2010 Pioneer Trek

In June Oldest and Middle got to go on the Pioneer Trek for Youth Conference. All the youth were put into families with Ma's, Pa's, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts and Uncles. They were both in different families and made new friends. Middle was in a family with our Bishop as her Uncle (they called him Uncle Bishop). They treked for 3 days through the Kibab National Forrest. They said the weather wasn't to hot for the most part. They endured diff. challenges to help give them an understanding of what the pioneers actually went through. Like robbers, no water and a womens pull where all the men and boys went with the Mormon Battalion. They slept on the ground, ate corn mush, walked and walked and even sang as they walked.

Here are the pics before (oh these poor unspecting people....JK).

We had to provide all their pioneer clothing. I made Middle's skirts and aprons and we found blouses @ the D.I. Believe me these will be put away for next time. Oldest's clothes were mostly found in his closet (yes, even the suspenders).

They hiked towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Pictures do not do it a bit of justice.

They ended their trek @ the North Rim with a testimony meeting.

These are the after pics.........(definitely different faces in these). Check out the dirt on Oldest's legs.....YES he had long pants on the whole time.

They had a great time and both came back with a better understanding of what the pioneers endured to make it to Utah. I don't know if they are ready to endure it again quite yet, but I believe it was a faith building experience for them.

Thanks to all the leaders and Ma's and Pa's that made it all possible!

16th Birthday, Ordination & A Party

Oldest turned 16 on Feb. 16th. We celebrated his BIG day quiet with family and a few friends for birthday pie. The night before the girls and I decorated the car he will get to drive when he gets his liscense (check out the back window).

Birthday morning ..........

G'ma & G'pa W. singing phone call and...........

Fabreeze and PB Cups (there was more, but these were the favorites).

Apple pie topped off the day (with swiss cheese)

On Sat. the 27th many good friends and ward members gathered at our house to ordain him to the office of a Priest. We were able to include G'ma and G'pa T. by phone and it turned out to be a great experience.

That awesome experience was followed by a long awaited PARTY!

His favorite present of the night turned out to be...............

PICKLES!!!!!!!!!!!

It turned out to be a great night with great memories!

Two Reasons............

I am Blessed...............

Today Oldest was set apart as 2nd Assistant in the Priest Quorum. It was also the first time he has been able to stand in the circle and he was able to do it with his Dad. I couldn't hold back the emotions when I saw them together in the circle. It was a great blessing to be able to witness such a touching scene. (I forgot to close my eyes for a minute, because I just couldn't stop watching them).

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for letting me be a wife and mother to two WONDERFUL Priesthood holders!

Christ Like Love

I was asked to speak on Sunday with the topic "How Christ Like Love Affects My Family". The week before I sent out an e-mail asking my Family, Friends and Neighbors of ALL ages their thoughts to use in my talk. I got some awesome responses and wanted to share:

~How should it (affect) you mean?!?!?!

It should bring peace and harmony to the home and your relationships.

~Because you would get along no matter what ! No fighting or bickering !

~Christ-like love: Is unconditional, understanding. Is constant. Is a rock. It never fails us. How blessed our family life is when we extend and receive this same love. It provides the power to meet any and all challenges we face as a family.

~It makes us more tolerant of each other and others....inside and outside of our home. Christ's love is what molds us and sticks us together!

~It allows the spirit to be present in our home. So it is huge

~Christ like love, when I try and be Christ like I have more patience and forgiveness, which makes me happier, which makes the whole home HAPPIER:)

~It makes you more open to the rest of your family. More willing to accept them for who they are and not judge their faults. It increases love all around.

~When we have "Christ like love" we all love each other. It makes us want to do service. Just like Christ did for us.

~Christ like love in my family helps me to remember who I am and that I am to be forgiving(and forgive),accepting(and accept),understanding, supportive,(and be supported). It is more peaceful!

~Show more love and kindness in the home towards each other

~It give us more patience with each other! It helps us see each other's strengths and potential :-)

~There would be no fighting. Can you imagine?

~Christ like love is unconditional love so when your family members do things that are difficult for you, there is that love that allows you to react in a positive way. When situations come up that require disciplining, it is that unconditional love that is felt and both parent and child can still move ahead loving each other.

~The answer is simple. When applied and exemplified we experience joy!

~If we truly come to know Christ I think we can safely say that Christ's love is perfect and without thought or prejudice. He will love unconditionally and always. I think that I can honestly say that I love my family in this same way. I love my boys more than anything in this world. There is NOTHING that they can ever do or have done that will change my love for them. Yes, I can get disappointed in decisions that they may make, but it will not change my feelings for them one single bit. I think Christ loves the same way- but only deeper than we can ever imagine. I can't imagine anyone loving me more than I love my sons and husband but I have faith that it is possible and Christ is the only one that can do it (well and Heavenly Father).

~Christ-like love affects the way I treat MYSELF, which is how I end up treating my family. When I feel of Christ's love for me, I nurture myself spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally. When I do that, I feel joy because I'm living my purpose. When I'm living my purpose, my joy and light radiates to all around me ESPECIALLY to my family. I treat them with love, patience, respect--just like I have learned to treat myself because of personally experiencing the 'touch of the master's hand.' So first I love God, then I learn to love me, then I naturally love everyone else as a result of loving God and myself. So simple! I'm so grateful that my Savior loves ME even when I continually 'miss the mark' and mess up. He just lovingly steers me back on course and reminds me to forgive myself and move forward towards the light. Such a brilliant plan!

~We believe that Christ Like Love in our families makes our day to day living selfless. As Christ demonstrated in his life, we take care of others and put them first, our needs and desires are secondary. If we do this, then the beauty of it is we are all taken care of when we put others first.

*Thank You all for your input! It made my week and helpped make my talk that much easier to give. I love knowing so many people with the goals for their families as we have!

Love to all!

(If you would like to add your thoughts, please post a comment).

;-) KIDNAPPED ;-) !!!!!

The Victim.......

(A soon to be Beehive)

The Suspects (Young Women)........

How can ANYONE trust these faces?.........

The Suspects were known to make the Victims do some very silly stuff...........

It was said that there was much laughter, good food, games, gifts and FUN! Do NOT heed this WARNING! These suspects have been out to kidnapp new Beehives and TEACH them about the Y.W. program. Only let your soon to be 12 yr. old Y.W. go with these suspects at your own risk! Learning and Fun will follow soon after if not careful!

Look at and study their faces carefully.......You don't know when you will come in contact with one or all of them

(be really careful on Sundays).

Just thought I would let you know.