Priorities...

In May, I had an opportunity to go to Women's Conference at BYU with my mom and sister.  It was a wonderful weekend full of learning, and a great opportunity to be still, and feel at peace.  When you're a mother of 6, I think those opportunities are few and far between!  Sister Julie B. Beck, the general Relief Society president gave a talk there that I believe that every woman should read.  The link is HERE.  It was encouraging, uplifting, and for me, it gave me a chance to look at my priorities, and reevaluate where I need to be as a mother, as a wife, and as a woman of God.  Here is a small part of that talk that I loved:

"With the Lord’s Spirit, weak and simple women can know what to do. I have been to places in the world where women aren’t able to read. They haven’t had the opportunity or have not been taught, but because of the Lord’s power that is placed upon them, the covenants they have made in the temple, and His Spirit that is poured out upon them, they are powerful women. They can discern His will, solve major problems, and feel peace, comfort, and guidance in their lives. Education is wonderful, but being able to feel the Lord’s power and Spirit upon us is the highest education we can achieve. With that, we have power and influence. Without it, we will not be able to navigate in this life. The adversary will pick us off one by one, and we will be drawn off course by the many, many voices that are out there distracting us. With the Lord’s Spirit upon us, we are strong and solid and will be able to walk with Him."

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  Sometimes I feel like a "weak and simple woman", and I don't really think I can make much of a difference.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am a news junkie!  I love reading about current events in the news, listening to talk radio, and keeping up with politics.  The problem I have had, especially of late, is there is not much in the way of good news out there.  It seems that each day, the news gets worse, and more depressing.  Our family has been reading in Helaman lately, and I am stunned how much the scriptures mirror the world that we are living in today.  Wickedness abounds, it is all around us.  Evil is good, good is evil, right is wrong, wrong is right.  For someone like me, who sees the world in black and white, good and bad, it is a frustrating time to live!  Nothing is as it seems, and sometimes I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone!  Last week, when the ruling on Prop. 8 came out of California, it was like a punch in the gut.  I was hopeful that the law protecting marriage had been written in such a way that it would pass constitutional muster, but it was not to be.  Even worse, every article I read on the subject, even on conservative websites and blogs, said that gay marriage is inevitable.  We might as well get used to the idea, and move on.  Comments on social networking sites were amazing to me--most of them "Who Cares"...and "It doesn't affect you...so what's the problem?"  Another scripture that we read last week in Helaman described this perfectly:  "they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws...and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people...".  This is what is happening today--as we forget God, our laws have become secular, and corrupted. 

Then, last week, while all of this was weighing on my mind, I was doing my own personal scripture study.  I have started the Book of Mormon over again, since I am trying the challenge that Julie B. Beck gave in her talk, and the perfect time to start it was now, since school is starting.  So as I was reading in 1 Nephi, I was reading about Lehi's dream.  Now, let me just say, I have probably read this story 100 times, but a certain part of it just hit me like a ton of bricks, so I wanted to write it down so I would remember it. In 1 Nephi 8:27 it talks about the great and spacious building, which symbolizes the pride of the world-- it says:
"And it was filled with people both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit."
Then in verse 28 it says:
"And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them;  and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost."
Then later in verse 33 & 34:
"And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building.  And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also;
but we heeded them not." 
"These are the words of my father:  For as many as heeded them, had fallen away."

These people that fell away were not just anyone. They were partakers of the fruit.  They were believers--they had made it to the tree of life, and were partaking of the love of God--the ultimate gift.  These were people of faith--who fell away because of the mocking and the scorn of the people in the great and spacious building.  These people were like ME!  I have tasted of the love of God, I have been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been baptized, and made covenants with my Heavenly Father in a temple of God.  I know where my focus should be!  The thought came to me--"am I ashamed?"  Do I heed the negative voices that I hear?  Do I let it bother me?  Do I let other people affect me, or my attitude, or my opinions?  If the answer is yes--than I need to change my focus--I need to change my priorities.  Compare those scriptures with this one, that I read this week:
1 Nephi 15:25:  "Wherefore, I, Nephi did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord;  yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things."

The point, for me, is that temptation and evil always has been, and will continue to be a part of this mortal experience.  The scoffing, and mocking voices will always be there, mocking that which is sacred, twisting God's words, making a mockery of that which is sacred and holy.  I believe that these things will continue, and will be even worse for our children than they have been for us.  And while I do believe that I have a responsibility to stand up for things that are good, and true, and right, the thing that we need to learn--and teach-- is that our focus needs to be on giving heed to the Lord, and his commandments--and heeding NOT those who would trample them under their feet.  If our focus is on the Lord, we will be able to feel His love, and have His spirit--and He will carry us through.  If our focus is on the Lord--we can have faith, not fear.  If our focus is on the Lord--we can trust Him, and we can relax, knowing that He is in charge.  I am grateful for that today!

