Come Unto Christ

Well, another talk has come and gone. At the end of Sacrament meeting, the member of the Bishopric that had asked us to speak asked Bryan if we were available next month to speak again. It was a nice compliment. but I don't think he'll really follow through with it.

For the first time in years of talk writing, I was done with my full first draft during the afternoon on Saturday. I usually don't have that initial draft completed until sometime after midnight. I took the rest of the day to contemplate and revised after bedtime. I ended up rearranging the order of stuff and adding a few connecting lines here and there.

Several people afterward told me that thanks to our talks they were now pumped for conference. Fantastic! I also had someone ask if I had ever done theatre. I smiled and replied in the affirmative. My favorite comment was someone telling me that they loved my talk and that I hadn't even broken any of their speaking rules. I wanted to know those rules. They seemed embarrassed that they'd let that slip. I assured them that I have rules too, so I wasn't offended. The only one they told me was when people make jokes about how they were asked to speak and that they were glad I had an actual introduction. Yeah, I told them, that was one of my rules too.

Want to know what I said?

The Words of the Prophets Bring Us Closer to Jesus Christ

What is your most important job? At work, which, of your many responsibilities, is at the top of your to-do list? At home, what role takes precedence over all the others? For those of you in school, including the Primary kids, what is the most important thing you do during the day?

What if your job required you to teach millions of people? What if you had to lead them as well? What if you sometimes had to foretell the future? That’s a pretty major responsibility. What could be more important than that?

Prophets have many roles, including leading and prophesying, but their primary function, their most important job, is to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. In the scriptures we have the testimonies of many prophets, bearing their witness of Jesus Christ and his Divinity. We can read the words of Alma and his son Alma the Younger, of Isaiah and Ezekiel and Job, of Moses and Adam, of John the Baptist and Paul, and of Joseph Smith.

In Mosiah chapter 3 King Benjamin taught:

7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

 8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary…

13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.

What would it have been like to be there and hear him teach? Would we have been among those that thrilled at his message? Would we have, at the conclusion of King Benjamin’s address, added our voices to those that said “Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually… And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days…”

Twice every year at General Conference we have the opportunity to hear the living prophet fulfill this most important role. President Thomas Spencer Monson is the sustained and ordained leader of our church and the only person on the earth authorized to act as the mouthpiece of God. We will get to hear from him next weekend as we convene for Conference. But we sustain fourteen other men as prophets, seers, and revelators. The First Presidency and the twelve Apostles are all called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ. That means that next Saturday and Sunday, we will have the opportunity to hear from not one, but fifteen men whose most important job it is to testify of Christ.

Why is a prophet’s most vital role to be a special witness of Christ? Why is it so important that we hear it?

My husband and I are both from California, but our three children were born and have spent their whole lives in Utah. We were excited to move here two months ago to give our kids a new perspective on the world. But with the busy conclusion of my husband’s graduate program and the subsequent move, we’d noticed that we didn’t have as much peace in our home as we wanted. After much prayer and contemplation, we felt strongly that we needed to refocus on the Savior.

Now, we have established the habits of weekly Family Home Evening, daily family scripture reading, and twice daily family prayer. Those things are important and fundamental, but because we were already doing them, we needed to look deeper to find what it meant to be centered on Christ. I have spent a lot of time reading scriptures looking for guidance. I’ve also listened to many recent General Conference talks. I pray before I begin that I will hear something that can help our family, then I push play on a talk and I get to work on folding laundry or doing dishes or cleaning whatever it is that needs my attention. I have spent hours with towels in my hands and tears on my face because of the inspiration that those talks have provided.

Elder Scott spoke about having a Christ centered home during April’s Conference. He said, “Be certain that every decision you make, whether temporal or spiritual, is conditioned on what the Savior would have you do. When He is the center of your home, there is peace and serenity. There is a spirit of assurance that pervades the home, and it is felt by all who dwell there. Be obedient to the prophetic teachings Christ would have you follow… One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds… I bear testimony that living an obedient life, firmly rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, provides the greatest assurance for peace and refuge in our homes. There will still be plenty of challenges or heartaches, but even in the midst of turmoil, we can enjoy inner peace and profound happiness. I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the source of that abundant peace…”

In the same Conference, President Henry B. Eyring also taught about the blessings that come from drawing closer to Christ. He said “My promise to you who pray and serve the Lord cannot be that you will have every blessing you may wish for yourself and your family. But I can promise you that the Savior will draw close to you and bless you and your family with what is best. You will have the comfort of His love and feel the answer of His drawing closer as you reach out your arms in giving service to others. As you bind up the wounds of those in need and offer the cleansing of His Atonement to those who sorrow in sin, the Lord’s power will sustain you. His arms are outstretched with yours to succor and bless the children of our Heavenly Father, including those in your family.”

