Thornton Mom

My wonderful daughter Elizabeth is doing so great in school.  She has a 4.0.  Friday she received 3 awards at their quarterly award ceremony: High Honor Roll for having a 4.0, Outstanding Participation in her computer class, and the SPLASH award: S - Self Control, P - Pride, L - Leadership, A - Attitude, S - Safety, H - Honesty.  What a great girl I have.  I am so proud of her.  She is a great daughter, she helps me so much.  I could not be the mom I am today without her help.

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 ...

Yesterday I decided that we had had too many electronics on Saturday which had caused  lot of bad attitudes Saturday night and the attitudes were beginning again Sunday morning, so we would take a break for the Sabbath.  The kids complained but soon resorted to my wishes. I went to wake Elizabeth for Church and went a head and told her my idea.  She didn't take it well.  We talked, we fumed, and she would not budge.  Knowing that I had a choice between giving her the phone or having her go to church I decided church was more important.  So I relented and gave her the phone but she still refused to get ready for church.  I threatened consequences but nothing.  During this time I had been praying for help and kept being assured that I was doing fine.  I asked again if the consequences I was about to give her were correct, but instead received direction to praise her. I took a list of things I had written that I like about Elizabeth and ...

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...

Yesterday we had youth activities at church.  The day began with Elizabeth refusing to go because she didn't like what the young women were doing.  I did entertain the idea of letting her stay home but it just didn't sit right with me. John Derek also had a pack meeting, which meant that the whole family was invited.  Samantha did not have activities and was more than willing to stay home and babysit.  That was so tempting.  To be able to go without having to wrestle with the little ones. But then I was reminded that going to activities is just what we do.  That we need to spend more time together as a family.  Even though it would not be perfect it was the right thing to do. I prayed and then took a firm stand.  I kept having doubts about Elizabeth getting in the car and Michael crying to stay home.  John Derek even started to complain that he did not want anyone to go because they embarrassed him.  Again I prayed for strength and...

I have been feeling the need to help our children know that their Father in Heaven loves them.  That if they can have this knowledge in their lives they will be able to believe the gospel, the prophet, understand the priesthood, the temple, the trials, etc. As I have pondered this feeling I have had some of the following thoughts: Pray that Elizabeth will have an experience this summer that will help her KNOW her Father in Heaven loves her.  That this knowledge will be the spark that ignites her testimony and keeps burning strong throughout her life.  Something for her to build upon. In my patriarchal blessing I am counseled, "forgive before the offence is complete."  I need to pray for the strength to forgive my children when my children do something that bother's or annoys me. Pray to see the times in my children's lives that the Lord is showing His love for them and point it out to them. Today I had a good experience setting up an outing with one of El...

Elizabeth spent the weekend with her cousins.  Such beautiful and silly girls!!  Beautiful girls at church. Handsome  men in matching grey suits. “My Days” of Temples and Technology Elder Anderson "You are not the first to wonder about the time and place of your life. A prophet living in the Americas asked the same questions. His name was Nephi—not the Nephi in the beginning of the Book of Mormon but Nephi the son of Helaman the second and the great-grandson of the prophet Alma the Younger. In the world in which Nephi lived, money, power, and popularity were more important than what was right. Many of the people openly disregarded the commandments. They lied, took what was not theirs, and ignored the law of chastity. Those who kept the commandments were ridiculed and mistreated (see Helaman 7:4–5, 21; 8:2, 5, 7–8 ). “When Nephi saw [these things], his heart was swollen with sorrow … and he [exclaimed] in the agony of his soul: “Oh, that I co...

John Derek dressing up for Wacky Wednesday at school. Celebrating Maddie's Birthday with Mom and Dad. We went to Red Robin and they sang her Happy Birthday! Michael begins swim lessons. Celebrating Maddie's Birthday at lunch with her friends. I told the kids that while Derek and I were at the temple I wanted them to create a scene from a story out of Legos.  This is John Derek's creation of a scene from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I love it when Michael falls asleep in the middle of the day.  He is so cute! John Derek's school put on a talent show.  He really wanted to participate.  He decided he wanted to sing the song "Gethsemane."  So he practiced and sang the song during tryouts.  He was put in the show and sang for the whole school.  I was proud of him.  He is our little missionary and is not ashamed of his love for Christ.  To see the video go to: https://goo.gl/photos/Uq4fG6FtdBAEyAqW7 ...

Early in April Elizabeth celebrated her 14th birthday.  We celebrated at the Lake House with the rest of the Thornton family. She is really into "fandoms,"  Particularly Captain America, Avengers, Super Natural, Sherlock, and Dr. Who.  The last three are so popular that they are grouped together and called "Superwholock" by fans. The last few weeks she has been so incredibly wonderful.  She doesn't get as frustrated, she is more patient, more kind, helps her siblings, helps me, cleans without being asked, it is fun to see her turning into such a wonderful young woman.  I feel very blessed to be her mother. “Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ”  Neal A. Maxwell “If I am sufficiently humble, which personal weakness could now become a strength?”" As I read this phrase I was taken aback. I know I have heard this before, that our weaknesses can become a strength, but really? Could the things I am struggling with r...

Here are a few highlights from February: We had an extremely large storm go over Raleigh.  There were threats of tornadoes.  The kids really started to get worried.  If anything ever happened we are going to go down under the house.  So they decided to put anything that was valuable to them in bins so that if we went under the house they would have their most treasured possessions.  Valentine's Day John Derek made this cute sign for me.  What a sweetie. Elizabeth played church basketball and did very well.  She was the star player on the team.  Her confidence in herself on the court has been so fun to see.  She had quite a presence on the court.  A brother from another ward who has watched her play his daughter on the school teams said that she has really improved from last year.  He was really impressed.  She received so many compliments at her last church game.  It really was delightful to hear my da...

 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  ...