Spiritual Lessons in a Corn Maze

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to the American West Heritage Center for a family home evening. I wanted to try their corn maze since last year Landon begged me to take him, but we never ended up going.
When we got there the kids enjoyed all of the activities they had going on. They had a giant slide, a hay jump, a pirate fort made from hay bales, a kids maze and a maze in the dark, but the one
they were most excited for was the corn maze.



As we were entering the maze, we took this picture of my boys in the pumpkin patch.

At the entrance of the maze, they handed us a map to use if we needed it. I decided that it would be fun to try to solve the maze on our own. About 5 minutes into the maze, as we got further away from the lights and it began to get darker, my boys realized that there was no turning back and I could tell that they were a little afraid. I told them it was ok and that we would make our way through the maze sooner or later. We wandered for about 45 minutes getting more and more lost before our son Landon suggested that we pull out the map. Realizing that we could be in the maze for hours before finding the exit, Terry and I decided to look at the map.

This is what the map looked like. There were only curves and turns with no other landmarks to tell you where in the maze you were.
I began to realize at this point in the maze, what an amazing spiritual lesson I could teach to my children. I began to explain to them that this maze is a lot like life, we are placed in this life with tools to help guide us (just like the map could help guide us) I explained that Heavenly Father has given us the scriptures, the prophet our parents, leaders and many other tools to stay on the path, but sometimes we think that we can do it all alone without help. Sometimes we become lost like we were at that point, and sometimes it is not easy to get back onto the right path.
I explained that when we are not following Heavenly Father, like the maze, we feel alone, scared and in the dark. At this point in the maze, all we could do was wander around looking for some similarity to the map - the way the maze branched off or curved. While we were wandering a young teenage couple persuaded us that they had been marking the map with a pen the whole way, and that they knew how to get out. So we followed them for probably 10 minutes, before we realized that they were just as lost as we were, and we decided to go our own way. (Again another teaching opportunity.) I explained to my kids that Satan tries really hard to persuade us to follow the world and to lead us astray. Sometimes he makes bad things look good and enticing, we need to be strong and only follow the path that leads us back to Heavenly Father.
We wandered for another five minutes and still could not make heads or tales as to where we were. At this point, my son Landon suggested that we say a prayer. He said the prayer and after we turned a few corners we looked a the map again. We were completely surprised to find that we were able to determine with 80% surety that we were in the right lower corner of the book. We took out a pen and began to mark our path as we went, comparing the curves and turns. After about 10 more minutes we were 95% sure that we were following the correct path. I was very grateful that my son had gone to his Heavenly Father for help and had found the guidance that we needed. I told him that I hoped that he would stay close to his Heavenly Father all of his life and always go to him when he needs help. ( As a mother I was very proud of Landon- It is comforting to know what faith he has in God.)
We continued down the path, as we reached the finish line and walked out of the maze as a family, I caught a small glimpse of how sweet it will be one day if we are all at the eternal finish line together. It felt good to know that each person in our family had played some role in getting us to the finish boosting the others when they needed it, and that we never gave up- we kept on trying no matter how hard it seemed.
I am very grateful for this experience, even Terry and I took valuable lessons away from it. as As an adult, I still get lost sometimes and have to pull myself back onto the right path. I have to remember not to quit and to keep trying( Especially when it is tough.)
I hope that I will be able to make it to the finishing line with my family someday. To me that would be the most wonderful feeling of all!!!

The prayers of a child

One of my favorite things about being a mom, is to listen to the prayers of my children.
I love how children talk to Heavenly Father like he is their best friend. They say what is on their mind.
The other day I was leaving in the car to go to Salt Lake. I asked Landon to say a prayer for us, and this is how it went.
"Dear Heavenly Father
Please bless us that we will drive safely, and not get into any accidents.
Please bless us so we won't drive off a cliff, and please make it so if we are going to get in a wreck, our car will start to overflow. ( Meaning that we will overheat first, so our car won't work.)"
What a great prayer, coming from a kid that has complete faith that he will protect us. He didn't leave any details out, he just told him what was in his heart.
I really hope I can learn from this to speak to my Heavenly Father in a more personal way, because he does hear us and he loves us and wants to hear whats in our hearts!
I love my kids- they teach me so much!

