Luke's Birthday

Luke got a medical kit from my parents for his birthday. He was more excited about that kit than he was about his bike. Silly kid.

Park

I took Lukey shopping for ideas for his birthday present. He really liked this bike because it has a fake spedometer that makes a revving noise. That's what we bought him :)

I've been great about exercising every day but the weekend. The kids and I like to jog (I push the stroller and Lukey rides his bike) around the trails and to the park. The weather stayed nice clear til the middle of May this year so we really got to enjoy the outdoors.

Lukey likes to carry Caleb everywhere and take him down the slides. I'm really going to miss having him home with me. We like to test the kids limits by taking them on really long bike rides on the Queen Creek trails. We usually go at night and for a kid, the 6 mile round trip is a long one. Luke was starting to get tired and I could see him slowing down. Then, he started mumbling to himself. He was making up a song that went something like this, "I'm not going to slow down, nothings gonna stop me. I'm gonna make up my mind to be tough" and then he sped off again. When he is whining or saying something is too hard, I like to tell him that he has power to change his attitude. He can choose to be the lion and not the mouse. It's moments like these when I feel good that something may be sinking in.

Hannah loves life. She gets excited and happy easily. She loves the park and the slides. The other day she got mad at me about something. To this day, I'm still not sure why she was mad. But, nevertheless, she was angry and crying. She kept telling me that she was mad at me and wanted to run away forever. Luke then asked her who would tuck her in at night when she was tired. That made her change her mind. Tucking in is a big deal at our house. Every kid looks forward to being tucked in, even my almost 9 year old son. They each get a song and a good tuck with a kiss. My tuck-ins are so good that it gives the runaway child pause :)

This cutie loved going down the slide with Luke. He's such a smart boy. The other day, he slipped and fell on the tile next to the sink. It was wet and I hadn't realized it. The next day, I washed his hands and set him down on the tile again and this time he carefully bent over and touched the tile to make sure it wasn't wet each time before he took a step until he was safely on the carpet. I remember Joshua or Mercedes doing that exact same thing once as a toddler.

Caleb loves his daddy. His face lights up every time Jon Mark walks into the room. He gives him fives and pounds. He can say: hi, bye, night night, ball, mom, da, and he mimics other words too.

I gave Luke a haircut this week. He moved and I cut his ear. Not only that, but he ended up with a really short buzz cut. He wasn't happy and missed his hair. I told him it would grow back and every morning since he checks the mirror to see if it's longer. 

Newish Dress

I had this dress that was too short, so I added a ruffle. I was impressed with my sewing ability so I had Lukey take pictures. 

One picture wasn't enough, so naturally he took about 100. Seriously. He saw me starting to delete them and he didn't want me to. So, I reduced it down to 4.

He made sure to take a picture at several different angles like a pro.

As a side note, Later that day, I wore that dress and those tall shoes to the store. I totally fell--all the way down--while holding Caleb. It was so embarrassing. But, I was able to laugh about it which made all of the many on-lookers feel better about the situation.

Girl's Night

Last weekend was Father's and Son's for the church. The men all left to go camping and the girl's spent the night at Michelle's. I'm too much of a chicken to stay alone at night. We started out the night with dinner at Cafe Rio. Then, we ate ice cream. After our bellies were full, we let the girls give us a make-over and we did our fingernails and toenails in rainbow colors. After the kids went to bed, Michelle, Jessica, and I stayed up much too late talking. It was so nice. I enjoyed spending time with my daughters and Caleb. Talking late into the night was a wonderful refreshment as well.

Hannah was so excited that she looked like a "witch" and so everyone requested witch make-overs. She kept repeating, "I'm a witch... hee hee hee!"

Mercedes enjoyed being the oldest and relished that she was Queen of the Witches.

Jessica did all of the girlies hair.

Michelle was the leading gal in painting toes.

We look amazing! I hope it becomes a tradition.

The Holy Ghost Part 2

I just wrote about some of my thoughts involving the third member of the Godhead. The Holy Ghost has blessed my life greatly. As I grow older, I can see more clearly the times in which my life had been blessed by this gift.

Being a mother is a huge responsibility. It is a responsibility that I strive to do with as much perfection as my imperfect personage can muster, yet I still fall so short. I need the gift of the Holy Ghost to help me. I cannot be with my children all of the time. I cannot keep them 100% safe all of the time, although I strive to. When I was a brand new mother, I felt the weight of motherhood so immensely. I held my sweet son and rocked him. He was so safe in my arms. I promised him that I would keep him safe. Most of the time he laid there peaceful and still, right next to my bed. This was going to be easy. Then, fast forward a few weeks later... my sweet newborn learned how to roll. He decided that he liked sleeping on his belly instead of safely on his back. Suddenly, I feared SIDS. I feared he'd stop breathing. I watched him all night one night. Every time he rolled to his stomach, I carefully rolled him back onto his back, over and over again. He was safe, but I was so tired. The next morning, I felt completely weary. Maybe keeping him safe wasn't going to be so easy after all. I remember having a doctor's appointment soon after that night. I told the doctor how tired I was, but how I knew how important it was for my baby to sleep on his back. I told him I didn't know what to do. He told me that all that was required of me was to make his bed as safe as possible and then trust that all would be okay. It was impractical for me to stay next to him and roll him back over all night long. My mom told me something similar. That's when I knew I couldn't keep my children safe all on my own. That night, I prayed that the Holy Ghost would be with me. I prayed that He would wake me up if I needed to tend to my child. It's a prayer that I have continued for 8 years now. Please Heavenly Father, help me listen to the promptings I receive so that I may be able to keep my children safe from both spiritual and temporal harm. Please help me to listen to the Holy Ghost as he guides my parenting efforts.

