Thornton Mom

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...

I feel like I am trying to swim on just the surface of the water.  Below me is the cool water that I am afraid to put my feet into.  I want to say up here on the surface where the water is just a little bit warmer and familiar .  Ahead of me are obstacle and demands . . . I must keep myself afloat, I must help those around me float.  I am fearful that if I put my feet down and start to "feel" that I will loose control and sink.  But this does not allow me to support my children.  I can only help them so much when I am trying to keep myself on top of the water.  Physically I am there but emotionally I am not strong.  How I wish I had the faith that if I put my feet down I would touch the bottom and could then be the support and strength those around me need.  But I am fearful, fearful that the bottom will be too far away, that the cold will envelope me, that I will let go of any form of stability.  So I float, emotionally unavailable to ...

This past week for our marble jar activity we had a Minion party.  I knew that one way to spent time with my children would be to make food into Minions.  And so we created Minions out of bananas or twinkies.  It was a lot of fun.  We used yellow and blue melting chips and black frosting for the details.  The kids favorite part were the edible eyes.  Michael came over as I was finishing the first Minion and sat on my lap.  Once I got the eyes and the mouth on he screamed in delight, "Minion!!"  Then every 2 min. he was asking if he could eat a Minion.  He just did not want to wait until the party.  We did Pin the Goggles on the Minion and Minion Bingo.  It was so fun to see everyone so happy. The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping ...

My birthday was last week.  It was a memorable birthday, I have never had a broken bone on my birthday before.  We woke up and cleaned the Lake House and then drove home.  Dad T. drove my car and Mom T. drove his.  We stopped at Wendy's for lunch and then were back on the road again.  About 20 min. away from Wendy's I realized I had left my purse at Wendy's.  With the crutches in my hands I had forgotten to grab my purse.  We raced back, said lots of prayers, and were blessed that someone turned my purse in and nothing was harmed.  What a great blessing!!  What a great birthday present. John Derek made me this cute flag out of legos as well as a sign that read "Happy Birthday" out of legos.  Derek brought me home an orchid, my mother and grandmother got me a beautiful church outfit, Mom and Dad T gave me a beautiful scarf, and I bought myself feather dusters.  I told my children they were magic and they didn't believe me.  ...

Maddie, Samantha, Michael, John Derek As a child I remember going to my Grandparent's home in Tennessee.  One evening Grandpa encouraged me to look outside.  There I saw tiny lights flashing all over the field.  It is my fist memory of "fireflies."  I spent the week running after them and caching them in a jar hoping to make my own"firefly" lantern.   Not to long ago I introduced my children to catching fireflies.  They loved it.  When we arrived at the Lake House Friday it was evening and the kids saw the fireflies.  They ran inside asked for a container and began catching fireflies.  Samantha took Michael by the hand and I went with Maddie and we caught several.  Put them into the container and hoped for a lantern. We finally decided to let them go.  It was a sweet moment for me to see them all huddled around the container, enjoying a piece of nature that Heavenly Father made for them and me.  I am so ble...

Elizabeth just finished her first season playing Volleyball for Durant Middle School, Go Dolphins!! Samantha wrote this poem about if she were in charge of the world.  I love reading my kids work and getting a clearer gimps of who they are.  Like, canceling mushrooms, permanent markers, candy bar would be a vegetable and if a person did not brush their hair they could still be allowed to be in charge of the world. “Lord, Is It I?” By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2014 General Conference "well-being. If our weaknesses and shortcomings remain obscured in the shadows, then the redeeming power of the Savior cannot heal them and make them strengths. Ironically, our blindness toward our human weaknesses will also make us blind to the divine potential that our Father yearns to nurture within ...

Out of town again . . . Here is the next part of our summer: I recently celebrated my birthday.  My sweet sister in law knew my husband would be busy so she invited us over for dinner.  Instead of a card we went around in a circle and everyone said something they liked about me.  Maddie said she liked that I let her watch TV when the kids are at school.  Derek said that I am the most compassionate person he knows. Amber said that she enjoyed babysitting for us especially when I would drive her home and she would get to talk to her aunt.  Angela said that she knows I am a woman of faith.  That she knows how difficult things can be with her husband's calling and she has 3 older children and I am doing it with 5 young children.  It was nice to see that my influence is for good.  It was a good reminder that all I do does not go unnoticed. Book of Mormon, Alma 58:10 ...

Michael loves balls.  He always wants to collect as many as he can and the bigger the better.  One of his first four words was "ba" for ball.  He also says, "Hy" for hi, "mah" for more, and "ba ba" for bye.  It took me a while to figure out that his babbling was actually him talking.  It has been fun. The other day I was changing Michael's smelly diaper and Maddie came up and said, plugging her nose, "That stinks!"  I said, "When you are a mom you are going to have to do this."  She got all defensive and said, "No, when I am a mom I will have a robot."  With the way our technology is progressing it wouldn't surprise me if she is right.  Later in the car she told me she did not want to be a mom because she didn't want to have to change dirty diapers.  It is cute to see them thinking, reasoning, and coming up with their wants and desires. 2 Nephi 16:5-7 ...

We went to the YMCA so the kids and I could get out of the house and away from electronics.  As we entered the Y there was a red carpet down the hall.  As I was signing us in at the front desk Maddie started to walk down the carpet swinging her hips, batting her eyelashes, and removing her coat as if she were a model on the cat walk.  The staff started laughing as did I.  Then her siblings all decided to join her.  We all just laughed and enjoyed the moment.  As we were walking out after my work out I asked Maddie if she wanted to do it again.  No question there she ran to the end of the carpet and proceeded down as professional as ever.  I even noticed her making her "cute eyes" as she came near the end.  Whoa Nellie, I am in trouble in the future. While at the Y Elizabeth and I were both on elliptical machines.  They have several TV's up that everyone can see but have no sound unless you tune into their radio station.  But the...

So Michael is starting to walk!!  I can't believe it.  Here a the video of him walking: Alma 58:10 "10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people." We have to use what the lord has given us. I will continue to pray for strength when I can't seem to handle it all.