Hide!

The kids have taught Topher to play hide and seek. He'll run around with them yelling "Ide! Ide!" It's very cute. On Sunday the kids played after church. Topher saw Peter tucked behind the curtains and decided that would be a great hiding place for him too.

Twisted

Thanks Aunt Leah and Uncle Jordan for the fun Christmas gift!

The Rest of the Goals

In addition to our personal goals, our family made some goals to help us study The Book of Mormon using the Come, Follow Me program. We did this last year too. Those 2019 goals inspired our 2020 goals.

Things we want to do as part of our gospel study time in 2020:

• Singing time and activities
• Role Playing
• Play games
• Read scriptures together
• Respect and reverence
• Take turns teaching

We also introduced our family scripture for 2020. We didn't have one of those in 2019, I wanted to focus on figuring out the Come, Follow Me program instead. But I missed having a verse that we memorized and thought about all year long. And picking the verse this year was easy, it came to me right away. It's now hanging in our playroom so we all see it everyday.

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. -2 Nephi 32:3

Princess Ride

The girls and I were invited on a princess carriage ride with a good friend from our neighborhood. Thankfully we're having an unseasonably warm winter, so we didn't totally freeze as we rode around town. All the girls had a grand time. Queen Elsa and the girls even got to sing Let It Go together, as captured in the final picture.

Almost All the Goals

I had been thinking about my goals for the new year for the past few weeks, but writing my talk on Saturday ratcheted up my pondering. Plus, there's a new program for the youth and children at church that is very goal based, so most of our family has been discussing plans for 2020. With their permission, I'm sharing the kids goals so they have a record of what they want to accomplish.

Peter:

• Be a good example to others.
• Study hard in school.
• Do Come Follow Me every day.
• Stay away from any inappropriate topic, language, or anything else inappropriate.
• Read scriptures daily.
• Pray daily.
• Pay attention in school.
• Attend seminary every day. (In 9th Grade)
• Go to every stake/multistake dance.
• Go to every youth temple trip.
• Go to all other youth activities.

Cooper:

• Pray daily, every morning and every night
• Read my scriptures daily and pay attention in church, listen more
• Get stronger muscles and exercise daily
• Speak more clearly so people can understand me better
• Get better at piano and violin and practice daily
• Learn to play The Witch Doctor on the piano

Phoebe:

• Read scriptures daily
• Play a sport
• Make good friends
• Be in a play
• Learn Sign Language
• Play the harp

Sophie:

• Grow my testimony by sharing it
• Go to church
• Read scriptures
• Sleep enough
• Play soccer
• Do ballet
• Stand up for people
• Learn to play the ukulele
• Learn about Jesus

Topher isn't quite to the age of making goals, and Bryan doesn't make New Year's Resolutions because he believes in making new goals throughout the year. But I do.

My goals for 2020:

• Publish a blog post every weekday
• Read at least 52 books
• Deepen my scripture study and preparation to teach the Come, Follow Me lessons at home and at church
• Exercise at least three times per week
• Sleep more than I did in 2019 (In theory this one should be easy since I didn't sleep much last year, but sleep is never easy at our house.)
• Practice the piano at least three times per week

What goals do you have for this year?

Reading List: 2019

I didn't realize how much I would enjoy getting to look back at the books I've read over the course of the year, but it brings me all kinds of joy. And I feel shockingly productive seeing everything I've read. The books I read for my book club are italicized, the books that were exceptionally profound are underlined. My reading goal for the year was fifty-two books. In the end, I read one hundred and thirty. I love that I read so much, but I do think I'll probably read fewer books next year and shift my focus to a larger variety of activities.

Of course, these are all audiobooks, so there's a solid chance I'll still read/listen to a ton of books while I do other things at the same time. That's how I get through so many. After the kids go to sleep at night, or during nap time while the big kids are at school, I put my headphones on and get to the many mindless tasks for which I'm responsible. If not for audiobooks, I would be much more reluctant to do laundry.

And yes, I've already started my book list post for 2020.