The other night I was praying likewise. Immediately, as I said those familiar and heartfelt words, I got the impression to check the windows. It wasn't a voice, rather a thought that clearly and distinctly told me to check the windows. I concluded my prayer and went to the children's rooms. I checked the windows. The window in the girl's room was open. I shut it and I locked it--safe. We have talked many times with our children about the dangers of having a second story window unlocked--especially one that has a bed right under it. All it would take is for someone to gently lean on the screen for them to fall out. We have tried finding a way to lock it, but our efforts haven't worked yet. The window is hidden by curtains and our children rarely pay them any attention. They know that they are to remain closed. So, I was surprised when I found it unlocked and partially open. I believe the thought was not random, rather that the Holy Ghost warned me, and that He helped me keep my children safe that night.

Sometimes, it is difficult for me to know whether or not the thoughts that come to me are my own thoughts or if they are thoughts and feelings impressed upon me through the Holy Ghost. One thing that I always try to do is act. Whether it's my own thoughts or not, if I act on positive impressions, then I am demonstrating to the Lord that I desire to faithful and I want Him to be able to trust me to act. Always.

The Holy Ghost

1. 1. When Christ was on the earth,
   He promised he would send
   The Holy Ghost to comfort us,
   Our true, eternal friend.
   The Holy Spirit whispers
   With a still small voice.
   He testifies of God and Christ
   And makes our hearts rejoice.
2. 2. And when we are confirmed
   By sacred priesthood pow'r,
   The Holy Ghost is giv'n to us
   To guide us ev'ry hour.
   Oh, may I always listen
   To that still small voice.
   And with his light I'll do what's right
   Each time I make a choice.
3. I read a talk by Elder Bednar for my daily scripture study. The talk was given in April of this year and is called, "Always Retain A Remission of Your Sins". In the talk he reminds us of the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit and bears witness of all truth. In the scriptures, the Holy Ghost is referred to as the Comforter,10 a teacher,11 and a revelator.12 Additionally, the Holy Ghost is a sanctifier13who cleanses and burns dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire. A question came to my mind. Does the Holy Ghost have power to take away sin? Or, instead, because the Holy Ghost testifies of truth, are we then led to know of our sinful nature and we thus bring ourselves to repentance through the redeeming power of the atonement? Further study of the talk taught me how to answer these questions. Although, I am interested to know what others may think. The cleansing power of the Holy Ghost is not something that I have often thought in depth about. My testimony of the Holy Ghost typically revolved around His ability to comfort and warn. I was thankful for this talk as it has taught me more about the third member of the Godhead.
4. When we are baptized, we are baptized first by water, and then by fire, or the gift of the Holy Ghost. I think that at baptism, when we come to covenant with the Lord that we are willing to take His name upon us, the Holy Ghost sanctifies us and makes us clean. He burns dross and evil out of our souls as if by fire. But, because we are imperfect, the perfect cleanliness that we obtain at baptism doesn't remain. Thankfully, we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost. We are blessed to be able to have Him as a constant companion. That's when the second part of my question comes to pass. He testifies of truth which then leads us to recognize our need for repentance and we then employ the saving means of the atonement. 
5. Elder Bednar answers my question in this way (that the Holy Ghost has power to initially cleanse, but that His companionship is required for continual cleansing): Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins “is the introductory ordinance of the gospel”16 of Jesus Christ and must be preceded by faith in the Savior and by sincere repentance. This ordinance “is a sign and a commandment which God has set for [His children] to enter into His kingdom.”17 Baptism is administered in the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. In the process of coming unto the Savior and spiritual rebirth, baptism provides a necessary initial cleansing of our soul from sin.
   The baptismal covenant includes three fundamental commitments: (1) to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, (2) to always remember Him, and (3) to keep His commandments. The promised blessing for honoring this covenant is “that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us].”18 Thus, baptism is the essential preparation to receive the authorized opportunity for the constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead.
   “Baptism [by] water … must be followed by baptism of the Spirit in order to be complete.”19 As the Savior taught Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” 
6. Perhaps those who read this have already gained a testimony of the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost, but I am thankful that I was able to study it more closely. I am thankful that the Holy Ghost has this sanctifying power. 

Cousins and Updates

We all got our hair done and decided to take a picture :) Jessica did my hair. Sister Mendoza did Mercedes and Hailey's hair. Jessica also did Hannah's. I love Mercedes curls. It reminded me of what her hair looked like in Ohio.

