All you need is Love

Conference has been amazing. It was really what our family needed: a special time to focus on spiritual things. Lately I have been asking Heavenly Father to help our family to grow closer to Him, and to help us feel his influence more fully in our lives. I feel like this is happening for us and it makes me so glad. Feeling the presence of the Spirit lifts me up, and lets me know that hard things have an end, and that we are not alone.

Today I feel so grateful for my husband and my children. Being a parent is grueling at times, but I love those kids so much. We are buddies, and partners, and loveys, and sometimes I almost squeeze them to death because they are so adorable. They are growing up too fast; I will really miss it when Keller stops talking baby jabber. We have such great conversations together. And we discovered in the car yesterday that Taesya knows how to add (don't ask ME, I so did not teach her that). She told us that 4 and 5 make 9, and that 5 and 5 make 10. We were shocked! Slow down, Tae, stay little for a bit longer. Canon's maturing as well; he rolled his eyes at Ben today. Where on earth did he learn that from? (Ok, that one was probably me.)

Scrolling through photos today, I found the ones from the day Keller was born. It melted my heart to look at that little face and realize how much he's grown. That's my baby, and I want him to stay a baby. So I looked up the other two; those three little people are so much a part of who I am. They are 90% of my thoughts, 98% of my day, and an unremovable portion of my heart. I love the people that they are; I see all the good that they have in them. And when they tell me that they love me, regardless of whatever I've done wrong that day, and they snuggle up next to me--I feel so content and fulfilled. Being a mother can be remarkable sometimes. I have Heavenly Father to thank.

Taesya - April 2005

Canon - October 2006

Keller - January 2009