Thornton Mom

My sister Annelise announced her engagement to Andrew yesterday.  We are excited for them. My sister Christina, her husband Chris, and their daughter Kate are visiting from Utah for Christmas.  It has been fun to have them.  Last night Kate celebrated her 1st birthday. My friend recommended the book The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister.   (Illustrated Edition) After her recommendation I have heard others talk about what a great book it is.  I asked for it for Christmas.  I will be studying it for the next while in my scripture study. pg. 5 "Certainly it was a great blessing to have the Savior personally preach his gospel message, but that was not the essential reason for which he came.  Others have been his spokesmen, both before and after his mortal advent." --I hadn't ever thought of the Atonement like that before.  That yes what he did and said was perfect and I am so grateful for them but that the reason He came was for the Atonement.  That

Merry Christmas, here are a few highlights of our Christmas Eve and Christmas . . . Making Cookies Christmas Eve Daddy diligently making sausage balls Waiting to come down the stairs Christmas Morning.  We are so excited!! Michael would not get off his car all morning.  He kept grunting at anyone near him in hopes that they would push him around the room. Samantha got an art easel, she also got 3 rainbow looms, we are going to have quite the collection of bracelets at our house. John Derek got a new bike and didn't want to stop riding.  As soon as the sun was up he was off. Elizabeth and her new phone.  She now feels that she is the coolest thing out there.  Which she is!!! Maddie and her pink kitchen with a washing machine.  She took all of her gifts and stuffed them in all the shelves. So I have been trying to understand the scripture in Matthew 18:5-- “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." 

Hubbies are awesome.  I have been trying for the past week to get my phone pictures to show up on my blog account but with no success.  I presented the problem to Derek and withing 3 min. he had it fixed.  He is wonderful and so smart. Samantha and her friend took all of her rainbow loom bands and connected them together to form one long rope.  It was so long that they took it outside and had the boys jump over it.It was fun to see them all playing together.  We have great neighbors and friends.  The neighbor kids usually come over to our house after school.  They play outside most of the afternoon and then sometimes end up inside on a rainy day.  We enjoy it. Celebrating Covenants , Bonnie D. Parkin, "Celebrating Covenants", Ensign, May 1995, 78 "Father in Heaven knows us as individuals. The covenants we make with Him are performed one on one. President H

Before Michael got his first hair cut. His bangs were getting so long that he either needed a hair clip or a cut. I didn't think his dad would be happy if I put a clip in his son's hair so I made an appointment and away we went. He was very cooperative and let the stylist trim his hair.  She didn't cut a lot off which I was actually really happy about because then he still has a little curl in back and doesn't look too much like a big boy yet.  Even dad had a hard time noticing that he had gotten it cut. I do think it is really cute. After  Today I read a talk We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father , Elaine S. Dalton, April 2013 General Conference As daughters of God we are each unique and different in our circumstances and experiences. And yet our part matters—because we matter. Our daily contributions of nurturing, teaching, and caring for others may seem mundane, diminished, difficult, and demea

Elizabeth is having a difficult time becoming a young woman and all the "joys" that go with it.  She was complaining that boys have it so easy which led her into "Why do the boys get the priesthood and we don't?"  That is a question that I have battled for years.  Over time, when I was ready, the Lord would tell me a little.  And sure enough little by little my heart changed until I was able to easily explain to my daughter why boys get the priesthood and women get to be nurturers.  It is amazing to me how Satan has put such a rift in our society.  He has made such a competition between men and women.  He has made the women feel that they need to be like the men but never has he made the man feel that he needs to be like a woman.  If we women would value our role in this world, see the importance of being a nurturer as our ancestors did we would not feel oppressed or degrated.  Yes, it is true that in history women have been oppressed in several ways and

