Week 4 Day 22-28

— Day 22: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 30-36 Mark & Ponder: Alma 32:21
Scripture of the Day:
“Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full. Therefore,
care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life
of the soul.  And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your
souls, and ye shall have eternal life.” (D&C 101:36-38)
Thought for the day:
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain.  It is a resource in event of
pain, and when the pain comes...rejoice that you have resource to deal with your pain.”
(Carlfred Broderick)


— Day 23: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 37-41 Mark & Ponder: Alma 36:18-19
Scripture of the Day:
“...I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised
up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.”
(D&C 101:80)
Thought for the day:
“Nothing pleases God more than to have his children seek greater light and knowledge.”
(Hugh Nibley)
—
Day 24: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 42-44 Mark & Ponder: Alma 34:32-34
Scripture of the Day:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Thought for the day:
“THOUGH CHRIST
A THOUSAND TIMES
IN BETHLEHEM BE BORN,
IF HE  I S  NOT BORN  IN THEE,


— Day 25: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 45-50 Mark & Ponder: Alma 46:12
Scripture of the Day:
“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be,
like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea,
the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”
(Alma 48:17)
Thought for the day:
“The central conflict in the premortal council was: Shall man have agency, or shall he
be coerced to be obedient?  Christ stood for the former, Satan for the latter.  The
conflict continues in mortality.   One of Lucifer’s primary strategies has been to restrict
our agency through the power of earthly governments...we live in one of history’s most
exceptional moments– in a nation and a time of unprecedented freedom.  Freedom as
we know it has been experienced by perhaps less than 1 percent of the human family.”
(Pres Ezra Taft Benson)

— Day 26: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 51-54 Mark & Ponder: Alma 37:6-6
Scripture of the Day:
“And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and
dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18)
Thought for the day:
“There is no real happiness in having or getting, but only in giving.” (N. Eldon Tanner)

THY  SOUL  I S     STILL FORLORN.”


— Day 27: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 55-58 Mark & Ponder: Alma 37:35
Scripture of the Day:
“yea, they had been taught by their mothers.” (Alma 56:47)
Thought for the day:
“The family is the basic unit of the kingdom of God on earth.  The Church can be no
healthier than its families.  No government can long endure without strong families.”
(Pres. Spencer W. Kimball)
—
 Day 28: ___________________  Date: ___________________          
Read: Alma 59-63 Mark & Ponder: Alma 41:10
Scripture of the Day:
“For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a
stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me;
I was in prison. and ye came unto me.  “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done
it unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:35-40)
Thought for the day:
“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
(Aristotle)

Thanks Aunt Lolly

Last night we were at Grandmas house Wrapping gifts for a family that we are going to Secret Santa.  We had a great time getting everything wrapped.  These kids are going to be well dressed for awhile.

We were expecting someone to bring by something for Grandmas because she has been getting the 12 days of Christmas and one of the kids opened the door and noticed that there was a package from Aunt Lolly on the porch. They ripped open the package for Grandma and realized that Lolly had not wrapped the gifts.  Inside the box were handmade hats for each of the kids.  They look so cute.  Last night the boys set theirs carefully on the dresser before they went to bed.  Then they put them on first thing this morning.  Marissa just slept in hers.

Scripture study week 3

I am going to do this a little different.  Here is this weeks Scripture study.  I will post it once a week.  You can still find the whole plan here—

Day 15: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Mosiah 23-29  Mark & Ponder: Mosiah 4:27
Scripture of the Day:
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; “ In whom ye also are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 3:19-10, 22)
Thought for the day:
“Search the scriptures, search the revelations which ye publish and ask your Heavenly
Father, in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you
do it with an eye single to his glory, nothing doubting, he will answer you by the power
of his Holy Spirit.  You will then know for yourself and not for another.  You will not then
be dependent on man  for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any  room for
speculation... For when men receive their instruction from Him that made them, they
know how He will save them... Again we say: Search the scriptures, search the Prophets
and learn what portion of them belongs to you.” (Prophet Joseph Smith)
—
Day 16: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 1-5 Mark & Ponder: Mosiah 4:30
Scripture of the Day:
“I am the way the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
(John 13:6)
Thought for the day:
“If we desire to learn the ideal life to lead among our fellow men, we can find a perfect
example in the life of Jesus.  Whatsoever our noble desire, our lofty aspirations, our
ideals in any phase of life, we can look to Christ and find perfection.  So, in seeking a
standard for moral manhood, we need only to go to the Man of Nazareth and in him find
embodied all virtues that go to make the perfect man.”  (Pres David O. McKay)

