Brynn

This is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to Braden this morning.  Had to post it so I could remember the story!

We have been getting to bed kind of late at our house lately.  So the mornings are hard and the girls are sleeping in late.  Hard reality will hit next week when they start school.  But this morning Brynn was up by 7:15.  She came into my room sobbing.  I thought maybe she was sick or had a horrible dream.  She was so upset.  I asked her what was wrong and she said through her sobs that she had forgotten to do her reading and math yesterday.  Why would she be crying about that?  Because I made a deal with her at the beginning of the summer that is she would read and practice math every day of the summer then she could get some kind of a pet at the end.  Well she has done it everyday!  Until yesterday.  One week before school starts!  I have been telling her all summer to get her stuff done early that she needs to take care of.  Her jobs, bed, reading, before watching tv or doing anything else.  Just like I try to tell all the kids that you need to get ready and do the things you have to do first so that when someone calls to do something or we want to go somewhere that stuff is done.  No one listens and this is a prime example.  There were many nights when she was doing math at 10pm.  So I let her cry about it for a while this morning.  Which I don't think dad loved!  BUT I wanted her to feel some pain because I think this will be a huge lesson for her.  Dad told me this could be a great gospel lesson also.  So after a bit, like 10 minutes, I talked to her and told her that we all make mistakes and that thankfully we have Jesus Christ who, when we make mistakes, will forgive us.  I told her that I would forgive her mistake if she would do double the work today.  And I reiterated the fact that I have been asking her to get her stuff done first.  I also thanked her for being honest.  She could have not said anything and honestly I wouldn't have known the difference, but she did.  She was honest about something that was so incredibly hard for her and so important to her.  I was so pleased with her honesty!  She knew that by being honest she might lose out on the pet but she was honest anyway!  I couldn't be more proud of her!  Even if that means I have to get a stinking pet.  Which we all know she wants a dog.  Although I didn't say I would get her a dog at the end of this.  We decided that it might be a hamster or a gerbil or something.  But since we "crush her dreams" (that's what she says about us and her getting a dog), we are pretty sure we will be getting a freaking dog.

Missionaries

We have lots of missionaries in our home....

and when one of them leaves our ward, I always take

a picture just like this.

Both of these sweet ladies are leaving, as they are bringing Elders 

back to our ward.  Kind of exciting as we haven't had Elders for about 2.5 years!

Sister Gropp is on the left.  She is from Idaho.

Sister Rowley is on the right.  She is from California.

Even though Sister Gropp was only here for 1 transfer, we will miss her. 

She is a  lot of fun!

Sister Rowley has been here about 6 months, and we will miss her too.  

While we will miss having sisters, we are excited to have Elders back!

One Year!

Last year at this time, we were busy!  Not that we aren't always busy, but we were busier!

It is a lot of work to get a missionary ready to leave home for 2 years.  

Getting everything he will need into 2 suitcases and a carry on was a bit crazy!

Braden left October 24, 2013.

He was supposed to leave on October 22nd.  

There was a mission president's conference that his president had to attend so they pushed back his date.  So, I am counting down to October 22nd.  That to me was his official leave date!

One year later and these pictures still make me cry.

Ever since I found out I was having a boy when I was pregnant with Braden, I had been preparing for this day.  But, I don't think anything actually prepares you for a day like this.

Taking Braden to the airport and watching him walk through security all alone was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life.  I think that day my heart broke and part of it went with him.  I never knew how something so right could hurt so much.

Braden went to the Santiago Chile MTC.  Until recently most missionaries have gone to the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center.  We now have so many missionaries, that there are MTC's all over the world.  Putting my boy on an airplane WITHOUT the cell phone and instant communication was ridiculously hard.  No longer could I text him, call him or see him.  Other than following his plane on the internet, I had no idea if he made it there or whether or not he made his connecting flights or anything.  I didn't even know if he would eventually meet up with other missionaries(which I believe he did in Atlanta). I didn't even hear from him until the next day when he did finally arrive in Santiago.  

People have asked me how we could let him do such a thing.  

