For those of you who know me well, I am very touched by music and probably because I tend to be so tender with my feelings. I love this clip because it is such a beautiful reminder that God has given each of us gifts. Our world has become such that we feel it is our privilege to judge others. That must be a temptation of the adversary. I know he is constantly pushing me to judge myself and I am shocked a the number of times a critical thought will jump into my mind about someone I don't even know. I do not have the gift to know peoples hearts as Christ does but I do have the knowledge to know that we are all children of God and it is truly our responsibility to treat each other as such.
John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
May we all try to be a little more Christ-like in how we view others. I know as we do so our lives become so much happier. Enjoy!
(sorry I cannot embed it, just copy the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Happy Easter
This particular Easter has been a time of pondering for me. There is so much pain in the world around us, and especially for several people close to me and I feel my heart ache. Yet I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and has a plan for us. I know this as I study his scriptures, I know this as I pray to him and strive to develop a deeper understanding of my relationship to him, I know this as I feel his sweet love for me and my family from those around me. The Lord loves us and knows that for us to grow and become the great and valiant spirits he sees us to be that we must suffer trials, we must be refined. Through this refining, we have the gift of Christ by our side, having suffered all that we could possibly suffer, and yet he is always there beside us, unlike his last bit of time on this earth before he was crucified. I love this video that I have found and wanted to share with those who are dear to me. What a gift we have been given, true joy is possible, it is accessible, it is ours to have. I feel so grateful to know that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was willing to suffer and die for us, that we may have the eternal blessings that we could not possibly obtain for ourselves. Oh what a sweet feeling it is.
May each of you feel the spirit of Easter, the love of our Savior Jesus Christ, as you ponder and find joy in his sacrifice for each one of us.
May each of you feel the spirit of Easter, the love of our Savior Jesus Christ, as you ponder and find joy in his sacrifice for each one of us.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sarah Time!
Last weekend we were able to meet my sister Sarah and her family in New Orleans for a quick visit. Brian had a business trip there so Ken, the kids and I drove out Friday night and returned home Sunday. We had a wonderful time with Sarah, Brian and Timmy. They flew in late but still had enough energy to come by the hotel and play with the kids. I loved that I had dinner alone with them before they saw the kids so I could play with Timmy and enjoy chatting with Sarah and Brian for a few minutes. On Saturday we spent the day at the zoo, went and saw my mothers childhood home, and then back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool.
Oh what a joy it was to be around them. I feel so blessed to have such amazing family members, so full of goodness and love. Sarah and Brian are so patient and soft with Timmy and the love they have for my children is so apparent. I gain so much from their example and ache for my children to be around them more. Sarah is such a great aunt for Alexandra. She is the perfect example of Christ like love, loving people for the goodness she sees in them and overlooking the little faults. Trevor loves how Brian plays and lets the kids know they are an important part of the group. It is hard for me to come home not live near them.
Oh and Timmy, what a pure joy. That child never tires. He is so full of life and personality always moving and loving the attention of his cousins. And how they love him! I love that he wants to walk everywhere and that water is the peace of his life. (mine too) It was fun to watch the kids each bond with him differently but equally deep. What a wonderful opportunity for us to be with my sister and her family. I'll be crying all week. :)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Great Job Trevor!
Trevor worked hard and finished his bear requirements for Cub Scouts but since we'll be out of town for pack meeting his leaders were kind enough to recognize him during the den meeting last week. Ken did a fire safety FHE on Monday for Trevor's last requirement and it was the kids favorite FHE this year. (Probably because they think their dad rocks!) Of course Grace is still tramatized by the thought of fire but at least she knows what to do.
Officially a Bear!
Officially a Bear!Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Spring Break
Spring Break was just over a week ago and I think I am mourning it's passing. This year has been an emotional roller coaster with Alex starting middle school and Trevor being on his own for the first time, and in the newly built neighborhood school. So .... spring break was a welcome retreat for me and the children. I felt like we all regained the strength we have felt to be such a challenge as we face the world around us. It was such an escape and a bonding time. I hate that school has started again so I will relive our Spring Break joy through the blog.
Monday:
We caught up on some much needed shopping. Alexandra volunteered to keep Grace home with her to make cookies while Trevor and I found a new suit for him. Trevor and I really enjoyed our date and went to the craft store to buy paint by number kits once we found the perfect suit. It was so nice to have that one on one time with him.
Tuesday:
I'm so glad we had those paint kits! Alexandra got sick the night before so we used Tuesday as our 'recovery day' and sat in the breakfast room sunlight as we painted the day away. Trevor realized that the kits were a little more intensive than he cared for so he took over the art project I was doing and I enjoyed his paints.
Wednesday:
Ahh, what a beautiful day! We went to the Houston Arboretum and had a wonderful walk enjoying the world around us. It was so peaceful and the weather could not have been more kind, 70ish with a wonderful breeze. We saw some of the most beautiful things of nature. We even enjoyed a whole slew of snakes, one of which even came across our path so we could see his many ways of moving and we giggled as he couldn't decide if he wanted to come toward us or scoot away. We took our packed lunch and met Ken at work. They have a beautiful area between the buildings with tables, water art, and beautiful landscaping, which is where we enjoyed laughter and sweet moments of conversation with Dad.
(I love this flower picture. Grace loves to pick flowers and this one lasted only long enough to take the picture. As soon as I finished putting the lense cover on Grace showed me her new treasure, freshly picked.)
We couldn't end our day there, however, and finally took the kids scriptures to the bookstore to be engraven with their names. I love how Alex and Trevor both have their distinct desires as Alex had her full name printed but Trevor just wanted the initial for his middle name. They were both so sure of what they wanted, I love it.
