Late Sunday

4 is mad I took the scissors she was swinging.

First off, sorry dear. I have had something planned to write for you every day this past week.  Obviously things didn't go as planned.  Second, sorry I still haven't read how to use the time laps function on the camera, so you get two this week.  As you can see it has been a high sensory day with 3, a teen drama day with 1, and a "why can't I do whatever feels right at the moment," day with 4.
They really haven't been all that bad today, together.  They have been kind enough to take turns.  So let's focus on the good. That's what this blog is for.
I made a mistake last night and neglected to go to bed without my watch on, or my cell phone near.  When the light filtering through the blinds looked to be the right hue to get up to this morning I got up and felt more rested than expected.  Opening the blinds I discovered why, low lying clouds were covering the mountain and the sun; and it was a quarter to eight.  I quickly thanked the Lord that it was fast Sunday, because there would be no time for breakfast, and woke the children.  They were true champs this morning. 1 dressed the baby and got her completely ready, 2 refrained from his normal morning horseplay and teasing.  3 managed to dress himself and find all of his necessary accessories, (tie, shoes, etc.)  No fits from 4 about her hair,(a lovely fluffy half bun heart) and the baby was kind enough to wait until we got to church for her morning feeding.
I just have to add thanks to Grammy and Papa across the street.  I sent 2 over to Papa to tie a tie I was not going to get to, and it was comforting to see seats saved for us as we ran into church with 2 minuets to spare.  I sat the kids down whispered to Grammy that I was going to go feed the baby and left again.  The people in the ward probably think I'm crazy, but it was great to be able to come back in and see everyone sitting quietly.  So, thanks mom and dad you made today and many other days so much easier. 
I've really been thinking a lot today about how the understanding of the eternal nature of families helps my family to be closer and more caring for each other.  I love the temple and the blessing it is for us. I love that I can see it every day.  I watch the kids, (disclaimer: I know that most of the time they are obnoxious, ornery, ordinary kids, but sometimes they are wonderful, extraordinary, caring and loving children of God.) really pull it together and work and treat each other the way an eternal family should.  Today had many of those moments, and I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that helps me to teach my children that families are meant to be forever.  This means that the things we do today as a family are forever, the way we treat each other today should set a precedence for how we will treat each other forever.
Last night I was helping my mom try and organize the family history and I came across a name I had done last December.  I remembered that as I looked at that name in the temple a year ago I was strongly impressed that if we had a daughter it would be the name for her, and we did, and it is her name.  Families are forever.  We were a family before we came, we are a family now and we will be in the hereafter.  As we were going through the family names last night and trying to put together who belonged to who 1 made an interesting comment. He said that the spiritual feeling in the home reminded him of the temple, and he could feel that making sure our family was connected was important.   It is that knowledge of eternally connected families that helps us be kind, supportive and loving when things get tough.
I hope my kids don't get tiered of me telling them that.  They probably will, after all they are and will be becoming teenagers.  I just love my family, and love that they can be mine forever.