January:

1. The Gateway We Call Death by President Russell M. Nelson
2. The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
3. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
4. On the Lord's Errand by Ardeth G. Kapp
5. Silent Souls Weeping by Jane Clayson Johnson
6. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
7. Grit by Angela Duckworth
8. Courage to Be You by Jason F. Wright and Gail Miller
9. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
10. Gmorning, Gnight: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda
11. John 14:15 by John Bytheway
12. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai

February:

1. Monument Men by Bret Witter and Robert M. Edsel
2. You Are Lionproof by Ganel-Lyn Condie
3. You Are More Than Enough: You Are Magnificent by Ganel-Lyn Condie
4. Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
5. Leadership in Turbulent Times by  Doris Kearns Goodwin
6. The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore
7. A Simplified Life by Emily Ley
8. First Sisters by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
9. Blessed by Lloyd D. Newell and Mary Jane Woodger

March:

1. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
2. One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
3. The Sports Gene by David Epstein
4. Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
5. The Strength Switch by Lea Waters
6. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan
7. Leonard by William Shatner with David Fisher
8. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
9. Insights From a Prophet's Life by Sheri Dew
10. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited by Clayborne Carson

April:

1. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
2. General Conference October 2018 Ensign (My friend included this on her reading list and I thought that was a great idea. I always revisit General Conference talks, so I'm adopting this to my list.)
3. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne
4. Insights From a Prophet's Life by Sheri Dew (Yep, I reread it to prepare for my book club.)
5. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
6. That We May Be One by Tom Christofferson
7. The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox
8. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
9. Tomorrowland by Elizabeth Rudnick
10. The Book of Mormon
11. Can I Get an Amen? by Zandra Vranes and Tamu Smith
12. I Can Choose Joy With God compiled by Ganel-Lyn Condie

May:

1. Maximus: Soldier at the Cross by Richard L. Black
2. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
3. Sunshine for the Latter-day Saint Mother's Soul by various authors
4. On the Rollercoaster Called Motherhood by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
5. General Conference May 2019 Ensign
6. Flush by Carl Hiaasen
7. Born to Change the World by Brad Wilcox
8. Holy As You Are by Christie Gardiner
9. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
10. Amazing Grace by Brenton G. Yorgason and Donald P. Mangum

June:

1. Lighten Up! Finding Real Joy in Life by Cheiko N. Okazaki
2. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
3. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
4. Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
5. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
6. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
7. Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson
8. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
9. Aloha! by Chieko N. Okazaki
10. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
11. General Conference May 2019 Ensign
12. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
13. More Than the Tattooed Mormon by Al Fox Carraway

July:

1. What We Wish We'd Known When We Were Newlyweds by John and Kimberly Bytheway
2. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
4. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
5. The Report Card by Andrew Clements
6. Cat's Cradle by Chieko N. Okazaki
7. Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
8. Crossings by Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye
9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
10. Thou Shalt Be Nice by Hank Smith
11. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

August:

1. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2. Stay in the Lifeboat by Brad Wilcox
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
4. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
5. The Power of Remembering by Virginia H. Pearce
6. Becoming by Michelle Obama

September:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
2. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
3. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
4. Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
5. The Loving Marriage by Rand H. Packer
6. The Book of Mormon
7. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
8. The Burnout Cure by Julie de Azevedo Hanks

October:

1. Let Love Have the Last Word by Common
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
3. Songs of America by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
6. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
7. 10% Happier by Dan Harris
8. Bringing Up Moral Children by A. Lynn Scoresby
9. The Pioneers by David McCullough
10. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
11. The Heavens are Open by Wendy Watson Nelson
12. Get a Clue by Matthew O. Richardson

November:

1. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson
2. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
3. The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury
4. Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack
5. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
6. The Book of Mormon (we finished reading this as a family)
7. Devil's Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack
8. Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack
9. Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack
10. Redeemer by David Butler

December:

1. Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack
2. Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack
3. Tres Leches Cupcakes by Josi S. Kilpack
4. Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack
5. Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack
6. Fortune Cookie by Josi S. Kilpack
7. Wedding Cake by Josi S. Kilpack
8. The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
9. The Candy Cane Caper by Josi S. Kilpack
10. Almighty by David Butler
11. Go and Do by David Butler
12. Tales of Christmas by Richard M. Siddoway
13. The New Testament
14. Come Follow Me New Testament-For Individuals and Families
15. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
16. 21 Days Closer to Christ by Emily Belle Freeman
17. The Book of Mormon

A Year in Review

As I said on Monday, Cooper wasn't the only person in our family to give a talk on Sunday. I was the concluding speaker for Sacrament Meeting. My assigned topic was A Year in Review - Challenges and Promises from President Nelson. This was a tricky subject, mostly because it felt like I was giving a book report. But I think I was able to bring enough of a personal connection that it worked. And it was helpful for me to review the words of the Prophet.

This isn't the exact version that I gave. I knew the talk was about a minute too long, but I wasn't sure how the meeting would run, so I left it as it was. Then, while sitting on the stand and watching the clock, I edited. Then, as I was delivering the talk, I did some more editing. That was kind of exciting. Thankfully, Bryan said he couldn't tell I was cutting stuff on the fly.

