Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Activity Days Field Trip
M:y calling in our ward is as Activity Days Leader. This is the equivalent to a Cub Scout leader, but for girls ages 8-11. In our ward we have 19 girls in this age group and two leaders. Last Friday we went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building downtown to visit the Family Search Center, where the kids did a scavenger hunt to learn more about family history. The photo below was taken there. The background is representational of Ellis Island, where many of the immigrants to the United States first landed. After the scavenger hunt we went on a tour led by the LDS Temple Square missionaries where we learned more about how ordinances performed in temples can bind families together eternally.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Humility & Seeds
I love this whole chapter of the Book of Mormon (Alma 32)! I read it the other night and decided to share a couple of sections of it here.
I haven't yet figured out how we humble ourselves so that the Lord doesn't compel us to be humble, but this chapter says we can do it, so I'm going to work on figuring out how!
13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh arepentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and bendureth to the end the same shall be saved.
14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be ahumble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?
15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty.
16 Therefore, blessed are they who ahumble themselves without being bcompelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without cstubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.
And here's the part I mostly want to share with everyone in the world (I have highlighted the main ideas, in case you can't make it through all the verses). A testimony of the truthfulness of God's words doesn't usually come all at once. In fact, it rarely comes all at once.
What I love about this section is that it tells us that all we need to start with is a desire to believe in His words. We let that desire work in our hearts until there is room for a little more. If it is right, this small bit will grow in our hearts like a seed planted in soil. If it is not right, it won't grow and we will have no such testimony. We can learn everything about the gospel in tiny little bits like this and it just builds on itself! The more we nourish the seed, the more it will grow, and even if we once had a strong testimony, if we fail to nourish it, it will eventually die. I'm not nearly as eloquent as Alma, so please read at least the highlighted parts.
18 Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to abelieve, for he knoweth it.
19 And now, how much amore bcursed is he that cknoweth the dwill of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into etransgression?
20 Now of this thing ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work.
22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is amerciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.
24 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out—now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true—
25 For I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; for I verily believe that there are some among you who awould humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.
26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a bseed may be planted in your cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to eenlighten my funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own alikeness.
32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
34 And now, behold, is your aknowledge bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your dmind doth begin to expand.
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the atree of life.
42 And because of your adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Loving the Library!
On Saturday, while Rob was home with Avery, I took the other three kids to the library. We perused the shelves for books we were interested in and spent a little time reading there. Unfortunately, the library closes at 6:00 on Saturdays, so we couldn't stay as long as we would have liked.
Alex recently found he has a love of reading! (Yeah!!!!) I've had a hard time even getting him to listen to books up until now, much less read on his own, so when he checked out his first "Magic Tree House" book (by Mary Pope Osborne) and read the entire chapter book in one evening, I tried not to get too excited. Incidentally, this was the first chapter book he read. Since then, he has read several Magic Tree House books as well as picture books and other books, too. I'm so, so happy be has found how interesting books can be.
The problem with the library is that I LOVE books. Although I rarely actually sit down and read a book from cover to cover, I do LOVE reading and am interested in reading so many books that I always walk away with far more books than I can actually read before they're due. I have a terrible time balancing reading books with keeping up with the rest of my life. Once I start reading, I don't want to stop, so I end up not letting myself start reading. I also have the problem of getting super sleepy when I read, so I want to read and then still have time for a nap! And what mother has time for both? And so I wind up feeling bad when I have to return books unread. What a dilemma.
(Above) Olivia started reading the novel she chose, but didn't get too far. She wanted to follow me around upstairs, where I was looking for American history books. She also chose some books about volcanoes because she thinks they're interesting.
(Below) Ashlie checked out another Harry Potter book on tape - even though she has read them already. She LOVES the Harry Potter series. She also got a couple of DVDs on ancient Rome and Greece and some other books I didn't pay attention to.
Alex simply could not wait until we were done at the check-out desk before finding a spot to read some more. I think it's so cute!
Miss Viva's Hair Cut!
