Alayna "sleeping"
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
article on strengthening the family
This past spring two different bird families built nests in my yard. A small sparrow chose a rose tree on my patio for her nest. Time after time she flew back and forth, carrying blades of grass and small twigs in her beak. Carefully she manipulated her way through the rose thorns, depositing her building materials in the chosen spot. She worked without resting until the tiny nest was finished. I was amazed at how carefully the grasses were woven to make a strong and stable structure. I was almost moved to tears when I saw in the bottom of the nest four small pieces of cotton, placed in just the right spot to make a soft bed for her little ones.
The second bird, a robin, chose to build her nest in front of my house near the rain gutter, up high where ground predators could not reach it. Since she was larger, so was her nest, and in addition to being bigger, the outside of her nest was glued with mud, which kept the grasses and twigs together and held it in the crook of the rain gutter. Inside, single blades of grass were woven into a soft, cuplike shape that perfectly cradled the bird.
When the nests were completed, both birds laid their eggs and began the daily vigil of protecting and nurturing. Hour after hour, day after day these birds sat on their eggs. After the eggs hatched, the mothers worked full time to feed their hungry babies.
One particularly hot day I noticed the robin sitting on her nest, panting with her beak open. Obviously she was uncomfortable in the glare of the sun. I wondered why she stayed. Then I realized she was not sitting deep in the nest as she had when she was keeping her babies warm. Instead she was carefully stretched over the top of the nest, forming a protective shelter to keep her featherless babies from being sunburned.
I began to read about birds and the great pains they take to build homes for their families. Did you know that barn swallows make more than 1,200 mud-carrying trips in order to construct their nests? One single nest of a hooded oriole was found to contain 3,387 separate pieces of material. It seems to me that birds invest everything—their time, their energy, their means, their own comfort—to make a home and rear their young. It is not a priority that is given second place or avoided. It takes first place.
Since watching the birds in my yard, I have wondered who taught these birds what to do. How did they know how to build a nest and to shade their fledglings from the sun? Birds follow instincts to provide, protect, and nurture. These are God-given instincts, and pondering on them caused me, along with the Psalmist, to exclaim, “O Lord, how great are thy works!” (Ps. 92:5).
We are also blessed with God-given instincts. We instinctively want so much for those we love, and yet being human, we encounter many more problems than the birds I observed. In today’s society there are many who challenge the importance of the traditional home and family. Some think there are other uses of a woman’s time and talents that are more important than the family. But prophets have been relentless in declaring that the role of homemaker is one of the most sacred and meaningful pursuits possible to man or woman. Sisters in all life circumstances have opportunities to build and nurture others within their sphere of influence. As you and I learn more about Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, we are assured that no matter the circumstances of our individual lives, creating a safe and nurturing environment for those we love is of the utmost importance.
April 26, 2006
April 26, 2006
I tell ya, April has been one very busy month. But I must say, one wonderful thing has been the gorgeous Spring weather we have had. We welcome it with open arms. Ours trees and flowers are blooming. It’s so exciting to spend the day in warmth and sunshine!
It was our 13th anniversary this week and Bob did the coolest thing. He actually planned a secret weekend away, but someone at church accidently spilled the beans. Anyway, he arranged for Hal and Corey to come watch the kids (Thank you so much for that!) Then he took me to a movie, out to dinner, out for dessert, and then to a hotel for the night. It was so relaxing and I was so impressed that he planned that all out for us. It’s incredible to think we have been married for 13 wonderful years. The time really does fly.
On Sunday, I spoke at Stake Conference. That is quite nerve-racking. Elder Orton came as the General Authority and I was able to meet him. I spoke on the Family and How to strengthen our homes. I think it went well? I did have dry mouth but just hoped and prayed no one could tell. I will post the story I used in th talk in case anyone is interested. That night, I taught the youth fireside on dating. I thought it was a huge success. The youth all had tons of questions that I was actually prepared to answer. It was a blast to teach and hopefully they learned something as well. They let Marisa come watch and it was so fun to have her there. I guess she will get to go to all the firesides from now on. So exciting!
On Monday night, we had the missionaries over for dinner along with the Herring’s family in our ward. We had a fun night making homemade tacos and of course, the chocolate fountain. The missionaries taught the lesson aimed at Tyler and the little boy, Joey, who will be getting baptized this year. It was a fun evening.