—
Day 17: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 6-10 Mark & Ponder: Alma 4:10
Scripture of the Day:
“...I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:27)
Thought for the day:
“Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin and to take them by the
hand, and watch over them with tenderness.  When persons manifest the least kindness
and love to me,  O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a
tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind.”
(Prophet Joseph Smith)
—
 Day 18: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 11-14 Mark & Ponder: Alma 5: 14
Scripture of the Day:
“...That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day
of judgement.  For by thy words shalt thou be justified, and by thy words shalt thou be
condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
Thought for the day:
“ What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies
within us.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

— 
Day 19: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 15-19 Mark & Ponder: Alma 11:40
Scripture of the Day:
“My God hath been my support; He hath filled me with his love; even unto the consuming
of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of  them to quake
before me.  Behold, he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime.”
(2 Nephi 4:20-23)
Thought for the day:
“The Lord works from the inside out.  The world works from the outside in.  The world
would take people out of the slums.  Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they
take themselves out of the slums.  The world would mold men by changing their
environment.  Christ changes men, who then change their environment.  The world
would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”
(Pres. Ezra Taft Benson)
—
Day 20: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 20-24 Mark & Ponder: Alma 11:43
Scripture of the Day:
“Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which
do and will exist in the hearts of men  in the last days, I have warned you, and
forewarned you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation”
(D&D 89:4)
Thought for the day:
“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we
are moving.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)


— Day 21: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Alma 25-29 Mark & Ponder: Alma 30:60
Scripture of the Day:
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?  He that
hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully  He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the  God
of his salvation.  This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face , O
Jacob. Selah.” (Psalms 24: 3-6)
Thought for the day:
“Peace is more than a spot of ink on a piece of paper or a sound upon lips.  It is the
application of the teachings of the Prince of Peace in our daily lives.”

Day 14

— Day 14: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Mosiah 16-22 Mark & Ponder: Mosiah 2:17
Scripture of the day:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might.”  (Deut. 6:5)
Thought for the day:
He ate and drank the precious Words–
His Spirit grew robust–He knew no more–
that he was poor, Nor that his frame
was Dust– He danced along the dingy Days
And this Bequest of Wings Was but a Book–
What liberty A loosen spirit brings–
  (Emily Dickinson)

It is hard to believe that When I wrote this post it was over a week ago.  By the time this posts I should be reading day 28.  Well on my way to making my deadline. I should finish the Book of Mormon on Christmas day what a great gift to give myself.

Day 13

— Day 13: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Mosiah 10-15 Mark & Ponder:  Mosiah 3:19
Scripture of the Day:
”And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom;
yea seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also
by faith. “Orgaghnize yourself; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even
a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of
glory, a house or order, a house of God.” ( D&C 88:118-119)
Thought for the day:
“We cannot be made perfect without our progenitors, neither can they be perfected
without us, and they are as much dependent upon us as we are dependent upon them.
We can build temples, they cannot; it is not their province to administer in them at
present, but it is ours, and we are called upon to do so.  They are interested in our
welfare, they are our fathers, we are their children;  they are laboring there, we here,
for our mutual salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God.”  (Pres. John Taylor)

Day 12

— Day 12: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Mosiah 4-9 Mark & Ponder: Jacob 2:18-19
Scripture of the day:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine. or nakedness, or peril, or sword” (Romans 8:35)
Thought for the day:
“A true Mormon home is one in which if Christ should chance to enter, he would b
pleased to linger and rest.” (Pres. David O. McKay)

Day 11

— Day 11: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Words of Mormon, Mosiah 1-3 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 33:8-9
Scripture of the day:
“Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and
the needy, and the naked, and sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them
not?” (Mormon 8:39)
Thought for the day:
“But as a people we should endeavor in the midst of our troubles, difficulties, trials and
temptations, to remember that we are God’s people; that we are called to be His, and
we should put our firm faith and trust in Him and leave Him to work out the results.”
(George Q. Cannon)

Day 10

— Day 10: ___________________  Date: ___________________          
Read: Jacob 6-7, Enos, Jarom, Omni Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 31:20
Scripture of the day:
“Thou shalt not idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of
the laborer.” (D&C 42:42)
Thought for the day:
“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I love.  I
rejoice in life for its own sake.  Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch
which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as
possible before handing it on to future generations.” (George Bernard Shaw)

I think this scripture says it all
Jacob 6:12 O be ^awise; what can I say more?

