...And this is my blog.

First a small side note: yes, it has been forever. I'm sorry.

But really I had to do a blog post tonight because my mind has been filled to the brim with all things religious and spiritual for a while now and I've finally got it organized. I have a few thoughts and they are categorized as follows:

1. First, the question has been on my mind lately, "What does it mean to be a good Christian?" I've been praying and studying the scriptures to find the answer and I've finally come to the beginning of an answer. I'm not going to insert quotes, but instead summarize what I've been reading and thinking.

At the very root, Christians are followers of Jesus Christ. They seek Him, they try to understand His gospel, they listen to His voice and they try every day to do the things that He did and that He commanded His children/followers to do. I believe that not only do Christians follow the example of Jesus Christ in being baptized by immersion by one who holds authority from God to baptize, but they continually renew the covenant they made to Him when they were baptized. This is that they would follow Him, keep His commandments and take upon them the name of Christ. He has promised in return that they may always have His spirit to be with them. This is why I go to church every Sunday. I think it's important to hear the words of fellow Christians so that we may be uplifted and edified, inspired and healed. But the main reason for going to church is for the ordinance of the Sacrament. We symbolically take in the blood and body of Jesus Christ by partaking of bread and water as Jesus Christ himself indicated so that there would be no disputations among men. The bread and water is blessed by those having authority from God and passed to any who would like to participate in the sacred ordinance. When I take into me the blood and body of Christ, I personally recommit myself to him and ask for repentance of my sins and for help doing what is right. When I take the sacrament, I feel closer to Him because I know Jesus Christ instituted the sacred ordinance as a part of His church. It's just one blessing He has given us to show us that we are not alone and He is there to help us just as He always has been for His children.

That was a long one...

Thought #2
This is a big part of the answer that came to me as I pondered the question, "Who is Jesus Christ? Do I really know Him?" So to answer the second part of my question, I came to the realization that yes, I do know Jesus Christ, but I'm still learning. I read about Him, worship Him, and pray to the Father in His name that He will guide me and walk beside me as I walk through my trials and events of everyday life. Then I thought about those who testify of Christ. Who can really testify of Christ? I feel like this is the true test. People can come up with their own doctrines by mixing scripture with clever sayings and sometimes those things can be very helpful and uplifting. But nobody can fake knowing Jesus Christ. They can't powerfully testify of His divinity and grace and love without really knowing Him. Nobody can fool you into thinking they really believe in Christ. The reason for that is because when someone testifies of Him, you know without a doubt that it's true because the Holy Spirit burns in you. It gives you this feeling of comfort and assurance that what you're hearing is true. And now comes the best part...

You may now proceed to click the play button below.

Trust me... It's worth it.

I know Jesus Christ lives! I know Jesus Christ! I love Him with all of my heart. I know He loves us. His gospel is so beautiful and my heart is filled with humility and gratitude for the gift He gave me which no one else could.

Kids and Kimball

For those of you who don't know, Jason got accepted to BYU for the winter/spring semester. He is just finishing up a class for the spring semester online. It's a marriage and family class with so many great readings. Tonight we read a talk by President Ezra Taft Benson called "To the Mothers in Zion." I love reading older talks because the prophets were so bold. In this specific talk he reminded us that the most noble and important work we can do is in our own home, raising our children to love God and teaching them to have faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes I start wondering what my real purpose as a mom is and I go looking for these kinds of talks. I highly encourage you to read this one.
It can be found here: http://emp.byui.edu/WILLIAMSG/Talks/etb_tothemothers.htm

I put Kimball in the title because President Kimball is often quoted in the talk. Of the many wonderful things he shared, one (or should I say ten) has really helped me catch the vision for what God sees as the work of a mother. President Benson told us ten things that are our duty as mothers to our children. I will name just a few of them.

1. Be at the Crossroads. This means be at home when your children are coming and going. They need to know that you are there and that you are concerned with what is going on in their lives. They need your supervision when they come home from school and they need your support when they leave the house to face to world.

2. Read to your children. It's so important to fill your children's minds with the truth of the scriptures and the principles of the classics.