(If you think this was a crazy LONG post--you should've been here for the long family night version that my kids had to suffer through...oh man!)

Mormon Prom...2012!

Here in Arizona, we are so blessed to have MANY Mormons living around us. It makes it so wonderful for my kids (as it was for me) to go to school with so many who share their beliefs, and their standards.  At least you have to hope they do!  There is a business out in Queen Creek that sponsors a dance called Mormon Prom, and they invite kids from all over the valley to come to it. There are dress standards, and the music is cleaner than at your regular high school prom, so the kids love it!  Many times, they don't even stay long at the high school dances because of the icky dresses, and the awful music they play.  Kids even "grind" on each other, and dance in sexually suggestive ways.  Mormon Prom is just a FUN night for kids to be able to enjoy dancing and having a good time in a better atmosphere.

Emie went to Mormon Prom with Cameron Clark.  They have been dating for awhile now, and he happened to turn 16 just in time for Mormon Prom--too late for regular Prom, which she went to before that.  Lucky her, we found a dress the same time we were shopping for her prom dress, so we rented both of them. I really loved her dress!  She looked amazing, and they had a great time.  What a lucky girl that she got to go to 3 formal dances her sophomore year!  So proud of this girl and what an amazing young lady she is becoming.  She is not only beautiful, but she's smart, and talented as well. Love you, Em!

I'm Burned Out...

So, it's 12:04 a.m., and I'll be danged if I don't have a million more things to do today, but I really, REALLY need to be sleeping!  The last few weeks of school are crazy busy for me.  They always are, with end of the year concerts, piano recitals, end of spring sports, etc.  Not to mention the last projects and tests that need to be taken before the school year is done.  Abby's teacher threw out a zinger of an assignment for the last few weeks of class.  The kids are making a "6th grade memory book"--which means in essence--I am making a 6th grade memory book since my Abby wants it to be cute and darling, and well...special.  Bless her heart, it's not her fault, but can I just tell you how much I hate school projects that are due in the last few weeks of May? Ugh... For me, summer might as well begin after AIMS, because that's about when the kids (and I), stop trying all together, and just hope for the best.  No one wants to get up anymore in the morning, no one wants to study, no one does their homework--and I am sick and tired of reminding them--so I basically give up. There, I admit it. That summer itch is here, and it is REAL, and man am I ready!  What's funny is, if you read my blog come August 1, you will for sure be hearing how I am READY for my kids to go BACK to school!  So summer is great, and fabulous, and amazing, and I can't wait--but lest you think that I would homeschool my children at a moment's notice--I am not a saintly woman.  I can only take them for so long--and summer is just about that long! So 18 days from now, I will be a HAPPY camper, and so will my kids...for a few days.  Then reality will sink in, and I will realize that even though I don't have to deal with early mornings, and homework, and assignments--I DO have to deal with the 6 kids that I brought into this world, and their amazing talent of making a huge MESS of my house, on a daily basis, without any thought as to WHO is going to clean it up!  (Actually, they think about it--they just think that the answer is MOM).  And you know what?  I'm going to try to take a deep breath, and enjoy every minute that we are together, because you know what?  It goes FAST!  Emie is a Junior next year, and Erin a Sophomore, and holy CRAP, they are going to be done so quickly!  Time flies...

Speaking of spring, and recitals--my girls had one a few weeks ago.  I just LOVE our new piano teacher, and so do my girls.  Best part?  She comes to my house--and I don't have to remember!  YAY!  Proud of these girls for sticking it out in piano--even though it's just one more thing their mom fights with them about--and one more thing that burns them out!! We have had HORRIBLE piano recitals--(see that link HERE)--but my children are really maturing (*GASP* Incredible, I know)!  They are amazing, and wonderful, and I love them! 

My Emie Went to PROM!...

Emie was super surprised and excited a few weeks ago when she got asked to PROM!  Kind of a big deal here in the city, since it's a Junior/Senior prom, and she is a Sophomore.  You can only go if someone older asks you.  Actually, I was in on the secret, since the guy who asked her is in our ward, and his mom had called me to make sure it was ok for him to ask her last-minute.  We only had two weeks to pull it all together--but we managed to find a beautiful dress that only needed minimal modifications, and it worked out just beautifully!  He asked Emie by putting about 100 packs of Smarties candies, wrapped, in a vase with roses.  Inside some of the packages were letters in his name that she had to unscramble.  I'll be danged if I didn't have 4000 Smarties candies all over the kitchen before she figured it out!  It was a MESS--but such a cute idea!

