I will trust in the Lord with all my heart

About two months ago, Tom and I were asked to speak in church.  I was given the topic "Trusting in the Lord's Timetable".  I took most of my ideas from Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk, Timing.  That talk has been on my mind for almost a week now.  I hope I can put into words the things I have been thinking and feeling this week.
In his talk Elder Oaks said,
"Faith means trust—trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable. We should not try to impose our timetable on His. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said:
'The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord’s timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes.'
Indeed, we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing."

I love that definition of faith.  It is simple and direct.  It is knowing that the Lord has a plan for me and being able to accept that plan and the timeline that comes with it. It makes me think, how I handle trials or disappointments when they arise?  How can I do better?

Elder Oaks goes on to say,
"Faith and trust in the Lord give us the strength to accept and persist, whatever happens in our lives. I did not know why I received a “no” answer to my prayers for the recovery of my wife of many years, but the Lord gave me a witness that this was His will, and He gave me the strength to accept it."

This is the part of the talk I have been thinking about the most this week.  Like Elder Oaks, I do not know why last Thursday I was given a "no" answer to my prayers of pleading that the Lord would save my pregnancy.  I know that He could, if it were His will.  I am grateful for Priesthood blessings and prayers of loved ones to help buoy me up and give me comfort and peace at this time.  I am grateful to our Heavenly Father for the Brethren in the Quorum of the Twelve.  I am grateful for their examples, for their willingness to serve and to share their experiences and testimonies which help strengthen me. 

I know that the Lord has a plan for me and my family.  I may not always know what that plan is but as long as I put my faith in it, I know that things will work out for the best.  I strengthen my resolve to become a better disciple of our Lord so that when hard times comes I will have the strong foundation I need to get continue on and learn from my trials and disappointments.

She just keeps growing!

My sister, Valerie, took this photo!

I took Aileah to her well baby check-up on Thursday.  The doctor is very pleased with her growth and development.  She is now almost 24 pounds and is 33 inches tall.  She was so brave!  She did not cry at all when she got her 2 shots.  What a trooper!  And she thanked the nurse for her sucker even after she poked her. 
On Friday, we took a quick trip to Nevada to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Mann and Uncle Movell.  We didn't get to take too many pictures.  Grandpa got called into work and Uncle Movell wouldn't be in pictures.  Aileah LOVED playing with Grandma's kitty, Melissa.  She chased it, laughed at it, and talked to it the entire time it was in the house.  It was pretty cute to see.  We also visited the Northeastern Nevada Museum while we were in Elko.  Aileah loved seeing all the animals... she pointed to many of them and said, "Aw!"  She is pretty adorable.  She was so much happier on this trip and warmed up to the relatives pretty quickly.  She charmed Grandma and Grandpa... and even Movell.

Aileah and Grandma Mann

She is doing lots of new things lately. Here are just a few...
*Turning on faucets.  She loves to turn the cold water on by herself while she brushes her teeth.
*Her favorite show is Super Why.  It teaches letter recognition and problem solving.  Lately she has been pointing out letters.  Mostly she points out e,o,i,w, and y.  I was shocked the first time she did it!
*She LOVES family hugs!  If mom or dad is holding her and the other comes over she grabs us for a group hug!
*She enjoys putting her shoes on by herself.  She gets so frustrated if she can't do it by herself... she gets so frustrated if she can't do anything by herself.  Little Miss Independent.

 It is bittersweet to see her growing up and asserting her independence (which she does pretty frequently).  I am so grateful to be her mom.  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for allowing me this opportunity to be a mom to such a wonderful, sweet daughter.

Another photo by Valerie!

Squash Casserole

For Christmas, I made this casserole to take to my parents' house for our family celebration.  I got it from a cookbook, The Essential Mormon Cookbook.  My sister, Valerie, requested I blog the recipe.  So here it is.

Squash Casserole
 3 lbs. butternut squash
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp.  lemon juice (optional)
1 C. grated cheddar cheese, divided

Cut squash into large chunks.  Cook in boiling water until tender (about 20 min.).  Drain well.  Remove peel and mash.  Set aside.  In a bowl microwave butter and onion for 2 min.  Stir into the squash.  In a bowl combine remaining ingredients, using only 1/4 C. of the cheese.  Add to squash and stir together.  Pour into a  greased 2 quart casserole.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Serves 8-10

Result of a meltdown

Sometimes mealtime is torture for Aileah (and for me)!  I can't even remember what set her off this night... but  it was quite a meltdown!  She grabbed her hair, smacked her own face, and head banged her booster.  It was quite a doozy!  I thought the results where pretty funny so I snapped a couple of pics when she had calmed down.

Proof she is actually a very happy baby.  She loves giving the baby in the mirror kisses.  Isn't she adorable?!

Our little cutie is looking so grown up these days!  How lucky am I to be her mom?

Cute visitors

Finally..... Blogger has decided I can upload pictures again!  I had the chance to watch 2 of my nephews while their Mom and Dad went on a long overdue date!  Aileah LOVES all her cousins.  She was so happy to have visitors!  Thanks for letting us watch them Jared and Debbie!

Avi was near the corner... Aileah backed up til she was right in front of him!

Aileah and Itail playing in the kitchen!

I love this pic of Avi!  He loved looking out the window!

Cute Itai was also watching the wind blowing !

Our newest nephew, Ryan!  Such a cute boy!

The proud big sister, Bella, with her little brother! Stinking cuties!

GRRRRR!

I have been trying to do a few posts... but blogger isn't letting me upload photos!  Anyone else having this problem?  It is sooooooo frustrating.  Thanks for letting me vent for a second!

Fall Fun!

We took advantage of the nice Fall weather and played in the leaves for a little bit on Sunday.  Tom and I were still getting over the flu.... but we needed the fresh, autumn air.  Aileah loved it!!!!   Now she tries to pick up leaves all the time. My car is littered with them.  She is such an adorable girl.  I feel so blessed to be her mom (even if I feel inadequate a lot of the time)!  I sure do like her!