Thornton Mom

Yesterday I took Michael to the doctor for his hurt leg.  The hope was that he would be better and we would go home splint and cast free.  Instead we were directed to the Children's ER at Wake Med.  How grateful I was that my mother in law stepped in and picked up kids from school, fed everyone pizza, and took care of them while I went to the ER.  What a blessing to have such wonderful in-laws.  The ER is very nice.  I felt very well taken care of it is just a long wait.  Michael loved pushing the big red button on the remote.  This would call the nurse and I would appoligize.  I have a feeling this happens a lot.  Michael was exhausted and I was blessed with ideas like, turn of the lights, lay him on the bed and rub his back, turn on the white noise app, sing him a song, and before long he fell asleep in my arms.  Twice in one week I feel so blessed.  I also felt blessed that my child was not in pain.  I could hear babies and children crying and I kept praying for them a

Michael loves his dad.  It is so fun to see the two of them together.  Michael had brought the book "Brown, Bear, Brown, Bear" to Derek.  Derek read it and then offered other books but Michael would push the other books away and go back to "Brown Bear."  I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for a wonderful husband he is so kind and loving to me and to his children.  He is continually and unselfishly giving of his time and energy.  He is a great example to me of love and sacrifice.  How blessed I am to be married to such a wonderful man. The Infinite Atonement (Illustrated Edition,) by Tad R. Callister: Pg. 163-165--"The compelling, driving force behind [the Savior's] sacrifice was love, not duty or glory or honor or any other temporal reward.  It was love in its purest, deepest, most enduring sense . . . He gave until there was nothing left to give . . . The Savior's love was not a love for the righteous only; it was not an abstract

Elizabeth wanted to do her hair Sunday morning.  She found a website that teaches you how to do the different hairdo's of the princesses.  This one is Elsa's Coronation.  Elizabeth truly felt like a princess all day long. We Believe in Being Chaste David A. Bednar, April 2013 General Conference "Every appetite, desire, propensity, and impulse of the natural man may be overcome by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are here on the earth to develop godlike qualities and to bridle all of the passions of the flesh." My weakness for food can be overcome by the Atonement. My weakness as a mother can be overcome by the Atonement. I am so grateful to my Savior who gave me this gift that I may one day be

Michael went down the slide at the park on Saturday with his sister.  When he got to the bottom he was crying.  She said that his leg had gotten stuck on the way down.  After comforting him he fell asleep in my arms.  When he awoke he wouldn't stand or walk.  Derek and I tried and he would cry whenever we put him in a standing position.  Sunday I took him to urgent care and they could find nothing wrong.  But to protect the growth plates they put his leg in a splint until Friday.  He can't walk or stand.  He has learned to crawl again and is happy to at least be able to move around. Samantha has been in a boot for the last few weeks but we went to the doctor today and she got it off! The Infinite Atonement (Illustrated Edition,) by Tad R. Callistar pg. 157 "Thus, when the agony [of the Atonement] came in its fullest, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined!" I believe I am an "experienced optimist"

John Derek happened to look at the newspaper and found an article in the Parade Magazine entitled: Marathon Survivor Jeff Bauman on the Day Everything Changed , John Derek was mesmerized.  He kept returning the the picture over and over again.  Asking questions about this man and what had happened and how he was surviving now.  I eventually sat down with him and we read the article.  John Derek would ask questions and I would do my best to answer them.  He finally came to the conclusion that this man was very brave and that he must have prayed really hard to be where he is today.  He said a very sweet prayer for Mr. Bauman and posted the article on his wall in his bedroom to remind him.  John Derek is a very empathetic child.  Especially when it comes to someone who is in pain, is weak, is smaller, handicap, younger, etc.  He has a very good heart.  I feel privledged to be his mother.  I hope that with the help of my Heavenly Father I can mold this quality of his into what the Lo

