News!! (1/13/19)

Ilena... I know you're the only one that reads this besides me, so you are going to hear first hand and before almost everyone else.  David and I have been trying to have another baby for the past year.  But, it hasn't happened.  Every month I'm disappointed as I realize we'll have to wait and try again.  During this past year I have never had to focus so much on the process.  Throughout the waiting, I have been reminded that there is a great plan that I am not aware of.  Reflecting on the last year, there are a few things that make me realize I might have gone crazy with a newborn!  David became the Bishop and we have learned to transition.  Honestly, it has not been a bad transition, but I think it would have definitely been more challenging with a newborn.  Mason has become Mr. Independent which requires A LOT of supervision.  I can't imagine sitting down to nurse a baby and having to keep track of what he was doing, getting into or destroying. So, maybe when he's closer to three there will be less of that.  David rupturing his achilles and his recovery process would have been difficult with everything else going on.   Lastly, I still need to figure out how to parent better and minimize the outbursts and disrespect.
With all that being said, it finally happened!  I am pregnant.  I'll go in for my first pre-natal appt in a week and a half.  I think it's a girl.  Several years ago, while in the temple, a name came to mind that I would name a daughter.  This was before Mason was born, and then Mason wasn't a girl.  The name has stayed on my mind and then at the end of December David and  I were doing Sealings in the temple.  David jokingly looked and me and said, if we hear that name tonight, then I'll agree to naming our daughter it.  We've both been to the temple several times over  the years and I have not heard that name since.  But, of course, we heard it.  David was acting as a witness, so he saw the name before I heard it.  He looked up at me and I knew the name was coming up.  We both got a little emotional. 
Now, if I don't have a girl, it's okay.  Maybe she's on the other side waiting for us to raise her there. 

Last thing, today I had a lot of time to think about Faith in Christ.  How has mine been strengthened?  Then at church today the talks were on Faith, there was a muscial number, Peace in Christ, and the lesson in RS was on Elder Uchtdorf's talk, "Believe, Love, Do".  I realized that my faith in Christ grows daily as I seek Him.  When I listen to the words of hymns or church music I listen to find Him.  When I go to church and listen to the lessons and talks, I listen to find Him.  Moments with my boys at home,  I listen to find Him.  When I look around this world, I look to see Him.  He is everywhere when I am open to Him.  My boys laugh because I cry often and freely.  I cry reading the Friend Magazine with them.  I cry bearing my testimony.  I cry listening to music or signing songs to them.  The Holy Ghost is real and there.  I love Christ.

12/30/18

Porter’s favorite primary song is, “He sent His Son”.  He says it is soft.

Mason is super independent.  He has starting disappearing and I’ll find him on the toilet.  He’s not always perfect getting there when he needs to poop, but today he actually completely pooped on the toilet all by himself.  He’s not so good with peeing, but maybe he’s going to potty train himself.

November 2018 Highlights

During the month of November we enjoyed attending more plays than we have the rest of the year.  A group of girlfriends and I went to see ‘Ragtime’.  David and I went with friends to see ‘Come From Away’.  David took Porter to watch one of the youth in our ward perform in ‘Big Fish’.  And David and I went on a date to see ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’.  I had forgotten how much I love a great play!

David and I loved attending the Salt Lake Temple Open House where we were able to hear from Elder and Sister Bednar.  I wrote a separate post about this.

We stayed in town for Thanksgiving since David started his week of service the day after.  David geared up for the neighborhood Turkey bowl took Porter along to play while the other boys and I watched or cooked at home.   They enjoyed the game until the second to last play when David caught the ball and turned to run. He heard a pop, thought someone had kicked him and couldn’t run to complete the play.  He spent part of the day in the ER where it was confirmed that he’d ruptured his Achilles.  Needless to say, Thanksgiving was a bit somber as the reality of his injury sunk in.  He spent most of the day in bed and I hosted my sister and a few friends for dinner.

Since David wasn’t feeling up to doing much that weekend, we decorated for Christmas.  The boys and I loved it!  David cheered us on from his chair in the living room.

David had surgery to repair his Achilles and has been recovering.  He’s spent a lot of time sitting in our living room.  Children are the best to put things in perspective.  As Porter was helping David slide down the stairs one day, he said, “Dad, you can still do the most important things: go to church, read your scriptures, pray, spend time with your family and play games.”  Even though David can’t wrestle and chase the boys, they have loved the special time sitting in his lap reading and talking or playing games on the floor.

Jonas’ Prayers (12/1/18)

Lately Jonas has been expanding his prayers and saying the sweetest things.
Two examples:
“Thank you that Jesus let’s the grocery stores get full again.”
“Grateful that Jesus gave us the scriptures, let’s us go to church and lets us know Him.”

I love his tenderness.

