i love who you are and who you are becoming

Evaleigh,

I love who you are and who you are becoming.  You are everything I ever hoped having a daughter would be like.  You love to exclaim, "I wouldn't ever choose any mommy but you.  You are the best!"  Well I certainly feel the same way about you.  Gosh, you are growing.  Kindergarten this year, really?  I'll miss the heck out of you but oh how you are ready.  Here are a few things about you lately.

Smiling in Daddy's lap at a bonfire at momomee's.  I swear those flames got to be 40 feet high!  Biggest bonfire we've had out there ever!

You appreciate the value of family just like I do.  You love to ask questions about our family ties and who is related to who and how.  I've always done that too.  It is so important to cherish your heritage and from whom you've come.  Thank you for loving Nanny the way you do.  We are so SO lucky to still have her and I am grateful you will have memories of her.  I remember my great-grand mothers and visiting them, it is what binds generations together.  Weeping willow tree in the front yard, Grandmother Curles old weathered skin and the way her eyes reminded me of Papa, and the secret garden across the street from Grandmother Shepphard's.  Grandmother Mallonee's high rise apartment in Asheville.  Always make an effort to see your family.  Always.

You were so good at General Conference this past weekend.  You took it in and were attentive and echoed words and phrases you knew.  

I hope you never stop wanting to get dirty.  Explore, roll in the mud, pick up little critters, be curious about the bird noises you hear, and walk barefoot, make believe.  Those sorts of things were the foundation of my childhood.  It makes me feel so proud to see you do the same.

Oh boy.  This was me asking you about Will.  A boy from school you've come home talking about for months now. The range of your emotions go from joy to embarrassment. But I think its getting serious. He held your hand during quiet time at school today.  Oh my goodness I couldn't figure out how to process my thoughts and emotions as you told me that. I asked you, "Did you think 'what is happening?' or 'huh that's nice.'"  You said, "Huh, that's nice."

A few other things you said to me about him today, "Guess what? Our birds played together.  Mine and Will's.  His bird's nest was like a hot tub because they were all laying down."

"Will got a hair cut today."

"He has brown hair, blue eyes, is taller than me, and was wearing a brown shirt today."

"Guess what? Will knows everything.  Dinosaurs were in the 90's and 80's.  That was a long time ago when dinosaurs were here."

"Will said I could come over to his house."

Ok, I'm going to go put some books on your head now so you stop growing up!  But actually, I love seeing every single stage you go through and THANK YOU for talking to me about it all...please never stop.

Speaking of talking to me, you came home from school Tuesday so chatty and you and I sat on the swing at momomee's house for 10 minutes while I just let you tell me every detail about school.  I couldn't get enough.  It was like I was parched and I just soaked in every word you had to offer.  I love you so much.

Last night while I was doing bedtime solo I asked you to read a book while I put Avett to bed.  I came in and you were reading Madeline, a favorite since Lindsey gave it to you for your 1st birthday.  You started looking for your Madeline doll Grandmaw gave to you for Christmas and then you "read" the whole book from memory and each time Madeline was on the page you had her point to her self.

You are lovely to watch, to take in, to study and cherish.  I'm so glad I am your mom.  Our life is so so good.

it rained before and after

We haven't had family pictures taken in so long!  It feels great to have these beautiful shots of our family to cherish for years to come!  I am so thrilled with how they turned out.  I spent a lot of the day prepping the kids.  I told them that we were taking pictures so we could capture how our family loves each other.  Then we google image searched examples of family photos and I let the kids pick out poses they thought we should do.  The first one on this post was Evie's idea.  Avett picked one where everyone was holding their own gun. Then we came across a picture of a family of six completely nude and they were all laying on top of each other (no worries, all parts were somehow properly covered)  We all got the giggles and Evie made me reassure her several times that we would not do that pose.

I am really grateful to capture our little family at this stage.  Just the 4 of us.  We've grown a lot together and learned a lot from each other.  We are all being refined by each other every day.  I'm so grateful that grace is something I really learned a lot about last year and that it is something I apply to my motherhood as often as I can.

