Dressed for the weather?

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  It was in the mid 60's with a pretty good breeze.  We spent a good part of the day outside.  When the older kids got home and they were all outside playing, I started looking at them all and then I had to take a picture.  It was so funny!  Were we all dressed for the same weather and playing in the same yard?  Maddi had on a hooded sweatshirt with long pants.  Makenna had on a furry sweater with capris and flip flops.  Zane and Dillon had on long pants and t-shirts and garden gloves (with flowers).  Zeke had on his muscle shirt, shorts and boots and Olivia had on a swimsuit (that's my girl!).  I made them all line up so I could take a picture.  It made me giggle just a little:)

Airplanes

Mommy, I know why they are called airplanes.  Because they have air in them and they are planes.

Early Morning Conversations

Olivia:  I'm hungry.  We hvae chips?
Me:  No you can't have chips.
Olivia:  We have cheeseballs?
Me:  No, no cheeseballs.
Olivia:  We have chocolate?
Me:  No chocolate.
Olivia:  Why not?  I hungry!
Me:  Then you need to eat breakfast.
Olivia:  I not want breakfast.  I have lunch yet?
Me:  No.
Olivia:  How come?
Me:  Because it's breakfast time.
Olivia:  But I can't reach it.
Me:  Reach what?
Olivia:  The butter!
Me: What?  Why do you need to reach the butter?  We don't have butter for breakfast!
Olivia:  I want butter for breakfast!
Zeke:  What a silly thing she said!

I love mornings!

Forgiveness

Why can it be so hard sometimes to forgive someone?  We all do things in life that hurt someone else. When we do, we all want to be forgiven right?  Most of the time forgiveness comes easily. But there are times that the feelings linger and that we just can't seem to let go of what happened.  The Savior, of course, gave the perfect example of forgiveness.  While yet suffering on the cross he spoke to His Father in Heaven and said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  If He can forgive while they were still in the act of tormenting and crucifying Him, why can I sometimes not forgive a small wrong doing?  How can I ask the Lord for forgiveness when I can not forgive others?  The scriptures say, "Lord forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."  To forgive requires humility.  When I am too stubborn to forgive I usually am filled with pride and become judgemental and harsh.  It's not a feeling I like to have, yet it is a feeling that I bring on myself.  I like to blame it on those who have hurt me but I am the only one that can control my feelings and I am the only one that can allow the actions of others to turn my heart.  Their actions may have hurt me in the beginning, but it then becomes my actions that cause continued hurt.  Our hearts need to be filled with love, forgiveness, faith and a willingness to obey in order to keep us on the path that leads back to our Father in Heaven.  In a talk from Thomas S. Monson he quoted poet George Herbert saying, "He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven, for everyone has need of forgivness."  We all do things for which we need forgiveness and we cannot be forgiven if we do not ourselves forgive.  Yet, with all the knowlegde that we have, it still can be hard, at times, to forgive.  What then, will hep us along that path to forgiving others when it seems too hard?  Well, I don't know all the answers because it is something that I am struggling with at this moment, but I do know a few things. 

The first is prayer.  The scriptures say, "Let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto God continually."  Prayer is so important in the heart changing process of forgiveness. Turning our hearts and souls over to the Savior and our Father in Heaven allows the spirit to come and soften us.  It allows the One who has suffered all to blanket us in His love and help us to know that He has felt our pain and our hurt.  I, personally, do not want to be one of the ones driving the nails deeper into His hands.  I don't want to be one of His drops of blood, yet when I am so unable to forgive that's what I become.  So prayer, for me, is the most important thing I can do to forgive others.

Another thing is to read the scriptures.  In John the Savior taught, "search the scriptures; for...they are they which testify of me."   The Lord can speak to us through the words of the scriptures.  Here we can learn our purpose in life.  We can learn faith, repentance, hope, love, forgiveness and so much more.  All that we need is here for us.  We can learn from the teachings and our hearts can be softened, and we can find the ability to forgive.

The last thing that helps me is to do service.  Sometimes I do service for the people who I cannot seem to forgive, sometimes it is for someone else.  No matter who though, it always helps me feel better.  The Savior set the perfect example of service.  He spent His life serving and He gave His life serving.  Service will bring us closer to Him and thus help our hearts be filled with love towards those around us.  When we try to act like Jesus, His spirit will help us along our way.

