Mosiah 2:41

This morning before Stephen left for Seminary he said to me "Mosiah 2:41".  I said "what does it say" and he said, "look it up".  So, I did.  It's a good one!  I love that kid!

Have a glorious day!

Stripling Warriors

Yesterday I had to speak in church and can I just say...."whew, I'm glad that's over!"  It is always a stresser for me to have a speaking assignment.  However, I have to say how honored I felt to be speaking on such an important subject.  "The Priesthood."

I spoke a little about Heleman's 2000 Stripling Warriors and I have found myself reflecting more than ever before about that story.  When I think about the faith of the mother's of those young boys it just astounds me.  I wonder how they must have felt when their sons came to them and said,"hey Mom, I'm going to go fight for Dad in Helaman's army!"  I mean really what ages were these boys?  I am thinking the average age must have been like 15, 16?  I am sure their hearts dropped, yet what did they say to their sons?  Well, I guess we all know how the story goes.  And we all know how those young boys rehearsed to Helaman, "We dont doubt, our mother's knew it".  Wow!  What faith!  I want to be that kind of mother and I want my boys to have that kind of faith.  Today our youth are fighting a different kind of war a different kind of battle, but it requires just as much faith to win today.  The war against sin and the battle for righteousness.

Then I think about my own mother.  She raised 8 children of which I am the 7th.  She and my dad divorced when I was 14.  Unfortunately my dad fell away from the church yet my mother stayed firm.  Was it easy for her?  Absolutely not!  Yet I know that she hung on to her testimony with everything she had and stayed faithful no matter how hard it was for her at times.  I believe it was because of her faith that my oldest brother who had been less active came back into the church and went on a mission at 21 and then my next brother followed.  Today, my mother has seen 3 of her children serve missions and 6 sealed in the temple.  I love my mother and I am so thankful for her great example in my life.

I think about Helaman.  It must have been an extremely humbling experience for him to lead these young boys.  I wonder if he went to their mother's and asked, "are you sure about this?"  I bet he led them with great courage and boldness and then I bet he prayed his heart out for them the entire time.

I think about Bryce and how he is getting ready to fight this battle that young teenage boys fight as he is about to enter middle school.  And I am so thankful that he has his father and his brothers to look up to.  But I have my work to do help him see his potential to be a valiant warrior in this fight.

And then I think about how these young boys were actually converted Lamanites  fighting Lamanites.  And I think they probably looked very much like my Stephen.  And you know what?  I can see Stephen having the kind of courage that these boys did.( scarey) He is just that kind of passionate determined young man.

I think about Michael and how anxious he was to serve his mission.  He was so excited and so ready that he practically jumped out of the car when we dropped him off at the MTC.  I think about Mission Presidents and how humbling it must be for them. They are like Heleman.  They arm those young men with courage and strength and then pray for them like crazy.  Their job so often is to turn these young boys into men.

Thinking about all of these things make me realize how thankful I am for the scriptures and the gospel in my life.  That I have somewhere to go to find the answers to my questions and the tools that I need to be a mother and teach my children in such a way that they too can be valiant warriors of our Heavenly Father and find true happiness in this life as they fight for truth and righteousness.

 And then I think WOW,  I have my own little band of Stripling Warriors!

THIS and THAT

THIS is one from the set of 2 tablecloths I bought at a yard sale last weekend when I was in Utah for .50 each.  I really love them.  They match my colors and they are soft and sturdy. What a deal!

THAT is the laundry pile that I've been working on all week since I came home.  I am working on the last couple of loads now.  Does laundry ever really end?

Have a great weekend!

Sister's Retreat 2010

Here are my beautiful and oh so crazy sisters! And this is how they greeted me when I came off my flight to Utah to meet them for our 2010 Sister's Retreat.After arriving we went to Regina's house and I made them pose the same way they greeted me so that I could get a picture.  Regina's (the Actress) idea...The Charlies Angels pose. Dorothy,Theresa and Regina my crazy, goofy, and beautiful sisters!

We started out the event with dinner of Carnita's taco's to celebrate Cinco De Mayo at Theresa's and then we took some pictures of all of us together with our eye glasses on.  Yes, we are all aging.  Fun times!

On Thursday morning we traveled to the Oquirrah Mountain Temple where we had fun taking more pictures....

That was a lot of fun!

Then we traveled over to Gardener Village where we took a tour of the shop that Theresa sells her jewelry....Anastasia's Attic. So unique!

This is where her jewelry is displayed.  She makes necklaces, watch bands, and braclets.  She is so stinkin' creative!

Then we went for lunch at Archibalds and had fried green tomatoes and fried avocado's for an appetizer...yum!

From there we went to the Cottage Retreat Day Spa for pedicures!  Thanks to Regina!

