Scripture Study

We recently started studying the scriptures as a family.  

It may be slow going, and not all of us "get it" all the time, 

but this picture

makes it all worth it.

Halloween

Such a cute little witch! 

Venom and Iron Man 

Handsomest Villain I've ever seen

Cousins and Best Friends

Wait a second........

Much better!

  Don't touch my candy.......

Belated Birthday

For Austin's birthday, we gave him a gift certificate for a date with Mom at Create A Memory.  So last weekend, I finally got around to taking him down.  What a great place!  He had such a super time.  For $15 he got to pick a piece of pottery, paint it, and then they kilned it for us.  (You can pay up to $75 for some of the pieces, but the price is all inclusive for "sitting time", paint and the firing process).  Austin painted the whole thing himself, with only a little help from me on the dots.  The people there were totally kid friendly and I plan on taking Jake there as well.

So proud of himself

Picasso 

love the way he holds his brush

the finished product

Probably the best part of the whole thing was spending one on one time with Austin.  Sometimes he gets lost in the shuffle as the middle child, and I loved having the chance to just sit and talk to him, and actually be able to listen to everything he had to say without interruption.  He is so smart and sweet, and I promised myself I will do this more often, for both our sakes.

Un-canny....

I have a new found respect for my mother and her food storage.  My little sister and I attempted canning today, for the first time, for both of us.  First of all, let me say, don't ever attempt to can with another novice.  After 4 hours, two exploded jars, one emergency trip to Safeway and some creative input from my hubby,  we have 33 jars of pears, to split between the two of us.  My mother canned every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable, by herself, for years (still does) and has shelves of fruit and veges for food storage.  Val and I are quite certain that we may leave all future canning attempts to the good people at Dole.

Priesthood Power

Leah has been sick for almost a week. For the first few days she ran a temper pushing 103 unless we had her doped up on Tylenol. No stomach bug, no respiratory problems, just this horrid fever and body aches. Yesterday we thought she was better, and even took her on our family outing for Austin's birthday party with the cousins. But today she was warm and fussy again all day, and when she woke up from her post-church nap, she was once again on-fire, so hot to the touch and running over 101. On top of it all, the poor thing hasn't eaten since Thursday afternoon. Brian decided it was time to giver her a blessing. With the help of our good friend Gabe, Brian blessed her that the fever would be taken from her body and that she would feel relief from her aches. About 10 minutes after the blessing, I put her back down for a nap.

When she woke up from her nap, the fever was totally gone. She was soaked from a full body sweat and her skin was actually cool to the touch, even after sleeping under a blanket. She promptly sat down and ate half a bowl of ice cream with me, a handful of Bac O's (she asked for them!) and headed straight outside to play with her brothers. She stayed out there for over an hour, only coming in to down a Gogurt.

I have always had a testimony of the power of the priesthood, but this is the first time since receiving the priesthood that Brian has given a blessing. To witness the miracle of the healing power of the priesthood in my home, with my husband and daughter, was more amazing than I can put into words. The emotion that came over Brian as he blessed her little body, and the peace I felt afterwards were so strong and so wonderful. I am so thankful for the changes Brian has made over the last 3 years that have brought us to this point - to have a priesthood holder in my home, and to witness him exercise that power worthily is a gift I am more grateful for than I can express.