Leaders

 These 2 friends have pretty much grown up together, and today, they were both excited as they were two of the 12 children chosen from their school to go to BYU for an all day leadership conference!

They woke up extra early to be to the school by 7:30 to catch the bus to Provo...Kambriella was REALLY hoping that she was going to see her big sister Kierra there ;)  but I had to explain that although Kierra USED to be at that school, she now does all of her classes through the school online. :)

These girls are natural beauties both inside AND out, and are already becoming GREAT leaders!

I try to remind Kambriella that the world is watching, that you never know WHO needs your influence, and that she needs to ALWAYS be anxiously engaged in good...be kind to EVERYONE, look for those who are alone and invite them, be concerned about others more than yourself, and BE HAPPY. :)

That is what Kambriella and Mya do, and they are going to for sure have one AWESOME day!

Amazing General Conference

WOW.

What a weekend!!!

I hope my thoughts can come out organized onto this blog, because they are all over the place, and my heart is SO FULL!!!

We celebrated and participated in the 188th General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, and I can only say that it was a spiritual feast.

I LOVE this gospel with all my heart, I LOVE our leaders and their unwavering faith and testimonies, and I LOVE this eternal family of mine!!!

Dallin and Gavin went to the temple on Thursday in preparation for conference...they are participating in the gathering of scattered Israel through temple work!

 Kesslyn helped me prepare the food, our home, and some of our fun traditions that go right along with general conference weekend too!!!

 My heart melted as my sweet little Kambriella presented me with a homemade invitation to attend the women's session of general conference with her on Saturday!

Last year was her first time being old enough to go and so I had made her a special invitation to go with me, and this time, SHE made ME the special invitation! Yes, she is her mother's daughter and I love it. :)

 We were so happy to have the whole weekend to absorb the Spirit that filled our home with the talks and inspiration from general conference. The historical changes of church going from a 3 hour block to a 2 hour block and enabling more time at home for families to study the gospel together there in the home to strengthen one another is a true gift  to me a s a mother.

I have always tried to focus on living and teaching the gospel in my home, but NOW I feel as if heaven is cheering us on even more in an even greater cause than before! I can only imagine the strength and bonds that will be built as we participate in this home based gospel learning together! 

I. Am. Excited!!!

 One thing that was special to me this weekend was that Tiffany and her family wanted to come to our house and participate in General Conference TOGETHER. They have really been trying to increase their spiritual efforts and church activity, and I am so proud of them for all of their efforts! I KNOW that Heavenly Father is going to bless them and all of His children who strive to do what is right. 

It was also really fun to share in the fun "Conference Store" tradition that the kids love. :) They earn "conference cash" when they are being good and listening, and at the end of conference they get to "buy" treats with their conference cash. It is always a fun side to the spiritual feast of the weekend.

These are righteous family traditions that I hope will continue on for years to come!

One thing that really stood out to me in conference (along with many other wonderful things) was my answer to the question I had been pondering for a while now...

"How can I be better at receiving personal revelation?"

I have always known that Heavenly Father speaks to me the best through the scriptures, through prayer, time in the temple, and through the whisperings of the Spirit. But I have felt that ever since President Nelson challenged us 6 months ago in the previous conference to "increase our capacity to receive personal revelation" that I have wanted to do better, and to be better. The spirit taught me during and after general conference that I should continue forward with faith in those righteous things that I already know, and then increase my efforts by moving forward in faith by DOING. 

Just as the woman with the issue of blood stretched forth her hand and did ALL that she could to ACT IN FAITH, so should I go and DO the things that I know will bring about good. I must not waste too much time pondering the PERFECT way to go about doing the good, but with the spirit DO the good, and He will continue to enlighten my mind with every action that I take, with every service that I give, with every effort that I put forth...I will be strengthened and come ever closer to the spirit who prompts me, teaches me, and leads me to action. By being moved to ACTION, I will be more receptive to the blessings of the spirit and my capacity to receive personal revelation.

I will truly know that Heavenly Father is speaking to ME.

I love that it seems so clear when we really listen to that still small voice.

I am grateful for the things that I know to be true, and for my Savior Jesus Christ whose church this is, and to whom I belong. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Non Stop Smiles :)

 From "Books and Buddies" at the elementary school to the "Sister Train"...

These sisters keep the fun coming right along with all the smiles! 

Thank you for fueling me with just what this mama needs!!!

Love this family of mine! XOXOX

Breakfast at Kneaders

 Yesterday was October 2nd...Kambriella's day for a date!

We woke up and got ready extra early and went to Kneaders for breakfast before school...

Kambriella and I had ham and egg and cheese croissant sandwiches, and Kesslyn had mini pancakes. :)

It was a quick little date, but full of smiles and fun! (But I do not think it is humanly possible to do ANYTHING with Kambriella and not have fun! ;) ;)

She is a gem, and I am so glad that she doesn't let me forget when the 2nd of every month rolls around. :)

These little dates are so special to me!!!

Family Home Evening For General Conference

 On Sunday evening we drove as a family over to one of our favorite little parks for Family Home Evening.

As I took a picture of this sweet little care free spirit that was hanging out the window, I saw her goodness, and I saw the words "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."

