Thornton Mom

Friday we got a copy of Samantha's blood work.  The doctor has not called me but from what Derek and I can tell she is positive for celiac disease.  Celiac is  An immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.  This would mean that our family would have to become gluten free.   I know the depth of this has not completely sunk in.  But there is a large part of me that was hopeful she may have celiac.  Celiac answers so many problems.   As I study more and more I am amazed at how not only do I think she has celiac but I think I have it too.  IBS can often be a miss diagnosis for celiac.  When I was diagnosed 25 years ago I don't think people really even knew what celiac was.  I also learned that 90% of your serotonin (the hormone that regulates, mood, appetite, and sleep) is produced in your GI tract.  This could be the cause of depression and anxiety.   I have pondered a lot the past few months about becoming gluten free.  I honestly feel that

Sometimes on Sunday we invite families over for dessert.  This particular Sunday Michael and Samantha decided to welcome the families to our homes with chalk art. Michael was very proud of his rainbow and thought it looked just like big sisters. Samantha made a beautiful rainbow that Michael wanted to emulate. The Atonement by Elder Russell M. Nelson "But  mortal  life,  glorious  as  it  is,  was  never  the  ultimate  objective  of  God’s  plan.  Life  and  death  here  on  planet  Earth  were  merely  means  to  an  end—not  the  end  for  which  we  were  sent." Sometimes it is hard to remember--that there is more--that this truly in not the end all. "That  brings  us  to  the  Atonement.  Paul  said,  “As  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.”   14    The  Atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  became  the  immortal  creation.  He  volunteered  to  answer  the  ends  of  a  law  previously  transgressed.   15    And  by

 What are these weird pictures of??  Derek had the brilliant idea of playing freeze tag in the dark.  We got glow necklaces and bracelets, went to the gym at the church and ran around playing freeze tag.  It was lots of fun!! Everyone laughed and participated.  It was good to have an activity that we could do together and have fun with.  Elizabeth could switch direction quickly.  Samantha's laugh was contagious.  John Derek was the hardest to catch, Maddie brought along her bunny and kept trying to "freeze" the bunny.  Michael kept tagging everyone even though he was not it. The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope James E. Faust “During  those  long, prayerful  moments  …  I  tapped  into  a  life giving  source  of  comfort  from  my  loving  Heavenly  Father.  I  sense  that  he  was  not  standing  by  glaring  at  me  for  not  having  accomplished  forgiveness  yet;  rather  he  was  sorrowing  with  me  as  I  wept.  … “In  the  final  analysis,  what  ha