Macho Macho Man

I have learned, through having three boys; that being macho and tough is something that comes natural to most boys! They naturally feel that they are protectors and that any sign of emotion shows weakness.
It is a rare thing, that I witness a sensitive side to my boys. Although I am glad that they lean towards the "boy" things in life, once in a while it is nice to see those hidden emotions in them, even when they are trying so hard to hide them.
Tonight at bedtime, Landon was talking to me about Terry's job as a Police Officer. In part of the conversation he asked me "What if Dad died mom?" I proceeded to tell him, that we would have to pull together and take care of each other. I also told him that because of our beliefs, we know that we could be together again someday. The whole time this conversation was going on, Landon was getting teary eyed and rubbing his eyes. I asked him if he was going to cry-and just like the typical boy he made all kinds of excuses to hide this emotion that was overtaking him. He told me he was just tired and had sleepy bugs in his eyes.
I told him that if he was feeling sad over the thought, that this just told me that he really loved his Dad, and that is a good thing.
I just hope Terry realizes how lucky he is to have boys who love and look up to him so much.
He is a great role model to my boys. I know that they know; their dad loves them.
Thank you Terry for being such an amazing Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Write it down before you forget!!!!

I have always been told, that you need to write down the funny things your kids say before you forget. This is soooooo true. My kids are always saying things that make me laugh and when I want to tell someone else or write it down, I have already forgotten.
So, having said this, I am going to try and write down those funny moments in their lives better. I think it will be a fun thing for them to reflect on, with their kids.
When my 4 year old Logan is done with whatever he is eating, instead of saying he is done, he will say "I want to save this for later." Well the other night Terry fixed him some dinner. After sitting and looking at it with a disgusted face for a few minutes he proceeded to tell Terry and I " I think I will save this for "WAY" later." I took that to mean, that he never wanted to see that plate of food again- but in a nice way.
(Disclaimer!!!!!! The food that Terry had fixed Logan was reheated Mexican food from a restaurant.) There you happy, I cleared your good name!!!!!!)
Then tonight we were having Family Home Evening and I asked the kids what feelings were. Logan said he knew, and then told me it was when you lift your hands in the air and your shirt is too short. ( I guess that could make you angry, embarrased, sad, jealous, and depending on the person lifting their hands up, even scary at times!!!!!!!!!!)
Then tonight as I was helping him brush his teeth I noticed a red mark on his face. I asked him if that hurt. He said yeah mom it hurts and so do my guts. I asked him what he meant by his guts hurt and he proceeded to point into his throat. ( I interpreted my guts hurt to mean I have a sore throat.)
Kids are so funny- I love that they are funny even when they are being so serious, it makes me smile :)

Jareds Eagle Pictures

My Brother Jared is getting his Eagle award tomorrow night. I am way proud of how much he
has accomplished this year. These are some of my favorite shots of him that we did today.
I was in awe looking at this picture, because he looks so much like my dad when he was younger.
Congratulations Jared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pay check

So my son Landon and I were talking tonight and he asked me "mom why don't you get paid for all you do, you are always working so hard." I told him that " moms don't get paid to do what they do, that they do it because they love there children."
He then told me " mom I will pay you. " I told him that moms don't want money for what they do, but the way they are paid is when our children make good choices and our doing the things that we have tried to teach them ( the things that Heavenly Father would want them to do.), and when our children love us back.
He is such a deep thinker for a 6 year old, and wise beyond his years. Landon has always really been sensitive to my feelings and I love him so much.
He has also been learning to save his money. He wants to buy a skate board and I told him that he could do jobs around the house to earn the money. He now has $7.50 and the board he wants on e-bay is $10.00, there has been several times he has been tempted to spend some of it, but I remind him of his goal and he decides not to buy the smaller item.
The other day I told him that sometimes when we save for something better, it makes us feel good that we were able to save enough. He looked at me and said. " Yeah mom, I know exactly what you are talking about.
I just hope that as a mother I can teach him to value hard work and learn to save. I think so many kids today never learn to work hard and appreciate the things they earn. Everything is handed to them.
When I was a kid, my mom & dad made us work to earn money. Sometimes when I wanted something I would work at my Grandpa Norths apartments, and it was not easy work, but I appreciated the paycheck and what I bought with it much more because I earned it myself. I am grateful that she didn't just give me everything I wanted and taught me this valuable lesson. Thanks Mom and Dad for teaching me!

Family Reunion

We went to a special family reunion yesterday.
My husband had a cousin whom he had never met, that was finally found and united with her family. She is the daughter of Terry's late uncle Lloyd who unfortunately due to several circumstances, never had the privilege of meeting his daughter before he died.
My heart goes out to her for all that she has been through, but she is amazingly tough, and handling all of this new information with great class.
I think that so many of us take our families for granted! Through watching her I have had my eyes open to how greatly I am blessed to have my family in my life and what a blessing they are. I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have them, but I am truly glad that now this cousin has a family she can call her own.

