Well I guess I'll at least tell Liz what we are up to. Emma just graduated from Preschool and is taking a Kindergarten prep class for a week at the library. The kids loved Disneyland and still can't stop talking about it. They pretend they are there all the time. I will post some pictures when I get on the other computer. Kimball got me an iMac computer for Mother's Day and the kids got me an ipod (stuff we had been talking about for a while). It was a surprise and he's scared when I tell him I will try and outdo him for Father's Day! We have been spending a lot of time in our yard as well. Last year we did sprinklers and pavers in the backyard and grass and flowers for the beds. This year we just had a shed put in and had to reroute some sprinklers and tear out some sod. We are also getting a hot tub through work and had to tear out all the pavers we did last year and pour concrete to put it on. We are also putting up a deck to the second floor and had to reroute more sprinklers to put the supports in the ground. We also hope to get the fence in and get some rocks out front. I can now see why people hire a landscaper and just get it all done right in the first place. We are also still trying to finish the downstairs bathroom. We are hoping to get a few things done soon and have plenty of time to play in the summer. We painted our garage blue with a big "Y" and it is the envy of the neighborhood guys. I post a picture of that too if I remember. I guess thats' all for now.

Sorry Rebecca I know you try really hard to let everyone know what's going on with you and I really appreciate it. I check the blog sometimes to see if anything new is there. But I suppose I should post sometimes too. I feel like I don't have a lot to say, or I just babble on and on.

We've been working really hard in our yard. We just took down a shed in our back yard and planted our garden, which I am so excited for this year, we built a pen for our turtles that is 12 feet by 6 feet. If you didn't know we have five turtles now. Three adults and two babies. We are a little fanatical but they are fun to have. We want to take out all the rocks in our backyard, which is half the backyard and put grass in. I want to plant some trees and fill in the front with flowers and bushes. We have a lo of things we want to do but I don't now what we'll get done with this year. It's fun to have our own yard and do what we want with it. It's a lot of work to but it's very satisfying.

I love you all very much. Rebecca we need to tell everyone to start reading this again.

Please reply or post if there is anyone who still uses this thing before I spend too much time putting something on here.

Here are some pictures of our cruise. Jeff & Kay I would like to see some pics of the little guy.

okay, how come we only have butler, dad, and myself as contributors now? We need to get this thing back up and running. Here is a recipe I made out of the Kraft magazine and really liked. If anyone else has or tries good recipes, please share because I am always needing new entrees to make for dinner.

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie


1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
¼ c. Kraft Light Done Right! Zesty Italian Dressing
4 oz. Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese)
2 Tbsp. flour
½ c. low sodium chicken broth
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 refrigerated pie crust


Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook chicken in dressing in large skillet on medium heat 2 min. Add Neufchatel cheese; cook and stir until melted. Add flour; mix well. Add broth and vegetables; simmer 5 min.

Pour mixture into deep dish 10-inch pie plate. Arrange pie crust over filling; flute edge. Cut 4 slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake 30 min. or until crust is golden brown

President Hinkley, Priesthood Session:
I am reading all the talks listed for us and enjoying taking the time to think about spiritual things and bring the spirit close to me but don't have a lot of comments to share. I loved this talk to the men, not like the women don't have problems, but how he addressed several issues so commonplace in society and how the priesthood of God does not belong there. He addressed the seriousness of pornography and the deep pit of sorrow and addiction for those who fall into it and addressed things as minor as wearing "slouchy" clothing and how you speak and act the way you dress. I just think it's always nice to be reminded what a special privlidge it is to have the knowledge that we have and to hold the preisthood. To have the power of God in your hands if you are willing to be humble and righteous. I could just feel the power of God in President Hinkley as he cries out the men of this generation to stand up and be strong in this world of increasing wickedness. We need that power more than ever and it can only be held by righteous men of God. It made me want to do better at supporting the men in my life and helping them in their efforts. Sometimes I complain when Kimball is working on church things and I have to put the kids to bed or when I see him reading the Ensign or scriptures because somehow that belittles me because I am not doing it. And yet I am so grateful for his love of the Lord and his continual efforts to draw closer to the Savior because I know it blesses our family and I know his a blessing and example to so many.