Why am I going off on this?  Well, because I need it.  My spirit needs to be softened.  My heart needs to be filled.  Forgiveness can be such a cleansing process.  When we extend our forgiveness, it's like we reach this freedom that's almost indescribable.  It is liberating and exhilarating.  Being unforgiving is such a heavy, burdensome feeling.  It weighs you down and sucks up all your energies.  To finally let that go is amazing.  I need to let it go.  I need to suck up my pride and be free.  Will it be hard for me?  Yes.  Despite my knowledge, it will still be hard.  But I know the path I need to go and I have started down it.  I know to whom I can turn for guidance and reassurance.  He will lengthen my stride and help me along, if I will but continue on the path.  He gives us strength when we are weak, He lifts us up when we are down, He lightens our load when it's too heavy to carry.  All I have to do is ask. 

How Many Times Do I Have to Say No?

Ha!  You think Im talking about my children, huh?  No I'm talking about Michael's old boss.   She called a few days ago with another job offer. The second time since October.  We've already worked for her twice.  It didn't work those two times, but now she's back again.  It's the same story with a different twist.  No one can replace you.  We need you.  Nothing is the same without you.  How would you like to live in Kentucky?  We're buying a place there.  We have new plans and a new goal.  WHATEVER!!  How about an I'm sorry we screwed you over.  Here's the $10,000 we took from you that you worked so hard to earn.  Here's the money from the raise we promised you and never gave you. Thank you for all you do for us.  Thank you for your hard work.  I was wrong you were right.  Where's that?  Ha!  Needless to say, we didn't take the job.  As I've stated before, we loved the farm setting.  We love the community of Hendricks.  We love Lincoln HI Elementary.  We love our friends there.  But we can't go back, at least not with her.  It always makes me stop and want to look though.  Even though I know it would never work.  There is so much I love there that I have to think about it for a day or two before we turn our backs on the offer.  So, how may times do I have to tell you no?  We're up to four times now!  We'll see if it goes any higher!

Easter Bunny Story

Easter is almost here so we have started our rouds of telling the Easter Bunny story and making our Easter Bunny car treats.  We did it yesterday for playgroup and I wil start going to the school next week and doing it in the classrooms for my kids.  It is another fun tradition that we have started that the kids look forward to every year and eve though they already know the story, they still get excited to hear it.  I, of course, love being able to do it with them.  I will be sad when they outgrow all of these things that we do.  Anyways, I am going to post the story and our pictures from yesterday.

On a calm, quiet night in the early spring, the Easter Bunny comes with treats to bring.
He goes to each house and leaves goodies galore and if you’ve been good, he leaves a few more!
How does one little Bunny hop so far in one night? How does one little Bunny accomplish this plight?
Can he hop that far without even stopping? Does he hop and hop and then keep on hopping?
I’ll tell you a secret that you must never repeat. I’ll tell you how the Easter Bunny brings you treats.
You know Santa has reindeer that fly through the air and the tooth fairy has wings that take her here and there.

Well, the Easter Bunny has something too. The Easter Bunny has something new.

It’s small and it’s fast and it looks pretty cool. He can take it to work he can take it to school.

But most important it can take him and his basket of eggs to your house without any sore muscles or legs!

Can you guess what this is that can take him so far? You bet! The Easter Bunny has a new car!
It’s not like the ones that you and I see. It’s got to be extra special for the Easter Bunny.
Instead of metal and rubber and all that stuff it’s made of chocolate and candy and marshmallow fluff.
The wheels are round candies that are so sweet to eat. If one falls off, you just add a new treat.
The seat that he sits on is not a bore. It’s soft and it’s chocolate. Do you want to hear more?

The headlights are chocolates of all different hues, some pink, some green, and some light blue.

The steering wheel is also good to the tasting. It looks like a lifesaver with a horn of white frosting.

It’s all so delicious and seems too good to be true, but the Easter Bunny told me. I believe him. Do you?

For the treat get a Little Debbie snack roll.  That is the cars body.  Using vanilla frosting attach four mini vanilla wafers for wheels, two M&Ms for headlights, a life saver for the steering wheel and a marshmallow bunny peep on top for the bunny.  Kids love it!

Dressed for all Occasions

Olivia is always prepared for whatever lies ahead.  The other day she was getting ready to go outside to play.  She had on her stripey dress (as she calls it), her mud boots and her winter hat with the ear flaps (backwards).  No matter what weather South Dakota was going to throw at her that day, she was ready and she looked good!

