Farnsworth Family

Saturday Fun!

2011-11-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today it SNOWED!!! Jordan was so excited about the snow and called Tyler to see if he would come out and play in the snow with him. Kinsey chuckled that there wasn't really enough snow to play in but it didn't matter to these boys...they were delighted. They quickly changed into their basketball jerseys and went up to their basketball game. From the basketball game we headed to the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo for Jordans Hockey games. Grizzbe was at the Arena so Jordan and his Team were able to get pictures with him. The arena was offering a try hockey for free clinic so Tyler was even able to get on the ice. He had fun playing a little hockey. Jordan joined him after his games and they had fun together. Kinsey loves to watch Jordan's Hockey and is such a trooper to sit through all his practices and games week after week.

Reflection Winners

2011-11-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

Kinsey and Jordan both entered Reflections in the Photography Catagory and Won! "Diversity means" was the theme for this year. The picture of Kinsey and Jordan's friend Kevin was taken by Jordan. His statement talked about how Boys and Girls are different because Girls have long hair and Boys have short hair. Girls also have purses. The picture with Abby, Jordan, Lauren and Max was taken by Kinsey. Her statement talked about how everybody is different and that in her picture everyone is different sizes, have different color hair and different faces. I am proud of my kids for taking the time to enter the contest and very excited that they won!

Halloween

2011-11-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a blast! Michelle had us over to her house for a dinner with their family and my Dad and Becky. Then we went trick or treating around our neighborhood. Jordan got a good spook from Michelle's Nieghbors who were dressed up and Jordan also braved it through the haunted barn. Kinsey went out with her friends after dinner and trick or treated the neighborhood and went through the haunted barn as well. It was a relaxing and fun evening.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkin with some Friends this year. Michelle hosted a pumpkin carving night with the Howards, Platts and Us. It was a lot of fun. We had heard of a new trick cleaning out pumpkins with a mixer attachment put on a drill. It worked fabulous and of course the kids thought it was so much fun. We did all the carving outside on her back patio with a fire going and an outdoor heater. They throw the best get togethers. I feel so lucky to be Michelle's Sister.

First Day of School

2011-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

I just love these kids!! This picture was taken after a very fun summer. It was the morning of Kinsey's First day of 5th grade and Jordan's First day of 1st grade!

Can you Speak?

2011-08-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, it seems like we recently spoke in church. This past week we were asked if we could speak again. Like always Randy and I learned way more than I am sure those around us learned. Kinsey spoke and Jordan bore his testimony. I was glad the kids had the courage to speak in sacrament meeting.

Randy's Talk

Over these past 33 years of my life, I have learned that life is not always easy, that life isn’t always fair. Life isn’t always joyful, peaceful, pleasant and full of happiness. I have learned in my very short 33 years that life can be difficult, full of trials, temptations, death, sadness, pain, illness, hardship, adversity, poverty, danger, misfortune, agony, and the list goes on and on. There are bumps along this road which we call mortality, and I’ve often heard people ask why? How many times did the pioneers ask if we have such a loving God, why is he letting us suffer so much? If we are his chosen people why is it that we are facing all the hardships while everyone else seems to have very little trials? How many times do you hear those same questions today out in the world? How often do you think that yourself? Recently one of my children asked that very question. Why does Heavenly Father let bad things happen?
This is no easy path. As we move forward in the path we gain new appreciation for the faith and endurance of those who have gone before us. Nevertheless, when life is especially difficult, we may struggle when it seems our prayers are not being heard or we are being tested beyond our personal capacity to endure.
Elder Robert D Hales stated:
“Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good. Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).
“We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary’s enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’”
Becoming a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is the easy part. As members of the church we have taken that first step. Being baptized and accepting the gospel. Now comes the hard part, as members of the church we have taken upon us the understanding that we are to ‘endure to the end’. Now what exactly does that mean? Enduring to the End? We have all heard that term before and we all think we know what it means right? So what are we doing it about it?

Dieter F. Uchtdorf 2nd counselor in the first presidency of the church stated:
“The scriptures teach us that once we have received the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, our task then is to 'endure to the end' (2 Nephi 31:20). . . .
"Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord clearly declared, 'If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God' (D&C 14:7). "Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life's difficult circumstances or 'hanging in there.' Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance. 'Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). "Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God."
I was reminded a while back of what a lousy gymnast I am. Now I know what you all are thinking.. that with this physic of mine how could I not be a good gymnast? We were at a gym with all sorts of trampolines, bouncy floors, bars, and balance beams, all the things you would see in a gymnasium for gymnastics .. well as I waited for my son Jordan to get his shoes on, I walked over to the balance beam, hoisted myself up and place my stomach on the balance beam and lifted my feet off the ground…you can see where this is going. All of the sudden I’m flat on my back, with the world spinning around me seeing the balance beam above me thinking its going to fall on top of me. It wasn’t until saw my wife laughing hysterically off to the side that I realize what had happened. I had flipped over top of it somehow and making a loud bang as I hit the floor causing a huge seen. Of course I grabbed our stuff and high tailed it out of there. Point is, is that it is not that difficult to get on the beam, but staying on the beam takes a bit more work, a lot of practice. Similarly being a member of the church or becoming a member of the church isn’t that difficult but, enduring to the end or staying on the beam could be much more difficult and takes some practice, self discipline and endurance.

I recall a story I once heard about a prospector searching for gold.
For months upon months this man went about prospecting for gold in the hills. Somehow he just knew that he would strike gold.
Everyday he got up early in the morning and walked to the hills in search of his "fortune". He dug and dug with his simple tools. He found some gold here and there. But never anything to write home about.

The story goes that he finally gave up digging because he was convinced that he could not find the "mother load" he was searching for.

Hearing this, another prospector came to him and offered to buy all his tools. The man agreed and sold all his tools for whatever money he could get for them.

This prospector then went on to hire a land surveyor, an engineer and geologist, all whom combined their knowledge and went to work on the mine where the first man had been digging without results.

It is told that upon studying the area and the mine, the men discovered that the first man had been literally three feet from where the real gold deposit was. Literally 3 FEET! The poor prospector who had given up was so close to the gold, he could reach out and touch it. But there was no way he could know this because he gave up too soon, and he did not have the proper tools for the job.

When he heard about the discovery, the man could do nothing but wonder what might have been.
Looking at this spiritually, Could you imagine yourself coming up 3 feet short in an eternal perspective…. So close you could reach out and touch the spiritual treasure that we are all striving for, and can only wonder what might have been. I certainly couldn’t. Therefore if we can continue on the path of righteousness, I know that we can reach that end goal and find the treasure that awaits us, if we only endure to the end,
When I think of the phrase enduring to the end I often times automatically think of a marathon runner. The endurance that that runner has to have to make it 26.2 miles to me is incredible. I know if Bro Kirkwood were here he may not think that it is much of a big deal, but to me running that far nonstop definitely is quite an amazing thing. It shows the courage, drive and determination of that individual. Now what if that same courage, drive and determination that was put into that marathon, we were able to put into our daily lives as members of the church? And if that same endurance were used in our spiritual marathon.
During a conference address Robert D Hales related the following story.
"In 1968 a marathon runner by the name of John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in an international competition. 'A little over an hour after [the winner] had crossed the finish line, John Stephen Akhwari . . . approached the stadium, the last man to complete the journey. [Though suffering from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation,] a voice called from within to go on, and so he went on. Afterwards, it was written, "Today we have seen a young African runner who symbolizes the finest in human spirit, a performance that gives meaning to the word courage." For some, the only reward is a personal one. [There are no medals, only] the knowledge that they finished what they set out to do. When asked why he would complete a race he could never win, Akhwari replied, 'My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race.' "He knew who he was—an athlete representing the country of Tanzania. He knew his purpose—to finish the race. He knew that he had to endure to the finish, so that he could honorably return home to Tanzania. Our mission in life is much the same. We were not sent by Father in Heaven just to be born. We were sent to endure and return to Him with honor."

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We may all be able to sprint a short distance, 100 yards, 40 yards, or if you’re like me 10 feet before complete and utter exhaustion sets in, but what about that spiritual marathon? We can all spend 3 hours for the week spiritually here in church, but what about the rest of our week, our month, year or our complete mortal existence? What are we doing in working towards that spiritual marathon in our lives?

But what if that spiritual marathon is just too difficult for us? What if the trials have been just too great to bare, the balance beam is too narrow for us to balance on and we fall off, that 3 feet of earth between us and that treasure was just too difficult, then what?
Show Statue
This statue has become one of my favorite works of art. It is a statue of the Savior carrying this young man whom I see as me. When we can’t go any further and are completely exhausted from our trials and tribulations, he is there to carry us onward.