We are working to make Christ the center of our home. We sing songs about what Jesus would have us do. My current favorite is “Jesus Said Love Everyone.” We remind the children, and ourselves, how Jesus would want us to speak and act. We’re making service and kindness paramount and talk about the choices that Christ made during his life.

The people of King Benjamin experienced “a mighty change” in their hearts because they learned about Christ. Perhaps that’s one reason why a prophet’s most important role is to testify of Christ, so that those that hear can have the chance to feel that change of heart.

Sometimes a whole talk is about the Savior. In April, four of the fifteen spoke about Christ. Sometimes, that witness comes right at the end. Listen to these testimonies, found at the conclusion of their talks, from the last conference:

From President Packer: Of all that I have read and taught and learned, the one most precious and sacred truth that I have to offer is my special witness of Jesus Christ. He lives. I know He lives. I am His witness. And of Him I can testify. He is our Savior, our Redeemer. Of this I am certain.

From Elder Hales: My beloved priesthood brethren young and old, let us glorify God’s name by standing strong with our Savior, Jesus Christ. I bear my special witness that He lives and that we “are called with a holy calling” to participate in His work.

From President Monson, “I bear my personal witness and testimony to you that God lives, that He hears the prayers of humble hearts. His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, speaks to each of us: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” May we believe these words and take advantage of this promise.”

As you sit down next weekend to watch and listen to the words of the Prophets, listen carefully when they speak of Christ. If your house is anything like mine, then you'll have small people competing for your focus, but do your best to pay attention. Remember that these are special witnesses you're hearing. Pay attention to their counsel and calls to action. Think about how you can take what they say to focus your home and your life on Christ.

In 2 Nephi 25:26, Nephi taught, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

I bear my testimony of the truth and the importance of these things and I say them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

What I Really, Really Want

Tonight before bed Peter wrote a letter to Santa. This amuses me for a few reasons. One is that Peter is in on the whole Santa thing, so he knows who'll be reading that letter. The second is that Christmas is still three months away. Granted, Bryan and I have already begun our Christmas shopping, but Peter doesn't know that.

Peter spells rather creatively, so I'll transcribe what he wrote to give you an idea of what an almost eight-year-old boy really wants.

• a set of tinker toys
• a gigantic/humongous/huge/BIG marble set
• an awesome Hot Wheels set
• a monster truck (remote control)
• a laminator

He has recently discovered how to make copies on our printer. Consequently, he's recently been banned from making copies on our printer, which hasn't stopped him from sneaking in to our room at every opportunity to copy his pictures and essays (because he's been writing essays as a form of recreation). Perhaps his wish for a laminator has something to do with his new-found love of copying?

So there you have it. Moms and Dads of little boys, forget the Beyblades and video games. All those boys really want for Christmas is office equipment!

Follow the Prophet

I'm having writer's block. Or would it be brainstormers block? Either way, I need some ideas.

Bryan and I are speaking in church on Sunday (my fourth Sacrament meeting talk in sixteen months) and I'm having trouble figuring out my topic. I've discovered I like having a scripture or two to talk about. I'm able to focus in instead of staying broad. I don't have a verse this time.

In what I assume is in preparation for General Conference, my topic is "the words of the Prophets bring us to Christ." When I first heard it I thought, "Awesome! I should be able to find lots to talk about." And I can. Too much. I'm having trouble narrowing it down and landing on a central image or idea.

I've thought about 2 Nephi 25:26, Alma the Younger's conversion story in Alma 36, and Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24. I considered pulling largely from The Living Christ. I spent most of my two hour glucose test this morning (not because I failed the one hour test, but because my doctor's office only gives the two hour) going through recent General Conference issues of the Ensign looking for what the prophets have said about Christ. And I'm still twiddling my thumbs, wondering what I'll be talking about on Sunday.

