I think this Mary and Joseph are the most beautiful of any I've ever seen. And what's cool about this year is that Mary is actually pregnant with her first child!
Whitaker
Friday, December 9, 2011
Living Nativity
Last night our stake put on a live reenactment of the Nativity. Everything about it was fantastic. A strong spirit, wonderful actors, beautiful music and narration, superb lighting, warming hot cocoa and delicious cookies! The only thing missing was the live animals for petting. The company we hired just didn't show!? I hope there wasn't an accident or something. I know it was disappointing to the children, but we hope they show up tonight and tomorrow night.
I think this Mary and Joseph are the most beautiful of any I've ever seen. And what's cool about this year is that Mary is actually pregnant with her first child!
I think this Mary and Joseph are the most beautiful of any I've ever seen. And what's cool about this year is that Mary is actually pregnant with her first child!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mormons are CRAZY!?
Somebody tell me WHY people are so afraid of Mormons? Tell me WHY people assume what others say about the religion to be truth, when in reality what they say is false? Tell me WHY some people disown their own family member from joining the Mormon religion? Tell me WHY people don't just go learn about the religion before making crazy assumptions and believing absolute lies? Tell me WHY some people flat out refuse to learn anything about the religion when really they know nothing about it? Tell me WHY, if this religion is so false and crazy, is it one of the fastest growing religions in the entire world? Why, why, why? I can guarantee the majority of non-Mormons have heard strange things and have completely skewed views about the beliefs of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--aka Mormons.
The older I get, the more hurt I become about issues surrounding my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (nickname: Mormons). I'm fully aware that the church is not well-liked in the United States and other countries. (eg. Did you know that the opposition to voting for a Mormon President is among the most common voting biases? Just look HERE). And I'm not trying to persuade you to vote for Mitt Romney. I'm not even positive I'm going to. My point here is that people are opposed to Mitt Romney based SOLELY on the fact that he is Mormon. That is wrong. So would it be if somebody was not voting for a candidate based on that fact that he/she was Catholic, Baptist, Non-Denominational, Jewish, Black, Hispanic, Gay/Lesbian, etc.
I'm also fully aware of anti-Mormon literature which may portray part-truths, or truths that are twisted or altered to sound crazy, or even blatant lies. Wouldn't it make more sense to learn about the church from official Mormon sources (www.lds.org or mormon.org) or active members themselves?
I also know of other Christian religions teaching anti-Mormon topics. Why don't they focus on learning about their own beliefs rather than trying to "disprove" the Mormons? We don't have classes on any other religions and their accused "wacky" beliefs and are never learning ways to disprove anyone. That's simply not Christian, would you agree?
But let's get to the real issue here. The issue that is bothering me today is the issue that people are saying that we do not believe in Jesus Christ--that we are not Christian.
Do those accusers know anything about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Do they even know the name of our church? Have they studied what we believe? Are they associated with active members of the Mormon faith?
Let me tell you just a glimpse of what we do believe.
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. (First Article of Faith)
2. We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and that He atoned for the sins of this world.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. (Third Article of Faith)
The whole purpose in writing this is in hopes that my friends who may have skewed views about the Mormon religion will look to find fact rather than fiction about what I and millions of other Mormons believe. The reality is though, they probably aren't going to be reading this OR responding to anything that I say. But there, I said it, and it feels good. I am a MORMON and by golly I'm stickin' to it. And I'm not crazy, or brainwashed or cult-like. I'm a follower of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I always will be.
The older I get, the more hurt I become about issues surrounding my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (nickname: Mormons). I'm fully aware that the church is not well-liked in the United States and other countries. (eg. Did you know that the opposition to voting for a Mormon President is among the most common voting biases? Just look HERE). And I'm not trying to persuade you to vote for Mitt Romney. I'm not even positive I'm going to. My point here is that people are opposed to Mitt Romney based SOLELY on the fact that he is Mormon. That is wrong. So would it be if somebody was not voting for a candidate based on that fact that he/she was Catholic, Baptist, Non-Denominational, Jewish, Black, Hispanic, Gay/Lesbian, etc.
I'm also fully aware of anti-Mormon literature which may portray part-truths, or truths that are twisted or altered to sound crazy, or even blatant lies. Wouldn't it make more sense to learn about the church from official Mormon sources (www.lds.org or mormon.org) or active members themselves?
