Are you ready for Yoga?

We have been attending a Yoga class at our YMCA for a few weeks and I am in love with it. It is so fun to watch the kids try to do a downward dog while barking. Even better is the tree pose with limited balance capabilities. The other day, Talia was able to join us and made it even better. She would mimic some of the poses when she wasn't starring intently at the instructor trying to figure things out or when she wasn't busy trying on shoes or visiting with fellow class members. Talia is under the impression that she is a 4 -6 year old girl capable of everything her siblings can do. This includes going on the potty. She will point to herself and say "otty". Strangely, she really does know when she is going potty. I humor her and let her sit and even wipe (sorry tmi) then flush and wash her hands. Too bad, I am in love with her in diapers so we'll just have to wait.

Time with My Mom

My mom had a chance to come visit us this past week and we loved every moment. It was most poignantly felt by Mia the morning she was no longer her. After crawling into my bed, she began to cry. It was a few minutes before I could make out what she was sad about. There was no more grandma sleeping in our office. I am sure she left exhausted from all the projects and cleaning she was slave labored into doing. Most days consisted of us giggling by a sewing machine or in front of a pile of beads. In between crafty moments, we hit the gym for Zumba fun. Nothing says mother/daughter bonding then shaking your stuff to a latin beat.

She did get in a few tourist things like Sea World and Rudy's, but not much more then that. Too much freedom makes for poor work ethic and we still had a fairy dress to finish and a wig to figure out.

Luckily, we get to go up to Utah in less then a month and we have back to back family visitors to help us cope with such a great loss. Until then, thanks for the memories and all the fun time giggling.

Church Attendance

Sometimes, in the throws of church drama (crayon hoarding, whisperless voices, and overall disruptive behavior) the spirit of a given meaning is lost. Aside from the deodorant failing and clothes that many not be in their original location, the horrible thought creeps in, "Why am I here?" or better yet is the meeting that drags on eternally with nothing to keep your interest and you wish the kids good liven things up a bit.

It's nice that church attendance is a commandment because there are many excuses that try to prevent such attendance. But, you never know when someone will answer your prayers through a comment or a certain scripture might make more sense from the point of view of someone else. Which makes the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants more meaningful:
"Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."

Today was one of those days when the speakers bring such a strong spirit that one can't help but be uplifted. The topic was on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. All three speakers testified of the love the Savior and Heavenly Father had for the children of men to follow through with the Plan of Happiness.

Then, in primary, I had the opportunity to witness the love of our Heavenly Father for His children. A group of 5 year old boys were being a bit rowdy during sharing time. I offered to sit with the boys and encouraged quiet behaviors in ordered to participate. For those of you unaware with Primary procedures, participation is determined by little popsicle sticks with a primary child's name on each one. That way, the leader can draw randomly and give a fair spread of involvement.

One of the kids started tearing up and exclaimed, "I'll never be called, my name isn't even in there." I tried to think of how to solve the problem. I even offered to scrounge through the 100 odd sticks to find his name, but he still felt more than sad. The thought came--Pray. Heavenly Father loves this boy. The sadness this child felt was fervent and real. No sooner then I said amen, his name was pulled. Aside from participating, his answer and roll of the dice won the game for everyone. Coincidence? No. When he came back to his seat, I couldn't help but lean over and say, "I think Heavenly Father must love you a lot."

Finally, during another sharing time (there is one for the younger kids and another one for the older kids just fyi), a teacher was talking about eternal families. One scripture that he mentioned was Mathew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. . I often thought of this scripture in the context of marriage and the power of Temple Marriage. It surprised me when he asked about the "loose" portion of the scripture and was looking for a positive response. Then he asked the rhetorical question, "Can't our sins be loosed in heaven aka we can be forgiven of our earthly sins when we repent so they are remembered no more in heaven?"

Our Heavenly Father knew what He was asking and what we would receive by attending our church meetings. You never can tell when you will stumble on such refreshing and revitalizing snippets of truth.