Brighter Tomorrows....

I had this picture printed up for my sister Beckie. I am not breaking a confidence by saying that this sweet sister of mine has struggled. She has traveled down a very rough road and she will be the first to tell you.

This girl has my heart. She really always has. There was a time where her and I were absolutely inseparable. When she got married I absolutely had a mini melt down in the temple. I cried like I've never cried before. Not because I was sad that she was getting married or because I did not like the man she was marrying, I simply cried because I knew that her and I would not be joined at the hip anymore..... things would change..... and we'd be busy taking care of our own families. Looking back on it I'm sure that people were wondering what in the world was wrong with me. :) I always have a tendency to shake things up a bit.

My sister, my friend has struggled so much. She has dealt with things that I can't even imagine. She's traveled a very lonely road. It has been excruciatingly painful to watch. When your heart hurts.... it hurts. When someone you love hurts.... your heart hurts twice as much.

I wanted to give this to her as a constant reminder that there is always a tomorrow. As I wrote her a letter about my feelings for her and for her chance for a brighter tomorrow I realized it applies to me as well. I often find myself bogged down with things I should have or shouldn't have done. I haven't been perfect ..... quite the opposite actually. I am so very grateful for brighter tomorrows and the knowledge that I have of the atonement. None of us are the mistakes that we have made.

So for me and for Beckie..... I'm looking forward to brighter tomorrows together. So grateful to be her big sister....

Just want to remember....

"Therefore dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then my we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God and for his arm to be revealed." D&C 123:17

Jessica.....

Let me tell you a little bit about my little sister Jessica. First and foremost, I LOVE THIS GIRL! She is the absolute and complete opposite of me. She is wild and brave and strong and adventurous and will take on just about anything. She will not stop until she has accomplished something that she has set her mind to. "Give up" is not in this girls vocabulary. It never has been.

It is the family joke that my two baby sisters are really like my babies. I took care of these girls like they were my own and still to this day I have to remind myself that they are not my babies and they are grown ups.

I used to worry about Jess all of the time.... ok.... who am I kidding.... I still worry about her all of the time. When we would go to a playground I would not play with my friends because I was to busy worrying that Jessica would get kidnapped if I did not watch her. I've always had a bit of a motherly nature (which drives most of my sisters crazy) but I can't help it. It's a blessing to me and a curse for them. :)

I was reading some posts she made in her blog (that she has not updated in about three years). She made this post on things that she was grateful for. I loved it!!!! I love her!!!! I love how she listed such simple things. I'm so going to follow her example and make my own list.

Thursday, November 20, 2008
(Jessica's Post)
Things I'm Grateful For

You know sometimes life is hard. When it gets rough, it is so easy to feel sorry for yourself, to give up, or to feel bitter. Sometimes it feels like you've got nothing to look forward to because all that you've waited for has fallen through. The good news is that there are so many things about this life that make it totally worth it. Here's a list of some things I like to think about...

- Snowcapped Mountains

- Crossing guards helping little kids get to school

- Crunchy leaves

- When people snort when they laugh

- Being chased by Chiuahuahs

- Getting phone calls/text messages from my sisters

- People who whistle or sing to themselves on campus

- Laughing when it's supposed to be quiet

- When you're singing songs in sacrament meeting and the kid behind you sings really loud and off key... but he's happy about it

- Flannel sheets-especially just after you put them on

- Edward Cullen... Just kidding. Or am I...

- Emilie finding my future husband

- My truck

- Running up the stairs at my house

- Inside jokes

- Cloudy days

- Sunny days

- Just days

There's much more but I gotta get back to work. It just amazes me how much the little things matter.

My Boys....

I've spent some time tonight thinking about how blessed I am. Sometimes I get sucked into thinking and most of all worrying about my trials. I think that I would do so much better if I fixed that character flaw I seem to encounter quite a bit and concentrate on my blessings.

Each one of my boys was sent to me for a reason. I'm sure that Heavenly Father knew that I would need all of the help that I could get so he sent amazing little spirits to my home to help get me back to him.

Colton is strong and courageous. He has a sincere desire to do what's right. I've noticed it more and more as he has grown older. He doesn't always do everything right.. but when he is wrong I very rarely have to say anything to him. He has a conscience that he wears close to his heart and he tries so hard to fix his mistakes. He is a good big brother and someone his little brothers can look to for a great example.

Kaden is my sweet boy. I cannot think of one time in his life that he has required any sort of harsh punishment. When he is reprimanded his little heart hurts and he immediately wants to do better. He is always looking out for kids at school and worrying about the kids who are picked on. He is a peacemaker in our home.

Porter is our comedic relief every single day. There is not a day that goes by that I am not serenaded by his songs that are made up as he goes along. Everyday he is something new... a spy, robber, rock star, ninja, police man (that writes me tickets) and almost anything else you can think of. His smile can brighten up my day instantly.

Each one of these boys are a blessing... and truly what more could I ask for?
Maybe an awesome husband..... and I've even got one of those too!

He's pretty incredible and I am a lucky girl to have him. I'm sure there are days when he wonders why in the world he chose me.... but I'm so grateful that he did.

I love these boys of mine. I am blessed.

Just For Fun......

Fourth Of July 2011

My baby boy.... is bigger than me. I can't even believe how fast the time goes.

This boy sure loves his dad!