BUILD YourTestimony

...It is understood that it is part of Gods plan that we not all look, talk, and be alike and it is precisely that, our differences/interests that makes life interesting and when our attributes are used to complete Gods will and are appropriately used, then that fulfills the work of this great plan, and that excites me....What excites you? are you magnifying your gifts?

read more here

THANKFUL Thursdays

Things I am THANKFUL for today...
1) Blankets - these 40 & 50 degree nights have felt fabulous as long as I have the blankies pulled up tight under my chin.
2) When my children genuinely show love to each other.
3) That the enrichment class I have to teach is still 2 weeks away... what to do????
4) That Ben and Bear had a very successful 4 day shoot.
5) Date night, tomorrow!

Days of Our Lives

Well these are some of the Days of Our Lives... is that show even on any more ?if it is, it shouldn't be. Anyway, as if being mama to 5 busy kiddos and being ROOM PARENT in each of the twins classes and Co-room parent in Eddies classroom doesn't keep me busy enough, here are some recent pictures of our life that keep me running :)

Austin Zoo - This was a scout field trip we did with the boys.


Dress ups - Oh how the boys longed for a sister so they could do this... they are going to kill me for posting this but it was too funny!



Ok .... Seriously... When Burgerboy opened this present on his birthday from Natty Cakes, I thought this was the most brilliant idea ever until the drawing graduated into our shower and then messages from everyone of our children began appearing in every shower in the house, on walls, on the tile floor and on and on. Have you ever tried to remove this stuff...? Thanks a lot Nat! Then as soon as I gathered the tub crayons and hid them, I swear Doubie and Hamburger have radar for the things they are not suppose to have and find them every time. As fatigued I was cleaning all this up it really was very sweet and we did really appreciate the gift just keep an eye on where they go.






Post camping laundry... got to love it! NOT!

Super Star Fish

Time Out for Women

14 of us women from our ward came down to San Antonio for Time Out for Women and stayed over night. It was great fun and very uplifting. The Fridays session was a Life Seminar and was really amazing full of meaty information, LOVED it. Friday night and Saturday was more entertainment and light hearted. We all had a blast! Thanks for the great weekend ladies!

Bubbas Birthday Black Eye

Well Bubbie was goof'n off with the brother like he typically does in the 6-8pm time slot and tripped on who knows what and went flying head first into our coffee table. That next morning my sweet husband let me sleep in and got the kids off to school since they start walking to the bus stop at 6:58am so I did not see him. I had to go to school later that day and saw his poor eye... Had I known it would have bruised up like that I would have been more apathetic. Bummer way to end your birthday :(

Camping Texas Style

We went camping with 7 other families from our ward and it was way fun but a new experience for us! I have to say I missed the Colorado/Utah camping. This was still a great time with great people. Since there was not a ton to do we sat around and visited, played frisbee football and played games. The kids hunted for stuff on the beach and had a fantastic time with all their friends.

THANKFUL Thursday

Things I am thankful for today

1) Antibiotics, Bubba had strep this week
2) That Ben ALWAYS picks up when I call, even if he is busy... isn't he sweet?
3) Crackling fires and hot chocolate.
4) That Hamburger sucks his tongue when he makes out with his blanket. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen and probably will ever see!
5) Cell phones - so I can call my sugar and my sugar babies at anytime. That will be especially nice this weekend while I am at Time Out for Women :)

Happy Birthday Bubba & Fish

Oh these are sweet little twin boys! I can't even believe they are 9. Where has my time with them gone? I am so grateful for them in our lives, what special little people they are.

When they were born people always use to ask (and still do), "are they alike?" and the only description I could muster at the time was "no, one was my soggy donut and the other my crispy chip" and that little metaphor to describe them when they were newborns still is true today. Though they are very different, these 2 boys love each other deeply.

Bubba is happy, cheerful and full of life. He is motivated by happiness. He is eager to laugh and crack jokes. He is extremely affectionate (...hummm I wonder where he gets that?) and gives the juiciest kisses. He likes to read, do math, build legos and being together with family and friends is very important to him. He is very free spirited and doesn't care much about how he looks or the clothes he wears. He is a natural leader, he is very creative, imaginative and spontaneous. He likes to collect money from other country's. Bubba loves to wrestle around, with anyone. When he was a baby he was so squishy and lovable and had a scent that was so delicious, I still remember it to this day. He has bubba lips that swell when he sleeps, just like me.

Fish is thoughtful, kind intuitive and loving. He is obedient and wants to follow rules. He is a spiritual giant and understandings things of spiritual nature easily. He is enormously faithful and knows prayer will work every time. He loves things to be clean and orderly. When he was 3 he started getting up at 3 or 4 am to go watch morning cartoons, it never did seemed to bother him that the only thing on TV at that hour was infomercials, anyway without fail when we would realize he was awake we would get him and take him back to bed and low and behold his bed was made... every time. Fish, loves the finer things of life, he has a knack for quality. He loves to skateboard and be with his friends. Fish like Bubba is a natural leader. He is very conscientious about his hygiene and likes his clothes clean, unwrinkled and would never go anywhere without smelling good and his hair done. He likes fun "adult" food, he has excellent handwriting and artwork.

