No One Likes a Frowny Face

No one likes a frowny face!!!

 Change it for a SMILE...

 Make the world a better place by smiling all the while!!!   : )

Clint and I escaped for a quick dinner date the other night only to return and find

one VERY SAD little girl...

Her and her big brother Gavin had been having a very intense competition of JUST DANCE on the Wii...

and sweet little Kambriella was feeling so defeated after losing so many rounds to Gavin...;(

Gavin wasn't being a poor sport, he was just dancing his best...but so was Kambriella!

And she HATED losing!!!

(I think she gets her competitive nature from her dad :)...

OK maybe from her mom too :)

But as soon as we got home and saw the tear stained cheeks and swollen eyes, we KNEW it was time to bring out some smiles!!!

Clint and I took turns dancing with Kambriella and trying to get her to smile...

There were a couple of good ones that came out! ;)

I knew that it would make her feel better to play JUST DANCE against her dad, because she would most likely win playing against him!!!

But he put up a pretty good fight!

 they battled it out...

 ...and then Clint did better than I thought he would...

So, after we played for a while, we just tried to remind Kambriella that we, of course are older and have had more practice at some of these things than she has...

We reminded her that it's fun to just play the game and that you don't always have to win...

And we reminded her that she can do ANYTHING that she puts her mind to, but that it's so important to be a good sport, to NEVER give up trying, and to remember that life is a journey and that we need to enjoy the ride, even if that means we might lose a few rounds of JUST DANCE.

We figured out soon after that too, that a good night's rest works wonders for ANY worn out or emotional little girl! :)

Thank goodness for a good night's sleep, daddy's who will dance with their little girls, and mom's who will let the little ones win. ;)

Once again we are sooo thankful for our family!!!

Studying Conference Talks

 Our family has a tradition of studying conference talks for Family Home Evening...

Every Sunday, we all read the same talk that someone took a turn to choose, and individually we highlight different things that stood out to us, taught us something we loved, or inspired us in some way.

Then, later we gather together and share with each other our different thoughts...

I love doing this because each one of us always has something different to share, and it really helps my children to learn to apply the gospel in their own lives just how they need it.

Plus, they get a little practice in sharing their thoughts and testimonies, 

which will only help them later on in so many different aspects of life...

After we share our thoughts with each other, we write in our journals how we can apply the talk to our lives right now...I hope and pray that somehow, someway, SOMETHING will sink in deep and touch their hearts and CONVERT them to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I KNOW that through Him and His teachings that we can be truly happy and find REAL JOY in this life, and throughout the eternities. I just need them to KNOW this for THEMSELVES...

We are working at it...at living it and coming to know it EVERY SINGLE DAY!

I especially love when I find them studying together like I did on this day...I always encourage them to read together, but when I see that they have done it on their own, it makes me feel like they are doing it because they WANT to and not because they HAVE to...

I feel that they genuinely have good hearts and long for the familiar feeling of the Spirit that teaches them...

They are so precious to me and I want nothing more than for each one of them to know Jesus Christ personally, and to commit to living His gospel wholeheartedly! Because I KNOW that's how they will find peace, joy, and comfort in this crazy world that we live in...

I love these sweet kids!

I love their good hearts, and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Another Day of Growth...

This morning on my run...

Isn't it beautiful?

 The silhouette of the mountains against the backdrop of a morning sunrise?

This is just one of the many reasons why I LOVE my morning run...

It is so calming to me to think, clear my mind, review the day ahead, 

and commune with my Heavenly Father.

Especially on a day like today when I would be helping with the funeral of a dear sister in our ward...

my first funeral responsibility as a Relief Society president.

I'm learning a little more clearly each day what it means to

 "mourn with those that mourn, and to comfort those who stand in need of comfort..." 

 Susie was a 59 year old

 wife

 mother of 4 

grandmother

 daughter

 sister

 friend

... and child of God.

 She sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 16 years,

 was a runner, played the cello,

 and loved everyone...

 Her favorite flowers were white lilies...

 But flowers in general were her favorite...

Our dear Bishop compared Susie's passing to a "mission farewell" which seemed so fitting. 

Her work is not done, just needed in a far, far away place.

After this past week and all that I have experienced in meeting with and helping the family, and seeing to arrangements and needs of different parts of this "mission farewell"...I have only gained a deeper love for my brothers and sisters, and for my dear Savior and His Gospel. This is the work of angels, of saving souls, of love, and of ministering to the "one." I did not have to worry about so many details because of the organization of the church and the amazing things that are put in place to help us to love and serve together.

These women are amazing, along with all of the other helping hands that are not in this picture, but very much a part of the work of salvation. 

We are all in this together, and I KNOW that we are His hands.

The gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth in these latter days by the loving prophet Joseph Smith.

Jesus Christ lives and stands at the head of His church, waiting and welcoming home all of His "missionaries" with loving and open arms. I'm so grateful for my testimony and to know that this life is NOT the end.

Families really are Forever!

Those Animals!