Day 9

— Day 9: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: Jacob 1-5 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 31:13
Scripture of the day:
“...Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of
Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi 32:3)
Thought for the day:
“The Book of Mormon must be reenthroned in the minds and hearts of our people.  We
must honor it by taking its precepts into our lives and transforming them into lives
required of true followers of Christ.” (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson)

Great Scripture for the day.  Last week in Young Women we had a Scripture Feast.  We asked all the YW to come with their scriptures and share their favorite Scripture and why.  No two people shared the same scriptures.  We had 100% attendance from all youth and leaders.  It was a fun activity next year we are going to do it as a combined activity.

Day 8

— Day 8: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: 2 Nephi 22-33 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 28:8
Scripture of the day:
“And it shall come to pass, that if ye are faithful you shall receive the fullness of the
record of John.  I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to
worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name,
and in due time receive of his fulness.”  (D&C 98:18-19)
Thought for the day:
“I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to read the book.”
(Parley P. Pratt’s first reading of the Book of Mormon)

This was the longest reading to date.  It took me 50 minutes to read this.  I wish I was like Parley P. Pratt when he read the Book of Mormon.  I just got an infection and all I want to do is sleep.  I am on my second antibiotic hopefully this one will work.

Day 7

— Day 7: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: 2 Nephi 13-21 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 9:28-29
Scripture of the day:
“...they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound
understanding and they searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the
word of God.  But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting;
therefore they had the spirit of prophesy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they
taught, they taught with power and authority of God.” (Alma 17:2-3)
Thought for the day:
“The time is coming when no man or woman will be able to endure on borrowed light.
Each will have to be guided by light within himself.  If you do not have it, you will not
stand.”  (Pres Herold B. Lee)

Enjoyed Reading about Christs birth in 2 Nephi 19:6

Day 6

— Day 6: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: 2 Nephi 8-12 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:27
Scripture of the day:
“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that
when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
(Mosiah 2:17)
Thought for the day:
“Few will have greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a
small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of
this generation.” (Robert Kennedy)


I enjoyed reading 2 Nephi 10 3-4.  3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the ^aangel spake unto me that this should be his name—should ^bcome among the ^cJews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall ^dcrucifyhim—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would ^ecrucify their ^fGod.
 4 For should the mighty ^amiracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.

 I don't think I ever realized that it had to be the Jews that crucified Christ...

Day 5

— Day 5: ___________________  Date: ___________________            
Read: 2 Nephi 3-7 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:25
Scripture of the day:
“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Thought for the day:
“..faith too has different seasons.  It has its warm, sun filled days of spring and summer,
and its long, dark bitter winters...God will not remove the winters, for through winter
comes spring.” (Lisa Johnson Boswell)

Today it took me about 30 minutes to do the reading.  I have found that I have a strong desire to finish the Book of Mormon by Christmas.  Lucky for me I still had 20 days to do it when I realized it.  I am doing this challenge in double time.  So while this is day five I have finished the reading up to Day 12.

Day 4 are you with me?

— Day 4: ___________________  Date: ____________________
Read: 1 Nephi 20-22 and 2 Nephi 1-2 Mark & Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:11
Scripture of the day:
“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea,
even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith,  maketh an anchor
to souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good
works, being led to glorify God.” (Ester 12:4)
Thought for the day:
Hope is the thing
with feathers–
That perches in the soul–
And sings the tune
without the words--
And never stops–at all–
(Emily Dickinson, Final Harvest)

link to the document is still found here.

Day 3 in 40 days closer to Christ

I am still on track and blogging about it along with all my mommy duties.  I think when you make time for the things you should do.  Heavenly father blesses you with the time to do the things you should do.  In my life I am more focused when I am done reading.

— Day 3: ___________________ Date: ____________________        
                                 
Read: 1 Nephi 16-19 Mark & Ponder: 1 Nephi 19:23
Scripture of the day:
“Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3:20)
Thought for the day:
“The promise is made to everyone.  There is no discrimination, no favored few, but the
Lord has not promised to crash the door.  He stands and knocks.  If we do not listen, he
will not sup with us nor give answer to our prayers.  We must learn how to listen, grasp,
interpret, understand. The Lord stands knocking.  He never retreats.  But he will never
force himself upon us.  If our distance from him increases, it is we who have moved and
not the Lord.” (Pres. Spencer W. Kimball)




My thoughts on today's reading 
The lord is very patient.  How many times is he going to forgive Laman and Lemuel?  We all know the answer to that as many times as they repent. I am glad that I have that option in my life.  I would hope that if I had the experiences that Laman and Lemuel had that I would have had more faith.  Nephi seems to have the I will go and do mentality I hope that I can emulate that.

