FHE: Showing love for the Lord through Modest & Appropriate Dress

This week for *Family Home Evening (FHE) we talked about modesty and appropriate dress and behavior.
We decided to touch on this subject because we are getting new questions from our children about what they can and cannot wear to church.
Mom, can I wear my flip flops?
Mom, why can't I wear my leggings?
Dad, why do we wear ties to church?
The list could go on.

I am happy to say that most of the questions are just that....questions.

But there are some items that have been hard for my kids to accept....lets just say leg wear has been an issue.

As I was preparing the lesson for our family night I found this great talk titled
"Modesty Reverence for the Lord"
from Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

I LOVE this talk and I feel like he teaches using great examples that helps illustrate the point "Modesty is a gospel principle that applies to people of all cultures and ages."  "Modesty is fundamental to being worthy of the Spirit.   To be modest is to be humble, and being humble invites the Spirit to be with us."
Quotes taken from the text of Elder Hales talk.

We had a great discussion about what is Modest and what isn't and what is Appropriate and what isn't.   There is a time and place for modest casual apparel and a time and place for our "Sunday Best".
Elder Hales states
"When we know who we are - children of God - and understand that our outward appearance affects our inward spirituality and ultimately our behavior, we show respect for God, for ourselves, and for those around us by being modest in dress and behavior."
After our discussion we shared this clip.   The girls loved it and Camden even found some interest.  The girl that is potrayed in the clip, Charity, is a great example of exceptional youth of our day.

We closed our family home evening with dessert of course....Jello Poke Cake with pudding frosting.

The lesson was a hit!
This makes for a happy Mom!
*Family Home Evening is a once a week event where we gather  for a short lesson, games, a favorite movie or anything else we enjoy doing together.
Note:  If you have daughters working on their Faith in God or Personal Progress this FHE lesson works with "Learning and Living Gospel" section in the Faith in God booklet.  Works with Value Experience#1 in Integrity in the Personal Progress booklet.
For more information on ways to strengthen families visit Mormon.org/family

No More Babies?

 

I have been going through what is left of my baby stuff.   I accumulated many items because I was fostering babies.   I am selling or donating the rest of my supplies.    I had a moment last night when I realized I am at the end of my baby years.  It is strange in some ways.   We have been married for 18 years this year and most of those years (all but 3) we were trying to build our family.   And now we are focusing on raising these beautiful people the Lord has blessed us with.   I am not sad to move forward...I love the stage of life we are in....I am just realizing how fast time travels.    Some people tell me to look forward to being a Grandparent but I don't want to look forward to that just yet.   I want to hang on to the moment and soak in the joys and challenges that come to a Mother who is parenting her children.   We have many firsts to look forward to as well am many lasts.   I will look forward to grandchildren in the future...right now I am so glad to just be Mom! 

Today I heard a little voice call out to me as I went into my garage to put something away.  When I came back in this little voice said to me "Mommy, I missed you...I missed you!".   I was never far away from him (Spencer) but he still wished for me to be closer.   This is the life I always dreamed....actually better than my dreams.   This life is the gift the Lord prepared and blessed me with.  
I am so thankful I didn't get my way years ago.
The Lord's miracles are special gifts wrapped up just right for the receiver.   He knows each of us so He knows just what to prepare and what to give that will bring us lasting joy! 
His are truly the best gifts!

A good day.

Haley loves to play house with Spencer.  She is the Mom and I get to be the "grandma". lol  She is such a little mother...one of her many talents
.

I love days like this....when I feel Spiritually lifted, have increased energy and have the desire to do better.   I love preparing and giving family home evening lessons....I can't explain how it makes me feel.  I just know I am doing something important and lasting.  I love being a wife and mother...and I find joy in my responsibilities more and more all the time.  I am also realizing that  I need to work harder to help my children understand the Gospel and work harder at being the Mom they need.   I am also seeing what I need to do to gain more physical energy and health.   I am on day 3 of zero diet coke and I wake up and eat oatmeal every morning.  These are baby steps to the health I desire.  They may not seem like much but they are helping me gain confidence in my ability to treat myself better.  I am excited to see what tomorrow brings...and I am excited that in four days I get my kids all to myself for the summer!  
I can hardly wait!