She was happy to find out that it was one of her good friends, Jake Whiting!  Then, the rush to find everything began!  It is no small task to find a moment to spend shopping with Emie these days!  She is running track, and playing volleyball, not to mention trying to keep her grades up!  A HUGE blessing came when I was out to lunch with my sis-in-law Katie, and she mentioned a girl in her ward who had gathered a huge collection of prom dresses from a lady at a bridal shop.  It had started out as a quest to get modest dresses to loan out for prom, but then they went to a bridal show, and a lady offered them 5 boxes of gowns that were out of production.  They ended up with over 300 dresses!  They want people to rent them, make them modest, and bring them back.  We visited them on a Saturday morning, and within 2 hours, we had 2 dresses (one for regular prom, and one for Mormon prom in a few weeks), for less than $100!  It was amazing!  Here is their website, that tells more about their project--what a fabulous idea!  DIVINE DESIGNS DRESSES  We found a cute pair of shoes, and jewelry, and before we knew it, the day had come! 

Emie spent the morning at her volleyball tournament, and got home at 2:30, jumped in the shower, and had Kelsey there by 3 to do her hair.  It was sweet for Kelsey to come over and do it, since she would be leaving us the next week to travel to Dominica, where her husband was accepted into Medical School!  I know she had a million other things she could have been doing, but we appreciated her coming over to beautify Emie on her special day.  I even talked her into putting on eyeliner!  *GASP*  I know.  You know how to make sure your kids don't shock you by wearing a lot of makeup?  Wear a lot yourself.  Every one of my girls is so terrified of looking as pasty and made up as their mother, that they will hardly touch the stuff!  And you know what?  That's okay by me!  Ha!  When she got done, she looked AMAZING!  I can't believe this is my little tomboy, who at one point in the 3rd and 4th grade, rocked camouflage almost every day at school!  She has sure turned into a beautiful young lady! 

 Dad had to help a little with the boutineer!  Good thing Dads are good at that!  ;)

Jake was a perfect gentleman, and from what I heard, he was the life of the party everywhere they went that night!  Emie had a fabulous time, and laughed the entire evening.  He even managed to get her home close to midnight, so that we got a good night's sleep!  P.S. If any of you try to talk your kid into wearing their prom dress or tux to church the next day--BAD IDEA!  Apparently, that's just what they did back in the "Olden Days".  We made Emie wear hers, and she was the only one there with it on, so she said, "I told you--now can I go home and change?" And we let her.  Good thing I didn't bet her the $100 that someone else would be wearing it!  Come to find out--they have frowned upon wearing them to church so as not to show off, or offend those girls and guys who didn't go to prom, which makes perfect sense when I think about it--but I didn't get the memo on that one.  They must have announced it during the opening announcements (you know...that I am never on time for).  Oh well, lesson learned!

Easter 2012...Finally!

I have been a little slow about blogging of late...springtime seems like such a rush!  We have been doing spring football games, Abby's volleyball games, Emie's track meets (crazy girl is doing pole vault), Emie's volleyball games, Orchestra concerts, piano recitals, pinewood derby, plus, trying to make sure the children don't flunk out of school in the last few weeks!  I love watching my kids try new things.  It gives me such a thrill to see them discover their talents and abilities.  I also get frustrated when I can't figure out how to get through to them the fact that they ARE amazing and talented!  Why is it that when we are teenagers, and we ARE amazing and talented, that is precisely the time when we don't realize it?  Now my body is old, and tired.  I wish my kids knew how much they are going to miss their youth!  I'll keep trying to convince them... 

We had a fabulous, fun-filled Easter!  We went to my sister Kimbie's house in Payson, and the children LOVE it there in the mountains.  They don't come in until dark, and even then the older ones sneak out to play a game of hide and seek in the woods when the little ones go to bed.  I can't even believe they like doing that--it creeps me out!  I think of Watcher in the Woods every time they are out there!  Ugh.  Anyway, we really enjoyed being around cousins, and coloring eggs, and having the easter egg hunt in the woods.  It was really amazing how many easter eggs the Easter Bunny brought.  Man, our kids are spoiled.  Their buckets were filled to overflowing, and so was my heart watching them have so much fun!  I just love holidays! The best part was going to sacrament meeting and watching our nephew Cole become the first boy on our side of the family receive the Priesthood.  What an amazing gift to receive on Easter Sunday!  I grew teary when I thought of my boys, and what a gift they will be given in a few years.  Only a little time to prepare them, and they will be ready to receive the Priesthood, and go on missions.  It's overwhelming to think about sometimes, how soon they are gone from you and on their own.  I hope I have prepared them well when the time comes! Here are some pictures of our amazing time!

 Gotta love these TEENAGERS!

Caleb and Jack hanging on the porch with Grandpa.  Both of them were hurt, and Grandpa was taking care of them.  They wanted me to take pictures of their owies!  Caleb hurt his leg climbing a tree, and Jack hurt his foot walking around the forest barefoot despite nearly a million warnings by yours truly to put his dang shoes on!  Grandpa took good care of them--they look dirty, but HAPPY!