I am a Member

Of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints and I am NOT ashamed!

This weekend our church held its 181st General Conference. Ryan and I were able to go with the bishopric and some of the young men and young women in our ward to the Saturday morning session of conference. We had never been before so this was a new experience for both of us. WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! We had great parking underneath the Church Office Building so all we had to do was cross the street. We made it in and found our seats in the very tippiest top of the conference center. I was told the center hold somewhere around 21,000 people. I think Ryan and I were 20,998 and 20,999. :) Just before it was to start everyone stood-up for the Prophet Thomas S. Monson to come in. In came his counselors, Pres. Eyring and Pres. Uchtdorf.....but.....no prophet. My heart sunk. I thought to myself, "I came all this way, my one time to come and NO prophet." We all sat down and tried to pay attention through all of our whisperings of "where is the prophet??" You could see the uneasiness on Pres. Eyring's face as he got up to conduct a session he wasn't suppose to conduct and having to skip the 1st talk which always belongs to the prophet. About 2 talks in as the speaker finished speaking and the lights came back on - THERE HE WAS....HE WAS THERE IN HIS SEAT! It was as if he was never missing. The feeling in that GIANT conference center had changed. You could feel his presence! He was there....the Prophet of God! Pres. Monson then got up to speak. It was incredible. I seriously hung on every word and as he was finishing I longed for more. I think I could have sat and listened to him for hours!!

As we came out of the conference center after conference was over we also got to experience for the 1st time those that are against our church. It was a very eye opening experience to be yelled at from the sidewalks of the conference center that the things we believe are not true. They were yelling things like, "YOUR GOOD WORKS ALONE CAN'T SAVE YOU!! YOU ARE LIKE THE MUSLIMS, BANKING ON....." and "THERE ARE 163 COMMANDMENTS IN THE BIBLE, THERE ARE 163 COMMANDMENTS IN THE BIBLE, ARE YOU LIVING THEM ALL?" They also had these HUGE signs that read things like, "THE BIBLE WARNS AGAINST FALSE PROPHETS!" The 1st thing I thought when I heard these things and saw their signs was, "Ya, I know what the bible says....WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE!!" Also, we KNOW that it isn't good works alone that save us. I felt bad for these people standing on the streets yelling things at us that they didn't understand or truthfully know anything about. It hurt my heart FOR THEM! It didn't shake me, or my faith! I BELIEVE AND MY ROOTS ARE FIRMLY PLANTED!

We walked through the picketers and towards the temple gates and as we approached the temple gates there on both sides of the gates were members of our church lining both sides of the sidewalk singing hymns. The feeling as you walk from the picketers into the members singing was INCREDIBLE. The spirit was SO STRONG! As you turn and walk into the temple gates you feel peace and safety. Much of what I believe heaven will feel like! It was an amazing feeling to walk out of the worldly influences into the truth! I learned as much from my after conference experience as my actual conference experience.

I, Natalie Hawkins, belong to The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. I believe that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. I know that His Son and our brother, Jesus Christ lived on this earth and suffered in Gethsemane and died for each and everyone of us. I have read and know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and restored the church to the earth. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God on the earth at this time. I know where I came from, why I am here and where I am capable of going. I know that each and every person on this earth has the ability to know of the truth just as I do if they only ask Heavenly Father.

What a great weekend. I am looking forward to the day that Ryan and I can take our children to conference and hopefully allow them to feel some of the very same feelings I felt.

Another Birthday

This week is our week of birthday's and Laiklie just celebrated hers on the 28th. She has been soooo super excited about turning 5 and has had a countdown going for several weeks. She was so much fun to watch and spend the day with on her birthday. One of my aunts mentioned that she thought Laiklie was going to be 3...maybe 4....she had no idea she was already 5! That is kind of how I am feeling. Where did the 5 years go??
She is still at such a fun age. The things she says crack us up!! She has such a funny sense of humor. She is in love with all things girl and was so excited about every present.

Because she is no longer 3 (ha, ha) she has outgrown her bike and needed a new "big girl bike." She asked all day for me to sit on the step and watch her ride. So fun!!