She also loves to dress up.  She comes  up with all sorts of good outfits.  This one I really liked. Her pioneer dress, Makenna's old red glasses (upside down) and her blue flowered bucket hat.

Catch Up

It has been a while since I last wrote.  We have been busy, mostly enjoying the warmer weather.  Zeke, Olivia and I have gone to the zoo a few times and everyone has spet quite a bit of time outside.  It has been great!  Our most exciting event was the leprechauns coming on St. Parick's Day.  The kids get so excited about it every year.  This year the treasure hunt ended up in the barn.  The kids almost didn' find their bags of gold because the barn leprechaun hid them a little too well.  Their bags were filled with gold colored treats, gold note pad and some markers.  Dilln wasvey upset that the gold was not actual money.  The leprechaun will have to reword thier clues next year!  Anyways, it was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that we get to do it every year.

Princess Lollipop and Princess Hoppy Hop

Olivia loves to sing the song "I love you, a bushel and a peck" only she sings it "I love you a bushy and a peck."  She knows the while song and she sings it all the time.  It is just so cute that I needed to ge it recorded.  Maddi and Makenna have gotten Build a Bears on thier 8th birthdays from thier grandma and Olivia loves them so I thought that would be a good way to do it.  I bought the little sound chip and recorded her singing the song.  Then Michael and I found the cutest bunny that we both knew she would love and got it for her.  We were right - she absolutely loves it!  It goes everywehere with her now and she les to push it's hand and listen to herself sing.  She named the bunny Hoppy Hop (Hoppy for short).  Of course it is a princess just like her so we have Princess Lollipop and Princess Hoppy Hop.  Unfortunately for Maddi, Olivia has "borrowed" all of Maddi's bear clothes and uses them for her bunny.  Maddi's bear clothes are pink and pink is Olivia's favorite color.  Maddi is a good sport about it and lets Olivia use them.

Katie's Birthday

Yesterday was my sister Katie's 40th birthday.  She died in July of 1972.  Even though none of us other kids met her here in this life she has had  huge impact on my family and on each of us individually.  For her birthday all of us kids wrote letters to put in a book for mom and dad.  I put the book together with pictures of Katie, the letters and some poems I wrote.  There is also a page that has pictures of all of us with our own families.  Mom and Dad had seven children all together and they now have 25 grandchildren with more, I'm sure, to come (not from me though :))  Today, in honor of her birthday I would like to share parts of the letters that we wrote.  It will be a long post, but I love all the letters that my siblings wrote.  Our family will be able to be together forever because of this beautiful little girl.

from me:
I know there were many different things that probably led you to the church but I can't help but think that her little life played a role in Heavenly Father's personal plan for you. I have heard you talk about what a special spirit she had and even though she never learned to talk you knew that she understood what was going on and that she had more knowledge than she was able to express.

I am so thankful to and for her. What an amazing thing to be able to say that I have a sister who is perfect! All she needed was a body. I am so thankful to Heavenly Father too. He knew the impact she would have. Through her, you were able to accept the gospel when the time was right. Her life was able to prepare your hearts for the truth.

I really can't express in words all my feelings. I just hope that I can show my gratitude through the way that I live my life. What a blessing we have been given! What an opportunity we have to be members of Heavenly Father's true church. I hope and pray with all my heart that I will live in a manner that is pleasing to Him and that I will be able to teach my children through the spirit. As I watch our family grow, I can't help but imagine what the reunion will be like in heaven. I can't wait to thank Katie for her special life and for her special spirit that is still a part of all of our lives.

The love that I hear in your voices every time you talk about her is amazing. It is strong and deep and true. You can't say her name without love pouring out. It's in your voice, it's in your eyes, it's in your entire being. What a blessing to have been able to see that through out my life. It is a love that you don’t see very often and that too has made a big impression on me.

 I am so thankful for a sweet little baby girl who came here for a short while to help us all be together for ever.


from Stephen:
As I reflect back on my life, it is difficult to imagine or conceive how it would be different were it not for the influence of the church or the gospel. I would never have served a mission. I would likely never have
met or married Julie, and who knows if I would have a family of my own.  I would also not have attended BYU, which would very likely have led to an entirely different career.

