As of Late

Man I am a slacker lately on blogging. It's been a crazy month. I was extremely tired. I mean so tired that I would go to bed at 9pm get up at 7 am and then I could crash at 830 after dropping the boys off at school. Come to find out my Vitamin D levels were really low. Go figure.
So now I am on new meds. 50,000 mg of VD. Yeah I think that is a lot. Oh and a side effect Kidney stones. Uhhhhhhhh.....ok sure I guess.
School is out now. Somewhat a relief and a trial all at the same time.
The pro's to having kids out of school
*Kids sleeping in.
*Don't have to be dressed and ready for the day by 7:30 am
*We can go places and not have to be back by 3 to get the boys.
*Having them home
*Reading time
*Getting to know them better
*Getting to have the kids stay up till 9
*Camping

The Cons
*Having them home
*fighting at 8 am
*Monthly Food cost goes up. (My boys are bottomless pits)
*Fighting
*Having to make them do some summer school from home
*fighting

I love my kids but they fight A LOT! I dont know what it is about usually. And I try to let them resolve it themselves. But it seems to get worse before it get's anywhere near better. So My day is usually filled with "I hate you!" and "WHAT!!!! A x amount of min in time out!" Yeah good times all around.

We also "got" to give a talk in church as a family. If you are interested in what we talked about then read on. If not then skip past all of it and I will continue on my rant.
The kids talk's
Ethan's Talk

I am going to talk to kids my age about the plan of salvation. I want to share a story which is found in the Church's Family Home Evening Resource book on page 38. It's called Michaels Danger

Michale went to a park one evening with his family. While they were at the picnic table, he ran over to the tall slide and climbed it. He liked to climb stairs and he had just learned how to climb. But when Michale reached the top he got scared. He was so HIGH up. A girl named Mandy was behind him and told him that she would help him down the stairs. Michale refused to go with her. Michale's dad noticed that Michale was scared. So he sent his oldest son Steven to grab Michale for him. Steven went over to the bottom of the slide and quietly told him that he would catch him at the bottom. Michale trusted his brother and landed safely into the strong arms of his older brother. He then went and returned to his Father, mother and siblings.
Going up the slide is much like leaving our Father in Heaven and coming to earth. It's new and exciting and different. But there are dangers out there. Without help we would not be able to get back to safety. Not just anybody can help. The person must be someone we trust and know.
Jesus is our savior and helps us when we are in this earth life. Only he can rescue us. Heavenly Father loves us so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ, to earth to make it possible to live with him again.
*bare your testimony*
Then close with
In the Name of Our Savior Jesus Christ Amen.





Logan's Talk

I had just gotten baptized in November of 2010. I know that it is part of the plan of salvation. I know that I have a lot of hard things I will have to do in my life to get back to Heavenly Father. But if I stay strong, read my scriptures, say my prayers, pay my tithing and when I am older to attend the temple regularly that I will be able to live with my family again.
in the name of Jesus Christ Amen





Truman's Talk

Our Lives are very much like Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. We go through life wondering where we are. And if we are lucky we find the Iron Rod. The Iron Rod is our church. We must hold tight and stay away from things that might lead us away from the path we want to go on. Then there is the big evil building. Which is the world. The world tells us that bad things are good and that the good things are bad. They try to tempt us into going into that building. But is we do we cannot return to our Mom's and Dad's. Then there is the Tree. The tree is like our home. Where we feel safe and loved. That is where God is. That is where he want's us to be. I know that if I keep my promise to him and choose the right that I will be able to return back and live with Heavenly Father and my family again.
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.


Dannan's Talk

I like to sing. And I like the song "Families Can Be Together Forever". I do have a family here on this Earth. And they are good to me and they teach me that if I follow Heavenly Fathers plan that I will be able to be with them again. I am glad that I know that when we die we can be together Forever. And that is because I love my mom and dad and my brothers so much.
I say this in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen


My Talk
The third article of faith declares that “through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”


To be saved—or to gain salvation—means to be saved from physical and spiritual death. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death. People may also be saved from individual spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, by their faith in Him, by living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and by serving Him.

