This Is The Year

If you haven't read part one - go here . Tender Mercies Throughout this ordeal of physical pain, emotional pain, helplessness and frustration - we have not been without blessings from our Heavenly Father.  There have been so many little tender mercies that we have experienced, and I'd like to share 3 that were especially needed and filled us with gratitude. Pedals for Hope Every year our 8th grade class does a cancer fundraiser called Pedals for Hope.  The students participate in a bike ride to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute .  Ambria has been looking forward to this ride since she was in elementary school.  She was heartbroken at the thought of not being able to participate, now that it was finally her turn.  Her doctor gave her the okay to go ahead and try it, provided that her pain was manageable enough on the day of the ride.  The week leading up to the ride she wanted to practice on her bike, as she had not ridden since long bef...

One year .  It was one year ago today that my oldest daughter walked away from a church dance with a headache that would completely change her life.  That's not where it all began though.  It began long before then, with a girl who had a passion for soccer, and an extremely competitive nature. I haven't posted much on social media, or at all on my blog about her situation.  I don't like to publicly dwell on and lament about my family's trials.  I don't want to seem like I'm fishing for sympathy, or like I'm needy.  Maybe I'm just too prideful and don't want to seem weak.  Also, I know of others who are going through far worse trials and I feel guilty talking about ours.  But enough people know bits and pieces of her story and wonder what exactly is going on, so I thought it was time to get it all out there.  Perhaps her story will reach someone else who is going through a similar trial and help them feel less lonely.  And it will be go...

Five thoughts, five pictures.  Easy peasy.  Today I'm linking up with Emmy for Friday Five. 1 - I have too many kids.  Seriously.  I'm not saying I'm willing to give any of them up...but with 3 of them in their teen years and involved in so many activities for church, school, and their music - I honestly need a clone to get them all to the various places they all need to be throughout the week, often their commitments overlapping each other. My oldest does drive, but we are a one car family at the moment! Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind!  2 - I will have one less to chauffer around by the end of summer.  I don't know where time went, but Kaden will be turning 18 and leaving on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints .  I don't even know what to do with this yet.  I'm excited and proud and can't wait to see where the Lord sends him.  But I cannot even imagine life without him in this household eve...

It's been such a busy past few months!  I'm going to recap just a bit of our crazy, fun filled life.  I think I have way too many kids!  They keep things interesting, crazy and hectic!  But I have so much I want to blog about that I'm just going to keep trying to get back here, no matter how much time gets away from me between posts! The end of September and beginning of October brought the birthdays of these beautiful girls.  What a blessing they are in my life!  Ambria turned 15, and then 6 days later, my spunky Brielle turned 9 (posted a litte about that last time). Halloween came and (thankfully) went! And although I loathe the "holiday", I actually enjoy helping my kids get all dressed up. As always we had a plentiful Thanksgiving, followed by a bit of Black Friday deal snatching.  I know a lot of people are disgruntled about the commercialism of it all, but I've got to say I was able to get something really nice that was the only thing...

Being that I really don't enjoy Halloween, and October is one of my most stressful months of the year, and we've been having some health struggles with one of our children, and I've basically been feeling very overwhelmed and discouraged recently - I think it is the perfect time for me to link up with Emmy and her Ten Things to Smile About.  I need to take a good long look at the things that brought me joy this month! 1 - General Conference .  The opportunity to be instructed, uplifted and inspired by prophets of God, and those He has chosen to serve and to lead in His church.  I love, cherish and look forward to Conference Weekend every 6 months and heard so many things that my spirit needed to know or to remember. 2 - This sweet, spunky girl turned 9.  I cannot believe how my little family is growing up.  It makes me smile and makes me crazy at the same time!  I love this girl and love celebrating her and the blessing she is in our family....

I think teenagers get a bad rap.  I really do.  I'm constantly seeing memes and viral Facebook posts and letters to the editor about "today's generation".  As if that term is a dirty word.  Repeated often are words like "lazy", "entitled", "disrespectful" and many other unflattering terms.  And I think it's garbage. YES, there are some crappy teenagers out there.  But I think the percentage of "bad kids" today probably isn't any different than it was when I was a teen.  And if "our generation" was so much better, and we KNOW what kids today need and how they should be parented, who exactly is raising these crappy teenagers?  It certainly can't be all those perfect adults out there who think teenagers today suck.  Because if those folks were raising them, I mean they wouldn't be so crappy, right? We always "shudder" at the thought of our kids reaching their teenage years.  Especially when t...

I don't even really know what to say.  Or write about.  I only know that I miss blogging.  And for the past several weeks I've felt the call of the blogosphere tugging at my fingertips.  Things will happen in my life that I want to write about.  Or something will happen in the news that I want to share my views on.  But not in a combative, Facebook debate sort of way.  And then I think - I wish I was still blogging. The world of blogging has changed so much since I first started my blog years ago.  Back then we had a little circle of blogging friends who visited each other regularly, started getting to know each other, and in many cases lasting friendships in the real world were made.  I still keep in touch with many of those friends I made through facebook, or texting.  Some have gone on to be big-time money-making famous bloggers.  Others have quit blogging.  In both cases, I miss reading their blogs each day, giving my lit...