A Day of Rest

Sunday is titled "the day of rest" in the scriptures. That is what it has been for me today. I napped 2 times today! Once in the recliner while Pat was home teaching...and once after his nap. I still feel like I could go climb back in bed and go back to sleep. I have been fighting off a stomach bug a little bit, so it may be that! One thing I do know, it's not very fun to drag about all day!
So tomorrow I go and register my son, Thomas (5) for kindergarten. Next year, I will be registering my daughter, Bekah and 5 of my 6 kids will be in school. It is hard to believe that I will be hitting that point! Whatever will I do with all of my spare time?
I'm not very eloquent today...thanks for checking in regularly...I am grateful for all of you in my life! I'll write again soon.

Treasure the Temple

I lived in Mesa, Arizona for 7 years, close enough to the temple that it felt like it was practically in my backyard. By the time I was moving away, I had 3 children and had not attended the temple often within the previous 4 years. I had this odd notion that I could only go to the temple with Pat by my side. Our first move was within 1 and a half hours of the temple, to Kearny, AZ, and we quickly came to realize what a blessing it was to live so "close" to the temple. We made it our goal to go to the temple monthly, and our lives were blessed greatly because of it. When we moved to Silver City, New Mexico, it became a toss-up regarding which temple to attend. We are officially a part of the Albuquerque Temple district, and yet it is almost exactly the same distance from here to Albuquerque, NM or Mesa, AZ (4 1/2 hours either way). Due to the fact that we know many people on the way to, and in, Mesa, we have always opted to go there. It is now a goal that we have quarterly, and for the most part we have made that goal become a reality. We just went this past weekend, and the peace that fills my heart is tangible. It's hard to do such a whirlwind trip, (there & back in 36 hours....if that doesn't sound crazy enough for you, factor in 6 kids along for the ride!)...but I know our lives are blessed in more ways than we can count. If you live near the temple, don't take it for granted. Clear your schedule, make the time, and reestablish your priority to put God first in your life. Blessings await you for doing what's right!

Making Memories

My favorite playmate growing up (until age 6) was my cousin "Suzie". We lived just a few streets apart, and I loved playing with her. I can still remember the day, standing on the playground during morning recess, that she told me that her family was moving to Phoenix. I actually did not think it was true, and certainly had no idea at how far apart our paths would actually become. We were pen pals for many years, and tried to stay in touch as we headed off to college. However, as the years have passed, we have lost touch. Enough so, that it seems awkward to think I once knew her so well.
During the past year, we have had our cousins that lived near us move away. I wonder how much the kids will remember the relationships they built with those cute cousins. The reason I started this particular entry however, is that we actually had the kids' cousins here over Easter this year. It is amazing to see how quickly our children hit it off. I appreciate the fact that their mom was willing to make the 14 hour trip from Utah to allow the kids to have 4 days together. Hopefully they made some memories and cemented their relationship with each other. I pray that down the road, they have each other to rely on and help point each other onto the right path. Families really are forever (including extended family too!) and I look forward to the time when all those we love are near to us as well as close in heart.

Amazement

My little girl, Bekah (3) sees a lizard outside. She is enthralled. "What do lizards do, Mommy?" I've explained that they eat bugs, and now she and Thomas (5) are talking about lizards eating butterflies. "Poor butterflies!" they said. Pretty cool that something so simple is so amazing to a child. Here is some more of their conversation. "Do you see it move?", "Hello, lizard, come out, come out wherever you are!", "I wish I could go out and pet the baby lizards."  Thomas says the mom and dad lizards would let us go to their homes if we are nice to the babies.
So what amazes you? Does anything any more? Oftentimes I am shocked and disgusted at things that happen in society, but it's been awhile since I've been amazed. (I don't think Sam's Club revisited for the first time in 3 years counts.) I'll have to look for things that really amaze me. You do the same.

Dreaming

Do you remember your dreams? Typically I don't. Last night, after a week of staying up late, I decided to go to bed much earlier than usual. I was so excited to be getting a full night's sleep. Funny how within an hour and a half, I woke myself up from a very unpleasant dream. It was vivid enough that my heart was beating fast, and my face was flushed. As some of my kids have been sick, I actually wondered if I had started getting sick, and woke my husband up. After talking with him for a while, I actually got out of bed and was up for about an hour before re-retiring to bed. So here are my musings for the day:
**Do you remember your dreams?
**Do your dreams disturb you or comfort you? (Or both depending on the dream?)
**Have you ever had a dream you felt like contained a message for you or that was not *just* a dream?
**Have you ever changed something you are doing because of a dream?
Ultimately, the most important thing for me to do last night was talk to my DH. That in and of itself helped resolve a lot of the frustration that was present in the dream. All told, I may wait a while before I retire to bed early again, in hopes of giving myself some time for improving my dreams .

General (chaos) Conference

Funny how comfortable it can be to stay home on a Sunday and listen to General Conference. Unfortunately, I think it must be a bit too comfortable, because we have 4 of our 6 kids that think conference is akin to a free-for-all. (OK--that's an exaggeration, but I feel that way!) I don't expect the 2 youngest to sit and listen yet, but my expectations are that the oldest 4 should be able to be present and at least absorb a smidgen of the spiritual energy that is present on this weekend. I'm off to print some conference bingo cards...hopefully I'll be able to give a positive report at the end of today!