Any ideas? They can be broad or narrow. You never know when something will ignite the fire of inspiration.

A Series of Miracles

Thank you to those that prayed for my friends Gretel and Will a few weeks ago. I wanted to update you on how they are doing. I can joyfully share that Will is, to quote Gretel, "on the road to a miraculous full recovery."

Gretel has written two blog posts about their ordeal. With her permission, I'm sharing the links with you. Part one is here and part two is here. Part three will be forthcoming.

I am overwhelmed at the love and support that they have received. Not only that, but I'm in awe at Gretel's ability to see the miracles that have been poured out upon them. I'm not sure that I could have such a wonderful perspective so close to the experience.

I encourage you to go to her blog and read their story. Oh, and make sure you have some tissues nearby, you're going to need them.

Hi-Ya

Phoebe wasn't the only one in our family to try something new this week. Today Peter and Cooper had their first day of Taekwondo. We stopped in yesterday after school and got them signed-up for a trial. So really, yesterday could be referred to as "The Day Margot Dropped a Crazy Amount of Money on Activities for Her Children." Or, you know, Monday works too.

The boys were nervous and excited. Cooper's class was first. He was consistently a step behind everyone else, but I'm hoping that was just because it was his first day. The instructors were sweet and gave him a little extra attention when each new move was introduced.

Cooper is the farthest child from the camera

Peter stayed up with his class pretty well. The teachers were strict and neither boy spoke out of turn as far as I could tell. That might be the longest either boy has gone without talking.

Peter can be seen through the right-hand pane of glass

When we got home they were each eager to demonstrate what they had learned. Cooper conducted a short class with Phoebe to share with her his newly acquired skills. It was followed by a ballet lesson from Phoebe.

They go back for another class in a few days. Hopefully the magic won't have worn off by then.

Dancing Feet

It was a big day at our house. Phoebe had her first real (as in, it won't be free) dance class. We went to check out a studio and got there just in time for her to do a free trial. And bonus, she happened to be wearing clothes that could double as dance attire. They loaned her a pair of shoes (we hadn't brought any since we didn't know she'd be dancing) and she joined the other little girls.

The class was thirty minutes long. Today she did ballet, next week she'll do tap. She loved it. LOVED it. She paid attention and followed directions well. And she's been asking all day long if she can go back. Apparently next week is too far away.



She told me last week that she was "born with dancer legs" so I'm glad we could finally get her into her element.

Iron Chef

Last week I posted a clip of Phoebe making her own lunch. This desire for independence is something we've been encouraging. See, most of the time, our children want us to do everything for them. And though it might not seem very kind, we don't really want to. This comic illustrates the issue pretty well.

I've tried, but can't find the original source. The picture says it came from nickmom.com, so let's give them the credit, shall we?

This morning I heard Cooper up and about, but I decided to be all crazy and shower before checking to see what he was doing. Sometimes I do that. And Bryan hadn't left for work yet, so there was still parental supervision. When I got out I asked what Cooper was up to. Bryan reported that he was downstairs getting food.

Cooper is our only child that will do this. Peter and Phoebe are both afraid of being alone on a different level of the house. Phoebe will come into our room to tell us she needs food. Peter will wake up one or both of his siblings and lead the whole troupe downstairs, waking us up during the noisy parade. But Cooper isn't bothered by being by himself. He might be the closest thing to an introvert we've produced.

It only took a few minutes for Phoebe and Peter to emerge from their rooms. I escorted them down the stairs to help with the breakfast routine. That's when we saw what Cooper had decided to eat for breakfast.

We was eating a bowl of Cheese-Its. In milk.

Just as my brain was registering his morning meal, I realized that he had also almost finished making his lunch. I made lunch for the boys during the first week; since then I've been letting the boys decide what to take. I still give guidelines (they need produce and a protein and no more than one treat tops), but they do the building. Cooper had packed his bag and was finishing up his sandwich. What did he make for today?

An applesauce and soy nut butter sandwich. And he had used one of the fancy, single-serving packages of applesauce to make it. I stifled a squeal of exasperation. I'm working on letting go of the little stuff. And using that for his sandwich wasn't the end of the world, right? Besides, he had a look of true accomplishment on his face when he said, "Look Mom! I made my own sandwich!"

