Chicago

Last fall, Mark asked me what I thought about us going to Chicago to see his favorite composer of all time, John Williams.  We have talked about going to see him for a long time, pretty much our whole marriage, and seeing as John Williams is 86 we knew we needed to take the opportunity if we could.  This last weekend, was THE weekend!

My parents came up Friday night to watch the kiddos and Mark and I drove down to North Ogden to stay with his parents.  Saturday morning we flew out to Chicago.  This was both of our first times in Chicago and we hit the ground running!

We took the train into the city, left our luggage at our hotel and walked over to the Willis Tower.  Mark and I had bought a pass to get into various touristy destinations at a greatly reduced price - which also included some perks.  The line to go up to the top of Willis Tower was over an hour and a half wait when we got there, but with our pass we were able to go to the front and maybe waited ten minutes to go to the top.  That, by itself, almost made the pass worth it!  The view was incredible and even though it was a really cold day, it was very clear and you could see a lot. 

I am NOT a fan of heights at all.  They really freak me out.  This was an excursion done out of love.  But I mostly just focused on the horizon and chose to not look down so much.  But, Willis Tower, has created these glass encasement that hang off the edge of the tower so you feel like you are hovering (...or falling to your death, whichever you prefer).  As we stood in line I became nauseous just thinking about it and really didn't want to do it but they pretty much just through you in there.  I am actually shocked and somewhat impressed at how cool I was about it.  I just didn't look down and definitely didn't care to linger but I did it!

We then walked over to Millennium Park to see "The Bean".  It was actually a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.

Next up was some deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati's!  This was so good but WAY filling!  Mark and I shared a small pizza and we still couldn't finish it.  But it was awesome!

It was bitterly cold on our walk back to the hotel.  We hopped into our pajamas and settled in after a long day!

HS: April

The biggest update in our school life is our location!  Our system was just not working before and things have improved a lot and I think looks more like what our long term plan will be.  We moved all of our school stuff up into our loft area above the family room.  It's nice because we are separated but I can also just look over the side and see what Benjamin and Sarah are up too!  Plus, they aren't confined to such a small space so it's a win for everyone.  

We are definitely wrapping up our language arts stuff and it feels a-maz-ing.  When I think of all of Jacob's growth over the last year it is incredible.  He went from only knowing the sounds for some of the letters to reading full sentences.  It's amazing.  We review his sight words and phonics cards every Friday and continue to work on spelling.  

We slowed down a lot with poetry.  He actually memorizes really well and he was really enjoying it and then one day was NOT enjoying it anymore.  So now we just work on poetry twice a week and even though it's still a bit of a struggle, it's been a good compromise.  

Jacob started to read out of the third and last section of his reader.  We did a lot of art appreciation types lessons, talked about categories, and antonyms.  He also did an impressionist art project which turned out awesome.  

He's also continued to work on his handwriting practice and has almost finished that up.  

The SUPER exciting part of this month was that we finished our meteorology unit.  I felt like we were on this unit for a LONG time!  I am not really sure why it took so long because I think we both really enjoyed it but it is also exciting to think of starting something new.  

This month was mostly talking about severe weather.  We discussed snow, hail and blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, and forecasting weather.  Our new vocabulary word was forecast.  

We read a fun book about a regular farmer who was just fascinated with snow.  He ended up taking the first pictures of what individual snowflakes looked like.  Then we studied more the different forms of ice crystals.  We also did a fun activity that talked about how hail is made.  

Jacob LOVED learning about tornadoes - he has become really fascinated with them.  We also talked about hurricanes and the different names they are known as throughout the world and labeled a globe with the different names.  

Every day we have worked on this unit, Jacob has filled out a weather page documenting different things regarding the weather that day.  So on our last day he graphed the different kind of weather we had and that was fun to go over together.  

We kind of dumped our history program.  Jacob and I both were just no "feeling" it and Jacob was starting to dread it...and me too a little bit.  Now, I LOVE history and definitely didn't want Jacob having that perception about it so I just thought it better to bag it.  We can definitely use the books and I think those will be great still (so I don't feel too bad for abandoning it since we will still use them) just in a different way.  We will start out new program in the fall.  

Instead of starting a new state this month, we just kept working on California.  We didn't start it until the last couple days in March and I didn't feel the need to rush it.  We made a fun Redwoods Tree craft that sat on our table pretty much the entire month.  

