Memorial Day... a day to remember

May 23rd, 2012 was a beautiful and peaceful morning for me.
   Knowing that I would be out of town with my family on Memorial Day, I decided to take an early memorial trip up to Ogden to my brother Kelly's grave. It was 7 months to the day since his passing, and going up there for the 1st time since the funeral to the beautiful cemetery up on the side of the mountain was very calming and healing and very spiritual for me. I went first thing in the morning while Gavin was at school and left Kambriella with her little friend so that I might be able to spend a little time alone in thoughts of my brother. On my way up there I listened to President Monson's conference talk on death and found more comfort in the thought that, "...death is only like going  into another room...in that other room we shall find the dear women and men and the sweet children that we have loved and lost."
   So after spending about an hour there, giving flowers, piecing together the cracked tile that lay where the head stone soon will be, and speaking out loud of life and loved ones and how much we love and miss him...
I said goodbye again for now, but only in body... for I know that through the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we too may live again one day. What a comfort it is to know that in this life we can be sealed eternally as families, and that one day we will get to enter that "other room" to be with our loved ones we miss.
   Kelly, we love you... thanks for all that you have done for our family. Love, your little sis... XOXO

Love Their Mother...

I remember when Clint and I first decided to start our family. He said to me, "Just let me know when you're ready to have a baby because I am ready when you are!"
REALLY? I was soooo scared at the thought of bringing a life into the world and thinking about being responsible for the welfare and salvation of another little soul... I didn't ever feel completely "ready" to start a family, but I knew that it was all a part of the plan and that I could do it with love and faith.
We had been married for almost 4 years by the time our first baby came into the world ~ and it's so hard to believe that almost 15 years have passed since then and now we have 5 beautiful children!
Mother's Day has also taken on a new meaning to me since then too. Not only do we celebrate our own mothers and all of their goodness and sacrifice, but I also get to joy in the blessing of motherhood. After becoming a mother, I have captured a tiny little glimpse of the love that our Heavenly Father has for each of his children. Now, Clint and I work together in a partnership with God to try to nurture, love, and teach these children everything that they need to know in this life to truly be happy... and it all comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You know the saying, "If mama ain't happy then no body's happy?" Well, believe me when I say that being a mom is VERY hard, and yet VERY rewarding too ~ but I have to give MOST of the credit of the happiness and fun in our home to their Dad. HE makes me happy, HE makes me laugh, and HE is so good to me ~ and because he always makes me happy, our home is usually happy too. (No not ALWAYS ;) but a lot of the time:)
As we try hard to teach our children, I am reminded of Sister Dalton's conference talk titled, "Love Their Mother." It teaches Father's to love their wives, and that through the love that they show, it sets a righteous example for the children to follow. I agree whole~heartedly! I think our children have a great advantage on their "life's lessons" because of the example of their dad. Thank you for "loving their mother."

Time for a "big girl" bed!

Little Miss Kambriella has finally graduated from her little crib to a "big girl" bed! We had promised her that when she got potty trained and started wearing "big girl" panties, that she must be big enough for a "big girl" bed! After waiting for weeks for the "man to bring it on the big truck" :) it is finally here and Little Miss Kambriella is feeling anything but "little!"

Here is a picture of her big girl princess bed complete with a little bench for using to climb up into her bed... and perfect for kneeling down beside to say her prayers too...;)

From her bedroom window Kambriella can see many beautiful things... but some of her favorites are the moon at night and the Draper Temple on the mountain.

Isn't it sweet! Pink and white and full of fluff!!! Just perfect for a little princess;)

Kambriella really loves her little polka dotted bench! She loves to rock her babies there and slip on her shoes there too!

...and this sweet little pillow sits right on the bench to remind her to say her prayers! It was so sweet the very first night that she slept in her bed, I was in the bathroom but over heard her saying her prayers ~ "...Thank you for my new pillow, it's SO soft...and thank you for my new bed...it's a BIG one!..."

This sweet little angel face says it all! Such a little miracle...and soooooo happy to have her "big girl" bed! I love you Kambriella! :)