I can't imagine NOT doing such a thing.  

As hard as this has been, I wouldn't want him to be anywhere else in this world!

Serving a mission, to me, is one of the most important things my boys could do, and my girls, for that matter, if they should choose to do so.

I have already seen such growth in him.  Spiritually, mentally and if I am being honest, even physically!  (He has put on a few pounds).

And I know he will continue to grow.  

He left a boy and will return a man.

We love our weekly emails, and we so look forward to Mother's Day and Christmas, as we can Skype with him.  That is our only communication.  And after having lived in a world of cell phones and instant communication, that may be the hardest part.  

BUT, ONE YEAR DOWN and ONE YEAR to go.

(and in the mean time, I will be getting another missionary ready to go!)

Brynn's Talk

Brynn had to give a talk in Primary several weeks ago and I wanted to write it down, as she wrote it by herself with a little help from Marissa!

How the Priesthood Changed Your Family/Life

The priesthood changed my life by...when I felt sick my dad gave me a blessing to help me feel better and after I went back to bed I felt much, much better and I didn't get any sicker.  My dad also gives us blessings on the day before school starts.  My brother, Braden, also has the priesthood and he gave me a blessing before he went on his mission so I could be comforted while he was on his mission and that is how the priesthood changed my life.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

To this very special boy!

5 months

It has been 5 months today since this boy left 

for Santiago!

Man, we miss him!!!

Only 19 more to go!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the best 19 year old in our family!

We are missing him today and hope that the MTC in Chile is taking good care of him!

Back to School

School started today.  :(

It was a little strange only having 3 kids go this morning!

 11th Grade

8th Grade

3rd Grade

It was raining this morning when the older 2 went off, so they had pictures in the house.  When our little straggler left, it was only wet, so she chose to have hers taken in the traditional spot!

Praying for a great year!

Side note, I know Brandon will want me to clarify why he is wearing tie dye the first day of school.  He was chosen as an upperclassman to be part of the Link Crew.  The Link Crew is upperclassmen who are chosen to help and be a support to the younger kids, but especially the freshman.  They were all to wear these shirts today so the freshman could pick them out if they need help.  Last Friday, the crew held Freshman Orientation, but it might be hard for the kids to remember faces, so the shirts will definitely make them stand out!

Happy Birthday!

See this cute girl?

Today is her BIRTHDAY!!!!

She is so excited to be 13!

She has some mean parents.....especially a mean mom, who has not let her watch PG-13 movies.  Now that she is 13, not only is she a TEENAGER, but now she can officially watch PG-13 movies!

Her dad had the idea to surprise her and pull her out of school today and we went to lunch and then Todd and Marissa went to the movie.  

The older kids and dad have a date with the ward at the temple tonight so she was a bit bummed that she wasn't going to be able to watch a movie tonight.  But she got the best of both worlds.  Only part of a day at school, lunch, movie and the temple.

Now if only we could find time to open some presents!!!

Happy Birthday teenager!

New York Yankees

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I am not a fan of the 

New York Yankees.  But my dislike for them has softened a bit after yesterday.

This picture was posted on their Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/324259441715339267/photo/1

Who would have ever thought that the Yankees and the Red Sox logos would be on the same sign, let alone with the word "united".

The Yankees also played the Arizona Diamondbacks last night and after the 3rd inning,  they played "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.  That song is played at EVERY Red Sox game.  We were watching TV last night and watched as the Yanks played the song.  It kind of brought a tear to my eye.  Although most people in the stadium just sat in their seats as the song was being played, there were several fans who were up and singing along.  Then after the song, there was a moment of silence for the victims at the marathon.

I am not sure I will ever see that again in my lifetime, but last night it was awesome!

We were not at the marathon on Monday.  We usually go every year, but this week the boys both had lacrosse games Monday morning.  We were sad to miss it.  I love to go and it is so inspiring to see so many people who have worked so extremely hard to make it to the marathon.  Thankfully I have friends that were there that took pictures!

