September

Oh how the month of September has flown by!!!

I have made a new goal to update my blog at least once a week. Usually it isn't a difficult thing, but my computer is hooked up to the tv. I mainly use the house computer that is not hooked up to the tv, but my pictures aren't on that one because once my parents leave then my pictures leave with them and that computer. SO it is difficult to use my computer that is hooked to the tv when I have little kids running around and or I just don't want to be patient with how slow this computer is. :)
Now the month of September was a pretty fun month. We went to the lake twice, and we had visitors. Stephanie and her fiance Jasper came down and visited us for a weekend. It was our first time meeting Jasper, and even though he seemed quiet at first, he started to warm up towards the end and we are so excited for the two of them to be sealed for all time and eternity. We went to Lake Mojave for the first time with them and Nate and Sarah.








A few days later my sis Helene came and visited us for a lot longer than what she was planning :) She was planning on staying the night one night and then leaving the next day, but I told her she could stay longer if she wanted and she took me up on the offer. She stayed about 3 days longer than she planned, but I sure did enjoy spending time with her. She got to spend more time with the girls and she even helped me with my painting project of the front room.


The only down side to that was that she skipped out on visiting with TJ and Dora for a longer time. Sorry we kept her longer than planned TJ and Dora.

The next weekend my Sister Amy and her little family came down for the weekend as well as my parents came home too and Erik. We went to the lake with Amy, Alex, baby Erick, Alex's Dad, Stepmom, Grandma, my Mom and Dad, Erik, Trevor, Kate, and the Togiola's (in our ward). We had fun again.










Amy ended up staying for the rest of the week after her husband and Erik headed back up to Utah for work. She left early Saturday morning. The same Saturday as the Relief Society Broadcast.
This is were I decided that I needed to make a few adjustments and changes in my life. The main thing that I felt inspired to do was to start writing a journal, an actual pen and paper journal. They talked about the history of Relief Society quite a bit in the beginning of the session and I felt that without journal writings from our beginning Relief Society Sisters that we wouldn't know much. Now I don't think that I will become someone of great church history, or even get called to a general authority position, but my thoughts and my struggles may help those of my family in later generations. I like to use this blog for giving updates, but I don't feel that I can always or that I should always put down my personal feeling, thoughts, inspirations, or even struggles all on here. Those are things that people can look at and read once I have died :)

Callings are a Blessing? Part 2

Also!!! I gave the fifth Sunday lesson. It was the first time that we were in Young Womens after being set apart. The lesson was holding to the standards. I did a great object lesson with string representing a flaxen cord and each sin was one more time around the wrist and some one else holding on to the scriptures and trying to get the same size loop onto their hand. Anyways latter on in the lesson we talked about repentance so that we can grab hold of the standards again. First acknowledging and being sorrowful. I cut the string from the spool to represent acknowledge and giving Satan no more power. Next is repentance. I asked who do we repent and ask for forgiveness from? I got the answers Jesus, the Lord. I also asked who else if it is a serious sin? someone said your parents? I said well you can if you want, but its not needed, but who is the father of this ward? they answered the bishop. I then continued to state some of the things that we need help with and what things we should talk to the bishop about, Drugs, Smoking, Alcohol, Sex, Oral Sex, Touching other people where there clothes are or them touching you, and Touching ourselves to please us. I then continued to cut the string from the wrist. It was still hanging there and so I asked what do we need to do since they are still sitting there. They responded to apologize. I thought the lesson was great! I taught by the spirit I had prayed for guidance and I felt I had gotten it. A few days later at a meeting that was held I was approached and asked not to use words like that. There were a few parents who called and said that there daughters weren't even thinking about that or boys and that I didn't need to say those things. I was also counseled to watch what I say since the young women all meet together and not in individual classes so some are to young to hear those things.
I came home frustrated and hurt. Frustrated because 1. we live in Vegas and if your child is in public school you can not tell me that your child does not hear certain things 2. there are 11 year old girls that are getting pregnant, so to say it is not relevant to your daughter you are naive 3. if you have a naive daughter that doesn't know these things she WILL be taken advantage of 4. if you only use words like staying chaste and morally clean they will use the excuse I never knew that was bad I only thought sex was. I was hurt though because if that is all that the girls remember from my lesson than I must have not done as good of a job as I had thought.
Because of this lesson I know have a few parents that will not even look at me. One use to say hi and ask how my Dad was doing and how we were doing and she will not even glance in my direction.
I went and discussed with the bishop the day after I had been counseled not to say certain things and I was reassured that I had not said anything inappropriate or out of line. I think I will go back to the Bishop (who is no longer my father so everyone knows) and ask him to hold a meeting of sorts or to hold a counsel with these parents or all the parents so that they may come to terms that I am not a bad person and that I don't just talk about sex.
It saddens me that so many people are afraid or embarrassed to discuss these things with their children. Yes there is a time a place for all things. But if I was getting puberty classes in 4th and 5th grade and being shown a picture of a penis than I think that a 12 yr old girl should also be talked to about sex and things that are accompanied with it. I am not saying be blunt and tell them everything, but be open to discuss it because if they are in public school chances are they have already heard things and who better to know the sacredness of these things than a parent.

