Green Beans

this is my sour dough start

this is my garden

this is satisfaction

this is safety

Temples

Today I witnessed a family get sealed together for all eternity. What a blessing for me to able to witness the sealing of children to their parents. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It gave me such a wonderful perspective of my own sealing to my husband and future children seven years ago. When the four little girls cam into the sealing room (the same one Wade and I were sealed in) they looked like angels. It was a special experience for me.

D&C 132:19

"And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them--Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection....and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths...and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. "

Verse 24

"This is eternal lives---to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law."

my day ends with this thought

Alma 34:38
"That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."

Lion Cub

My Son

Happy 1st Birthday!

We had a great day! The funnest party we ever hosted at our house. An outdoor BBQ. All the kids were entertained and having a good time. The sound of the "ocean", a slight breeze, and great company! Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to the fun day! There is a little video clip of Damon at the end of this post.

My little Lydie has grown so much since he was born!

She is such a joy!

My great helper! She adores him and tells him often how beautiful he is!

Two days before he was born at Bryce Canyon.

It is a mystery why my body was dilating (without contractions!).

He came 6 weeks early. I delivered him natural by choice.

I hope to do that next time, the recovery was amazingly better!
He was perfect, just needed a little help breathing on his own.

8/18/08

5 lbs 15 oz

Daddy giving him a blessing.

We finally got to take him home 10 days later.



















It is so fun to have a boy. Instead of crying when the vacuum comes on like the girls did, he crawls as fast as he can towards it and hits it! He is always throwing things!! He is much bigger than the girls were. 6 lbs bigger at a year than them! He also loves to give lots of hugs and kisses! He is irresistible!!


I love you!

Dear Christine

The kids were so excited to get the box of goodies you sent up. They were totally overjoyed! The rest of the evening Andrea was going around the house trying to find things to give away and send back to you and your kids.
I want to thank you so much for the money you sent for Andrea. I was overcome with emotion when I opened your envelope.
I've been having a hard time lately thinking about school and wanting to buy Andrea some new things. Your gift felt like Heavenly Father letting me know that He is aware of me and my desires even when its not a necessity. I'm hoping that the Lords promise is true for me D&C 82:10
"I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say;but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."
I know I have a lot of failures but I hope as a whole I am doing my best and that it is enough. At the same time I know "After much tribulation, come the blessings."
I just hope that nothing gets worse. I'm grateful for this journey and the opportunity to grow and raise His beautiful children. Thank You for being the tool the Lord used to let me know that He hears me.
I love you,
Julie

Just Thoughts

We got rid of our home phone, satellite TV and had the owners pay for Internet. It feels really good. We have amazing digital reception for TV. But now have to suffer through the commercials. Which means we watch less TV. That is always good!

I really want to sign up the girls for dance. I would rather not cut/dye my hair, buy new clothes or eat out to have them in dance. Unfortunately those things have pretty much already been cut out of the budget. It is amazing right now. As I was scrubbing a disabled man's disgusting apartment on Friday for 5 hours (hating every minute of it) to make $100, I thought back. I remember quiet vividly how my mom used to throw $100 bills around like they were $1 bills. And there we were. My mom and I scrubbing our hearts out. Not that I don't like work. I just didn't expect to be doing this kind of work after finishing school, I especially didn't like to see my mother doing that kind of work. But we are after all here to be proven and tried.

I cried to Wade the other night thinking about our daughter starting school and how I wanted to go to St. George just she and I and go school shopping. I also need to get DW some clothes for his birthday, especially church clothes and shoes. He is turning 1 next week!

He said, "why do you want to buy her new clothes?"

"Because I always got new clothes for school."

"I didn't. It's more for you than for her. She is only 5."

We signed her up for soccer months ago. It is nice because we only pay once upfront. She has this fundraiser shop local card. It is the best fundraiser I have seen. You could literally go into Pizza Hut every day and buy one pizza and get one free for a year. Pizza Hut is only 1 out of 24 other coupons 12 of which is continuous. I was determined to show her how to do this fundraising stuff and we went out and sold 10 of them. Now she will get a free soccer ball, t-shirt, back-pack, deluxe-goodie bag, dairy queen desert, and wingers kids meal. I'm feeling like a good mom!

We moved the computer into the kitchen area yesterday. Goodbye play pen in my room! Now D.W can nap in his room. I need to get the girls some bunk beds. That way they have more space to play in their room. We are learning to use the space we have more efficiently.

My son is finally having a couple of good days. The teething has been awful, poor guy! Today he has been eating a lot and playing. It is always sad when you know they are not their happy little selves.

I have such a good husband. He is trying so hard to do what is right. Plus he is so nice to me and never critical. We played soccer in the backyard tonight as a family. It was so great. It made me so grateful for my home. Goodnight!

It is a beautiful day today, filled with so much hope and gratitude.
I know that prayers are being answered. I feel peace today.
Wade and I rode our bikes tonight with the kids in the little bike trailer to the in-laws. Grandma was sitting in a chair watching her garden grow. They were happy to see us. We had a nice visit and left with fresh green beans.
On the way home was an amazing sun set. Purple and mostly a bright pink colored the sky behind the hills of three peaks. I'm feeling so gratful for my family, my home, my life.