prayers.  This is exactly how I can become part of their lives and minister to them.  I am grateful that my prayers were heard and answered.  The joy I felt was wonderful.  And, I am so glad that Roxanne thought to call me.

Tonight Porter had soccer pictures.  We went to a park that we don't generally go to.  His team took pictures and all the kids ran to the nearby playground.  The parents were standing around chatting and I was mainly watching Mason.  Then after 20-30 min I realized I hadn't seen Porter.  Porter's friend, Finn, said Porter had gone to the other playground by where we came in.  I thought he must have gone with some of the older kids.  When we walked over there and verified he was there, I planned to talk to him about telling me where he is going.  But as I approached him, we talked and I realized he didn't know where I was.  He walked back to the playground by the car thinking I was there, then he walked to the car, then he walked back across to the field where they took pictures and then back again to the playground by the car.  Once he was back there he ran into our old neighbors and played with his friend, Chase.  I snuggled him and told him how sorry I was.  I asked if he was scared or nervous, but he said he was okay.  I was so grateful to get to hug him and tell him I love him.  Thankfully he was okay.

Later today I contacted Robert Thompson about stopping by to pick up some dressers.  While he was here with Ryker, Dan Murdock walked by.  He had been heading up the street to drop off cookies to another family, but they had already moved.  As he walked by our place, he offered the cookies to Ryker.  Ryker gladly took them.  I later texted Adrianne to thank her family and to say I thought the cookies were not for the other family, but were meant for Ryker.  Another sign that God is in the details.  Ryker needs to feel loved and known. Adrianne felt the same thing I did.

Also, I had a conversation with Ryker and Robert last week about Ryker and how he's doing.  They told me he's not doing well in school, especially with math.  He's really struggling.  I reached out to The YM (Matt Redding) and YW (Elaine Lindberg) President's and asked if there were any youth that would be interested in tutoring Ryker in math as a service project.  Cole Peterson (18 yr old senior) quickly offered to do it.  We are here to serve one another and I love to watch this happen.  This simple service can make lastly changes for Ryker.

My testimony has been strengthened today and I have been reminded that God loves us and He cares about each of us.