David Glenn Leavitt

Today, my nephew, David Glenn Leavitt, turned 8 and was baptized. It is pretty neat to be batized on your birthday and David is a pretty awesome kid. He was so excited to get baptized that he literally jumped into the font ready. After he was baptized and received the Holy Ghost he was just a beaming little boy! So cute. After the batism we had some refreshments there at the church (great job Donna) and just hung out and had some fun. It was well worth the visit.

Brad and David

David with his cake

David and Joy

Lessons Learned While Gardening

Yesterday I flew home for my nephew, David, baptism today. This morning we did a bunch of yard work. So as most know there is a lot of be learned in the process of growing plants and caring for a yard. So here are some of the things we learned.

Mandy pointed out that grass have really deep roots and are hard to pull up but weeds pull out really easy. So we talked about how if we create deep roots in our lives with the gospel (read the scriptures, pray, go to church) then we too will have deep roots and a solid foundation.

Nathan was bringing the wheel barrow over to help haul away some trimmings and hit a rut, the path he had chosen was one of the lowest in the yard and he couldn't get the wheel barrow up and over without help. As my mom walked over she said "If you had stayed on higher ground this probably wouldn't have happened." How right she is! As we chose the higher ground we are more able to create those deep roots we all need.

When I was wedding I kept coming across weds that were growing among the rocks placed as the barrier of the flower bed. These weds are the nasty, spiky kind that hurt your hand as you pull them out. And just as the Savior taught they were incredibly easy to pull from the rocks. Where you chose to grow makes all the difference!


Finally, I think that process of planting a simple seed and watching it grow into a great plant that gives me yummy vegetables is its own kind of miracle. I think that is one of the many ways that the Lord allows us to participate in the work of creation and teaches us patience and care.

A Conversation Among Men and Photos

Today is Jason Black's birthday and so I went and watched the 4 big kids so that Denise and Jason and Gilead could go on a date. Happy Birthday Jason, hope 34 treats you well! While watching the boys I overheard some very interesting conversations between Ephraim (6) and Simeon (4). They went like this:

S: When I grow up I am going to be a MAN!
E: Well, that is a lot of work you know to be a good man, like Daddy and President Reall.
S: What kind of work?
E: I don't know but it takes a lot of time at church!

As a side note Jason is the secretary to our Stake President who was just sustained as a General Authority on Saturday during conference and the boys sometimes get to accompany their dad after church on Sunday to the Stake offices while Pres. has his interviews. E. is right is does take a lot of work to become a good man or woman!

Minutes later in the conversation I hear:

S: I am not a mammal.
E: Yes, you are!
S: No
E: Mammals have hair and we have hair, mammals feed their babies milk and mommy feeds Gilead milk - see we are mammals.

I would appreciate that kind of logical when I defend my dissertation - she said she would do XXXX and she did XXX - she passes - yeah Kathie!

S: Do you think that yellow butterfly has a mommy?
E: I don't know, why?
S: Because mommy's take care of us and feed us and love us

Thought Denise and all other mothers might want to hear that - Mommy's are really important!

Here are the covenanted pictures of Elizabeth Jayne - I have not seen her and did not take these photos but she just looks huge. Marlissa wasn't pleased with the invasion of another baby into her life last night and wouldn't look at her - in the picture below she is a least facing her. Could be a long couple of months at the beginning of this!

Elizabeth in all her 10 pound glory - she just looks so huge!

Rob, Marlissa and Elizabeth - not sure why Rob is looking down.

Caleb, Katie, Marlissa, Elizabeth, Grandma Sarah and Sammy

Easter Weekend

Happy Easter Everyone!  We started the day off we a nice surprise!  Elizabeth Jayne Ricks was born this morning just after 8am.  She weighed in at 10 lb 1 oz and 20 1/2 inches longs.  She is just about 8 pounds lighter than her sister Marlissa who is 14 months older!  No pictures yet but as soon I get some/take some I will post them. 

Friday I traveled to St. Louis to go to the temple and then came to Herrin where I picked up Katie and we went and had some bonding time.  We got her a dress and a hair cut.

Saturday we watched conference and ate some yummy snacks.  I found a recipe for this popcorn cake and it was really yummy and for all of those Ball's out there - this is a pretty perfect snack.

Here is the recipe:

Popcorn Surprise Cake

Ingredients:

12 cups popped popcorn

Peanuts (as many as you like)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

One 10 ½ oz bag miniature marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla

M&M’s (as many as you like)

Butter the angel food cake pan and spatula. Put the popcorn and peanuts in the mixing bowl. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat, stir in marshmallows, continue stirring until melted, pour over popcorn and peanuts and stir. Mix in M&Ms and press mixture into buttered cake pan. Push down mixture until even. Let the cake rest at least 1 hour before unmolding.

Conference has been wonderful so far.  I have loved so many of the talks and the kids have done well with their conference packets and drawing.  Lucky for us Marlissa has chosen the conference times to sleep through mainly so we haven't even had to entertain a baby!