Thursday:
Yea, we made it to the zoo. What was really fun is Herman Park was finally finished with their construction so we were welcomed with the beautiful park rather than the barriers we became so accustomed to. Of course, we were able to directly see the lake now and took advantage of the opportunity to rent a paddle boat. Oh it was so fun. Alex and Trevor sat in front, steering and laughing while Grace and I watched from the back. About halfway into our allotted time we all switched seats, much to Alexandras dismay as she feared capsizing, and managed to stay upright. Oh how Grace loved to mimic her siblings power in directing where we went. We finally made it to the zoo and I was so impressed with how well the children worked together to decide where we went. They all picked 2 exhibits they wanted to see and Trevor was so valiant in making sure that everyones desires were met. We even got a funnel cake, the Texas sugar rush.
Friday:
Haha, I laugh even thinking about this day, as it truly was an adventure. Ken had taken the day off so we planned to go to the Safari park in Houston, packed our lunches and made it out the door just in the nick of time. (Alexandra had her first babysitting job that night and we had to be back in plenty of time). Between the drive and the wait in the car line it took us just over an hour to find out they took cash only but there was an ATM just over 3 miles down the road. On to plan B, thanks to Trevor's idea and our GPS for getting us there, we went and played games at Chuck-e-cheese. It's funny how much fun we had be it a simple game trip or a major trip to see the safari animals.
So there you have it. No major trips out of the state, just a wonderful opportunity to enjoy being together! We all enjoyed it and I loved seeing the stress and worry melt from our childrens minds. Even Grace was fed by all the time and attention with her sibilings.
(I'll post pictures when I can figure out how to put them in between the text)
Monday:
We caught up on some much needed shopping. Alexandra volunteered to keep Grace home with her to make cookies while Trevor and I found a new suit for him. Trevor and I really enjoyed our date and went to the craft store to buy paint by number kits once we found the perfect suit. It was so nice to have that one on one time with him.
Tuesday:
I'm so glad we had those paint kits! Alexandra got sick the night before so we used Tuesday as our 'recovery day' and sat in the breakfast room sunlight as we painted the day away. Trevor realized that the kits were a little more intensive than he cared for so he took over the art project I was doing and I enjoyed his paints.
Wednesday:
Ahh, what a beautiful day! We went to the Houston Arboretum and had a wonderful walk enjoying the world around us. It was so peaceful and the weather could not have been more kind, 70ish with a wonderful breeze. We saw some of the most beautiful things of nature. We even enjoyed a whole slew of snakes, one of which even came across our path so we could see his many ways of moving and we giggled as he couldn't decide if he wanted to come toward us or scoot away. We took our packed lunch and met Ken at work. They have a beautiful area between the buildings with tables, water art, and beautiful landscaping, which is where we enjoyed laughter and sweet moments of conversation with Dad.
(I love this flower picture. Grace loves to pick flowers and this one lasted only long enough to take the picture. As soon as I finished putting the lense cover on Grace showed me her new treasure, freshly picked.)We couldn't end our day there, however, and finally took the kids scriptures to the bookstore to be engraven with their names. I love how Alex and Trevor both have their distinct desires as Alex had her full name printed but Trevor just wanted the initial for his middle name. They were both so sure of what they wanted, I love it.
Thursday:
Yea, we made it to the zoo. What was really fun is Herman Park was finally finished with their construction so we were welcomed with the beautiful park rather than the barriers we became so accustomed to. Of course, we were able to directly see the lake now and took advantage of the opportunity to rent a paddle boat. Oh it was so fun. Alex and Trevor sat in front, steering and laughing while Grace and I watched from the back. About halfway into our allotted time we all switched seats, much to Alexandras dismay as she feared capsizing, and managed to stay upright. Oh how Grace loved to mimic her siblings power in directing where we went. We finally made it to the zoo and I was so impressed with how well the children worked together to decide where we went. They all picked 2 exhibits they wanted to see and Trevor was so valiant in making sure that everyones desires were met. We even got a funnel cake, the Texas sugar rush.
Friday:
Haha, I laugh even thinking about this day, as it truly was an adventure. Ken had taken the day off so we planned to go to the Safari park in Houston, packed our lunches and made it out the door just in the nick of time. (Alexandra had her first babysitting job that night and we had to be back in plenty of time). Between the drive and the wait in the car line it took us just over an hour to find out they took cash only but there was an ATM just over 3 miles down the road. On to plan B, thanks to Trevor's idea and our GPS for getting us there, we went and played games at Chuck-e-cheese. It's funny how much fun we had be it a simple game trip or a major trip to see the safari animals.
So there you have it. No major trips out of the state, just a wonderful opportunity to enjoy being together! We all enjoyed it and I loved seeing the stress and worry melt from our childrens minds. Even Grace was fed by all the time and attention with her sibilings.
(I'll post pictures when I can figure out how to put them in between the text)
Starting a Blog
Thanks to my brother Henry I am finally starting a blog. It has been quite the process this morning but I think I may have figured it out. I guess what I really wanted with a blog is to share the things I think about but don't often share with others. Mostly I want a memory for my family and to be a little more connected with those who bring joy to my world. With that being said I'm ready to start my first post. (not the first post Henry was kind enough to start, haha)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
My very first post.
Hey, it's not as dead as most everyone's blogs. I have thought of starting up my own blog but I'm afraid I won't be as diligent as Fran is keeping everyone up to date, then I'd feel lame having a blog. So, I'll just post here. 
Maren
Maren
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