Progress

So I just took my measurements and since June 25, 2010 I am down
1/2" in my biceps
2" in my chest
2" in my waist
1" in my hips
1" in my thighs
I have 3 weeks until my 10K and I am getting closer to running 6 miles nonstop.
It is nice to see and feel the progress.

Today I ran my 2nd 5K run. I am really proud of how much I have improved in 1 month. I decided to start doing 5K's to help me get motivated ( Thanks to my cousin Sarah suggesting it as an idea for keeping motivated.) I never thought of doing them before, but now that I have started, it keeps me training and wanting to improve myself. When I started, I was as far out of shape as you can imagine. After training for 1 month I ran my first 5K on July 5th. I did not get a very good time and I had to walk about 1/2 of it, but I finished the race.
Today I was able to run the entire 3 miles including a steep hill twice without stopping. I am not sure of my time, but I think according to Terry who was sitting by the people clocking the times, that it was around 36 minutes. If that is true, my time has improved by 5.5 minutes.
I still have a long ways to go to be as fit as I want to be, but I am proud of what I have done, and I will keep trying to improve.
The best part of the whole run was seeing Terry and my boys cheering me on at the finish line.
Landon gave me a big thumbs up and all of them gave me a big smile.
I hope that they will see me caring about my health and want to do the same.

This is a drawing of the Brigham City Temple. I am so excited to have a temple in this beautiful city. When they announced in conference that they were going to build a Temple in Brigham, I couldn't help but get emotional. It truly feels like it belongs there, when you drive past the site where it will be built. It is going to be across the street from the Historic Tabernacle that is already there ( which in itself is a beautiful building.) I think that the overall feeling of the spirit will be overwhelming when driving down Main Street between the two buildings.
I read in the paper tonight that the temple was partially designed after the Salt Lake Temple and that on the outside walls of the Brigham Temple they are going to etch peach blossoms, because of the history of the town with Peaches. I am very excited to have this Temple in Brigham and I hope that I will be more faithful in doing Temple work.
I

Allergic, No Soliciting, and Sweet Rewards

Tonight Landon didn't like the dinner I made, so after begging me for something else, he proceeded to tell me that he was allergic to it. I laughed and said "Landon, if you were allergic to it you would know it! Your skin would break out in red spots and your throat would start to close so you couldn't breathe. He then pointed to a scratch on his arm and said " Look I'm getting red spots, then he grabbed his throat and said I can't breathe mom." Must have been pretty desperate!
Then earlier I let him have a squirt gun fight with some friends in my front yard. I was in the middle of cutting Terry's hair when the door bell rang. When I answered it, there was a man from Winder Dairy standing on my porch and he was being plastered by two of the kids ( one of those belonging to me of course). I told them to stop and apologized to the man. He gave me his brochure and started walking away with a pack of boys chasing him down the street and spraying him the whole way, until they heard me threaten to take the squirt guns away.
Later I was thinking about this and thought I could really make some money hiring my boys out for soliciting control :)
On Sunday, my boys and I went to Terry's parents house for dinner. Logan came up to Terry's mom and told her that he would really like to sleep at her house. She told him that he could. Later Terry's Dad asked him if he wanted to sleep there forever, and he said " No, not forever, I love my Mom and Dad too much- I think just for tonight. It made me feel good to know that despite my imperfections as a mother, he still loves me. I think all parents need that reminder sometimes. Parenting can be really hard, but when we get these little rewards, it makes it all worth it!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is my 10th anniversary
WOW- How time has really flown.I always wondered where we would be in 5, 10 or 15 years, and now having the chance to reflect and see how far we have come in 10 brings a smile to my face, and tears to my eyes. ( Most of the tears are because I know I love him more today than ever before- and most of the world can't say that :) Terry is my best friend!!!)
I was talking to my Mom about the day Terry and I got married and remembering when I got to the temple that day Terry and his family were in the waiting room of the temple and when he saw me walk in, he looked so happy. I knew right then, that there was no one else in the whole world I wanted to be there with, and it was a neat feeling to walk hand and hand into the Temple together knowing what was going to happen, that he was going to be mine forever.
Since that day so much has happened- some good, some sad, some bad, some really happy moments. Here are some of the major things that have transpired in our lives
- We lived in a home we bought in Roy for the first 2 years
- We moved to our Brigham City house right before Preston was born ( I was 8 months pregnant)
- Preston was born April of 2002
-Buried my Son Preston ( Something I never dreamed I 'd have to do.)
-Landon was born in June 2004
- Lived in Brigham City for 3 1/2 years
- Moved in with Terry's parents, so Terry could go to school and I could stay with my children.
( Again I was 7 months pregnant.)
- A few months later, Logan was born ( December 2005)
- Terry went to school for a while, but still had the desire to be a Police Officer, so he signed up for the Academy at Weber State University
- After about 1 year he graduated from the Police Academy and began looking for a job
- He was hired with Garland City in January of 2009
- We began looking for a home in the area. ( At this point I was 7 months pregnant)
- After a nightmare process, we finally closed on our home May 5, 2009.(Dylan was due may 19th)
- One week later, Dylan was born.
-We have been through loss of jobs, sicknesses, and also really joyful moments together. We have 2 dogs and 2 chickens at the present time, and have had other pets in the past.
- We are learning how to raise children and teach them what they need to know to battle life's storms, and grow up to be good and respectable people. ( We hope!)
-We have learned to love beyond a capacity we thought was possible.
- We have learned more about our weaknesses and have tried to help each other in becoming better. We are also learning to overlook the ones that really don't matter.
- I have learned that families that play together really do stay together- and we have had a lot of fun times with our family.
- We have learned to work together and we are trying to teach our children to work alongside us.
- We have been incredibly blessed and recognize Gods hand in our life.
We have grown in many other ways, ( including out- not up for me! and Terry still continues to love me:) but when it comes down to it, if I had to make the choice again to marry Terry, I would in a heart beat he is my soul mate.
Happy Anniversary to my Eternal Companion
It has been a fun journey, and I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings.