3. Be together at mealtimes. This is the time when you get to know what is going on in their lives. They need to know that they can be completely honest with you and that they can ask you for advice.

4. Pray with them. Study the word of God with them.
5. Teach them.
6. Truly love them.

There are so many things a woman can do in the world today, but the most important thing she can do is be a mother who leads her children to God. No success can compensate for failure in the home. Seriously- go read it!

Jason and Jammin

My J today is about my incredible husband Jason. He deserves a shout out because he makes my world go 'round. I would not be as incredibly happy as I am today with a husband who does so much for me and loves me without conditions. Jason is really a rare catch. When we were dating he was so sweet to me. The first birthday I celebrated with him, he sent me flowers and a poem he had written. Even though he's a manly man, he sure has a tender side and knows how to get to my heart. One thing about my sweet husband is that he is very thoughtful. He pays attention to what I like and always remembers to do something special for every occasion. I love my husband!
My other J- jammin'. Dancing happens to be something that both my husband and I love, but are not talented at. AT ALL. Seriously- unless you want a really good laugh, you do not want to see either of us dance. Levi gets a kick out of it though. :)

Inspired

Every Sunday I feel so grateful to have the gospel as my anchor. I start to think about all the ways I am blessed and I just lose track. Today, there are two things I am particularly grateful for and they all could be summed up in one word. Inspiration. Two incidents happened within 24 hours of each other that really strengthened my faith in the gospel. 
First, about a week ago I was sleeping in bed with my sweet baby boy who is 6 months old. He is getting somewhat mobile so we have to be careful where we lay him down. If we lay him on his back, he will be rolled over in a matter of 2 seconds and start scooting backwards. This particular morning, Jason had gone to work and Levi and I were taking a morning nap in my bed. I was completely and totally asleep. Even dreaming. Out of nowhere, without opening my eyes, I quickly rolled over and grabbed my baby. When I opened my eyes, I was holding Levi by his legs and he was dangling over the side of the bed about 3 inches from the ground. I realized that there was no way I could have seen that coming (considering I was completely asleep at the moment) and I immediately said a prayer to thank God for protecting my baby. I know God answers prayers.
Second, I just got my wisdom teeth out last Wednesday. It sucked. Really, trying to rest and taking care of a 6-month-old do not coincide with each other. Not to mention, I wasn't taking pain killers because I'm still nursing the baby. So as I was healing from my surgery, one night I started feeling so sick. So terribly sick that I was crying and just wanted the pain to go away. I woke up Jason and asked him for a blessing. He got his vial of consecrated oil (after first using the eye drops that he reached for in the dark and accidentally dripped on my head) and laid his hands on my head to give me a blessing. I know blessings are granted according to our faith and the will of the Lord so it doesn't happen perfectly every time, but this time I was instantly healed and felt 100% better. The hand of the Lord is so present in my life. Mark 6:13 says, "And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." Some people think that healing by the laying on of hands doesn't exist anymore or that only the apostles could heal people. But I know that because there must be a "restoration of all things" and that includes the priesthood authority to act in God's name for the blessing and healing of the sick and the afflicted. I'm grateful to have a priesthood holder in my home who honors his priesthood and presides over our family in love and righteousness. 
There is someone who reads my blog who needs to hear something. If you think it's you, then it is. There are many good churches in the world. Many that teach about Jesus and that help men to be better people. But when Jesus Christ came to the earth, He established His church the way it had always been and the way it was always supposed to be- with one faith and one baptism. If you've never asked God if he has a church on the earth, I urge you to do so. If you already know Jesus and believe that he will answer your prayers, wouldn't you want to know if there was one church that had the authority that he gave to His apostles and that He approved of? I don't want to be pushy or anything (I guess it's my blog, anyway) I just ask that you will in sincerity ask God if he has something more for you and where you can find it. I testify to you that God lives. His Son, Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins so that we could live with God again. There is a prophet on the earth today and he speaks the words of God. 


Thanks for reading!

