Study Thoughts

I listened and read through President Uchtdorf's talk from the last General Relief Society Meeting tonight and these were the parts of the talk that stood out to me the most and I wanted to share them:

Forget Me Not - by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

There is a German legend that just as God had finished naming all the plants, one was left unnamed. A tiny voice spoke out, “Forget me not, O Lord!” And God replied that this would be its name.

Tonight I would like to use this little flower as a metaphor. The five petals of the little forget-me-not flower prompt me to consider five things we would be wise never to forget.

First, forget not to be patient with yourself.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

Second, forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.

An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something good for something of far greater worth.

We can ask ourselves, “Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?”

Third, forget not to be happy now.

The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us. This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals.Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

Fourth, forget not the “why” of the gospel.

My dear sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not an obligation; it is a pathway, marked by our loving Father in Heaven, leading to happiness and peace in this life and glory and inexpressible fulfillment in the life to come. The gospel is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before us.

When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.

Fifth, forget not that the Lord loves you.

Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

Sisters, there is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower. I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy. Please never forget that the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you.

**These quotes are taken directly from President Uchtdorf's talk from the September 2011 General Relief Society Meeting.  The original talk can be found here: https://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/forget-me-not?lang=eng **

Halloween 2011

Our family had a very enjoyable Halloween time this year.  We had three nights when we celebrated and several other activities that made the season enjoyable.  Above you can see the "Happy Halloween" sign that Owen and I made as he learned how to safely use his scissors, and above and below you can see Owen and Bryce carving our Jack-o-Lantern Sunday evening (Owen's specialty was using clay to make a base to keep the candle up).

Owen's costume from last year still fit him, so he got to be Superman again.  This year he really got into character as he flew around the house and constantly tried to save the world from a horde of imaginary bad guys.

Last Friday (Oct. 28th) our ward had a Trunk-or-Treat activity and Bryce and I dressed up too.  Bryce was a ninja - using a costume that he made for a class in grad school but never got to wear -  and Owen determined that I was Superman's Mom.

Last night (Halloween) Bryce and I didn't dress up, but we had fun taking our little Superman around our neighborhood to go trick-or-treating.  He was a bit shy, and had more fun pretending to fly than knocking on doors and getting candy, but by the end he had figured out that it paid to say "trick or treat" and take the candy that was offered.  

Now I get to take down the decorations, bake the pumpkin for later goodies, and pack the costumes back up, but the important part of the last week has been that we've had a fun time enjoying the season and we've had a lot of fun as a family.  So Happy Halloween everyone!

Morning at the Park

I'm very proud of myself today.  I remembered to take my camera with me when Owen and I went to the park - so I can post some pictures and show you all how much fun Owen has at the park.

First of all, Owen rode his bike (which he lovingly calls his "motorcycle") the 3 blocks to the park this morning.  He did really well peddling down hill and on the flat areas, but I had to help him a little bit going up the hills, but I have confidence that he'll figure out the up hills soon too.  The other pictures below are some of things that he does while at the park - playing peek-a-boo from the windows of the big toy, sliding down the slide, and his favorite toy - the digger.  He can only work one handle at time, but he has fun trying.

Here are some of the other things that Owen loves at the park:  jumping on on the wiggly bridge on the big toy, swinging on the swings, and climbing up the twisty ladder (today was the first time he had the courage to climb up it all by himself).  The final picture is of him racing his shadow home from the park - everything is more fun if you are racing : ).

I love playing with big little boy and I'm so glad that we have a park so close to our house to play at.

Wall-E Owen

Owen and I raked leaves in our front yard this morning.  He played in them until they were all in a big pile and then he started making weird sounds and talking like a robot.  I finally figured out what it was that he was playing - he was trying to be Wall-E - a Pixar robot that turns garbage into cubes.  Here's a video clip and some pictures that I took of him playing in the leaves.

The Past Month

The past month has gone really fast for me.  Bryce finished up one show - Secret in the Wings - and has started another one - Blithe Spirit.  He is kept plenty busy, but things seem to be going okay for him overall.  Owen and I have been busy keeping the house clean - Owen relearning how to pick up toys when mommy asks, and Mommy relearning that it's easier to keep the house clean rather than have to clean it up from a messy state when she wants it clean.  Owen is potty trained now - only wearing a diaper to sleep in now.  I've also had up days and down days with my energy levels and morning sickness, but overall I seem to manage to accomplish anything that I deem necessary.

I've also had a couple of doctor's appointments and we found out this past Monday that we are going to having a baby girl and we've currently scheduled a C-section delivery for March 6, 2012.  If she decides to come on her own before then we may have our baby before then, but March 6th is pretty much the latest that she'll join our family.

I had a wonderful birthday weekend, with the Smiths coming up to visit for a few days.  We played games, ate cookies and cake, yummy food and just had a really good time.  I took a few pictures (so there are no pictures of me) and somehow missed Harvey, but he was here with the rest of the family:

 Yummy spice cake with cream cheese frosting - my favorite!

 Owen joined the adults (Leslie, Captain, Bryce, James, Rachel and myself) in playing Settlers of Catan.  He was on Mommy's team and although we didn't win we sure had a lot of fun.

 While Daddy decides what to do Owen just plays with the pieces and dice.

 James and Rachel joined us for the fun.

Happy little Lia!

Other things that have been happening in our lives:  Uncle Garrett Allen received his mission call to the Argentine Salta Mission and reports to the MTC on Dec. 21; Aunt Nita Royer took 1st Place at the 2A State Tennis Tournament; and I hopefully have managed to get rid of the tail-rot in my big fish tank and now have 3 pretty angelfish swimming around with my other fish.  All told we've been having a great time and we're enjoying our Fall here in St. Louis.