Day 2 in 40 Days closer to Christ

Yesterday went well I even took the time to update my blog with my thoughts on what I read.  If you haven't started yet you still can.  I recommend a paperback version of the Book of Mormon.  Then get some colored pencils and don't be afraid to write what you are thinking in the book as you read.

Here is Day Twos reading


— Day 2: ____________________   Date:  ____________________  
                                   
Read: 1 Nephi 11-15 Mark & Ponder: 1 Nephi 15:34
Scripture of the day:
“..I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will
show unto you all things what ye should do.”  (2 Nephi 32:5)
Thought for the day:
“God is weaving his tapestry according to his own grand design.  All flesh is in his hands.
It is not our prerogative to counsel him.  It is our responsibility and our opportunity to
be at peace in our minds and in our hearts, and to know that he is God, that this is his
work, and that he will not permit it to fail.” (Gordon B. Hinkley)

You can download the 40 day plan here.


My thoughts after reading day two. It took me just under 30 minutes to read.
I love that Nephi did  not doubt that his father saw visions. He desired to see the visions for him self not to know that they are true like his brothers would have.  He wanted to see them because he wanted to have the same experience. He thought the visions were so precious he wanted to be a part of it.

What would be my reasoning for wanting to see the visions to prove to me they were true or to experience what I knew was an amazing thing?

40 days closer to Christ.

Today I am starting a reading program.  I will read and ponder the book of Mormon in 40 days.  I think I will give myself 47 days to finish it. That way there is room for for busy days(Christmas and New Years).  That means I will be finished January 21th. If I sitck to to the strict 40 day plan I will be finished Jan 14th. I am trying it out to see if it would be a good fit for our YW.  We are doing summer of the BoM (Book of Mormon) this year.  We want to encourage the girls to read the Book of Mormon during the summer.   The plan I am following is found here.

Here is Day one.

Read: 1 Nephi 1-10   Mark & Ponder: 1 Nephi 3:7
Scripture of the day:
“..Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes
of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make
them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.” (Ezekiel 37:19)
Thought for the day:
“There is a book we need to study daily, both as individuals and as family, namely the
Book of Mormon.  I love that book.  It is the book that will get a person nearer to God by
abiding by its precepts than any other book.  Let us continually reread the Book of
Mormon so that we might more fully come to Christ, be committed to Him, centered in
Him, and consumed in Him.” (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson)



My thoughts after finishing day one.
- The reading took me just over 30 minutes.  I broke it up into two reading periods.
-My family isn't the only one that fights on road trips.  Lehi's family makes our kids seem like angels.
-Is Nephi a little boastful he talks about his stature several times like in 1Nephi 2:16 and 4:31. I am thinking his brothers must have been big also to get away with how they treated him or maybe there needed to be two of them.
-Notice the only time Laman and Lemuel didn't murmur about going back to Jerusalem was when they went back for wives.

Yesterday I thought Marissa's primary class they are 8 years old.  I started to ask them how much they knew about Lehi and his family.  They all were very smart and each told a small story about the Family.  One boy went on and on and I was very impressed.  He started to make me feel guilty for not reading the Book of Mormon with my kids more.  When I told the boy I was impressed with how much he knew about the Book of Mormon he smiled and said  "I saw the movie."  I guess I need to get some movies for my kids so they can impress their Primary teachers.

Young Women 2012 theme

The 2012 Theme for Young Women is  D&C 115:5

 We are going to do a craft project the first week in January 2012.  It will be a temple block. Like the one found here.  On one side we are putting the ward theme "Stand in Holy Places" and on the other we will Put the YW theme for 2012. "Arise and shine forth"

The ward theme

This is my take on the YW theme. 

I hope it ends up being a fun activity.  We are going to have all the YW and their leaders make one for themselves then we are making them for the 12 new beehives that we will get in 2012.

I have been pondering the ward theme. I think for Home and Family I will follow the council of Spencer W. Kimball and put a picture of the temple in every bedroom.

