When Mom is sick...

Well, I'm sick. Probably the flu -at least it's not the stomach flu though. I've been sick in bed since Monday. I was just talking to my parents on Sunday- the question came up, "Are you healthy?" "Yep, we're healthy." Well, the very next day, I woke up and my throat was scratchy. By 1:30 in the afternoon, I had a fever, my chest was burning, and my body was achy. I had to go to bed. I've pretty much been in bed since then, except to feed the boys breakfast and lunch and change Jared's diaper a few times (he has a rash now). So what happens when Mom is sick? Well, then there's very minimal supervision. The 4-year old is looking after the 21 month old. They actually didn't do too bad. I had to take a picture of what it looked like Tuesday afternoon. There were grapes and cheerios all over the floor and they turned the living room into a playground. Oh well. Dad came home from work and cleaned it up. I didn't have any energy to deal with it. Notice the boys are still in their pajamas...

Today was a different story. The morning went okay. They watched about 5 videos in a row. Nathan figured out how to work the DVD player. I was able to rest here and there, only having to get up and break up a few skirmishes. By lunchtime, everyone was cranky. I yelled at Nathan for not being able to figure out how to put Jared's diaper in the trash. And then he didn't want what I gave him for lunch. (You don't mess with a sick Mom...) I sent him to time-out, but didn't have the energy to stand at the door and make sure he couldn't get out. So he came out crying, "I don't want to be in time-out!" And I was thinking, "I do want to be in time-out! So I shut myself in my room. Anyway, Nathan was crying, I was crying, and so I called Alex home from work. He helped them finish lunch and put them down for a nap, allowing me to get some undistracted rest. And when I woke up in the afternoon, I felt pretty good.

Anyway, it's not fun for anyone when Mom is sick.

ye shall not fear?

This morning at church, Nathan got to give a scripture in primary for the 1st time. We practiced it alot the day before, and I felt like he was ready. But when he got up there in front of everyone, he just wanted to hide behind me. I don't blame him. It can be scary in front of a group. I got my own taste of that today as well. I recently got a new "calling" or position in the church. I'm a counselor in the Relief Society, the women's organization of the church. I am mainly in charge of the instructors who teach the lessons on Sunday in Relief Society (the 3rd hour), just helping them in any way. Well, when they're not there, that means I get to teach.

We have not been meeting in our own building. We've been meeting in the community center until our new building is finished. Today we had special circumstances- when we got to church, we found out we couldn't meet as a congregation the 1st hour (sacrament meeting), like we usually do, so we went to the 2nd and 3rd hours. Except the normal 3rd hour was the 2nd hour today. Anyway, the instructor showed up only to teach during the 3rd hour, so she missed the time she was supposed to teach. That meant that I got to teach the lesson, unprepared.

I always think of the scripture that says, "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." Well, I wasn't prepared, so I was afraid! I felt a little bit like Nathan, except I didn't have anyone to hide behind. But I took comfort in that I did at least read the lesson yesterday, and the lesson was on "Jesus Christ, the Divine Redeemer of the World." I can teach and testify about Jesus Christ. (At least it wasn't on the law of chastity- Alex got to give an impromtu lesson on that a few weeks ago in Sunday School...) Anyway, it went well, because I really just had to facilitate the discussion. This is Relief Society - women love to talk.

I ended up using the scripture that Nathan shared today in part of my lesson. The primary's theme for the month is "The scriptures teach me about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and how to return to them." So I picked a simple scripture in John 20:31. It says, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

It's interesting the lead-up to that scripture. The Risen Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene and his disciples. Except Thomas hadn't seen the Risen Lord yet. He said he would not believe until he saw the prints of the nails. (You're familiar with the term "doubting Thomas"). Soon, Thomas was also able to see Jesus Christ for himself. The Lord tells him, "...be not faithless, but believing....because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." And then we have the scripture in verse 31 that Nathan shared.

So would it make a difference if you actually saw the Savior? You bet it would. But we don't have to see him to believe, to have that witness. We can read about Jesus in the scriptures. We can read about and hear the testimony of prophets and those who have actually seen the Savior. This is where faith comes in, which is so lacking in the world today (see my previous post). Many say, as Thomas did, I will not believe until I see. But that's where we go wrong. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. We receive no witness until after the trial of our faith.

What now?

So I don't know what to think now that Mitt Romney is out of the race. It took me by surprise when he announced he was stepping aside. Some of you didn't even get a chance to vote yet (like Texas) so I feel bad that part of the country "lost" their voice (at least those in support of Romney). I was counting on Romney becoming the nominee - I don't know what to do now. I guess I could vote for McCain, as a vote against Hillary or Obama...

I'm sad that Romney is out. I think he would make a great leader. I do have to admit that part of my vote for Romney was because he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Being one myself, I know what it means to be a "Mormon." I know what standards we live by - we don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, don't use the Lord's name in vain. We still maintain strict chastity- no sex before marriage and complete fidelity in the marriage. We go to church every Sunday and we honor it as a day of rest. We take the sacrament (communion) every Sunday in remembrance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We serve in church positions, with no paid clergy- even the Bishop. We serve those around us and we pay our tithes and offerings to support the poor. We send out missionaries, on their own will and without pay, to spread the gospel. We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that by following His teachings, we can return to live with God again, in eternal families. We believe that God is our Father and we can pray to Him anytime, anywhere. We believe in faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe we are saved by grace. We believe God has provided us with prophets today, as He did in biblical times, to guide us in these troubling times. Don't we need a prophet more than ever today? We need God's will revealed to us, and he does that through prophets (Amos 3:7). We need a prophet to proclaim that marriage is ordained of God between a man and a woman and that the family is central to God's plan. We need a prophet to teach honesty, chastity, work. We need a prophet guiding us as the world changes around us. What is so scary about the things that Mormons believe?

