Thornton Mom

First day of school!!  Eveyone was so excited.  Especially little Maddie.  Since March she has been asking me when she would get to go to kindergarten.  She was tired of preschool and wanted to be a big girl.  We told her she would have to wait until after swim team.  For about the last month she has asked everday when swim team would be over.  Finally we had our last swim even, the weekend, and school. For Kindergarten the first week back the kids only come one day so that the teachers can evaluate them and put the classes together.  Maddie's day was Monday which worked out perfect so that everyone could start on the same day. As Maddie got ready she and Samantha were suck like glue.  Samantha being the doting big sister and helping her out with lunch, backpack, and clothes.  We all walked into school and everyone was eager to help drop Maddie off.  When we got to the room the teacher looked at her and said, "Maddie! are you su...

Elizabeth made a mosaic for her World History Class.  She was very proud.  She has to do one project every week and has fed her class well.  From brownies to cookies to rice crispy treats, they really enjoy when she shows up with food. Maddie made this poster at the beginning of the year.  It is fun to see what is important to her. For FHE we had to color a picture.  John Derek was very proud of how patient he was in working on this picture and how careful he was. Samantha is so cute.  JD is behind her on the wake board.  This is when we went to the Lake for General Conference. "President Henry D. Moyle suggested that when someone speaks we ought to get three things out of the message. First and least important (but still very important), we ought to get what is said. Second, and more important, we ought to have a spiritual experience. Third, and most important, we should keep the commitments we make to ourse...

I wanted to share this experience to help me remember who is in charge and that it will all work out. Yesterday Derek and I went out while Elizabeth took some friends to a Church dance.  As we talked Derek again voiced his concern about Elizabeth and her testimony.  I championed Elizabeth and reminded him about how she knows the right answers, how nice she is becoming, and how when she was younger and we were worried about her testimony I played a song for her, Blessings , and how we both were in tears by the end of the song.  (As the song finished I felt that I should stop worrying about Elizabeth gaining a testimony.  That Heavenly Father knows her heart, that He has a plan and that someday she will know the truth for herself.)  With this reminder Derek was somewhat pacified and we went on with the evening. After getting home Derek went to bed and I waited for Elizabeth's friends to be picked up.  I began to clean the kitchen and wanted to turn on ...

It has been 3 months since we had our TV Fast.  Here is what I learned: I am dependent on electronics for babysitting and entertaining my children.  The fast was not only hard for the kids but hard for me.  I also missed sitting together as a family and watching something on a low key night. My kids are more creative without electronics.  Elizabeth wrote more songs, Samantha and Maddie did more crafts, John Derek even worked on a few projects. My kids are nicer without electronics.  There were not so many fights.  They were more willing to be around each other and got along.  We still had fights and so forth but overall things were more harmonious.   My kids interacted more.  Elizabeth especially spent more time with us.  She was not always up in her room or somewhere watching her phone but was playing with the kids and asking how she could help.  Samantha also was more interactive and not so sedentary. We played ...

This week has been harder than last week was.  Elizabeth put it planely “We’re board!”  They have played all their games, learned all their songs on the piano and ukulele and they are board.  They don’t know how to occupy their time.  So we are all driving each other a little crazy.  I am more uptight, Michael is very clinginy and is constantly asking me, and anyone who comes in contact with him, “can you play with me?” On the positive side Hope has been on lots and lots of walks.  Samantha and John Derek are often outside playing wall ball together.  Elizabeth spends less time in her room and more time with the family.  

Yesterday in the October 2017 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Nelson asked 3 questions: 1. What would your life be like without the Book of  Mormon? 2. What would you not know? 3. What would you not have? I would like to answer those questions for myself. 1. What would my life be like without the Book of Mormon? Without the Book of Mormon my life would be much more confused, much more empty, I would have much more doubt and question more.  I would only be able to rely on the Bible and would have a lot more doubt because of stories and situations that I do not understand.  That seem unclear and questionable.  I would not feel the amazing love I feel from my Savior.  I know I would know He loves me but I wouldn't realize how completely. 2. What would I not know without it? My favorite part of the Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ comes to the Americas .  I love His compassion for the people. ...