Weekend Update

Soren found general conference very thought provoking. ;) 

The quote/notes poster was a hit with Reese and Corbin. Quincy drew pictures of the speakers instead and filled a page with dabbled "notes": adorable 2bd grade phonetic spelling of words she overheard, "izrael", "tempol", "tone mint" "sceriptchurs" and so forth. What amazed me was what they remembered today, when during FHE, we asked them what they learned this weekend. Corbin rembered to "help to the poor and needy and if you fast then you can give money to the bishop and he will give it to someone who needs it." 5 years old. Not bad! Quincy remembered the talk about the roles of mothers and fathers to strengthen the home and that dads should teach kids how to work. Pretty sure she remembered that because right then and there, I gave Aaron the charge to teach Quincy stronger work ethic. Reese remembered that we should make taking the sacrament each week a more spiritual experience. She also remembered that Elder Scott encouraged us to attend the temple more and she asked when our next trip is. Saunchie climbed up on the table during FHE and pulled the Halloween tablecloth over his head like a ghost. 

On Saturday night, The children and I met up with Michelle Z and her girls for a chuck e cheese date while Eric and Aaron were at the priesthood conference session. We had a fun visit and the kids loved being together. 

Sunday morning, I woke up to a fire crackling in the fireplace. First one of the season and it smelled SO good.  Aaron kept it blazing all day until we were a peeling off layers because it was 77* in the house. We decorated a little for Halloween. The kids crept over to the neighbors after breakfast and raked a little pile of leaves as a secret service. I think they probably ended up jumping in the lead piles and undoing their work but it's the service part that counts, right? 

They made hot cocoa and we ate chili and Kasey brought over ginger softies and fresh bread to go with the tortellini soup I made for Sunday dinner. I caved and fed the kids chicken nuggets with their soup to avoid hearing complaints. Sometimes it's just not worth spoiling a good day. 

I am thankful for this uplifting weekend to remind me how much I have to be grateful for. I'm also thankful for the counsel and reminders to try my best. I've been short and impatient with my children this past week. I went to bed Sunday night with a determination to have a "no tears Monday." I put cranberry apple oats in the slow cooker before bed and greeted each family member cheerfully when they woke up in the morning. I practiced patience. The morning was imperfect but an improvement in my own attitude set a good tone for the morning, day, and how we'll go through this week.

Several opportunities to feel overwhelmed happened today, but instead, I felt empowered to handle each situation, and I did.  The day went well.  I think it all started with a small decision to put a little extra effort toward peace, and that effort sustained us today.