Happy St. Patrick's Day (a little late).  Sorry it took a while we really were sick. So the Leprechaun always comes to our house the night before St. Patrick's Day.  Usually we try to lure him into a trap with Lucky Charms but mom forgot to get them and when she remembered it was Sunday.  I even contemplated going out at 12:00 midnight but Samantha decided to make cup cakes instead.  John Derek prepared the trap.  I was going to get you a picture but the next day Michael found the trap broke in and ate the rest of the cup cake.  John Derek did however leave a note: "Can you let me sy you. No __ Yes___. if I sey you will I git 3 wishis. No__ Yes___. John Derek" The leprechaun replied "try as hard as you can, you can't catch me." Then he left foot prints on the paper we had stuck to the walls.  (He used to leave footprints on furniture but we found it didn't always come off so we asked him a few years ago to only walk on paper and glass.  La

Tuesday we had yet another snow day.  I think my kids have only gone to one or two full weeks of school since Christmas Break.  We got Samantha planting seeds and she got Maddie and John Derek involved.  They had a lot of fun. Then everyone got sick.  We had a stomach bug enter our home and I hope that tonight it will leave.  Derek has been the tail end of this sickness and I am ready for our house to be normal.  Thus I have not written in the last few days because of it. 

Maddie has her first loose tooth.  She has wiggled and wiggled it and Thursday it fell out while she was eating her lunch in the car.  We were delighted.  We put the tooth in a baggie and saved it for the tooth fairy. Thursday evenings Samantha has play practice so my wonderful Elizabeth puts the kids to bed.  Friday morning Maddie came in for scripture study and then realized that she had forgotten to look under her pillow.  Mom had forgotten too.  She was so disappointed when she lifted her pillow and there was nothing there.  Come to find out she had forgotten to put her tooth under her pillow.  The tooth fairy had another chance.  John Derek then told her that it is a good idea to say a prayer that the tooth fairy will come because sometimes the tooth fairy forgets.  That brought each of my children telling their tails of forgetful tooth fairies.  Our tooth fairy really needs to get on the ball.  Maddie immediately went and put her tooth under her pillow. Saturday morning

I got a text from Elizabeth while she was riding home on the bus. "Mom can we eat out tonight im having a ruff day ill tell u about it when i get home." I replied, "I am sorry you are having a rough day.  Do you just mean me and you eat out or the whole family? "Which ever but id think it would be good if we do as a family if we cant its okay" When she got home we talked about what was wrong (middle school drama with friends) but then she said, "I just want a nice evening where I don't have to stress and I can be with my family because then I know I will be happy." I was so happy.  To see my almost 12 year old daughter realize that her family makes her happy was such a blessing.  We went out to dinner, ate, laughed and relaxed.  It was good to be a family.  I am amazed at how much she teaches me about this life, the importance of family, and the power of love.

Recently I had a really bad day.  I was overwhelmed and under appreciated and frustrated.  I asked God, "Is it worth it?  Is all the diaper changes, tears, cleaning, mothering, etc. worth it.  Is it really worth it?"  This question has continued to be on my mind.  (Now before anyone worries that I am having major doubts about myself or the path that I am on let me say that I know I am where I need to be.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, I know in my soul that this is worth it but I want that knowledge to grow.  I want it to make sense in my head.  I want to feel it and to not question it. I want the knowledge and not just the faith.) I have also been studying the Atonement.  Studying how Christ gave everything He had, His whole life, soul, heart to us.  This made me wonder "Was it worth it?"  Did Christ feel, after He performed the Atonement and died for all of us, that His sacrifice was worth it to Himself?"  So was/is Christ happy?  We are told t

