Week in Review ~ June 29, 2014

This Week in Review

This week has definitely not turned out as planned—what a surprise—but it’s still been rather successful. One of the goals we had set out was to do some landscaping around our tree in the backyard. After the success of last week, and the cute “save the tree” comments of Ben and Bekah, our hope was that weeding and mulching the magnolia tree in the backyard would be just as easy. Unfortunately, as anyone familiar with landscaping in Texas should know, with all the rain we’ve received this past week, a colony of ants decided to set up shop around our tree. This has complicated the process, since now we need to drive the ants out first. We’ll keep you updated.

We also volunteered this week to substitute teach for Benjamin’s Sunbeams class. Jennifer has been working on developing crafts for the kids, while Robert gets to work on the lesson.

Our biggest success this week has been Jennifer’s expedition on Friday to JC Penney for pictures. Benjamin tried really hard to keep Zachary happy and got some great pictures. Rebekah Mae was her typically beautiful self. And Zachary did his best to be as cute as possible. Make sure to stay tuned for more picture updates.  

Our Cute Kids

With all the rain we had this week; it was quite a task to keep the kids occupied.  We tend to collect large boxes from all of our Amazon deliveries and Ben and Bekah Mae tend to enjoy playing in them.  This week we decided to turn them into houses.  Ben did a lot of the decorating for his house.  He wanted it to look like ours and so he drew bricks and really wanted to color the ceiling white.  Bekah mostly just dictated what she wanted so, she got flowers and hearts and even a rainstorm drawn on one side, but while I was helping on the outside Bekah did a lot of decorating in the interior.

While we were getting pictures done, the photographer offered Ben and Bekah a couple of chocolate kisses if they would take good pictures.  They did and I opened one for Bekah and she happily ate it, then looked up at me and asked if she could have some more castles.  We bought a bag of them so she could have some more.

Bekah has become a big fan of Minnie Mouse over the last several months and due to this new interest we’ve accumulated various Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes.  One of these is “Minnierella.”  From the first time we watched it, she has been Minnierella and Ben has been Prince Mickey.  They have a little dance number in the show Ben and Bekah enjoy singing the song and dancing to it.

Thought

This week our Family Home Evening was on Agency and how it is a very special gift from our Heavenly Father.  Whenever I think about agency, I am always reminded of the war in Heaven to get it.  It reminds me of how important it was to Heavenly Father for us to have the freedom to choose.  In the scriptures we learn that one-third of the hosts of heaven fought against the Father’s plan and in the end they were sent away from the Father’s presence.  I can’t imagine how it must have hurt our Father in Heaven to lose even one of his children, but one-third of all of them had to be devastating, but He did it because He knew it was the only way to allow everyone else to fulfill their destiny to become like Him.

I can’t even imagine how much it must break the heart of our Father in Heaven when we use this gift of agency to go against the Father’s plan.  Our scripture reading this week has led us to the people of Zeniff who left Zarahemla to reclaim their lands that had been taken over by the Lamanites.  Though a righteous man, Zeniff admits that his pride led him to make treaty with the king of the Lamanites that began their descent into bondage.  They then spent the reminder of his life in battles with the Lamanites to keep their independence.  Zeniff appointed his son, Noah, to be king and as it states that he did not follow after the ways of the Lord.  In a matter of not many years, King Noah led the people into to sin.  This resulted in the death of Abinadi, chasing off Alma the Elder and his people and eventually significant deaths as the people tried to free themselves from the ever worsening bondage of the Lamanites.  In the end, it was only the people being humbled through their trials and repenting and then asking from help from the Lord that allowed their freedom.

To us, the lesson from this how the decisions of one person can have so great an effect on not just their own life, but on the lives of all those around them.  I wonder if we realize the impact that our actions have on others.  We watch how Ben and Bekah copy what we do, mostly it’s pretty cute, but sometimes it reminds of that we need to be careful about what we do and say in front of them.  We want to always be a good example to them.  We want the decisions that we make to help them to learn to choose the right.  It’s easy to get upset or disillusioned when things don’t go how we hope they will and to take the advice of Job’s friends who encouraged him to curse God and die, but like Job we want our kids to know that we know that our Redeemer lives and no matter what trials we face in this life, we will do everything we can to follow Him and be more like Him.

So, I guess my thoughts on agency conclude with some of the things that King Mosiah taught his people as he chose to appoint Judges verses Kings to rule in his stead.  “For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!” ~ Mosiah 29:17 ~

So, remember that our actions impact more than just us and that impact can influence the lives of those most important to us for generations.