Elder Dallin H Oaks stated:
The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the healing it offers do much more than provide the opportunity for repentance from sins. The Atonement also gives us the strength to endure 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind,' because our Savior also took upon Him 'the pains and the sicknesses of his people' (Alma 7:11). Brothers and sisters, if your faith and prayers and the power of the priesthood do not heal you from an affliction, the power of the Atonement will surely give you the strength to bear the burden."
I know this to be true. I have seen this in my own life and have witnessed this in the lives of others. I know Christ suffered the pains and sorrows for us.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 reads,
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Brothers and sisters Mortal trials are nothing as contrasted with eternal glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Nicole's Talk
I am so blessed to have such wonderful children who teach me so much through their strong testimonies. I have so much gratitude for their primary teachers who have loved them, cared for them and helped them to understand important gospel principles.
I would like to start with a quote from the book, The purpose driven life, by Rick Warren
“The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this (earth), you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point – ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like, What do I want to be? What should I do with my life?...But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.”
In Job 12:10 it says, “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all mankind?” In verse 9 it suggests that every soul and every living thing and the breath of mankind is in the hand of the Lord.
Rick Warren explains that the easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to look at the owner’s manual. Have you ever tried working something new and you can’t do it. Then you look at the owner’s manual and it becomes easy to understand? This same thing can happen for us when we are deciding what to do with our lives. Have you ever been having a super busy or very bad day? Then you decide to pray to Heavenly Father for help and the moment of prayer brings an instant change into a successful day. We can speculate what we think our life is about or we can pray, ask our Heavenly Father and receive revelation from our creator for our purpose in life. Life is really about living for God not for ourselves.
I was asked to speak on How Sacrifice brings forth blessings. To sacrifice is to give to the Lord whatever he requires to further his work.
I know that our willingness to sacrifice is evidence of our devotion to God. We should always remember our purpose is to please God not people.
Ask yourself this question, What do you need to sacrifice that keeps you from living God’s purpose?
I have a friend who has very sick children. She has really had a run of sickness in her home. Her 4yr old got the chicken pox and gave her 6 yr old the shingles. This gave her oldest daughter the chicken pox. Who then gave their 18 month old daughter the chicken pox. No big deal right? Well, the oldest daughter has a blood disorder and ended up really sick in the hospital. The 18 month old ended up having terrible chicken pox worse than you can imagine they were everywhere and after three weeks of dealing with no sleep and terrible pain the chicken pox weren’t seeming to let off. My friend was tired of praying she had reached a breaking point and had nothing more to offer to the Lord. She began to feel frustrated that the Lord wasn’t helping heal her child. She decided she was going to turn from the Lord and no longer offer prayers for her children. After all, she thought that it wasn’t doing anything for her children anyway. At the same moment she had this thought that this was a trial of her faith and that at this time she was being tested. She expressed it was a moment of choice. She could pray or she could deny the Lord’s help. She knelt down at that moment and prayed with her family. That evening was the first in the 3 week period that her 18 mo old slept during the night. Although she slept through the night she was still very sick. She ended up being hospitalized only to find she, like her sister had a rare blood disorder and that her body does not make antibodies. It is a miracle she is still alive. Her body had no ability to heal itself. The Lord blessed this little girl tremendously and it wasn’t until the hospital stay that the miracles which were happening were realized. My friend explained to me that her sacrifice of Prayer and acknowledgement that the Lord had power that difficult night, were a clear blessing of her daughters health. I know sacrifice brings forth blessings, even in our days!
When Adam was placed on the Earth he was expected as well as his posterity to offer sacrifices. He was to offer his firstlings of his flocks. The animal offered, had to be perfect. This was to remind them that Jesus Christ the first born of our Father was going to come to the Earth and would be perfect in every way and he was going to offer himself as a sacrifice of our sins.
Jesus did come and offer himself as a sacrifice and because of this everyone can be saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Christ’s atonement marked the end of sacrificing by the shedding of blood. This was replaced by the Sacrament, which is meant to be a weekly reminder of the Savior’s great sacrifice.
Even though sacrifice by the shedding of blood has ended, Heavenly Father still asks us to Sacrifice. In 3 Nephi 9: 19 it reads, “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood.” Then verse 20 reads, “Ye shall offer a sacrifice unto me.” Then it tells us what that sacrifice should be, “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” This means we are to offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal son. It is about a man who has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him his portion of the family estate as an early inheritance. Once received, the son promptly sets off on a long journey to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so destitute that he even longs to eat the food assigned to the pigs.
The young man finally comes to his senses, remembering his father. In humility, he recognizes his foolishness, decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy. The father who had been watching and waiting, receives his son back with open arms of compassion. He is overjoyed by the return of his lost son! Immediately the father turns to his servants and asks them to prepare a giant feast in celebration.
Meanwhile, the older son is not one bit happy when he comes in from working the fields and discovers a party going on to celebrate his younger brother's return. The father tries to dissuade the older brother from his jealous rage explaining, "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours."
The older son is self-righteousness and has forgotten to rejoice when a sinner returns to God. Bitterness and resentment keeps the older son from forgiving his younger brother. It blinds him to the treasure he freely enjoys through constant relationship with the father.
Who are you in this story? Are you a prodigal or a servant? Are you the rebellious son, lost and far from God? Are you the self-righteous servant, no longer capable of rejoicing when a sinner returns to God? Maybe you've hit rock-bottom, come to your senses and decided to run to the Lord’s open arms of compassion and mercy? Or are you one of the servants in the household, rejoicing with the father when a lost son finds his way home?
The prodigal son felt sorrow for his sins and was willing to humble himself and sacrifice his pride and used the atonement to repent and come back to his Father.
Ask yourself again, What do you need to sacrifice that keeps you from living God’s purpose?
After learning I was talking on sacrifices I began writing down sacrifices I make and then the blessings they bring forth written next to the sacrifice. For instance, Paying our tithing is a sacrifice of our money and it brings the blessings of church buildings and temples to us. Many of us might even know of a story about how paying tithing brought miracles.
I then remembered how I once learned that an expectation is never good because if the expectation is met you find contentment. But, If it is not met then you become disappointed.
Although many blessings are received, we should never have an expectation for anything in return for our sacrifice. Our sacrifice should be offered because of our love to the Lord.
I realized while preparing this talk that The Lord and our Savior have already offered their sacrifice and receiving eternal life is our blessing. Any extra blessings we receive are just that, BLESSINGS. It is only through sacrifice that we can become worthy to live in the presence of God and enjoy eternal life. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord. The Lord is aware of our sacrifices.
As each of our testimonies grow we are able to make greater sacrifices to the Lord. This brings us closer to inheriting everlasting life.
In Doctrine and Covenants 64:23, the Lord says, “Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the son of man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice.”
What examples of sacrifice have you observed in the lives of people you know?
I found some examples of sacrifices on LDS.org. These are true examples.
A member of the church in Germany saved his tithing for years until someone with priesthood authority could come and accept it.
A group of Saints in South Africa rode for 3 days, standing up, to be able to hear and see the prophet of the Lord.
At an area conference in Mexico, members of the church slept on the ground and fasted during the days of the conference. They had used all their money just to get to the conference and had nothing left for food and shelter.
One family sold their car to get the money they wanted to contribute to a temple building fund.
Another family sold their home to get money to go to the temple.
In one branch, the youth gave freely and willingly of their time to care for the young children while their parents helped build the meetinghouse.
Many Young men and women give up or postpone good job opportunities, education, or sports, to serve as missionaries.
We are lucky to be raised in the promised land. Have you ever thought that you were blessed to live here so you could have the opportunities to share the gospel with those in less fortunate circumstances. Everything we have is given to us by the Lord. We should be willing to sacrifice by becoming missionaries and teaching people about eternal life.
A place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make.
2 Corinthians 4: 17 it reads, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Our mortal trials are nothing compared to eternal glory.
This past week Randy suggested it was time for our couple prayer. I was already lying in bed. When we pray together we usually always hold hands and kneel. Because I had already been laying down I just grabbed his hand and waited for him to start praying. It was silent…then after a few moments Randy said to me with a lift in my hand. Kneel up. I responded…I am too tired I am sure the Lord understands. He insisted I kneel up and explained that to sacrifice my comfort to kneel in prayer at night shows respect to my Heavenly Father. I realized at that moment the importance of that small sacrifice while thanking the Lord for all I have been given.
Rick Warren suggests that Life should be about “letting God use you for his purposes. Not your using him for your own purpose.” We must repent with a broken heart so we can move forward with the spirit to direct us in our lives. We should kneel in prayer daily asking the Lord what we can sacrifice and how we can help to build the kingdom of God.
It is Only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we can become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through our individual sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord.
I would like to bear my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us individually. I also know that our savior lives. I have felt his strengthening love in my life and cannot deny it. I know that he sacrificed for us and carried our sorrow so if we repent with a sincere heart we can return to living with blessings of the spirit in our lives. I am excited about my desires to continue to work at aligning my life with what the Lord would have me do. I am especially grateful for the opportunity I have to use the atonement in my life daily and know that I have more to learn to understand fully the Sacrifice made and the blessings rceived through the atonement. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Kinsey's Talk
I have been asked to speak on Pioneers. The first thing I thought of was walking around Lagoon. Now why does that have anything to do with Pioneers? This is because at Lagoon, there is a Pioneer Village. No one in my family wanted to look through the village except me. My family sacrificed a ride to walk in the village, we all ended up enjoying it. One thing we all noticed was that in those days no one smiled for their pictures. I don’t know why. I guess in those days it made them look like strong or something. . I don’t know. But, what I do know is that Heavenly Father gave them the courage and strength for everything they did. I know that the Pioneers believed in Jesus and so do I!

Jordan's testimony was about How he loves his body and his spirit. He said that Jesus loves his body and primary is good for his spirit. He also bore his testimony on how much he loves Heavenly Father.

Lagoon

2011-07-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

Family Lagoon Day! So much fun and Kayla Cannon joined us for the exciting adventure. This year we had a yard sale and spent the money we earned on a day at Lagoon. We had some pretty funny things happen. Kayla randomly named the turtle in the pond harry-i-ot and ended up braking her glow bracelet all over her cute new shirt. Jordan had a funny way of keeping his nose plugged if someone was smoking. Jordan and Kinsey saw some of their friends while we were there. When Kinsey wanted to have a snack. She asked Randy what she should do with her gum in her mouth. He replied. "I usually put it in my cheek" and when I looked up to give her some crackers she had put her gum on the outside of her cheek. Lastly and what was soo funny to me was when we decided we no longer wanted to do the haunted house and Randy walked away taking the rope with him. What a Super Fun Day!

Yellowstone - Harding Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic trip to Yellowstone. We saw a lot of wildlife, hiked to see beautiful landscapes and fascinating Geysers and spent a lot of time with family.