This is Betty...she was my gal.  She is super cute and she did a great job!

Gotcha Betty!

When we were done, Regina made the girls do the infamous Charlie's Angels pose....it's always the Charlie's Angels pose with her.  But they did it!  They were all so cute and nice!

That was such a treat!

Went to dinner at MOm's that night and had a nice visit with her then headed over to Regina's Play practice for "Annie"!  We were good and tired after that and went home to get some shut eye.

Friday was scrapbooking day in Theresa's basement.  I've been saving pictures of our Sister's weekend's for several years now and we finally got to put them in our own individual scrapbooks!  At first we were a bit frazzled as to where to put what... but after a while we didnt want to stop!  They are soooo cute!

 

Well, after about 5 hours of this...we decided to head over to the theatre to see "Clash of the Titans"  oh, that was gooooood...we never saw so many men look so good in short dresses before...ooh baby!

On Saturday we went Yard Sale shopping!  As you can see the truck was pretty full!  I think I spent about $20 total. 

Regina and I laid all our treasures out on her kitchen table (minus the car/bed she got for her grandson).  We got some really good deals including the table cloth on this table that I got 2 of for .50 each.  Now that's what I call a bargain!

And here is Zachary with his Grandma!  He was so stinkin' fun and cute!

I miss that little boy's kisses! 

And here are my sister Theresa's boys Christopher and Joseph. They are a lot of fun and quite entertaining! Christopher can really jam on that guitar! Joey is just funny...never a dull moment when he is around!

On Saturday night we got together for Mother's Day and showered Mom with gifts.  (sorry, my camera died at this point) I was also very surprised when my sister's decided to celebrate my birthday early.  Wow!  They gave me some really nice things and made me feel special.  Then we played a new game called "Things"...oh that is a fun game....I gotta get it!  The next day was Sunday and I headed back to Cali and that was our sister's retreat for 2010!  We'll do it again in 2012.  I miss my sister's already!

Mother's Day phone call from Australia

Well, the much awaited phone call happened on Mother's Day at about 6:30 pm.  It must have been about 11:00 am or 12:00 am Monday morning in Australia.  We gathered around the phone and asked Elder Nelson lots of questions and shared everything that is happening here.  It was such a fun time for all of us! One of the  things he said really made me think.  I asked him, "were you ever homesick?" and he replied, "oh Mum dont worry about it", and I replied, "listen Michael, you have been gone for almost a year now.  Before you left I knew everything going on in your life and now I know nothing...this is so hard!"  and he replied, "I know isn't it great, the apron strings have been cut".  Then he proceeded to tell me a little bit about his adjustment, which wasn't a difficult one for him.  He truly has been blessed with good experiences and a positive attitude to get him thru.  He said he has never had a time when he has wanted to come home or anything.  He was so happy and upbeat the whole time.  He is really having a great time and loveing being a missionary.  But he really made me think....my son is really and truly his own man now.  His testimony has grown and has been so strengthened, and he has his own convictions of what he knows.  He can take care of himself with the help of his Father in Heaven and has a relationship with him all his own.  He is so independent. The apron strings are cut....that was a sad and happy moment at the same time. 

I think the highlight of our visit with him was before we hung up the phone.  Bryce was talking to him for the last time and Stephen suggested to me that we have family prayer with him over the phone (like we used to do with Mike when he was in Utah) and I thought that was a great idea.  So, we asked Michael and he said yes, of course.  We asked Michael to say the prayer and he did.  Wow!  That was such a great experience!  You could hear his Australian accent and you could feel his spirit.  His prayers are more meaningful and much more Christ centered.  It was the neatest experience!  Both the boys got pretty emotional.  Sweet boys!  I love my boys and I am especially proud of our Missionary!  What a great Mother's Day treat!

Happy Mother's Day

Just flew in from Utah this afternoon to this!  My boys showered me with sweets.  They kept saying "Mom, are you gonna open these now?"  (you can probably guess why).  Now we are waiting for a special call from a Special missionary! 

We spent some time at Mom's in her new place in Utah on Friday night talking with her about the gifts we see in eachother.  Mom has always been one of the girls.  She was my best friend growing up and  has been such a strength and support to me my whole life.  She raised 8 children, sent 3 on missions and has seen 6 sealed in the temple, so far.  She loves her family with all her heart!  That is what being a mother is all about isnt' it?  It's the greatest calling on earth! 

Let the good times roll!

May is my month!

I leave tomorrow to spend the next 4 days with these beautiful sisters of mine...and I cant wait!  But today I need to prepare.  I have so much to do to get ready.  Leaving the boys is always risky business but sometimes it just has to be done.  We have not had a sisters weekend together in about 5 years...and it's about time!  I am the luckiest girl alive to have these awesome sisters for my own!  Let the good times roll!