A few other things about Laiklie lately. About a month ago she told me she needed a hair cut. She wanted short hair like her best friend Ava. She kept telling me she needed it short so it wouldn't get in her eyes.....I kept telling her that if it was short like Ava's it would always be in her eyes because it is too short for a ponytail. So, we made a compromise. I cut about 4 or so inches off the bottom so it was quite a bit shorter, but still long enough to pull out of her eyes. :) She loves the new do and talks about it quite often. Laiklie is also going through a funny phase where she no longer wants to be called Laiklie....at home she is RAPUNZEL! There are alot of times that if I ask "Laiklie" to do something she very quickly reminds me that she is RAPUNZEL! She wears this 14 foot piece of tulle around that my kids have tied together from all my scrap tulle to make her super long Rapunzel hair. She also has a Rapunzel princess dress that my mom bought at a yardsale....it is just a ruffly princess dress and she is sure it is her Rapunzel dress. She is so much fun and we all just eat it up! What a sweet girl.

She did say 2 funny things on her bday that I want to remember. After the whole day was over and all bday presents were opened and had been played with she tells me, "mom, dis is da best birday ever! But....what I really wanted was a real phone!" WHAT?? She is 5! She has also been asking when she can get her ears pierced and we keep telling her when she is 6, so on her bday she says, "now i am 5 and preddy soon I get my ears pierced." I keep thinking I am barely surviving knowing that my baby is 5 and she is already ready to be 6. AH!!

Happy birthday baby girl!

Just Look at That Smile!

On Wednesday, Sept. 21st was Rhett's 7th birthday! He was all smiles from the time he woke-up til the time he went to bed. He had a GREAT day! I can't believe my baby boy is already 7!

He has been telling me for MONTHS what 3 things he wanted for his bday. (At our house we give each kid 3 gifts for their bday so that they always get the same number of gifts so there are NEVER any issues with that. It is the way my parents did it. My mom told me once that Jesus only got 3 gifts for his birthday. Funny mom!) Rhett's list went like this:

A Kidz Bop 19 CD

A baby ladybug pillowpet to go along with the ladybug pillowpet he got for Christmas

A baby alive bouncy baby

We tried REALLY HARD to get him to change his mind on the bouncy baby....but....he had his mind made up that he reeeaaaallllllyyyyy needed one. Laiklie has one and he wanted them to be twins. This is my little boy with the HUGE heart! I figure we are just preparing him to be a GREAT DADDY! His wife will one day appreciate it. :)

Then my little one-of-a-kind boy wanted a purple carebear cake. He stole Oakley's purple carebear when he was about 2 years old and has seriously slept with it EVERYNIGHT since. I am NOT SO GOOD at carebear cakes, but it turned out okay. He wanted a rainbow cake so I made the inside rainbow and apparently didn't do it right because he wouldn't even taste it. :( He is such a picky kid. It didn't seem to bother him that on his bday he didn't even eat any of the cake....I guess it is because most birthday's he doesn't actually eat the cake. The rest of us enjoyed it.

I sure love you big guy! HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY!

WALK TO CURE DIABETES 2011

This post has SERIOUSLY taken me 4 days to post. My internet and blogger FINALLY decided to work in accordance with one another and let me upload pictures.....one at a time, but they are finally atleast uploaded. This year Oakley and I once again decided to help with the WALK TO CURE DIABETES! I got to be on the committee this year which was a great opportunity and allowed me to meet some wonderful people. I was put incharge of getting the breakfast foods. Oakley asked to take her best friend Alicia this year as a volunteer so these are my two big helpers handing out breakfast along with the breakfast foods coupons. They were GREAT helpers and Alicia told me as I dropped her off to come get her again next year because SHE IS GOING EVERY YEAR FROM NOW ON!! Such a good friend to Oakley and it made it so she had a great day to share it with Alicia. These two decided to walk the 5K....but thinking they were taking the shorter route started running and ended up running the entire 5K. It wasn't a bad thing though. Oakley started her run with blood numbers in the 400's and finished it with blood numbers in the 100's. :) Worked great to lower the high blood!!

This is the starting line. Before the walk starts they hand a little pair of scissors to every little diabetic child in the group and they get to at the "go" signal cut the ribbon. Oakley got to participate in that this year.