Last night while Rob was at Priesthood Session the kids and I dyed Easter eggs.  It went pretty well except for one of the dye color tubes split over sending blue dye across the table and the kids - so after cleaning that up we again dyed eggs and placed stickers on their "faces".  I think it was fun! :)

Easter - this morning I came over and saw what the Easter Bunny had left the kids - candy, a book and some needy t-shirts for this spring weather.  I decided to make butterscotch sticky buns for breakfast and we made the dough yesterday with the bread maker so Rob added blue food coloring just for fun. 

So we had lots of hard boiled eggs, bacon and blue sticky buns after some chocolate of course!

I hope that you all enjoyed conference and had a wonder Easter as we did.

Passover

So today, Thursday, is the day that the Savior would have celebrated Passover - so why did I celebrate it on Tuesday? Well, Passover does not always actually align with Easter, I think I mentioned that in the last blog, and this week it was amazing to celebrate it with my friends on the same week. My friends, the Blacks, will be celebrating it tonight in lu of the Last Supper. As I was reading about the Last Supper this morning I was reminded of the Saviors gentle spirit. He never forces anyone into doing anything and uses love and long-suffering to lead, as well as a host of other talents and skills He has I hope some day to be able to be more like him.


As we read and remembered the blessings and miracles that occured at the Lord's hand with the Israelites I am always impressed by their determination.

In Luke we read about the Last Supper and the Savior washing the feet of His disciples and the symbolism for us all that the master is no greater than the servant. This year I have been continually reminded this year of agency and how important that is in the Lord plan. It often seems really hard to watch someone make choices that I know will bring them sadness and grief or to think that I am right and that the other person is wrong. Yet, what a beautiful part of the plan it is that we get to make a new choice each day to repent and come back to the Savior or turn away with our actions and decisions. I hope over time that I can overcome my weaknesses and be better at continually making the right choices in every aspect of my daily life.

Repentance/Atonement

With Easter approaching and General Conference I have side stepped my regular scripture study and instead have been concentrating on the last week of the Saviors life and articles about the Atonement. Last night (Tuesday) I celebrated passover with my Jewish friends and again was reminded of the great symbolism. It is always a great experience but this year I knew it would most likely be my last with Alison, unless by some stroke of fate we end up living near each other again, so it was extra special. I don't have the pictures from Alison's camera yet but I will post them later in their own post.

It is cool that Passover and Easter are on the same week this year, sometimes it works that way but most years it hasn't. As I have been reading in the New Testament about the Saviors last weeks I have gained a even stronger appreciation for all that happened that week - the accusations, the parables, the Last Supper, Palm Sunday, etc.


In the Ensign this month there is a talk by Elder Oaks about the Atonement and Faith, here is a link to read it if you want.

I thought I would share a couple of quotes that were really good. He states: "We cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord's will in the Lord's timing. As a result, no matter how strong our faith is, it cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him in whom we have faith. Remember that when your prayers do not seem to be answered in the way or at the time you desire. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security and serenity in our lives."

I really liked this analogy - he is talking about why it is important that we suffer when we repent.
" Why is it necessary for us to suffer on the way to repentance for serious transgressions? We tend to think of the results of repentance as simply cleansing us from sin, but that is an incomplete view of the matter. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin, If we focus only on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bed and soil its leaves may remain. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened. " It seems that with those sins that I easily seem to repeat it is because of this - I just haven't ever thought about it like this. True change and repentance takes time and effort - something that seems to be overlooked in lessons about how to repent.

He says " I conclude with a message of hope that is true for all but especially needed by those who think that repentance is too hard. Repentance is a continuing process needed by all because 'all have sinned, and com e short of the glory of God'. Repentance is possible, and then forgiveness is certain."

I am grateful for repentance - because I am so far from perfect. I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to celebrate his Life and Resurection this Sunday while listening to the modern day leaders instruct us.

The Lord is in the Details

As I was sitting in my boring class today I thought a yummy smoothie would be perfect. So as I drove home I was hoping that I had some frozen strawberries and raspberries and some juice. And yeah for me I did - it was so yummy too - frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, the last bit of strawberry sorbet, and pomegranate juice - oh so read and delicious!

So with my dissertation I have been struggling with the discussion section - I have written and rewritten that part over and over and nothing. Nothing at all that makes sense and that I like. So, I have been praying and praying that I would be lead to know what direction to go in. I kept having this feeling to read this book, well the last thing I really wanted to do was read another book. Yet, in the end I gave in and read the book or part of it anyway. As a result I completely changed the way I am looking at my dissertation and have more reading to do. But I have a better sense of what to do and am actually excited to write it. Weird thing for me!

In other news we have a firm date for the wedding! It is June 19th at 1pm. Talking with the temple and setting the time made everything seem much more real and exciting.