Lemonade Season?!

We had a couple of days of warm weather and the kids decided it must be summertime.  They opened up a lemonade stand in the driveway.  It wasn't actually lemonade, they opted for red Kool-Aid.  I'm not sure if they sold any to people other than family but I had to admire their entreprenurial spirit.

One Month Old

It's hard to believe Ashlyn is already a month old.  It has been a joy having her in our family.  She is a little sweetheart.  I have loved watching the other kids interact with her.  Matthew loves to kiss her all the time and sings to her.  His favorite song is "Hush little Ashies don't say a word, Matthew's going to buy you a mobbingbird".  He doesn't quite get all the words right but it sure is cute.  Luke and Lindsey like to hold her when she's about to fall asleep so they can cuddle with her.  Heather also likes to sing to her which usually calms her down.  Savannah has become quite the little mother.  Savannah loves to babysit Ashlyn.  At first she would come home from school and wake her up so she could hold her.  She brings friends home nearly everyday so she can show off Ashlyn.  She picks out clothes for her to wear every morning and pajamas in the evenings.  In fact, on St. Patrick's Day (a Saturday, which is our only morning to sleep in because we have early church) she woke me up at 7:00 am to ask which outfit Ashlyn should wear, she was concerned Ashlyn didn't have anything green.   I am grateful for all of the help, it has been a joy having a new baby.  When I hold her in my arms, I thank Heavenly Father for entrusting her to us.

A Sad Time

We have had a sad but uplifting week in our community.  It seems strange that these two words could both be used to describe the same experiences but they truly fit.  Last Sunday, a good friend of our family- especially of Luke, passed away.  Our friend, Tanner, shot himself in a moment of distress and weakness.  We first learned of the tragedy through Facebook and later confirmed the truthfulness of what had happened.  We were devastated for the loss of our friend, for the heartache his family was feeling, and for the sorrow his sister (someone all my kids love) who was serving in the mission field was experiencing. 

We have all struggled to try to understand how this could have happened and have worked through it many different ways.   However, after attending the viewing and the funeral, we all came away with a greater peace.  The Spirit that has carried his family was felt by all of us as we cried with them, shared with them, and listened to their amazing testimonies at the funeral.  His funeral was held at the stake center and was completely full with standing room only at the back and onto the stage.  I'm sure everyone felt what we did, that Jesus Christ lives, that He loves us, that His atonement is real.  We all make mistakes, some worse than others, but we are all God's children and He loves us.  

Unfortunately, this event led to other suicides and attempted suicides in the community.  It has been distressing but also an oppurtunity for discussion with our children.  We have been able to share some important Gospel principles that I think we took for granted that they understood.  We have been able to express love and concern for them that we also may have taken for granted they felt.  Family is so important.  We are so grateful for each one of our children and the blessings they bring to our lives.  This will be a week our family won't forget and hopefully the lessons learned will stay with us as long.