First Day of School

As I have been reading in The Book of Mormon and came across the scriptures in 2 Nephi 3:6-15, I felt the Holy Ghost bear such a strong witness to me that the mission of Joseph Smith in bringing about scriptures to be used in companionship with the Bible was directed by the Lord. I know, so strongly, that The Book of Mormon is God's book. I feel so differently when I read it then when I read any other book. The Lord is testifying to me again and again, with feelings that are not of my imagining, that it is true. The Lord's church, His true church, is on the earth and it is directed by his prophets. So often members or those outside of the church try to criticize or angrily question why some doctrines or principles are a certain way. But there is no denying this is His church and we can either choose to embrace it fully and receive all that He has to offer to us, or to question, criticize, doubt, and spend precious energy and time on the edge of living a life full of faith and then action based on that faith.

Last night Jeff gave blessings to the kids, it was so sweet because they were pretty reverent. Before Lily got her blessing we talked about how we need to act and what this blessing means. Ryan said he was already thinking about Jesus. Lily's blessing talked about how helpful she is to her mom and how she is learning so many new things and blessed with talents in music, reading, and math. She was counseled to be obedient to her teachers and her mommy and that she would have a great school year. It was a sweet blessing and after she was done Ryan went up and gave her a hug. For Ryan's blessing he was so happy to get it and the blessing talked about all the good things he was doing and learning and also counseled him to listen to his teachers and mommy, and to not get upset when things don't go the way he wants them to. Afterward he went to Jeff and hugged him, then came around the room and hugged all of us. For Max's blessing he was doing all he could to sit in the same spot. It looked like he was bursting with energy to get up and move. His eyes were squeezed shut so tightly, it looked painful. The blessing talked about all the things he was learning like his letters, numbers, articles of faith, and that when he starts preschool to be nice and not hit or scream. All the blessings talked about how Heavenly Father was pleased with them and how He loved them. It was a sweet night and I am so grateful for Jeff and his ability to give blessings and for that wonderful gift we have in our home.

Lily started her first day and was anxious and excited. She was worried about where her classroom was and if she'd find it since we didn't practice getting there from where she'd get off the bus. But then I reminded her where the cafeteria was and how her class was before that, and she felt much better because she could visualize where it was. I commented on how soft and smooth her hair was this morning and she said she used her Cotton Candy detangler. She doesn't have much left so she said she uses it for special occasions like the first day of school.

Sweet brothers

Ryan's awesome ninjago drawings