Sunday Spirit

I came across this video on Youtube while preparing for my lesson on "Homemaking" I love the clip and wished I could of shared it with my class, but alas I am not that technically savvy.



We as "homemakers" have the power to "create" We create love, safety, food, laughter, cleanliness, spiritual moments and many many other things in our homes. Being a homemaker is a privilege and honor for me.

Suprise!!

Tonight me and Matayia spent a fun night together. We went to Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake to watch a musical. I can't really remember what is was called right now. (Ya,it was that good) It wasn't really good, but it wasn't really bad either. It was just fun to be with Matayia. I surprised her and didn't tell her that Grandma and Grandpa Wall, Aubrey and Lauren were going to be there too. ( I really love surprising my kids, I think it so fun) Needless to say I think that she was really excited to see everyone. It so nice to spend one on one time with Matayia, she is such fun kid who is really growing up fast. I was reminded as a carried her in the house asleep, that she is definitely not my baby anymore.

Spring Tease

Spring is really giving us a tease.

Today was so nice, we reached the high 4o's
Kaitlyn had fun riding her bike and jumping on the tramp,

even without a jacket.

Temple Open House

I have been so excited to get to take my kids to the Draper Utah Temple Open house. For months I have been watching the progress of the temple from the freeway. And last night was finally the night that I could take Matayia and Kaitlyn into the temple. I remember going to the Bountiful Temple open house when I was a teenager, it left a great impression on me and I was hoping for the same for Kaitlyn and Matayia. We decided to go with a few of our neighbors and friends. We had a good time. We first stoped for dinner in Draper, we ended up eating at Iggy's sports bar. (kinda weird to eat at a sports bar before going to the temple) they were the only ones around that could accommodate our big group in a hurry. When they seated us we did a really brave, brave, thing... We sat all 8 kids on one table and and the adults sat at a table across from them. They actually surprised me, they were really really good. Greg was a little stressed as you could imagine. Brayden who is 8 was the man of the table and was such a great help.

Kaitlyn and Austin

Levi, Matayia, Oakley and Kazzy

We then headed up to the "red church" to be bused to the temple. As you can imagine a temple open house in Utah sees alot of visitors. One of the hosts told us the have already had over 260 thousand people walk through the temple and it is only in its 5th week. Because of parking issues you have to park at a nearby church and hten ride a bus up to the temple. As you can imagine the kids thought this was great fun. Kaitlyn actually said the bus ride was her favorite part of the night. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

Austin, Kaitlyn and Cole anxiously waiting for the bus ride to the Temple


Bus Ride!!!


Matayia and Levi on the bus

Once we finally go to the Temple it was not too busy (It was almost 9:00 pm) So we could really walk through the temple at our pace and enjoy it. The kids seemed to think that it was a race and we had to keep reminding them to slow down. Matayia thought the baptismal font was cool and of coarse was amazed by the chandelier in the celestial room. I also pointed out the brides room and told her someday she could come back here when she got married. She looked at me and said "will you be there too?" I quickly replied "Of coarse I will" The tour ended in one of the sealing rooms where we showed the girls the eternal perspective in the mirrors. Oh, I loved taking my family to see the temple, I hope to someday return with each one of them.


This picture doesn't really do justice to how cute this was. Matayia and Levi walked through the whole temple holding hands. I later asked her why they were holding hands, and she said. "We just wanted to be together in the temple"

Toothless Tayia

She finally let me pull the

tooth that was just

dangling from her gums.

Sunday Spirit

So I am actually trying to decide if I felt the spirit at church today. It was one of those days.... I spent most of Sacrament meeting in the foyer with Kaitlyn because she couldn't be nice. She sat and cried in the foyer saying she wanted her daddy not me, ya I think that made me madder. I guess the day started off a little wrong, I decided to take a dose of NyQuil about 12:00 Saturday night. I knew better than to do this to myself, NyQuil always does a number on me, and 12 hours more like 18 hours of drowsiness for me, need less to say I had a hard time getting out of bed to even get to church. And once i did get out of bed I was a little foggy in the head. Sacrament meeting was kinda a bust as far as the spirit went for the Anderson Family. Sunday School was spent on the couch in the foyer trying to remember through the fog in my head what my lesson was supposed to be on. So when the third hour began I started off with warning my girls about the strong effects of NyQuil. (what a great lesson ) I then continued on with my prepared lesson hoping that it would be OK.