What can I say the combination of these beautiful children is just perfection. Yes they are dirty, loud, sometimes smelly and just 100% boy but they are still OUR boys and we love them like crazy!

Someone Please Answer?

I know this will probably make some people mad because as it seems these days.. being a McCain supporter or a republican OR a conservative for that matter are really unpopular, but I really don't care. It is really crazy - kids at school are making fun of my boys for being Mccain supporters (as if they can even vote :/, it all seems a bit ridiculous and very frustrating. I am not sold on Hollywood Obama, he has been marketed like a trendy commodity or some celebrity... I am really bugged. I hate politics as it is but when it gets dirty and calculated it seems to have crossed the transparent line of democracy we are esteemed for and should value. If you search "pro mccain" what you will find is whole lot of negative propaganda, I am SURE seeded by Obama camp, FLOODING all mediums with as much garbage as they can. If you search "pro obabma" guess what you find? you guessed it, a bouquet of positive sites glamorizing this candidate and his ideas for change, blah blah blah. Can't anyone else see it, or is it just me? Would someone please answer these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjGhy8LVwAo questions for me?? Someone sure knows how to market him (Obama) well... BUT isn't he the exact antithesis for conservative values? Maybe it is just me but he seems to represent/support the popular opinions "of the world not in the world".

There have been some interesting debates/conversations around here about where our political alliance is. Neither one of these ya-hoos are very impressive but I am affirmed in MY decision that I am planting my heals deep into the candidate that will support LONGTERM, the fundamental conservative beliefs I value, read be between the lines and make your voice heard!


"Live by your standards. Stand up for what you believe in."
- W. Craig Zwick (seventy), “We Will Not Yield, We Cannot Yield,” Ensign, May 2008


"Please help us push back the world. We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular and simply say, “This is not right.”
- James E. Faust, “The Devil’s Throat,” Ensign, May 2003

THANKFUL Thursday

1) Cool, breezy, fall-ish days... just like today :)
2) A husband who comes home and plays hide and seek with the kids.
3) Baby wipes and disposable diapers
4) Douba's high pitched angel voice and cute little turned up nose
5) Happy, secure and confident children

PRO Proposition 8

There is SO SO SO much going on out there about this prop 8 issue in California. Just the few things I have read has me tied up in knots. PLEASE DO your part to protect marriage between MAN & WOMAN! Yes, same sex couples should have many equal rights but we can not REDEFINE MARRIAGE! Stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT for what you know is right! Don't be afraid of saying what you feel just because it is not popular in the liberal/Hollywood world, remember we need to be IN the world not OF the world. Do your own research and spread the word!

Here to read 8 reasons to defend man/woman marriage.

if you are interested in the response from someone who seems to have the facts straight read my brother in laws - brothers comment, excellent!
Preserve Marriage
and
Protect marriage

Below is an excerpt from a letter my sister sent me from a friend of theirs.
"Elder Cook of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles talked about three major effects that would follow if same-sex marriages were to be legalized, now visible through the state of Massachusetts where it is legal:
1. The changes in Curriculum in public schools (same sex relationships
would be taught in all K-12 grades at some kind of level)
2. The changes in Religious Adoption Agencies (Catholic Adoption Services
has altogether left the state of MA because of lawsuits for not adopting to
same-sex couples)
3. The changes in Religious Tax Exempt Status' (Religions would lose their
tax status with the government unless they conform to society)
There are obviously more effects, but as you can see there are some huge
consequences to this vote that we have learned from spending a lot of time
studying this issue.

Elder Ballard then spoke about a call to action, which I found to be
extremely interesting and which became the theme for the broadcast. It is
almost as if the the fight for the family lies on the shoulders of us in the
younger generations. He talked about all of our capabilities with
technology, internet, websites, text messages, emails, etc. Elder Cook
talked about how the call to dress in your Sunday best for Monday's classes
at school was spread throughout the youth in 6 states after Pres. Hinckley's
death. They never did find the originator of the text, but tracked through
cell phone providers the spike in text messaging after the announcement of
his passing away. Our youth out here got that message and most went to
school in their Sunday best in honor of him. Elder Ballard went on to say
that he and many of the brethren don't even know where to begin when it
comes to stuff like that, but we do. So to help out, the church has joined
with the younger generation to create a website:
www.preservingmarriage.org where all sorts of information will be gathered for us to take and use in our facebook profiles, myspace accounts, family websites, blogs, emails, youtube, etc. The feelings and impressions that I had was that our generation's legacy here in CA will be the preserving of the fami ly in these crazy and hectic times. The fundamental core of our society has been under attack and it is our call to protect it.