It's amazing to think how so many major milestones in my life could have been so dramatically affected by one little baby that I've never even met, but such are the Lord's ways. "Out of small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

I often find myself struggling and striving to make a difference everyday in my work, my home, or at church and often feel as if my struggles are in vain. So when I consider how Katie was able to do it
simply by being born with the special spirit she has, it show's so clearly how the Lord can make so much more out of us than we can of ourselves, if we will but align ourselves to his will.
I'm grateful for Katie's life and the influence she had with Mom and Dad. I look forward to the day when I can thank her personally and renew the relationship that I'm sure we had in the preexistence.

From Sarah:
I remember growing up hearing about Katie and what a beautiful child she was. I remember looking at her pictures and wondering about her and her short life. Mom would always talk about how they communicated even though Katie never talked. Mom said she never needed too. They could just look at each other and they would know what the other was thinking. I’ve always known there was a special bond between Mom and Dad and Katie. How could there not be with the mission Katie was sent here for.

I always liked hearing the stories about Katie. I never really understood the importance of the stories until the first time I was able to go visit her grave. All the stories and memories told of Katie took on new meaning and had a new feeling to them after that first visit to her gravesite. It felt like we were making new memories of Katie and like I was a part of them.

The summer of 2006 when we all were able to go to Katie’s grave and clean it off and put flowers on it was one of the neatest experiences I have had. It was the first time our whole family was together. I remember thinking it might be the only time this happened. It was a moment I will never forget.

from Jon:
The story that sticks with me most is the one about the day/night she died. According to Mom and Dad, she knew the time was at hand to depart and chose to sit with Dad...to convey to him that she loved him and wanted him to know that. Back in those times (as far as I have read) men were supposed to be stoic and macho...no crying. Well....I would have cried for years.

In fact, when we went back to Nashville to visit and clean her grave, I did cry...quite a bit. I felt as if she were there watching us....smiling. That is something else that I will never forget. Before then, I had never had the opportunity nor the privilege to visit her humble grave sight. The emotion that encapsulated that minuscule plot of earth on this vast planet is something that I will never forget. It was like nothing I had ever felt before...in the middle of nowhere...far from home...meaningless to everyone but us. But that minuscule plot of God's earth made me feel more than I have ever felt for something of that nature. It was similar to a child being born and all of the emotions in which that entails...contained within an almost unfathomably tiny piece of earth...a modest brass marker...a name on it... "Kathryn Anne Cantrell." What a beautiful name. And I am certain...what a beautiful spirit.

from Spener:
Now, as I ponder on what Katie did for us, as a family, I'm even more grateful. We all have families of our own and most of us are sealed in the temple. I wonder if that would have happened any other way and, knowing myself, I doubt it. She had to do it for us. In a small way, I can compare her to our Savior. Nothing truly compares to Him and what he did, but she did sacrifice her life to save many, many people. I believe she did it knowingly and willingly, as did He, because she loves us. Christ said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Christ also said, "Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again." Katie will find her life again and she will receive her eternal reward in the Celestial Kingdom. She sacrificed her life for ours as well as for the gospel of Jesus Christ - so that it could be spread by our family across the world. Her sacrifice will allow generations of our Heavenly Father's children to be born in the covenant and enjoy the blessings of the gospel. We're seeing that unfold before our eyes. One sacrifice will bless hundreds and thousands of lives now and in the eternities. And it all goes back to one small, selfless, special baby girl. Someday I'll meet her again, and remember her from before, and thank her again for being my big sister.

from Sam:
When her sojourn on earth came to an end, your spiritual quest began in earnest.  As you sought answers to life's most important questions, you experienced a mighty change of heart when the light of the gospel filled your minds and souls.  I cannot imagine what you felt upon reading Mormon's epistle to Moroni, as recorded in Moroni chapter eight and again upon learning that family ties can extend beyond the grave.  Perhaps like Alma, your souls were filled with joy as exceeding as was your pain.  Like Lehi, you began to understand how God "shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."

And so I cannot honor Katie, without paying tribute to her parents - you, who had the unshakable faith, courage and determination to enter, and press forward with steadfastness, in the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life.
 
 
So Happy Birthday Katie!  You will always be in our hearts and a part of who we are.  We love you!  And to mom and dad - thank you for teaching us about Jesus Christ and being the examples that you are.  As Sam stated, he "first believed because you believed."  I know that goes for all of us.