My lesson was on Finding Joy Now. Week number two of a confusing and broad lesson. The lesson went well, despite the NyQuil problem I was having and the girls seemed to enjoy the light hearted conversation on Joy and how we can have it in our lives now. My favorite quote was...“Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you but on what happens inside of you” by Harold B Lee. In a world that is becoming crazier by the day I think we have to continually reevaluate what is happening inside of us and make a conscious effort to find Joy in our world. Sometimes Greg accuses me of being oblivious of the world and what is going on, But I choose to look for the Joy in our world around us. Sometimes it takes a while to find the good things but I know they are there if we only take the time to find them.

Happy Valentines Day

This morning Matayia came right into my bedroom, she was so excited to give my valentine present to me. She handed me a cute little valentine that she made herself. It said.... "happy Valintie To mom & Dad from Matayia and Kaitlyn Have a really happy one!! The cute little card was only the beginning of my Valentine treats from her. Matayia then handed me a few of my favorite things she had gathered up for me. It consisted of, A honey bun, a piece of bazooka gum, a little bag of Mini Delights, a cute little beaded heart she made in her class, and a whole baggie full of croutons. She then said "Mom, I knew these were all your favorites so I got them for you!" What a creative and well thought out valentine gift, Matayia really does know me, I don't need any fancy flowers or even any chocolates. Just give me a baggie full of croutons!!! Thanks Matayia, I love you!!

Saying GoodBye....

to the "pink blankie" is harder than I thought. (I know my sisters are laughing right now, but please read on) Last night when we put Kaitlyn to bed, we asked what she wanted to go to bed with? Yes, a normal question, one that is always answered with "my pink blankie". But not last night, she said she wanted to go to bed with a book, Greg and I looked at each other and quickly grabbed a book. We tucked her in and left. About an hour later we could hear she was still awake in her room so I went to talk to her. I fully expected her to ask for her blankie, but she did not, I think I secretly hoped she would. I tucked her in again, got her a different book and left again. As Greg and I were getting ready to go to bed, I said to him "do you think she is still awake??" We went to check, and she was sound asleep, without her pink blankie. Greg said to me "tomorrow you better put those blankies away in the storage room" Smartly I piped in " I think I should do it right now so she doesn't find them in the morning" So I crept back into her room and took her 3 pink blankies out of the top drawer, as I carried them back to my room to hide them I became a little teary eyed. My baby is not a baby anymore, she is growing up. I crawled in bed and could only think of the pink blankies how they were now hidden in my drawer. "Could she really do it?" I thought. "would she make it through the night?" I told Greg I was a little sad about taking away the pink blankies. He was disgusted. But I was sad. This morning Kaitlyn got up and didn't even ask for her pink blankie, she seemed to not even notice they were gone. All day long I have wondered when she was going to ask for her pink blankie, but she hasn't. When Greg left for work this morning he said "Don't cripple our daughter with that blankie, don't give it back" I looked at him and said "you have no faith in me do you?" He said "no"
So I am sitting here right now, while Kaitlyn sleeps without her "pink blankie" feeling kinda proud of myself. But also thinking of how wierd it sounds, but how I will miss the "pink blankie"

I will miss, how Kaitlyn smelled her blankie

I will miss watching her make a loop in the blankie and then moving her finger in
and out, and in and out.

I will miss the pink blankie instantly putting Kaitlyn to sleep.

I will miss how Kaitlyn would so generousily share her pink blankie with me while laying in my bed. She would even rub below my nose with it so I could "smell it."

I will miss Kaitlyn sucking her thumb, only with her blankie (OK not really)

I will miss how protective Kaitlyn was of her blankie

I will miss how it instantly calmed her down

I will miss how much she loved and needed her pink blankie

Greg thinks I am pathetic, I think maybe I was the one who was attached.

To forgive or not to forgive....

Kaitlyn says no on this one.....

She doesn't forgive her swimming teacher,

and she will show her.

By sitting on the edge of the pool,

refusing to get in,

and crying the whole lesson!!!

Yes, this really frustrates mom and dad too!!

Sunday Spirit

Today my lesson was on Finding joy in our Divine Potential. When I first read this lesson I was stumped. What in the world does that mean, I thought. And the lesson was not much help it was so broad, with not much information. It did suggest that maybe you ask a few women in your ward to come and share their thoughts, saved. Who cares if I don't get the lesson, I will just ask others to come and share their thoughts. The problem is when you ask others to come and share their thoughts is, are they going to have alot of thoughts or leave me with a lot of time, also are they going the same direction as me, and how do I wrap it all up. So I got on LDS.org and searched a few talks, and of coarse came upon some good ones. I especially liked a talk by M. Russell Ballard titled, Women of Righteousness.