Elder Wirthlin:
He spoke of missing loved ones and the reuniting with them in the next life. He said "The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless." He spoke of Christ dying on a Friday and how dark that day was. But on Sunday, he rose again to show us all that there is a better life waiting in the life to come. He said we will all have our "Fridays" but take comfort in the knowledge that Christ broke the bands of death and Sunday will come. We will see those we loved here again. A very comforting talk.

is this my month to do conference talks? I have such a hard time getting on line right now so I will try to do that if it is. I am sick of the cold and feeling some winter blues. I am ready for sunshine been meaning to call and see if you wanted to borrow a crib so you didn't have to take Mauren out of one yet. Let me know if you do.
Kimball has been working a lot and has more trips planned out of town right now so that is depressing right now too. Not when he makes money doing it but I have such a hard time short term.
Our kids have been sick this last week and Edison is wearing me out. He just cries about everything when he's not feeling well.

Here are a couple pictures at Tulum. It iwas a beautiful Mayan city right next to the ocean.

Here are some pictures of our cruise. I am having a hard time doing pictures on the laptop so I just picked a couple of Kimball and I. Mom and dad will have to post some too.

Here is a pictures of Halloween finally and Emma's preschool Christmas program.

I have been meaning to put some pictures of our family since Halloween but my computer with our pictures on it will not connect to the wireless internet so Kimball brought me home his old laptop but I have not taken the time to put some on a disk to put in this computer to add to the blog. I would also like to put some on of the cruise but dad will probably beat me to it. We had a wonderful time and it was hard to come back to the cold. We are so busy with all the Christmas things going on this month that we don't have time to miss it too much. Our kids are so excited for Christmas. They sing all day long and Edison is now singing "Felize Snoopy dog" because he thinks that how it goes. He is so funny right now. I wish we could have seen more of Liz's family when they were here and are excited for the time to spend with everyone else soon.

Thanks for everyones prayers and unity on Tuesday for Bob Bement. He is home now and felling a bit better. He has been diagnosed with Lymphoma (or however you spell it) which means that it is cancerous. I guess that there is another kind that is very bad and even this kind can be aggresive but does not seem to be. So even though it is not the best news it is certainly better than it could have been. On Monday the 11th Bob is suppose to meet with his doctor to identiy how they will approach this. Mom and I are excited that we will be able to be with all of you sometime during the holidays and look forward to that. They are coming fast. Jeff and family will be headed this way in a week and that will be fun for all of us. Mag's will be home from school for the holidays on Wed night this week. We are all fine and doing well. Love you all, Dad

Ryan and I closed on our house on Friday. It is supposed to fund tomorrow and then it will be official. Everything has been going great with the house. We are totally excited and I'm anxious to have everyone over when we get settled. We don't officially move in until Friday. We are having new carpet put in that will take Wednesday and Thursday to do. And then Friday will be a great day of loading, unpacking, and cleaning. But we are planning on being settled for a while so we are really excited. No more carring junk around just incase we might need it in our next house. So that's our really exciting news.
It was fun to spend Thanksgiving with Katherine and Dan, Mom and Dad, and Mags. We had a lot of fun. Thanks mom and Margaret for going shopping with me on black Friday. You know I look forward to that day. And if I wasn't needed to pack the house up I would have already started sewing up that fabric I bought on black Friday. I was glad I got to see Rebecca but we didn't really get to see them much. I'm excited for mom and dad to come at Christmas time. Hopefully we'll be able to see Jeff and Kaynel that week too. I love you all.
Liz

It is time for Mom and I to go on the cruise so I thought that I had best get this done before we left.

Elder Dieter T Uchtdorf

Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world.

Our motives and thoughts ultimately influence our actions. The testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful motivating force in our lives.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term testimony is a warm and familiar word in our religious expressions. It is tender and sweet. It has always a certain sacredness about it. When we talk about testimony, we refer to feelings of our heart and mind rather than an accumulation of logical, sterile facts. It is a gift of the Spirit, a witness from the Holy Ghost that certain concepts are true.

As we acquire a deeper knowledge of these truths and of the plan of salvation by the power and the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can come to "know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5).

