You Go--Elder Taylor!!

Being 6'8 can present its problems, especially when your living in South America!

It's my little bro's birthday and I just wanted to give him a little shout out. Elder Taylor  has been serving an LDS Mission. For just about two years now, he's been living like a Colombian, eating like a Colombian, and speaking like a Colombian. He's truly put his heart and soul into helping the Colombian people. His missionary service has been such a blessing to our family, he has been an excellent missionary, I'm so proud to call him my brother!

Here are a couple blurbs from some of his letters, you can find all his letters at:
Chronicles of Colombia or elderpatricktaylor.blogspot.com

They live super humbly, the majority of the people here. Lots in just a one room house of bricks, one light bulb, no running water-a few buy it and carry it up to their house for the week. It's a service we've helped with several times. And some of the hills are super steep! Where I live there's running water. This is more on the hilly hillside. But they seem content and grateful for what they have. 

Also I had to eat a cow stomach twice this week. It's not that bad but it's definitely not good. I had a huge chunk of some part of the cow in my soup yesterday and it had hair like a scruffy chin. Like the hair I grow on my Chinnish looking. And a fat and tendon looking thing. Didn't even phase me. Ate the soup, left that thing wallowing in its own to putridity. But all the pieces of stomach surrounding it I ate – not too bad.

We as humans look at problems and conflicts and trials wrong. They are not meant to destroy us. Satan wants to use them that way, but that is not their purpose. They are so that we have a chance to show faith. Especially here, I think of the Sabbath day. Everyone here works on Sunday and that is their excuse every Sunday. This is an excuse! They'll believe God parts the Red Seas, but don't understand that that is a minor miracle for him than themselves and us individually choosing to show faith and look for the way to keep His commandments. It doesn't even have to be all at once. Every week you build a little more faith til you can actually do it and do it consistently. But they just trap themselves, sometimes not even searching for how to do it, saying "If God wants" thinking that if it was His will He'd come and give them a piggyback to church Sunday morning.

I really do not know where to begin in the testimony of I have of Christ. When I think ofwhat he would do in every situation I think how unnecessary the commandments would be if we just loved as he did. If we allow him to change our desires to just do good! To do as he would do! When I think of his love for me even when I fail. and when I fail his other children I think of his miraculous power, to compensate and take advantage of our shortcomings and I can know that he LIVES and LOVES me bastante. He is my Savior, and you come to know it more and more by striving to live like Him.

It's Been a Lovely Fall

Fall Colors up American Fork Canyon, Breathtaking! 

We've been taking advantage of the last bit of warm weather-Ezra is to blame for the mud, he didn't mind hosing them off though.

It's just been so beautiful around here!

Our family friend Bronson let us borrow this beaut for a day--it was hilarious to see all the funny looks we were getting.
Totally want one!

Been trying to spend lots of time outside enjoying the amazing weather before it gets too cold!

Okay-- My girls are totally girly girls--I swear it came programed. Ila LOVES jewelery, here she is at Oma and Opa's good ol jewelery store. She could not get enough. Fae is more of a clothes and shoes girl- if she sees her shoes she insists on having them on her feet--she also loves to pull clothes out of her drawer and bring them to me to put them on her. New favorite phrase: "ooooh, pret-eeee!"

Discipline has officially started- and I totally hate it. I know I need to do it, after all I don't want to end up with TWO screaming, tantrum throwing, bullies. It's a pain, but like my Dad always says "Hard work is easy work done at the wrong time." 

Now is the time! I've got to get this discipline thing down quick or I'm going to be in double the trouble! 

I'm trying to mold my little one year olds into the patient, polite, respectful little angels that I know  might exist.....Ha. It's gonna take a while, a long while. Right now we are working on being "soft." When they hit each other I make them say sorry and give each other hugs. We are also working on not throwing things in church, not playing in the potted plants, not rubbing food in our hair, the list goes on and on. Sometimes I feel like I must have the most active children on the planet. 

I need a nap!----Who's with me?!

P.S. General Conference was A---mazing! I'm already re listening to it all! I feel so blessed to be part of such an wonderful church with such amazing leaders!