I was getting dinner ready when Michael came up to me wanting food.  I gave him about 8 mini rice cakes to pacify him until dinner.  He ate those and then signed for more.  I then gave him a banana and he ate the whole thing.  Again, he signed more.  I gave him a cheese stick thinking surely this will fill him up and he will be okay until dinner.  Again, "Morh, morh, morh, by this time I had finished the hot dogs and cut it up and put it on his plate.  I got the hamburgers off the grill came back and the hot dog was gone.  "Morh, morh, morh, so another hot dot went on his plate, the one pictured, and he finished it in no time.  I was running out of ideas and hot dogs.  I gave him a can of carrots which he at half of then fingered the rest until we all sat down for dinner.  Then he finished the carrot and ate a hamburger bun.  No wonder this child weighs almost 30 pounds and my arms and back are killing me. Last night I had worked out and was stretching.  I have a very so

The weather is so beautiful.  It only lasted a few days and is supposed to start raining today.  But I have tried to spend most of my time outside.  Michael loves being outside.  I tried pinning him in on our deck yesterday but you can see how long that lasted.  He and Maddie had so much fun playing outside.  As I think about how much exercise we have not gotten over the last few months.  I am reminded how much we love being outside an are just waiting for the weather to cooperate so that we can move and be free and get our bodies outside.     Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:4 "for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from th

Samantha is a sweetheart.  She tires so hard to be so helpful.  When she sees someone is sad she will go try to remedy their problem.  This is especially true with Maddison and Michael.  She wants to make them happy.  The Infinite Atonement (Illustrated Edition) by Tad R. Callistar pg. 139--"The Savior would nobly endure the cross, all that man could endure, and much, much more.  Yet amidst it all, there was no revenge, no bitterness, no venom in his soul.  Elder Maxwell observed, "Jesus partook of history's bitterest cup without becoming bitter!" Eliza R. Snow put it poetically: Although in agony he hung, No murm'ring word escaped his tongue. What a good point.  Christ did not complain.  I need to do better about not complaining.  To see the blessings that I do have and to see how much I am loved.  What a great example. pg. 141--Elder McConkie felt similarly: "Again, on Calvary, during the last three hours of his mortal passion, the sufferings

It was a beautiful day Saturday.  We went to the park while Derek was at the temple.  The kids had so much fun.  It was cute to see each one take Michael by the hand and introduce him to a new part of the play ground.  They loved sending him down the slide, swinging him on the swings, and following him around the mazes of toys.  His favorite part was being put on a bridge and having the kids bounce the bridge.  He giggled endlessly.  What a delightful day. Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 23:12 "12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." What a great day that will be. When people value others more than money.

Here are a few moments from our lives: My kids love their dad.  They love to wrestle with him and really play hard.  Here is one of those moments. Michael has discovered the pantry.  He loves to go in there and get into what ever his little hands can find.  Usually it is ramen noodle or packs of lemon aid that he hasn't figured out how to open.  But this day it was rice.  He had been so quiet I knew something was up.  My Visiting Teacher has chickens and occasionally brings me eggs.  She is so sweet.  These were so pretty and so colorful I didn't want to crack them so I took a picture.  What fun God must have had making "Easter Eggs" for the whole year. Elizabeth loves Michael.  She loves to hold him, take care of him, and be his second mommy.  She is a wonderful girl and very good and very responsible.  I am so grateful that she is my oldest child.  She fits the role well.  I truly don't know what I would do without her. We were in the w

We had an early release from school.  It was sleet and rain and a little snow.  The storm was supposed to come in the early afternoon.  School let out 3 hours early.  I asked Derek to come home so that we wouldn't have another drive where he took 3 1/2 hours to get home.  I jumped in the car and started picking up all the kids.  I didn't even know that I was anxious about having them with me but when Samantha and John Derek got in the car I felt a huge relief.  They were safe.  We then picked up Elizabeth, then Maddie, and came home to find Derek already here.  It was such a relief when the sleet started to know that everyone was home and I didn't have to worry about anyone.  When I was younger and we were board we made cookies.  My girls were board and we are having the missionaries over with some others so I asked the girls to make desserts.  They had so much fun.  It was fun to have them in the kitchen baking.  We made blondies, brownies, and cake cookies.  I think w