How Do We Get a Testimony?
No good thing comes without effort and sacrifice. If we have to work hard to obtain a testimony, it will make us and our testimony even stronger. And if we share our testimony, it will grow.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Every Latter-day Saint has the responsibility to know for himself or herself with a certainty beyond doubt that Jesus is the resurrected, living Son of the living God" ("Fear Not to Do Good," Ensign, May 1983, 80).
So how do we receive a personal testimony rooted in the witness of the Holy Ghost?
First: Desire to believe.
Second: Search the scriptures.
Third: Do the will of God; keep the commandments. Fourth: Ponder, fast, and pray.
Fourth: Ponder, fast, and pray.

Our personal testimony is a protective shield, and like an iron rod it is guiding us safely through darkness and confusion.

This is our time; these are our days. We are where the action is. Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world.

I know that I need to have the shield of a strong testimony of the gospel. I also know that I have been motivated by my testimony since the time I made the decision that the Lord wanted me to go on a mission and serve others to strive to do what the Lord wants me to do. I find that as the years go by it is easy to say been there done that and to not have the fire of the gospel truth to burn as fervently as it once did. I pary that I will have the courage to endure to the end in the strength of my Lord

President James E Faust (Priesthood Session)
We need to increase our spiritual nutrients—nutrients that come from the knowledge of the fulness of the gospel and the powers of the holy priesthood.

Spiritual nourishment prepares us for baptism. This preparation includes humbling ourselves before God, having "broken hearts and contrite spirits," repenting of all our sins, being "willing to take upon [us] the name of Jesus Christ," and manifesting "by [our] works that [we] have received of the Spirit of Christ."
Our most important spiritual nutrient is a testimony that God is our Eternal Father, that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, and that the Holy Ghost is our Comforter. This testimony is confirmed to us by the gift of the Holy Ghost. From this testimony we derive the spiritual nutrients of faith and trust in God, which bring forth the blessings of heaven. Spiritual nutrients come to us from various sources, but because of time constraints I would like to mention just three.

Some years ago a priests quorum decided to gather food for the needy as a service project. Jim, one of the priests, was excited to participate and was determined to collect more food than anyone else. The time arrived when the priests met at the chapel. They all went out at the same time and returned at a specified time later in the evening. To everyone's surprise, Jim's cart was empty. He seemed rather sober, and some of the boys made fun of him. Seeing this and knowing that Jim had an interest in cars, the adviser said, "Come outside, Jim. I want you to look at my car. It's giving me some trouble."
When they got outside, the adviser asked Jim if he was upset. Jim said, "No, not really. But when I went out to collect the food, I really got a lot. My cart was full. As I was returning to the chapel, I stopped at the home of a nonmember woman who is divorced and lives within our ward boundaries. I knocked on the door and explained what we were doing, and she invited me in. She began to look for something to give me. She opened the refrigerator, and I could see there was hardly anything in it. The cupboards were bare. Finally, she found a small can of peaches.
"I could hardly believe it. There were all these little kids running around that needed to be fed, and she handed me this can of peaches. I took it and put it in my cart and went on up the street. I got about halfway up the block when I just felt warm all over and knew I needed to go back to that house. I gave her all the food."
The adviser said, "Jim, don't you ever forget the way you feel tonight, because that's what it is all about." Jim had tasted the nutrient of selfless service.

I know that my soul desires to be nourished. I don't seem to have much difficulty making sure that my body gets fed on a very regular schedule. I do not work so diligently to do the same for my spirit. I also know that it is true that when we have done it unto one of the least of God's children we have done it unto Him. I do not serve with the same enthusiasm I once did and know that I need to work on this in my life. I know that there really is nothing so sweet as the feelings I get when I do serve another. That is when we really find out the truth of the gospel and who the Lord would want us to be.

Margaret S Lifferth

In today's world, children will need . . . each of us to protect, teach, and love them.

Who are the children in your home or in your neighborhood? Look at them. Think of them. The Savior teaches us that to enter the kingdom of God, we must become as a child, "submissive, meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love" (Mosiah 3:19).

As we seek Him and His Spirit to help us, we will see a miracle. We will recognize that our own hearts are changing and we too are becoming "submissive, meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love" (Mosiah 3:19). We too will reflect the light of the gospel in our own countenance. We will come to understand these words of the Savior: "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me" (Matthew 18:5).