To be exalted—or to gain exaltation—refers to the highest state of happiness and glory in the celestial realm. These blessings can come to us after we leave this frail and mortal existence. The time to prepare for our eventual salvation and exaltation is now.



As part of that preparation, one must first hear and understand the gospel. For this reason the gospel of Jesus Christ is being taken to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”




Individual Responsibility
We are to take our own salvation into our own hands. No one can make you get baptized, no one can make you get married, no one can make you do anything. That is why YOUR salvation is yours. Elder Nelson said in his general conference talk from 2008. That he had met with an African tribal king. When he mentioned that he was an apostle of God. He was so moved that he said that he would make his people get baptized. Elder Nelson then proceed to tell him that it is not what God wants. It has to be a personal choice.

Family Responsibilities
We have to also prepare our families. We made promises in the temple to help us to achieve such a huge goals. We have such an honor to teach our children and our families of this wonderful gift. Elder Nelson said from the same talk:
"Our Heavenly Father wants husbands and wives to be faithful to each other and to esteem and treat their children as an heritage from the Lord. 10 In such a family we study the scriptures and pray together. And we fix our focus on the temple. There we receive the highest blessings that God has in store for His faithful children.
Thanks to God’s great plan of happiness, 11 families can be together forever—as exalted beings. Our Heavenly Father declared, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” 12 Both of His objectives were enabled by the Atonement of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. His Atonement made resurrection a reality and eternal life a possibility for all who would ever live.
Resurrection, or immortality, comes to every man and every woman as an unconditional gift.

Eternal life, or celestial glory or exaltation, is a conditional gift. Conditions of this gift have been established by the Lord, who said, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” 13 Those qualifying conditions include faith in the Lord, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and remaining faithful to the ordinances and covenants of the temple.

No man in this Church can obtain the highest degree of celestial glory without a worthy woman who is sealed to him. 14 This temple ordinance enables eventual exaltation for both of them."

He then tells us that we cannot be released from the calling of being parents.

In D&C 93: 40 The Lord said "But I have commanded you to bring up your achildren inblight and truth." We are to be teaching our children for a life time. We are to guide and direct them back to our Heavenly Father. What a wonderful calling that is. I know I feel like I fail time and time again being a parent. But I know that if I keep attending church, doing my callings, reading my scriptures and attending the Temple when I can. i know that Heavnly Father will direct me in rearing up my children. He will guide me to help my children understand what they need to do.

Elder Nelson says it best "We are also to teach our children to honor their parents. The fifth commandment states, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” 19

How can we best teach our children? The Lord has given us specific instruction:

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

“By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

“Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy.” 20

When a child needs correction, you might ask yourself, “What can I say or do that would persuade him or her to choose a better way?” When giving necessary correction, do it quietly, privately, lovingly, and not publicly. If a rebuke is required, show an increase of love promptly so that seeds of resentment may not remain. To be persuasive, your love must be sincere and your teachings based on divine doctrine and correct principles.

Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life. You are God’s agents in the care of children He has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade."


Ancestors
He doesnt stop at our own families. He proceeds to tell us that we have to help those who have past on. Or help those who have lost their ways. We are not to judge them for their choices they have made on this earth. Because God is the only one that can do that. It also applies to those who are GOOD and Faithful but have not had the chance to marry. God will judge them accordingly.

I am so glad we have the plan of salvation. Knowing that we are with our families forever makes it hard but it also is self assuring that we are not teaching, and preparing our children in vane. i know that God lives, I know that he is very aware of our hardships and times of trouble. It is a blessing that I find very comforting.
Close and say testiony if needed.

Seth gave it the best. I dont have his talk. I guess I will have to find it later and then share it with you. It was so good. The kids did great. Danni got really scared after the first sentence. Tru couldn't see over the pulpit. Logan had Seth to help him but Ethan. OH MY GOODNESS! He is going to be a great missionary. He did great.

Another thing.... I know you are all interested in my woes. LOL But I have a pain in my neck. And NO it is not my children or my hubby. I have a real pain in my neck. I have had it for two weeks. It is not getting better. In fact it is getting worse. WAY worse. So I will find out Hopefully tomorrow what is causing the problem. *Crossing my fingers*

Life is good. I hope I can write more about my summer adventures.
Love you all and thanks for reading.