A few minutes later I asked if he was done with his breakfast. "No, I'm still hungry. But (pointing to his bowl of soggy Cheese-Its) I'm not eating that. (Sounding a little surprised) It's super gross."

Unfortunately when I asked him after school about his sandwich, it received a similar review. So the meal choices weren't winners, but hooray that he served himself.

Theme Song

On the walk home from school today Peter was excited to talk to me about what he'd learned at school. "Mom," he asked, "do you know who Rocky Boa is?"

In an attempt to figure out what he was talking about, I asked him to tell me about this Rocky Boa. Peter said he was a boxer. "Oh," I said, "you mean Rocky Balboa?"

"Yeah!"

After many more questions, I learned that his teacher had shown them the famous clip where Rocky is training. Both Bryan and I were at a loss as to why she had shown a bunch of second-graders a film about boxing. Apparently she uses the Rocky theme song as background music to one of their daily writing activities. 

I can only assume that she wanted to explain where the music came from, so she showed it to the kids. This is her thirty-fourth year teaching, so maybe she's been using this since she started?

Peter is now really excited about running up and down our stairs and finding large slabs of meat to punch.

Fancy Three

We have a three-year-old at our house. She's been telling people for some time that she was two, but that on her birthday she would be three. She holds up three fingers to prove she knows what she's talking about. And now she talks about how she used to be little, but now she's three, so that means she's big.

She requested another pink birthday, although purple has recently been welcomed into her accepted color scheme. She also wanted to be fancy and wear a dress like her favorite literary heroine, Fancy Nancy. Perhaps we should call her Fancy Phoebe?

In the weeks leading up to her birthday I tried to figure out what special foods she wanted to eat. Here is the list I got out of her:

• breakfast = frosted flakes
• lunch = cheese sandwich
• dinner = ham sandwich
• cake = pink cake

That's it. No pancakes, no waffles, not even any extra special cereal. The boys tried to talk her into something more, but she wasn't interested. She did finally agree to pizza for dinner, so that's something.

The day held a few high points for her. Opening presents was of course awesome. She and Bryan also went and had a daddy-daughter date to get ice cream and french fries and then they went clothes shopping. Phoebe is lucky that Bryan took her, because I don't think I would have agreed to the very colorful items that she picked out, but she loves them and that's what counts, right?

Her two favorite gifts came from the grandparents. My parents sent her a vanity with a bench. She calls it her desk and keeps all of her hair accessorizes in/on it. She's also spent some time sitting at it "getting ready for the ball."

Bryan's parents sent her a doll dressed as a ballerina with Phoebe-sized ballerina clothes to match. Phoebe reminded me that I need to get on the ball and sign her up for some ballet classes, especially now that she has the appropriate gear.

And for the second-year in a row, she wanted a princess/castle cake. I think this one is a little less sad than last year's model. She loved that it was sparkly.

We even had a little birthday interview. I made the mistake of asking these questions while her brothers were nearby, so they supplied some of the answers.

FAVORITE FOOD: cupcakes and a cake

FAVORITE ANIMAL: pony

FAVORITE BOOK: Cinderella

FAVORITE COLOR: blue and pink and purple

FAVORITE SHOW: My Little Pony

FAVORITE MOVIE: Cinderella
FAVORITE SONG: I Am a Child of God
FAVORITE BOARD GAME: Chutes and Ladders (but she said Minecraft first)
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Minecraft (no, she's never played it)
FAVORITE THING TO DO: Dance
FAVORITE MEMORY FROM BEING 2: Two makes me better when I'm not scared
FAVORITE PLACE: McDonalds
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Reading

FRIENDS: Eliza and Devri and Zara and Paige and Kate and Bekah

Happy birthday Phoebe!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Yesterday after school I asked Cooper what he had done during the day.

Cooper: We drew pictures of people we love.

Me: Oh yeah? And who did you draw?

Cooper: (Looking at me with his shy, sideways grin) You.

Me: (Smiling back) You did?

Cooper: Yeah, but I drew you as an evil fire-breathing witch.

Me:...