Olivia decided she wanted to cut off an inch or so of her hair and get some layers. Our fun neighbor, Alaina, cut her hair and taught her how to fix it. Olivia is getting old enough to take care of her hair on her own and I'm excited she has a fun new style she can fix all by herself. Today (Sunday) fixed it by herself and it looked SUPER CUTE!
Just a few snap-shots to share...
Below: My cute little Alex loves to wear ties, but he doesn't really like putting them in the traditional location. Here's how he looked, just before we left to church this morning!
Ashlie always gets ready with time to spare, so she helps us get Avery ready and helps pack the diaper bag. Boy is it helpful to have older kids!
Olivia (above) and Alex (below) watching a movie after church.
Stake Valentine's Dance
Our stake has an annual V-day dance for the adults. Now that my dad lives with us, he's in our stake. He invited my mom to go to the stake dance with him and on our way out, Rob and I snapped a couple of pictures. They aren't very good, but at least I got a couple of pictures.
And, yes, several people asked who it was with my dad. And then other questions, like, "Is that a good thing?" and "Wow, my parents won't even speak to each other." My parents are actually pretty good dancers - they should do this more often!
Rob and I had fun playing board games (the activity for those not drawn to the dance floor). They also had lots of treats and stuff and we had a good time. Rob wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse instead, but I insisted this year on the dance. It was our first time and we've been in our ward for 5 years! Good job, honey.
Rob and I had fun playing board games (the activity for those not drawn to the dance floor). They also had lots of treats and stuff and we had a good time. Rob wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse instead, but I insisted this year on the dance. It was our first time and we've been in our ward for 5 years! Good job, honey.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ashlie Has a Dream
Ashlie wrote the following "I Have a Dream" speech after studying Martin Luther King, Jr. and his speech by the same name. Her teacher had her read it to us for the first time at Parent/Teacher conferences. I echo her words.
I Have a Dream
I have a dream that the hurricane of war will cease. I have a wish that there will be many rivers of peace that will drown the earth. I wish that the tsunami of divorce will be stopped. I hope that someday the weeds of depression will be plucked out of the earth to make room for the blossoms of happiness to grow. I have a dream that the mountain of drugs will swiftly be chipped away. I have hope that the terrible disease of cancer will leave forever. I have a dream that the valley of worry will be flooded with the waters of confidence. I wish that the fog of bad air will be lifted from this world forever. I hope that the tempest of blackmailing will quickly die away.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)
The other day my sweet Avery was playing with some toys I got at a garage sale a couple of years ago. It has a little crane with a strong magnet on the end of a string, then a truck pulls a trailer that holds a bunch of blocks with large, strong magnets on one side. Avery had a good time connecting the magnets, then pulling them apart. He also enjoyed putting the little blocks into the trailer, then dumping them out. Repeat.
I love classic toys that allow kids to learn and be creative. Toys have become too darn electronic if you ask me. Although I am not yet disciplined in keeping the many, many low-quality toys out of my house I believe it's wiser to give kids fewer toys, and make sure the ones they have are worthwhile and foster creativity. Seeing my angel playing so well with this simple toy encourages me to dejunk our toy collections!
After repeatedly insisting, Avery finally flashed me this (below) "smile" - he didn't want to stop his playing to smile for his nagging mother.
I love the post by The Lazy Organizer, entitled What Kind Of Toys Do Children Need?.
A while back The Lazy Organizer took away more and more of her daughter's toys because she couldn't keep her room tidy. Eventually she took away almost all of the toys. And her daughter didn't seem to mind one bit. She just used her imagination and was probably happier because she didn't have so much STUFF to keep track of and put away. This is a good lesson for most of us! The story is told in her more detailed words here: Getting Rid of the Clutter.
My Girl
Here's a picture Ashlie and I took of ourselves - just after I got my hair cut. Isn't she beautiful? I cannot believe how old she's getting. Ashlie is very mature for an eleven-year-old, and is delightful to have around. She is helpful, pleasant, and optimistic. She is talented in many things and never afraid to try new things - a quality I wish I possessed. I am so proud of her and so glad she is a part of my life!
I cut off about 12 inches, to be donated to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to the treatment of illnesses such as Cancer.
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