CASTLE GEYSER

THE GRAND GEYSER

OLD FAITHFUL

We saw the Kate plus 8 filming crew

DOUBLE RAINBOW OVER OUR CABIN

MAMMOTH

FAMILY

WATERFALLS

WILD LIFE

An extra memory: Kinsey learned a big lesson on making good choices and as a Mother I tried to use the experience to teach her the best I could about her future choices. Her Uncle and Grandpa were trying to get her to touch water off the boardwalk. I had told her not to do it and so she was respecting what I asked and not touching it. After all other kids touched the water she came to me telling me I was mean and it was unfair that she couldn't t0uch the water. I explained that she could, we all have choices to make, but I had asked her not to and if she did she would have to suffer the consequences...the water could burn her, etc. A few minutes after explaining this, Kinsey decided to give into her Uncle's peer pressure and touched the water. Right as she touched it a Ranger yelled out to her, "please don't touch the water" and then he came down and began talking to Kinsey and her Uncle. He let them know that by touching the water they were destroying the park and asked if they could please respect the park so the beauty will remain. I couldn't believe how immediate her consequence was and knew she understood she had made a wrong choice. (This couldn't have been a better teaching opportunity) Later that evening we spent time talking about peer pressure and standing up for what you know is right even if everyone around you is doing what isn't right. I know Kinsey understood the concept learned and I hope she always remembers what she learned.

Steel Days Parade and Picnic in the Park

2011-07-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Kinsey and her friend Tiana were in the Steel Days Parade. They were so excited and enjoyed the experience so much. We sat with the Rogers and Bitners for the Parade and I couldn't resist showing the cute picture of Lauren's wave. The night before the parade we went to the picnic in the park and did carnival games. We also watched Dispicable Me in the park on a big screen.

Fourth of July - Four Wheeling

2011-07-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July was spent in Santaquin, UT with our friends, The Lindsays. We had so much fun. We BBQ, roasted marshmallows, talked, camped out in their back yard and went four wheeling. The kids even decided to do a little painting which turned into a face painting session as well. Their home is right next to a canyon so we all took turns taking the four wheelers out. We love to be with our friends and to spend quality time as a family.

Fishing Trip

2011-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

We are so LUCKY!! My brother is a fly fishing guide and was so kind to take my kids to one of his hot spots and teach them how to fly fish. They had a blast! Kinsey kept count of the fish she caught and we decided to go home after she caught her 20th fish!! Yes 20 fish and Jordan wasn't to far behind her.

Windy Day..Soccer ball bump.

2011-06-17T22:40:00.001-07:00

Today at soccer practice for Kinsey, it was super windy. Kinsey had just gotten out of the truck and was running to the field. She dropped her ball and it blew the opposite direction. She made sure to keep her eye on her ball and quickly ran after it. She leaned down to get the ball. and didn't even see the park sign and smacked it as hard as she was running to get the ball. Here is a picture of the results to her face.

Soccer Tryout leads to AAA Team!

2011-06-17T22:39:00.002-07:00

Kinsey had soccer tryouts and was very nervous about how the results would turn out. She made it on the team though and is now playing for a AAA team, Aresenal Strikers. Practices are held twice a week. I am excited to see her progress and learn a lot about soccer this summer.

Randy's Job Offer

2011-05-20T16:44:00.001-07:00

Randy recieved a job offer to California! Exciting change for the family

Kids responses:
Jordan's first concern when we told them to think about what he thought of moving was he started crying and then said, "But, I won't get to play with Tyler." He was then concerned with playing Hockey. He then said he didn't want to talk about it anymore and then started crying again and said "But, Tyler won't be my cousin anymore. Can we not talk about this anymore?"

Kinsey was concerned about going to a different school and leaving her friends. She expressed exactly how Randy and I feel. She said, "It sounds like a good opportunity for Dad's work but I will really miss people." She also expressed concern about missing out on her new soccer team and about not going to Seven Peaks this summer!

This job opportunity would be one Randy would really enjoy and it could provide future opportunites for our family. The cost of living in California is such an increase that we would not have the same lifestyle we have here. But as we prayed and fasted we were feeling like we should make the sacrifice and blessings would come. This was a hard decision and would require a lot of Faith but we couldn't deny feeling like we were suppose to give up what we had for the opportunity and blessings would come our way. So, on Friday we decided to tell California that we were excited about the opportunity and we were ready to move forward. They asked us to book flights to come into town on the following Thursday and learn more about the area and job.

The next morning Randy and I began to feel uneasy about the decision we made. By Monday night I had so much stress in my shoulders and they were aching so bad I couldn't sleep. Tuesday Randy decided he couldn't book the flights. He spoke with many district managers who helped him feel better about not taking the job. We decided we better call california back and let them know that we were no longer interested in the Job. The relief we have felt since we made this decision is beyond description. It took about 4 hours for me to even get to a point that i felt normal again.

Kinsey had already told everyone at school we were moving and she was really worried everyone would be mean about her saying otherwise now. So, to help ease the news, we decided to let the kids take donuts to school to celebrate our decision to stay in Utah!

Although this experience was very difficult I have learned many things.

Here is my list:
1- Always follow the spirit, even if you don't understand fully!
2- Don't be afraid to move backwards with a decision.
3- If you are going to make a career change it better pay off for the family or don't even consider it.....unless the spirit directs you otherwise.
4- Praying and Fasting work!
5- Heavenly Father cares about each one of us.
6- That I need to do my best and make a difference where ever I am!
7- I Love a lot of people!
8- I love my home and neighboorhood!
9- I love my Family.
10- I have great supportive Kids who love me!

Our Families Common Phrases

2011-05-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Often in our Home we use the same phrases over and over. The other night Kinsey was getting out of the shower and yelled one of our common phrases...."Can someone please get me a towel?" It made me chuckle when I realized it would be something so easy to fix but we somehow find ourselves at others mercy, needing to yell this phrase through the house. So with that said I decided to make a list of some of our household common phrases.

I love you!
Can you please get me some water?
Can someone get me some toilet paper?
Does anyone want to play with my hair?
What are we doing next?
Ask Dad?
Ask Mom?
Can we go out to dinner?
Do you wanna pay for it?
Can somebody please wipe me?

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T20:11:00.001-07:00

Junk to Funk Fashion Show

2011-03-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Kinsey and her friend Meri wanted to make duct tape dresses for the Junk to Funk Fashion Show. I was able to meet Meri's Mom and help the wrap tape to make the dress. The girls designed the dresses and had so fun showing them off at the Fashion Show. Kinsey was even interviewed by the news! I am so glad to have met Meri's Mom, Olga, who is a very loving and humble woman.

Answers

2011-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Randy and Kinsey were having a conversation the other day about how Heavenly Father answers questions through the Holy Ghost and how they are one in purpose. Randy explained that The Holy Ghost knows what Heavenly Father wants and can tell us all things. Randy walked out of the room and Kinsey looked at me and said, "Mom, the Holy Ghost is like Mr. Maughn (her science teacher), I can ask him any question and he knows all the answers."

Piano Recital

2011-02-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

Kinsey and I had our first piano recital today. Both of us were very nervous. Kinsey played, "The Waltz" and did a perfect job. She is very talented and spends at least 20 minutes everyday practicing. So this was very rewarding for her. I played "How Great thou Art" and got through my piece with hitting three or four wrong notes. It was important for me that Kinsey play in the recital. I felt silly being the only adult at the recital but knew I couldn't expect it of Kinsey without doing it myself....I am just so glad it is over.

We had a lot of people come and support us. Of course, Randy and Jordan were there as well as Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth, Grandma and Grandpa Harding, Sierra, Michelle, Tyler, Sawyer, Justin, Jenn and Jenn's sister, Alex. After the recital My Dad treated us all to Wingers and we had a wonderful time with each other.

Justin, Jenn and Alex came the night before to have a sleep over and let Alex and Kinsey spend time together. Michelle and Clinton came over and we played games. Michelle brought over her Wii dance game which was so much fun. I love Family time and am greatful for everyone's support!!

February Sickness

2011-02-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Randy and Jordan have gotten the Flu! It has been a long week of being at home. Randy even stayed home from work and didn't get off the couch for 14 hours. He never takes sick days and so I knew this was bad. I was feeling confident in my abilities to nurture then until Jordan wasn't keeping any medicine down and his fever was staying above 103. I decided to take Jordan to the doctor and felt like I was at the end of my rope. The doctor gave him a shot to help him, he also had an ear infection. The next day Jordan wouldn't walk on his leg and insisted that he couldn't put pressure on it. Being a stubborn Mom I am, I made him hop around the house, even with his begging to be held and persistence that he couldn't walk. When the next day rolled around he spent another few hours insisting he couldn't put pressure on his leg cause of the shot. I told him I knew he was faking and then he started running around on it. When Kinsey got home from school that day he whispered to her, "I was faking, for just a little more attention."

The day I took Jordan to the doctor was my breaking day. I felt like I was fighting the sickness. My friend Cat brought us dinner. This was such a blessing to our family. None of us had the energy to make a healthy dinner but it was needed so badly to help us get ourselves back up to par. She delivered an awesome dinner, cornflake chicken and twice baked potatoes that lasted a few nights and she also brought black beans and pico for lunches. Her husband, being thoughtful of their family, insisted that if she bring dinner over she wear's a mask to drop it off. She is such a wonderful friend and a great example to me. The following morning, Suzy called to see if I needed anything from the store. I mentioned that due to Kinsey's new interest in omlet making we needed more eggs. She quickly brought over fresh eggs from her own chickens at home. Yummy. I tell ya this is how life is suppose to be. Serving one another when someone is in need and they are wonderful examples to me.

Kinsey LOVES Omlets

2011-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Kinsey is a breakfast lover. Every morning she wants me to make her breakfast and in her words, NOT CEREAL. I was talking with a friend about how important this is to her and the friend suggested I teach her to make her own breakfast. This way on the days I am getting ready to head out the door too and would have thrown cereal at her she could be responsible for making her own breakfast. What a simple and grand idea. So, Randy and I taught her to make an omlet on Sunday morning. Then Monday morning she woke up and made an omlet for herself and Tuesday morning she made an omlet for both her and I. She is loving the feeling of responsibility and the ability she has to take care of herself. All this resolution in such a simple perspective from a friend.

