When Eve and Patrick came to visit a couple of weeks ago we had my sister-in-law take our family pictures. It will be a while before everyone is together again and I really wanted to take advantage of having all my chicks back home. We took some silhouette pictures at the sand dunes one night. […]
Time Marches On
I foolishly thought things would slow down after Eve and Patrick’s wedding. Instead we find ourselves involved in just as much as before. It has all been good and wonderful! Our nephew got married two weeks ago in Reno. It was fun to see the newlyweds who came down for the second of the cousins […]
A Refuge From the Storm by Boyd K. Packer {Book Review}
Boyd K. Packer is currently the president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He is a mighty spiritual giant who has not shied away from teaching and warning specifically about the family and the priesthood. A Refuge From the Storm: The Priesthood, the Family, the Church is a compilation of past talks given by President […]
Home as a Family History & Missionary Training Center
We’ve all seen it. Families are changing. It’s harder to keep the family intact with so much working against it. The National Domestic Violence Hotline says, “Nearly half of all women and men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”1 Domestic violence statistics appear to be going […]
To Fill a Life
Our guest blogger today is Stephanie from The Mount Laundry News. You know that object lesson where the teacher has an assortment of big rocks, small rocks, sand, and -for the truly ambitious – water, that all has to fit in a jar? The idea is to teach that if we properly prioritize by putting […]
How to Simplify Outside Activities
My monthly family calendar reminds me of an air traffic control tower, with four kids circling around waiting to land, taking off late and trying to avoid mid-air collisions. Just like every other family I know, our schedule is intense. I think that finding the right balance has never been more difficult! There are so […]
Family Scripture Study
About five years ago I sent a thank-you letter to a family that used to live in the last area I served in as a full-time missionary. The letter thanked them for their many meals provided for the missionaries that had served in that area, but especially for their example of family scripture study. While […]
Working Together As A Family
There’s a joke we like to tell in our family about my nephew. When he was about 5 years old his mom asked him to do some chore and, of course, he complained. Someone asked him if there was anything he disliked more than doing chores. My nephew answered, “Yes . . .jobs!” Jobs were […]
Importance of Having Family Dinners
I grew up with foodie parents before foodie was even a word. In our household, family meals were the rule. My dad was trained as a chef and he unwound from a long day at work (as a computer programmer) by cooking delicious meals. A sign hanging in my parents’ dining room fits their attitude […]
Five Ways to Strengthen Your Family
Welcome to the 5th annual Family Proclamation Celebration! We have an amazing line-up of guest bloggers who have submitted some stellar posts about the basics of family life. Whitney kicks off our celebration today. My name is Whitney. I, along with around 15 other youth, am a digital missionary for the blog smallandsimpletruths.com. We are […]
I stand firm in my support of traditional marriage
(Frederick Morgan, Off for the Honeymoon) Over the Christmas break there were some major happenings in Utah about same-sex marriage. One judge – one – overturned the voters in Utah to legalize same-sex marriage. That judge refused a stay on the order as did a circuit court. The Supreme Court did issue a stay. Now […]
La Familia November 2013
Time moves so slowly (when everyone is sick for instance) and yet so quickly I scarce have time to catch my breath and another year is gone. And look how everyone has grown! Junior Mint showing off his first tooth! Taking a break from pictures Ganache will only smile for the camera if someone burps. […]
Yellowstone Through the Kids’ Eyes
For our trip to Yellowstone I thought it would be fun to get the younger ones, who don’t have cameras, their own $5 disposable camera to use on our trip. They were so excited when they found out! Some were very careful with what they took pictures of, others were pretty shutter happy – until […]
Our Trip to Yellowstone
Since you can’t visit Yellowstone right now, I thought I’d share photos of our visit there. I realize they aren’t spectacular in any way and there aren’t a ton of the actual scenery. I was too busy being in the moment to worry about capturing it with my camera. Plus, I’m afraid of heights so […]
She’s gone
Bon Bon is now officially a college student! We miss having her around, hearing her play the piano, eating her fabulous meals but growing up is a part of life. She’s having a great time, has adjusted well with a bit of homesickness but not nearly as bad as we thought she would have so […]