Best Friends & Dress Up

We all miss seeing Jenny, Mckenna, and Mckayla every single day. Thank goodness for Skype, but we miss the real thing.

Marshmallow Thieves

One day I came out to find T & A underneath the table eating marshmallows. Little stinkers but at least they were having fun together.

PS. I am SO glad our kitchen table is no longer over carpet!

Daddy Daughter Dance

I am so glad we stayed in California long enough for the girls and Matt to attend their school's daddy-daughter dance. They had a great time and came home with fun stories. Before the dance, we went to the Anderson's house for pizza and pictures. Emma and Carter were some of the kids closest friends in San Ramon.

Sadie's Black Eye

Sadie crashed into Tanner and got a black eye. At least, that is what I think happened. It was back in January on a Thursday because I was at class when it happened. I didn't see it until the next morning when it was even more swollen and discolored. When she came home from school that day, we asked if her classmates asked about her eye. She said, "Mrs. Beth had me stand in front of the class and tell everyone what happened so they would stop asking me questions." 

Little Miss Domestic

Abby sporting an apron Great Grandma Shumway made for Sienna and Sadie for Christmas. These pictures are from January when we were still in California. She loved getting into the kids drawer of utensils and pulling them all out.

Conference with Elder Nelson

Today was a very special day for me. We have been here in Calgary for just over a week. Our new ward had a "special conference" today where Elder Nelson came to speak to us. It was a remarkable experience for me, and it strengthened my testimony greatly. We were also able to hear from Brother and Sister Spackman. They are Beth Thompson's parents. Beth was a friend we made while living in San Ramon. Brother Spackman is the area authority here in Alberta and since they had to get to the meeting early, they were kind enough to save us a seat near the front of the chapel. I am so grateful I had this opportunity to hear from an apostle of the Lord today. I am extra grateful that the kids were well behaved for the full two hours. Tanner cuddled up to me and slept through most of it. It was such a neat experience watching my children sing for an apostle. I loved the strong testimonies shared of the power of The Book of Mormon and the importance of missionary work. I look forward to the day that Matt and I are able to serve missions together.

The following is a post I made on Facebook today:

I believe in the restoration of the gospel, meaning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus had 12 apostles when he himself was on earth, we have a modern day prophet and apostles now that are here to guide us and testify of the Savior. This morning, we had the privilege of attending a special meeting where one of the 12 apostles, Elder Russell M Nelson, spoke to us and bore his testimony of Jesus Christ. At one point he asked the children to stand and sing the first verse of, "I am a Child of God" for him, and it reminded me of the scriptures where Jesus taught and loved the children. Tears poured down my face again as the congregation sang, "Redeemer of Israel," because it was one of the most clear and strong witnesses I have ever received from the Spirit bearing testimony to me that Jesus is indeed our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, and that it is time to gather the children of Israel, and that I can be apart of this great missionary work.

I know that Christ is our Savior. He suffered for the remission of our sins and then died for us on the cross. I know that Christ's church, the same gospel that he established on earth while he lived, has be restored in these modern times. Priesthood keys have been given back to the earth and we are so blessed to have modern day revelation and a prophet to teach us and guide us back to our Heavenly Father. I also know that like the Bible, The Book of Mormon is scripture to testify of Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is a true record of people of the Americas during biblical times. I know that after Christ was resurrected, he visited the people of America and taught them personally.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to listen to and even meet (and steal a hug) from a living apostle today. I feel even more blessed to have The Book of Mormon saved for our times. I promise that if you want to grow closer to the Savior, it will happen if you read these scriptures and pray to our Heavenly Father. You can start today by checking out lds.org and looking up scriptures, or if you want a physical copy, let me know and I will send you a free one. The Gospel will bring a new level of happiness to your life and the Savior will comfort you in your most difficult times. These things are true. I know they are because I have experienced them for myself.