Family

2011-02-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

This past week Kinsey has told me on three different occasions that she is so glad I am her Mom. There is nothing that makes me more happy then when we are seeing eye to eye on life. Today my primary sharing time lesson was on how Families are Central to Heavenly Father's Plan. I know that he created families so we could become better and learn from each other in loving enviornments. I hope our family will always strive to help each other want to return to our Father in Heaven.

Kinsey's Piano Decision

2011-02-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Kinsey was flattered by her piano teacher today...telling me what a great job she will do at her recital and how much she loves teaching Kinsey. Kinsey was beaming with excitement. But, even with all the compliments Kinsey informed me on the way home that she thinks she needs to quit Piano. "Why" I asked. This was Kinsey's response, "My teacher said, playing the piano effects my lungs!" I knew exactly what she was thinking. Not long ago I stopped her at a quit smoking booth at a hockey game. The booth showed a healthy lung and then the "effect" of a smokers lung. It was disgusting and really discouraged her from wanting to smoke. So, Kinsey automatically assumed her lungs were going to have a negative effect from playing piano! She was freaked out and knew she had to quit until I explained to her that it was going to be a healthy "effect" on her. She has decided it will be just fine to keep playing the piano!

Report Cards

2011-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

The kids came home with their report cards today! Kinsey got straight A's. I am proud of her and know she works hard to correct any possible assignments and tests to get better grades. Jordan did great too. His grades are not letter grades yet but he is doing well in all areas and will have no problem being ready for first grade.

Goals

2011-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Randy and I talked at church today on Goals. I love the opportunity speaking gives me to study a specific subject. I don't do this on my own but when given the challenge to speak in front of a congregation I feel I better learn so I can teach and help others become better. I usually learn more than I can share and today wasn't any different. Michelle and Clinton had to give opening and closing prayers to the meeting. My Dad, Sierra and Becky showed up without us knowing they were coming. I am greatful for a supportive family. Following are the talks which we prepared.

Nicole's Talk

I was asked a couple of Sunday’s ago if I could meet in the bishop’s office after church with my husband and after a couple hours of wondering what change could be coming my way I finally met with the bishop. He asked if we would mind speaking. Although I felt a lot of hesitation I tried not to show it and responded with an immediate, yes. I could have come across as confident but my mind was screaming insecurity. The Bishop then gave me the topic of Goals and how setting goals as a family, brings us closer to our Heavenly Father. At that point I was thinking, easy subject…it’s a no brainer. Now I was feeling confident but as my studies began I realized I should have been feeling a lot more insecure. Sometimes I view circumstances through a telescope and that is usually when I get a humble awakening and see the entire mountain.

So my thoughts were this. Hmm.… Family home evening, scripture study and prayer. Do these three things and your family will be closer to Heavenly Father. I could end my talk here but in my studies this week I have learned a lot and I am excited to share these things with you. I have realized there is a lot more to the equation then actually just setting the goal. We must have the faith that we can reach those goals.

“A goal is a standard, a skill, an ideal, or a destination that is to be achieved. We set a goal when we decide to accomplish a particular thing. Some goals, such as saving money to buy a new home or doing things to improve the love and peace within the family, may take months or years. Goals that will help us become worthy to dwell eternally with our Heavenly Father may take an entire lifetime. Some goals may not even be attained during a lifetime on earth, but may require additional effort in the hereafter.”

Do you have family goals that will bring you closer to Heavenly Father? If not, try and set a goal and do them. Some of us may want to increase our family’s knowledge of the scriptures or improve church attendance. Others of us may want to work with our families to improve the cleanliness of our homes. Our families may need to improve our ability to pay tithing. We will not always have the same goals as other families because our needs are not always the same. Don’t give up when the goal you set doesn’t become a habit quickly. Just try and do better, a little better each day. Make a chart of some sort or write your goal down so you will follow through and your goal will become a visual reality.

In our home we have a rock jar that we started. When we have family prayer and scripture study we can move the rocks from one bucket to another. When all the rocks are moved to a different bucket then we can go get shakes as a family, this is something we all look forward to. My kids make sure we follow through with our goals because most often they are more motivated and obedient than me. Giving the children motivation has encouraged our family to accomplish our goals. Find a motivation that encourages your family to accomplish goals.
I remember as a young child, probably 8 or 9 years old, going to a neighbors home. I felt the spirit in this home and knew one day I wanted to model my family after this one. It is incredible to me that I had the capacity to do this at such a young age but I took mental notes often of the things this family did that I wanted to do when I had a family or home of my own. One night I was invited to attend family home evening with this family. I remember them starting off with a question. The question was, “What can we do as a Family to be better?” Then everyone in the family, which was 8 kids and 2 adults suggested ideas for a goal they could have that week.

Although I can’t remember the goal the family set that day, I remember the spirit teaching me that setting goals as a family was something that could strengthen my home.

Often when I see something we are struggling with as a family that is keeping the spirit out of our home I will suggest it as a goal to work on for the week. When our family takes the challenge to achieve the goal it always helps bring us closer to Heavenly Father.

Another important time in my life that I was impressed to set goals was when I was married. I remember during our ceremony the sealer talking for a long time. To be honest, instead of soaking in every detail, I remember thinking, “How come no one told me some guy, whom I didn’t know was going to talk forever?” Then trying to refocus on what he was talking about. Now, I value so much the advice I can remember from that moment. One of the things he mentioned that day, was that Randy and I should always be thinking about our future together. He advised us to ask ourselves what we wanted our future to be like and to visualize where we would be in a month and then five and ten years from now. Although, we don’t always remember to keep his advice and look to our future with hope, I know that when we set righteous goals many blessings are received.

Think about what your family wants to achieve in mortality, and prayerfully seek to know Heavenly Father’s will for your family. Then set realistic goals to attain your desires.
Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Let me tell you something about goal setting. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

I hope I can help you understand something more I learned this week. Just as M. Russell Ballard suggests, I too feel that an important part of setting goals as a family and individually is to be able to reach our full potential. I believe in order to do this we need to be able to see each other’s full potential…The potential our Father in Heaven sees in each of us. We have to be able to believe we can reach those goals.

I would like to paraphrase and tell the story of Lot. Lot lived in Sodom and Gomorrah when the Lord asked him and his family to leave because the Lord was planning to destroy those cities. Genesis 19:17 reads, “Escape for thy life, Look not behind thee…escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” It took a while but Lot’s family did leave just before the city was destroyed. In Genesis 19:24-25 it tells us what happened the morning after they left. “The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities.” Then can you believe what happens next, in Genesis 19:26, it says that Lot’s wife looked back and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

What did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? In January 2009, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk at a BYU devotional titled, “The Best is Yet to Be.” He answers this question in his talk. He said, “Apparently, what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t’ just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before she was past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her.” He continued by saying, “It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind…..So, it isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future….She did not have faith. She doubted the Lords ability to give her something better than she already had. “

How often do you look into the past not having confidence for your future?

Jeffrey R. Holland challenged the audience in his talk by stating, “I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in…There is something in many of us that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life-either our mistakes or the mistakes of others. It is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in opposition…to the Atonement of Christ.”

I have a friend who has struggled during many of his years. He is a successful businessman. When he was first married he was Elders Quorum President. He cared a lot for the families in his ward. He would make sure that all the homes in the ward were visited and home taught every month, even if it had to be done by him. My friend has a testimony of our Church and has a very big heart. He is full of love and cares deeply for those around him.
A few years after being Elder’s Quorum President my friend slowly began spending his Sundays working on building his successful and very demanding business. During this time he lost his habit of going to church. If his work load was ever light, then on Sunday, he would take advantage of the extra time with entertainment. He would also use this time to take his family to dinner and movies and then eventually began skiing on this day. To help him relax he started drinking a little here and there.

Tragically, when he was 37, his wife passed away. This left my friend with a busy career and three young children at home. As you can imagine, It also left him in a place of despair. Sadly, he turned to alcohol and then drugs for relief. This brought addiction and even more struggles into his life.

After the death of his wife, he was re-married. The woman he married wasn’t a member of our church. But, soon after their marriage she became interested in the church and allowed missionaries into their home. After over a year of discussions and missionary visits, my friend started going back to church.

Although he attended his church meetings and tried to do his best to remain strong…Addiction was strong too. Eventually he spent some time in Jail for using drugs. He also spent time in an addiction program to help him overcome his addictions.
After spending time in Jail he sold his home to find a new place to live. Randomly, my friend moved into an area where an old college friend of his lived. This old friend of his began to visit my friend and became his home teacher. He knew the potential my friend had and helped him to step away from his past and look into the future. He saw him how our Heavenly Father sees each one of us. Because of this my friend is now a changed person striving to live the gospel and find happiness in it.

I share this story with you not because I want you to know of my friends past and his struggles but because I want you to see the incredible ability my friend had to move forward with his life. Most importantly, I want you to realize that it was a friend of his who saw his full potential.

Do you see the potential in others that our Heavenly Father sees in each one of us?

This story isn’t complete. I was recently with my friend. I was joking with him about his past, which I often do. I even remember him saying, “Have you heard of repentance?” Then we went on to continue joking around. Sometimes this joking is done for humor and sometimes this is because of my pain from our past experiences together.

I was reading a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland when I no longer felt as though I was looking through a telescope on setting goals but that I was beginning to see the Entire Mountain the ability that setting goals gives us to reach our full potential. We are to become better people and a better family our future is to be made and our past to be forgotten.

This is what Elder Holland’s said, “When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died to heal. Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is that charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone, saying, “Hey! Do you remember this?” Splat!”

