Cookies and Family Home Evening

Usually I try to make something healthy for a family home evening treat. But today Hyrum (6), Ella (5), Tank (2), and I made chocolate chip cookies. They added and stirred, ate the dough, watched them bake, tested the cookies right out of the oven, and dunked more in milk for family home evening. Total sugar load! But great fun! I hope we made a happy memory! I did cut out half the butter and used whole wheat flour and oats. But I put them to bed almost an hour and a half ago and they are still bouncing off the walls. Sugar high! Tomorrow it is nothing but green shake! Just joking!

I love my kids! I'm so grateful I can spend time with them! Heavenly Father has given me so very much! Iknow it will be a happy memory for me!

Callings

Today in sacrament meeting I felt the Spirit and felt encouraged and inspired to fulfill my callings better. I'm going to be a better wife, mother, cubmaster, and visiting teacher. These callings are truly from God. I need to be more proactive, more charitable, more anxiously and enthusiastically engaged. I'm looking forward to pressing forward this week in building up the Kingdom. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's Spirit encouraging me to be more dedicated.

Date Night

Jaremy's been gone for four days. Tonight he's back and taking me to the Indian Oven. I'm excited! My hair is curled and I'm looking forward to adult conversation and relaxation. I hope Jaremy is too! I'm so blessed to have a husband that puts his family first no matter what!

The last couple of days we have been watching President Obama's speech and the Republican Presidential Debate. I love politics! I'm definitely very conservative! I believe the private sector and individuals and families should do most of what government does now. Government is huge and ineffiecent and unaccountable to a large extent. We have lots of good nominees this year in the Republican party. I'm looking forward to all the excitement and battles. Principles and values and our future are at stake. It's so exciting! Heavenly Father has blessed us to live in this great land of freedom!

Ready for Bed

We have had a great day! And I'm ready for bed. It's only 8:30, but I'm lucky enough to be on my way to bed.

We went shopping for humanitarian baby kits, worked on homework, made chili, and then went on a walk up the canyon. The big kids ran down the riverside trail. The little kids and I walked up a ways then down. It was beautiful, breezy, and the perfect temperature! That was the perfect ending to the day.

Now I'm going to neglect the dishes, laundry, cooking, and housework and climb into bed. Tomorrow morning I will have more energy and work much faster than I would now. The big kids are going to bed too. Then they can finish their homework when they are fresh in the morning. I believe in early to bed and early to rise. It helps our attitudes and our bodies. It helps us accomplish more even if we have to leave loose ends when we go to bed. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father has given us this counsel. Well, good night!

Healthy Pregnancy

I'm so grateful I am blessed with healthy pregnancies. I get to carry on pretty much as normal. I take a nap everyday and get a full 8 hours at night. Then I'm usually not even too tired. This pregnancy is even better than any before. I'm exercising diligently and eating healthy. It really makes a difference. I haven't had any sciatic pain and I've had more energy and enthusiasm. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father has let me keep taking care of my family while pregnant. I'm grateful He has blessed me with knowledge of simple ways to improve my health and strength.

The kids are in full homework swing. It can be a bit stressful and constant. I pray they can be strengthened and find peace along with knowledge.

Jaremy to Portland

Okay, I'm more than a little jealous! Jaremy gets to go to Portland again. I shouldn't be so excited to travel. All my life I've fought with wonderlust. It's almost like a physical hunger. I love my life. I love where I live, but something inside me is going crazy to move, to explore, to experience, to travel. I have to pray for focus. I have to pray that this very real desire will calm down or go away. It makes me angry, sad, anxious, trapped, etc. So I have to focus on the wonderful things that are going on right now. Apparently, Heavenly Father wants me in northern Utah. I was born here. I've been praying for opportunites to move and experience. These aren't answered with yes. So I guess Heavenly Father wants me here. There are tons of wonderful, amazing things to do here to build up the kingdom. You couldn't ask for a safer, more beautiful place to live. So I will focus! I will have a great time while Jaremy's gone. We will enjoy and get a ton done.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Henry David Thoreau had it right! Since school started I feel like screaming every one's head off. We run here and there. We cram in cleaning and story time. I'm a bit sick of it. It makes me irritable. Tuesday night I was so worked up I couldn't sleep until 4am. So we are going to simplify! When things aren't over scheduled the really important things (like human bonding and closeness, peace, revelation, etc) can actually occur.

Today I'm not going to the garden. We are going to cuddle and read on the couch for as long as the little kids want. We are not going to have piano on the list this fall. We will keep violin. Jessica can drop her on-line German course. I'm going to let Natalie and Moroni go to Primary activities only once a month instead of double and quadruple that. We canceled a four day cabin trip with our neighbors to just a day trip.

I'm so grateful for the apostles' counsel to simplify and be at peace. Heavenly Father truly knows what is best.