 The day that I went down to Provo to decorate Kierra's Christmas tree,

 was also the same day that Kierra's phone stopped working. Living in this day and age,

 everyone knows that your phone is pretty much a necessity! Especially as a college student!

 Soooo, lucky for her, we were already planning on coming down to see her and take her out to lunch...

 We ended up going to the Sprint store in the mall, where we played and played and played, 

and ate too. :)

 We rented one of "those animals" and the kids had a ball riding it around the mall for an hour!

 As you can tell, everyone was ALL SMILES... :)

 I had fun spying on them from the upper level near the Sprint store...

They rode round and round and round Santa's big chair 

maybe secretly hoping that the Big Guy would show! ;)

It was a very fun afternoon, but really, it doesn't matter what it is that we end up doing together...

We just really like being with our family.

After all, (in the words of my children) it's the BEST family in the universe!!!

Kierra's Christmas Tree

As time continues to FLY by, I have been thinking a lot about the holidays...the fun, the traditions, the people that I wish I could see, (like my dad)...and then people that I WILL get to see...like Kierra :)

I thought of how I wanted to go down to Provo to BYU and surprise Kierra with a Christmas tree for her apartment...but then, she called me soon after that and expressed how much she missed our home at Christmas... She found herself distracted in the store by looking at all of the Christmas decorations that reminded her of home...and I knew that I couldn't surprise her.

 I HAD to tell her right then what my plan was...

I'M COMING WITH A TREE!!!

So, I headed down to her place at 5:00 am and delivered a bit of sunshine...(OK, maybe it was a LOT of sunshine since Kierra said her roommates were so excited that they were jumping on the couches!! :)

I worked quickly while Kierra sat  on the couch next to me and talked to me about her life, and then stuck her nose into her books to get her studies done...It didn't matter what she was doing though...I was just so happy to be with her there. :)

 She is such a sweet daughter and so full of the Spirit and love. 

The other day when she called me, I had my first melt down over the phone and cried because I miss her. 

I do not want her to think that I'm sad that she's gone...it's quite the opposite in fact. I'm SO happy for her to be so ready for this next chapter in her life, and to know that she is experiencing life in such an amazing way...it's just that she used to ALWAYS come home everyday and tell me ALL of the details of EVERYTHING about her life and I miss that...

She still tells me ALL of the details of her life when we can talk, but I just genuinely miss having her right here by my side. She is one of my very best friends, next to her Daddy of course...:)

 So, ANY time that I get with her is a favorite of mine, and I feel like it's a treasure.

So when I think about all of the good things about Christmas, it makes me happy to think of her in the mix...she will get to come home and celebrate with us, (which will be AWESOME) and I can sit at home knowing that she is probably studying by the Christmas tree that I put up for her...or maybe she is snuggling up to some cute guy by the glow of the lights on the tree...

but NAAAH...that's what mistletoe is for, and I was SURE to not leave any of that there!!! ;)

I love you Kierra and am so glad that you are a constant bight, shining star in my life! Just like the warmth of the lights of the Christmas tree, and the feelings that Christmas brings, YOU are a gift everyday 

and I'm THE LUCKIEST MOMMA in the world to have you for a daughter!!!

When you see the tree, I hope you FEEL just how much you are LOVED!!!

Because you are!!! XOXOXOXO

Loving to Serve

 My cute Kambriella came with me to the church because she wanted to help me set up for our Relief Society activity that we were having... I love that this little girl LOVES serving!!! She has been found many times saying, "Mom, what can I do? I just feel like doing service!"  :)

That is her heart... made of pure gold!

She helped a mom in our ward by pushing her twin babies around the gym in their stroller while we were setting out food...it was so cute and I think she felt so special...kind of like a little mommy. :)

Then, as we were finishing up, she told me she would be waiting outside for me

 IN THE LEAVES!!!

And she was!!! :)

 Our autumn weather has been unseasonably warm this year, and it has really been kind of nice!

We have been running around with no coats and it's the middle of November!!!

Also, this week we had what was called a "Super Moon."

My kids couldn't stop talking about it and every night they wanted to go outside to look at the moon.

I guess it is the closest it has been to the earth in about 75 years so it appears to be bigger than ever!

I tried to take a picture of it because it looked so spectacular, but there was so much light that this was all I could capture on my phone...

But it was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Proud to be American

Kesslyn and I enjoyed riding in the back seat of the truck early the other morning 

and watching out the window as Dallin and Clint did the honors of putting up flags around our neighborhood.

We celebrated Election Day and Veteran's Day, and I felt very proud to be able to live among such freedom...Clint's dad and my dad both served in the military and helped contribute to those freedoms that we enjoy today, and I'm very grateful to live in this great nation!

After all, it's religious freedom that our forefathers sought after, and it's that religious freedom that means so much to me now...

Watching these cute boys perform this service made me that much more proud...

Proud of what they stand for, and proud of who they are...

Proud of who they are becoming and all the good that they do.

...Proud of the land that I love and the special people that are a part of it...

May our flag ever wave, that beautiful Red, White, and Blue!