Dear Children,

This morning, watching general conference, Sister  Rosemary Wixom (General Primary President) spoke of a man in a prison camp who was able to write 25 words to his family.  This man had been in prison for several years, and had no idea if he would ever see his family again.  It made me think what I would write to my children if they were my last words to them.  What have I failed to teach them, what do I need to remind them of, what do they need to know?  Here are some of my thoughts:

1.  I love you more than you can possibly know.  When you have your own children, you will have a better understanding of what I mean.  I would do anything in the world for you, I would give my life for you.  I will always love you, there is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.  You can hurt me, but I will still love you.

2.  You are a child of God.  He has instilled in you his divine nature, and promised you more blessings than you can ever understand.  He loves you even more than I do, if that is possible.  His love is a perfect love, therefore deeper and purer than any love you have ever experienced on earth.  He wants you to succeed, He wants you to return to His glory.

3.  I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one and only true church on the face of the earth, it is God's true church.  I know that we have a living prophet, and if you follow his counsel, you will never go wrong.  I am sorry that I don't bear my testimony, or share tender thoughts with you.  There are many reasons, but let it suffice to say that it is a weakness of mine.  It is a hard thing to share with anyone.  Besides, I don't like to cry in front of other people.

4.  Finish your education.  Boys and girls, you need an education.  Trust me on this one.

5.  Marry in the right place, at the right time, to the right person.  Who you choose to marry is the single most important decision you will ever make.  Be sure it is the right one.  When the hard times come, and I promise, they will, it will be much easier to get through them when you know you are with the person the Lord wants you to be with.  Get married in the temple, there is no other place that can ensure you will have your family forever.  That is the greatest blessing in my life, knowing that my family can be together forever.

6.  Love each other.  There can never be enough love in the world.  Friends come and go, but family stays forever.  Don't let petty things fester and destroy relationships.  Fight for those relationships and keep them strong.  Defend and protect each other, always be there for each other.

7.  Have fun!  Life is meant to be enjoyed.  Take time to laugh and have fun.

8.  Work hard, work together, but keep things balanced.  Working together makes the work go faster, more enjoyable, and builds relationships.

10.  Go on a mission, and always be willing to accept callings to serve the Lord.  Boys, go as soon as you are ready and able.  Girls, go if you wish, and all of you strive to go in your later years.  Serving the Lord brings joy, peace and contentment to your life.  I hope to be able to always do what the Lord asks me to do.

11.  Be wise in your finances.  Avoid unnecessary debt, be frugal, save and invest.  Money may not buy happiness, but debt and overspending causes stress and unhappiness.

12.  Be prayerful in your decisions, let the Lord help you make good choices.  He will never lead you astray.  Let Him guide your paths, and be willing to follow his guidance.

13.  Be happy.  Know that life is good.  Always remember how much you are loved and how much you are valued.  Know your worth to everyone around you.  Never doubt how important you are.  Do whatever you have to to find true happiness.  Not the happiness of the world, but real, lasting joy.

Love always,
Mom

Our Busy, Crazy, Wonderful Life

 A couple of weeks ago, Jordyn had her first dance competition.  It was in St. George, and since we were going that direction, Jayme agreed to come with us.  It really took some arm twisting to get her to go. ;)  We had a great time together, but Jayme got pretty worn out.  At this point, she was very pregnant and uncomfortable. 

Jordyn was able to take a master class from Alex Wong who was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance.  It was a fun thing for her.

Here is her cute little team getting ready for their first dance, "Hound Dog".  They did great, and Jordyn is getting better and better.

We nearly missed her second dance, "Amazing Maizy."  We had gone out to get a snack, and when we went back in to see how close they were, one of the other moms said that the girls were already lined up backstage!!  Jordyn and I ran as fast as this fat old mom can run, pulled on her costume, and ran back just as they were ready to go on!  Whew!  Jordyn was pretty panicked, but she pulled it together and did a good job. 

Only a couple of days later, that Wednesday night, Jayme decided it was time to have her baby.  Elizabeth Faye Swallow was born on March 28.  I had to go to work that morning, but as soon as I got off, Dennis and I left to drive to Cedar City to meet this little sweetheart.  It was totally worth it to drive down and back in the same day. :)

Since being close to her due date was keeping Jayme and Cassidy from coming up for Easter, we tried to get them to come up for the weekend.  I don't understand why they weren't up for that with a 2-day old baby...

Three of my nieces, Kendall, Whitney and Tara, came down for the weekend, and stayed with us Friday night and most of Saturday.  It was fun to have them here, and of course we had to have everyone here for a BBQ.  Michael even had the whole weekend off!  Yay!  I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few.

Hmm, wonder why they are all of this little guy?? 

It was also the Color Festival at the local Hari Krishna temple, and most of the kids went to get colors thrown at them.  

Easter was good, but kind of quiet.  Since Jordyn is the only little one, it just wasn't a huge deal.  She got her little world rocked when she was helping me unload groceries and found bags of candy.  She put two and two together pretty quickly.  It went something like, "What the?  You're the?  Wait. You're the Easter Bunny?!?"  "Well, yeah, did you really think there was a big rabbit that goes around delivering candy and hiding eggs?"  "Yes.  Wait, Santa's real isn't he?"  How cruel could I be?  "Of course Santa is real."  She didn't even get to color eggs until Sunday afternoon.  Poor kid, sometimes it sucks to be the youngest.  

The following week was Spring Break, so we all went back to Cedar City for a couple of days to play with the Swallows.  Ellie was quite the hit with everyone.

I sure love my family and love spending time with them.  I know it's not the way, but can't I just keep them all with me forever?