The passing of a Prophet

This week we mourn the passing of our dear beloved prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley. He has had a profound influence on all of our lives and we have felt the sadness and loss that accompany death, and yet celebrate his life, a life that was lived to the fullest. We will always remember his example of charity, kindness, tolerance and acceptance of all of God's children, and love for the members of the Church, as well as his amazing work ethic --working tirelessly through his 97 years! His unwavering devotion to the Savior was extraordinary, and his love for us inspirational. I love the fact that he was so highly revered by many local and world leaders who do not even share our faith. He taught me so many things, from the 7 "B's," to the Proclamation on the Family, to taking the gospel "down into my heart." He had the ability to speak at General Conference to the entire population of the church, yet make me feel like he was speaking only to me. I am a better person because of his example and will always be grateful to have known him. As the hymn says, I thank thee, O God, for a prophet. I have a testimony of his divine calling. He was a man of God, and I am certain the prophets of Old and of this dispensation welcomed him with open arms as he crossed through to the other side! I love you, President Hinckley, and thank you for your life!

It's time to admit it...we are "Hairspray" addicts. Here at our house, the soundtrack runs from the moment the kids get home from school until they go to bed. We love everything about the movie except Michelle Pfeiffer's seduction scene, which my boys call "gross and really inappropriate!" I took Haylee and her friends to see it for her birthday in November and every time Zac Efron came on screen squeals of 13-year-old delight erupted from our row. Every time John Travolta sings "You can't stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas Ham" we sing out with him along the next line of "If you don't like the way I look I just don't give a..."and then my kids all call out "DARN!" We are trying to give it a G-rating. I have to say that seeing James Marsden in the role of Corny Collins I have a new celebrity crush--he's adorable. My boys are IN LOVE with Amanda Bynes, even though she has strangely knotted pony tails emerging from the sides of her head. Along with Seaweed (who we LOVE), we've all agreed that we "never wanna be without love!" So if you're ready to dance, come by and see us, 'cause we "can't stop the beat!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENJAMIN! DOB 1/16/2004
I wistfully celebrate the 4th birthday of my little BEN. As you can see, he's already got his drivers' liscense. Where does the time go? Actually, he got the red Dale Earnhardt car from his grandparents for his b-day and he couldn't be more pleased!
But seriously here, when did he get big? I swear it was just a year ago he came home from the hospital. Now he's so grown up and such a wonderful little guy. He has a terrific sense of humor and loves to help me around the house. It's so hard to imagine life without him. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the courage to embark on a 4th pregnancy so that we could know Ben. Happy 4th Birthday, Benny!

On New Year's Eve the Halversen Family came to party at our house. Tanner hosted a 'dance' in his bedroom highlighting the sounds of Michael Jackson, Rush, and Rascal Flatts, to name a few. (the DJ, Tanner, was hoping to appeal to a wide variety of audences, as you can tell). The 3 Halversen sister's found our inner rock 'n' roll queens and rocked ON! As you can see, we also threw all caution to the wind as well as our pride. Here's proof that THE GIRLS CAN ROCK!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have to be honest and say that I'm really not one for New Year's Resolutions. It's a nice idea, to commit to something important that you want to work on. I just believe that if there's something in my life that needs changing, I don't really like to wait for the New Year to do it. If something needs tweeking, I think we should just get it over with! That being said, I have been thinking about resolutions, and since it is the New Year, I thought I'd try a couple this year and see how it goes.

First, I resolve to take it easier. I am particularly moved by the scripture in Proverbs that says "Be still; and know that I am God." I resolve to stop rushing so much, and schedule less in my day. (Now, I really started this one around last September, but I didn't write it down, so now it's official). So far it's going well, except that sometimes I wonder if I'm being lazy, and then I remind myself that I'm keeping my commitment to myself and my family. I'm also finding that we are eating better meals and have more frequently washed laundry. Well, what do you know?

Second, I want to find more object lessons in life. The other night for family night we made brownies and each person got to pick one ingredient that represented them. We talked about how the ingredients can sometimes stand alone, but that when we mix them together they can make something beautiful. The oven represented our Earth life, which bindsthe ingredients together over time, and the pan represented Jesus Christ, who supports and holds us together. The kids "got it" and it really raised the vibration in our home. More of that, coming up.

Third, I am going to follow the example of President Eyring and start a journal that records the ways in my life that God reveals to me His love for me. I look forward to this, but am already fearing that my desire to do this is much grander than my actual execution.

And last, I resolve to continue in my journey to authenticity. This seems vague, I know, but I have been on a journey of letting go of the masks that I fashioned for myself and am trying to "let go and let God." My journey began about 3 years ago when I realized that I had been experiencing significant depression symptoms off and on for about 5 years and finally admitted it. Acknowleding our dysfunction is the first step to healing...

So there you have it. My "new year's" resolutions. They're not all things I can measure, but being conscious of them will somehow be enough. I believe that God has a way to measure everything that needs to be measured.