She is finally getting it- I hope!

Having a teenager is tough! Last week we celebrated Vai's 15th Birthday with family and had a great time. We love Vai and are very thankful to have her as part of our family. Teenagers sometime do some things that make you ask what were you thinking? Well Taylor and I have been working on building trust with Vai. Vai had a difficult past with her biological family and most of them live out of state now so she doesn't see them often. She has one biological brother that is here in Salt Lake and is married. Although they didn't really grow up together the blood runs deep and and she lovers her brother but does not see him often either he still parties and hangs out so it's not his first priority. Just before Christmas we found out he had been arrested by INS and is being deported back to Tonga since he is here illegally. The news was heartbreaking to Vai it is really the only family she has here. Although she doesn't see him ofter it is just knowing he is here and he is her brother. We invited his wife to her party last weekend and she came. She asked us if she could take Vai up to Ogden to see her brother today since Sunday is the only day they allow visitors. We told her she could go so she got up and ready this morning since she was supposed to be picked up at 9. Her ride called about 10:30 and said she was on her way. Taylor and me and the kids left for church at 11. We were sitting in sacrament when about 11:40 Vai walks in with puffy eyes. Pala had called to tell her she wasn't coming anymore because she couldn't find her ID. Vai was devastated. Vai decided to get dressed and walked to church. When she walked in to sacrament and sat down next to me and she told me what happened I was devastated for her. After sacrament I gave Vai a hug and told her how proud I was of her for getting dressed and coming to church. She is 15 and could have easily chose to stay home and take a nap or listen to the radio or watch a movie but she came to church. In Relief Society our lesson was about our leaders and the qualities that make them leaders and about Zion's Camp. Sister Melville put a quote on the board that went something like this, " To teach them correct principles that they may learn and lead that they may govern themselves. " I read that quote and was overcome with Spirit and felt that this lesson was just pertaining to our leaders in the church which is what our lesson focused on today but that it pertained to us as parents as leaders of our children. We are here to teach them correct principles that may learn and lead and be able to govern themselves. With my experience with Vai today I realized how powerful just the example of going to church every Sunday, and especially today, we are teaching our children. When she had a choice today she made a very good one. After church we got in our car to drive home and again told her how proud I was of her and it choices like this today that build our trust her so that she can govern herself. See had I not gone to church today I would have missed this also!

Where I needed to be most....

Yesterday I worked a 12 hour day. I left my home at 8am and didn't get home until 10:30pm. My husband was home with our kids until about 2pm when he left for work. I did speak with him many times during the day and asked him if the kids had done any work. His reply was yes the kids have done some cleaning up. Well I come home and I am exhausted and my house is a disaster! The dishwasher that I had loaded Friday night but didn't start because I knew there would be enough dishes after breakfast that somebody could add si it would then be full and start it. Yes, I am trying do my part in conserving water too. Well I guess I have really wishfull thinking. I came home had to put kids to bed and I was too exhausted to even really notice or look. I wake up this morning and go in to my kitchen to find the sink overflowing with dishes. I thought I would unload and load it back up because I hate dishes in the sink. Well I realized nobody had done a dang thing yesterday because everything in the dishwasher was still dirty and it just set me off. We had no clean glasses, silverware, or bowls. I didn't want to trun on the dishwasher because everybody needed baths for church and there wouldn't be any hot water so that means the mess was going to have to be around a little longer. Now I am kind of upset at myself that I just didn't make them all take cold baths. My punishment was that I didn't make them breakfast and told them they would have to eat whatever they could eat with their hands. They made cinnamon toast so I really didn't get my point across I think the cold shower would have been better. I was really not in the mood to go to church at all. I felt that I needed to stay home and get my house in order after all I go back to work tomorrow so if not today when will I get to it. I have come to learn that the times I feel like I don't want to go to church are the times I need to be there the most. I am so thankful for the truth and light I find in the gospel and it's teachings. I am so grateful for the wonderful leaders we have and the sacrifices the make and for their preparations to make these lessons so meaningful. Our most important relationship should be with our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ and I was reminded of that today. I have been so overcome with the Spirit today that had I not gone to church I would have missed out on this and probably would have treated my family, the people what matter most to me so differently. Through the Spirit I have been able to forgive and deal- even though I still have dishes in my sink.

Here's to a New Year

So it's that time again that I look back and wonder where the time went. I start thinking about all those things that I said I was going to do differently, what I want to accomplish, and how I can improve different aspects of my life and my relationships. Well I don't ever right them down and I tend to forget and then I am really not accountable and when this time of year comes around I say hmmm I guess I will have to try again. Well this year I am writing it all down and posting my goals so that I will look at them and be reminded every day. So yes I am just as bad as my children, I need a chore chart. I know by posting my goals in my home I will be accountable not just to myself but to my husband and children and it will make me do it- HOPEFULLY! This past year one of the things I was able to accomplish was that I lost 25lbs. My goal this year is now to tone and build my strength and endurance so I can complete a triathalon. I have been watching what I eat and I also started my running program. I am down 7 lbs in the New Year so far. I have commited to drinking more water and have not had a Diet Coke in two weeks and the headaches haven't been to bad. I have many other more important things to do in this New Year but that's all I will share for now.