As part of being on the walk committee they do a thing called THE FACES OF DIABETES and have each of us moms send them a little thing about our diabetic with their pictures and put together a few of these posters. This is Oakley standing next to her poster. I wrote a little about her and talked about how she AMAZES us. She takes every finger stick, pump change, shot, IV, etc. like a little AllStar! Our family is like SO MANY other families that hope to one day say, "Oakley USE TO HAVE diabetes!" So, until then we are going to join in each year and Walk for a Cure!

SOOOO Very Embarrassed!!

I know that I have ALOT of embarrassing moments, but today's, although it isn't the worst, is somewhere near the top of the list.

Dallin had the throw-ups yesterday and was still dry-heaving last night so we had decided we would leave him home from church today. I told him to call me if he threw-up. So we walked into the chapel, I SILENCED my cell phone and we sat down for the meeting. I placed my cell phone in my lap so I could feel it vibrate if he called. The priesthood boys were in the middle of the sacrament.....YOU KNOW.....THE QUIET PART when my phone started to ring - and ummm.....it wasn't silenced, I mean, IT WAS LOUD. So the whole ward got to hear it kind of loud!! Not only did they hear it, my ring tone is a song, so this is what it said, "WE GO ROCK THIS CLUB!" I was embarrassed, HUMILIATED and SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!! Ryan was on the stand with the Bishop about rolling on the floor laughing so hard. He knew it was my phone.

So, what had happened is - I had gone to Ward Council this morning and silenced my cell phone for that meeting because one of my counselors was texting my about some yw stuff. So when I walked into the chapel and flipped the switch to what I thought was SILENCE it was actually turning it back to normal. I AM STILL MORTIFIED.

After the sacrament one of my yw was singing so I stayed and listened to her sing, then made my embarrassing walk out of the chapel to call Dallin back. I said, "Are you okay bud, did you throw-up?" He responded with, "No, I don't feel very good, AND DID WE GET NEW PHONES??" I was NOT HAPPY....he called to see if we got new phones!!

Just to help you all get the full picture of the humiliation I put "Dynamite" on my playlist. Listen and imagine it playing during Sacrament meeting. AH!!!

Sneak peak

Here is just a little sneak peak at the photo shoot that happened at our house this afternoon. I posted one of each of their individuals on the side bar and will post more another day, but here is a few of them together.
These two goof-balls were a nightmare to take pictures of because they were being so silly and making funny faces - you know....TYPICAL BOYS!! I did get a few good ones however!

And here is one where they are all atleast looking in the right direction and somewhat smiling!

I sure love these 4! They mean EVERYTHING in the world to me!!

And So Goes Life....

Remember my last post about bishopric blessings (if you don't, scroll down and read on)? We aren't sure if this is one of those because nobody got hurt, or if it is just LIFE?! We are going with option #2. Yesterday Oakley asked me OVER AND OVER again to help her back-up the suburban so her and Dallin could play basketball. She kept asking just when I was elbow deep in the middle of a project so I kept telling her just a minute. You know....the famous mom answer!! Finally I said to her, "do you remember how to do it?" I have been helping her and Dallin back-up all summer long trying to teach them how to do it. She told me the steps and I told her to just go do it. It wasn't but minutes later that I heard THE VERY LOUD CRASH!!

(Can you see the scratch above the tire....it is worse than it looks - I promise!)

It is definitely ALL MY FAULT! I felt terrible. Ryan was just headed in from the field fire and saw the whole thing. He walked over...looked at it....and went in the house. He didn't say a word. I hugged Oakley and told her it was okay if dad was mad at us. We followed him in the house and my sweet husband looked at his little 11 year old and said, "Are you okay sweetie?" Ryan KNOWS that "things" are just "things" and can be fixed and replaced - but the feelings of his little girl can be damaged so very easily. He loves her and that is why I love him!

My cousin Sabra's favorite saying is WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS! And I TOTALLY agree!! Not only did it take out 1/2 the garage, it destroyed my lawn mower (which I swore up and down I was getting a new one before I mowed my lawn 1 more time...so, not much of a loss), put a pretty good size dent in the hood and front bumper of my suburban (I didn't post because I didn't want people seeing my license plate #....you know me....I don't want creepers hanging around!), and ran over Dallin's 2nd bike of the summer. I backed over the 1st earlier this summer when he and a cousin left it out. All things can be replaced and fixed. Oakley and I both learned a VERY LARGE lesson from this. And once again we jump back into life!