So, the last few days I have been a slug. Next month is full of lots of fun stuff as well, so I figured it would be ok to be sluggy! Until next week....
I tell ya, April has been one very busy month. But I must say, one wonderful thing has been the gorgeous Spring weather we have had. We welcome it with open arms. Ours trees and flowers are blooming. It’s so exciting to spend the day in warmth and sunshine!
It was our 13th anniversary this week and Bob did the coolest thing. He actually planned a secret weekend away, but someone at church accidently spilled the beans. Anyway, he arranged for Hal and Corey to come watch the kids (Thank you so much for that!) Then he took me to a movie, out to dinner, out for dessert, and then to a hotel for the night. It was so relaxing and I was so impressed that he planned that all out for us. It’s incredible to think we have been married for 13 wonderful years. The time really does fly.
On Sunday, I spoke at Stake Conference. That is quite nerve-racking. Elder Orton came as the General Authority and I was able to meet him. I spoke on the Family and How to strengthen our homes. I think it went well? I did have dry mouth but just hoped and prayed no one could tell. I will post the story I used in th talk in case anyone is interested. That night, I taught the youth fireside on dating. I thought it was a huge success. The youth all had tons of questions that I was actually prepared to answer. It was a blast to teach and hopefully they learned something as well. They let Marisa come watch and it was so fun to have her there. I guess she will get to go to all the firesides from now on. So exciting!
On Monday night, we had the missionaries over for dinner along with the Herring’s family in our ward. We had a fun night making homemade tacos and of course, the chocolate fountain. The missionaries taught the lesson aimed at Tyler and the little boy, Joey, who will be getting baptized this year. It was a fun evening.
So, the last few days I have been a slug. Next month is full of lots of fun stuff as well, so I figured it would be ok to be sluggy! Until next week....
Sunday, April 16, 2006
April 16, 2006
April 16, 2006
Happy Easter to everyone!!!!! We had a very rainy Easter, but a wonderful one. What a busy week we have had. I have felt like a slug today, worn out I guess from all the “stuff” going on. Let’s see...
Alayna had a tough time at the doctor this week. I guess the wax in her ear has built like a cement wall by her ear drum, causing a tremendous amount of pain. The doctor tried to get it out and had no luck. They tried an irrigation machine and again no luck. All the while, Alayna is screaming her head off. She kept crying at night complaining of the pain. They decided to send us to an ENT specialist, but they said they couldn’t see us until May. I was in a huge panic. After many prayers and ear wax drops, her pain just...went away. It has been the weirdest thing. We are hoping it has loosened everything up in there.
Bob started his class on Tuesday night. He said he actually enjoyed it. His softball team also started this week. So, he is staying very busy. Marisa is headed to Camp Courageous tomorrow. Her group will be spending all day up at the camp helping handicapped children. She is so excited to be a part of that.
Tyler had a cool week. He had his first basketball game Saturday morning. This game is a bit foreign to him, but I think he had a great time. The second graders had their “People Fair” at the school. Each child chose a person to do research on and then for the fair, they dressed up like that person and had hints on their desk. We, as parents, all got to go through and guess who they were. It was so much fun!!! Tyler was Robert Kennedy. So, he was all decked out in his Sunday clothes. As usual, I am impressed with this school and the amazing job they do with these students.
Well, it was a huge weekend for me- the Stake RS symposium. I think we ended up having about 150 women or so attend. We have been planning this for months. We set up for a few hours Friday night and the place looked incredible. The theme was “Sisters following the son”. And we decorated the whole place with sunflowers and black and beige plaid. It was beautiful!! The cool thing is they let me take it all home -as I would love to use it for my classroom. It was about 5-6 boxes of decorations. I am so excited. We also had all the women particpate in an art presentation. Each sister was to create their own art about what we do as women to follow the Savior. I will attach a picture of mine. The cool thing, is one of the other counselors is posting it on the UofI website trying to help promote women and mothers.