I asked Acacia Brown, Jo Broadbent and Jennifer Cloward to come and help with my lesson, and they did a great job. Acacia related the joys of being a women to going to college, Jo talked about the joys of being a mom, and Jennifer wrapped it all up with great thoughts on being a grandma. I then talked about when I was a kid ,I wanted to be a boy, I remember telling my mom that it was no t fair that I could not take my shirt off while playing outside. I remember feeling frustrated that the boys got to have the priesthood, and how I wondered at times if God loved the men more than us women. I wondered was their really a need for women besides being a baby machine?? I think this is why I loved this talk from M. Russel Ballard he says....

Now, finally, I turn again to you dear sisters, you who have such a profound, innate spiritual ability to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. You need never wonder again if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the Brethren in the presiding councils of the Church. We love you. We cherish you. We respect you. Never doubt that your influence is absolutely vital to preserving the family and to assisting with the growth and spiritual vitality of the Church. This Church will not reach its foreordained destiny without you. We men simply cannot nurture as you nurture. Most of us don’t have the sensitivity—spiritual and otherwise—that by your eternal nature you inherently have. Your influence on families and with children, with youth, and with men is singular. You are natural-born nurturers. Because of these unusual gifts and talents, you are vital to taking the gospel to all the world, to demonstrating that there is joy in living the way the prophets have counseled us to live.

More than ever before we need women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity, as the Relief Society declaration proclaims. We need women who can hear and who will respond to the voice of the Lord, women who at all costs will defend and protect the family. We don’t need women who want to be like men, sound like men, dress like men, drive like some men drive, or act like men. We do need women who rejoice in their womanhood and have a spiritual confirmation of their identity, their value, and their eternal destiny. Above all, we need women who will stand up for truth and righteousness and decry evil at every turn and simply say, “Lord, here am I, send me.”

I know that the church, the family and society, need women, I know God made women the way they are because of his eternal plan, I know God loves me as much as men, and I also know God needs me and has a plan for me.

Happy Birthday.... Kinda

A couple of days ago mom called me and invited me to a birthday party. We were going to celebrate Grandma Great's Birthday. The weird thing about this party is Grandma died about two years ago. I thought this was kinda weird but was glad to be getting together with everyone. When I told Greg where we were going on Friday night you could see it on his face.... He then said "didn't I go to her funeral a year ago?", I quickly corrected him "no, almost two years ago!!" So off we went to Randy and Janette's house to celebrate Grandma Greats birthday.

I love my family, I love my cousins, I love my aunts and uncles, and whatever the excuse I love being together with them. We started off with a few easy bake oven cakes, that of coarse were frosted with blue frosting. We snacked on lemon drops, Cheetos and German chocolate cake. I wonder now if Grandma ever really ate any of these treats, or if she just fed them to us, whatever the case they remind me of her.

We continued by playing a few games of "Feely Meely" an all time favorite of grandma's (or once again maybe the grand kids) We watched a slide show of her, looked at pictures and just remembered our sweet sweet grandma. The night ended with a bowl of orange sherbet, eaten with wood spoons. What a fun fun night, I was once again reminded of how much I love and admire my Grandma for the great grandma she was. I often think of what my kids will miss out on, not knowing my grandma like I did. But nights like this help me see, grandma lives on, through us. I hope I can do her a little justice. And Maybe just maybe, I will get a call from mom next year inviting us to her birthday party again!!

Thumb Sucking Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn has a little hang nail on her thumb that she sucks with her "pink blankie" She keeps asking me to put a band aid on her thumb because it is hurting. The problem is when she goes down for her nap, she wants me to take her band aid off so that she can suck her thumb. Today I suggested that maybe she should just stop sucking her thumb and then her owie would get better. She quickly responded, " but , mom, when I go to sleep I am really gonna need it" kids, kids kids!!

My little Swimmers

Yes, I know that it is is February, and yes I know there is snow on the ground but when your local fitness center puts a big bubble over your outdoor swimming pool, We will take advantage of it. Winter swimming lessons are so much easier to get into around here, we did it last year and it was great, so we decided to do it again this year. Last year Kaitlyn had to just sit and watch because she wasn't 3 yet but this year she was excited to get to participate. We love to have our great neighbors join us in swimming lessons, So off we went to the pool with Matayia, Levi, Austin, and Kaitlyn.

