the Hammons

COURAGE

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 10:23:33 -0700

“Before we were born, we knew God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, personally. We could see Them and listen to Them as They taught and encouraged us. Now a veil has been placed over our minds and memories. Satan, the father of lies, has an advantage because we must see the reality of who we are through the eyes of faith, while our bodies make us subject to carnal temptation and to physical weakness.”
As I was reading this morning in the Ensign I read this talk by Elder Erying.. Everything seems to capture me in this magazine.. but the paragraph above hit home. We are here in earth only for a temporary amount of time, our Father sent us here to become great. I have such deep feelings of the wonderful memories I had in the pre-mortal life. Any mention of that and the strength we have as individuals is so pungent to me. I know that we are destined for greatness.. all of us has a potential to surpass how we are living right now. And this reminder was a truth to my heart and spirit.

Read on.. the entire article was wonderful as each of Elder Erying’s messages are.

Moral Courage
One of the purposes of mortal life is to prove to God that we will keep His commandments when that takes courage. We passed that test in the spirit world. But a third of the hosts of heaven rebelled against the proposal that they be tested in a mortal existence where there was a risk that they would fail.
Before we were born, we knew God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, personally. We could see Them and listen to Them as They taught and encouraged us. Now a veil has been placed over our minds and memories. Satan, the father of lies, has an advantage because we must see the reality of who we are through the eyes of faith, while our bodies make us subject to carnal temptation and to physical weakness.
We have great helps to give us courage in this life. The greatest is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of what He did, sins can be washed away in the waters of baptism. We can renew that blessing when we partake of the sacrament in faith and with a repentant heart.
Spiritual gifts are another help. We receive the Spirit of Christ at birth. That gives us the power to know when a choice before us would lead toward eternal life. The scriptures are a sure guide when we read them with the Holy Ghost as our companion.
The Holy Ghost lets us express thanks and ask for help in prayer with the clarity and confidence we once enjoyed with our Heavenly Father and which we will have when we return to Him. That communication with God helps banish fear from our hearts as it builds faith and love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
The holy priesthood gives us courage in our service. In its ordinances we receive power to serve God’s children and to withstand the influence of evil. When He calls us to serve, we have this promise: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).
The Prophet Joseph Smith in his service had reason to be fearful. But God gave him courage with this assurance of the example of the Master:
“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:7–8).
God has given us more than enough help to banish fear and give us courage, whatever we may face in life. As we reach out for His help, He can lift us toward that eternal life we seek.

Did you know?

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:57:51 -0700

Two days ago while I sat in the doctors office I did a little light reading in some parenting magazines.. Third time for me so only the interesting subjects grabbed me.. In American Baby Magazine it plainly stated that “it has been proven if you bring your children up..from birth or toddler ages...with a dog they are less likely to have allergies.” Hmmm.. with all you hear and read, (and I am gullible for marketing, etc..) I wonder if this truly holds some weight in the realm of allergies? What do you think?

Another “did you know” about myself is my FEAR of needles.. Several weeks ago I cried.. even while Travis was holding my hand and we had our life insurance exam, part of which was getting our blood drawn.. i cried. Yesterday the same, not in the moment of blood taking but as soon as we got to the car I let it go.. tears of fear.. tears of emotion.. tears of why am I not at least braver and more steady with this. It was only a poke and and minute later the job is done. What traumatic experience led to my frightful fear of needles and the whole fearful endeavor? Any one else with me? Ahh.. needles you are very not my friend!!!

p.s. Here is the cute new martingale collar I blogged about not too long ago.. we like it a lot, plus we have noticed a significant decrease on her pulling on her walks. Yippee!

Bloomin’

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 15:52:48 -0700

Oh I am a sucker for fresh flowers.. with the slim pickings I have I enjoy the local grocery stores meager choices.. each week for the last 4 I have purchased some fun and pungent blooms! Here is the winner.. the hyacinth! She will be pretty once she shows her true self so until then we are enjoying the daffodils (when I bought them they were in there tight pods and by the next morning POW! Bloomin’)
Here is my fabulous four eyed look.. Mya’s braces.. and Happy 11th Anniversary to us!

Catch UP! With pictures!!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:51:36 -0700

Alright.. I am trying to catch up on all the things I have photographed and have been meaning to share here they are.. in random order.. give it up for finally doing it!

Braces!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:56:33 -0700

What a life.. what a week!! Things are still in progress with purchasing a dental practice.. we’re having a baby and my big girl has gotten braces! It’s all a bit much sometimes but amid it all there is peace and a heck of a lot of fun! She loves her braces.. we love how she is handling it and her fun attitude towards them.. if anything Dr. Jeff Erickson has a great solicitor and will be a further success!

Plus news on the front.. we have all seen the eye doctor! Thanks Adam! Now low and behold, Travis is a four eyed GQ, and our sweet Mya will be too! I am getting some frames for the minor eye adjustments I need, but whoo hoo! My little girly wish is finally coming true! Can you imagine.. me.. I faked an eye exam in elementary school just to have glasses.. I didn’t fail bad enough.. but just as well I will pick my tortoise shell lovelies up this weekend! But far more than we, Miss Mya is a bonafide brace face, four eyed beauty that seems to capture my heart more and more as I see her grow and mature.

Here’s to the fun ahead!

p.s. I’ll post some photos of her soon!

“An educated guess!”

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 10:33:13 -0700

Here I am with bowl of cottage cheese and peaches in front of me sharing the news!!! It was so amazing to watch the baby move inside me.. I have had two other pregnancies with each as sweet an experience but this time.. this time I am so much more aware of my body and the changes.. really embracing the entire transformation.. I see things so differently now. Having the children with me already and together experiencing another new soul is a lot of fun!

Here SHE is! This is what the radiologist Kathy, announced to us when our little one was camera shy, “if I had to make an educated guess, I’d say it was a girl.” ..very modest with legs crossed.. but here you have it, the best look at the up and coming Hammons addition!

Mya was so excited to hear it was a girl.. the first things said to me was “I win!”. She had wanted a sister, Roanan a brother, but later after he settled in with the news I overheard his conversation with Mya.. “I like girls..”

We are happy parents and we are excited for this new arrival..