We were at the eye doctor when Marissa got a text from a friend that was there.  Then my phone started going crazy!  And it was all people from Utah that knew more than I did.  All calling and texting to make sure we were ok because they know we go.  Although we never go to the finish line.

I have had a hard time getting away from the news.  I am just in shock that something like this could happen.  Sadly, my shock is lessening.  It is so sad that someone felt that they needed to hurt innocent people.  

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved.

Mormon Feminists

I read this article on Boston.com today.  I am kind of fired up.  There is a huge part of me that wonders why?  Why do women have to feel this way?  Maybe I am old school, but I do not EVER want to hold the priesthood in my church.  I am happy with my responsibilities and don't want them to change.  I have never felt that I was not important in my church because I don't hold the priesthood or have the same responsibilities as the men.  I also have never felt like a good Bishop, Branch President or Stake President looks down on women or that they have the "final say".  If they are good men and do their role right, then the things are discussed and decided on, with women involved if need be.

I feel we all have different roles here on earth.  Are all women intended to stay home and raise children and be house wives, I don't think so.  I think it is up to each individual.  What is right for me is not necessarily right for my neighbor. 

I know exactly what talk is being referenced in the first paragraph of the article and I very much remember the controversy it caused.  While I do think that motherhood and homemaking are the most important thing a woman can do, IF she has children, I don't think that it is the end all be all.  There are many women who want to work outside of the home, and I don't have one problem with that.  There are many, like my own mother, who do not have a choice but to work outside the home.   Do I think these women are bad, or not following the teachings of the church?  Of course not!

I am a firm believer that people need to do what is best for them and for their families.  Do I agree with the women quoted in this article?  Absolutely NOT!  I know there will be many people who disagree with me, and I will agree to disagree with them and do not want to debate this.  But I do feel strongly that women do not need the priesthood to be important in our church.  In fact, I believe more each day that without women in the church, it would probably fall apart!!!  :)

I am one who will say I am perfectly happy in my role in the church.

The article is below.

Danielle Miller Mooney traces her awakening as a Mormon feminist to the day in 2007 when she was sitting in her dorm room at Wellesley College, watching a live speech being given by a high-ranking woman in her church.

Mooney had grown up in a churchgoing Mormon household, and she loved her religion. But the speech, on the importance of motherhood and homemaking, left her feeling “like I was listening to a song that was off-key.”

Soon, Mooney was exploring a world she never knew existed: In online forums like “Feminist Mormon Housewives,” “I found people who thought a lot like I did. You’re not a lone island in the ocean.”

Mooney is now at the forefront of a new generation of Mormon feminist activists using social media to press for changes for women in the church. In December, she participated in a Facebook event called “Wear Pants to Church Day,” meant to “normalize” trousers in a church where most women wear skirts or dresses to services. This weekend, following a letter-writing campaign to church authorities that Mooney helped organize, women are widely expected to lead the worldwide church in prayer during its biannual gathering in Salt Lake City.

Mooney, who lives in Dorchester, was one of two dozen women to sign on to a new website, ordainwomen.org, advocating for the ordination of women to the priesthood, which in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is granted to all men and boys over age 12 deemed “worthy.” The Ordain Women effort, whose organizers are planning a first-ever gathering in Salt Lake City this weekend, is striking, given the church’s history of excommunicating members who have championed that cause.

There are signs the church is paying attention. The Salt Lake Tribune reported last month that women would lead prayer at this weekend’s gathering, although in a statement the church said that its custom is not to release schedules in advance, and that decisions regarding speakers were made late last year, before the letter-writing campaign.

The church has also recently lowered the age at which young women can go on church missions from 21 to 19, causing a sharp increase in young women’s participation in a program widely viewed as fostering independence and religious leadership.

Libby Boss, a Mormon from Belmont, said she hopes the developments mark the beginning of a “Mormon spring.”

“Not a revolution, certainly,” she wrote on the blog of Exponent II, a recently revived Mormon feminist magazine founded in Cambridge in the 1970s, “but a new era of revelation that transforms the church we love in a fundamental way, the likes of which we haven’t seen for over a century.”