Monday seemed to be going great, there were a few tears from Matayia, but I was worried how Kaitlyn was going to be and she seemed to be really enjoying herself.

Kaitlyn is a little cautious in the water. At home we are really careful not to get any water in her ears (because of her tubes) But when she gets to the pool I don't think she is scared she just know that she shouldn't get water in her ears. She listens to her teacher well and can do some really good kicks splashing alot. On Monday Kaitlyn was the only one who didn't shed any tears, I was so proud of her she is really growing up. But Wednesday was a different story. Right at the start of the lesson their teacher was playing with then and splashed them really bad. Kaitlyn didn't find this to be funny at all, she now says that she "hates her teacher" She cried and never stopped crying the whole lesson. But when we were leaving she said she wanted to come back and swim again, but she wants a new teacher.

Matayia is my child that constantly needs to be pushed, she is definitely a comfort zone person. (I can't blame her so am I) Once you convince Matayia that she can do something, she does it but she would never try something new on her own. So this year I signed Matayia up for the level 3 class. I knew this would be a stretch for her but I also knew she could do it. Hence the tears Monday night. She said that she was scared, but maybe she was just a little nervous, she could see she was being pushed out of her comfort zone. But when Wednesday night came around she did great. Whenever you put a pair of swim goggles on a kid their confidence goes up, the goggles definitely helped Matayia. As Greg and I watched her swim on Wednesday we thought she had already improved. By the end of this month she will definitely be a fast swimming fish!!

Family Home Evening Game

So this year Stacey gave me the Family Home Evening Game. I loved playing this game for family home evening when I was a kid. I was so excited to play this game with my own cute little family. So when we got out the game last week, I gave my family a short history on the game. It went a little like this..... " When I was a little girl we played this game for FHE all the time, and did you know that Grandma Wall made this game up?? She is so smart isn't she?!?" We played the game and we played the game and we played the game, it was a great hit!!! Matayia and Kaitlyn even said it was their new favorite game!! Later that week I was on the phone telling mom how big of a hit it was, I continued by telling her about the short history I gave my family on the game. She quickly corrected me, "I didn't make up that game, we made them at a Relief Society Homemaking night" My bubble was burst!! I always believed that my smart, creative mom, had come up with that game all on her own (I am sure I was never told that) But I guess that doesn't really ruin the game. I am sure that Matayia and Kaitlyn will still ask to play it next week for FHE. And maybe, just maybe, I will let them grow up thinking their Grandma came up with the Family Home Evening Game all on her own!!

Sunday Spirit

So today as were driving home from church Kaitlyn proudly announced "Sister Walker (her teacher) has the scriptures" She then looked at me and asked me "Mom do you have the scriptures?" I told her "Yes, they were at home" She then asked Greg if he had the scriptures, He also answered "Yes" She then looked at Matayia and said "I know Matayia has the Scriptures because she takes then to church, but mom I have never seen your scriptures!" We all got a little laugh out of this conversation, but as I got thinking about it, I don't find it funny that Kaitlyn has never seen me with my scriptures. I am definitely not good at reading my scriptures daily, often I only get my scriptures out when I am preparing a lesson or talk. I want to be better, I need to be better.

Today in YW, Sister Dodge talked about a beautiful shell she bought while on a cruise in the Caribbean. She talked about how when she first saw this shell in the store she thought it was so beautiful, and she knew she wanted to take it home. The lady who was selling the shell, picked up the shell and tried to convince her that the shell didn't stink, as Sister Dodge "smelled" the shell she said it smelled awful. The lady kept trying to tell her that the shell didn't stink and that it was so beautiful. Sister Dodge bought the shell because it was beautiful, and the lady said it "didn't stink" All the way home on the cruise ship she wondered why she bought this stinky stinky shell. She later related this to sin, Sin at times can look so beautiful that we forget it really "stinks". Especially when someone, maybe our friends or the world are trying to convince us that it is OK. Sister Dodge told us th watch out for stinky shells, or stinky situations. I loved the story, but loved the comparison even more. How easy we can be decieved by Satan if we are only living in the moment and forget about the big picture.

Saturday was nice...

Today was nice, we got a babysitter for the girls and Greg and I spent the day together. We didn't do anything important, we were just together. It was nice.