Some September

So I need to get back to sticking to a topic for my blog posts but this is going to be another dump.

Joshua giggling over the use of the forbidden word F-A-R-T

Nathan and I having our bonding time while we wait for school to dismiss

 Fun with Nani and PopPop at the trampoline park

 Took the boys to the Children's museum on Labor Day as Nani and PopPop drove away.  It helped with the tears. 

 This month has been filled with one day big boy changes.  Nathan announced he would wear underwear.  He spent the whole day accident free and was rewarded profusely.  I can't get the kid to put underwear back on yet!  

Nathan decided he was done with the crib.  Slept a whole night and two naps in the bed and now he is back in the crib.

Joshua is still living life in the king....

 I just wanted to document this book.  It is some random book not one of the most loved or remembered but it is Nathan's favorite.  We read it a million times a day!

Got my hair cut which always rejuvenates

My Dad finally came to visit!  He is officially retired so he came and was quite the handy grandpa.  I had the privilege of speaking at a women's conference hosted by my church.  It was for women of all faiths though and it was incredible.  We even had a member of each of the women's auxiliaries attend from Salt Lake.  I was uplifted and had some new insights into things I may want to do in the future.  These are all recorded in my personal journal.  

Aunt Julia and Aunt Lizzy sent some goodies for both boys as well.  

After Joshua "taught" my Dad how to play Pokemon, Joshua received instruction on paper football games.  

We signed this kid up to be a tiger cub!

 Matt has resumed his commitment to exercise.  So proud of him!

 I really love taking Nathan to bear cub club.  He is growing up so fast.  It hurts my heart sometimes.

 Apparently "we" are Alabama fans.  Enjoyed watching the game together as a family.  Matt and I were a little late to the party because it was our temple day on Saturday.  We are still going strong with our once a month commitment.  It was an extra special day as a sister in our church reached her goal of attending the temple for the first time.   Plus, we brought our own names.  This makes it ultra awesome!

 Then Monday was talk like a pirate day and receive free donuts at krispy kreme.  The boys think it is fun even though Nathan doesn't eat donuts.  We told Nathan they were for Bethany which he refers to lovingly as "his princess."  We wanted the donuts for our once a month family night we host at the church with a few families from the congregation (working our way through the roster).  Family night was another success.  Dare I say out loud that we are finding a groove with Matt being the bishop and feeling like maybe we are moving forward and making a difference?  Better not.  Never mind. ;-)

  I am sitting here now enjoying some quiet time and realizing that in a week another month will be behind us.  Life with my family is good.  My boys are amazing and my husband is my hero.  We have been really busy lately but it has been with noble and worthwhile endeavors which I think counteracts the tired.  I continue to tell Heavenly Father that I am ok if we are not supposed to have more children but keep me busy and filled with worthwhile projects.  So far so good.  

Third Weekend

This was the third weekend of clean-up in Louisiana.   I just wanted to share a few more thoughts.  We woke up tired with mixed feelings.  You know it is the right thing to do and you feel terrible for the people in crisis; but your mind is giving you all the reasons that you don't need/have to help, and your body is telling you that it is not used to this type of work and doesn't really want to do it.  We got up and pushed through.  It helps when your husband is the bishop, and the ward is depending on him for rides and coordination.  We left at 5:30 am from our house.  I'm not going to go into too many details, but I want to share a few things from my heart that I don't want to forget.  When we got to Hammond we first went to a sacrament meeting that was organized for the people volunteering for the day. The sacrament meeting took a long time because they had to bless it several times due to the number of people in need of the sacrament.  Bishop Davies from the presiding bishopric spoke to us briefly.  He reminded us of the savior visiting and welcoming all to touch his hands to feel the nail prints.  He said there were 2500 people and if they each took only 10 seconds then they would have been there for 7 hours.  This experience was clearly longer than our hour and a half to pass the sacrament.  He also said that both experiences were equally important.  I know the sacrament is important but hearing it compared in this way struck a cord.  Then he told us to go out and be His disciples and share His love.  He told us that by serving in this way we were living the gospel to its fullest.  The covenants I have made replayed in my head.  We are supposed to give all that we have to help the gospel move forward.  We are our brother's keeper and more importantly our brother's brother.  By donating our time, our energy, our gas money, etc we were living our covenants.  Sometimes as I help Matt serve in his calling as Bishop I too feel the weight of administration of the business of the church.  However, this experience reminds me how simple it really all can be in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Take the sacrament solemnly.   Love Him.  Share His love.  Give all because it isn't yours to keep.  It was a gift from Him to begin with.

We spent the day with our new friend Eddie.  He is 74 years old and has lived in this house for over 40 years.  We tore down and threw out furniture that has been in his family for over 100 years, including some beautiful all wooden pieces.  He was gracious and appreciative.  He worked alongside us all day.  He played beautiful jazz music to keep the day going and to share his passion with us.  We made a difference and did something that he couldn't have done alone.  It was beautiful.  Matt offered a prayer as we left and the feeling of peace and unity was powerful.  We may have different religions but we are praying to the same God.  We are His children and we are all here to help each other return to him better than when we left.