H... call me a Hippie

There are a few things that are very "hippie" about me, and many things that not. But I proudly claim the title when it comes to health and peace. A few of the hippie things about me...

• I had a my baby naturally and at home. And I will never do it ANY OTHER WAY. I respect all birthing methods and think a woman should be able to choose what she is most comfortable with to go through what could be the hardest thing she ever does. I just happen to choose to do it in the comfort and safety of my own home. 
• Essential Oils. Sometimes I laugh at myself when I think of all the things I naturally lean toward. I simply feel like I'm a more informed citizen and I don't buy into the "only doctors know how to heal" mindset. Really, please just think about it for a second. I have nothing against doctors. I just have something against having a pill for everything from "shift work disorder" (feeling tired at work) to ODD (obsessive disobedience disorder). Can't we just take care of our bodies and let them heal themselves? How can we expect to feel good if we are breaking the Lord's commandments concerning our bodies? Anyway, I believe that God put herbs on earth as nature's medicine. Essential oils are my go-to when I have allergies, feel nauseous, or can't sleep. Besides them having no side effects, they are entirely natural and extremely inexpensive. 
• Which brings me to another thing: I do not like the government's attitude that it's their job to fix everything. Enough said. Talking about politics just makes me mad.
• Conspiracy theories. Alright, you may have already lost some respect for me, but I must say, you're an idiot if you believe what the media tells you. Should we even get into this? Just send me a message if you really want me to talk about my own theories... 
• Yoga- I LOVE yoga. That's actually what inspired this post. I was feeling crappy so I did some yoga and now I feel incredible!

Ways in which I am not a hippie: Sorry, I'm far from sexually open. No free love here. I believe in monogamous eternal relationships that are wholesome and defined by charity. Also I'm a terrible environmentalist. I don't recycle, my car gets 15 miles to the gallon, and I am what my sister calls, a "city girl." Alright, so that wraps up tonight's "secrets of a hippie yogi." Adios!

G is for Grateful.

It's 5 am and I've been up for an hour with Levi. I don't know if it just got too hot or he was hungry, or what. But he seems to be pretty awake still. While I was trying to nurse him back to sleep, I googled "how to be a better mom." (Google is my go-to for all things in question.) The third or fourth result down, I found an article with an excerpt from a book for mothers. The title of the article was, "Stop trying to be a better a mom and try being a happier one." it struck a chord with me and I was already hooked. After further reading I discovered it's probably true that we all want to be better moms, but never feel like we are making progress. So instead of focusing on trying to do everything perfectly, we should really just try to enjoy the little things that make us smile and let ourselves be happy with the way things are. This life was not made for attaining perfection. It's a learning and growing experience. I think we would be a lot happier if we remembered that each day. There are some things we do need to get in order though. Things that will make being happy more attainable. In her book, the author says, "We need solitude, not another diet. We need to figure out our spiritual lives more than we need another activity to run our kids to. We need hope instead of more stuff to do, which will only make us more anxious. We need to spend less so that we can loosen the grip that money has on us. There is much more we can get out of life." Ah!!! How glorious are those relieving words! Stop worrying! Stop comparing yourself to the super mom you think everybody else is! Stop trying to fill your life with things that don't matter and just let yourself be happy and grateful.

Hi. My name is Nicole. I'm a chocaholic.

Today, F is for Five-minutes. 5 minutes to get type this up and get the baby to bed. So, while he cries because he is tired, I will simply bullet-point my latest thoughts.

• F is for FAIL. I totally failed on the dailly blog-writing. Apologies are in order.
• F is for Family. On a good note, I've been spending quality time with my incredible family. Levi makes every day so wonderful with his smiles and giggles and just the way he looks at me. I am totally in love with him.
• F is for Fruits and Vegetables. Jason and I have started exercising together and eating healthier. The only problem is that I'm addicted to chocolate. I seriously am salivating as I'm typing the word chocolate. It's bad. I try to justify it by saying that dark chocolate is good for your heart or something, but I know deep down, it's just an excuse to make my way to the Ghirardelli section of the grocery store.  

Alright, bedtime. See you tomorrow! Maybe :)