 President Monson quoted President Kimball in April 2011 confrence.  Monson said " To you parents of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will have already been made.”⁶

Our children sing in Primary:

I love to see the temple.

I’ll go inside someday.

I’ll cov’nant with my Father;

I’ll promise to obey.⁷

I plead with you to teach your children of the temple’s importance.

 This is the one for Mine and Davids bedroom.  I will give it to him for Christmas I printed it 12x12 and put it in a 24x24 black frame with a black and white stripped mat.  It looks so good.

 Courtney already has this temple.

This one is for Marissa.  Perfect for any "Princess" 

I still need one for the boys room and Nicole's Dorm.  Any suggestions would be great.

Highland 21 ward theme

Our them for a ward this year is Stand in Holy Places.   The Bishop gave us 3 different areas to work in.  The first making our home a holy place second Temple and Family History and third Book of Mormon Study.  As a family we are to pick a goal for each area and work on them for the year.

The Bishop introduced the theme to the ward in sacrament meeting last week. We talked about it at dinner as a family.  I asked the kids if anyone knew what the ward theme was and what the Bishop wanted us to do for it.  Marissa said " Yes he wants us to pick three rooms in our house and make them more Holy."  Well she was listening but not close enough.

You may ask how did I get a digital copy of the ward theme?  Easy or not so easy, they asked me to put it together.  It was a humbling task the man who normally does it for a living..  I am self taught.  I think I was able to pull off their vision.

The Savior’s Christmas Gifts

I love this talk from Spencer W. Kimball I hope it inspires me to remember the gifts of Christ this time of year.     Jill

Christmastime is a glorious time of happy friendliness and unselfish sacrifice; a time of increased hospitality, devotion, and love; a time of the subduing of selfish impulses; a time of renewing friendships, cementing loosening ties, and the swelling of the heart.  It transcends the individual, the family, the community, the nation; it approaches the universal, crosses borders, and touches many nations of the earth.  Our caroling voices sing the sweet songs of Christmas reminiscent somewhat of the host of heavenly angelic voices in the long ago, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

We set up the evergreen tree with its gleaming, brightly colored lights; we hang wreaths and bells; and we light candles – all to remind us of that wondrous gift, the coming of our Lord into the world of mortality.

We send Christmas cards to numerous friends and relatives, pulling back into happy memories the loved ones who have moved out of our immediate association.  Like the wise men who opened their treasury and presented to Jesus gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, we present to our loved ones things to eat and wear and enjoy.  Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift giving, sometimes our program becomes an exchange – gift given for gift expected.

Never did the Savior give in expectation.  I know of no case in His life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient.  Never did He give shoes, hose, or a vehicle; never did He give perfume, a shirt, or a fur wrap. His gifts were of such a nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value.

His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless.  His gifts were opportunity to the downtrodden, freedom to the oppressed, light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing.  His friends gave Him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of Himself, His love, His service, His life.  The wise men brought Him gold and frankincense.  He gave them and all their fellow mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life.

We should strive to give as He gave.  To give of oneself is a holy gift.

Spencer W. Kimball

If you Could Hie to Kolob

 This weekend we made a trip to Kolob Canyon.  It was a little cold but very beautiful.  Looking at the  red rocks never gets old.  These were the only two photos we took(unless you count the one of moms thumb, she had trouble figuring out the phone camera)

This weekend was lots of fun the highlights were.
*The wedding
*No kids
*Shopping(coats 75% off 3 wool coats for under $50)
*Kolob Canyon
*Temple tour and tour of Brigham Youngs winter home
*Quilt shops
*Seeing all the Martendales
*Natalie are you alright?
*Eating out I am pretty sure Danny ate his way through Saint George. Hungry Howies, Jack in the box twice and Bajio.

Jacob and Kaylee

 This weekend we traveled to Saint George to attend the wedding of Jacob and Kaylee.  We had a great time.  I didn't take my husband or kids.  I did take my mom so I was the kid for the weekend.  It was a fun and relaxing trip.
   Daniel and Natalie got a condo for the weekend and invited Mom and I to join them.  We all left Friday about eleven we made it to Saint George in time to do a little shopping and have dinner.  Friday night we watched a movie.
    Saturday we went to the Wedding at the temple.  The luncheon and the reception.  Kaylee and Jacob were so cute the perfect Bride and groom.

For their Wedding gift I made this for the couple and put it in a great frame.  I hope they like it.

