Matt and I attended the adult session for Stake Conference tonight. It was a great meeting. Probably one of the best that I have attended. The speakers were all wonderful. The topic they were given was "Things that my parents have taught me." So many great stories were shared and points made. Following the meeting we went out to dinner with friends at Bambu and then to Coldstone for desert. We had so much fun!

A few thoughts from speakers tonight:
1. A father spent many hours helping his son build a new car. At the completion of the project the father stated "that the son was building a car, the father was raising a man." Point- the time we take to teach is priceless the lesson we are teaching not for a brief moment but we are teaching a "person that will live a lifetime." Take the time.

2. A teenage boy took the keys to his older brothers car and snuck out to go drag raising. The young man returned home to find that his parents were awake. The father simply took the keys and went to bed without a word. The father went 4 days before talking to the son. He waited until he was no longer Angry. The son in this 4 days had time to personally scold himself and to think about what he had done. Never scold while too angry to do so. Wait until the anger calms and you can discipline in patience. Discipline to teach not scare.

3. At a fathers funeral this story was shared: As a young boy every day I would come home and my dad would say so "how about those Yankees?" It was a constant he always asked me and we always talked about my Yankees. Many years later as a grown man I called my dad prior to the World Series and said "So how about those Yankees?" My dad's response was well how about them. Are they doing something? Well it turned out that they were playing in the World Series. I later found out that my dad never really cared for baseball, but his son-me, I did." He was showing interest. I always new my dad loved me, not simply because he told me so, but because he always talked me, asked me questions about me and showed interest. Show interest in your children and the things they like. Learn from them. Give them your time. Express interest and show it!

These are just a few of the thoughts that were shared. Matt and I discussed so many of the points and were able to set a few goals from the ideas given:
1. Listen, really listen to what they are telling us. Turn on the phone, the computer, the tv...listen!
2. Ask the question, periodically-What is the number #1 thing that is bothering you right now or is on your mind. Knowing what is bothering them or the things they are thinking about can reflect in all aspects of their behavior. As parents hopefully this can help us understand why they may do or act the way they do at times.
3. Strive to discipline in love not anger. Patience.

I love having a full home. The more kids the merrier. I love craft projects and play groups and to see my children busy with friends and having fun. I remember having a full house as a child. My mom teaching us how to frost cookies, make play dough, decorate cakes etc. She taught me and my friends in 4-H and we lived in a neighborhood where we always had friends over. For dances in high school and dates she always went way out of her way too help make everything perfect. We had many date nights at our house was always full with friends and laughter. I loved going with my parents to Island Park as a child. I loved spending time in Paradise at my grandparents. I always loved just spending time with my family and doing these fun family things together. As I have reflected back on so many teaching experiences and life experience the top of the list would be "time" My parents always took the time. One of my most memorable experience with my dad was my Senior Year when he took me to Idaho Falls to buy my prom dress. I had so much fun. I remember coming home with a beautiful dress and matching shoes. I felt like a princess. I also remember being at the Holt Arena for a dance performance at half time and my parents being in the stands. I know that there was no other place that they would have preferred to have been. I remember a track meet in Junior high and my dad being in the bleachers. I am so grateful for the time taken to sew a dress for a dance, make dinner for my friends, or the late night noise that they put up with. They always showed interest and my friends always liked my parents. Now as an adult I see my parents sharing these same attributes with my children. My parents were great parents, but they are fantastic parents. My children know that they are adored. There is rarely a night that goes by without them asking to call and tell grandma and grandpa goodnight IF grandpa hasn't already called. They love to see them on Skype before bedtime and they always love to talk to them on the phone....we have had to schedule bedtime earlier knowing that there will be a request for a call- that one call can last an hour.....Emilee frequently comes home from school and the first thing she asks is for the phone so she can call and tell them about her project at school and her friends. They were so excited a few weeks ago when they went to the mail. Grandma Ladell always sends birthday cards. Tanners card came a few weeks early and the kids were sooo excited for Tanner to call grandma to tell her he was going to be two. They knew that their would be two dollars in the card...a dollar for each age. They were so excited to help Tanner figure out what he could buy with his $2. Two dollars or twenty its all the same in their minds....excitement! We are so grateful to so many that our children are blessed with the joys that large extended family brings.