For art we have been working on creating a tree for each season.  So far, Jacob has done spring and summer.  

This month we read James Herriot's Treasury for Children, Mary on Horseback by Rosemary Wells, and Here's a Penny by Carolyn Haywood.  

It is nice to see things start to wrap up and see our progress.  As I mentioned before, assuming anyone actually reads this, we are planning to do schooling year round but more relaxed in the summer.  So I have made up our plan for the rest of this "year" until mid August and I think it's going to be great for both of us.  Plus, I am planning/hoping to prep everything for next year so that I don't have to constantly feel like I need to be prepping stuff.  That's my goal!

Homecoming

The day after the aquarium, we headed up to Kaysville to see our niece, Elise, who just returned from her mission in Mexico.  I loved her emails every week and she is a great example to my kiddos.  They are *still* praying for her on her mission.  ;)  

Elise did such a great job and it was exciting to see her family all back together again.

Aquarium

A couple weeks ago we went to the Living Planet Aquarium with my parents.  The kiddos were so excited to go and we had a blast.  It was really fun to be able to go with my parents too.  Our kids love my parents and loved having that time with them.  

Benjamin was so chill the whole time.  YES!  He is really good to just go with the flow most of the time.  He just hung out in his stroller and was really content just to look around. 

Sarah was running around at lightning speed.  I tell you, I always thought those leashes for kids were crazy (and I still don't think I could actually do it), but I GET it!  She keeps us on our toes!  She loved the butterflies (just as long as they didn't touch her), crossing the rope bridge, and DID love touching the starfish and sting rays. 

Jacob just took it all in and had a good time.  It's exciting to watch him make more connections with things and ask questions.  He was a little bummed that there were no whales but did love looking at the huge {pretend} one in the lobby.  I was proud of him for crossing the rope bridge even though he was scared.  And, when he didn't want to put his hand in the water, one of the staff let him touch a real stinger that she had from one of the sting rays. 

The kids are already asking when we can go back! 

Temple Square

Did anyone see where April went?!  Seriously.  I cannot believe it is the end of April.  This year is flying by and I cannot keep up.  I definitely need like three more hours in my day.  That's not too crazy right...just three wee little hours!  

This last weekend was a crazy great one.  I drove down Thursday morning to Draper because we had A LOT going on this weekend down south.  Friday was a special day for the youth in our ward.  I don't think I have ever written in the blog about my experience working with the young women in our ward.  It is truly an answer to prayer.  I was feeling like I needed another outlet in my life - something different to think about outside of what was happening in our home.  And almost immediately I was called to be in young womens.  

If I am being honest, and I really try to be on here, it has been probably one of the most frustrating callings I've ever had.  And I knew as soon as I typed that that it is going to come across as really negative.  Frustrating usually equals bad, right?  But that's not entirely true.  It has been a huge learning experience and for that I am grateful for.  It's taken a long time and Mark has been incredibly patient as he hears me go on and on and on about different things that have gone on but, again, I have learned a lot.  It's been amazing to feel inspiration come to me about these girls and I have spent countless hours praying and worrying about them.  I am really grateful for this calling.  

Our young women president wanted to have a day on Temple Square with our youth and it was really great.  We had more young women come than we expected (which is ALWAYS a great thing!) and it was a really special day.  My parents were so kind to watch the kiddos for the entire day so that I could be with our youth. 

I met up with them at the Family History Library at 9 and it was so much fun finding out famous people we are related to and how so many of us (youth and leaders) are related to each other.  It was awesome.  

We then went to the Church History Library and were able to explore there and then grabbed some lunch at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  The girls had a blast sticking clothespin with happy thoughts written on them to each other...and to complete strangers.  They are great.  

Next, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and were able to perform baptisms.  I remember fondly being able to go to the Salt Lake Temple once when I was a youth to perform baptisms and what a special experience that was for me.  It was one of our young women's first time and I loved getting to watch her experience it.  

We then loaded up and went down to the Jordan River Temple Open House.  Even though it made for a really long day, it was neat to have those two experiences back to back and to have some great conversations in the temple with our youth about what happens in other places in the temple.  

I hope it was a faith promoting day for our youth.  They are great kids trying to navigate hard times.  I loved talking with one of our young women a couple days after asking her how she felt about the trip and her response was a sincere, "I loved it.  I didn't want it to end."  

