Family pics 2015

Today we woke up, got dressed, picked up my cute niece, McKenna and headed to Lehi for a family photo shoot. My mother-in-law requested new family pics this year and it's been a LONG time since we've attempted this great fete! It turned out well though, thanks to McKenna and the cute back drop. It was plenty cold, but it was fun to get it done and have pictures to show for it!

Renewal

I am so grateful right now for my life and the things I am learning. I feel very blessed and very loved! For the past year, I have been a little detached from my Savior. I would "try" here and there by reading my scriptures more, thinking that that is how I would feel close to Him again(I'm sure it didn't hurt at all) but I've realized that I needed to do a bit more than just read, I needed to trust Him again. After the birth of our sweet baby #6,

I felt a little abandoned by Heavenly Father. I knew he didn't abandon me, but I just felt hurt that he would ask me to do something specific and then allow it to not happen. I understood that it was most likely for my own learning and growing, but it was such a hard thing that it really hurt me and felt like I was deserted by a dear friend. I knew/know that God would not forsake me, but these feelings did not go away quickly or easily. I had to rebuild trust in my Heavenly Father. Well, this past month, I have! Actually, I know I've worked on it for the last year, little by little, but I feel like our relationship is repaired and it is a WONDERFUL feeling. I think I realized what brought it back fully, so I'd like to share. For the last two weeks, I have had sick children. We have had coughs and fevers and a lot of snot! A couple months ago, I attended an herb class to learn more about how to prepare my own tinctures and other great natural remedies. I came home from that class having a better knowledge of how to and several new books on my Amazon wish list and of course two were on their way. I can't just put books on my list, I have an Amazon addiction, especially when it comes to books! Back to this week. I was very concerned about my baby's(he just turned 1 two days ago!) cough. I of course, thought of THE worst thing it could be...whooping cough. I was stressing and didn't want to just take him to the doctor, first of all, I didn't want to expose him to whatever other germs there are out there right now and make him more sick, and second, I didn't want to just kill all of the good stuff in his body that is fighting off the bad. I wanted to work with his body and support it, make it stronger, so I called Jessica. Jessica is my dear, dear friend, I love her so much! I want to be like Jessica, she is wicked smart (said with a Jersey accent, it's just more fun that way) and when it comes to herbs, she is the master! I told her that I needed her help and why and she brought me her favorite herbal tinctures and told me how to use them and how often, which is what I have always had a hard time knowing because with certain herbs, you can/need to take them like every 15 minutes to give your body that "boost" it needs to get over what it's fighting. I have always used herbs like I have medicine from the doctor...one or two a day. It doesn't work that way people! ...anyway to make a long story shorter, herbs totally work! They are amazing and here is why and what I told my children. Heavenly Father put special plants on this earth that we can use when we are sick to help us get better. It's as simple as that. :) My Sammy,

did not like taking the medicine at first. When I would give it to him, I would explain why and that I would rather him take it willingly than fight him every time I gave it to him. After he got used to taking it, he said, "Mommy, Jesus makes good medicine!" Oh, that was the cutest and most rewarding moment of that day, for sure! Why did this experience bring my relationship back with my Savior and Heavenly Father? Because, when I would use the herbs with my children, we would pray and thank Heavenly Father for them and ask Him to please help them work, and I felt that with what I was dealing with, I was doing exactly what He wanted me to do. Then I worked hard to try to give them medicine every 15-30 minutes. I'm not going to lie, there were more than a couple times I thought that I should just take them into the doctor and get antibiotics, it would be so much easier! But we were blessed and the confirmation I felt about giving them herbs stuck with me and helped me to trust in my Heavenly Father and His knowledge of what my children need. I've decided that is the key to healing my relationship with Heavenly Father. Trust. Relying on Him, and getting to work. I'm not going to say that I will never give my children antibiotics, I know they have their timebut I will do all I can first, and listen to my Father, then act.