Oh what sweet children we have in our family. I am so happy that I know that they are being taught the gospel in their homes. Keep up the good work; I love all of you so very much and hope that we can be diligent and not loose even one of our precious little ones. The enemy desires them and we must be so vigilent in trying to protect them and help them to learn to build their foundation on Jesus Christ. God bless each of you in your righteous efforts to do so.

A. Roger Merrill
Sunday School General President
When we focus . . . on seeking and receiving the Spirit, we become less concerned about a teacher or speaker holding our attention and more concerned about giving our attention to the Spirit.
We often focus, appropriately, on the importance of teaching by the Spirit. But we need to remember that the Lord has placed equal, if not greater, importance on receiving by the Spirit.

As President Boyd K. Packer has said, "No message appears in scripture more times, in more ways than, 'Ask, and ye shall receive' "

First, they seek.
Second, those who receive, feel.
Third, those who receive by the Spirit intend to act.

I think that it is easier to seek and often times even feel of the truth but it is not so easy to intend to act upon it because that takes effort. I hope that I will not be too comfortable in the gospel and simply sit back and say all is well in Zion. I know that I need to intend to act upon his promptings that I can truly help Him to move His gospel plan forward in these latter days.

President Gordon B. Hinckley
My beloved brothers and sisters, what a miracle these conferences are.
We wish that there were peace in the earth and constantly pray that it may come.
Now, our beloved associates, we leave with you our love and our blessing. May the Spirit of the Lord dwell in your homes. May love govern your family relations.

It is so special to have a prophet to guide us in these troubled times. I know that he is Gods mouth peace on the earth. I know that he wants each of us to feel the spirit of the Lord and to be prompted to act appropriatley upon that spirit. I know that having the Lords spirit in our homes is so important. I know that the Lord wants us to be happy and to love one another. I pray that each of us will have that love in our homes and be directed by it as the prophet has prayed in our behalf.

I know that this is quite a lot to drop on each of you but unlike my intentions I allowed things of the world to get in my way and did not get these thougts out to you a little at a time. I bear witness to each of you that God does live and that we were wise and chose to follow His plan and come here to exerience mortality. I know that the gospel has been restored thru Joseph Smith. I know that President Hinckley is Gods chosen one to lead us today. I know that true joy and happiness comes thru serving others and following the spirit of the Lord. May we all be blessed with His sweet spirit in our lives and homes. Love you all and pray for you each day. I thank God each day that I have the blessing of having each of you in my life. Have a wonderful holiday season. Love dad

President James E Faust

One of the greatest blessings of life and eternity is to be counted as one of the devoted disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root—discipulus, which means pupil. It emphasizes practice or exercise. Self discipline and self control are consistent and permanent characteristics of the followers of Jesus, as exemplified by Peter, James, and John, who indeed "forsook all, and followed him."

What is discipleship? It is primarily obedience to the Savior. Discipleship includes many things. It is chastity. It is tithing. It is family home evening. It is keeping all the commandments. It is forsaking anything that is not good for us. Everything in life has a price. Considering the Savior's great promise for peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come, discipleship is a price worth paying. It is a price we cannot afford not to pay. By measure, the requirements of discipleship are much, much less than the promised blessings.

The words of a beloved Primary song resonate with all who follow the Master:
I'm trying to be like Jesus;
I'm following in his ways.
I'm trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
For most of us, however, what is required is not to die for the Church but to live for it. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult than laying down one's life.

Our true claim as disciples comes when we can say with certainty that His ways have become our ways.

I know that it can be hard to try to be like Jesus in all that we do and say but I also know that it is worth it. I know that I have a lot of trouble with my discipleship. It is so easy to let the things of this world take 1st place in my thoughts and actions. Today is the Sunday choir broadcast after Veterans Day and as I watched I could not help but think with tears in my eyes that Freedom is far from free. Another of the wonderful blessings that the Lord has allowd me to enjoy but I allow myself to consider it a free gift. Everything that is worth anything has a price to pay. I hope that I can learn to be willing to pay the price of discipleship because I know that the blessing attached to this is eternal. I do pray each day that each of us will allow the gospel light to shine through our actions. I add my testimony to that of President Faust and pray that each of us will make His ways our way for I know that it will bring us joy today, notwithstanding the price, and joy forever as we have the blessing of association with the Father and the Son forever and ever. Love Dad

Elder Dallin H. Oakes

The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . is available for every affliction in mortality.