Week in Review ~ June 22, 2014

This Week in Review

So, this was one of those weeks where we started out with high expectations and ended up with a really grumpy baby who demanded to be held all the time while his second tooth came in.  It pretty much disrupted everything.  We still managed to have some fun though.  We had a couple of water balloon fights,

built princess space ships

and built robots out of diaper boxes.

We did some landscaping work around one of our trees.  Ben and Bekah Mae helped and frequently commented on how they were saving our tree.  Most exciting for Ben, I think was acquiring his new “fastest shoes.”  He was somewhat devastated when he realized the “Woody and Buzz” shoes he’d had for nearly a year were starting to fall apart, but light-up “Jake and the Neverland Pirate” shoes calmed him down.  Bekah also got a pair of bright pink princess shoes.  They’ve pretty much been racing around the house in them since we put them on.

We’ve been reading King Benjamin’s sermon in morning scripture study, so for Family Home Evening we did a lesson on King Benjamin and how we have living prophets we can listen too as well.  It’s probably a more appropriate lesson closer to General Conference, but maybe we’ll just repeat it then.

Robert had a busy week at work.  He was in court a couple of days.  Tuesday evening after work he did some service for individuals in our ward.  He also volunteered for the 12am – 4am slot at the peanut butter factory on Saturday, but they ran out of peanuts and his shift got cancelled.  Although it is quite an interesting experience, I did it in college; I can’t complain that it got cancelled.  It made him much more useful to me yesterday.

Our Cute Kids

I decided that Robert’s lawyer skills are starting to rub off on Benjamin.  I told him and Bekah Mae that they could pick a show, but that they had to agree on it.  Ben knew exactly what he wanted and looked at Bekah and informed her that there was a girl in the show and that she was cute.  It was just fun to watch as he worked on his negotiating skills.

Both Ben and Bekah enjoy playing with Zachary.  Bekah is still a little rough sometimes, but makes sure that if he ever starts to cry to sing him the ABC song.  Ben has started to tell Zachary things that I say to him.  When he gets tired of Zachary climbing on him, he informs him that he is not a climbing toy.

 Zachary is learning new skills every day.  The new tooth has been a bit hard on him, but I think now that it’s in he’ll be happier.  He really enjoyed the chocolate chip pancakes we had for dinner yesterday.  Robert thought maybe he’d over done it on the chocolate chips, but looking at Zachary’s chocolate covered face, I think he thought they were just right.

Thought

Reading King Benjamin’s sermon with the kids this week has been enjoyable.  It’s reminded me that the gospel is really very simple.  King Benjamin stressed things like service, treating other people kindly and letting go of pride.  He taught about a Savior who loved us so much that he suffered more than mortal man can bear for us. 

If we serve others and treat them how we want to be treated we are blessed we come closer to our Father in Heaven and come to gain a greater understanding of service and not only how it benefits others, but us as well.  When we let go of our pride, we learn to trust that Heavenly Fathers knows what’s best for us better than we do and when we trust Him greater things can happen that will not only bless our lives, but those around us.  As we learn more about our Savior, we want to be more like Him.  Everything He did was to help others.  I think it’s in Acts that it says that “He went about doing good.”  Who wouldn’t love to be remembered in that way, by their good works.

Though the gospel is simple, there is always more to learn and ways to improve.  It teaches us how to be a better mother and father, son and daughter, friend and ultimately a better child of God.  We simply have to keep trying and not give up when doubts arise.  That is the time for us to try harder to do everything we are supposed do because our prayers will be answered and our doubts will be overcome as we submit to the will of the Lord and trust Him to guide our lives.

I’ll finish with some of King Benjamin’s last words to his people.

“But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in faith of what ye have heard … even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, O man, remember, and perish not.” ~ Mosiah 4:30 ~

Week in Review ~ June 15, 2014

This Week in Review

First we want to wish all of the Fathers a Happy Father’s Day.  We are so grateful for your wonderful examples and the important role you play in ours and our children’s lives.  We truly appreciate all that you have done and the sacrifices you have made on our behalf.

We’ve worked really hard this week to stick to our schedule of all getting up together and reading scriptures and saying prayers.  I think Bekah Mae struggles with it the most due to her desire to sleep in.  The funny thing has been that since the kids are so used to reading scriptures before bed, they still request them along with their bedtime stories.