Signs

Remember how I couldn't access the pictures I took on the first day of school? Well, I still can't get to most of them (not sure why), but I was able to retrieve one somewhat blurry image.

Everyone wanted to hold a sign saying what grade they were in, so I grabbed three dry-erase boards and wrote. Peter was sure that Phoebe's should say Pre-K, I preferred this.

Miss Independent

She Approves

Look! The baby must already like our parenting style. After all, she's giving us a thumbs up.

Blurry

On Friday morning while I was getting ready to take the boys to school, I had a migraine. My vision was compromised and I couldn't drive, but thankfully Bryan was able to move his schedule and act as chauffeur. The headache ran its course and I carried on with the day.

Between Friday morning and this afternoon, I have had nine migraines. Nine. That's a new record for me. A few have been without pain, but all have slashed my vision. After each headache it takes longer for my eyes to return to normal. Right now I can kind of see the computer. It's blurry, but I know the keyboard well enough to get something down.

I had migraines when I was pregnant with Phoebe, but this is getting crazy. I have to wake up in the middle of the night to eat in an attempt to stave off a headache. And then I have to keep eating all day long. All. Day. Long.

If my next few posts are just pictures, assume it's because I couldn't really see the computer to write anything else. I hope this doesn't continue for the next sixteen weeks.

One Can Be Pensive, Even In One's Sleep

Bringing Balance to the Force

One thing that has set this move, and this pregnancy, apart from the others is the distance we've traveled. In the past we would move but still go to our previous doctors. Not this time. We even changed insurance companies. That's why the twenty-week mark came and went with no ultrasound. We had to wait to pick our plan and be official. Then went weeks twenty-one, twenty-two, and twenty-three. We've waited so long that people have stared assuming that we just don't want to know.

Except we do want to know.

Or wanted to know.

Because today we found out.

Would you like to know if we're having a boy or a girl?

I'll use a quote from Phoebe to tell you, "My baby sister is going to be a sister!"

It's a girl!

Oh, and she's measuring two weeks ahead of my due date. So either my dates are wrong (which I don't think is the case), or she's going to be tall like her dad. Yeah, I'm guessing that's it.

Like a Rock

Remember that Peter's new teacher used M&Ms on the first day? Well, Peter had severe anxiety over this. The only way I got him back the next day was to promise to call the school nurse and to talk to the teacher. It's understandable that it caused him so much stress; he recognizes the possible consequence of working with peanut items.

Yesterday I stopped in at the office. The nurse was out, so I left a message. Peter wanted me to talk to his teacher right then and there, but I had the feeling that the nurse should be my first contact. She called me back not long after I got home. I've talked to her so much now that she didn't identify herself as the nurse, only as "Deb."

I began by saying there had been an incident in the class that I wanted to talk to her about. It turns out, she already knew what had happened. After Peter's refusal to participate in an activity and subsequent insistence that the whole class wipe down their desks and wash their hands, his teacher wanted to find out if his concerns were legit. Thankfully, the nurse backed up Peter and praised his ability to hold his ground when the teacher wanted him to do something that was dangerous for him. Well, if there is one thing Peter excels at, it is holding his ground! She told me that she had explained to the teacher what she would need to do in the future when buying edible items for the class. And she invited me to please call her anytime I had a concern.

That afternoon Peter's teacher exited the school shortly after Peter. He saw her and started dragging me toward her. I assured him that I had worked it out with the nurse, but I had promised.

The first thing his teacher said when she saw me was, "I am so sorry!" We went on to have a nice conversation and I was able to give her a lot of important information about working with Peter. When she found out we'd moved from Utah she got really excited and asked if we were Mormon. I said yes, and she said, "Me too!" That was an unexpected discovery. I hope she'll be a good fit for Peter. His success last year was due largely to how much his teacher loved him and wanted to see him succeed. I think that's an important part of the recipe for Peter.

Oh, and Cooper had his Kindergarten assessment today. From what I can tell his teacher only asked about letters and reading related items. What's this thing at the end of the line of words? A period. What does it do? It ends the sentence. Her comment when they emerged was, "Wow, he really knows his letters. I mean, uppercase, lowercase, he really knows them." I said, yes, he does. There were no questions about numbers, nothing about writing. I guess that means that Cooper is well prepared for this class. And that I'll need to keep challenging him with additional activities at home.