A Year in Review

It’s that wonderful time of year when we’ve opened all the Christmas gifts, we’ve spent time with family, we may not know what day it is because we’ve been wearing pajamas all week, we’ve reflected back on the last twelve months, and now we have the chance to look forward to a new year and new possibilities. 

While pondering my own upcoming goals, I looked back at my New Year’s resolutions for the last ten years and I found some common themes. I often decide to make sleep a greater priority. This is a consistent failure. I also resolve each year to journal each weekday by writing on our family blog. This is a consistent success. I include goals about reading lots of books and improving my personal Gospel study and being physically active. Some years I add in a goal to help me as a parent such as in 2011 when I wanted to “Smil(e) at my children more than I scowl at them” and 2016 when I wanted to “Speak kindly to my children, even when their behavior makes me feel like my head is going to explode.” 

Have you thought about what you want to accomplish in 2020? 

Over the course of 2019, President Russell M. Nelson gave several addresses to the members of the church. In these talks he challenged us to do specific things, and promised wonderful blessings in return. In preparation to speak today I reviewed seven of these talks. I’ll share five of them with you. I was struck by how often he repeated himself to each group, emphasizing those common themes and directives.

During the April 2019 General Conference, President Nelson spoke to the men and young men of the church. This was a rousing call to repentance titled We Can Do Better and Be Better. He exhorted the men of the church to repent daily. He said, “Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance —of doing and being a little better each day.” In the same talk he said, “Brethren, prayerfully seek to understand what stands in the way of your repentance. Identify what stops you from repenting. And then, change! Repent! All of us can do better and be better than ever before.”

In addition to preaching repentance, he admonished the men of the church to examine how they treat the women in their lives. He said, “Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy. That will tell you where your heart is. Pray to have your heart attuned to your wife’s heart. Seek to bring her joy. Seek her counsel, and listen...If you have a need to repent because of the way you have treated the women closest to you, begin now… Never be the reason that a woman is unable to receive her temple blessings.”

Throughout the course of this talk he kept repeating this challenge: repent, repent, repent, because it is so important. But he included a profound promise. He said, “The Lord needs selfless men who put the welfare of others ahead of their own. He needs men who intentionally work to hear the voice of the Spirit with clarity. He needs men of the covenant who keep their covenants with integrity. He needs...worthy men who can be called upon at a moment’s notice to give blessings with pure hearts, clean minds, and willing hands. The Lord needs men eager to repent —men with a zeal to serve and be part of the Lord’s battalion of worthy priesthood bearers.” Here’s the promise: “I bless you to become those men. I bless you with the courage to repent daily and learn how to exercise full priesthood power. I bless you to communicate the love of the Savior to your wife and children and to all who know you. I bless you to do better and be better. And I bless you that as you make these efforts, you will experience miracles in your life.”

At the October 2019 General Conference, President Nelson turned his attention to the women and young women of the church and spoke about the Priesthood in his talk Spiritual Treasures. While his talk to the men had been replete with admonishments, his talk to the women was full of blessings. He encouraged us to learn about our own personal and divine connection to the Priesthood. He taught, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God… Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how to draw upon that power… Sisters, you have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your family and others you love.”

He gave us specific things to study saying, “I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you.” And then later, “I entreat you to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power. You might begin with Doctrine and Covenants sections 84 and 107.” Our Prophet has told us that we need to learn about the Priesthood! I love this! 

He also asked the women to do something that he had asked the men to do. To the women, he said, “Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world.” I’ll repeat his similar injunction to the men. He said, “Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy.” We all need to look at how we’re using our time and make adjustments so our focus is where it should be. He promises: “As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.”

He closed with beautiful promises to the sisters of the church, “As your understanding increases and as you exercise faith in the Lord and His priesthood power, your ability to draw upon this spiritual treasure that the Lord has made available will increase. As you do so, you will find yourselves better able to help create eternal families that are united, sealed in the temple of the Lord, and full of love for our Heavenly Father and for Jesus Christ.”

In September President Nelson gave a devotional address at Brigham Young University in Provo titled The Love and Laws of God. He spoke of five truths. These truths are

1. You are sons and daughters of God.
2. Truth is truth.
3. God loves every one of us with perfect love.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ, whose Church this is, appoints prophets and apostles to communicate His love and teach His laws.
5. You may know for yourself what is true and what is not by learning to discern the whisperings of the Spirit.