I also know of other Christian religions teaching anti-Mormon topics. Why don't they focus on learning about their own beliefs rather than trying to "disprove" the Mormons? We don't have classes on any other religions and their accused "wacky" beliefs and are never learning ways to disprove anyone. That's simply not Christian, would you agree?
But let's get to the real issue here. The issue that is bothering me today is the issue that people are saying that we do not believe in Jesus Christ--that we are not Christian.
Do those accusers know anything about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Do they even know the name of our church? Have they studied what we believe? Are they associated with active members of the Mormon faith?
Let me tell you just a glimpse of what we do believe.
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. (First Article of Faith)
2. We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and that He atoned for the sins of this world.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. (Third Article of Faith)
The whole purpose in writing this is in hopes that my friends who may have skewed views about the Mormon religion will look to find fact rather than fiction about what I and millions of other Mormons believe. The reality is though, they probably aren't going to be reading this OR responding to anything that I say. But there, I said it, and it feels good. I am a MORMON and by golly I'm stickin' to it. And I'm not crazy, or brainwashed or cult-like. I'm a follower of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I always will be.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Halloween
Just a few pics to get started, I still need to get more off my point-and-shoot.
We went to the "Pumpkin Patch" which was actually a mini (very mini) carnival with pre-picked pumpkins sitting all around on haystacks and the ground. They were waiting eagerly for someone to pick them. Unfortunately for them, the pumpkins at the grocery store were only $3 while these were like $20+ for the same size. You can bet where we got ours!
It was Michael's bedtime so he was tired and a little cranky. But he tagged along anyways, and eventually took a little snooze. This little guy melts my heart. I can't get enough of him.
Mylie enjoyed the little rides. She also liked the jumping castle for like 45 seconds. Seriously!? What a waste of money Mylie! Oh the animals were a hit too. Richie took her to pet them while I stood outside the fence and snapped a few pics. If you know me well, you may also know that I'm not a huge fan of animals. More specifically actually, not a huge fan of touching and smelling animals. I really do enjoy looking and learning about them and visiting zoos and such though. Enough blabbing. Here's our night on the town!
We went to the "Pumpkin Patch" which was actually a mini (very mini) carnival with pre-picked pumpkins sitting all around on haystacks and the ground. They were waiting eagerly for someone to pick them. Unfortunately for them, the pumpkins at the grocery store were only $3 while these were like $20+ for the same size. You can bet where we got ours!
It was Michael's bedtime so he was tired and a little cranky. But he tagged along anyways, and eventually took a little snooze. This little guy melts my heart. I can't get enough of him.
Mylie enjoyed the little rides. She also liked the jumping castle for like 45 seconds. Seriously!? What a waste of money Mylie! Oh the animals were a hit too. Richie took her to pet them while I stood outside the fence and snapped a few pics. If you know me well, you may also know that I'm not a huge fan of animals. More specifically actually, not a huge fan of touching and smelling animals. I really do enjoy looking and learning about them and visiting zoos and such though. Enough blabbing. Here's our night on the town!
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| No |
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| Notice the sexy bandaid on Mylie's lip? She peeled some skin off it earlier and insisted on wearing a bandaid on it all night. We tried pretty hard to get her to take it off, but her stubborn nature won the battle. At least we can have a good laugh over it! |
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Family Pics
Thanks to one of my BFF's Liz for taking our family pictures while she was here visiting from Gilbert, Arizona. We adore them!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Santa Ana Zoo
The Santa Ana Zoo is great!...if you love birds and monkeys! Because that's pretty much all they have there. However, it really is a beautiful zoo--doesn't smell bad and has lovely grounds. It was nice to get out as a family and do something. And of course it was fun for me to take some pics!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mylie Turns 3
Mylie's at that age now where she gets excited for upcoming events. Holidays, birthdays, etc. We'd been talking about her upcoming birthday for about 2 months. She was always asking questions about it, talking about when it was her birthday...then, telling us what she wanted, saying that she wouldn't ever be 2 again (which actually made her a little upset, she said she wanted to be 2 forever!), practicing putting 3 fingers up and more!
