Rebekka got to play with Alden today. She LOVES playing at their house!!!!!

Finger painting. 

Cute couch cousins.

Rebekka and Leisel. 

Tonight, Maren generously put her new birthday hair curlers in Rebekka’s hair. We can’t wait to see it curly tomorrow!

They don’t look very comfortable to sleep on. 

Maren is 13!

We have another teenager in the house!

Maren turned 13 today. Happy Birthday!

Cassandra wanted to decorate the cake. She chose to make it in honour of Maren’s huge bucket list item. Visit Australia! Cassandra chose a bunch of animals for the decorations. See the koala on the tree?

(I’m glad I let Cassandra do the cake. It was a great idea!)

Blow!



Savanna eating chips while Maren opens presents. 

Maren was so excited for this gift.

Curlformers!!

I’m excited to see beautiful curls on all my girls!

13 things about Maren

1-Maren loves to support her siblings in the things they are doing.

2-she is creative and crafty

3-Maren is obedient and responsible.

4-Maren is saving money to go to Australia after her high school graduation (5 years). If anyone wants to go too, start saving money now.

5-she has an awesome group of friends in school and the community. Several of the girls are also in our ward. 

6-Maren is a nurturer. Always has been. She is good at child care. 

7-Maren works really hard to get good grades. She has been on the honor roll the past few reporting periods.

8-she has a strong testimony of the gospel. 

9-Maren hopes this year will pass quickly so she can get her learners license!

10-she would rather ride her bike than walk anywhere.

11-Maren usually sleeps without a pillow. And in the strangest positions.

12-she likes Ceasar salad and loves lasagna. We had it for her birthday. 

13-She has three jobs right now. Cleaning weekly at Keeler Feedlot and cleaning every other week at Hardy Nutritionals. She also babysits weekly for Aunt Kayleen during piano lessons. She loves having an income!

We love you Maren! You are a special part of our family. You bring us much joy and happiness. 

2 hour time block

Today is a historic day in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We had our first meeting in the new 2 hour time block. Someday we will be able to look back and say; “do you remember when we went to church for 3 hours???” 

In sacrament meeting I bore my testimony. I was fine listening to the testimonies of ward members for about the first half of the meeting. Then I got thinking of my own testimony and suddenly my heart was pounding! A true indicator of the need to bear ones testimony in public! I was wearing a shirt with a lower neckline and a zip up sweater. I zipped up my sweater. My neck goes all red and blotchy when I’m nervous! Embarrassing! I began searching my phone for the lyrics to a song that has been on my mind since October general conference. I knew it was from Janice Kapp Perry. So I went from page to page on my device until I finally found the written lyrics. Then I got up to bear my testimony. Lately I’ve been feeling so strongly and it is becoming clearer to me the importance of our own testimony and where I am along the covenant path. As I watch family members and friends struggle with the gospel, I know that the time of the Lord is hastening on. What we believe is so important. The words in the second verse are critical. I feel that strongly as the Lord’s work is being ramped up here in these latter days. The lyrics are powerful.

Janice Kapp Perry, Lynne Perry Christofferson

My Own Little Lamp.

I need to have my own testimony

To be sure that the gospel is true

It’s a blessing to have parents

Who are certain of the truth

But I need to know it know it too

I must ask the Lord

I must make a choice

To listen for His gentle voice

And then I will know

That these things are right

And my own little lamp

Will be filled with light.

I need to have my own testimony

To be able to stand for the right

There may come a time 

When I will have to walk alone

And I can’t live on borrowed light.

I must ask the Lord

I must make a choice

To listen for His gentle voice

And then I will know

That these things are right

And my own little lamp

Will be filled with light

And my own little lamp

Will be filled with light.

Today we taught a new primary class.

We have 7 children listed on the records but only 5 are active.

2 of the girls (the Gibb twins) I taught in nursery back in the 4th ward at the Taylor street building before the boundaries were changed and we came to 9th ward and the stake Center.

Our new CTR 6 class is a darling bunch of kids but we have a set of identical twins (Darby and Jade Gibb) and I’m afraid I will never be able to tell them apart.

Our primary class was only 20 minutes. And it was one of the fastest classes ever. It’s going to be so important to be prepared. There is no more preparation time during Sunday school!

We also moved to 9-11am meetings. The early morning was a little rough but it gave us a good start for school prep tomorrow. I enjoyed having the rest of the afternoon today to rest and prepare supper. We had an early big meal today due to Fast Sunday. I asked Maren and Cassandra to prepare a lesson using the new Come Follow Me manual. While I was doing supper, they worked together in their room.

I was grateful for Aaren’s spontaneous offer to help with the meal. I was also grateful for some willing help from Tysyn, Rebekka and Evan. It’s so delightful to work along side the children when they want to help.

When the meal was finished and ready to eat, Jeff and Devin didn’t join us. They are the hardest two to rouse from a Sunday afternoon nap!

Cassandra and Maren presented a good discussion tonight. Unfortunately we started late enough that Aaren missed mission prep. I’m grateful for his personal decision to miss mission prep and stay with the family. A difficult choice that I hope he doesn’t have to make again. Because of our early meal due to fast Sunday and the long nap from Jeff and Devin, we were well into the evening before we met together as a family. Tysyn had a meltdown and was in his room or sat on the stairs for part of the time because he couldn’t get a chair he wanted. Brandon chose to stay in his room. We miss family members when they do not choose to join us!!

New year

It’s the start of a new year. And this year I’m planning on making changes to me.

My overall health is ok but it could be better physically I want to be in better shape. My muscles are weak and my endurance and stamina are terrible. I wake up each morning sore in my neck and shoulders. I want to feel better. So for the new year, I purchased a membership to the new local fitness studio. I’m planning to go 3 or more times a week. For now it’s just basic yoga classes to stretch and limber up my muscles. I’m going to need to work up to the hardcore classes.

I attended a fitness class this afternoon and there was a weigh scale in the bathroom. Just for fun I stepped on it to see my weight. The measurement was 181.6. I’m not usually concerned about my weight but with my new road to fitness, I wanted a starting point. I figure about 20-25 pounds is a realistic goal to lose. I don’t necessarily want to lose a ton of weight. I just want to feel better!!

I need to increase my water intake and I want to start a consistent and regular regime of supplement intake.

I finished with the Book of Mormon one day before the month ended. I started out with good intentions but reading the book in so short a time, doesn’t allow for any missed days. Each day missed compounds another missed day and pretty soon I was so far behind. To accomplish the goal, I began listening to the scriptures on my phone while I was working around the house. In this way, I was able to catch up and then stay on the timeline given to accomplish the reading. It felt good to finish. I was grateful I didn’t give up despite the setback. I didn’t fully participate the way President Nelson encouraged, so I’m starting again. This time I’m reading at my pace and marking the verses as originally instructed. Since my personal reading/listening in the Book of Mormon, I’ve felt more edified and I feel greater peace. My life is still crazy out of control but I know God watches over me and my family and He loves me. The challenges I face make me draw closer to my Savior. I am grateful for that.

I saw a friend post on social media about a theme word she was using this year. It got me thinking about a word that I would want to use to define this year. I think I want to use the word growth. I know I have lots of room for growth in lots of areas of my life. Wish me luck!