Well, what about Joseph Smith, you wonder? So the story is hard to believe... Even Joseph Smith said if he had not seen what he did, he would not have believed it. But he could not deny what he had seen. Joseph Smith was the 1st prophet of the restoration. While he was searching for which church to join, he came across the scripture in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God..." He took this very literally and went to the woods to pray. While doing so, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. In answer to his prayer, he was told to join none of them. God's church needed to be restored to the earth- the authority to act in God's name was lost (apostasy- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Amos 8:11-12). Joseph became the 1st prophet of the restoration of the gospel. The priesthood authority was later given to Joseph Smith, and he was to organize the Lord's church on the earth again. He later translated the Book of Mormon, from gold plates, that had been sealed and hidden in the earth (about A.D. 421) by the prophet Moroni, whose father was Mormon (hence the term "Mormon").

What is the Book of Mormon?

"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians. The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." (from the Introduction to the Book of Mormon).

Hard to believe? Search it out for yourself. "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20). Read and pray about it and see the fruits of your faith. I think another thing that is lacking in this world today is faith. Not a faith (a religion), but faith as in a belief in things not seen, which are true. It takes faith and courage to seek the truth, to accept something that we cannot see. It is easier to see the results of faith- the consequences of action. Try out the principles of the restored gospel. How does that make you feel? Evil cannot bring forth righteous fruits- only good can produce good fruit. (This is symbolic of course.)

Anyway, I've gotten carried away, but there has been alot of negative things said about the church lately. During Romney's campaign, his religion was scrutinized and criticized. I've heard some good things, but I've also heard several false statements from the media and other on-line outlets. I'm offended by some of the things I've heard. This has little to do with Romney, and everything to do with defending my religion. I can't just "sit on the bench" - my faith moves me such that I will not be still.

With that said, I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true, I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I can say these things with all conviction of heart because I have had the truth confirmed to me by the power of the spirit. I've seen the fruits of the restored gospel- the blessings of priesthood authority in my home, the blessings of a living prophet, the blessings of additional scripture, the blessings of a marriage sealed for eternity in a temple of the Lord. I've experienced the happiness and freedom that comes from living the law of chastity and of staying away from alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful substances. I've seen how the principles of the gospel has changed me and brought happiness in family life. And I know who I am (a daughter of God), why I'm here on earth (to gain a physical body, have joy, learn and become like God), and where I'm going after this life (return to live with God, with our families). This is all made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This knowledge rings true for me. And no one can dispute that.

snow day

It snowed today. Nathan kept bugging me all day to go outside and play in it. It wasn't a sunny snow day- just really cold. I finally let Nathan go out in the afternoon. He was only outside for 2 minutes before he was complaining about the cold. I let them both go out in the early evening for about 10 minutes. Jared wasn't too excited about it.

Nathan dressed himself. That's why the hat is inside out...

Nathan's second 4th birthday party

Nathan was a lucky boy this year. He got to have 2 parties for his birthday- one in Australia and one here at home. The theme was the same- Thomas the tank engine, of course. You might notice that we re-used the tablecloth and candle from his party in Australia.

We had a lot of fun. There were 9 toddlers (including Nathan & Jared) plus 3 infants.

This was my attempt at making a train cake. I ran out of time- I like to call it "shabby chic." The kids loved it though. They each got to make their own, from mini loaf pans, decorating them with sprinkles, marshmallows, and candy.

I used tape on the floor, much to Alex's dismay, for train tracks.

The bunch (minus Jared)- Nathan has the hat on!

The bunch, with wiggly Jared on the end

Nathan's best friend Garett gave him a

homemade Thomas pillow. He loves it.

'Til we meet again...

I will miss our prophet, President Hinckley. As I heard and read his testimony again, I was filled with so much emotion and love for our beloved prophet. I know that he truly is a prophet of God, a special witness of Christ. I loved his wit and sense of humor- he was an amazing man, with remarkable endurance. He was 97! I never got to shake his hand, but I was able to see him in person when he spoke to us at a Youth Conference when I was a teenager. I still remember the moment as he was leaving, waving farewell to us- the overwhelming feeling that he was a true prophet of God. We sang "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again," one of his favorite songs. I will always think of President Hinckley when I hear that song. God be with you 'til we meet again...

"The Race"

This poem/story from Dee Groberg gets to me every time I hear it, possibly because I know what it's like to run a race. The feeling of failure weighs heavy on your mind. Another reason is that my dad was always there cheering us on and I can see him saying that to us, "Get up and win the race." But even more importantly, I can hear those words in my mind every time I "fall" in my daily challenges, that voice inside pushing me on, the voice (through His spirit) from a loving Father in Heaven.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low
“Get up and take your place;
you were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race.

“With borrowed will get up,” it said,
“You haven’t lost it all,
For winning is no more than this:
To rise each time you fall.”

I particularly like the phrase, "...you were not meant for failure here." How true is that? There is a plan and purpose for us being here, and we were not meant to fail. And with all of life's challenges, the reason we are able to fall and get up again is because of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for that gift.

Here is a video I found of this story: