Temples

As a family we try to visit temples everywhere we go. We stop at the temples and walk around, and feel of the beauty and peace there. Just this past October my family went to General Conference. On the way we stopped by the Manti temple. It was a cloudy day, and I happened to capture this image. It's beautiful! Our kids know that the temple is important and have felt of it's beauty and love.

This is the Orlando Florida temple.

Los Angeles Temple

Seattle Temple

San Diego Temple

Salt Lake Temple

Intimacy in Marriage

"Sexuality is a beautiful power given to mankind from God. President Kimball has observed: “The Bible celebrates sex and its proper use, presenting it as God-created, God-ordained, God-blessed. It makes plain that God himself implanted the physical magnetism between the sexes for two reasons: for the propagation of the human race, and for the expression of that kind of love between man and wife that makes for true oneness. His commandment to the first man and woman to be ‘one flesh’ was as important as his command to ‘be fruitful and multiply.’” (Quoting Billy Graham, Ensign, May 1974, p. 7.)

"To be able to know each other physically, couples need to talk together about the physical dimensions of their relationship. Partners who feel free to discuss finances, discipline, recreational activities, and so forth, often feel uncomfortable discussing this intimate subject. And they sometimes assume that their intimate relationship should just “naturally” work out and that to discuss it means something has gone wrong. This is simply not true. While these intimacies, because of their sacred nature, should not be discussed with friends or other relatives, it is totally appropriate to discuss them with a marriage partner." Brent A Barlow

"One great problem in this, as in all other aspects of marriage, is selfishness. I doubt that there is any human relationship better than marriage to teach us the need for Christlike love—that unqualified and unconditional love that persuades us to think more of another than we think of ourselves. Yet few of us, even those of us in a seemingly good marriage, have learned to do this as well as we could or should. It’s not always easy to put all other considerations aside and look to our companion to see what his or her needs are and then do our best to fulfill them. One young wife said that the problem isn’t necessarily that husbands and wives don’t know how to love each other, but that “people don’t know how to love people.” We tend to do for others what would make us happy if someone would do the same for us. And afterward we wonder why the other person isn’t happy. One great key to success in marriage is to find out what would make our spouse happy and then to find joy in providing that happiness."  Brent A Barlow

A husband needs to spend time with his wife. The two need to have time together to share ideas, to grow and learn together, and to experience joy together. A wife is not going to be too excited about a husband who spends all his time at work, at church meetings, in hobbies that exclude her, or in front of the television or newspaper. A husband who always spends time in ways that exclude his wife communicates to her that she is not very important. Yet his wife should be the most important person in his life.

President Spencer W. Kimball, referring to Doctrine and Covenants 42:22 [D&C 42:22] (“Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else”), said that “the words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse.” (Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, p. 250.)  Brent A Barlow

Prayer in families

Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”

Three Goals to Guide You- Thomas S. Monson

Defending Human Life

LDS Family Services and Defending the Sanctity of Human Life

“We affirm the sanctity of life and its importance in God’s eternal plan... Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”

The First Presidency of the Church said, “Adoption is an unselfish, loving decision that blesses the child, birth parents, and adoptive parents in this life and throughout the eternities. We commend all those who strengthen children and families by promoting adoption”. With the family being the central unit in God’s plan, it makes sense that the Church would provide a way to create and sustain even more righteous families. The Church is there to support all its members, even when they make mistakes and find themselves in difficult situations.

Joseph F. Smith said, “Every soul is precious in the sight of God…the Lord has placed the responsibility upon all parents in the Church to teach their children in light and truth. He has placed the obligation upon all parents that they must teach the first principles of the Gospel to their children, teach them to pray, and see that they are baptized when they are eight years of age. Parents cannot shirk or neglect this great responsibility without incurring the displeasure of a righteous God. He has not relinquished his claim upon his children when they are born into this world and therefore commands parents to teach their offspring so that they may be brought up in the truth of the everlasting Gospel. For parents to fail to do this places them in condemnation and the sin of such neglect will have to be answered with punishment on their own heads. This is the law unto Zion and all of her stakes”.

“When a life is created by sinful behavior, the best way to begin personal repentance is to preserve the life of that child” (Russell M. Nelson).

A statement given by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1997 declared, “We deplore the practice of partial-birth abortion which destroys innocent life, and we condemn and oppose it as one of the most revolting and sinful practices of our day. It is abhorrent to God and is fundamentally contrary to his injunction, ‘Thou shalt not kill…nor do anything like unto it (D&C 59:6)”.

Sanctity of Human Life

Sanctity of Human Life

“In view of the widespread public interest in the issue of abortion, we reaffirm that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has consistently opposed elective abortion.  More than a century ago, the First presidency of the Church warned against this evil.  We have repeatedly counseled people everywhere to turn from the devastating practice of abortion for personal or social convenience” (First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1991, March). Church issues statement on abortion. Ensign, 21,78.)

We believe that abortion should never be used as a form of birth control. That even advising abortion as a method of birth control is a serious sin. The only times we have been counseled that abortion may be an option is when the mother’s life is in danger and a professional doctor confirms it, or when a woman has been raped or involved in incest, or when a doctor says the child will be born with defects that will not allow it to live much beyond birth. The church’s position isn’t that you SHOULD have abortions under those circumstances, but that those circumstances are the only ones where a potential mother can justify an abortion and not sin against God’s laws. Even then, abortion should only be chosen after careful consideration and prayer. No matter when you believe the spirit enters the body, the growing baby inside a woman is a growing person and must be treated as any other person should!” (Josh.Mormon.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. July 2013. http://mormon.org/searchresults#?query=abortion&filter=site.)

Isn't it about Time?

I love these videos! Take time for your family!

Remember the post about being a parent with courage? Check out this video.

“In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e.”—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most”

Family- isn't it about- Time?

Some of my favorite short videos I have ever seen are the LDS church "Isn't it about- Time?"

They are so cute and clever and make a strong point in each one. It shows the value of family time.

I'm going to post a few. :)

Parenting

Parenting Tips :)

"Joint activities strengthen relationships by promoting interaction, communication, and cooperation."

"Shared activities can be rewarding and valuable in building a healthy marriage."

"Parents interested in helping their children become flexible and curious should spend quality playtime with them and model good sportsmanship, kindness, and fair play. Time spent playing with children also helps them become more secure and independent."


All from the Ensign

Family Traditions

Every year my family gets together at my house and we decorate chocolate houses. It is so much fun and has become a tradition.

One year,  I made a smiley face pancake for one of the kids birthdays. Then my other child wanted one for her birthday. It kept on going and now for every birthday we do smiley face pancakes! I love traditions.

Sister Cheryl C Lant said, 'I love this because we know that traditions are formed over time as we repeat the same actions over and over again. As we are steady and unchanging in doing that which is good, our traditions become firmly rooted in righteousness."

Family Recreation

We try to do lots of fun things as a family and make many memories. Here are a few pictures of some fun things we have done.

My Siblings

My amazing parents started all this!

My youngest sister was able to go to the temple, that completed us all in there! It was a special day.

Me and my brother!

My sister and brother and I

My little sis and I

For the first time ever, me and 4 of my siblings flew on an air plane together! We went to grandpa's funeral in Oregon.

Fun times! Siblings are fun!

On the airplane.

All of us at the Saint George temple. 

I"m going there someday

I want my children to be married in the temple someday!  Since they were born, I have sung the song "I love to see the temple" to them almost every night.  I just love the peace that comes from the song. It's such a wonderful goal to strive for. I have seen the blessings in my life from my temple marriage. I can't imagine doing it any other way.

This is my honey and me on our wedding day. I was 18 and he was 21. It's been 15 years! We are so blessed.

Courageous Parenting

"What the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and fathers who are not afraid to speak up and take a stand."

I LOVE this quote! Parents these days are too afraid of upsetting their children, or that they will have a big fit. Parents need to be courageous!  I love this story:

"Imagine for a moment that your daughter was sitting on the railroad tracks and you heard the train whistle blowing. Would you warn her to get off the tracks? Or would you hesitate, worried that she might think you were being overprotective? If she ignored your warning, would you quickly move her to a safe place? Of course you would! Your love for your daughter would override all other considerations. You would value her life more than her temporary goodwill."

Of course we would move our child from the train tracks! But what about our spiritual dangers? If your child is going to a party where you know there will be drinking, are you going to let them go? They are putting themselves in serious spiritual danger! You should pull them out of the situation and protect them, just as you would protect them from the train.

"It is vital that parents have the courage to speak up and intervene before Satan succeeds. President Boyd K. Packer has taught that “when morality is involved, we have both the right and the obligation to raise a warning voice.” 

My husband and I have talked about the concern of our kids spending the night at friends' houses. I know that kids are mischevious when they are away from parents. 

Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy, gave a talk in October of 2010 that answered our question of this. He said: 

"May I express my personal warning about a practice that is common in many cultures. I am referring to sleepovers, or spending the night at the home of a friend. As a bishop I discovered that too many youth violated theWord of Wisdom or the law of chastity for the first time as part of a sleepover. Too often their first exposure to pornography and even their first encounter with the police occurred when they were spending the night away from home.

Peer pressure becomes more powerful when our children are away from our influence and when their defenses are weakened late at night. If you have ever felt uneasy about an overnight activity, don’t be afraid to respond to that warning voice inside. Always be prayerful when it comes to protecting your precious children."

I am so thankful for prophets and apostles that help guide us as we teach our children!

Now, don't get me wrong. If someone decides to let their kids have sleepovers, I have no jdugement against them. I just do what I think is best for my children. 

Here are a few resources of sleepover views.

http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2015/05/avoids-sleepovers
http://evermindministries.com/2014/06/30/sleepovers-helpful-or-hurtful/

Equal Partnership in Marriage

In the plan of happiness, man and woman play equally powerful and equally important roles.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims the doctrine of equal partnership between men and women, here and in the eternities. In this context, it is important to understand what Latter-day Saints mean by the term equal partnership. Equality is all too often mistaken to mean that if two things are equal, they must be identical to each other.

But the truth is otherwise. Even though we aspire to be of “one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18), that does not mean that spouses will be or should be identical. For example, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” teaches that gender is “an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”¹

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

I feel like equality in a marriage is very important. I think though that some people's idea of what equality is can be very different than others. As mentioned above, equality does not mean identical. The Proclamation tells us of the important roles of both men and women. We both have such important roles, and they are different. 

My husband and my role are as the Proclamation states. I take such value in being a mother and a nurturer. My husband is a great patriarch and provider for our family. My husband is also great at helping at home when he can. He does most of the laundry in the house! He helps with things as he can. I also work part time, and help to provide a little extra. We work together and strengthen each other. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

Family Work

Working

Both my husband and I come from hard working families! My dad grew up on a farm, and took good care of it. He taught me and my siblings our entire life to be hard workers. He worked along side of us, and showed us how.

I know I always need help in getting my children to work. Here are some tips from the Ensign Magazine, Delegating Work and Responsibility to Children.  From the article:

One of the supreme challenges we face as parents is training children to become responsible and able to take care of themselves and their environment. In order to do this, we need to know:

• What we can and ought to expect of our children.
• The importance of our attitude and method when assigning responsibility to our children.
• What might be done when our children don’t respond according to our expectations.
  
  
  You can Read the full article HERE

Below are some pictures of my husband working with the kids. I know that working along side with your kids is so important. The kids are more willing to work when you are working with them. It helps to build relationships and the kids can more appreciate the value of work.

Here are a few pictures of my husband working with the kids! 

Building a Successful Marriage

Couples tell how applying gospel principles has helped them strengthen and improve their marriages.

Build on a temple marriage. My husband, John, substitute taught in high school. One day in school the subject of marriage came up, and the students said at his age he should be divorced, married to his second wife, and preparing to leave for a third. They spoke of his depriving his children of learning to live with stepsiblings and insisted that he was leaving them unprepared for their own divorces!

John replied that marriage can last even in today’s world and explained to the students that neither our parents nor grandparents had ever divorced. They had set a good example for him, he said, and we planned to set the same example for our children.

Later, we talked about what kept us together. Foremost, we married in the temple, and we try to go back to the temple regularly, at least once a year participating in sealing ordinances just to remember the covenants we made at the altar. Also, we discussed that there are no “escape clauses” in our marriage. We work through our problems together instead of running away, and we include the Lord in our decisions.