Callings are a blessing? Part 1

Before you read this I want everyone to know that this is a frustration post and that I am venting. I truly am grateful for my calling and for the ladies that I work with. I love them and know that we as a Leadership want only the best for the girls in our Ward.
Now, I have been recently called into the Young Women's as a secretary. I was excited and glad to accept this calling. We had only been in the ward for 7 weeks or so and I was ready to be put to work. I was definitely glad that I wasn't called to Primary. I love kids, but I don't want to deal with others kids right now. Have you ever heard the saying "Sunday is a day of rest, UNLESS you have a calling in Primary." So, I knew coming into this calling that I would be learning, but I was not wanting to have to learn patience again! I swear I get this virtue down and then next thing you know I am right back learning it again. (but if I want to be as God then I guess I will learn patience a lot here on Earth)
I can say that I do love my presidency and that I want to do what I am suppose to do so I can support them and help them make their callings easier, but I am having difficulties with that. It's like trying to get along with that one sibling that just erks you. For me that is my brother Trevor and brother in law Alex. I love them to death, but we just don't see eye to eye on things and I have to learn how to approach things with them.
To start off with I have never been a secretary. I like to think I have good organizational skills, but I know that it takes more than organizational skills to be a secretary. Next I don't have a binder. The "Binder" is suppose to have all the role sheets, all the previous notes, all the young womens personal progress charts, all the girls phone numbers, all the girls birthdays, the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, the manual, and what I think is the most important a guideline as to the responsibilities of a secretary. I have no idea what I am suppose to be doing! I have gotten the roles and list of girls numbers and addresses, but that is it. I am trying to do the best note taking I can, and to follow up with the president, but it seems that she doesn't need me to even do that. Hopefully we are still just learning our rolls and that hopefully she and others will learn that they can rely on me.
Mainly I think my frustration is just stemming from the fact that I don't know what I am suppose to do! Do I give ideas or do I just sit and take notes, do I go to the activities or not, I am not assigned to a class so what do I do for that, am I suppose to be everyone's slave and make copies of class presidencies for each class along with personalized list of numbers for each class? I don't know where I fit in. I am the youngest of the leaders and am feel somewhat of an out cast. I am trying to find the balance were the girls accept me and yet the leaders accept me too. I think I am at a horrible stage in life right now when it comes to the number game and being in a family ward.

dance

Thank you Lion King! I got a good laugh. Emjae and her fast and slow dancing and Julie with her Irish jig dance.
And in case you didn't get a close look at Julie's feet the second one shows it much better.

Do you remember when......?

Do you remember when you would get in the dryer? :) Emjae decided to get in the dryer by herself without us knowing, and well I started hearing yelling for Mom. I went to go check on her and she was inside the dryer. Now all she needs is pillows and blankets inside with her and an older sister so they can turn each other around :) Good memories from my child hood.
And for any of you that say I am a horrible parent or that this is such a safety hazard. I know, but please relax. If you stop your children from every safety hazard there is then your child will never have any fun and be stuck at home doing nothing!

Princess Peach

After church Emjae got on her now favorite bike, which is actually Uncle Trevors and Aunt Kates soon to be little girls bike. Any ways the boys thought that there were some similarities between Emjae and Princess Peach. What do you think?

Barefoot Park Day

My Mom had been working for the Census and so she would be gone pretty much all day. Which would leave me home and completely car-less, which is going to be normal pretty soon. However she has since finished working for them and last week she decided to take the girls to a park. It hadn't gotten too hot just yet, so we all got dressed and went to the park.
Emjae's favorite thing at the park is the swings. You would never guess that from her expression when she is on it :) but if you try to get her off, she will NOT have it! She loves swinging.

Julie however wants to do a little of both, swing and playground.

It was however starting to get a little hot in the sun so we went over to where the trees where. There was a slight breeze and it wasn't one of those heat breezes but a slight coolness to it when in the shade.
Now that we live in a house and an area where grass is pretty much nonexistent we had to have barefoot moment :)

I even got Emjae to wink by telling her to smile.

That's the only way she knows how to smile :)
Julie even did her mean/smile/kiss face :)

My girls love spending time with their Oma. Emjae for some reason has gotten into this stage where if she is outside and hears an airplane, she almost freaks out! She curls up and tries to hide.

She used to not do it, and just one day she freaked out about it. She can see them and point them out and be fine, but if she hears the noise they make she freaks out.
Julie of course loves Monkeys in the Tree, and even loves it more when it's with Oma.



We sure all do love Oma and I have decided when she leaves to go to Carson that there will be a lot more crying.