Secret Weapon

Yesterday I heard Logan crying, and so I went to see what was wrong. I asked Logan why he was crying and he told me Landon hit him. Landon proceded to tell me that he didn't do it and that crying is Logan's "Secret Weapon". He then explained that all Logan has to do is cry and then he gets in trouble. ( I thought his choice of words were pretty funny, to bad I don't have a "secret weapon"; I can think of many I'd like to have!!!!!)

Cigarettes & Mom the Maid

So yesterday I took Logan to a check up at the Doctors office, and the nurse asked him- " Logan, what is you favorite food?" Logan spoke up and told her it was macaroni and cheese. The nurse asked him what else he liked and he got a smirk on his face and said, "Cigarettes". You can imagine how embarrassed I was at that moment wondering how I was going to explain that one. I had to explain to her that we have been listening to Safety Kid tapes in my car about substance abuse and personal safety.
She then asked Logan why those things are bad and he said " because they make you die".
Let's just hope they don't call child protective services to investigate!!!!!!!!!

Lately I have been trying to teach my kids to pick up after themselves, things like putting their plates in the sink and shoes in the closet..... I tell them all of the time that mom is not their maid!( A common mother response.)
I decided that I would start charging them a nickel each time I have to pick something up.
Well today after lunch, Logan cleared his plate and Landon took off, so I called him downstairs and told him that he would owe me a nickel if he didn't clear his plate. He ran back up stairs and in a few second came back down and offered me a nickel......... ( Not exactly the lesson I was trying to teach!) I told Terry I would have to up the stakes and give myself a raise so they can't afford me anymore :)
All I have to say is parenthood is quite the ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Last Friday was Dylan's 1rst birthday- I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone.
Dylan has been a great joy to have as a part of our family!

His great big dimple smile can brighten any day for me, he is a very loving little boy who is very loved and protected by his older brothers. He is learning and growing sooooo fast and never stops amazing me. Dylan is a gentle giant ( he has always been a good sized kid! He was
8lbs 13 oz at birth and has been in the 95th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight ever since. I know that is so he will be able to take on two older brothers :) Even with his size, he is a very sweet and cuddly little boy. )
Dylan is my mama's boy- he loves his mom.
I am sad to see him grow up so fast, he has been so much fun as a baby, but I know he has the potential to do great things in his life.
I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for trusting me with his care and I will do my best to teach Dylan the way he would have me.
Happy Birthday Big Guy!!!
I Love You
MOM