We love our little children and pray for them every night and express our gratitude to Heavenly Father for trusting us with them.

photos by Kristin Benton Photography 

lucky

After a hard morning full of lots of crying and whining and frustration I decided Avett *had* to have a nap. I tried and tried to get him down for a nap in his room and it was a struggle.  I surrendered my cause and just shut the door to his room to see if he would fuss him self to sleep.  I walked out feeling defeated and drained and looked up through the frizz of my frazzled pony tail only to see my sweet Evie at work in the kitchen.  She had pulled up a dining room chair up to the sink and she was scrubbing and washing and rinsing all of the dirty dishes.  I just about wept right then and there.  I walked closer and she caught me on her view and said, "Oh hey mom! Are you glad and lucky that you have someone to do the dishes for you?" I thanked her over and over for her service and kindness.  I am so proud of the service heart she is developing.  I adore her thoughtfulness and her ability to observe my frustrations and her determination to do something to make me smile. 

So yes Evie, to answer your question, I feel lucky.  I feel lucky in every way because of you my darling girl.

what if their story were my story?

Today I had the incredible opportunity to meet with New American Pathways, an organization that helps to resettle refugees here in Georgia.  

Since my new calling in the Relief Society Presidency I had recently been tasked with finding a service project for our women in the Athens 1st area. 

The following three talks I had heard in the past two weeks lead me to know exactly where I thought we could be of use:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/refuge-from-the-storm?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/what-shall-we-do?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/i-was-a-stranger?lang=eng

After today I am feeling fueled to help these refugees.  My heart was touched to hear some of the circumstances these people face and the journey it is for them to find freedom and to feel safe.  Although there are nearly 60 million refugees in the world and that can feel overwhelming I know and believe what is in the scriptures, "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10.) And even if we can help ONE soul, it means everything to that soul and everything to God.  We are all His children.  

I also believe in what Jesus Christ taught and how we can apply this to our brothers and sisters  in Matthew 25, "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in."

I believe in service.  I believe in helping hands.  And I believe that we are God's hands.

The state of Georgia is in the top 5 of the US states that help to resettle refugees.  New American Pathways helps to resettle almost 500 refugees each year.  I want to be on the helping side and I want to make a difference.  

The LDS Relief Society is THE LARGEST WOMENS ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD.  With over 6 million women in 170 different countries.  I am so proud to be a little moving part in that big force.  The RS motto is "Charity never faileth."  If we are giving help and extending kindness and showing love how Jesus Christ does then we cannot and will not fail. 

I am waiting on my back ground check to come back clear and then we can get to work! 

Goodbye Seminary // Armor of God challenge part two

I recently realized that I never got around to posting part two of The Armor of God Challenge.  To be honest I don't even remember what I wrote for part one and I'm a little too lazy right now to even figure it out.  But suffice it to say that today I came across all of the old pictures from the whole process on my iPad and I felt home sick for all of it.  Actually I felt homesick for seminary in general.

I was recently released from my early morning seminary calling.  To say that I was blindsided and heartbroken pretty much covers it.  I cried quite a bit.  It's just that I grew in ways I couldn't have possibly imagined and learned so much about my self, others, and the gospel.  I feel like I learned a sliver of what Christ-like love feels like.  I came to cherish and care for those teenagers, kids who weren't mine, and it was a love unlike anything I've experienced.  I prayed for those teenagers and worried about them and their struggles, I was so proud of their joys and accomplishments and I poured every bit I could in to the lessons I prepared for them.  I took very seriously the stewardship I had over that little flock of emotional, fickle, smelly, chatty, spiritual, teenagers. My little flock, I can name them each and every one by name....well the Lord's flock really.

I prayed so many times to have the right words to say and that the spirit would always be with us as we met together those early mornings to discuss the scriptures and things of the gospel. I sought help from my Heavenly Father to understand the hearts of those teenagers and the things that would help them the most.

I loved those early mornings driving in the darkness to the church when so much of the world wasn't even awake yet.  I loved pulling in to an empty parking lot and unlocking the door to the quiet empty church.  I loved seeing those sleepy eyed devoted students saunter in.  I loved the Friday breakfast, the games, the memorable lessons, the surprising comments, the spirit, the sharing, the testifying, the growing.

I loved the productivity I felt when by 7am I had already gotten up, gotten dressed, and really studied and talked about the scriptures.  I loved the students who would stay behind to tell me things and share with me the details of their lives.  I loved how fulfilled I felt and how I felt that I was truly using some of the talents that God gave me for good.  I felt that I was making a difference. I hope I did. 

I miss it.  I'll always miss it.  There will always be a special place in my heart for that year and a half.

Monroe Ward

Serves the lord

Fight with might

To shine your light

Together we stand

Strong and tall

Do good

Be good

Hoo ha-ha

#monroewardseminary