Visual Proof

I have pictures! Not all of them, but a few. Why not share what I have?

Here we have Cooper on his first day of Kindergarten. He had a Star Wars shirt (it had a picture of Darth Vader playing the drums) all picked out when we discovered we had the wrong size. So he quickly redesigned his outfit, including the painstaking process of picking cool coordinating socks. And tucking in his shirt was all his own idea.

Here he is in the classroom, looking more like the funny boy we see at our house everyday.

And here is the cool drop-down library that lives in the middle of their school. The boys are more excited to visit this room than any other in the school.

Firsts

Today was the first day of school. I have pictures, but for a handful of reasons, I can't access them. I'll work on that and see if I can add them at a future date. You'll just have to trust that they exist.

We decided to walk today. We'd looked up the route and practiced the walk last week. This morning we left with plenty of time and made it all the way there with Phoebe walking and the stroller full of school supplies for the boys' classes. On the way back I was starting to tire and I wondered if I'd read the distance correctly. When we got home I looked it up. It was a two-mile round trip, which is a touch longer than I had planned on.

We found Peter's room first. He had been really excited to play the role of the big brother and walk Cooper to his class each morning, so he was visibly disappointed to learn that his class had an external door and that he would not be entering the main part of the building at all. Add to that his teacher is very strict and she used M&Ms (which may be contaminated with peanuts and therefore off-limits to Peter) for a major class activity and didn't understand why Peter wouldn't go near them, and his first day was a little rough. The nurse at this school is fantastic, but I'm wondering if a little more instruction needs to happen with his teacher. I'll be stopping to talk to the nurse tomorrow when I take Peter, if I can convince him to go back.

Cooper had a better day. He was quite nervous and told me several times that he didn't want to go, he'd rather just stay home. He also unleashed all kinds of naughty on us this morning, which I think was probably an outcropping of the anxiety. Once we started walking though, he calmed down. His teacher is very sweet and chatted with me about plans to help Cooper stay dry (since he regularly refuses to use the bathroom) while he confidently unloaded the two bags of stuff we'd acquired for the class. At the end of the day he ran toward me with a huge grin and reported that he had recess and lunch and colored and played and went on a tour of the school.

And the best part? He was dry! We asked Cooper if his teacher had had him use the bathroom and his response was, "Yeah, a lot!"

Phoebe and I had a girl day that included going to the library, Walmart, and watching My Little Pony. She had a ball. Cooper doesn't go back until Monday and I'm afraid that she's not quite ready to go back to sharing me.

So it was good for Cooper and Phoebe, but the day could have been better for Peter.

Talk Radio

Thanks to everyone that has shared their faith and prayers on behalf of my dear friends. We're still praying for them.

And thanks to those that commented on my post last week about the mixed messages we get as mothers. I've loved reading your responses. As I've continued to ponder this topic over the last few days, I've thought about what you've written and how and where to apply those things.

Tonight as I was preparing to clean the kitchen for the night (because waking up to a clean kitchen helps my day run smoother), I was glancing at Facebook. A friend had shared a broadcast from the Mormon Channel. Wanting something to listen to, I clicked on the link and went to work.

The topic? Keeping Your Sanity in a Home of Little Ones. Really. They touched on a few of the subjects that I wrote about and more that I've been thinking about. It didn't provide a complete answer, but it did bring comfort and understanding. If you have thirty minutes and need a boost, especially regarding this topic, I recommend it.

An Important Request

One of my favorite people in the world is my friend Gretel. She and I were roommates in college, we took several classes together, worked in neighboring departments at BYU, and she was one of my bridesmaids at my wedding. We love the time that we spend with Gretel, her husband Will, and their two darling children.

I found out tonight that Will went into cardiac arrest this morning. He is currently in a medically induced coma. He's just a little older than Bryan, so still quite young to have gone through this.

Cooper and Phoebe were already asleep when we found out, but Peter was still up and heard me gasp and wanted to know what was wrong and why I had tears in my eyes. When we told him, he asked if we could say a prayer. Right there in the hallway, the three of us did.

I rarely make a request like this, but would you remember Will and Gretel and their children in your prayers as well?

Thank you.