Not everyone believes the church needs transformation. A church spokeswoman said in a statement that the church’s core beliefs give men and women equal standing before God.

“In God’s plan for his children, both women and men have the same access to the guidance of his spirit, to personal revelation, faith and repentance, to grace and the atonement of his son, Jesus Christ, and are received equally as they approach him in prayer,” said Jessica Moody, a church spokeswoman.

Emily Andrus O’Loughlin, a volunteer church spokeswoman in Belmont who has served in a leadership position at the regional level, said she has not noticed pent-up frustration among the women she knows.

“I have always felt a strong sense of mutual respect with members of my congregation,” she said. “I’ve always felt my opinion is valued.”

O’Loughlin, who has three young children, holds a high-powered job in a religious culture that prizes stay-at-home motherhood; she attended Harvard Business School and works as a consultant at McKinsey & Company.

“Certainly, it is not necessarily the norm; I think I do get more questions,” she said. “But it feels much more like curiosity — ‘how do you balance it?’ ”

Allowing women to pray at the General Conference is a relatively easy request for authorities to grant because there is no doctrinal issue at stake. Since the late 1970s, women have been allowed to lead prayers in any meeting of the church. But that invitation to lead prayer has never been extended to women at the General Conference.

Women’s ordination is another story. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like the Catholic Church, traces the tradition of a male-only priesthood back to Jesus’s ordination of his all-male disciples.

“The practice of ordaining men to the priesthood was established by Jesus Christ himself, and is not a decision to be made by those on Earth,” Moody said in a statement to the Globe.

In 1993, a half-dozen Mormon intellectuals and academics were excommunicated for challenging the church on doctrinal and historical issues, including women’s relationship to the priesthood. The action cooled feminist activism for years.

“It was horrifying,” Boss said. “This church that I thought was a very safe place to ask questions suddenly became not safe.”

But Kate Kelly, a lawyer in Washington who created the ordainwomen.org website, is optimistic the church’s response will be different this time. She notes that the church believes in continuing revelation, and that its president is a prophet in dialogue with God; in 1978, the church ended its policy of excluding black men from the priesthood, citing divine revelation.

“I believe in the scripture, in Matthew 7:7, ‘Ask, and you shall receive,’ ” she said. “Our posture and our position is we are asking and knocking and . . . that leadership prayerfully consider this.”

Margaret Toscano, a professor of languages and literature at the University of Utah who was excommunicated in 2000 — mainly, she said, for her advocacy of women’s ordination — is not so sure.

“They really feel the climate has changed because of the Internet, and the church is so nervous about bad publicity that they won’t take any action against any of these women,” she said. “But in 1990, everybody read newspapers, and every day for two to three months there was an article in the Salt Lake Tribune that really exposed what the leaders were doing. My husband and I were interviewed by the BBC, CNN, French and Canadian newspapers” and in one three-month period there were stories almost daily.

Women do hold leadership positions at the ward, or congregational, level, as well as at the level of the stake, akin to a Catholic diocese. Men, however, are the ultimate authorities as ward bishops and stake presidents. Men in leadership positions often develop cooperative relationships with female leaders, but structurally women have no final say.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a Harvard historian, active Mormon, and feminist, said Mormon women had more independence and authority in the church before the 1970s, when a process of centralization took away the independence of a number of church organizations run by women.

“I grew up in a situation where it never occurred to me I wasn’t equal,” she said.

Today, she said, women play a large role at the ward level, but “there is much less visibility of female leaders beyond the ward level.”

As in many grass-roots movements, Mormon feminists disagree about how to approach many issues. Some women believe that ordination is the core issue; others would rather put the question of priesthood aside and focus on giving women more leadership positions in the church and a greater presence in Sunday school lessons and other texts. Still others believe they already have priesthood or priesthood-like powers based on their role in secret temple rituals.

They share, though, an upbeat tone that is partly strategic, an effort to persuade rather than alienate. Ordainwomen.org mirrors the church’s “I’m a Mormon” public relations campaign of 2011, which presented a diverse selection of cheerful Mormons offering first-person accounts of their stories and why they love their church.

