Brooklyn's Crawling!

Now I have to apologize for not getting this post up sooner. Brooklyn started army crawling back around August 15th and then around September 1st she suddenly just started crawling on her hands and knees. Then about a week and a half ago she started to pull herself up. It has been a lot of fun watching her make the progression. she is getting very interested in the world around her. Just last night she discovered that our cabinets in the kitchen have no doors so she took out a package of spaghetti and got it all over the floor. Today she was going for the sauces in the same cupboard but Paul was able to divert her before she got to them. I have video of her crawling and I will hopefully get up here tomorrow!!

Remembering 9/11

I had wanted to do this on Thursday but I was not near a computer. I had to get on and give my tribute to the people that perished on this tragic day. I remember that after the first plane hit I had just gotten home from a young adult committee meeting and my sister and i turned the news on in time to watch the second plane crash. Just shortly after I went to work at the daycare I was at in Friendswood TX. I was 19 years old. We had the radio on quietly to keep up with what was happening. The kids that day who were all around three years old wanted to be policemen and firemen and be heroes like what they saw on TV that morning. It was very heartwarming but sad at the same time. I loved the patriotism that was everywhere around this time. It was amazing to see how everyone pulled together and were kind. I think too often that people forgot this spirit all too quickly and I am glad that we as country at least remember it and honor it each year with Patriot day! My thoughts and prayers will always be with the family members that were affected on this tragic day in history.

A house of order

Early in this dispensation, the Lord instructed his people to “organize yourselves; … establish a house, even … a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119). Order is characteristic of the Lord’s work. “Mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion” (D&C 132:8).

Well this weekend I have been buoyed up with peace and strength as it has been our Stake Conference so on Friday I attended the temple which brought much peace to my heart about where i am at in life and about my family's situation in Texas. During our chapel meeting our president spoke about if you want more peace in your life that you should attend the Temple more and I am here to say that it is very true just being in the Temple brings much peace to your heart. Before we got to the Temple on Friday I was very worried and stressed out about my family in Texas the instant we got in the temple I started to be filled with peace and the love in my heart just radiated out from me as I sat and listened to our Stake president speak to us. Once in the session I was just ready to be enveloped by the spirit and I was. The gospel is amazing and I am truly grateful for the blessings of the temple. I am especially grateful and humbled to know that as I strive to stay on the path of righteousness that I can one day be with my family for all of eternity. I was also lifted up because I have an older sister who is not sealed to us and one of the talks in our chapel meeting was about a mother who was worried about that her daughter was going to leave the church because she was in love with a non member so she went to to the temple to get some guidance on it. The thought kept coming to her to tell her daughter how sad she was that she would be sad when she was not there to be sealed to her father and mother. The mother kept dismissing it because her husband was not a member. She left the temple feeling like she had not really received an answer well the next day she was talking to her daughter and she heard herself saying the thought that had come to her in the temple well the next few days her daughter broke it off with the guy and then a little time later her husband did take the discussions and joined the church and the family was sealed together. This story really struck with me because I am sealed to my parents and so is my twin but my older sister is not so that gave me hope that if we continue to pray for it and do what we are suppose to do that one day we can have her be sealed to us. The other talk that resonated with me was from today. Our stake conference was broadcast from the conference center. The talk y was President Monson's about establishing your house to be a house of order, a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of glory, a house of faith, a house of learning,and a house of God. He broke down each one and gave some ideas of how to establish them in your own home. The thought that came out alot in all of them was to be constant in all of your doings and to really look to the Holy Ghost for guidance as well as the scriptures. He started and ended by reminding us that the gospel is a a gospel of love. I am always grateful to listen to our prophet and am always uplifted by him. He truly is our prophet and is led by God. I am excited to hear from him again in October for general conference. I love this church and I would like to share my testimony that I know it is true I know that we have a prophet in these latter days. I know that the Lord never forgets us and is always there for us it is up to us to look towards him. I also know that the scriptures are true and that as well look towards them and ponder them that we will be blessed and that we will grow in our knowledge of the gospel. I love my Heavenly Father and my family and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Hurricane Ike

As most of you know my family is from Texas they live in a city called Pearland that is in between Galveston and Houston. So this past week on Friday they evacuated their homes and went to San Marcos which is near San Antonio. They are staying with my brother in laws brother who has been gracious enough to open his home to my sister, my brother in law my nephew and my mother. My father is on a business trip in Indiana and as of today he has been evacuated from his hotel as there is flooding from Ike all the way up there. My mother has had a very hard time with not having my dad there as well as when they got to San Marcos they realized that they had left my mothers clothes back at her house so yesterday she went to a few stores to get herself enough clothes to get through the next few days! My dogs are doing okay they have to put food in their hands to get my one dog Queenie to eat and their other dog Mac had not eaten at since they left. My mom's work as far as she knows only received some wind damage it is the VA hospital downtown. My twin's work however is under water as she worked at the photo studio in Kemah Texas. After talking to my family on the phone I just needed to get on and say how grateful I am to my heavenly Father for my family being safe. I know that whatever they face when they get back tot heir homes that it will be okay because they are all alive and fine and have one another. As Paul pointed out to my mom you can't replace people but you can replace things. For any of you who joined in praying for my family I thank you and I will keep you updated. if any are interested in seeing pictures/video of the damage here is a link www.khou.com. From the main page you can see video and damage assessment reports.

The Temple Granite Quarry

For one of our family home evenings in August Paul and I took the girls up to the stone quarry in Cottonwood canyon. It was my first time ever being there it was really nice. It was beautiful weather outside and it was really cool to be up there and to see where they carved out the stone for the Salt Lake City Temple. Lily had a blast going down through the trail and stopping to look at the different plaques. I would highly recommend doing this for a family activity or home evening. It is one of my favorite ones that we have done!

Pictures from my dad's visit

Yeah here are some of the pictures from my dad's visit!!

Pictures!

Now I do have pictures to go with these different posts that just went up but I am using library internet since My in-laws internet is down so hopefully soon I will get to put up sojme pictures so one can visually see the posts I am talking about!! So they will come soon!!!