Jordan River Temple Open House

Sunday evening, Mark headed back to Garden City and I drove down with the kiddos to Draper.  We had already planned on coming down Monday and we didn't see any reason to drive back to come down the next day.  So Mark went to work Monday, then drove back down Monday night so he could be with us Tuesday, and then drove back Tuesday night so he could work Wednesday.  He's pretty awesome.

We came down to celebrate my Mom's birthday and to see the Jordan River Temple Open House.  It was so much fun to get to celebrate my mom and get lots of one-on-one time with her.  We had already gotten tickets to the open house for the morning and we felt a little bad because my parents and sisters were all going later that afternoon.  As wonderful as it would have been to be all together, I knew late in the day would have been a lot harder to have reverent children. 

The temple was beautiful though.  This was my temple during my youth (the Draper Temple wasn't dedicated until my freshman year of college) and so it was really neat to go back and see all the parts I hadn't seen before and how they changed some of what I knew.  

Plus, it is totally worth it to me to spend that time in the temple with our family.  I pray for the day when we can all be together in a dedicated temple when they are older.  The temple was beautiful and enormous!  

DOUBLE Plus, it was the first time we've gotten Sarah to put on the booties so that was a win!  We talked about it before and she went right up to them - no problem!  Right next to us was a little boy, probably her same age, who wasn't wanting to wear the booties (which has ALWAYS been us before) and Sarah just looked at him and then looked up at me and said, "He's whining.  He needs to listen to his mom."  Oh brother...

Can you feel the love in this picture?  Yea, my neither.  But, it's there, I promise.  

Solemn Assembly

This was such an amazing General Conference.  I felt really distracted this conference but not so much that I didn't feel the Spirit testify of the truthfulness of what was being said.  It was also an especially special conference because it was a solemn assembly.  There is no doubt in my mind that President Russell M. Nelson is our prophet.  That through him, our Father in Heaven directs the affairs of His Church.  I sustain him. 

We were also blessed to have the opportunity to sustain two new apostles: Elder Gerrit W. Wong and Elder Ulisses Soares.  I am excited to learn more about them and learn from them.

There were so many amazing changes made during this conference.  It was invigorating and exciting.  After each one, it just made sense.  It was inspired.  It is refining us as a people - to become more like our Savior.  I hope I can rise to that.

I was also uplifted by hearing the words from our Prophet, President Nelson and his thoughts about revelation, both for the church and for our lives.  

{Here are my favorite parts...which is [almost] the entire thing!}

"In this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we worship Him who commenced His Infinite Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was willing to suffer for the sins and weaknesses of each of us, which suffering cause Him "to bleed at every pore."  He was crucified on Calvary's cross and rose the third day as the first resurrected being of our Heavenly Father's children.  I love Him and testify that He lives!  It is He who leads and guides His Church.  

Without out Redeemer's Infinite Atonement, not one of us would have hope of ever returning to our Heavenly Father.  Without His Resurrection, death would be the end.  Our Savior's Atonement made eternal life a possibility and immortality a reality for all.  

One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impresses upon my mind since my new calling as President of the Church is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will.  The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.  

Through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will assist us in all our righteous pursuits.  

Imagine the miracle of it!...We can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own.  If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small.  

Brothers and sisters, how can we become the men and women - the Christlike servants - the Lord needs us to be?  How can we find answers to questions that perplex us?  If Joseph Smith's transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children.  

...What will your seeking open for you?  What wisdom do you lack?  What do you feel an urger need to know or understand?  Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph.  Find a quiet place where you can regularly go.  Humble yourself before God.  Pour out your hear to your Heavenly Father.  Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.  

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses - yes, the very longings of your heart.  And then listen!  Write the thoughts that come to your mind.  Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take.  As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will "grow into the principle of revelation."

I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation.  

Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know.   

Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.  

To be sure, there may be times when you feel as though the heavens are closed.  But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord's timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek.  Every blessing the Lord has for you - even miracles - will follow.  That is what personal revelation will do for you.  

I am optimistic about the future.  It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth.  But...if we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.  

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again.  We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory.  But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.  Let this Easter Sunday be a defining moment in your life.  Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.  

We are followers of Jesus Christ.  The most important truth the Holy Ghost will ever witness to you is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  He lives!  He is our Advocate with the Father, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer.  On this Easter Sunday, we commemorate His atoning sacrifice, His literal Resurrection, and His divinity."

President Russell M. Nelson

Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives