Sunday

 It's been a good day. We were a little late to church, which was a bummer because I HATE being late to church, but after that it got better. In R S we had a new member of the stake presidency teach our lesson about "Hastening the Work," which is the new churchwide theme. It was a great lesson, and the Spirit was strong.

Thad went home teaching and I got dinner ready after church. We ate chicken and rice, and a green salad. It was all delicious. Bishop Bodily stopped by towards the end of dinner, and Thad ended up going with him to visit an inactive family in our neighborhood. So the kids and I hurried and finished dinner and did the dishes to surprise Thad when he got home. It was nice to get them done and out of the way. There weren't too many dishes so it wasn't too bad. And I don't know if Ana was just really motivated because she wanted brownies, but she unloaded the whole dishwasher by herself (I unloaded the sharp knives)! I was proud of her. And both kids ate their whole plate of food, which was great. Benji doesn't do that very often. Jane ate a ton too, but that's less unusual. I let Benji put a star on his chart for finishing all of his food, and Ana got a star for being such a good cleaning helper.

When Thad got home, we ate brownies (they were a Pinterest recipe: yummy!!), then played Candyland and Sorry. Ana is really good at Sorry. She knows all the rules, can read the numbers, and count the spaces all by herself. Pretty good for a 5-year-old. Especially since she has been playing it really since she was 4. We ended the evening with Red Light, Green Light, read books, and put the kids to bed by 7:30 p.m. Then Jane woke up, and then Ana woke up:) But at least they are all in bed and asleep now ... for now:)

Playing games with the whole family is my absolute favorite thing to do with our family. I love being gathered together, laughing, giggling, seeing how happy the kids are, and everyone smiling. It's bringing our family together and helping us to create fun, lasting memories. I've thought about this a lot. And those are the moments when I feel the most happy with my life: when our family is together playing. I feel so much joy and fulfillment. It increases my testimony of the Plan of Salvation, and of the Proclamation to the World. Families really are central to Heavenly Father's plan. They are where we receive the most happiness in life. They are the purpose for us coming to earth. We can't gain eternal life without them. I am grateful for my family. We have our ups and downs, and weaknesses, but we are happy, and eternal, and I love them.