We have a grass roots campaign out here that consists of 3 phases that we
are actively participating in. Cass and I have taken on the responsibility
of a wave campaign for the week of Oct. 20 where we, with volunteers, will
be out at busy intersections with signs encouraging people to vote Yes on
Prop 8. We have also knocked over a hundred doors, called hundreds of
registered voters and given of our time and money.

I encourage you all to visit the website www.preservingmarriage.org as well as
www.protectmarriage.com. This is not a battle for rights. I have studied this and have found that California Civil Code and its Statute laws give domestic partnerships all the same rights, benefits and privileges that exist with married couples. This is a matter of how we, as a society, define marriage and the consequences that it will have for us, our children and our children's children.

I invite all of you that have access to the above mentioned technologies to
help spread the message...As Pres. Monson said, "Our best efforts
are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

Build Your Testimony

Below are excerpts from this weeks Build Your Testimony posts. I have opened this blog to the world. As I have contemplated this worthwhile endeavor it occurred to me that my testimony is not private and it should NOT be, it is intended to be shared... so for now it is open for all to see or for those interested.

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"Where Are Your Roots Planted?"

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green...Jeremiah 17:7-8

...Elder Hamula talked about the temple and the importance of being there often; he even offered a gentle admonition suggesting we (as a stake) were not attending as much as we should. He challenged us to go home and pray with our spouses about what more we can do in relationship to our temple attendance. To summarize greatly and only recalling from my memory what I can articulate, he talked about the last days and asked if we would be ”able to abide it?” Joel 2:11, meaning the trails and tribulations that will come. Are we firm enough? Do we see that “strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to exaltation” D&C 132:22....


"Motherhood... Cherish It!"

.....Sister Margaret D. Nadauld says about motherhood “Our outward appearance is a reflection of what we are on the inside. Our lives reflect that for which we seek. …You can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their attitude. They know that the errand of angels is given to women, and they desire to be on God’s errand to love His children and minister to them, to teach them the doctrines of salvation, to call them to repentance, to save them in perilous circumstances, to guide them in the performance of His work, to deliver His messages…You can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their reverence for motherhood,… Daughters of God know that it is the nurturing nature of women that can bring everlasting blessings, and they live to cultivate this divine attribute. Surely when a woman reverences motherhood, her children will arise up and call her blessed (see Prov. 31:28).. …Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” “The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 14–16
....

Daddy Daughter Ward Camp out

Ben had the lovely privilege of going to our wards daddy daughter camp out. Douey was SO excited to go on her camping trip with her dad and sleep in a tent. She was so cute, the morning before they left she said to me, “mom I am going to miss you when I go camping.... and I am going to look for giraffes, okay" I am not exactly sure what she thought she would see camping here in Austin but I am glad she had high hopes and she didn't seem to come home TOO disappointed that she saw no African animals, heck some of the bugs here do sort of look like giraffes! She is such a doll face!

Twins Birthday Party

Holy Heck!!!! Having 10 - 9 year old boys over at our house for a 4 hour long party BY MY SELF was probably not the BEST idea, it was crazy. It was one noisy group of chiefs, but all in all I think they all have a great time. At least I know that the boys are surrounding themselves with confident and secure young boys that are not afraid to make their voice heard :) We had a "friends" birthday party a week early because we already have plans the weekend of their real birthday. Hard to believe my little baby twins will be 9 years old a week from today.

THANKFUL Thursday

Things I am grateful for today

1) The twins birthday party tomorrow, I love to watch my kids with their friends.
2) Daddy Daughter camp outs - Ben and Douba have their 1st overnighter this weekend, she is so excited!
3) That my 3 week stint of preschool teaching is over for a few months :)
4) My vacuum - I can not imagine having to pick up every bit of spilled popcorn ("copporn" LOL as the boys used to say it) by hand.
5) A good belly laugh. It seems these do not happen nearly as often as they should.

It Must Be Halloween.....Scary Spider

This is a spider the boys found on their way home from school with their friends Karter and Bracen....yikees!

BUILD Your Testimony - If Ye Are Prepared....

.....I love this gospel. I KNOW it is true. I know that the last days are nigh but I am not fearful, I refuse to be fearful, those feelings are not of God. The adversary would love to cripple me in fear, but no way! Not me! The adversary will not win me! Though I may not be FEARFUL I am still human and feelings of being afraid creep in. Being afraid of sad times and heaven forbid sad things happening to me or my family but thankfully I KNOW the bigger plan, I trust in that plan and I am so grateful I know it is true. So come what may… if I am prepared (personally and spiritually) I shall not fear......

for more go to build your testimony - this is for invited readers only, if you what in, just ask :)