Samantha was board one day and I prayed for help to know what to do.  I got the idea of having her stuff the Christmas Cards.  I remember doing this as a child and was not very excited about it but Samantha was delighted.  She organized everything into piles and folded the letter, got the pictures, and stuffed the envelope.  She was so enthusiastic that her siblings and friend even joined the fun for a while.  Her lease favorite part was licking the envelope.  As each child joined the "fun" they were the designated sealer. I went to the temple and really felt the love of my Savior.  I am struggling right now with PMDD.  It's like PMS so it occurs once a month but instead of just being grumpy and moody you are grumpy and moody to your family.  I get irritated quickly, am extremely anxious, have difficulty making decisions and I don't feel like myself.  I have a harder time feeling the Spirit and hearing the words of the Lord.  I have had this since John Derek w

Maddie had her Christmas Program at preschool.  As we got ready for the program she put on a red velvet dress and we did her hair in pigtails.  She then told me she had to put on her cute eyes so she fluttured her eyelashes and then looked up at me.  She is adorable and loves to use that to her advantage.  She is the beautiful one on the top row far right. After the Program Grandmommy took us out for lunch.  She went into the play area while we waited for our food.  When we all sat down to eat she told us that there was a boy in the play area who told her that she was beautiful.  He made quite an impression upon her.  Boys always have a great influence upon us women even when we are only 4. We Are a Covenant-making People , Elder Joseph Anderson , of the First Quorum of the Seventy "However, Israel of old failed to keep the covenants, and as a result the Lord was displeased with them and calamities befell them. The Church of Jesus Christ o

Every year we make chocolate covered pretzels.  I love white  chocolate covered pretzels.  When I was a teenager I would make them and remember deciding then that this would be an activity I would do with my children at Christmas.  So they are now quite experienced at making them.  We then give them to their teachers as a gift.  The kids have fun making them and we all have fun eating them.  Sometimes the teacher's amount is small but this year they did good and each teacher got a good amount. Witnesses for God Henry B. Eyring, "Witnesses for God", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 30 "Again I have a caution and a promise. The caution is that sorrow will come from failure either to love or to bear witness. If we fail to feel and show honest concern for those we approach with the gospel, they will reasonably distrust our message. But if out of fear of rejection we fail to

I have been worried a while now about John Derek and his ability or lack of ability to read.  The last few weeks I feel that the Lord has really guided me to know what I should do for him.  I ended up talking to my neighbor a while ago about her son and the frustrations she has gone through with our school system.  How she felt that they didn't help him until he was failing and now he is far behind his peers and that is is affecting him emotinally as well. I did not want this for my son so I sent an email to his teacher telling her his history and the learning concernses we have had.  She wrote back and had set up a meeting with some other people at school to discuss him and discuss the best action we could take. Derek and I attended that meeting yesterday.  I was amazed at how strongly I felt the Spirit guiding me to know what to say and when to say it.  They said that he is so close to being at grade level that maybe he just needs a little more practice.  Then the vice pr

Maddie was playing princesses with her castle and figurines when Elizabeth decided to join her.  They had a talent show and sang Disney songs.  It was so fun.  I love to see Elizabeth play with her siblings.  I love to see her play with toys because I know it won't be long before she will feel too grown up for that.  But I hope she never looses that childlike imagination.  It will help her in her life if she keeps that tucked away in her heart to be pulled out when when she is a mom and her daughter wants to play princesses.  I think I wanted to grow up so fast that I pushed that away and now it is hard to find it again. Today was a lonely Sunday.  Derek was gone for about 12 hours.  I am up late just trying to grasp what is on my mind and why I am still awake.  I was thumbing through the Ensign and came across this poem.  This helped me remember why I am willing to give my husband to the Lord, to be a bishop's wife and to know that my sacrifice is not forgotten: Willing