This past week I was humbled. As I was read this quote and thought about my talk. I kept thinking about my situation with my friend. I realized I have been providing little hope for my friend’s future. I realized I had not been seeing his full potential. I am excited to think about seeing the full potential in my friend. Although, this may be difficult to break a habit I have of viewing him and others through their pasts. I have now set a goal to work on seeing the full potential in not just him but all those I know.

Elder Holland further suggests that “God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as he does about where you are and with his help where you are willing to go.”

Are you allowing family members, friends and ward members to obtain the goals they have set by recognizing individuals for their full potential, just as our Father in Heaven sees them? Remember, that to have faith is to leave the past behind. Forgive and Forget. Live for the future. Just like lot’s wife was told “Look not behind thee.” Remember anyone can change. The Atonement is for each one of us. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself so we could all look forward with hope.

I hope I can remember D&C 58:42. “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord remember them no more.”
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Randy's Talk

Well I’m grateful to be with you brothers and sisters. I am so blessed with such a great companion. She is fantastic.
Well I to was asked to speak a little bit on personal goal setting. Now this is the time of year when we all set some sort of goals. Some may be to get back to exercising and lose weight, that’s always a common one, some may be to earn more money this year, be promoted in a job, find a different job, eat better, be more friendly to our neighbors, but no matter what is, we all seem to set some sort of a goal at this time of year. Why I was asked to speak on this subject, I’m not exactly sure. I’m the type of guy who says “I’ll just not set goals, that way I won’t feel bad when I don’t achieve them. It’s easier that way right? Wrong! Personal goals are an essential part of life.
The problem many of us have with goals is how long do we keep them? What I see in myself and I’m sure many of you have a similar problem, is that goals are often time short lived. You may decide I’m going to get up at 5am and exercise everyday, which ends up lasting about 2-3 days. I like to call this the honeymoon phase with our goals. Ya know the honeymoon phase when I used to do everything my wife asked me to do, now after 11 years I just do everything she tells me to do…..j/k
When we look a little deeper into goals what do we find… Now there are many different kinds of goals. If you know me at all you would know that I love the game of hockey, so the first thing I think of when I hear the word goal or in hockey terms… the word GOOOAAALL! I think of a player beating the goalie, the puck crossing the goal line and into the net. But that is not the type of goal I’m talking about.
One of the definitions of the word goal is; the result or achievement toward which effort is directed: Have we all not had a goal sometime in our life to achieve something we work towards?… Getting a good grade in school, obtaining employment, potty training a child, or whatever it may be? Of course we have. But what other types of goals should we be setting for ourselves. What about our spiritual goals? What kinds of goals are we setting in our spiritual lives?
President Spencer W. Kimball shared one of his many goals…
“Let me tell you of one of the goals that I made when I was still but a lad. When I heard a Church leader from Salt Lake City tell us at conference that we should read the scriptures, and I recognized that I had never read the Bible, that very night at the conclusion of that very sermon I walked to my home a block away and climbed up in my little attic room in the top of the house and lighted a little coal-oil lamp that was on the little table, and I read the first chapters of Genesis. A year later I closed the Bible, having read every chapter in that big and glorious book.
He went on to say:
“I found that this Bible that I was reading had in it 66 books, and then I was nearly dissuaded when I found that it had in it 1,189 chapters, and then I also found that it had 1,519 pages. It was formidable, but I knew if others did it that I could do it.
“I found that there were certain parts that were hard for a 14-year-old boy to understand. There were some pages that were not especially interesting to me, but when I had read the 66 books and 1,189 chapters and 1,519 pages, I had a glowing satisfaction that I had made a goal and that I had achieved it.
So what are some of our spiritual goals? Are we attending our church meetings, are we praying daily, are we studying scriptures daily? Are we following the prophet? All these things are so readily available to us if we just put our minds to it and do them. We are asked to come to church for 3 hours a week, is that really that difficult? How hard is it to pray morning and night? How difficult is it to take 20 minutes out of our day to study the scriptures? And why would we not follow the prophet?
Truman Madson defines a prophet as a “foreteller, he has prophetic access to the future. Also prophets have been called “forth-tellers,” meaning that they speak forth boldly in judgment and in recommendation as to their own time. A prophet too is a man who has authority, who speaks with more than human sanction. He is a recoverer or discoverer of truth. He is an advocate of social righteousness. He is a charismatic, one whose personality manifests something that attracts in a spiritual sense. He is one who endures suffering, and does so radiantly. He is an embodiment of love. He is a seer, meaning that he has the capacity to clearly understand and reveal truth. Finally, among the great prophets of the past, many have been martyrs.”
After hearing that, why would we not want to follow someone like that?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that all of us here have one common goal. What goal is that you might ask? Our common goal is to one day return home to our heavenly father. That brothers and sisters is the ultimate goal for all of us. But what are we doing today to achieve that goal? Are we just living day to day going through life letting it pass us by?
The way I see it, there are 3 types of people in this world, those that make things happen, those that let things happen, and those that watch things happen, I often ask myself which type am I? Sometimes I’m probably a mix of all of them.
Now I have a question for each of you. You may find this question rather bizarre, but what is the difference between ham and eggs? Think about that for a minute, what is the difference between ham and eggs? When I asked my wife this question, she gave answers such as, you eat them at different times of day, they are different animals. One is a mammal, one is an amphibian. Although each of these answers could possibly fit…..To me - The difference between ham and eggs is that the chicken makes a contribution, the pig makes a commitment.
I look at a goal as an ending place, something you have reached, after hard work and dedication. To get to that goal, we must make smaller commitments that we can do each and every day. A commitment to me is a much more powerful term. When you are committed to something, I see that as something you take serious. Commitment is defined as the act of committing, the state of being committed, engaging oneself, a pledge or promise; an obligation. When we make a commitment, that to me is something that we cannot fail in. We often can fall short on goals, but if we have smaller commitments in place that we commit ourselves to meet, we have a much greater chance of reaching those different goals that we set. If I have a goal to be healthier for the year 2011 what does that mean. But if I am committed to get up early each morning and exercise, I will automatically reach that goal of being healthier in 2011. Think of it in another sense. Each of you picture yourself up here on the stand with me. Let’s say I have eight apples up here and I’m going to throw them to you. Now your goal is to catch them all and not let any of them drop. That is your ultimate goal. Now if I take my bucket of apples here and toss them all to you at once what is the chance you are going to accomplish that goal of not dropping any? Probably not very good, actually probably near impossible. However, if I take them out one at a time and throw them to you, do you think you could catch all eight? Your chances would surely be much greater.
When Nephi returned to Jerusalem, to obtain the brass plates from Laban, he stated in 1 Ne 3:7
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
Did Nephi set a goal….Or commitment?
My son Jordan loves to play hockey. He doesn’t like me telling people that, so I know I’m in a lot of trouble when we leave here today. He likes to keep that between him and me. But he had a goal to one day play hockey. Now could he just go out and play ice hockey without some sort of preparation at all? Never having ever skated before? No! He had to make a certain commitment first, to learn how to skate so he could reach his goal of playing hockey. He was committed every week to go skate for 6 months leading up to the moment he could put on his pads, grab his stick and go out and play. Now that he can skate well enough to play hockey, is he ready to enter the NHL, of course not, he needs to go practice and practice to better his skills if he’s going to someday reach that ”goal” to play in the NHL. Ok he really doesn’t have that goal but you get the idea. Now I’m sure you have all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect?”
When we look at a gospel perspective, does practice make perfect? Will we be perfect if we practice those commitments that we set for ourselves each day? I mean, we strive to be perfect, but as mortals, that is not really possible?
One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Forever Strong, about the Highland Rugby team here in Utah. In that film, the coach makes a statement that the team would chant, which said “practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.” What a profound statement. If we apply that in a gospel setting, if we practice the things we know that are right, we will make them permanent.
Years ago when I was a missionary, and I’m sure you missionaries out there can attest to this, I prayed more then, than any other time in my life. When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you would do is hit your knees, get ready for the day and hit your knees before personal study, then pray over breakfast, then before companionship study you would hit your knees as a companionship, before you left the house, hit your knees again. The list would go on and on, before each appointment, during each appointment, after each appointment, it wouldn’t be uncommon to pray 25-30 times a day. That was permanent for me on my mission. Now 13 years later, there are times when I forget to pray altogether. Why? Because I wasn’t practicing to make it permanent! Is praying to my heavenly father a couple times a day to hard of a commitment to make to help me progress towards my ultimate goal? I don’t think it is. If we practice reading the scriptures a little bit each day, if we practice coming to church each week and attending all our meetings, we will make it permanent so that we won’t have to think each week about going, we’ll just go. We won’t have to think about reading scriptures each day, we’ll just do it. Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent!
I know that goal setting is an essential part of lives, both spiritually and temporally. Within the church you will find that we are a goal setting people. From primary to adulthood we set goals. In primary we set such goals as memorizing the articles of faith or learning songs for a specific program. YM and YW set different to earn Duty to God or YW recognition award.
A good rule of thumb is to set SMART goals or commitments to achieve those ultimate goals.
• S - Specific (or Significant). Be specific of what you would like to accomplish
• M - Measurable (or Meaningful). Make sure you can measure or gage that goal
• A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented). Set realistic goals or commitments
• R - Relevant (or Rewarding). Make it Relevant to what you want
• T - Time-bound (or Trackable). Set due dates

Now brothers and sisters I challenge you to set some goals, both temporally and spiritually. Work toward something, by committing yourselves, to simple everyday things you can and will do to one day achieve that goal you have set out for yourself. Strive to get a little better each day both in personal life and spiritual life. Doing a little better each day will take us to that next level in our lives. Be the type of person that makes things happen rather than be one of those that lets things happen or just watches things happen.
I’m grateful for the opportunity I have had to study this topic. To refocus myself on my own commitments to reach those goals I have set. I know that as we set these righteous goals and strive to achieve them the lord will help us along the way. Our ultimate goal is to return to our heavenly father. He has that same goal for us and he is there to help us achieve that goal. He is there to reach down to us as we reach up for him. I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth today. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives, let us take full advantage of what we have and strive to meet that ultimate goal. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Grandma's Birthday

2011-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

We took Grandma Harding to Gardner's Village for her birthday and had lunch. She spoiled the boys by buying them guns and gave Kinsey some money to buy something. She bought some clothes for her American Girl doll and a stand to hold the doll. We had a lot of fun and took lots of pictures. Just after taking the picture of the group, Kinsey was pooped on by a bird. Her disgusted reaction was hilarious. She just wanted me to clean it up and was super angry that I took time to get the picture. Then while I was cleaning her up a bird pooped on my coat. I guess we were standing in a bad place. Sierra hurt herself snowboarding and has to wear a neck brace while they are still trying to decide what to do with her. She wasn't suppose to take it off but did for the picture...Michelle couldn't resist wearing it while it was off Sierra. Michelle said, "she always wanted to wear a neck brace." I had a lot of fun and am so greatful for my wonderful family!