There are little things we do to remind ourselves of the promises we have made in the temple. We don’t find fault with each other: plenty of others in society do that for us. And we let little things go. A hundred years from now, who will care that the dishes weren’t done every evening? Best of all, we always look forward to coming home to each other. Our goal as a couple is to reach our heavenly home so we can always come home to each other.—Maria and John Bates, Sandy, Utah

Study the scriptures. One spring day I came home in a cheerful mood, only to be met by my tearful wife. I quickly asked her what had happened. She replied that my father had called. This alarmed me because my father had disowned me some years earlier as a result of my activity in the Church. Feelings of anger stirred in my heart that he would call and upset my wife to the point of tears.

My wife informed me that my father had tried to convince her of my inadequacies as a husband. Now I wanted to call my father to retaliate. However, I decided to wait and calm down first. For the next two days I remained angry and bitter. At the end of the second day, my wife and I knelt to pray. Since I did not feel in the right frame of mind to pray, I asked her if she would offer the prayer.

She took my arm and said, “Before we pray, I want you to read a scripture.” She turned to 3 Nephi and read: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you” (3 Ne. 12:44).

My heart began to pound. I felt suddenly as if the Savior were speaking directly to me because his words penetrated the deepest portion of my heart. Then I began to cry and felt my angry heart soften.

When I looked at my wife, she said something I will never forget: “Do you know why I gave you that scripture? I just want you to be the best person you can be.”

I was overwhelmed. My sweet wife had opened a scriptural door that let the light of gospel principles shine through to my heart, and I was able to forgive my father. I came to appreciate my good wife even more. The gospel has given us a solid foundation in our marriage as we continue to help each other be the best we can be.—Name withheld, Las Vegas, Nevada

Seek spiritual gifts. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been a great instrument in our marriage in many ways. I went to Heavenly Father in prayer for help to resolve problems my husband and I were facing. I was led to visit with my bishop, who through the power of the priesthood bestowed upon me the gift of communicating clearly with my husband. This blessing has been of great value in our marriage.

We also each prayed that the Lord would soften our own heart as well as our spouse’s heart and that we would each be shown the error of our ways when it is necessary. Only the Lord’s Spirit can change our hearts and open our understanding beyond that which we currently comprehend.—Name withheld, Los Lunas, New Mexico

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE!

Infertility

One of the hardest things I have had to experience in my life was that of infertility. After trying to have a baby for almost 4 years, the thought of never being a mom was gut wrenching. That was my purpose in life! I wanted to be a mom!   Well it was a struggle, and took a lot of faith to trust in the Lord and his plan. After 4 years, I was finally able to conceive, and was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Two and a half years later came our little angel, a little girl. They were our miracles, and have blessed our lives so much.

Even though that particular struggle ended, the emotional side of it can still feel so raw. I can feel the pain and hurt of someone going through what I did. On Mother's days, I can always see into the eyes of a suffering woman, even behind the smile. It's not a feeling that I think I will ever forget.

I wanted to share an article from the Ensign Magazine. It is entitled Faith and Infertility. It shares stories from 4 couples that have struggled.

You can find the article HERE






A portion of one lady's experience: 

“I felt lost for a long time. I felt I had no purpose. That’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it, to get married and have a family? I still knew I was a daughter of God, but I hated that I couldn’t be a co-creator with Him. I felt broken, like I wasn’t a real woman.”

Brenda tried “swimming through” her grief for several months and even years. At one point, it became so severe that she felt prompted to seek professional counseling.

“I realized the grief was inhibiting my progression,” she says. She asked Heavenly Father to guide her in a search for the right counselor and began meeting with one who was able to offer the help Brenda needed.

“As I went to my appointments and continued to do my homework [usually assigned reading], my heart was being prepared for healing,” Brenda recalls. “Many of my fears and pains started to subside, and a new person was emerging.”

 If you are struggling with infertility, remember to trust in the Lord and in His plan and in His timing. He does have a plan for us, and sometimes (usually) we have to struggle before it is revealed to us. Hope is always there!

Fathers

 Fathers are so special, in a very special way!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyson and daddy on baptism day! His daddy baptized him. What a special day!

4 Generation Picture

Lilia holding on to daddy for safety at the doc in Big Bear

Kids on a big rock with daddy in Big Bear!

Daddy dancing with Lilia in the yard!

Daddy and Lil swinging

Daddy don't go to work!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Lilia holding hands with her daddy as we walked around the Redlands temple.

Lilia and Dad

Tyson and Dad