General Conference

I sure enjoyed watching General Conference the last two days.  I realized how much I love each of the apostles and first presidency of the church as I listened to their inspiring words and felt the love they have for me and all the members of the church.  Elder Bednar's talk about the reason we have older men as the leader's of our church was particularly touching as he reminisced about the last six apostles and prophet who have passed away.  I remember each of them well and miss their love and testimonies.  Nevertheless, as I listened to the new apostles speak, I felt assured that they too were men of God who I will grow to love as much as I have the apostles of the past.  It was difficult to watch President Monson become so weak while he gave his talk, but it was inspiring to hear the love and respect all of the apostles have for him and to remember the amazing life he has lived and the inspiring words he has spoken over the years.  I don't know whether is time left is limited to months or still years, but I know that he is a true prophet of God and that he is inspired in the things that he says and the things that he does.  Thus, I know that the new apostles he called are truly called by our Heavenly Father.

One of my favorite talks was the very first talk of conference by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  He said, "All of us, as members of the Church, we need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter, while uplifting our fellowmen and building the kingdom of God." I know that there are many times that I spend my time doing things that are less than valuable, that don't build me as a person, strengthen my testimony, or help others, and I can see how much greater my life could be if I were to make a "conscientious effort to devote [my] time and energy" to the things that truly matter, my family, the gospel, developing my talents, strengthening my ward, etc.  I am committing myself to doing better at this.  President Uchtdorf also said, "As you exercise a little faith and begin your walk as a peaceable follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, your heart will change.  Your whole being will be filled with light.  God will help you become something greater than you ever thought possible."  I love this promise, to be filled with light and become something greater.  I hope with my whole heart that as I try to be a greater follower of Christ, that I can attain these blessings.

Another talk that I loved was on Sunday morning by President Russell M Nelson.  Here are some of his words.
"Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the Spirit?...

My dear sisters, whatever your calling, whatever your circumstances, we need your impressions, your insights, and your inspiration.  We need you to speak up and speak out in ward and stake councils  We need each married sister to speak as 'a contributing and full partner' as you unite with your husband in governing your family.  married or single, you sisters possess distinctive capabilities and special intuition you have received as gifts from God.  We brethren cannot duplicate your unique influence....

...We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation.  We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms.  We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity..."


I felt so inspired by this talk, and I can't wait to be able to read it in print form so I can set some goals that will help me become the kind of woman that President Nelson was talking about:  the kind of woman who makes a difference in her family, her ward, her community, who stands strong against the temptations of the world, who listens to and receives direct revelation from the Spirit and isn't afraid to share her testimony.  I'm really grateful to President Nelson for having faith in me and all women of the church that we can be able to come that kind of woman.

Well, I just felt a need to put into words how grateful I am for General Conference and some of the inspiration that I hope to put to use in my life.  I hope that I can be a voice of reason and light and truth in this world filled with the opposite.  I'm so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the generous blessings I have been given, especially the gospel and my family.

This is the Apostle train the boys made during conference.

Owen being very good during the first talk of the first session of conference.

Wade marking how many times he heard the words "Jesus Christ" during the first talk.  I was impressed that my boys lasted about a half hour of listening; of course, having a snack helped a bit.

I'm Back!

Wow!  I didn't realize how long it had been since I last wrote on this blog.  My family is completely different now than it was last May.  Wade is tall, talking, and has way more hair.  Owen is, well, here and cute as ever.  Life has taken some crazy turns since then, but we are certainly happy to be where we are at this point.  We love our new house, and Blake loves his new job.

Take a look at how my family has grown.....

I'm going to be posting more often now, so keep checking back for more pictures of these cute boys!

My poor little 1 year old hurt his foot last Sunday while at Grandma and Grandpa Banks' house.  He was spinning in circles and fell over.  No one really knows how it happened, but he sprained his foot somewhere between the spinning and the laying on the floor crying.  He didn't walk for a whole week and just started walking again yesterday, although he walks with a limp.  I took some pictures of his boring week....

We spent lots of time reading books.

Wade wasn't too happy about icing his foot.  He had to split the time between the left and right feet - the left was the only one hurt. : )

What a sweetheart.... had to crawl around on his hands and knees for a whole week.

 

 

 

 

Wade and Blake set up the tent and had a Father and Sons night in our living room.  It was a blast!

Anyway, it was hard not being able to walk all week, but we were able to have some fun anyway.

December is here!

It's been quite awhile since I posted on this blog, I suppose because life keeps me busy doing other things.

Blake is busy finishing up his last semester of school, so I am busy helping him study and analyzing his websites to see if I can find any flaws (not usually).  He is busy, busy, busy, and we all cannot wait until school is finally finished.

Blake's boss hired me to do some writing for their company website.  It has been fun for me to be able to use my English writing skills and make a little extra money in the process.  Apparently when Blake's boss found out my degree was in English, he came up with several projects for me to do.  ("Bring it on," I say.)

Wade has been busy growing teeth.  Yes, he has grown about 4 in the past month, not counting the molars in the back which are a slow but consistent pain in the mouth.  He is also growing like a weed, getting tall and skinny.  He loves to talk and sing all day long.  He loves to explore everything. . . literally.

Wade with his favorite stuffed animal, commonly known as "Monkey".

Look at this face.... it's just begging to be kissed.

Playing in the dishwasher - After months of dreaming about playing in it, it didn't end up being as fun as he thought it would be.  He got out pretty quick.

My little reader.  Well, he loves looking at the baby pictures.

I tied Wade up when he was getting too rowdy.  He obviously wasn't too upset about it.

I picked up a pen with my toes, and Wade thought it was awesome.  So, I put some pens in his toes, and he was amazed at was his toes could do.

Happy Halloween!

What a fun day it has been for a sweet little dragon, a heroic knight, and a lovely princess.

Wade loved grabbing candy out of the bowls people handed him, but he didn't want to put them in his bag.  He wanted to hold on to the candy as long as possible.

Here are some fun pictures we took of our cute dragon.

Wade was exhausted by the end of the day...

Walking, Climbing, and Teasing

Wade has a new favorite pastime.
After several months of trying, he finally figured out how to get past our latest attempt at keeping him off the stairs.

Look at that cheese...

Now comes the fun part.  

Once he gets to the top of the stairs and craws around for awhile, he lays down on his stomach and yells for Mom to come get him.

In other news, Wade is walking all over the place.  

He gets more and more confident every day and absolutely loves wearing shoes. 

He likes to wear them around the house when we aren't even going anywhere, very unlike his mother who sheds shoes like a dog sheds hair. 

Birthdays

Wade celebrated his first birthday a few weeks ago.   Wade decided that morning to test his new one-ness with various forms of independence.

First, he thought he could blow his nose, all by himself.

Then he decided he wanted a breakfast of Cheerios without Mom's help.

Wade also tried to help decorate the cake, but I didn't get any pictures of my helpful son at that moment.  What a sweetie!



Fortunately, despite the looming black clouds, the absent church leader who I thought was going to unlock the church building, not to mention the fact that Blake and I had to call everyone about a location change 10 minutes before the party, the party turned out great thanks to all those wonderful people I call my family and friends.

 

Happy Birthday Wade!!!