What about the Yolk?

2011-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

What about the Yolk was the name of Kinsey's science fair project. Kinsey finished her project last night after working for a final three and a half hours. She had been working at least an hour each day after school for the past two weeks. This was a hard project for Kinsey with a huge learning curve on the steps to completing a science project as well as learning and understanding the vocabulary and research. I know there were times when I was feeling like a horrible mother making her learn and do each step. I questioned if I was being to stubborn in not helping her do it and only helping her understand the process she was to do. (Honestly I still question that. I am not sure where my place is or should be for this project.) The first day we spent two and half hours at the library until Kinsey could decided on her question. We then could check out books and do her research. This project was a test of mine and Kinsey's patience with each other. The question she decided on was, "Do Brown eggs and white eggs have different Yolks?" Her concusion was, "Yes, the brown egg has a lighter yolk and the white egg has a darker yolk." I think she was proud of her completed project and even more excited it was over. I am proud of all her hard work. Today she came running to the car after school with complete excitement. Just before school got out they announced that Kinsey had won 2nd place for grades 1-4. I could tell this made all her work worth it for her and brought excitement back into science for her. She asked if we could celebrate her win with Pizza and Doughnuts and we did!

Family Ski Trip

2011-01-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today my Dad and Becky took me, Randy, Michelle, Clinton, Justin and Jen skiing to Park City. My friend, Cat babysat my Kids. It was a cold, snowy and windy day but we had a lot of fun together. Randy took the first fall of the day. He fell another time and rolled over a bush. I thought he was going to hit the tree for sure. It was Jen's first time skiing and so Justin decide to learn to snowboared and stayed with Jen on the lower lifts. We did get to spend lunch time with them and see their progress before we left and I was amazed how quickly they learned. I love that my Dad has created this tradition and probably next year we will be able to bring Kinsey along with us.

Jordan builds Legos!

2011-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today Jordan built his very first Lego set. It was fun to watch him follow the directions. He was very proud of his finished project.

We are so LUCKY to have bodies!

2011-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Another cute conversation between Jordan and Kinsey on the way home from Hockey tonight.

Jordan: "Kinsey, we are so lucky we have bodies. Do you know that some people don't even get bodies."
Kinsey: "Ya. Like who?"
Jordan: "You know the guy who tries to make us do bad things"

I think the conversation went on more but I can't believe Jordan thinks about these things on his own.

Do you know why we have Missionaries?

2011-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Last night after putting Kinsey and Jordan to bed I heard Jordan getting Kinsey's attention from his bed. This is how the conversation went...

Jordan:"Kinsey, I need to tell you one thing."
Kinsey: "What?"
Jordan: "Do you know why we have missionaries?"
Kinsey: "Ya."
Jordan: "it's because some people don't know who Jesus and Heavenly Father are."
Kinsey: "yep"
Jordan: "Goodnight"

It always amazes me what my kids think about. He must have had a primary lesson on this. I found it so cute that he had to get it off his mind before he fell to sleep. I hope he makes choices that direct him on a path to become a missionary and teach people about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Kinsey Basketball

2011-01-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

Kinsey's First day of Fourth Grade Basketball. She is an aggresive player. In the first picture she had just made her first points of the season! In the next picture she is with Savanah. Savanah's Dad is coaching the team this year. The team she played against had half of her old soccer team on it. In fact in the picture where she is stealing the ball, her and her friends face tell the whole story...her friend saying, "What are you doing?....while Kinsey's face is like..."Ha, fooled you!" Did I ever tell anyone, she is COMPETITIVE!? I love to watch my kids play sports and today wasn't any different.

*Disclaimer: If I am going to be doing this blog thing. I am going to have to read my camera's user manual. My photography skills are horrible. So, please excuse my photos!

Jordan's First Day at Hockey

2011-01-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Finally Jordan reaches his dream moment. His first day of hockey! Jordan has been taking ice skating lessons since the beginning of summer to work for this day. His hard work has paid off and it was so fun to watch. At five years old he is the youngest in his class followed by an eight year old. As you can imagine it is just the cutest thing to see him out on the ice. The coach had the kids in a circle laying down and practicing getting up quickly. They did many other drills and Jordan kept up just fine. Before practice began he assured Kinsey that Hockey lessons were more dangerous than ice skating lessons. He thrives off the excitement of the game. After practice we took off his helmet and he had sweat so much his hair was wet. He loved every minute of his first day!!

2nd Annual New Years Day Tradition

2011-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

It has officially become a tradition for our family to spend New Years Day with some friends in Santaquin. The Lindsay's are truly great examples and wonderful friends. They love us for who we are and our children get along extremely well. They have the perfect area to bring our four wheeler and take the kids sledding and for rides. It was a super cold day. After arriving the Dad's took the kids on sleds around the block a few times I took the wheeler around the block once and realized how cold it really was that was the only time I went. When Jordan and Ethan decided it was too cold to be out anymore we took them inside and it took a bath to warm them up. Jordan sat crying in the bath for a good five minutes saying his body was burning. Meanwhile, Kinsey and Madi insisted on continuing rides. They stayed out another thirty minutes until Randy and Mckay couldn't handle the chill. The girls could have stayed out forever and loved every minute on the sled. After sleding we had dinner and visited while the kids played. We love this tradition!

New Year - 2011

2011-01-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and for me that means new beginnings and new opportunities. It is a goal for me this year to keep my blog updated and make it possible to print a book for this coming year from my blog. That being said, I am going to learn a lot from my Sister who has inspired me to do this.

10 years of Marriage!

2009-11-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Standing in front of Lover's Beach in Cabo.

Kids we bought gum from in Cabo!

The canyon that we zip lined in Puerto Vallarta.

Our fun dinner table!

Sunset in the Pacific!

September 24th was our Anniversary, it's official we have been married 10 years now! To celebrate, we went on a 7 night cruise to Mexico! We were able to spend a lot of time doing really fun things and enjoyed every minute we had together. With exception of the one phone call Nicole made to her friend Cat, to check on the kids, she lost control of her emotions and then took a couple hours to stop crying. We spent time swimming with dolphins, something each of us had always wanted to do. We slept in and stayed up late going to shows each night. We laid in the sun and ate ice cream cones on the deck. We shopped for souveniers at ports. We watched the sunset in the Pacific ocean and saw flying fish every time we stepped out on our balcony. We had great people at our assigned dinner table that we laughed and laughed with each night. We did at least 16 ziplines between a beautiful canyon in Puerto Vallarta. What a fun adventure this was and what awesome memories we created! A funny side note: Randy was told this joke over and over again throughout our trip by people cruising for vacation, the cruise staff and even residents in mexico...it got to be funnier every time someone new said it to us. Just because it was so random. "Being married 10 years must have gone by quickly for you two?" And while we responded yes!, they would look to Randy and say, " it feels like 1 minute...under the water." During our 10 years together we have had times that have definetly been hard and trials we have faced that have brought us even closer to each other and helped us to learn more about one another. We treasure the time we have spent together and are so excited for the journey of our next 10 years.

My Sweet Grandma Estelle

2009-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

There was an amazing seahorse exhibit at the aquarium.

Did you know that in the seahorse family males get pregnant and give birth?

Perfect photo opportunity!

An amazing place with so much to see!

Our family loved spending time at the beach!

Seriously what's not to love?

Randy dedicated the sand to Nicole, how sweet!!

Grandma Estelle, Aunt Jenny, Aunt Lindy, Kinsey and Jordan at the Library standing on bricks Grandma put our names on through sizeable donations.

My Grandma lives in California and is one of the most unselfish, generous, giving people I have ever known. At least a couple times each year I will open my mailbox to find a letter from Grandma...for no occasion. In these letters she always says work has been doing great and I want to share some of our extra money with you. She never expects anything in return but purely wants to make life more comfortable for us. Every time we have recieved this money and felt so blessed as the money seemed to come just as we were needing a little more. This happened yet again a letter was recieved with a substantial amount of money and Randy and I decided we would use the money to take a road trip over the next 3 day weekend to visit her. We called her to tell her we were coming and she booked us a hotel and when we arrived she had fruit and food for the kids placed in the room. She had bought us tickets to go to the aquarium and payed for every meal while we were there. She showered us with gifts at her home and as we were saying our goodbyes she gave us an envelope with more money. I think we actually took home even more money than we spent that weekend. We enjoyed so much our visit with her and are so amazed at her endless generosity. We are so grateful for her example and hope one day we can spoil our Grandkids and teach them about generosity in the same ways she has taught us.

School Begins!

2009-11-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Jordan's first day of school!
Kinsey's first day of School

Kinsey started third grade and Jordan is in preschool. They are growing up so quickly and doing so well with learning. Nicole thought with Jordan in school she would have extra time on her hands and decided to start Piano lessons(A life long dream). Randy was very supportive of this idea and bought a Clavinova keyboard for her, of course he plays it better and enjoys learning new songs but Nicole is learning and loving the experience. Nicole celebrated her 30th birthday with a surprise Luau party thrown by her friend, Cat. Randy spoiled her for her birthday with a wheat grinder to persue her bread making hobby. Nicole was then called into the Primary Presidency and assigned to write the Sacrament Program. Nicole's "extra time" has been quickly passing with bread making, piano lessons, nurturing children and a church calling. She wouldn't change anything about it and loves her life. Randy is doing excellent at work he really enjoys it and has seemed to have found his nitch in life. We couldn't be happier at the Farnsworth home.

Summer ended Quickly!

2009-11-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Kinsey On the Motorcycle
Jordan on the Motorcycle

Kinsey and Corrine at Tibble Fork!

Randy Fishing!

Lagoon!

Summer ended so quickly. We had the opportunity to spend time at Lagoon as a family. We also spent time at Tibble Fork Reservoir, Fishing and Four wheeling, with our Cousin Corrine. Then Randy took the Kids Motorcycling with their Uncle Eric and Cousins, Trevor and Matthew.

Kinsey's Swim Meet

2009-07-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Kinsey did awesome on her butterfly.

She had a great freestyle swim

Jordan's Tan Line

2009-07-14T21:22:00.001-07:00

Jordan has been spending way too much time at the pool this summer to get a tan line like that! He always gets so dark in the summer time and we're only half way through! We'll see if his hair bleaches again like usual.

Kinsey's Outfit!

2009-07-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Kinsey has been begging me to take her to the clothing store "Justice" So, I took her there on Friday evening. She spent alot of her saved money on this outfit!! I can't believe the colors and gloves. They totally remind me of my childhood. I just had leg warmers instead of arm warmers!! She is sooo excited about the outfit.

Kinsey's Swim Team

2009-07-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

Kinsey has been loving her swim team this summer and enjoying the swim meets. She has recieved a couple first place, third place and fourth place ribbons and is improving her times! Here are a couple pictures of her swimming the breaststroke! She is such a great little swimmer and of course this makes her Mom and Dad very proud!

Kitchen Project

2009-07-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

We have been working hard on our Kitchen. My brother and brother in law helped us to tear out and put in new lighting and crown molding. Then we repainted the cieling and walls and decided to the cabinets too!! It has been a long project but we are seeing the end as we hung the doors back on a couple nights ago...here are a couple pics!! I am needing decorations now...everything is so open and white!

Jordan - A Tuff Kid!!

2009-05-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Jordan went in for his tonsil surgery on May 7th. It was so cute to hear him answering the nurses questions. "What did you have for breakfast?" Jordan's response "I didn't have breakfast." or "Do you know what you are here for?" Jordan's response, "I am getting my tonsils out!" He just seemed so old as he took on the challenge of the unknown. The surgery went well. The doctor told us the tonsils and adnoids were blocking 90% of his airway. This made me feel better about the decision to have them out. They took his tube out of his ear as well and had to put a patch on it to help the hole heal better. He has been such a trooper these past couple days. He doesn't complain of a sore throat but fights us often on his medicine!! He has eaten lots of popsicles and slushes as well as scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. After these next couple weeks pass I hope to see a lot of change in his breathing! Way to go buddy and way to be strong!

Jordan's Birthday

2009-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Jordan with some of his friends

(Dallin, Tyson, Jordan, Tyler and Jacob)

Jordan's Birthday Friends!

Kinsey, Jordan and Tyler waiting for the party to begin!
Jordan's Chainsaw! - The perfect gift for him!
He loved to open his presents!
Birthday morning with his construction cake!

Jordan had a construction themed birthday party. His Birthday is May 9th but because he is getting his tonsils out on May 7th, we celebrated his birthday early on May 5th this year. It turned out to be succesful!! We gave him a chainsaw and had a mini track hoe brought to the home for the kids to play on during his party. Randy and I stayed up late making a road through our house for the kids to drive their trucks on during the party as well. I was so greatful for everyone's help at this party!! Jordan invited 11 kids and with him and his sister there were 13 total. So, you can only imagine the help I needed.

Justin's Graduation

2009-05-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

We seriously have the best extended family!! We are so lucky to have been able to spend this weekend with them. Our brother and uncle, Justin graduated with his Bachelors degree from Utah State this weekend and all of our family went up to support him!! Nicole's Grandma and Aunt and Uncles flew in from California. Her other grandparents came up from Provo. Nicole's Dad, Becky and Sierra from Park City. Lincoln and Kathy and there kids from SLC and me and her sister and our families from American Fork. We were all able to support Justin and see his excitement as he graduated. After the Graduation we all went to a yummy steak house and were able to enjoy each other's company. Lincoln and Sierra insisted on sitting with the kids and they had such a fun time this really allowed us to enjoy the yummy dinner and the great company. Thanks so much to Grandma Estelle who paid for all the hotel rooms and our wonderful dinner. Her generosity is so amazing and she is such a wonderful example to us. Congratulations to Justin!!

Proud moment!
Michelle, Justin and Nicole

Jordan and Tyler

Grandma Estelle, Justin, Jenny, Randy, Sue and Lindy

Kids Table

All of the supporting family!

Easter Morning 2009!

2009-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Easter morning....Did the Easter Bunny Come? Of course, there were jelly beans, hidden eggs, hidden baskets and chocolate bunnies! Traditions....they have been created!!

Jordan Eating his Chocolate Bunny.

Kinsey enjoying her chocolate bunny! Kinsey's basket was hidden in the hall closet!
Jordan's Basket was hidden in the bathtub!

Easter Egg Dying 2009!

2009-04-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky after the Baptism to have the Vegas Gang over to dye Easter eggs!! We are so glad they traveled down this way and we were able to let the cousins create memories together. Bailey ended up with strep throat and plans changed as they went home to Las Vegas directly after getting the egg dying done.

Jonas dying eggs!!

Jordan and Grandma Farnsworth Dying Eggs!

Kinsey and Bailey Dying Eggs!

Kinsey's Baptism

2009-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Good friends and close cousins, Kinsey and Bailey!

Kinsey and Her Dad!!

Family Photo

Kinsey and Bailey in locker room anxiously awaiting the baptism!

Kinsey made the choice to be baptized. She was bearing her testimony all week to our family and knew she was making a covenant with her Heavenly Father. She is such a good example to us in so many ways. She is kind hearted and so good to those around her. We are so proud of her and so happy she has made this decision. She was able to do this with her cousin Bailey who came in town from Las Vegas. Kinsey, Bailey, Jonas and Jordan practiced and prepared to sing, "I lived in Heaven" together, this turned out really cute. After the baptisms and confirmations we had a lovely brunch. We were so happy that our friends and family could come and support Kinsey!

Zoo with Cousins

2009-04-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Randy's Brother Jeff and his family were down from Las Vegas during there spring break. They were able to come to Kinsey's Birthday Party and then her cousin Bailey will be getting baptized with her. Friday the Utah cousins missed school, we took Randy's sister, Michelle's kids with us to the zoo because she had just had surgery!! They all had a super fun day together!! We love it when the Vegas Bunch comes to town!

Kinsey, Bailey, Jonas, Brenna, Matthew, Trevor, JordanKinsey, Bailey and Trevor on the Train!
Matthew and Jordan on the carousel!

Kinsey and Bailey studied their maps trying to find the red pandas!

Randy's Grandpa these kids Great Grandpa made the monkey cage behind them. Couldn't miss this photo opportunity!

Kinsey's Eighth Birthday!

2009-04-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Kinsey had a wonderful Birthday Party!! She requested a Luau party and we decorated the house up for a Luau. Randy's friend and co-worker Ben is came to the party and demonstrated the haka, a slap dance and how to open up coconuts. He let us borrow torches and taught us how to paint the childrens faces. This really made the party a hit. Randy taught the kids how to do the hula by saying apple, orange, coconut, pineaple for each direction they moved. He always does a great job in entertaining the kids. The kids also did the Limbo and a relay race. Kinsey was super spoiled and had a totally fun day with her friends!!

Ben opening coconutLacey drinking milk, Kinsey couldn't believe how brave she was to try it!

Party Photo - all the kids yelling blahh like Ben!!

Kinsey and Lacey giggling that Ben took off his shirt!

Ben doing the Haka

Kinsey's Eighth Birthday Morning!

2009-04-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Kinsey had a great birthday morning. We suprised her with a ton of decorations. I had told her I decided not to decorate for birthdays this year and didn't realize how much that meant to her so she didn't think I was going to decorate. She got new wheely shoes, a piggy bank, a bakugan and her favorite picture of Jesus. She is always so greatful for what she gets and so happy to be alive!! I loved the way her cake turned out. She requested a lemon cake with no frosting. So I made this lemon bundt cake she loves!!

Lemonade Stand

2009-03-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day, 65 degrees!! The kids were wanting to play outside and enjoy the nice weather. Kinsey and her friend decided they were going to have a lemonade stand. After a half hour of sitting and no customers coming along I sent Jordan and his cousin Tyler out to get some lemonade, on their way out a young teenage boy stopped his car and bought some and then bam, bam, bam, the crowds began. They sold almost all their lemonade. Everyone had left and I came out to take a picture of the girls. I said to Kinsey "You guys sure got busy real quick!" She tilted her head down, looked up and with a smile on her face responded, "That's because we said a prayer!" They each earned $2.35, a good amount of money for an afternoon lemonade stand. But of course for me, as the Mom, the most important thing they earned today was a stronger testimony of Prayer and Faith.

