Thornton Mom

Samantha was able to get a butterfly to land on her hand.  You can see it right on the tip of her fingers near her nose. The butterfly hung around.  It even came and visited daddy and Michael.  It was so fun as it allowed us to pick it up and allowed us to hold it.  This was on Friday.  It was a fabulous day.  Derek had returned from Ireland the night before and was able to just hang out at home on Friday.  We went to Elizabeth's drama class play that afternoon and then we all went to the pool that evening for swim team.  I don't think Derek got a break from the kids for the 4 hours we were there.  He is a wonderful husband and father. Book of Mormon, Alma 46:8 "8  Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one." I d...

I had a fun visit with some of our friends yesterday.  We talked a lot and I learned a lot.  At one point she said that she has to rely on the Savior and the Atonement to make up for the love that she cannot give her children.  She loves them but her weaknesses do not always show that and she prays that they will feel loved through the Atonement.  I loved that idea.  In my life right now I am functioning good but not perfect.  I need the Atonement to make up for what I cannot give my children right now.  She also talked about how important siblings are.  That in China one of the problems with only having one child is that there are no aunts, uncles, or cousins.  The family network is gone.  How as parents we may not be able to give our children all the love that we would like but they are still getting loved from their siblings.  That as children we fought with our siblings but now as adults we are closest to our siblings. ...

We had a wonderful time in Utah.  We loved being with family and friends.  I think Elizabeth says it best in her prayers, "Thank you for the best vacation ever!!" We have been well taken care of by the Lord.  The weather was perfect, we never got sick, everything just worked out.  We truly felt that we were in the palm of our Heavenly Father's hand.  Derek and I were not excited about driving out to Utah and we did not get to plan as well as we would have liked but we decided that the Lord is the one who wanted us to drive out so we gave it to Him and He truly blessed us better than we could have imagined.  Here are just a few highlights (more later): Making cookies with Grandma and Kately. Aunt Annelise took Elizabeth shopping for a new dress and got their nails done. Elizabeth and her cousins Christian and Dennis got to go do Baptisms for the Dead and the Draper Temple.  I was so impressed, it took 2 1/2 hours to do the names we broug...