Mile Markers

Last weekend, we celebrated Erin's 26th birthday...tacos and cake and ice cream, Uno, the Fresno Zoo, and all the tender madness of family. It was wonderful!

Since then, Johnny has been counting down the days until he's out of primary. Last Sunday he gave his last talk (EVAR!!) in primary, and he's furiously checking and double checking his Articles of Faith so he can get his Faith in God award before he graduates from primary on March 7th. He will become a deacon then, and he's already asking me if there's some kind of training that he can go to that will teach him how to pass the sacrament. It touches my heart! I need to get him some ties, church shoes, and white shirts for this next stage of his life. He's outgrown everything we have already.

Laine and I are working on the Virtue project, which entails reading the Book of Mormon from beginning to end, for the Young Women's Medallion. She needed some encouragement there, so I volunteered to do it with her. I think it will be very cool!

Today I took Kelly with me to do visiting teaching for the first time. She was bored and anxious for it to be over. Still, I think she may remember it when she is old enough to do visiting teaching on her own.

I spent a great deal of these last two weeks struggling to keep an upbeat attitude. It has been a very trying time to be a mom of teenagers, and I have felt completely inadequate and very much alone. Not that others don't have similar problems, but it's just that most of the time when the crises happen, I have no one around to back me up or for me to get encouragement from. Still, I'm counting my blessings and trying to remember that this part of the journey won't last forever.

I'm having anxiety about starting a full-time position and leaving the kids to fend for themselves for those few hours after school. The job search is a daily trial, but I'm grateful that the Lord has kept his promise to watch over our family during this time. He is faithful and always keeps his promises!