Family Ski Trip

2009-01-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

It takes a lot of patience getting the kids all ready for skiing not to mention the continued patience on the slope. This ski trip was worth every minute of my patience. We had so much fun this past Saturday skiing as a family. The kids loved it. This was Jordan's first ski trip and he picked up quickly on how to "pull us" down the hill. He learned to switch from pizza to french fry and even picked up on turning. As for Kinsey she is a pleasant little skier and we don't worry much about her. She seems to have great control and knows her limits. She just loves to follow us down the hill. This proves to be another great way we can spend quality time together.

Sleepover Fun!!

2008-12-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

Jordan and Kinsey each invited a cousin to spend the night tonight!! We ate Pizza and then we did family home evening with them!! Randy taught a lesson on Manners. It was great!! Then for Activity we took the kids on 4 wheeling rides. My niece, Trisha was so excited, she said this was her first time ever seeing a 4 wheeler and she was a little nervous about her first ride, she decided to drive it!! She had so much fun. All the kids love the 4 wheeler. It is proving to be a great way to bond with the kids. After our activity we had donuts and hot cocoa. The kids then played until 10:30 and were put to bed!! Now the boys are sleeping peacefully while the girls are reading!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas was really fun this year!! I am so sad because I just realized I didn't take any pictures....we had the video camera out and forgot to take still photos!! Santa Claus came and brought Jordan his "little toy gun" he asked for and Kinsey her "surprise", which turned out to be a stylin studio! This year we started a new tradition which I hope to continue throughout the years. After seeing what Santa Claus brought, the first gift we opened was a birthday gift to Jesus. In the gift was a slip of paper stating something we had each decided to do for Jesus. This was fun to add this tradition to our home. What makes Christmas to me, is the fun traditions...Advent calendars, our Christmas book, making suckers, Christmas parties, doing the 12 days of Christmas, Reading Twas the Night and the Birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus, breakfast casserole, family get togethers and best of all spending time with my husband and kids!!

Snow Storms December 2008!!

2008-12-29T21:34:00.001-08:00

The kids have been so excited about all the snow and we have been having a lot of fun sledding. We finally were able to get the perfect snow storm to build a snowman. It seems like they are always putting on snowpants, hats and gloves to go outside and play!! I love the snow because it brings a new excitement to our home.

Randy's Birthday

2008-12-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Randy on his Birthday!! Randy is always able to make the kids laugh by doing silly things. This is a great example of what he does...He was acting like the kids were scaring him everytime they blew there horns!! They were laughing histarically. We always start our birthdays off with some cake, presents and decorations. Kinsey woke me up at 5:00 to make sure we decorated the house without her Dad realizing!! We had a lot of fun as a family. Randy had the day off and we went shopping, to a movie and out to eat!!

Kinsey lost her first tooth!

2008-11-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

It was just a month ago that Kinsey's second grade teacher asked her class to write on their experiences of loosing their first tooth. Kinsey was the only child in her class who hadn't lost a tooth yet. She has been anxiously waiting for this day to come. It happened this morning!! What an exciting day for her!! Hopefully the tooth fairy will remember to come tonight!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Randy took the kids out trick or treating for Halloween they had a lot of fun!! They both came back with pumpkins filled to the top. Somehow with everything going on with me, Randy still found a way to carve pumpkins with the kids. He sure has been a great Dad and been working hard to keep the family running these past couple weeks. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me and my kids and has so much love for me. THANKS Randy, I LOVE YOU!!

Kinsey listens!

2008-11-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

I have the cutest story I wanted to post about Kinsey. I had just come home from the hospital on Sunday evening and was laying in my bed. Kinsey was in on my bed visiting with me and swinging a pillow over her head. Randy and Jordan were walking down the hall when Kinsey stopped her pillow in mid-air and said "Shh, I think I just heard God!" I explained to her that Jordan was just walking down the hall saying "ooooo" and that is probably what she heard. She exclaimed. I heard him say "ooooo" (in a low tone) but this was "ooooo" (in a higher tone). Just at that same time we heard the trains horn in the same tone she mentioned. We both looked at each other and laughed. But, the innocence of a child who is listening for God!! Glad to know if he was speaking she would probably hear him!

Ecptopic Pregnancy

2008-11-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

As you may know, we found out that Nicole was pregnant a couple weeks ago. Based on past experience with ectopic pregnancy and all, we were taking all precautions. On Tuesday she found out that this too was ectopic (tubal pregnancy). She was given a shot of Methotrexate at that time. On wednesday night during Kinsey's basketball game, she was in horrible pain and needed to go the ER. After many tests, ultrasounds, blood work, she was admitted about 3 am. At this point her blood levels were dropping and they did more ultrasounds and found quite a bit of fluid. They then discussed surgical options. They ended up keeping her in the hospital for a couple more days. They gave us the option to go ahead with surgery now and be done with this pain and suffering, with the knowledge that we would most likely loose that last tube (no more kids) or wait a couple days, and see if the Methotrexate does it's job and let the body see if it could absorb most of the fluid inside (blood). We chose to wait a couple days and see what happens. Knowing surgery could still obviously happen regardless. I picked up Nicole Sunday afternoon to come home. Her blood count was still very low and she went back Monday to check that again. Her blood levels went back up but her HCG levels went up as well, which needed to be zero before she was in the clear. She recieved another Methotrexate shot on Monday. Then tuesday hit!!!! Pain was increasing, blood was decreasing and color on Nicole's face was leaving. She went back in to the Dr. in a lot of pain. I ran home from work about 10am and took her in. They did an ultrasound on her and decided that she needed to go into surgery. So she spent all afternoon in surgery and then back to the hospital we go. As they opened her up they found a lot of free fluid (blood). After draining that, they found a large ovarian cist. They cut open the tube and extracted the "product of conception" and put it back together. The tube was ready to rupture. It's quite a mess but the tube was saved. The Dr. said had she had another tube, he would have taken it out, its that damaged. Anyway she's home and on the rebound. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Your charity has been amazing. Nicole and I have felt what is meant by charity is the pure love of Christ. We feel overwhelmed with everyone's care!

Jordans First Field Trip

2008-10-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Jordan went to Hee Haws on his first field trip. He had a lot of fun there especially being able to play with his cousin and all the animals they had at the farm. I can get so grossed out by animals but my little Jordan just doesn't care at all he even fed the sheep!!

My Picky Eater

2008-10-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

I had a funny experience I would like to remember with Jordan this past week. He is such a funny little eater. He is always gaging on food and has a hard time trying new foods. He hates fruits and eats only a few vegtebles. A mother's nightmare. Anyway, I made him a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch. He started eating until I made myself a turkey sandwich then he decided that what he wanted. Being a kind mom for the moment I made him his own turkey sandwich as well. When I passed it over to him he started throwing a fit saying that isn't how he wanted it. I quickly became frustrated and asked him to make it how he wanted it. He then pulled the turkey out of the sandwich I made him and put it into his Peanut butter and honey sandwich. Then proceeded to eat it for lunch. He liked it!!! Who would have thought my picky eater would make up such a wierd sandwich and want to eat it.

Kinsey - Flowergirl

2008-08-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Kinsey had the opportunity to be a flowergirl at my Cousin Alan's wedding. She did a great job while she was in the spotlight and she seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Kinsey had to arrive two hours early. My Aunt Lindy took us over and we followed my cousins. We got lost trying to find the place and then my Aunt's car broke down. Kinsey jumped in the car with the cousins and then went to the wedding while we waited to get picked back up. When I arrived to the clubhouse, Kinsey was soaking in every moment being pampered by the Bridesmaids. Jordan also enjoyed the wedding. He spent time running around with his cousin, Tyler and dancing!!

I always seem to stress about events that I feel my kids need to act like Adults. Ahh! But, just as they often are, they were very well behaved!!

Earlier that day we had a chance to hang out in Old Town Sacramento with our family. Randy had fun entertaining the kids while we ate lunch. I admire that Randy is goofy and can find fun in everything he does.

We spent time with my Grandma Estelle who lives in Monterey, CA. It's not very often the kids get to spend time with their Great Grandma. She is such a great example of kindness and generosity.

Kinsey - 2nd Grade

2008-08-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's official Kinsey entered the second grade with excitement and had a blast on her first day. I had an emotional moment dropping her off. I didn't show her my emotion but had to hold back the tears. I just enjoy spending so much time with her in the summers. We are ready for a schedule in our life and Jordan will be beggining Preschool. He is excited!! Both Kids have began soccer. Jordan loves to be social and goof off on the field during games and Kinsey has just had practices but really enjoys being a good team player!!

Summer Fun

2008-07-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

This summer has been busy!! We started off our summer at Lake Tahoe. We met up with Nicole's Mothers side for a reunion which was way over due. It rained the entire weekend but the time spent with the family was great. Jordan and Kinsey then did swim lessons for two weeks. In June we went to Lake Powell for a week. We had a lot of fun camping and waterskiing. This was a reunion for Nicole's Fathers side. A houseboat was brought in after a couple of days. Thank goodness because the weather was super hot. What a pretty trip. Lots and lots of fun!! After coming home from Lake Powell Nicole had her tonsils out. We are so lucky to be blessed with such great friends and family who helped her through this time. Randy was great at taking on the home responsibilities and doing laundry. Michelle checked in on Nicole daily to make sure she was not in any need and to keep her from getting too lonely. Then friends and family took turns taking the kids for the day while Randy was at work. Did I say we are so LUCKY to have such kind and caring family and friends who are so good to our children!!! Since Nicole has been feeling better we have been with friends and family, watching parades and fireworks and hiking timpanogos caves. This weekend we are headed to St. George for a family reunion on Randy's Mothers side we will be checking out Zions National Park while we are down there. Before we know it our kids will be in School. Kinsey will be starting 2nd grade and Jordan will be attending his first year of preschool. Time flies and kids grow up quickly. Hopefully we are creating fun, memorable and learning experiences for our children.

First Snow Day of 2007

2007-10-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

Kinsey and Jordan all ready to play in the snow. This gets our family all excited for the winter sports!!