A Hero

I've always been grateful for this country and the freedoms I enjoy, but the past couple weeks have increased my patriotism dramatically. My cousin SFC Glen Jacob Whetten was killed while serving in Afghanistan. I am so grateful for his sacrifice and bravery. He was the "best of the best" at what he did, and had earned many awards, including three purple hearts. What amazes me is that his family didn't even know about some of his awards

because he was too humble to tell them.


His funeral was beautiful. The tears started as we pulled up to the church, which was surrounded by flags.

It was wonderful to see so many cousins and family members who traveled here for the funeral. The amount of respect shown by the military was poignant, and

I won't ever look at the flag the same way again.

As my Aunt Amy (Jake's mom) put it,

"I think a great many eyes have been opened by Jacob's death. How can we ever see a soldier or a flag in the same way again? Our freedom is infinitely
more precious because we finally realize, in a most personal way, its terrible cost".

She also wrote a beautiful poem about Jake here.

Baby Shower Gift

We went to a baby shower last night. Amy, my mom, and I collaborated on the gift. My mom made a blanket, Amy made burp cloths, and I made these out of coordinating fabric. I should have taken a picture of all of it together.

I'm glad my family shares my desire to do crafty projects! My mom just showed me a cool way to make flannel baby blankets, so I'll post a picture of the one I'm working on when it's finished.taggy square & baby rings

Hands

For our Relief Society dinner on Tuesday, they showed this video: http://skybox1.com/sossaman-rs/rs.html. They took pictures of almost every sister in the ward doing service/hobbies with our hands. We are instruments in the Lord's hands, and can be the answer to a prayer if we are in tune with the spirit.

Dr. Seuss and Student of the Month

This week Blake was chosen to read an excerpt from "Oh the Places You'll Go" at flag ceremony for Dr. Seuss' birthday. I love that book! James was selected as Student of the Month for his class. He was recently asking why Marinne and Blake both got Student of the Month and he didn't, so I was glad when he got picked! Poor James has a goose egg on his head from some kid knocking him down during P.E. :(

Family Tree Quilt

I've been working on this quilt for a while, and finally finished it for Ray's mom's birthday (it was only 2 weeks late). It has Ray's parents, siblings & their spouses and children's names on it. I wanted to quilt it on the machine, but haven't really figured that out yet, so I just tied it. I used Heat n Bond to iron on the leaves and branches, then sewed around them.

I will have to add names of any family additions as they come along.


I'm not a perfectionist, and I didn't follow a pattern, so it has its flaws, but it was an adventure figuring out how to make it. Hopefully my mother in law likes it!

Answers

I think a lot about what I need do to be a better mom. I know I have work to do, but sometimes it's hard to know what to do, and even harder to actually do it. What we teach our children, especially by example, is so important. I need to remember that little eyes and ears are taking in what I do and say. Although kids don't come with manuals, we do have guidance and a perfect example to follow. I read an article in this month's Ensign that answered so simply the question, "How can I be a better mom?" Here is the link: LDS.org - Ensign Article - What Mothers Can Learn from the Savior