Anyway, it opened with a program that I helped create. It was music interspersed with talks about turning to the son. The opening song was the Stake RS choir, conducted by your truly. It was my first experience conducting a choir, and it was so wonderful. We had about 30 women participate. 4 of whom were Laurels. We did my own arrangement of the 2 “Abide with me” hymns. Then I spoke in the meeting by sharing the story of the currant bush. I will try and remember to post it. Then I sang in a trio to the song “Believe in God”. I really worried about it, but the performance really went well. Then, the closing hymn was also the choir, conducted by me- a special arrangement of “I know that my redeemer lives” I now know why I don’t conduct. I started to cry because I was so touched.
After that meeting, the regional Family services guy came and spoke to us about the Superwoman syndrome. It was a fabulous presentation. I loved how he said we need to realize the word “no” is not a four letter word! Then everyone could attend 3 classes and there was a luncheon as well. Corey came and taught this fabulous class on organization. She had amazing pictures from so many peoples homes with great ideas. She had lots of people attend. I taught a class on Children’s Lit. The sad part was the only people who attended were the Stake RS pres, Corey, and one other lady who forgot to sign up for classes and had no where else to go. Anyway, I did compile what I think is an amazing list of the awesome books that have come out in the last decade. If anyone wants a copy, just let me know
Anyway, overall, it was a great success. I took my camera but forgot to take pictures so you will just have to trust me that it looked amazing.
Even with our busy schedule, we were able to watch Narnia and Chicken Little this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed them both. Hopefully all of you had a joyous weekend!
Happy Easter to everyone!!!!! We had a very rainy Easter, but a wonderful one. What a busy week we have had. I have felt like a slug today, worn out I guess from all the “stuff” going on. Let’s see...
Alayna had a tough time at the doctor this week. I guess the wax in her ear has built like a cement wall by her ear drum, causing a tremendous amount of pain. The doctor tried to get it out and had no luck. They tried an irrigation machine and again no luck. All the while, Alayna is screaming her head off. She kept crying at night complaining of the pain. They decided to send us to an ENT specialist, but they said they couldn’t see us until May. I was in a huge panic. After many prayers and ear wax drops, her pain just...went away. It has been the weirdest thing. We are hoping it has loosened everything up in there.
Bob started his class on Tuesday night. He said he actually enjoyed it. His softball team also started this week. So, he is staying very busy. Marisa is headed to Camp Courageous tomorrow. Her group will be spending all day up at the camp helping handicapped children. She is so excited to be a part of that.
Tyler had a cool week. He had his first basketball game Saturday morning. This game is a bit foreign to him, but I think he had a great time. The second graders had their “People Fair” at the school. Each child chose a person to do research on and then for the fair, they dressed up like that person and had hints on their desk. We, as parents, all got to go through and guess who they were. It was so much fun!!! Tyler was Robert Kennedy. So, he was all decked out in his Sunday clothes. As usual, I am impressed with this school and the amazing job they do with these students.
Well, it was a huge weekend for me- the Stake RS symposium. I think we ended up having about 150 women or so attend. We have been planning this for months. We set up for a few hours Friday night and the place looked incredible. The theme was “Sisters following the son”. And we decorated the whole place with sunflowers and black and beige plaid. It was beautiful!! The cool thing is they let me take it all home -as I would love to use it for my classroom. It was about 5-6 boxes of decorations. I am so excited. We also had all the women particpate in an art presentation. Each sister was to create their own art about what we do as women to follow the Savior. I will attach a picture of mine. The cool thing, is one of the other counselors is posting it on the UofI website trying to help promote women and mothers.
Anyway, it opened with a program that I helped create. It was music interspersed with talks about turning to the son. The opening song was the Stake RS choir, conducted by your truly. It was my first experience conducting a choir, and it was so wonderful. We had about 30 women participate. 4 of whom were Laurels. We did my own arrangement of the 2 “Abide with me” hymns. Then I spoke in the meeting by sharing the story of the currant bush. I will try and remember to post it. Then I sang in a trio to the song “Believe in God”. I really worried about it, but the performance really went well. Then, the closing hymn was also the choir, conducted by me- a special arrangement of “I know that my redeemer lives” I now know why I don’t conduct. I started to cry because I was so touched.
