Elsie and Cy's debut!

Elsie and Cy have each started their own blog. Please go visit them every once in a while. They love to see pictures of themselves and they think it's so fun that they can have their own place on the computer. The internet is so cool! Elsie named hers "Elsie's weeks" and Cy's is called "Elementary Cy." Really, they chose their own names.

The Magic of Thanksgiving

In scriptural times, the prophets and their families often built altars and gave thanks. Lehi, after leaving his home and all of his riches, now in the wilderness, builds and altar and gives thanks.

Yesterday, I went over to both of my mothers' homes yesterday, and saw them building an altar to give thanks. Their homes were clean and smelled of stuffing and pie. Besides their attention to the food, they also gave much attention to their tables. Which table cloths should they use? Which place settings? Rather than being an aftersight that is taken care of on Thanksgiving day, the table is as important as the food and must be arranged the day before.

This attention to detail and effort put toward things that go away are a large part of what makes home feel magical. I love to visit both of our parents. Our moms do not keep ordinary houses. They are homes full of love where all are welcome to enter under that sacred spell. I feel deeply grateful for my mothers. Their work prepares my heart to brim with gratitude and rejoicing during the holidays and throughout the year.

King Benjamin tells us that if we feel grateful for another person who has served us, “O how [we] ought to thank [our] heavenly king!” King Benjamin continues to say in chapter 2 of Mosiah, verse 20, “I say unto you, my brethren, that . . . you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another.”

As I enjoy Thanksgiving today, my goal is to remember that the wonderful things around me like family and home and food are ultimately symbols of my father in heaven who loves me. All of the magical feelings of love and home come through His power, and all of our joy and rejoicing should be in praise of Him who made it all possible.

Before, during, and after pictures of Andrew's haircut. He's a whole new man!

Our Individual Missions

My Relief Society President is a very inspired lady. When we moved in, I expressed my desire to be a visiting teacher because of the great friendships I have formed in the past from visiting teaching. When I received my assignment, I was disappointed to see that I would be only visiting one person! When I got together with my companion, I realized that she is the daughter of one of my grandparents' friends who has been around for years, and one of the people I knew before I even moved in the ward. My companion is wonderful. We went to visit our sister, and I found that she is a very real person who is willing to share her joys and frustrations and thoughts with us. Each time we go, I come home with new ideas. Speaking of spiritual things really brings us together. I don't feel overwhelmed trying to make things work with a large number of sisters. I just go and enjoy it. I hope there will come a time when I get to visit more sisters, but for now, I think this is just right.
Today, I took Elder Bednar's talk about prayer, and we discussed just the first point: Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all our doings. Elder Bednar talks about how our morning prayer should be an act of spiritual creation. We should pray about our character, our weaknesses, and our priorities during the day. Then, during the day when we feel strength regarding that which we prayed, we should thank the Lord. In the evening, we return and report regarding that which we prayed in the morning. All of our prayers should be connected.
As we spoke, I commented that sister Holland wrote in one of her talks about our individual assignments and missions, "I beleive that those assignments and roles differ as much from woman to woman as they do from man to woman." How difficult it is for me to believe that. Sometimes, it feels that my mission here is so generic: to cook, clean, and read to kids.
Amy, who I visit teach, responded that she was reading a book about finding the right vocation for you. She said that the author commented that we all have unique dreams. All of us get excited about different things. Sometimes, we see those things as just dreams and quench them so that we can get on with the more practical things of life. The author commented that those dreams are what make us unique and are given to us from God. We shouldn't push them out of our lives as impractical. We shouldn't feel bad because other people don't get excited about the same things we do. We should nurture those dreams and those differences. In nurturing them, we will receive personal revelation and be able to find our own personal missions in life.
So, each morning as we pray, we should find things that excite us and create them spiritually with the Lord. Then, go do them! Don't look at your individual mission as something difficult that hasn't been done because you don't even know what it is. Just look for something that excites you, and explore! There, the Lord will help you to make something meaningful of it.

Janell & Steve

We have recently discovered using our camera to make videos on youtube. We thought it could be a good way to send messages to our distant Las Vegas relatives. Anyway, we are grateful for you and all that you do for us.

Thanks Levi



Thanks Rhyan


Thanks Katie