My fabulous kids put together an assembly line and got our Christmas Cards ready to mail.  I now have a huge stack of cards to send out.  I hope they get there in time for Christmas. Last night our ward had a talent show.  I signed our family up to do a lip sync.  Here it is for you to enjoy!!  Elizabeth and I did the choreography to an upbeat rendition of Popcorn Popping. I was reminded this morning as I tried to get ready for Primary that I need to focus on Christ this Christmas.  It is a lot easier said than done.  We ave been too "busy" to do our secret elves this Christmas so I decided to start that again.  The kids have been excited.  An elf polished daddy's shoes, put out Samantha's clothes, and even put up Christmas lights in Maddie's closet since her lamp broke.  I hope we can do service in our family as well as for others to help bring Christ into our Christmas. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says: May we take ti

I found the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Netfix and bribed Maddie and John Derek with it.  They quickly got ready for bed and sat down to watch the movie.  John Derek was excited by all the car races and Maddie loves the singing.  It is a long movie so we have watched it 2 different nights and still haven't finished it.  It is fun to sing the songs with them.  We gone around the house singing "Oh you pretty chitty bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang we love you."  Then John Derek jumps up and "explodes" with his arms and legs and yells "bang bang." Aren't they so cute together?  When I left the room they were in different chairs.  When I returned they looked like this. I have decided to study Covenants .  On lds.org they have a Gospel Topics study section.  I love being able to choose a topic I am interested in and learn more about it.   Mosiah 5:7-9 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the

Derek got me a new cell phone for "Christmas."  It is so fun but I can't get it to display my pictures onto my blog account.  So that is why I haven't done anything for a few days.  I am still working on the pictures. But good news Maddie today started Speech Therapy.  We have had a hard time understanding her for a while now and it hasn't gotten better.  Today the therapist called and we scheduled when she will be coming in.  We even got to start today.  She had fun and is looking forward to next time.  I feel blessed that the School System is paying for it, that we can do it so close to home, and that we got this figured out now and not in Kindergarten.  Also, today I got an email from PNP (Portable North Pole). It is a fabulous website that every year has a video that you can send your kids via email from Santa.  You can customize it to each of your children and even choose if they are naughty or nice.  We love it and have been doing it for the last s

My beautiful daughter Elizabeth has done something that I knew would happen but I have a hard time admitting.  She has surpassed me in height.  She has been eager for this day for a long time.  She loves to be able to say that she can look "down" on me.  My amazing 11 year old daughter is 5'9 1/4" and I am 5'9".  I wonder how many of my children will be taller than me.  I do think that it is wonderful that she is tall.  Being tall has so many advantages.  I love shopping with my mom and my aunts, who range from about 5'9" to 6'2", and being able to just look up over the crowd and being able to easily spot them.  Being tall helps you hide your weight really well.  Being tall allows you to get the item from the top shelf of the grocery store without having to get anyone. Better yet is when someone recognizes your height and asks you to get something off the top shelf for them.  Today I read a talk by Carole M. Stephens , First Counse

As I was typing upstairs I kept hearing a loud banging sound coming from downstairs.  As I came down to investigate this is what I found: Oh what fun he was having.  I think if he wouldn't have heard the camera click he would have climbed in the cabinet.  He is truly a 1 year old. Today I continued the talk by Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ( click here to read/listen to this talk) Elder Holland movingly suggested, “I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: ‘Did you love me?’” 24 Tonight I invite each of us to evaluate how much we love the Savior, using as a measure how joyfully we keep our covenants. The Savior said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love h

Elizabeth told me to watch her eat this sour candy.  I grabbed the camera eager for a classic sour face.  But to no luck.  She kept her composure well especially with the added knowledge that I was going to put this on my blog.   Today I read a talk given by Linda K. Burton the Relief Society General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ( click here to read/listen to this talk) I recently met a dear new friend. She testified that after she had received her temple endowment, she felt strengthened with the power to resist temptations she had previously struggled with .--I have to admit that a temptation I have that I find very difficult to overcome is eating.  I love to eat, and not just because food is good but because I truly feel addicted to it.  I can be bursting at the seams and still want to put something in my mouth.  I justify why it is okay to eat all the time.  I can't by snacks for our home because I am the one who ends up eating the