Preston

April 17th would have been Preston's 8th birthday. It is amazing to see how much I have changed and learned in 8 years. I would hope that I could say that because of him I am a better person and have a greater understanding of the gospel and the plan of salvation.
I have learned that sometimes the things we feel are unbearable at the time, are the things that shape our characters for good or bad. I have learned that I can't go through life without the help of my Savior! I need him and am grateful that he loves me enough that he wouldn't want me to try. I have learned that life is fragile and could be taken at any moment, so we should embrace life, live it to the fullest, and make sure that our priorities are where they matter the most. I have learned that God truly does have a time line and if we can trust him, all will be well.
All though losing him was the hardest trial I have endured in this life so far, I would do it again for him. I am blessed to be his mother and I know he watches over and loves us. I know he is where God needs him and is doing a great work.
Today I took a blanket to the hospital for a mother who will lose a baby. I had this idea for his 1rst birthday and have taken a blanket each year since. I know he would be happy that his birthday is not a day of mourning for me, but rather a day to celebrate, and honor him in the service of others.
We also have the tradition to let balloons go at the cemetery for him. My kids like it, because they feel like we are sending Preston's birthday to him.
I am grateful for Preston and for the valuable life lessons I have obtained by having him in my life.
Preston I love you..............Happy Birthday Big Guy

Happy Birthday

I just wanted to wish my Dad and my Brother Nate a very happy birthday today!!!!!

"Did you go to Jail ?"

Today I was in the store with my 4 year old Logan. He asked me "mom are you going to steal that?" I proceeded to tell him that we don't steal, that it is wrong, and that we should always pay for the things we get. He asked me if people that steal are bad guys and I told him that they are doing something BAD when they steal. I asked him if he knew what happens to people who get caught stealing, and he said"no". I told him that the cops come and take them to Jail.
In a really loud voice and with a lot of people around us he said, " Did you go to Jail?"
I could only guess what everyone around me was thinking about our conversation about stealing.

Update

January was a nice break for my family from all of the craziness of the Holidays. I think it is our only time during the year when life is not so hectic with holidays, birthdays, trips, sports etc....
Landon is doing really well in school and is beginning to read very well. Logan will miss the deadline this year for school and so I will be enrolling him into a preschool or doing a neighborhood preschool if I can organize one. I always feel bad for him because Landon gets to do everything (because he is 5) and I know Logan wishes he could do everything Landon is doing. ie: Kindergarten, Soccer, Tee Ball etc..... Valentines Day was fun and I gave my kids a small bag of Hershey Kisses and read them the book "Froggys first kiss." Its a really cute book for those of you that have boys. I made them pink heart pancakes for breakfast. They made and colored hearts for just about everyone they could think of.
For our Family Home Evening for Saint Patricks day we had a treasure hunt and the prize was a treasure chest full of chocolate gold coins and a cupcake. That night for dinner we had a "green dinner" where everything including the salad dressing was green. It was a lot of fun.
Terrys little sister, Ashley had her baby today. It was a little Girl and they named her Adalyn Jane Hansen. She weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. I have not seen her yet but when I do I will post some pictures. Congratulations Ashley and Steve!!!
We have a busy Summer planned for this year, which I am so looking forward to. ( I am sooooo sick of the winter!!!!!!)
In April my kids are looking forward to going to the Baby animal days at the American West Heritage Center in Hyrum, for those of you that have never been, it is tons of fun for kids.
They have all kinds of baby animals for the kids to pet and hold, they have pony rides and easter egg hunts. This year they are supposed to have baby bears. They have pioneer houses where they show you what life was like then. Last year they had a puppeteer and many other fun things to do. ( My kids would NEVER let us miss it.)
Over all life is good with lot's to look forward to. We are so blessed.



We went to Terry's parents house yesterday for Sunday dinner and his mom had these glasses for my boys, I just couldn't help taking a picture of my Three Stooges.


Dylan had his first haircut on February 20th, he was better than I thought he'd be.

Here are some before and after pictures. He looks so much older after the hair cut. He has grown so fast, that sometimes I feel like he has not been a baby as long as my other boys. He is soooo much fun and my other boys really love him a lot. Landon and Dylan seem to have a special bond, and Dylan just smiles and laughs at almost anything he does.
I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

We found Logan the other night sleeping next to his George, and this is what we saw. What a nice kid to make sure his stuffed animal was nice and warm.

Landon took first place overall in his school for his entry in photography, and then it went on to the North Council where he again took 1rst place for grades K-2. I am very proud of him :)
We love our little family and are proud of each of our children.

So I was talking to my son Logan today and he asked me " Mom did you get me from the yard sale?) Kids say the craziest things.... I don't know where he got that idea from. Keeps us laughing I guess!!!!

I am really sleep deprived lately, because I have been struggling with Dylan not sleeping well at night. He does not like pacifiers, he has not been crazy about the solid food I have introduced to him, he has been cutting teeth and now he has a cold. I think last night I only got 1-2 hours of sleep. Any of you other Moms out there have any suggestions for me? I keep thinking it will get better. (Let's hope so!) :)