It also seems to reflect a genuine love for the church among Mormons who care enough to stay, despite disagreements.

“Most of the people who are involved in this, it’s not because they are bitter about the church or angry about the church; it’s those of us who want to help improve the church,” said Colleen Goodsell, of Belmont, who served as head of the church’s main organization for women, the Relief Society, in Arlington.

She and her husband, Thom Goodsell, who with Mooney and others recently began a group called the Mormon Feminist Action Board, —say they want the church to be a more welcoming place for their daughters, ages 7 and 9.

“We want to make a difference,” Colleen Goodsell said.

Video

One of the most awesome videos I have seen in a while.

Helps me know that there really are decent teenagers out there!

http://www.viddler.com/v/70d1d214

1.  A great video

2.  the temple

3.  IT'S FRIDAY!!!

NHS

Braden was inducted into National Honor Society

last month.

He worked hard to get up/keep up his grades.

He needed a 3.5 GPA to join.

Last year at application time, he had a 3.466.

So close, and yet too far to apply.

He was thrilled that this year he was able to join.

Congratulations to Braden!

My thoughts, prayers and many tears have been with the people 

in Connecticut this weekend.

My heart is broken for them.

As I let my own children go off to school this morning, I said an extra prayer 

for their safety.

I drove Brynn to school this morning.

As we were getting close to the school, I noticed a police officer 

in front of the school.

I held my emotions together....

until Brynn got out of the car.

I lost it.

It is just not right that police presence has to be at an elementary school.

Or at any school.

It makes me so unbelievably sad.

Todd spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday.

He said people are asking "WHY"?

Why did this happen?

He said that we all have our free agency.

Well, I say, sometimes free agency sucks.

Sometimes I wish I could take away some peoples free agency.

I know that is not part of the plan, but it seems to me that sometimes it would make life easier.

I have peace in knowing that those sweet, innocent children went straight to the celestial kingdom.  At least that is what I believe.

I mourn for their families, their parents who won't have their children to open presents that have already been purchased for Christmas morning.

I mourn for the fact that the people in Newtown CT are taking down Christmas decorations.

I mourn that the children from Sandy Hook Elementary school will not be able to return to their school because of the complete destruction.

And I mourn for us as a people.  

I pray that we will be strong.

I pray for the families.

And I pray for my kids.  That they will come home safe after school.

A place that is supposed to be a safe place to be.

  

18

From these.........

to this.

Our boy is now a man.

It makes me cry as I type this......

the time has gone so unbelievably fast.

Braden is such an incredibly good kid(man).

Thankfully we still have a few more months with him at home.  

(I am not a fan of the new mission age change, just for me though!)

He doesn't graduate from high school until May, so we have until then.

It is crazy how fast they grow up, although some days, especially when they were all younger, the days couldn't go fast enough!

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy MAN!!!

I Needed This Today.

"My beloved brothers and sisters, 

fear not.

Be of good cheer.

The future is as bright as your faith."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy,

 otherwise know as, 

Frankenstorm, 

Tropical Storm Sandy 

and several other names,

was mostly kind to the Burt household.

We did not lose power,

we did not have any trees come down

(unlike last year)

 all we got was rain and wind.

We are very grateful.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who live around us,

to the south of us,

and to the west of us,

that Sandy did not treat as well.

Weird

This is a test....

 

Ever since blogger updated their interface, I have not been able to publish a post.  I can't even get the interface to load using Google Chrome.  So I launced Internet Explorer, which I don't like to use, logged in and now I can post.  I have no idea what the difference is, but now at least I can see something when I click on the pencil!

Very much missed.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We miss you every day!

I write the songs!!!!!!

I am going to see this man in concert tonight and I

AM SO EXCITED!!!!!

Go ahead....make fun of me if you want.  My kids do,

(and really, so does my husband, but he is being a good sport and going with me.)

And I don't care one stinking bit!!!  

I have loved Barry Manilow since I was very little and I still do!!

I am PROUD to say I am a FANILOW!!!