And then before David’s surgery on Thursday, he came into me and said, “ Tell Dad good luck on his surgery and I told him to tell you that you look beautiful today.”

Sunday (Nov 11, 2018)

The morning started out pretty good.  I wasn't as prepared as usual because David and I had been out with friends the night before.  So, the boys still had to take baths and I still had to get their clothes ready.  But, we were doing good and it was about 8:35am and everyone was just finishing getting dressed.  Then the problems started.  Jonas did not want to wear what I had set out for him.  I decided I wasn't going to get frustrated and I would just find the shirt that he wanted to wear in the baskets of clean laundry.  While I was searching for it in the laundry room, Porter yells down, "Mom, Mason has your eye liner all over."  I bolted upstairs to find Mason not holding my eye liner, but holding my mascera and it was indeed all over.  He had basically painted his hair with it and it was on his face/hands and clothes.  As I ran to get it he dashed into the dining room and crawled along the ground to get under the table.  This movement helped him continue his painting along the dining room carpet :).  Awesome, I thought.  But, I had not time to deal with that because we needed to get out the door.  I quickly gave Mason another bath, found him some new clothes, finished getting myself and Jonas dressed and off we went.  Unfortunately for Mason, I was not happy with him and he knew it. 
Sometimes when days start out like this you think they can only get worse.  But, it was a beautiful Sabbath day.  I was able to mostly listen during Sacrament meeting while still taking care of my boys needs.  Adam and Newel Jenson spoke.  I'll admit the beginning of Adam's talk was not my favorite, I thought it was somewhat negative, but as he bore his testimony of our Savior, the spirit was there.  Then Newel spoke.  She was real, sincere, positive and Christ centered.  She shared her journey through an abusive marriage and divorce.  I had not known she was even married before.  She is probably in her early to middle 20's.  Her story was full of honesty without blame.   Facts were shared and feelings were expressed.  She articulate her experience in a way that you yearned for her release.  Her story was shared so that she could express that the only person who could save her and make her whole again was our Savior.  You could tell that she had experienced his healing and restorative power.  That when all hope was almost lost and she didn't know what to do, He was there with open arms to rescue her.  I literally sobbed through the majority of her talk.  After Sacrament I wrapped my arms around her.  I have seen people go through really difficult experiences in life, but not everyone comes out smiling, positive and full of light.  Newel did.  Hearing her story was inspiring and also a reminder that no matter what happens in our lives, joy and happiness can be found on the other end.  It doesn't mean that some scares don't remain.  The scares are there to remind us of how we have been succored by a loving Savior. 
After church, Jonas, Porter, Ryker and I played Carcassone.  I loved that Jonas wanted to be on his own team.  He actually did pretty good :).
Later in the afternoon David and I had a chance to go to the Salt Lake Temple Open House for ordinance workers.  We didn't arrive in time to be in the Solemn Assembly, but we were in the chapel overflow and we still got to hear the message of Elder Bednar and his wife Susan.  I have observed more and more lately the increasing declarations of the apostles.  Their messages are full of power and they are direct.  The action we need to take is more often than not very clear.  Elder Bednar's messages were this day as well.  Generally I have seen Elder Bednar be a bit more serious, but today there were a few jokes.  I loved his message.  David has written up the majority of main points, but I want to share a few of my impressions or those parts that stood out to me the most.  He spoke about our need for correction and the importance of not only listening to correction offered by others, but being willing to give correction without concern for ourselves.  We need to correct out of love, not judgement.  I thought about those that I am concerned about, often I don't want to be as direct as I should about my concerns regarding actions that they may or may not be taking.  I have always thought it was out of concern to offend them.  But, as I listened to Elder Bednar, he was very clear that correction is not offered out of concern for myself. 
He also spoke about the how the natural man is an enemy to God and has been since the fall of Adam.  He said we need to hurl the natural man off a cliff.  As I have thought about this, I have reflected on the need for deliberate daily actions to put off the natural man.  How I spend my time, what I read, what I watch, how I speak with others and what my conversations entail.  Sometimes I can feel myself giving into the natural man.  I just want to relax, "veg", etc.  As I have noticed the council given from the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency, as well as what is going on in the world today, I know it's time to really focus on who I need to become and to start working towards it.  Sometimes the thought of it is overwhelming, but I can't stop working.  I can't give up or become paralyzed.  Endure to the end.  I have thought about this phrase before, but it has begun to take on new meaning to me as this overwhelm can set in if I allow it to.
I loved getting to attend this devotional with David.  It was energizing and exciting to hear Elder Bednar direct us and counsel us.  He talked about what we have learned from the Book of Mormon and if everything we know is from what people have taught us or from our own personal study. 
He spoke about ordinances and covenants and being on the covenant path. 
Sunday night we had a High Priest Quorum Open House and it was a good chance to talk and meet new people from the stake.