Brimhall Babes Softball!! Game Two...

We rocked the softball field AGAIN.

We hit, we ran, we fielded the ball and chanted....

Thanks Fairfield Ward for sharing in our WIN!
We had a blast!

Also a BIG THANK YOU to Bro. Smith for being our cheering

squad and the MANY pointers he offered!!

Brimhall Babes Softball! Game One...

YM / YW Iron Chef Activity!!

Seminary opening social swim party, and glass etching activity!

Mesa High's Seminary went all out this year as hundreds of modestly dressed youth got together for some good eats BBQ and some splashes in the wave pool. We had a great turn out and everyone had a great time.... other than the Bailey girl who was rushed to the ER with a concussion. Poor girl, we all had a chance to pray for her quick recovery. Thanks Sis. Bori and Brother Comerford for spending your Saturday night with the youth!

Also, glass etching. it was fun and the girls jars really did turn out great! We had cupcakes while the chemical etched out our cute figurines into the class. we had stars, circles, moons, and even a cute moose! Loved it, and we can only get better from here!

Cards for the elderly!

Sister Farnsworth is the Martha Stewart in the YW's program. Really she is so prepared with all the best stuff a girl could want for for crafts. The Young Women this past week had such a great time making birthday cards for the seniors at the care center that Katie works at. Afterwards we had a yummy peanut butter treat and we hope that we can give just a little more happiness to those people on their birthdays!.

How are you topping your Sunday?

Today in YW, we talked about ICE CREAM! Who doesn't love a good Sundae? As a reminder, the sundae we created in class had everything from chocolate syrup and crushed candy bars, to grated cheese and mustard on top of it. Don't forget garden tomatoes and a cherry on top, of course! What?? You don't like cheese? No Mustard? Those things are DELICIOUS!! Ok... maybe not on a Sundae. Some of the activities we do during our weeks are GREAT and SUPER COOL, but maybe not quite right for Sundays.

In Exodus 20:8-11, it says "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days shall thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." When we keep the Sabbath Day holy, we will be blessed for keeping the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Each girl received a cupcake ice cream cone to remind them that the toppings they put on their Sundae's reflect the things that you do on your Sundays. Remeber to top your Sundays with a cherry, instead of a tomato, and to smother it in the chocolate syrup of the spirit instead of in mustard or gravy!

I hope you each have a fabulous Sabbath and think of the Lord, our Heavenly Father, no matter what you are doing! Love you! ~Sis Bori

Girls will be girls.

Well I had a great time coloring all over Sister Bori's face. Tonight we were able to learn some hair techniques and also makeup application. Jessi was kind enough to allow me to demonstrate and the girls had a great time with some fun laughs and yummy icecream with fruit afterwards.

grooming night!

I thought that this was a great post, even as a leader.

This is a post from a friend that I grew up with in the Sunny Mesa Ward. She is a fantastic mother!

The Teenager Mom....

I like clean surfaces. I like things in their places. I like walls without clutter. I like things my way. I am the mom. It is my house. My rules.

I am now a teenager mom. The once little child who was there for my molding and correction in all things now desires to be their own self. This has brought me to much inner thought and debate. As in all things in life....we are on a journey. We are not brought into motherhood knowing what we are doing. It is always a journey of trial and error. I really thought I figured out the little kids. I can mostly make them do what I want. They are mostly obedient. They get sent to their room if they don't. They keep their things where I want them to. They play with whomever I approve of, they come home before it is dark (mostly). I pack their lunches so I know what they are eating (mostly). I have control and if I loose control and they choose the wrong path, their consequences in life at this point are minor; a yellow light at school, a lost lunch recess or a call from another mom. All things that can be corrected.

Now, I am a teenager mom. I don't know what I am doing for certain. This is new territory. I do know for certain that with this job as teenager mom, the consequences are now real and life altering. If they choose the wrong path, it may mean addiction, early parenthood, jail, etc. The real deal. No missed recesses, no yellow lights. The idea of me having to help guide these teenage souls is overwhelming. It deserves great thought and much prayer. I have tried a few routes. I have tried to control. I have tried to demand and make my ideas and will the "way". I have realized now at this point that my job is now different. My job is not to make this child submissive to my will but obedient to His will. This child must choose for himself. This child must have an inner desire to be good because that is what he should do, not do what his mom makes him do. This child needs to find himself, his talents, his quest in life. This child needs room to wiggle, to stretch.

Thus....my intro picture. The dresser. The wall. Not my idea when I started to decorate the room. The snake skin from the real snake he skinned himself. The peacock feather. The art. Clutter. Dust collectors. However, this child has taught me something as I repeatedly asked him to clear the area.

"Mom....I want my stuff. I want the room to be me. I don't want it sterile and "you". I need space."

I thought..... That statement was bigger than he realized. He needed to be himself. Teenagers have a lot on their plates. They don't even understand half of their emotions and we make it worse sometimes. I realized I needed to back off a little and give him wiggle room. He needed to start to be on his own a bit. Make his own decisions and even his own mistakes. It is his life in the end. Not mine. I will not be there in college, in marriage.

I had wise parents in my growing up years. We had little rules. We had ultimate trust. We knew , more than anything, that if we broke that trust, the rules would be instituted. The reigns would be drawn in. We understood that if we did what we were supposed to do, we could have freedom. We could have car keys. We could stay out late. They knew we would do what we said we would do. I didn't understand what wise parenting this was until now. I see other teens with much restriction. I see their resentment towards their parents. Does this make them more obedient? Many times it only proves the opposite. They sneak behind parents backs, they rebel. They feel they are not trusted by their parents so why prove them wrong? I am not naive enough to believe that children will always choose good but I know that they need the opportunity to do so. They need room to be themselves . Decorate the desk. Hang up snake skin. When I let go a bit with my son, when I gave him a little less stress at home, the change was immediate. He was relaxed. He was happy and a pleasure to be with. Instead of making my home a place he escaped from, it became a place he was drawn to. He felt happy here. His friends feel happy here. Maybe they just like my food. I don't know but I love having him home. I love that he is happy that I am his mom. I love that he knows he can tell me about his girlfriends and what he did that night. He trusts me as much as I trust him.

I still don't know everything about being a teenage mom but I think I am getting it. If we examine how the Lord parents it is much the same. He told Adam and Eve to not eat the apple. He gave them the consequence. He left them alone and let them make their own choice. They chose the apple. He came back to them. He did not yell at them to go to their room. He did not tell them he did not love them and that they were dumb for making that decision. He showed love. He saw their choice and told them that they now needed to live the consequence that they chose. It was their choice.

I am sure He was sad as he sent them on their way. I am sure He wanted to fix it all but He couldn't . He could only teach them to make better decisions by the consequence that they now had to live.

I want to be this kind of parent. I am learning. I will make mistakes. I will pray. I will trust. I will hope.

Lake Trip- July 15