After that meeting, the regional Family services guy came and spoke to us about the Superwoman syndrome. It was a fabulous presentation. I loved how he said we need to realize the word “no” is not a four letter word! Then everyone could attend 3 classes and there was a luncheon as well. Corey came and taught this fabulous class on organization. She had amazing pictures from so many peoples homes with great ideas. She had lots of people attend. I taught a class on Children’s Lit. The sad part was the only people who attended were the Stake RS pres, Corey, and one other lady who forgot to sign up for classes and had no where else to go. Anyway, I did compile what I think is an amazing list of the awesome books that have come out in the last decade. If anyone wants a copy, just let me know
Anyway, overall, it was a great success. I took my camera but forgot to take pictures so you will just have to trust me that it looked amazing.
Even with our busy schedule, we were able to watch Narnia and Chicken Little this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed them both. Hopefully all of you had a joyous weekend!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
April 11, 2006
April 11, 2006
Yesterday was an absolutely perfect weather day. It was 75 and gorgeous!!! So, we skipped all the chores after school and went outside instead to play! Tyler came running in so excited he could hardly stand it. He found a new birds nest under our patio. When I went to check it out it had 4 little blue eggs in it. It was so cool!! Spring is finally on its way and we are so excited! We even rode our bikes around the neighborhood for FHE. We couldn’t get Marisa on, I guess she is still scared. But we will get her “back on the horse” soon enough.
We had a wonderful and busy week last week. The girls had their last volleyball game. They both did a great job and look forward tp playing again next year. I actually think Marisa may try out the school team. Kayla is planning to do gymnastics through the summer, so is Alayna. Tyler also started basketball which he is enjoying. His first game is this Saturday.
The kids had a primary activity on Saturday and they really didn’t like it. It was all about the passover, which could have been cool. However, the primary president actually sat and lectured for 2 hours!!! Hellllloooo- these were primary kids. Then their lunch consisted of what they ate back then: burned crackers, lettuce dipped in salt water, unleavened bread, etc. They were not happy campers when they got home. Good luck to me to try and get them to go to another one!
Tyler’s 2nd grade class musical was Thursday night. It was so cute. It was called “Bugz” and was about all these bugs trying to go to a picnic. Tyler was a horsefly. The songs were so cute and he did a great job! We taped it for you grandparents. It was fun to see how popular Tyler is. As we walked down the hall, all the kids had to make sure and say hi to him.
Bob is starting a class this week he has to take for work. It will be every Tuesday for 12 weeks from 6-9. It will be good for him to get it out of the way. He is also starting on a softball team this week, so he will busy for the next couple of months!
We have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us!! This week Tyler has his “People fair”. Then the huge Stake RS symposium is on Saturday. We have been preparing for this for a long time, so I hope it all runs smoothly. The next week I was asked to do the youth fireside on dating and was just asked this week to speak at Stake Conference. That has me scared spitless- literally. At least I get to talk about a subject I love- Family and strengthening the home. Everyone wish me luck so I don’t embarrass myself. I have visions of me tripping right before I get up to the podium.
Well, I better run. I need to get Alayna to school and run my huge list of errands. Looks like I may have to put in a call to the doctor as well since I don’t think her ear infection cleared. Hope the Messiah performance went well for you all in Logan. We hope everyone has a great week- enjoy the coming of Spring!!
Love,
Kris
Yesterday was an absolutely perfect weather day. It was 75 and gorgeous!!! So, we skipped all the chores after school and went outside instead to play! Tyler came running in so excited he could hardly stand it. He found a new birds nest under our patio. When I went to check it out it had 4 little blue eggs in it. It was so cool!! Spring is finally on its way and we are so excited! We even rode our bikes around the neighborhood for FHE. We couldn’t get Marisa on, I guess she is still scared. But we will get her “back on the horse” soon enough.
We had a wonderful and busy week last week. The girls had their last volleyball game. They both did a great job and look forward tp playing again next year. I actually think Marisa may try out the school team. Kayla is planning to do gymnastics through the summer, so is Alayna. Tyler also started basketball which he is enjoying. His first game is this Saturday.
The kids had a primary activity on Saturday and they really didn’t like it. It was all about the passover, which could have been cool. However, the primary president actually sat and lectured for 2 hours!!! Hellllloooo- these were primary kids. Then their lunch consisted of what they ate back then: burned crackers, lettuce dipped in salt water, unleavened bread, etc. They were not happy campers when they got home. Good luck to me to try and get them to go to another one!