 For Family Home Evening this week, we learned about how we should behave in church.  Different behaviors were compared to different animals for example kittens that swat at each other should keep their hands to themselves and monkeys who climb under benches should stay in their seats.  We learned that it is best to behave like a butterfly and move gently and quietly and think about Jesus.  Hopefully this will help us at church on Sunday.

The kids and I have been working on what we call “Pirate School” this week.  I found a 5-week set of toddler through 2^nd grade activities and the first week is based on pirates (next week will be ponds).  We’d start out most days reading a story about how to be a pirate, which got the kids excited and we had plenty of “Argh”s and “Yo Ho Ho”s.  The kids get really excited to work on their letters and numbers, as well as pattern recognition and shapes.  Ben has even been working on a few sight words.  I’m just impressed by how much they know and how quickly they pick up on things.

Zachary has had a big week.  On Sunday we discovered his 1^st tooth.  He also started to crawl with his tummy off the ground instead of just the army crawl he’s been doing.  Now, not only is he pulling up and walking along the furniture and anything else in reach, but he can also walk along with his push walker.

Robert’s been busy with work and church.  He’s been in and out of court, worked to get service projects set up for members of our ward and still found time to play with the kids.  Ben appreciates their alone time of playing with “Daddy Legos” that are too small for Bekah Mae and Zachary to be around.

Saturday we went out to Magnolia where Marianne and Bradford are building their new home and spent the afternoon playing in the pool and at the park.  My parents flew in and Dave and Liz and Des and their families showed up.  The kids had a blast and were so worn out at the end that Ben was telling us he was tired and needed to go home.  It’s always nice to play with cousins and we appreciate Marianne and Bradford hosting everyone.

Our Cute Kids

While I was putting the kids down for a nap Ben informed me that he had a joke to tell me.

Ben: How do bears eat bees?

Me: They don’t

Ben: No, Mommy it’s a really funny joke.  How do bears eat bees?

Me: Okay, how do they?

Ben: In a peanut butter sandwich.

He then just started laughing; it was about the cutest thing ever.  I just love watching the creativity and how their minds work at this age.  I only wish that I could still see the world the way they do.

Thought

I’ve started reading through the Conference talks from April.  I always tend to read the talks from the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency first and this time was no different.  I enjoyed President Henry B. Eyring’s talk on Hope.  He started by saying, “Whoever you are and wherever you may be, you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can imagine.”  As a parent this means more than it did before.  Everything I do affects my kids.  If I’m grumpy, they are grumpy.  They copy the things we say and how we act.  I want them to behave correctly, to treat others kindly and be educated, but most importantly I want them to develop a relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I want my kids to learn to love them as I do.  I feel the most important thing I can do for them is to teach them how to gain eternal life.

President Eyring continued saying, “You have the opportunity to show many people the way to greater happiness.  When you choose whether to make or keep a covenant with God, you choose whether you will leave an inheritance of hope to those who might follow your example.”  President Eyring told of one of his ancestors who came to America and found and joined the church.  Speaking of his ancestor he said, “He knew that the happiness of eternal life comes through family bonds which continue forever. …He knew it would not be one great choice to make … but many small choices.”

He reminded parents that they can’t force righteousness because it has to be chosen, but that it is up to us to set the example.  He offers three suggestions of things to do while our children our young, which we are currently working on.

        1. Daily Family Prayer

        2. Family Scripture Study

        3. Sharing our testimonies

He says these things are easier and more effective when children are young.  “Young children are often more sensitive to the Spirit then we realize.”

I’ll finish with a few more of my favorite quotes from his talk:

“If we choose the right, we will find happiness – in time.  …Those effects are sure.  Yet they are often delayed for a purpose.  If the blessings were immediate, choosing the right would not build faith.”

[The prophets] “know the way of the Lord, and so are always hopeful about His kingdom.  They know He is at its head.  He is all-powerful and He cares.  If you let Him be the leader of your family, things will work out.”

“After all we can do in faith, the Lord will justify our hopes for greater blessings for our families than we can imagine.  He wants the best for them and for us, as His children.”

A Priceless Heritage of Hope

Week in Review ~ June 8, 2014

This Week in Review

We started out this week in Dallas because Robert had a court appearance in Fort Worth.  We were able to spend the weekend with my parents and even got to go on a date for our anniversary.  During our approximately 8-9 hours of driving we decided we needed to do a better job of keeping up with family and that led to the restart of our blog.