Here, right at the end of a wonderful discourse on truth, came the challenge. He said, “My dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to seek earnestly a confirmation from the Spirit that what I have told you is true and is from the Lord. He has declared that we may seek knowledge from heaven and expect to receive it: “If thou shalt ask,” the Lord promised, “thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge.”...Ask your Heavenly Father if we truly are the Lord’s apostles and prophets. Ask if we have received revelation on this and other matters. Ask if these five truths are, in fact, true.”

This is very similar to what he asked us to do at the conclusion of his April General Conference talk, Come Follow Me. In speaking to those that have chosen not to make covenants with God, he said, ““Pour out your heart to God. Ask Him if these things are true. Make time to study His words. Really study! If you truly love your family and if you desire to be exalted with them throughout eternity, pay the price now —through serious study and fervent prayer —to know these eternal truths and then to abide by them... If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there —if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.” These words, the challenges and promises so beautifully intertwined, are for all of us.

In his Closing Remarks of the October General Conference, President Nelson told us to teach those around us about the Temple, about what is required to enter these sacred buildings. He asked us to be worthy to enter the Temple, adults and youth alike. He said, “Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible... Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord, to be an honest citizen, to be a better example, and to be a holier person.” He taught that this hard work to achieving worthiness comes with blessings. He said, “ I testify that such preparatory work brings innumerable blessings in this life and inconceivable blessings for the life to come, including the perpetuation of your family unit throughout all eternity “in a state of never-ending happiness.”

Finally, after a year of asking us to do better, to be better, to put aside the things of the world, to study, and pray, and gain our own knowledge and witness of the truths of the Gospel, he asked us to prepare for next April. He said, “General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel. You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price... You may wish to ponder important questions such as, “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?” or “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?” Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable.”

His final promises to us as we undertake these many challenges? “Now in closing, I leave with you my love and my blessing that each of you may become happier and holier with each passing day. Meanwhile, please be assured that revelation continues in the Church and will continue under the Lord’s direction until “the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.””

Our Prophet wants us to become the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be, and he wants us to help prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior. Go back and review for yourselves what he has taught us this past year, then look to the future and make goals that will help you to do better, to be better.

One thing that every talk had in common? He always ends with a firm and steadfast testimony of the Savior. And so should we. I bear my testimony that Jesus Christ lives. He loves us. He has felt our pain, He makes it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I love them both. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Home Decor 2019: Results

Thanks to all who made your guesses. Ready to see if you got them right?

1. Sophie

2. Peter

3. Phoebe

4. Cooper

Thanks to everyone who played!

The Child of Hope

In an effort to give a little more time to guess who made which gingerbread house, I'll delay revealing the answers until tomorrow. For today, I will share Cooper's last talk as a Primary kid. Yesterday was his last day in Primary. The next time we go to church he'll be one of the Young Men.

He was pleased to get to speak on his last Sunday. He was asked to speak about something he learned during the last two weeks of Come, Follow Me. He reviewed the lessons from the manual and chatted with me about them while I wrote my own talk for church (which I'll probably share on Wednesday). Then he got to work writing. He pointed out that in the past he's dictated while Bryan or I have typed, so this was a different process for him to work so independently.

I think it's the best talk he's ever written.

Jesus, the Child of Hope

What wonderful things can a child do? Run, laugh, play, wonder. Jesus was a child of wonder and hope. He brings us hope and lightens our lives. Even when he was a little newborn baby, he brought us joy. Jesus was sent to Earth for a reason. He was on a mission. He made it possible for us to have exaltation, which is to return to Heavenly Father, and be like Heavenly Father. He came on Earth to teach us. To help us. To serve us. He atoned for our sins so we could live with him again. He loves us.

Mosiah 3:5 says, “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.”

This is one of the many great things Jesus can do.

John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Heavenly Father's plan is for us to live with him again. To do this we must obey the teachings of the Lord, and follow the example that Jesus set. We must grow in wisdom and stature.

Jesus died for us, so we can return to live with him again. We will be judged out of the book of life. We will know our mistakes, and Heavenly Father and Jesus will know our mistakes.

Revelation 20:12 says, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

Jesus has experienced what we have. He has felt what we felt. Whether it is happiness, anger, or distress, he is always there.

We must obey, and repent so we can return to live with him again.

I have a testimony that there is a plan. We will return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ if we strive to learn the teachings of the Lord, and if we have hope. I know this to be true. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Home Decor 2019 Edition

Remember last December when the kids decorated gingerbread houses, then you all guessed who the artist behind each house was? The kids got such a kick out of your responses that they asked me to do it again. So, dear readers, I present this year's entries.

Who do you think made each house?

1.

2.

3.

4.