Getting directions, the right ones!

Well, I am sure everyone has given up on checking my blog and rightly so since it has been months since I have posted. We had a wonderful Christmas and a very fun New Year. Jacelin got a Karaoke and she and I have been singing together a song sung by a mother and daughter. It is called "God Gave You to Me". It is so sweet. One of the lines on the song: "The responsibility God has given me with you." has made me think a lot about what I am teaching and instilling in my children. I have spent a lot of time on my knees and in my scriptures the last little while praying that Heavenly Father would guide me in the important decisions of my life, or maybe I should say guide me in the decisions that should be important in my life. There is such a feeling of urgency permeating my soul. I realize that the time I have to spend with my children goes by so fast and that it is such a short amount of time. I want to make sure they are prepared for life, that they have learned the lessons that it is expedient for me to teach them, while I have them. I want to know that they are learning the most important lessons, the ones that will help them complete their lives missions and hold to the rod!

It has been interesting to watch them catch the fire that Karl and I have had over this presidential campaign. I overheard them telling their friends who they would never vote for and who they would vote for. I giggled right out loud but then I realized that this, although it was very cute, was a good thing. I never remember having discussions like this when I was their age nor for years and years after I got older. I spoke with them later about their feelings as to why they would not vote for a particular person and was amazed that they had an intelligent answer. I have to admit that the reason they said they would vote for someone was good also, however, it probably did not have enough bearing to cause them to be 100% for the particular person. We had a good discussion and spoke about why learning about the candidates and what they stood for was our responsibility as citizens of America. They asked about the national health care system and why the government wanting to pay for every ones health care was so bad. We had a good discussion about that and it was so inspiring for me to see my kids taking an interest in what their country's government was suppose to be all about. We are going to start reading The Making of America (just a little bit each time) at the beginning of our family read aloud time.

That book has changed my life. It has helped me to gain a respect for my founding fathers, gain a testimony and conviction of the divinity of the Constitution, understand why it is important for me to be informed and fight to defend our liberties and the principles which keep us free. Karl and I are in the process of reading it again and reading the book called the 5,000 year leap. We have a study guide that we are using to discuss the things we are learning in these books.

It is amazing how I have felt my heart change and my soul enlarge as I have struggled to gain wisdom. Heavenly Father does help us if we will not only have a desire but put forth an effort to do the thing which He desires for us. It is my prayer that over this next year we will each go to our Father in Heaven in prayer and seek out his desire for our lives and the lives of those we are responsible for. I also pray that when He gives us direction we will have the faith to do our part. I am learning that sometimes the things He wants us to do are scary. They require us to step out of our comfort zone and do things we are not sure we are ready for. He will help us if we have the faith to just DO IT!

Here is an update of some of the things that have been going on in our lives:

Halloween: Jax was a Mountain Man, Jacee a princess, Kenzi a baby, and Luke a scarecrow.

The kids have had a great time this winter. We have about 18" of snow on the ground.

The girls are in a singing group called the Center Stage Singers:

We had good times with both of our families this year at Christmas. We talked to Trent and he will be returning home from his mission around Feb. 7th. Christmas was full of love and peace.

We love each of you and thank Heavenly Father for what your presence add to our lives!