I’m planning to start some summer preschool activities with the kids and we determined that to really make this work we needed to change our morning routine.  We are now waking up in the morning for scripture reading and chocolate milk drinking and it’s amazing how much smoother it goes when the kids are just starting to wake up and occupied with their chocolate milk.  Hopefully, not only will they sit more reverently, but maybe learn a little more too.

This week Benjamin has been working on writing his letters and coloring.  It’s amazing how much his handwriting and coloring in the lines have improved in a relatively short time.  Bekah Mae has enjoyed identifying letters.  We put up a banner on the mantle in honor of Father’s Day and she is excited to call out all the letters she sees.  Zachary is improving each day.  It was only a couple of weeks ago that he first started to pull up on us and the furniture and now he’s pretty much standing all the time and walking along anything at his height.  He’s started to let go and try to stand on his own.  He falls, but I still see it as a good sign that he’s not afraid to try.

Our Cute Kids

Ben and Bekah Mae did something really sweet for us this week.  Friday evening Robert and I were being a bit selfish and decided to watch a grown-up movie out in the living room.   We figured the kids would quickly lose interest so we put on a show for them to watch on our bed.  They were pretty quiet for a bit watching their show and then Ben came out to tell us they had done something to our bed.  I’ll admit that my first thought was that they had probably spilt the popcorn we gave them all over our bed.  After our movie was over I checked to see what they had done and they had made our bed.  It was so sweet because it’s probably the first time they’ve decided to do something nice for us on their own.

Thoughts

I thought I would explain the reason for the quote at the top of our blog.  General Conference with little kids we’ve learned is a rather complicated situation and trying to actually listen is much more so.  I did my best to try and listen, but mostly busy trying to keep the kids busy.  Despite this, there was one talk and one particular quote that stuck in my mind and that was the quote from President Uchtdorf.  It just seems so easy to get caught up in how complicated our lives are and how things aren’t quite the way we hope, so we end up just waiting to be happy until we get a new job or lose weight or have kids sit quietly through sacrament meeting.  None of those things are bad to hope for and I truly believe at the same time that Heavenly Father will bless us with those and other things.  But if I’m only waiting for those things to happen then I’ll miss out on appreciating when Ben and Bekah burst into song at random moments, Zachary’s smile when he looks in my direction, playing with only Zachary when he chooses not to sleep at the same time the other kids do, listening to all of Ben’s “stories” and how creative Bekah Mae can be while playing with her dolls.

Every moment we have no matter what is happening is a blessing.  The good and the bad all help us become who and what we are.  It’s hard to be grateful when the house is a mess and the kids are fighting and Zachary is screaming, but it’s still worth trying to remember to be and I think that is why this quote has stayed with me so long.

“Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges.

This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind.” – President Uchtdorf

Grateful Under Any Circumstance - link to a short clip

Our 5 year Anniversary

On May 30, 2014, it was 5 years since we got married.  There are still days where it feels like we met yesterday and others when it feels like we've been through and accomplished so much that 5 years just doesn't seem long enough.

We thought we'd give a little recap of our life so:

2009

We got married ~ Yeah!

Robert started law school at the University of Houston

2010

Benjamin David was born

2011

Rebekah Mae joined us

2012

Robert graduated from law school

Robert passed the Texas Bar

Robert accepted a position with The Lane Law Firm

2013

Bought our first home

I got to be a Stay-at-Home Mom ~ Yeah!

Zachary Robert became our newest addition

Through it all, we've had our good days and bad.  Most days, weeks and months were amazing, how can they not be with a wonderful husband and three amazing kids.  Other times it seemed like we would never figure it all out and often we still feel that way.  What we have learned from it all is that we don't need to know everything to be happy.  What it takes is a lot of trust in our Heavenly Father.  We discovered, through hindsight mind you, that were we to have gotten everything we wanted when we wanted it, we would have missed out on more blessings than we could count.  Now we simply try to trust that when things don't go the way we hope, that Heavenly Father who sees the end from the beginning is guiding and directing us to where we need to be, not where we want to be.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding.

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

~ Proverbs 3: 5-6 ~

Under Construction

We are in the process of trying to restart our blog.  We wanted to be able to do a better job of keeping up with family and friends because right now we don't.  Hopefully this will help you to get to know us better and we can in turn get to know you.  Let us know if there is anything you would like to see or hear about us.