These are three happy kids right here.

"Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God, and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live."

When my oldest child was born, I was filled with the hopes of dreams that most mothers had, the one where you are going to be a perfect parent, thus resulting in perfect children. Well, then I actually went home from the hospital and realized things were not going to be that easy. This same sweet, beautiful daughter struggled to need to learn lessons for herself, as we all do, and soon became the slave to drugs. She, at this time, had three children who endured this experience with her. It finally became too much and her babies were taken away from her. My heart was broken for my daughter, but even more so for these precious children whose lives had been filled with instability and uncertainty. How important was the reminder that Heavenly Father has a plan for His children, all of his children. And while my heart continues to ache for the dreams of what could have been, these children have been saved by a truly remarkable family who loves them, cares for them, and has adopted them and been sealed to parents.  These parents, though they were not biological, have filled the very essence of what the family proclamation stands for. "God's plan for His children may be ideally characterized as the placement of children into homes where parents are committed to their development and proclamation principles are practiced". (David A. Nelson). The church has called upon parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles. The home is the basis of a righteous life , and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential responsibility. These kids are THRIVING, they are loved, they are being taught the gospel, and given even opportunity to have wonderful lives.

Family Recreation: Building Strong Families

We are a playing family, always have been.  For the most part we enjoy hanging out together. From the time our kids were small, we took every opportunity to play together. We never spent much money, but it was important to me that we build those family memories. I love the fun we have together, and is one of the best ways to connect with my children, especially now that they are grown. Any reason to skip housework....I am all over that. 

PUT AWAY THE PHONES (unless, of course, you are doing something together...which we have found a few of those too).

Why is this so important? In an article by Mark A Widmer and Stacy T. Taniguchi, it says, "Our free time should be used wisely to create the best possible life, to promote individual growth and strengthen families.  Meaningful recreational does not just happen; it must be prepared for, cultivated and privately defended. In general, we spent an inordinate amount of time with electronic media and, as a result, become disconnected from one another. We have lost vital and nourishing connections to nature; many of us do not exercise, are overweight and work too much.  We suffer from depression, anxiety, and discontent.  Wholesome family recreation can help us strengthen our relationships and reduce negative emotional and spiritual consequences. Wholesome recreation strengthens families.

The best times in my life are with these people. And, in case you are wondering, my husband is generally the photographer, and I realize how few pictures I actually have with him in them; I will have to work on that. We may not always get along or decide on what we do, but I LOVE these people and look forward to many more happy experiences with them.

Families are everything

So, who knew that I created a blog in 2008? Clearly, not me.  This is an assignment for a current class I am taking and am hoping to figure this out.  So much has changed in technology since 2008. My plan and goal are to post things weekly about what I am learning about families, and if I am really lucky, I will figure out how to do it and make it look "cute".  I know, I know, I can hear your laughing from here. You - cute? I don't think so.  I know that my family is my world and am so grateful for all they do for me, and I love the time I spend with them.  Wish me luck, and here we go.