I took the message spiritually and KNOW that my children need me to be closer to them than EVER before.

Although they are so so good, they are still living in a world surrounded by so many loud voices all competing for their attention. I want them to ALWAYS know how special they are, how much they are loved, never to forget WHO they are, and that together, we will make it back to our Heavenly Father...not just one of us, or a couple of us, but ALL of us. Together. 

 We sat together and learned about preparing spiritually for General Conference. We discussed receiving personal revelation and each tried to come up with a question that we want to have answered as we listen to the messages...

 I LOVE General Conference and  I love the righteous traditions we are are creating when we participate and do these good things together as a family. I love the way the spirit fills my home and how the messages touch me deep to my core. I love how I receive so much guidance and inspiration for me, for my family, for my calling, and for life. I can't wait until the weekend and for General Conference!

(AND I LOVE this crazy Goofball!)

:)

Hard Work and a 100th Birthday!

 This weekend was a fun one for sure! 

We headed up to our property on Saturday morning around 6 a.m. and put in a good 6 hours worth of non stop work! I am so glad that my parents taught me from a young age how to work HARD!

 With all of the wildfires that have been burning down Sanpete County this year, the insurance companies are being VERY strict on guidelines and expectations of properties in order to be insured. So, we gathered up a few helpers and spent the morning trying to get the grounds safe and up to the standards that were set.

 We are LOVING this property, but it is also something that we knew from the beginning would be a life long project with continued improvements...we just had to meet certain ones of those requirements by October 4th, and so we did. It felt good to look at what we accomplished as we drove away...but we also know that there is SO much work left to do!

It made me a little sad as we drove the canyon and saw so much burnt mountainside...the fires were very harsh and devastating, but I also felt so much gratitude for the protection that was brought to our neighbors, the people in those areas, and even our own little property. The buildings can be replaced, but people can't.

We saw a helicopter carrying the large buckets that were continuing to try and put out the fires that were still burning...and once again, I felt VERY grateful...

We had to hurry home for another great reason...

Bernice's 100th Birthday!!! :)

 She was so cute in her new little Keds and I learned some new things about her that I never knew...

Like the fact that she earned her high school diploma at the age of 90 years old! And that she lost her sweetheart ON their 50th wedding anniversary, and that she wore underwear made out of old flour sacks when she was a little girl because in the Depression they didn't have enough money to buy them...

 Surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors who love her, there was singing, and dancing, sweets galore, and smiles to go all around...

 ...but that's nothing new for Bernice! She has been such a happy lady for as long as I have known her, and she is such a blessing to us because those smiles are contagious! We love you so much Grandma!

Happy 100th Birthday!!! 

My Awesome Kids :)

 Have I ever mentioned how awesome I think my kids are??? :)

Gavin came home yesterday from school all excited to show me his "Eagle of the Month"award from school!

Gavin was nominated for this award by his peers in recognition of "Being Friendly"...

There's nothing that makes a mama more proud than to know her children are happy and kind to others. It's being a true disciple of Christ, and Gavin gets that. Way to go Buddy!

 Gavin also earned his Star in Scouting, and continues to excel in everything he tries. I love you Gavin and am so proud of all the good things that you are doing! 

  There was also an article on the website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at lds.org about working together to prevent  suicide. It featured the Hope4Utah Hope Squad, and I once again felt the spirit confirm to me the goodness of this great program! 

 Gavin attended his first training meeting for the Hope Squad on Wednesday where he learned about "QPR"..

1) Question:

Ask questions to find out if a friend is in trouble

2) Persuade:

Persuade them to talk to a trusted adult

3) Refer:

Refer them to people who can help and offer to go with them.

He was excited and felt good about all that he is already learning! 

(Plus, we stopped and got ice~cream on the way home. ;)

 Also, little Kambriella has ALWAYS wanted to be FAMOUS, ;) so now she can say she is!!!

She was caught on camera RIGHT at the beginning of an instagram commercial for the University of Utah's Volleyball team! Right along side her friends Alexa and Mya!

 She had so much fun that night at the Volleyball game, and now she can remember it forever! (And that THAT was what made her famous. ;)  ;)

 Last night was also my stake leadership training meeting, and just as I thought, it felt sooo good to sit and learn from other sisters in the stake that are serving and doing some of the very same things that we are doing right now. I feel very blessed to have these beautiful women in my life too!

They support me, serve side by side with me, and love me unconditionally as I "learn as I go" in this calling that I've never done before!

 We are "in the trenches" together! Working hard side by side in all we do...and I LOVE our Stake Relief Society Presidency!

Chelsea, Traci, Becky, and Lorna...absolutely AMAZING women!!!

They are INSPIRING to me, along with our prophet, other church leaders, my husband, and my children. I know that I need to stay positive and always be anxiously engaged in Heavenly Father's good cause!

 ...And speaking of good causes...these boys woke up at 4:30 this morning to go to the temple!

They were willing to sacrifice their sleep to show Heavenly Father that HE is more important to them.

 I LOVE these boys and all of the goodness that is flowing out of them!!!

They are spiritual giants to me and such good examples.

Happy weekend family!

 XOXOX