The night before her birthday she was super excited. We told her when she woke up in the morning it would be her birthday...little did we know she would be up at 3:00 in the morning! She came into our room and asked, "Is it my birthday now?" To which we responded, as nicely as one can at 3 am, "No Mylie it's not your birthday yet. Go back to bed." She disappeared. Around 4:15 when Richie got up with Michael he went in the living room where he discovered Mylie rolling around on the couch, still awake. We thought she was rolling with excitement, but due to a conversation we had with her yesterday, she was actually trying to hide from Richie! Ha ha! She asked Richie if she was 3 yet. She asked if it was her birthday and if she could open her presents. She wasn't about to go back to bed. That's when I got up and took her to her room and laid down with her. I knew I needed to get her back to sleep before the sun started showing AT ALL, because once there's the slightest bit of sunlight, Mylie demands it's time to wake up. But if she's sleeping through the light, she sleeps longer. So as the nice mommy that I am, I told her that if she didn't go back to sleep right now, no presents in the morning. And guess what, she went to sleep.
We got up at 7:30 (and that's sleeping in for us!) Mylie didn't want to wait until the evening to open her presents so we did it right then. She had been asking for a bike, so we got her a princess bike and Dora helmet. She ended up liking the helmet more than the bike! We did get the bike a little big because it was either get a 10-inch princess bike or a 16-inch. There were no 12 or 14 inch princess bikes. Luckily her feet still touch the pedals. And the bike will last her longer. It was pretty hilarious taking her to ride for the first time. She kept pedaling backwards which would stop her abruptly. She would watch her feet instead of where she was going and run into bushes, grass, benches, etc. I was trying pretty hard not to laugh.
When Richie got home from work we went to Chuck E. Cheese, which Mylie was dying to do. She had a ball, and Michael was perfect. Side note: I have the most wonderful little boy! He is the best baby ever!
After that we had cake and ice cream--and Mylie was super excited about the traditional, big cupcake for her birthday. She kept reminding me that it would be pink. My cake decorating skills are still pretty awesome. I'll see my sister this week, so hopefully she'll provide me with some good tips!
And now, the pictures, in no particular order. In fact, pretty well OUT of order.
The night before her birthday she was super excited. We told her when she woke up in the morning it would be her birthday...little did we know she would be up at 3:00 in the morning! She came into our room and asked, "Is it my birthday now?" To which we responded, as nicely as one can at 3 am, "No Mylie it's not your birthday yet. Go back to bed." She disappeared. Around 4:15 when Richie got up with Michael he went in the living room where he discovered Mylie rolling around on the couch, still awake. We thought she was rolling with excitement, but due to a conversation we had with her yesterday, she was actually trying to hide from Richie! Ha ha! She asked Richie if she was 3 yet. She asked if it was her birthday and if she could open her presents. She wasn't about to go back to bed. That's when I got up and took her to her room and laid down with her. I knew I needed to get her back to sleep before the sun started showing AT ALL, because once there's the slightest bit of sunlight, Mylie demands it's time to wake up. But if she's sleeping through the light, she sleeps longer. So as the nice mommy that I am, I told her that if she didn't go back to sleep right now, no presents in the morning. And guess what, she went to sleep.
We got up at 7:30 (and that's sleeping in for us!) Mylie didn't want to wait until the evening to open her presents so we did it right then. She had been asking for a bike, so we got her a princess bike and Dora helmet. She ended up liking the helmet more than the bike! We did get the bike a little big because it was either get a 10-inch princess bike or a 16-inch. There were no 12 or 14 inch princess bikes. Luckily her feet still touch the pedals. And the bike will last her longer. It was pretty hilarious taking her to ride for the first time. She kept pedaling backwards which would stop her abruptly. She would watch her feet instead of where she was going and run into bushes, grass, benches, etc. I was trying pretty hard not to laugh.
When Richie got home from work we went to Chuck E. Cheese, which Mylie was dying to do. She had a ball, and Michael was perfect. Side note: I have the most wonderful little boy! He is the best baby ever!
After that we had cake and ice cream--and Mylie was super excited about the traditional, big cupcake for her birthday. She kept reminding me that it would be pink. My cake decorating skills are still pretty awesome. I'll see my sister this week, so hopefully she'll provide me with some good tips!
And now, the pictures, in no particular order. In fact, pretty well OUT of order.
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