Each of us carries our own burdens. To each of us our Savior gives this loving invitation:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30).

Matthew writes that He healed every sickness and every disease among the people.
The Savior teaches that we will have tribulation in the world, but we should "be of good cheer" because He has "overcome the world" (John 16:33). His Atonement reaches and is powerful enough not only to pay the price for sin but also to heal every mortal affliction.

The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paul—is available for every affliction in mortality.

"Commune with the Lord. . . . He is your best friend! He knows your pain because He has felt it for you already. He is ready to carry that burden. Trust Him enough to place it at His feet and allow Him to carry it for you.

As we struggle with the challenges of mortality, I pray for each of us, as the prophet Mormon prayed for his son, Moroni: "May Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, . . . and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever" (Moroni 9:25).

Wow is that powerful. I can not even express the love I have for Jesus Christ. What love He has for all of us. I have not always understood that He not only paid for my sins but for my pains, my sorrows, my afflictions, my burdens. I know that each of us carry some heavy baggage that we need to put at His feet so we may have the strength to carry on and endure to whatever our individual end will be. When He promised that His yoke would be light it is because He pulls way more than His share. I know that He has already paid the price for me so I hope that I can show my love for Him by taking advantage of His great atonement. I know that I need to ponder this deeply as I take of the sacrament each week. I feel that I have done a better job of thinking of His sacrifice but feel that what I need to spend time thinking about is my Lord triumphant; He has already won His battle and now waits for me to rely upon His love and mercy and use His sacrifice to lift myself from the state of the natural man. To truly have the broken heart and the contrite spirit and to humble myself before Him, to accept His offering of love. I hope that I can learn to repent daily and by so doing in small steps become more like Him.

May God grant all of us a better understanding of His atonement and His great love for each of us is my prayer for us all. God Bless, Dad

I am excited to get started sharing this conference with each of you. As I look over the past blog’s and see that each of you try and want to lift one another and help each other in any way that you can my heart is full of thanks to Heavenly Father. As I read through a few of them I did so with tears in my eyes. I love each of you so much and desire the Lord’s spirit to be with you and to guide you in all that you do.

These are our prophet’s opening words to the church.

Circumstances change, but our message does not change. We bear testimony to the world that the heavens have been opened, that God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, the risen Lord, have appeared and spoken. We offer our solemn witness that the priesthood has been restored with the keys and authority of eternal blessings.

The Lord is richly blessing His Church, and our duty is to do all we can to move it forward.

My prayer for each of us is that we can work a little harder this next 6 months between conferences to stand a little taller in His kingdom; to reach a little higher for opportunities to share His truth with everyone; to spend more time each week on things that are eternal in nature. May God bless each of us as we try to stay the course that leads to eternal joy? I pray daily that each of us can overcome the evil one. Know that Mom and I love each of you and your families with all our hearts.

I know that eveyone is really excited about not hearing from me on the last general conference but I have been thinking about it all month long. In doing the math there is no way that we can get all the talks done by next conference doing one a week. I think what we will try is to give each family a month and then share the talks eaqually from there. Jana and I and Margaret will take November.
Jeff Chase Family Dec: Elder Winkel; Elder Hales; Elder Scott; Pres Monson Priesthood Session; Elder Perkins; Elder Cardon
Hodges Jan: Elder Pieper; Elder Wirthlin; Elder Eyring; Pres Hinckley Priesthood Session; Elder Nelson; Elder Clarke
Jenkins Feb: Elder Baxter; Sister Elaline Patton; Elder Christofferson; Pres Monson Sunday Morning; Pres Hinckley Sunday Morning; Elder Edwards
Butlers Mar: Elder Robert Oaks; Elder Bower; Elder Nash; Elder Perry; Pres Packer; Elder Gibbons
Mom and I and Margaret will take November and we have that broken out. I just went through the speakers like last conference and assigned them in the order that they spoke and the order of our family.
I have 30 minutes to shower and get ready for church so best get going. We will get started with our assingment and hope that this works out ok. There are more talks than weeks so however each family wants to do them is fine. It would be fun if there was one or more each week but whatever works will be a great blessing to all of us. Know that I love you all very much and that you are in our prayers constantly. God bless each of you with his richest blessing and an abundance of his spirit to guide you in all that you do.
Dad