I Love To See The Temple

I posted yesterday to Facebook that this is my happiest place on earth! And that Disney has got it all wrong! It is such an amazingly beautiful place! In my opinion the temple grounds in spring is the best! Tulips are my favorite flower and they are surrounding the grounds. <3 

People often will say to me, "I don't know how you do it, Amanda". Honestly, the key to how I handle being a single mom to five babies and run my business and do all the other responsibilities I have is by attending the temple often! And by starting my day with scripture study and prayer. I have such a knowledge of how these things give me power to do all that I do! It is the only way I am prospering in my circumstances! I am so blessed to live so close to this special place. 

<3 

Disturbing

I was dropping Bella off this morning and as she was getting out of the car a song came on the radio. I didn't recognize it but she told me I needed to change it because it was a bad song. She told me the name of it was "Talk Dirty To Me". She told me that the music video was really bad. After I started to mention (like many times before) that she wasn't allowed to watch stuff like that she stopped me to mention it came on tv and that she couldn't get to the remote fast enough to change it more quickly than she did. Apparently she saw enough to know that it was "gross" and as she walked away she added… "and disturbing".

 I couldn't help but to smile that my fifth grader referred to something as "disturbing". haha

 Makes me sick that we have to be so concerned with what our kids are hearing and seeing. 

… With What's Left...

My life is so crazy and hard. 

Scratch that. 

Everyone's life is so hard. Everyone I know is fighting some hard battle.

 I have been thinking a lot this week and my life seems to follow this pattern:

Amazing  things happen and it's as though I take five HUGE steps forward. Then, shortly following, life happens and it's as though I take four HUGE steps backward. Those four steps backward are a devastating blow. During those four steps back it seems as though everything around you crumbles and the remnants of your life settle with dust all around. You weren't expecting it and you ask yourself 'why'? Why do I always feel as though I'm going backward.

 Then I had the realization and anyone who can do math would catch it too...

 I am still left with one HUGE step forward and that's still progress.

 It's not what it just was but it's still progress. It's in that moment that I must work so hard to treasure my progress and focus on that one big step that wasn't taken from me. 

There's something so powerful in that principle. During the whole process I'm so grateful the Lord is merciful and finds me where I'm at and lifts me. I hope someday to recover those other four steps but no matter what I will try to trust Him in all things. 

Valentine's Day 2014

We had so much fun doing these home made Valentine's Day card years ago that we wanted to do them again! 

Young Womanhood Recognition Award

In our church receiving a Young Womanhood Recognition Award is equivalent to receiving the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts. It is a program that the girls can start when they turn 12 and can work on until they turn 18, then again as a leader or a mother. 

In our home they can't get their drivers license until they complete this program. It consists of six experiences and ten hour projects in EACH of the following categories:

faith

divine nature

individual worth

knowledge

choice & accountability

good works

integrity

virtue

Braelyn has been self motivated and completed this program without my help! I am so amazingly proud of her and this accomplishment! This picture was taken the Sunday before her birthday right after being recognized in our church  meeting and receiving her certificate and medallion (necklace). 

<3 

Brae's Sweet 16

Braelyn's birthday was on a Tuesday this year. She wakes up normally at 5 to go to Seminary. This year she wanted to curl her hair so she got up at 4:45! Yikes!! This was her surprise as she made her way downstairs:

 I picked her up at her lunchtime and we left for Austin!!! We had never been there so it was extra exciting!

 View from our hotel room. We stayed at The Wyndham Hotel.

 Wicked was showing at The University of Texas (my favorite) and on the 

6th Floor was the student floor where they had activities before showtime. 

This was the graffiti wall! So fun!

 The next day we got up and had breakfast then did some sightseeing! We also went to see The Lego Movie.

The Capital Building

 Brae made this collage of our trip:

Gone With The Wind

Bentley and I pulled into the driveway after doing school drop off this morning and he looked at our barren tree & said, "We need to get a new tree. The wind took all our leaves."