Thornton Mom

 San Diego Day 5 we went to the San Diego Zoo.  It was so much fun!  Mom's favorite part were the giant tortoises.  They were amazing!  We also loved "flying" above the zoo.  Day 6 we went to Belmont Park.  It was a blast!  It was a like a small state fair with all the trimmings even funnel cake.  The kids had a blast going on rides and I loved the wooden roller coaster.  We even got to go on a zipline.  We all loved that.  It was delightful! Over all we had a great time in San Diego.  It was so sweet of my parents to take us all.  We are so grateful for family and for our wonderful grandma and grandpa.  We will miss them as they embark on their new adventure in Sulimaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq as Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   My nephew Tyler is on a mission in California.  He recently sent a letter and talked about The Enabling Power of the Atonement.  ...

I have been doing a lot of contemplating lately.  To begin with I am experiencing some PMDD so this may be some of the reason for my mood.  I have been grumpy with my children and they can’t seem to do anything right and are a huge annoyance.  I know that when I feel this way it I am not fully myself.  But I have also learned that this is the time the Lord uses to teach me. Monday my Uncle and Aunt and two of their kids came to visit us.  I was a little frustrated and overwhelmed that they were coming at such a busy time when I should be getting ready to drive to Utah and buy a new car.  But once they arrived I was reminded how much I enjoy my uncle.  A lot of my child hood and teenage memories are with him especially when it comes to water.  He and my Aunt Ruth were almost like an older brother and sister to me.   John Derek played hard, we all did, it was nice to relax and watch a movie together. When the family did arrive I...

Yesterday we did lots of Dr. Appointments.  Just check ups.  Elizabeth and Michael were very cute together. Wednesday we invited KoKo over to be our Baking Instructor.  She taught the kids how to make shortbread.  It was a lot of fun.   On our 4th day in San Diego we went to Sea World.  I remember as a child loving Sea World.  It was an amazing place and I wanted to grow up and be an Marine Biologist and swim with the Killer Whales.  (Recently I met a woman in my stake who did just that.  For 5 years she worked with the Orcas, and Baloga Whales.  She said that all the negative publicity that has been directed at Sea World recently, that she never saw any of that in the years she worked there.  That it was always wonderful and very positive.) It was also my Birthday.  Derek had gotten me 2 gifts that he completely surprised me on.  He is so cute and my mom got me Mickey Ear rings, Necklace, mugs, and...

We went to a children's museum in San Diego and the rest of the family went and toured the Midway carrier.  We then had a family photo shoot.  Here are some shots that I took! 1 Nephi 8:38 -37  "37  And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them. 38  And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them." As parents we can only tell our children what we want for them and then we have to let them make their own decisions. I can picture him talking to them with the "feelings of a tender parent," hoping that their hearts will be touched and changed. But then he "ceased speaking with them," because there is only so much he can say.   ...

 For the 4th of July we went to the Birtch Aquarium at the Scripps Institute and then the Beach.  It was a fun day to spend with family. As you look at these pictures you will see that my daughter Elizabeth and my brother Heber are no where to be found.  That is because they were thicker than thieves and were always in a different part of the museum than me. 1 Nephi 7:21  "21  And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness" I love that he frankly forgave them and then encouraged them to ask God for forgiveness. I need to forgive my children more quickly. And seek God's forgiveness instead of being mad at Him. Nephi is so humble, he cares more about their relationship with Heavenly Father than about the pain and suffering he had to endure.

Maddie has been praying that she will get a green ribbon at swim team which would mean that she won her heat or her race.  Yesterday she got to do a race by herself and she won the green ribbon.  She was so happy!  It is amazing to me how the Lord answers prayers.  San Diego--visiting the Mormon Battalion Museum on Sunday after Church.  We needed to find parking at the museum but they can only park about 20 cars and all of San Diego wanted to visit Old Town on Sunday, it was impossible to get a parking spot anywhere.  But mom arrived a few minutes after us and was able to get two parking spots and a picnick table for lunch.  As dad says, the difficult mom does the impossible takes her 15 min.  Then we went and visited the San Diego Temple.  Such a beautiful temple. We found out that Daisy our cousin's dog is sick and will have to be put to sleep.  This has been very hard for all my kids.  We were ...

While on our trip to San Diego we each received a blessing from my father.  I was amazed how personal each blessing was, identifying what each person needed without my father really knowing that they needed that.  It was a testament to me of the power of the priesthood. These are a few of the things I remember: Derek--He will always have a good job, he will continue to advance in his profession, he should follow my council, (no pressure :-) Will be given the words to say. Lexia--I will no longer have to depression. Elizabeth--If she reads the Book of Mormon she will come to know of its truth.  She will be know how to take care of her body. I don't remember the others.  My mom recorded them and I hope she types them up because they were beautiful!! We also had a devotional every day.  At one point each of my children had to bare their testimonies.  Here are some highlights: Elizabeth--She really wanted a picture of an Elephant when we went ...

For my parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary they invited us all to a beach house in San Diego.  They have been planning this trip for about a year.  I had also decided to have all my kids change their schools to traditional schedule which allowed us the opportunity to go to Utah in August for Aspen Grove.  In March my parents were asked to go to the Church Office Building and meet with the Middle East Africa North Area (MEAN Desk.)  There they were asked to serve another mission in the Middle East.  I love that my parents always put the Lord first and said that they were willing to go.  They explained the plans that had been made this summer and it was agreed that they could finish their plans and leave the beginning of September.  I was so grateful that the Lord had made so many plans for us to be able to spend so much time with them before they leave. On the plane to San Diego.  Samantha and Maddie were buddies throughout the trip. We were...