Thornton Mom

Derek took me for a hike Saturday.  It was a wonderful date.  So nice to be in nature, get some exercise, and talk to my best friend.  He is the best!!  I am so grateful to be his wife. This morning was one of those mornings where I had so much I wanted to accomplish and no way to get it all done.  But I was on track getting dressed to go Visiting Teaching when I had the prompting that I really needed to prepare a lesson.  I couldn't just wing it.  I had been prompted to do this all day yesterday and kept putting it off.  So I looked at the clock and realized I had an extra 5 min. and decided that would be enough time.  I prayed and then found my Ensign and began to read. Now I had read this message at least twice and had it read to me by my visiting teachers but it wasn't until I sat down and tried to focus and tried to see what the Lord wanted me to learn that I was truly taught. Elder D. Todd Christofferson  of the Quorum of ...

 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.  ...

Maddie and Samantha stayed home from school the other day because they were "sick."  I had them spend the day in their bedroom.  I think they had more fun than I realized they would have.  With Legos, Paper Dolls, and lots of Stuffed Animals they were quite entertained. Last night was one of those nights.  The greatest blessing is that Derek was there and helped me through it.  After dinner he could tell that I felt out of control and overwhelmed.  He held me while I cried, told me how wonderful I was, that he loved me, that I haven't done anything wrong, and that he is not disappointed in me.  He then did the dishes and I went upstairs and read a talk given by Elder Holland entitled "The Atonement and Missionary Work."  It was so sweet to read the words he spoke and to feel the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father.  The talk was addressed to missionaries but I applied the words to me and my depression and really got a lot of the comf...

Decorating the tree John Derek's Creation Grandmommy and Michael John Derek had a Christmas concert at school.  He had practiced hard for it.  Even staying aftershool once a week to rehurse.  He was so excited for this performance and talked about it all the time.  He wanted everything to be just perfect.  He got the "part" of Donner (he got to put on raindeer antlers and stand in front of the group with the other raindeer.)  I had to leave to take kids somewhere and Derek was going to pick him up and go to the concert.  On his own JD took a shower, got dressed and did his hair.  It was fun to see him excited and he did a good job.  What a good boy. Grandmommy and John Derek at his Christmas Concert The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul ...

Dressing up for Sunday!  Got to love my cute kiddos!! On another trying day a friend of mine reminded me of the Mormon Messages " Daily Bread ."  These three videos reminded me to take each day as all I have to do.  To not worry about tomorrow, to trust the Lord and ask for His help to get through today.  This is something I have to be reminded of almost daily as some of the trials get hard and the moments seem overwhelming.  But I am so grateful to a Father in Heaven who loves me so much that He has provided a Savior for me.  Someone who has suffered all I have suffered and knows my pain.  I know that I do not even come close to understanding the Atonement but I will continue to ask for His help, to use His Atonement, and to press forward one day at a time.

Grandaddy got a new boat.  While at the lake Michael got to ride with me on the Jet Ski.  It was the first time he had not been afraid to ride on it.  The next day Derek took him on the new boat.  He loved it.  As we were saying his prayer that evening I prompted, "Thank you for the boat."  Michael repeated, "Thank you for the . . . little boat, thank you for the BIG boat!!" The other Sunday one of the speakers talked about "Turning Our Weaknesses into Strengths."  He did a wonderful job and I asked if he could send me the talk.  He took most of his talk from a talk Brother Wilcox gave at BYU entitled, His Grace is Sufficient.   This is an amazing talk and I loved it. One of the things that really stood out to me was his analogy of taking piano lessons.  He talks about how Christ is like the mother who pays for the piano lessons.  She does not expect repayment but does ask us to practice an the more we practice the better we ...

My nephew left on his mission almost a week ago.  We missed his farewell talk and saying goodbye because of sicknesses.  I am so proud of him and the decision he has made.  My little John Derek really looks up to his cousin and I am so grateful that he  has such a wonderful role model to follow after.  John Derek really wasn't excited about him leaving so we asked if John Derek could sleep over one more time.  John Derek loved it.  He got to hang out with two of his favorite cousins and really felt like he was as big as they were.  What a blessing to be surrounded by such wonderful examples of truth and righteousness. Recently my sister sent me a link to a talk she read.  As I read the talk this morning I was reminded about what I have been learning about the atonement.  How it is more than just a way to be forgiven of our sins but even more so a way to live in this world.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from this talk: ...