My New Life

This is very touching.  While I have never gone through what Stephanie has and is going through I relate to her words....my own trails have helped me gain perspective I couldn't have gained any other way.   I have never met Stephanie but I love her...she is a great example to me.   While I was struggling to understand what was wrong with me this past fall I remember going to her blog and reading her words and realizing my struggle in heath isn't as bad as it could be.   I gained perspective once again and was so grateful for the example of strength Stephanie is to the world.
 

little moments

"I might be small

But I'm on the ball

I might be little

I might get stuck in the middle

But there's one thing we know

Love makes little things grow

Yea, love makes little things grow."
~
Do you recognize these words?
If you have a pre-schooler at home you have probably watched "Clifford's Puppy Days". It has been a favorite at our house. I have always loved the opening song and today the words...
"Love makes little things grow"
have come to my mind again and again.
Here in the NICU the Mom's and Dad's are taught about skin to skin, about positive touch and we are taught how all of these things can help our child develop.
I so wish I would have had this information 9 years ago!

this is where I break for a moment and put my FSA hat on....IF YOU are a chapter chair I would highly encourage you to contact your local NICU and see if you can talk with their occupational therapist...try to put together a class for your adoptive couples about skin to skin, positive touch..bonding with your infant. The information we have recieved the past few days has been phenominal!!!
Adoptive Couples could REALLY use this information!!!

Spencer is doing fantastic!
He is off his IV, will be off his biliblanket tomorrow or the next day and he has graduated to the next level nursery. We are so happy with his progress and we know prayers are being answered.
Thank you for praying for our little guy!!!
We will still be here for a number of weeks...but everyday that goes well, helps!

As I sit in this nursery I look upon this incredible miracle the Lord created and I am so thankful Brad and I listened to the promptings to take the foster care training and to then become foster parents. It was baby steps for us...we were scared and didn't know if we could really let a child go and still make it through. But we moved forward trusting in the Lord that He would bless us with the strength to do His will....even if His will was for us to let go.
Many times I hear people say how they can't do foster care because they can't bear to let go. Letting go is hard....but the Lord is there to help you through it. You are not left empty or alone.....you are filled with the knowledge that what you did was good and the Lord is happy with your service to HIS child. He will not let you suffer...He will bless you with a greater capacity to understand and to love. No loss goes unnoticed or uncounted.
There will come a day when you will reap the benefits of being counted among those who would love a child of God.

I share these things with you out of love....love truly makes little things grow. My heart has grown through little things...little tiny people who needed someone....little moments that are only known between me, a special child and God...moments when I was mothering someone who really needed a mother. And then there are those little moments when the Lord has whispered to me that He is pleased with me and that I am loved. In those little moments my heart changed and will never be the same!
The great thing about this is that these little moments don't just happen to me...they can happen to you too.
Are you ready?

Walking By Faith

Sometime after our last attempt to get pregnant had failed I was struggling with the question...
"Do I have enough Faith?".
I was sitting in Sunday School when I heard a member of our Bishopbric say something like this....
"When someone has an illness or disease and they recieve a blessing of healing and then they are truly healed from whatever ailment....that is a FAITH PROMOTING experience. Meaning it helps others as they witness the miracle. But when someone is not healed but accepts the Lord's will...It is a FAITH PERFECTING experience."
These words filled my heart.
This new understanding brought new meaning to my questions regarding my faith.

Today I have thought back on this "faith" lesson as I said goodbye to my favorite baby!
I took Ashanti to the airport today to fly with her father to Florida...her new home.
I didn't get my way.....but I accept this as the Lord's will.
Ashanti must have a special mission or purpose in Florida.
This is one of my "Faith Perfecting" experiences.

Last week when we realized our days with Ashanti were numbered I felt that my faith had been shaken like never before....I never felt like that before....not even through
infertility,
scams
or
our 3 failed placements.
I found myself praying ....actually begging the Lord to allow her to stay with us.
I didn't know if I could handle her leaving.
Then something happened and it felt like I had been given emotional pain medicine.
All I could feel was numb.
I began to realize I was being carried by the only person who understood MY pain.
Then yesterday as I sat in the courtroom and listened to the judge give custody to someone other than me I felt peace.
Such a vast difference from the last time I was in the court room.
I was sad yes...very sad....but I felt lifted up and felt that this was going to be ok.

I kissed Ashanti goodbye today and told her how much I love her.
She is my most precious faith perfecting experience.
If I hadn't had all of those other faith perfecting experiences I couldn't have lived through saying goodbye to this one.

I have been so blessed to be called a Mother to Ashanti for 8 months....
I think 8 must be my lucky number.
For all of those out there who are wondering what Baby A. (Ashanti) looks like....I would like to introduce you to my Favorite Baby....
With her Father's permission (granted) I am able to post pictures of her and call her by name since she is no longer in state custody! Thank You!