We spent Easter weekend with the Stringham side of the family, and had a really great time. I always love it when we can get the little girls together to play because they have so much fun! (Not to mention the fun the big girls have when we get together, too!) The boys--Paul, Mike, Matt, and Jason--went off to watch Clash of the Titans, while we took the little ones to the Treehouse Museum, where they played furiously for about an hour and a half. Afterward, we met up with the guys at Fat Cats and played video games. Most of us took a turn at the bumper cars, which Maggie, Brooke and Katie LOVED! It was hilarious watching their little faces just beaming with pure exhilaration as they manned their own car and held on for dear life! Everyone came back to our place and had an Easter egg hunt in the back yard...just what we needed--kids hyped up on candy! After some KFC and a rousing game of Apples to Apples, everyone took off and we all crashed hard. Easter morning came, and the girls were so excited to put on their new Easter dresses, that they didn't care that it was General Conference and not regular church. {Chocolate for breakfast isn't THAT bad, is it?} They climbed back into their little tents they had brought upstairs for Saturday's conference sessions (a la the Nephites who turned their tents toward King Benjamin) and proceeded to peruse their Conference packets I'd printed off for them. Maggie actually listened to almost every talk of every session this year, which was quite remarkable to me. The force is strong with that one... :)
When touched by the Spirit, tears flow so easily for me, but often words do not.
Today I watched this short video between Conference sessions about The Redeemer, with Maggie and Bridget seated beside me. "Mom, you're crying AGAIN!" they said, between giggles. "I know, I know. Mom just cries at everything, doesn't she?" I said, as I quickly wiped my face and turned off the computer to make my way to the kitchen. Dinner was ready in time for the start of the last session, so we sat down to eat our lovely Easter dinner, with Maggie's boombox strategically placed on the counter so we wouldn't miss a thing. (The meal must've been good because everyone was quiet enough for us to hear the talks!)
As Elder Hales began to speak of how his mother wanted him home for dinner before he could go out to play baseball, I looked around our kitchen table and felt an overwhelming sense of joy that our family was all there together. I was further impressed when he started talking about the Nephites during the time of King Benjamin, and how "there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people..." (Mosiah 26:1) I at once thought about Elder Bednar's talk yesterday. "Parents should be vigilant and spiritually attentive to spontaneously occurring opportunities to bear testimony to their children," he said. "Such occasions need not be programmed, scheduled or scripted. In fact, the less regimented such testimony sharing is, the greater the likelihood for edification and lasting impact" (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:85). I also thought of how I had let that moment pass me by as I had earlier wept with my children beside me, never explaining to them why my heart was so tender. It never occurred to me until that moment that my children could be like those Nephites who didn't understand, so they hardened their hearts, consequently were not baptized, and never joined the church, separating themselves from the Lord.
How could I possibly think my sweet little ones would understand the deepest feelings of my heart toward my Savior, Jesus Christ, just by looking at the tears streaming down my cheeks? How will they know if I don't take the opportunities given to me by the Spirit to testify of truth? This Conference, for me, was the most touching and powerful of any I can recall. So much was directed toward my role as a mother, as I repeatedly heard, "Teach the children." I can't wait to read the talks over and see what other things the Spirit impresses upon me, and I can't wait to share these things with my children. My tears will be learning to have a voice.
So I have to sound like an infomercial for a bit. See, I stumbled across this website while blog-hopping, and it has become my fast favorite. I can't tell you the number of chore charts I've started...and not stuck with for one reason or another. I think mostly because I hated the stickers that ended up on everything BUT the chart. Anyway, we've been doing this for the past week and the kids love it because they can log on themselves (They love having their OWN password!), click on the chores they did, and choose their rewards, which includes anything from story time to a new book, to a camping trip. I love it because I can keep track of everyone, customize jobs as well as rewards and their corresponding points. And I don't really have to do anything! Yeehaw! I hope the kids remain this enthusiastic about keeping up on their chores. Maggie cried the other night because she didn't have enough time to do the dishes before bed, so she didn't earn her points. If that's not success, I don't know what is!