Family Room

We have been living in our house for six years. In our family room we have two story ceilings. I have been afraid to commit to putting something on the wall. A few months ago I decided what I wanted to do. With the help of Courtney we took photos of all our kids. I had them printed at Costco as large as they would print them. I then modge podged them onto canvas. They still looked not quite done. I found the metal at the top at hobby lobby for half off. I love how it all turned out. I can't believe how beautiful my kids clean up to be.

Shumway Retreat

This past week we attended the Shumway Retreat. This year was a special year we went to San Diego and spent the whole week at the beach. It was a great vacation. The kids loved the Beach. Courtney loved all the shopping she could walk to and Nicole just loved playing with he cousins.

One of our favorite things we did was to go to the Mormon Battalion Museum in old town San Diego. It was a fun and very informative experience. It is one of the best museums that I have ever been to. Best of all it was all free. We panned for gold, joined a band and traveled the path of the Mormon battalion. Website with more info.

Making stuff

Dallen loves to be helpful and make things. I figured this out last year. For Christmas I got him his own tool kit. It was a huge hit and he is always excited to use it when there is a loose screw or anything else that needs putting up or fixing. It is channeling his need to create things like his mom. David is not very happy about Dallen doing crafts but he loves to do them so I have had to find Boy appropriate crafts. I found this tutorial and thought it would work.

Our first attempt was a huge success. Dallen measured, Cut and drilled the cute camp stools in the photo. All I had to do was make the seat cover to go on it. He made two one for him and one for Derek. Dallen even took it to scout camp and it was a huge hit. Someone was always siting in it. David has dug a fire pit and when he is home the boys always have a fire. In preparation for Scout camp Dallen figured that he should try out his mess kit. It didn't mater that we had a huge dinner not but an hour before.

He asked me to take this photo for Debby because she likes to see what food looks like. This is his first time cooking all by himself over the fire with his new mess kit.

goodbye diggs

We sold diggs. She loved me but it felt like she and Derek could not get along. When it came down to it Derek stays Diggs goes. I put an add for her on ksl and we had several people interested. She was gone within the day to a wonderful woman. The woman wanted a dog to sit on her lap and keep her company. Her children were all grown and she had no grandchildren so it was a perfect fit. She called the next day I was worried that she would want to give her back but she just wanted me to know how happy she was.

It took the kids over 24 hours to realize that she was gone. Dallen and Derek did not even cry. Marissa cried for two days. Then she came to me and this is what she said. "mom, because the lady that has diggs has a boy dog also. The dogs are going to get married and have babies. When they do that lady is going to call us because she is so happy that we gave her

diggs that she will give us one of the puppies." I didn't have the heart to tell her that the other dog has been fixed so no puppies. It did end the crying.

Little Green Men

Derek had a fun birthday party. I think the t shirts that we made turned out very cute. Sarah was the only one who would not wear her shirt. When her mom came to get her she got so excited that she put it on. I had two of the parents tell me they had to pull off the t shirt so the kids could go to church three days later.

I know the theme of the party was Toy Story but the song should have been "It's my party and I will cry if I want to." Derek was not a good sport. I think he spent the first hour crying. I am glad it ended and he cheered up for the second half of the party. Over all it was a good time.

She did it.

Friday June 3rd Nicole did it. Something she has been ready for since Jr. High. No more High School. She was part of the graduating class of American Fork High 2011.

We could not be prouder. Grandma and Grandpa Shumway, Grandma Thompson, her siblings and parents all saw it happen.

Here is my favorite Photo Nicole in her cap and gown and Derek in his paper bowl and yarn tassel. Kindergarten and High School Graduate together. I think Nicole and Derek have a cute relationship. Derek is going to miss her so much when she leaves in the fall.

Lolly was here.

Lolly came to visit the last week of school. Chris was camping with the scouts so Lolly figured it was a good time to come visit all of us. Lolly flew Danny out to help her drive here. I guess it was quite a fun trip. Danny got sick and did not feel good the whole time. Lolly has 3 kids 4 and under makes for an interesting time.

David likes us all. I love it when he comes up to me and gives me a big hug and sometimes even a kiss. He is very lovable and calls most of us Mom.

This little girl has changed the most. I can not believe how long her tong is. Eve loves to show it off. It can even touch her double chin.

kindergarten Graduation

Yesterday was Dereks Kindergarten graduation. They put on a very cute program. It had lots of cute songs and each child had a small speaking part. Derek is often very shy and does not always want to do his part but he spoke very clear and loud. He did not do as well with his singing he was a little shy. It gave me a glimpse of what Nicole's graduation will feel like. I only wish she would be singing.