Tyler’s 2nd grade class musical was Thursday night. It was so cute. It was called “Bugz” and was about all these bugs trying to go to a picnic. Tyler was a horsefly. The songs were so cute and he did a great job! We taped it for you grandparents. It was fun to see how popular Tyler is. As we walked down the hall, all the kids had to make sure and say hi to him.
Bob is starting a class this week he has to take for work. It will be every Tuesday for 12 weeks from 6-9. It will be good for him to get it out of the way. He is also starting on a softball team this week, so he will busy for the next couple of months!
We have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us!! This week Tyler has his “People fair”. Then the huge Stake RS symposium is on Saturday. We have been preparing for this for a long time, so I hope it all runs smoothly. The next week I was asked to do the youth fireside on dating and was just asked this week to speak at Stake Conference. That has me scared spitless- literally. At least I get to talk about a subject I love- Family and strengthening the home. Everyone wish me luck so I don’t embarrass myself. I have visions of me tripping right before I get up to the podium.
Well, I better run. I need to get Alayna to school and run my huge list of errands. Looks like I may have to put in a call to the doctor as well since I don’t think her ear infection cleared. Hope the Messiah performance went well for you all in Logan. We hope everyone has a great week- enjoy the coming of Spring!!
Love,
Kris
Sunday, April 02, 2006
April 2, 2006
April 2, 2006
Well, it has been another quiet , productive weekend as Bob was sweet enough to take the kids to Illinois to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I am truly amazed at how much I can accomplish when I am uninterrupted. Yesterday I did my nails,spent 2 hours at Walmart and I have all of my Easter stuff now and did all the household shopping for the month. I cleaned the house, did the dishes, swept the kitchen floor, folded laundry, cleaned the hamster cage, made my art project for the symposium, put together an Easter FHE book, and am almost finished with my scrapbooks. Not bad for a days work huh?
I have a lot planned for today as well. It will be our 2nd choir rehearsal tonight.
Marisa had her cultural fair at school this week. She did a report on France and I made French Crepes for her to share at her booth. They were so popular that they were gone within minutes! We also had a huge goodbye luncheon for my VT companion who just moved out of the ward. Again, the chocolate fountain was a gigantic success! Then Thursday night, I was part of the Enrichment night RS celebration.
Tyler starts basketball this week and he still wants to keep going with tae kwon do as well. Especially since he can test for his next belt next month. We didn’t take him to the last testing because it was a couple hours away. I guess he was one of the only ones who didn’t go, so now he feels behind. This test is also far away, but I promised we would take him. Alayna finally gets to go back to preschool this week. She has been asking every day.
Well, nothing else is really new here. Alayna did have a sinus infection and 2 ear infections this week, but now she is on medication and doing much better. Bob also ended up sick this week, but I think he is feeling better as well. Hopefully all of you are well. We really would like to hear from you. Have a great week!
Well, it has been another quiet , productive weekend as Bob was sweet enough to take the kids to Illinois to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I am truly amazed at how much I can accomplish when I am uninterrupted. Yesterday I did my nails,spent 2 hours at Walmart and I have all of my Easter stuff now and did all the household shopping for the month. I cleaned the house, did the dishes, swept the kitchen floor, folded laundry, cleaned the hamster cage, made my art project for the symposium, put together an Easter FHE book, and am almost finished with my scrapbooks. Not bad for a days work huh?
I have a lot planned for today as well. It will be our 2nd choir rehearsal tonight.
Marisa had her cultural fair at school this week. She did a report on France and I made French Crepes for her to share at her booth. They were so popular that they were gone within minutes! We also had a huge goodbye luncheon for my VT companion who just moved out of the ward. Again, the chocolate fountain was a gigantic success! Then Thursday night, I was part of the Enrichment night RS celebration.
Tyler starts basketball this week and he still wants to keep going with tae kwon do as well. Especially since he can test for his next belt next month. We didn’t take him to the last testing because it was a couple hours away. I guess he was one of the only ones who didn’t go, so now he feels behind. This test is also far away, but I promised we would take him. Alayna finally gets to go back to preschool this week. She has been asking every day.
Well, nothing else is really new here. Alayna did have a sinus infection and 2 ear infections this week, but now she is on medication and doing much better. Bob also ended up sick this week, but I think he is feeling better as well. Hopefully all of you are well. We really would like to hear from you. Have a great week!
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