She's growing up so fast. Sometimes Mercedes will become very thoughtful and you can tell that she feels strongly about what she is thinking or saying. In the bathtub, she looked up at me with wide eyes and said, "Oh, Mom, I really hope that the girl (Hillary Clinton) doesn't get to become president. Joshua said that if she is president then she is going to take away all of the guns and send girls to war. I don't want to go to war!" Sadly, these are policies that she wants to put into place. Of course, the "girls" will be older, but she does believe (along with many others) that females should be a part of the drafting process. Anyway, I said to Mercedes that I agree with her. Hillary Clinton would make a horrible president for this country. She then said that Obama would be better than the girl. Surprisingly, she's probably right. Obama is horrible and some of his policies are based on evil morals, but he probably is better than Hillary. I told her that Obama is not great either and that we needed to pray for our country. That's when she said, "Oh, I just wish that we could always have President Monson!" Different kind of president, but yes, I wish the president of our country would be more like President Monson. How great would that be?!

Because Kevin was in town, we did a lot with the McAvoy side the last week or so. It rained one day that everyone was over at our house. The kids played in the gutter and swam in the retention basin. Ew gross!

This picture is out of order, but this is Hannah's hair that was done by Jessica. Hannah is so sweet. She is happy and animated most of the time. She's got these HUGE eyes that light up when she talks. She asks permission for everything. "Can I eat my food now?" "Can I ride my scooter?" "Is it okay if I lay on my blankie?" She's so sweet!

I love K-Cubby's hair. It curls over his ears and around the nape of his neck. I think that it would be like Mercedes hair was in Ohio if I let it grow. But, it needs to be cut soon. He is officially walking now. On April 13th he decided that he'd never crawl again. He loves balls and his first word after mom and dad was ball. He likes to chase them around the house and carry them. He can even dribble soccer balls (in his 13 month old way). He brings us so much laughter and joy, I can hardly stand it! He loves Jon Mark and is the first to go running for him when he gets home from work. He points at him and says, Da Da! He loves drinking water and guzzles it every time I offer it. You'd think I had been depriving him of water, but I offer it all day long. He prefers it to milk or juice, he just loves water. He also loves apples and grapes. His favorite food is a veggie smoothie.

Do you see the gorgeous double rainbow? I love it whenever Heavenly Father blesses us with such sights!

This is Joshua after playing in the rain. He got to go to conference with my parents a couple of weeks ago. It was a great experience for him and he enjoyed it very much. He really liked conference. Last week his church teacher said that he had been very helpful in class and that he told some stories about me. Mercedes had been in the same class because we were visiting another ward and she wanted to be with him. While we were driving somewhere, I asked Joshua what story he had told. He said quickly, "the one where you listened to the holy ghost while you were running." My mother heart burst with joy. He had been listening and it was sinking in. Then, Mercedes chimed in that she wanted to know the rest of the story. "What happened after you had listened to the Holy Ghost and went home? You turned on the news and saw what again?" This was new to me. I never turned on the news and saw anything. The story was that I had been out running late at night and I kept getting the impression that I ought to turn around and go back home. I ignored it until I reached a certain point in the road and I felt an urgent warning that I needed to turn around and run as fast as I could back home. I listened and was thankful that I had done so. I told the kids that I had never found out why I was warned in such a way, but we need to act when we are prompted. So, Mercedes confused me. I inquired further and soon it was evident that Joshua was caught. He spoke up and said, "I added to your story mom. I told the class that you watched the news later and saw that there were robbers on the street in that exact spot." What????? Jon Mark said that while it makes the story more exciting, that's also lying. We save those sorts of embellishments for works of fiction when everyone knows that it's a work of fiction.

The other day, Joshua asked me what day it was. When I replied that it was Wednesday, he said, "Oh good! So it's the day before the day that I get to look forward to the weekend."

Mercedes was cold.

This is a picture of the TV stand that I built. I used my jig saw and had no plans. It just kind of came to be :) I love the way it turned out.

When Kevin is in town, there's bound to be fun! He put all of the kids up on the ledge in Michelle's house. Hannah was scared and very timid. The other kids loved it.

Luke loves having his picture taken with me. Every time he sees my phone out, he asks me to take a picture with him. He's a cutie pie. The other day, Kevin asked him "if you only had one kiss left to give, who would you kiss?" His answer didn't come as a surprise, he said, "MOMMY!" When we play games, he rigs it so that I win every single time. Even if I am not playing, he says that I won. He changes the rules so that I always win. This is frustrating to the other kids. Kevin also asked him, "If a bad guy came into the house and you could only save one person, who would you save? Me, Mommy, or Daddy?" Luke looked very concerned and you could see his mind turning and thinking about his options. Then, after thinking about it, he pointed each one of us and said he would save us all. I liked that. He's a hero, always has been, always will be.

These are some signs I made for the girls I visit teach.

This is a bunny Mercedes made.

These are the kids having a sleep over.