He still has to go to school for the next two weeks but boy is it going to be hard getting him there now that he thinks he has graduated. He is a good student but he doesn't always like to go to school. He might be my smartest kid leaving kindergarten. He is a very good reader. He drives me crazy as he reads over my shoulder as I write emails. I hope he keeps his love of reading.

Lost

Derek has patiently watched as all the other kindergarten kids have lost their teeth. He has been wishing and hoping that he would have a loose tooth. Nicole lost 4 before kindergarten even started. Finally last Sunday a tooth started to wiggle. A week later it was still just wiggly. Courtney holds the record for leaving in a tooth in the longest I think it was well over 3 weeks after it started to wiggle.

On mothers day Uncle Danny tried to convince Derek that he knew how to get the tooth out. Something about Aunt Lolly and a baseball bat. Derek kept a tight lip thinking if he opened his mouth to wide Uncle Danny might pull out the tooth.

Monday after school Derek was quietly playing when he cam running down the stairs. He was so excited his tooth fell out while he was eating a granola bar and it didn't even hurt.

Dinner was fun as we talked about the tooth fairy. Dallen and Marissa tried to ruin it for Derek by telling him that there was no tooth fairy. Courtney saved the day by telling her true story of waking up and finding dad trying to steal her tooth fairy money. It was a funny story then and it still is. It doesn't say much about the kids trusting their dad but Courtney still wants to believe.

Marissa's Soccer

Marissa is loving Soccer for 3 reasons.

1 she is good at it.

2 Her team is undefeated

3 Shane "Kissme" Jackson thinks she is hot in her uniform.

It is amazing how focused Marissa can be when you take boys out of the equation. She loved football but was only 1 of 2 girls in the league. She often got distracted and tackled her own team players which if it wasn't bad enough she was playing flag football.

This All girl soccer team is just what she needs to get some athletic skills and have fun with girls.
She was very excited to hear a neighbor girl tell her about her talk with Shane "kissme" Jackson. Kayla (a neighbor girl) and Shane "kissme" Jackson were watching some of the kids play soccer in our back park. Shane "kissme" Jackson turned to Kayla and said who is that girl she is hot. Just then Marissa turned around and Shane "kissme" Jackson realised it was Marissa and took back what he said. Now we are having a hard time getting Marissa out of her uniform because she says Shane "kissme" Jackson thinks I am cute in it.

Easter egg hunt.

Easter egg hunts are fun at the Thompson house. We hide 100's of eggs and spend months finding them. Mom found an egg from last years hunt last month. We send the kids outside and hide the eggs. We often start the hunt by saying I know a great place to hide an egg but I will need a ladder and a shovel.

The egg hunters about to begin. There are only a few rules. Not in Grandmas room, grandpas office or past the double doors.
Some find only a few and give up purely they are beginners.

The Pantry is a great place to look. Don't forget the oatmeal box, sandwich baggies, that jar of straws to many places to hide thing. I watched 4 different kids find eggs in there.
Even the Toilet is a good place to look. Their was a money egg in there.
Make sure you check every box.
No closet left unopened and torn apart.
This bed was made and the jackets on hooks. It always is a fun event that takes much longer than an hour. Thanks grandma for being such a good sport.

Marissa's Birthday

Here are a few of the not chosen Photos Courtney and I took of Marissa in her baptism dress. She is very hard to photograph. Very stiff and non compliant.

Yesterday was Marissa's Birthday party. Nothing like twelve eight year old girls and a 3 year old tagalong to make for an exciting party. I knew I wanted to make it short so we made it 90minutes. Every year Marissa's birthday is over spring break and only have of the people she invites to the party come. I let her invite everyone she wanted to compinsate for the 50% failing rate of party goers. I also waited until spring break was over to trow the party. Her birthday was a week ago. All but one of the girls showed up and a sister of anther came. We had quite the group.

Marissa loves to do crafts so we started out will Dolly neclaces then went on to washcloth bunnies. The neclaces were a little advanced for some of the girls but they loved it. Here is a link to the tutorial

The bunnies were easy and a huge hit with the girls. They all named their bunnies and played with them when they were done making them. Link and tutorial are found here. I was so tired when the party was over. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of Mom, Nicole and Courtney thank you so much.