It gets easier...right??

Wouldn't you be grumpy if you had to be woken up while sleeping like this??

I love my religion, but going to church has become a battleground.

The boys are NOT fans of sitting for 3 hrs, so I've backed it off to just the 1st hour, but it seems like that is too much! They wrestle with me & each other, throw their toys, bother EVERYONE around us and nothing seems to keep their interest.

And until they become afternoon nappers, which would screw with my sleeping schedule during the week, they end up with a short, or non-existent nap time. Makes for very unhappy kiddos.

It's slightly easier for me (not necessarily them) when I can sit with my brother & his family, but that isn't always an option. And our chapel is tiny with very few pews, and I've learned that sitting in the chairs just isn't an option.

Their going to grow out of this, right??

What toys/distractions have worked for your kids at this age (15 months), to keep them entertained???

In better news, Cooper is now sleeping until about 6am!!! I'll take it. I think that spending at least 30 minutes outside in the heat, and keeping them busy during the day has helped. AND, they may have just needed this time to get into their own routine. Although Eric just left again, we look forward to him making an appearance in time for my birthday at the end of the month, his in July, and our 10 yr anniversary a few days after that!.

Sunday moments, on Monday

Yesterday I was very captivated by the High Council speaker we had in church. He made some excellent points and I walked away feeling inspired. He brought up the fact that many people seek spiritual guidance from their leaders without trying to change any of their behaviors first, such as making sure they are saying their daily prayers and reading the scriptures. Which reminded me of a piece of flair I saw on Facebook:I am a firm believer in helping those that help themselves, which I feel is the inspiration behind our church welfare system.

The speaker also reminded me to take control & responsibility of my own salvation. I have often heard of people complaining about different teachers at church, whether they are boring, they don't like the way they present the lesson, or they disagree with everything they say...but is that really the attitude we need to have? Only you can decide what you are going to take from a lesson, even if it is just a peaceful atmosphere.

And here is a poem that the speaker shared, which I had never heard before, but appreciate it more everytime I read it!

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Just what I needed to hear

As many of you know, I have the privilege of teaching Sunday School to the 14-18 yr olds in my ward. The great thing is that the lessons are the same as adult Sunday School so I never feel like I'm missing out!

Today's lesson really touched me, and the subject matter is very close to my heart...life after death. I remember vividly talking with a guy in my Intro to Fiction class in college and how sad I felt when he said that all you have is the here and now. One of my LDS friends had the class with me, so we proceeded to talk with him about how we believe that there is life after death, and we will be able to see our loved ones again.

While we were discussing what we can do NOW to prepare, the lesson had a beautiful (although very long) quote about the importance of having a strong testimony of Christ, and I want to share with you, by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

“What does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?

“It is to be courageous and bold; to use all our strength, energy, and ability in the warfare with the world; to fight the good fight of faith. . . . The great cornerstone of valiance in the cause of righteousness is obedience to the whole law of the whole gospel.

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’; it is to deny ourselves ‘of all ungodliness,’ and ‘love God’ with all our ‘might, mind and strength.’ (Moro. 10:32.)

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the verity and divinity of the Lord’s work on earth.

“But this is not all. It is more than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness. . . .

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.’ It is to ‘endure to the end.’ (2 Ne. 31:20.) It is to live our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the manifestation of ‘pure religion’ in the lives of men; it is visiting ‘the fatherless and widows in their affliction’ and keeping ourselves ‘unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:27.)

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is our prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father’s children. It is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath day, to pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if called upon to do so.

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord’s side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1974, 45–46; or Ensign, Nov. 1974, 35).


I also went to Relief Society today, and last week, and we talked about the importance of recognizing the blessings in your life, related to President Monson's talk "Be of Good Cheer." The person conducting went around the room and we all had to say what we were thankful for, and I am so thankful that my husband is my best friend! He is someone that I can confide in and that I enjoy just sitting in silence with. In less than a month we will have been married 8 years, and I don't think we would have ever survived all of the deployments & time apart if it wasn't for our friendship.

I know this isn't a normal post for me, but I felt compelled to share :o)